As a general rule of thumb, setting the tail gain adjustment to be set by the transmitter on the default gyro channel for your transmitter is recommended. It allows for quick changes of tail gain dependent on conditions. However, if you are running a transmitter with less than eight channels, it is possible to set the gain to be software-controlled in order to free up a channel for an additional function such as rescue.
We recommend completing the wizard and starting with the recommended tail gain. As you fly the model, the recommended procedure developed by iKON/Brain team member, Alex Rose, is:
Turn off pitch and cyclic pre-compensation.
Find the maximum tail gain. High speed sideways flight, aileron loops, over-speeds. Find where the high speed wag is, then back off 5 points.
Do full collective punch-outs to assess how much the tail kicks. Increase the tail I gain 5 points at a time. Usually 10-15 points total max.
Finally, add in pitch pre-compensation until the tail is completely locked in punch-outs. Usually very little cyclic pre-compensation is needed (default is set to 10). A value of 70 or so in pitch pre-compensation is not uncommon.
In the majority of cases, we have found that tail wag is caused by mechanical problems in the tail or the tail command redirection that is hard for several reasons, such as:
unbalanced and/or chipped tail blades
thrust bearings that are incorrectly mounted
crooked tail rotor shafts
tail pulley is slipping
The tail rotor spins at four to five times the speed of the main rotor system so the centrifugal forces on the components are greater. As such, any imperfections are greatly magnified and translate into vibrations that are picked up by the iKON's gyro sensors and translated as movement that needs correction. Additionally, the tail rotor servos are typically much faster than cyclic servos and make corrections much quicker - a wag could be a rapid correction and response to an unbalanced or mechanically rough system.
Please ensure that the tail pushrod is free and easy to move; a lot of tail wag problems have been corrected by a freely moving tail pushrod, especially on new helicopter builds.
No, your unit is fine. Here are some things you can check: first, make sure your helicopter is as level as possible BEFORE you power it on. Ensure that you do not move it until the initialization servo pumps. If you still get the error, you may have a stuck sensor. MEMS sensors are microscopic mechanical devices so a hard landing, crash, or other shock can affect them. Often, powering off the unit and giving it a firm slap is enough to unjam the sensor.
If the unit’s LEDs do not light, there are three possible causes:
The ESC (which normally powers the unit) is either not powered or is an ESC without BEC or the throttle connector is not properly connected to the unit.
The iKON2 (not the old iKON units) can also be powered by the USB cable without the risk of the motor starting. NOTE: Many USB phone charging cables do not have internal connections for data transmission and reception but only power cables. With these types of cables, the iKON2s are powered and the LEDs light up, but it is not possible to connect with the configuration software.
There is a short circuit in one of the servos, or in the receiver, or one of the cables has shorted with a carbon frame edge (carbon is conductive!).
We suggest that you disconnect all the devices from the iKON2 control unit and to power it only from USB to check if the LEDs light up.
Check that the ESC is equipped with an internal BEC, otherwise, in addition to the ESC, a BEC powered by the same battery pack used by the ESC must also be mounted on the model.
Disconnect the USB cable and try to power the unit by the ESC (or by the separate BEC) to see if the LED’s light up. Then reconnect one device at a time to understand if and which one is short-circuited.
If all else fails and you need to reset the unit, a reset procedure is available here.
