RC Airplane Telemetry for Newbies

[@1983dmd]

This is soooo good !!! Extremely informative and well explained...Wow! You should bring back Ron for more videos. You and him are the best !!! Very well filmed too ! Thank you again for taking the time to do those wonderful videos.

[@TimMcKay56]

1983: You are too kind! Thanks so much for checking in. I’ll see if I can talk Ron into doing some additional videos. 😊✈️ Tim

[@angelanbrentenlowndavis2949]

How things have changed in the last 40 years, i remember when dual rates were the new thing and now all of this cool stuff. Just too neat.. love your videos good job you two on this one!

[@TimMcKay56]

Hey guys: Thanks for checking in! Will pass along to Ron. And do not forget the old days, before computer transmitters, with the servo reverse "dip" switches at the back of the transmitter. 😁 Tim

[@malin5468]

Many thanks for this very informative vlog. As a rc yacht sailor some of it was a bit over my head, but the ability to monitor battery voltage remotely is invaluable. Now I will need to purchase a transmitter and receiver with telemetry.

[@TimMcKay56]

Malin: Yes, ensure the transmitter and receiver allow telemetry and you should be good to sail! Tim

[@tomph7087]

Very thorough Thank you

[@TimMcKay56]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mikelinderman8514]

thank you Tim for all your great content my son and I have watched most of your content, it's always done in an easy-to-understand way, you have a knack for it

[@TimMcKay56]

Mike: Thanks so much for checking in! Tim

[@kshaw8494]

Was easy on my ear, hearing a fellow Scotsman 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@TimMcKay56]

😊👍🏻 Tim

[@CarlosChavez-gs1ld]

Nice Plane! Well done. Thank you.

[@TimMcKay56]

Thanks! Tim

[@michaelbarber8692]

Very well done….thanks.

[@TimMcKay56]

😊👍🏻 Tim

[@ronaldrose6885]

Very informative!!!! Thank you both.

[@TimMcKay56]

Ronald: Glad you enjoyed it! Tim & Ron

[@jaybird4610]

This is awesome.

[@TimMcKay56]

Thanks!

[@Bobbygale121]

Great Stuff. THANK YOU !!!

[@TimMcKay56]

Happy to assist! Tim

[@andrewfairweather1340]

Interesting subject, very professionally presented, as always Tim. Good to see you showing the good sense to enlist others who might be more expert in a particular topic than yourself. I have a feeling I may actually have crossed paths with Ron previously and maybe even have shared digs with him a while back when I was living and working in Stevenage in the UK! Not sure? I'm relatively new to the hobby, still learning to fly and using previous generation kit but, from Ron's explanation of his landing, can easily see how capturing such data would be a big aid to improving my flying. At very least, it would be great to have something to prove I'm not flying over my legal altitude limit. Thanks for all your great work on this channel. ✈👍

[@TimMcKay56]

Andrew: Thanks so much for your kind words and checking in! Tim

[@Not_So_Weird_in_Austin]

Thanks almost no one else on the internet speaks to telemetry other than saying if you fly rc get the large box type of transmitter let alone talk about what you can do with telemetry. The thing for me is big box/big screen vs more compact with telemetry capture for later analsys

[@TimMcKay56]

Good points! Tim

[@JoeGaffey]

Very cool. I came a across this video looking for a realtime feedback mechanism for RC vehicles that could be used to incorporate feedback into the transmitter e.g. a rumble motor to replicate engine vibration or ideally control surface forces to allow force feedback on the sticks. Probably not possible with this technology due to sample rates etc. Might even require an analogue channel.

[@TimMcKay56]

Joe: Thanks so much for checking in, best of luck with your project! Tim and Ron 😁

[@rontincher81]

Great explanation! Is there a way to monitor battery capacity while flying with telemetry? Thanks

[@TimMcKay56]

Ron: I'll forward this to Ron Bell . . . he can provide a good answer! Tim

[@ronbell8967]

@@TimMcKay56 My understanding is that there is not really a simple yes/no answer to this question. However, as I don't fly electric aircraft I can't claim to be an expert here. There are whole threads on RC Groups devoted to this topic with many opinions expressed but nothing really conclusive. The newer Spektrum PowerSafe receivers claim to have capacity measurement and reporting built in, which would suggest an answer of yes, but I don't know how reliable it is as even the Spektrum gurus seem to say that monitoring battery capacity is highly questionable due to the number of variables involved; battery age, ambient temperature, pre-flight charge, flight profile, etc. The general consensus seems to be that monitoring flight pack voltage is much more meaningful and reliable than trying to measure capacity.

[@drew8837]

Always enjoy watching your videos, they are informative. I have noticed that the Spektrum pitot tubes have been discontinued for some time. Are you aware of anywhere you can still find these, or is there another option for airspeed telemetry not via GPS. Thanks for any info!

[@TimMcKay56]

Drew: You are correct. I don't know why it has been discontinued (very disappointing) and whether Spektrum has plans for a replacement. I believe the original SPMA9574 item was actually sourced from Eagle Tree Systems and sold under license by Spektrum so hopefully there are alternatives already out there or in the works. Ron

[@drew8837]

@@TimMcKay56 thanks for the info, really appreciate it! It is disappointing when they stop items!

[@fordboyzzzz]

would that air speed sensor daisy-chain to radiolink brand or are they not compatible? looks like a good sensor to have but nobody else seems to make them. great video thank you.

