Spartan VORTEX User Manual

CHAPTER 1
VORTEX USER GUIDE
Doc. v2.00 ©2012-2013
Spartan M
O
VERVIEW
The Vortex flybarless system is based on a sophisticated hybrid rotor
control system that seamlessly combines a mathematically accurate
flybar emulation with modern digital control algorithms. Combined with
Spartan's market leading tail gyro technology the holding ability of the
Vortex is excellent and precise giving a very solid and dependable feel on
any size helicopter from tiny electrics to nitro and gas. The built in
governor responds exceptionally
technology to provide power before the engine is bogged down. Finally,
the cutting-edge silicon ring MEMS (Micro Electrical Mechanical System)
sensors combined with adaptive digital filtering offer vibration immunity
tolerance not previously seen in RC helicopter controllers.
S
PECIFICATION
 Dimensions control unit: 34 x 23.8 x 11mm (1.34 x 0.94 x 0.43 inch)
 Dimensions sensor: 20.6 x 20.6 x 9.6mm (0.81 x 0.81 x 0.36 inch)
 Weight: 14 grams (combined control unit & sensor)
 Sensor lead: 16cm long (6.3 inch)
 Sensor Type: Balanced ring MEMS with digital interface
 Governor: Selectable Nitro or Electric
 Control system: Proprietary PID with adaptive tuning
 Supported tail servos: Digital 760us, 960us and 1520us centre pulse
 Supported swash servos: Digital or analog 1520us centre pulse
 Supported receivers: Standard pulse, PPM, SBUS, 1/2 Satellites
 Standard setup: DataPod
 Computer connectivity: DataPod Bridge Mode
 Operating voltage: 3.8V to 8.4V
TROUBLESHOOTING, WARRANTY & REPAIRS
Should you encounter any problems, please do not return this product to
the store until you have carefully read this user guide, consulted the
knowledge base on the Spartan website and sought advice from our
technical support staff.
For repairs, servicing, technical support or questions regarding the
distribution of this product visit the support page at the Spartan website:
http://www.spartan-rc.com/
WARNING!
Model helicopters are not toys and have the potential to be very
dangerous. Failure to follow the safety precautions and warnings in this
user guide may result in severe injury to yourself and others. Beginners
are advised to seek further advice from an experienced adult pilot.
Read through the entire manual before operating this product.
This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause
cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Safety Precautions
BEFORE EACH FLIGHT:
• Verify that the Vortex operates correctly.
• Verify that the Vortex compensates in the correct direction.
• Verify that the Vortex is operating in the desired mode.
• Verify that the sensor mounting pads are in good condition.
• Verify that interconnection wires are not in contact with the sharp edges
of the helicopter frames.
• Verify that all linkages, ball links and blade grip bearings can move
freely without excessive friction.
S P A
PARE ARTS AND CCESSORIES
Order Code Description
SRC-DTPOD Spartan DataPod. Required for setup and fine tuning the
Vortex VX1.
SRC-VPADS Vortex Sensor Pads. (10x) 20x20x1mm adhesive pads for
gyro sensor mounting.
Mini Gyro Pads. Mix of thin 1mm pads and thicker 3mm
SRC-QPADS
pads for very high vibration environments. Total 15pcs.
SRC-RPM Governor RPM Sensor. Includes governor sensor, screws
and magnets.
SRC-RPMK Governor RPM Sensor Kit. Includes governor sensor,
screws, magnets and mounting brackets for 50 and 90
size nitro engines.
SRC-MAG Governor Sensor Magnets (2pcs). 4mm diameter x 2mm
thickness
SRC-VXW Vortex VX1 Receiver Wire Set
fast using Spartan's look-ahead
Current draw: <100mA
O
PERATION
The Vortex is configured using a Spartan DataPod. The installation
process is detailed in the "Vortex Setup & First Flight" guide. After the
first successful flight you may wish to alter the Vortex's flight
characteristics to your flying style through the numerous configuration
options provided via the DataPod. Their function is described in the
"Vortex Fine Tuning Guide".
WARNING!
Immediately after powering on, the Vortex performs automatic calibration
of the transmitter sticks and gyro sensor resting positions. During this
time the helicopter must remain undisturbed and the cyclic and rudder
sticks must be left at the centre position. Calibration lasts approximately
4 seconds and upon completion the Vortex will enter flight mode and zip
the swashplate and tail rotor. During calibration the sensor's Status light
alternates rapidly between red and blue.
The swashplate and tail will not zip if one of the following occurs:
• The RC receiver is not providing signal for all required channels.
• The battery alarm function detected low supply voltage.
• The Vortex flight computer is not receiving signal from the sensor.
• The sensor tests have not passed (sensor light will flash error pattern).
In a similar way to your RC radio system the Vortex offers four flight
modes (N, 1, 2 and H) so its behaviour can be altered for different flying
styles. We recommend that the flight modes of the Vortex are linked to
the same switches that control the flight modes of your radio, thus
allowing both sides to track each other. However, if necessary, the flight
modes of the Vortex can be control by different switches subject to the
functionality provided by your radio system.
Most modern radios allow setting a different gyro gain for each flight
mode and as such we recommend using the gyro menu as a means of
selecting the active flight mode of the Vortex. Here is how it works: The
radio's flight mode switch is set to Idle1  The radio outputs the gain
value assigned to Idle1.  The Vortex receives the gain channel and
interprets it as a command to which of its own flight modes it should
select. Note that the gain percentage set on the radio no longer controls
the tail gyro gain. Instead it is used as an index to the desired flight
modes. Specific examples for popular radios and a video description of
this process are available in knowledge base topic 138 that can be found
at the Support section of the Spartan website.
S L – F
TATUS IGHT LIGHT
Status Light
Steady blue
Blue 1 flash
Blue 2 flashes
Blue 3 flashes
Blue rapid
flashing
Steady violet for
few seconds
Red slow
flashing
Red 1 flash
Red rapid
flashing
Violet slowly
pulsing
Fw Violet rapid
Ldr flashing
S L – S
TATUS IGHT ENSOR
Status Light
Alternating
Blue/Red
Steady blue
Steady red
Violet 1, 2 or 3*
flashes
Red 1, 2 or 3*
flashes
Fw Violet rapid
Ldr flashing
* The number of flashes indicates the sensor that is reporting the error.
1
C
OMPUTER
Description
Normal operation – Nothing to report.
The aileron stick is not at neutral.
The elevator stick is not at neutral.
The rudder stick is not at neutral.
Trim flight active.
The Vortex is saving data such as changes to
the configuration parameters to its internal
memory.
The Vortex is waiting for signal from the
receiver. Usually seen before the receiver has
linked to the transmitter.
The Vortex changed over to the other satellite
receiver.
The Vortex is scanning both satellite receivers
but neither is receiving a transmission.
The input voltage is too low for the Vortex to
operate correctly.
Firmware update mode.
Description
The sensor is calibrating. Do not move the heli.
Sensor calibration ok.
The sensor was moved during calibration. The
calibration quality may be bad and drift may
occur in flight.
The sensor self-test failed. It may indicate a
fault but it can also be triggered if the sensor is
abruptly moved during calibration.
The sensor is reporting that it is operating
outside its design specification. It may indicate
a sensor fault but can also be triggered by
extreme shock in case of a crash.
Firmware update mode.