6.

Binding the Transmitter to the Receiver

Aim: To Bind or Re-bind the transmitter to the receiver.

Apparatus required:

- 2.4GHz Transmitter
- Receiver
- External Battery (5V DC)
- Electronic Speed Control (ESC)
- Servos

Procedure Steps:

If you want to bind this receiver to another radio, or to re-bind this receiver follow these
instructions:

Install the battery to the 2.4ghz transmitter, and turn it off.

1. Insert the binding plug into the BAT port of the receiver (Figure)
2. Connect the ESC to Channel 3, or an external battery (5vdc) to any one of the other
channels observing the +/- polarity as in Figure. Power up the receiver using the external
battery, or connecting the main battery to the ESC. The LEDs should start to flash.
3. Press and hold the lower left button on the transmitter, and then switch on the transmitter's
power switch.
4. Observe the LED lights on the receivers (main and satellite). Once the LEDs stop flashing,
the receiver is bound to the transmitter. It will take about 10 seconds (or less) for the binding
process to complete.
5. Release the match button on the transmitter. Remove power from the receiver, and turn off
the transmitter.
6. Remove the receiver binding plug. Connect your servos and other channels as described in
Figure.
7. Test by turning on the receiver without pressing the match/bind switch. Power the receiver,
and the LEDs should light steady meaning it is bound to the transmitter.
8. If the test failed, repeat this process.

Note: If the test fails, and you have other components plugged into the receiver, remove all other
connections except the binding plug, and the power connection (ESC or external battery). A shorted
component such as a servo can prevent the receiver from powering up, or binding to the transmitter.
Figure:

Step 1: Transmitter

Also often abbreviated as Tx, this is the thing that actually takes your commands and sends your
receiver the commands for the servos and the motors.
There are many Transmitters available on the market nowadays, and the low-cost ones start around
$30. However, remotes for RC airplane or helicopter pilots, with programmable features, model
memory, and computer simulators can start around $150 and go to nearly $3000. All RC Remotes
have a certain frequency that they operate on. Older, analog remotes operate on lower frequencies,
which were determined by a crystal. Modern, digital, remotes usually operate in the Gigahertz
Range,oftenat2.4GHZ.

RC airplane and helicopter remotes have control sticks, which are mostly self explanatory. Usually,
one of the two control sticks on an airplane remote is the throttle control stick, and is not spring
loaded in the vertical direction, which means it will not spring back when you let go. Remotes are
usually available with this stick on either the left or the right side, and are sold as mode 1 or mode
2.RC car remotes have a trigger and a knob to control different things.

Most RC remotes have something next to the Control sticks called the trim. this basically slightly
alters the position of your control sticks, and is useful for finely altering the position of the servos,
or the starting point of a motor controller. Transmitters also often have reversing, which reverses
the output signal of the control sticks. this is usually controlled by a series of switches at the bottom
ofthetransmitter.

The number of channels a remote has shows how many things it can control. For example a three
channel remote could control three things, such as three servos, three motors, or a combination of
any of those. Motor controllers and servos receive the same type of signal.

Expo, Telemetry, Limited travel and Model memory are all things seen on better, more expensive
transmitters, but are not necessary for the average project. Expo stands for exponential rates, so that
linear movement of your control sticks will result in an exponential output signal curve. Telemetry
transmits information from the vehicle (such as battery voltage, altitude, motor temperature, etc.)
back to the transmitter and displays these on the transmitter. Limited travel means that by moving
your control sticks to their maximum will only send out a 30% signal, or whatever you set it to.
both of these features are beneficial to sensitive mechanisms and airplanes, so that one can maintain
better control over them. Model memory simply allows you to store your trim settings in the
transmitter, so that you can recall them for later use, or eliminate the need of having to readjust with
every time if you have multiple devices. RC car remotes are often equipped with dual rates, expo,
memory, and even telemetry.

Most Transmitters need to bind to your Receiver to ensure proper communications. How to do this
depends on your Transmitter/receiver.

Many transmitters need 12v to operate, usually supplied by 8AA batteries. this is 8 batteries too
many for me, so i got a small, 0.8Ah battery and hooked it up to my remote, so that i only have one
battery to worry about, instead of 8 small ones.
Step 3: The Reciever

The receiver, abbreviated as Rx, receives the signals of the transmitter, and sends them out to the
individual channels through PPM, or Pulse Position Modulation commands.

The Receiver must operate on the same frequency as the transmitter, and the two will usually be
sold together. Replacement or extra receivers are commonly available, so that they do not need to
be switched out if one has more than one devices requiring a receiver.

The receiver usually receives power from a motor controller, simply by plugging it into one of the
signal ports. Servos receive power from the receiver.

The Polarity of the plugs is usually found out by trial and error, in one way it will work, and the
other way it probably will show a flashing light or something similar. Make sure to never connect
one wire one way and another with opposite polarity to that wire, because depending on what those
two things are, they will most likely be damaged, because one is going to be reverse polarity.

Some servo or motor controller connectors have a small plastic tab on them, and can therefore only
be used with RC car receivers that can easily be removed with wire cutters.

Be careful with the antennae of digital receivers, because they are rather difficult to reattach.

Step 4: Servos

Servos are geared motors connected to potentiometers that are usually capable of 180 degree
rotation, but with RC control usually only rotate 90 degrees. They take the receiver's commands in
PPM form and rotate to a set position. they will attempt to hold this position if f force is applied.
Although normal servos have a limited range, there are extended range servos, which rotate 360
degrees or more, and even continuous rotation servos, which have no control electronics and
function as a normal gear motor.

They all have the standard three pin connectors, with ground (black), +4.8 to 7.4v (red), and signal
(white).