[@TimMcKay56]

Not sure on the daisy-chain, thanks for checking in! Tim

[@MrPonderosaPete]

Something that has been puzzling me about SBus and SBus2. I know that I can 'string' multiple servos along a serial connection with SBus etc. What I am curious about is other channels. I would be using possibly CH1 for throttle in the slot for CH1 on the receiver. I would like to also use a channel for a choke, the ON-OFF-ON sorta thing. We know that CH1-4 are normally for flight controls. If these flight controls are being run through an SBus system, what happens to the normal slots in a receiver for CH1-4..?? Can they be used for something else..?? Thanks everyone for looking into this....my question has been answered. Safe flying all..!!

[@TimMcKay56]

Can anyone assist?? 😊 Tim

[@gliderrider]

I wonder if it will show my thermaling track. I’ve seen something like this with full size hang gliding. It might have gps produced. Mostly though I want to hear my altitude and a lifting or sinking tone. And what is the exact equipment I need for that.

[@TimMcKay56]

Best of luck! Tim

[@drew8837]

I was able to find a Spektrum 9574; I was curious with the newer Spektrum revivers, can you plug this device in via x-bus cable instead of using the TM1000? Is that just used for older receivers? Thanks!

[@TimMcKay56]

Drew: Not sure on the newer receivers. Try the tech chat at www.HorizonHobby.com Tim

[@drew8837]

@@TimMcKay56 I contacted Spektrum directly and they stated that any new receiver that has a X-bus port will be compatible with these airspeed indicators without the use of the TM1000. Which is great! Just wanted to share what I found out.

[@TimMcKay56]

@@drew8837 😊👍🏻 Tim

[@dustcommander100]

I'm curious as to the type of signal going back to the transmitter. Is it Bluetooth? I bought an inexpensive electric-powered R/C boat for my nephews to use at the pond near me. It actually has some means of signaling to the transmitter that the battery in the boat has reached a state requiring recharge. It must be that the (borrowed?) technology nowadays has 2-way communications often built in, and they are just harnessing that capability.

[@TimMcKay56]

DC: Not fully sure, will see what Ron has to offer! Tim

[@TimMcKay56]

The telemetry communication back to the transmitter uses the same 2.4GHz RF link that is used to control the aircraft. Uplink control information is sent in packets. Ron

[@dustcommander100]

@@TimMcKay56 That's really interesting! Would it be true to say that 2.4 GHz systems have always had 2-way communication? Some aspects of system operations seemed to hint at that from the beginning. I watched a few videos on how Bluetooth works, and there was a claim that Bluetooth also operates on 2.4 GHz channels. Makes me wonder if 2.4 GHz R/C equipment came to be as a result of technology advances in industry and consumer electronics. Amazing that all those wound coils for Intermediate Frequency and Radio Frequency are no longer needed!

[@gordonmckay4523]

@@dustcommander100 Will do some research! Tim

[@torisefromtheground6005]

Amazing, anybody know where can I buy this times spektrum airspeed indicator? I do not find anywhere. :(

[@TimMcKay56]

Not sure . . .

[@ATINKERER]

Hi, I just starting to learn about this hobby, and I have what may be some stupid questions. In the video, Ron uses the terms "stall" and "critical speed". I looked up the term critical speed and found it is the speed at which air over the wing reaches supersonic. Ron says his critical speed for that airplane is 27 mph. It seems hard to believe that supersonic flow over a wing can start at 27 mph. I also looked up "stall" and it says that stall is about angle of attack, not speed. Could you help me with this?

[@TimMcKay56]

I'll check with Ron. Stall speed relates to angle of attack rather than airspeed, that is correct. As most smaller aircraft do not have angle of attack indicators (airliners and military aircraft do), airspeed is used as a reasonable substitute for stall speed at lower airspeeds. Tim

[@ATINKERER]

@@TimMcKay56 Thanks for your very quick reply!

[@TimMcKay56]

In the model world it is commonplace to refer to the 'stall speed' as the airspeed at which flight can no longer be maintained due to the resulting angle of attack. In simple terms it is the airspeed at which the wing stalls. As you correctly mention, our models do not have AOA sensors so we use the measured airspeed as an effective substitute since for all practical purposes it achieves the same end goal of keeping the wing flying at slower speeds. Ron

[@ATINKERER]

@@TimMcKay56 Thanks again! I'm learning a lot from your videos and enjoying every minute of it.

[@itzjoeylo4501]

Can you connect multiple sensors to SBus?

[@TimMcKay56]

No idea. Tim

[@ronbell8967]

@@TimMcKay56 - The answer is yes ... multiple sensors are daisy chained together and the receiver polls them in turn.

[@TimMcKay56]

@@ronbell8967 Ron, Many thanks!! Barcelona tomorrow morning then journey home. 😊✈️ Tim

[@planker]

Excellent. As for Avionics I'm going to start with the A3 MPU for flight stabilization, because crashing sucks. Telemetry battery information might be a mission critical thing for something big and expensive with a high stall speed. Well Done.

[@TimMcKay56]

Planker: Thanks for checking in, and I’ll pass along to Ron! Tim

[@superdon1chw]

I get 6000 fades, no holds radio saying lost telemetry even with my 3D airplane that does not go farther than 400 feet I am thinking it is a waste of money

[@TimMcKay56]

Not sure . . . Tim

[@superdon1chw]

Thanks@@TimMcKay56