Servo s are usually classified by weight, and also have a torque rating. This rating is usually given
inKg.
What this means is that the servo has x Kg force one centimeter out from the axis of rotation. So a
50Kg servo could supply 50Kg of force 1cm out from the axis (or 25kg 2cm out from the axis,
etc...).

Some Large servos need a separate power supply because of their current demands, and would most
likely just burn through your speed controller's power supply or your receiver's PCB traces. Use an
UBEC with these. this is basically just a step down voltage regulator that provides a constant
voltage to your servos.

Step 5: Motor Controllers

Motor controllers, also known as ESC's (Electronic Speed Controller) are very simple to use. Their
purpose is to take a low power input signal in the form of ppm, and the battery voltage, and convert
it into something useful for the motor. They also have a voltage output through the signal wire, and
are often used to power the receiver.

There are essentially two types of motor controllers: brushless and brushed controllers. Brushed
motor controllers only work with brushed motors, and send them a PWM, a Pulse Width Modulated
(not PPM, Pulse Position Modulated) power input. These are simple and cheap, and can also be
used to control lights and anything else that requires DC power. Brushless motor controllers are
quite different. They switch power between the three combinations of two of the three poles of a
brushless motor, and modulate the speed of this according to the PPM signal.

The difference between Car ESC's and Airplane ESC's is that car ESC's usually come with a power
switch, heat sink and a reversing ability, while airplane ESC's have no reversing capability (Switch
any two of the motor wires to reverse spin of the motor), no power switch and usually only a
minimal heat sink.
ESC's are also programmable, usually through a programming card or through the reciever and
transmitter. This will vary depending on the ESC, but usually they have programmable braking,
starting, and battery voltage cutoff settings.

Step 6: Motors, Propellers and Gears

Motors come in two variants: Brushed motors, which have small brushes that switch the power
through the coils, and brushless motors, which need an external controller to do the switching for
them.

Brushless motors are usually more efficient, can handle higher speeds and torques, can handle huge
amounts of power, and are longer lasting because they do not have brushes to wear out. they usually
come in out-runner or in-runner styles. Outrunners have the permanent magnets on the outside, and
their housing spins with the axle. Inrunners have the permanent magnets on the inside and have a
non-rotating housing. Outrunners have more torque, but less speed, and are usually used with larger
propellers. Inrunners have less torque, but can reach very high speed, and are therefore used in
geared applications, such as RC cars, or with small propellers.

Motors in the RC world often have an interesting rating called Kv. Although one would expect this
to mean Kilovolts, it actually means rotations per minute per volt. A 300Kv motor would, in theory,
rotate at 900rpm at 3 volts. the lower the Kv rating, the more torque but the less speed a motor has,
and the higher, the more speed but less torque a motor would have.

When looking for a suitable propeller, the prospective buyer may be confronted with such things as
"1247" or "12x4.7". These define the propeller's size and pitch. in this instance, one would be
looking at a 12 inch diameter, 4.7 inch pitch propeller. Pitch is defined as the distance a propeller
would move in the air under ideal conditions in one full rotation. Propellers are also often classified
into "slow fly" and normal propellers. Slow fly propellers are usually for geared applications or low
speed applications, and have a curved leading edge for more efficiency. Normal Propellers have a
straight leading edge for better efficiency, and are usually used with faster motors.

Gears in the RC world are usually only sold as a replacement for RC car gearboxes. they are never
sold by diameter, but only by the pitch (spacing of the teeth) and the number of the teeth. A Spur
gear is usually a large gear, that is turned by the pinion, a smaller gear directly attached to the
motor.

Step 7: Batteries and Chargers

Batteries come in many different Shapes and sizes, chemistries, and ratings.

The two most common chemistries for RC applications are NiMH or NiCd and Lithium polymer
batteries.

NiMH (Nickel metal hydride) and NiCd (Nickel-Cadmium) batteries are heavy, weak and
outdated. the only benefit is that they may be marginally cheaper, and less sensitive to shock,
vibration, overcharging, and deep discharge.

Lithium Polymer Batteries are lighter, smaller, can deliver huge currents, and have a very large
capacity for their size. A 5000mAh Lipo battery is about as big and heavy as 2500mah worth of
NiMH batteries. however, if pierced, discharged too far, or charged too far, they will "puff", or
expand. This means that the battery is close to exploding. do not use this battery anymore, and
dispose of it safely. If you keep going, it will most likely erupt in a large ball of flame and launch
chemicals and burning things everywhere. Never short these batteries, they will most likely
explode.

Charging: get yourself a good charger, I can recommend the Turnigy Accucell-6. Most chargers do
not come with a built in power supply, so make sure you have an adequate power supply for your
charger. Follow all the charging instructions that come with the charger, and place your battery in a
fireproof container or bag. Never leave it unattended while charging.

Batteries have a number of different ratings:

mAh or Ah: Stand for milliamp hour or Amp hour. this is the capacity of the battery.
1Ah=1000mAh, which means a battery can supply one amp for one hour (or 1000milliamps for an
hour)
S and P: Stand for number of Series cells and number of parallel cells. the number of cells in
series determines voltage, parallel determines capacity.
C ratings: This is how much current the battery can give you. Multiply the battery's capacity in
amp hours by this rating to get the current in amps. There are usually two specified. the lower one
is the continuous rating, and the higher one is the pulse discharge rating.

I usually use one standardized connector for all of my batteries, so that I can use any battery with
any device, and can interchange them easily. It doesn't matter what you use, I use the XT60
connectors, just make sure that you have one type of connector for all of your batteries.

Get some silicone wire for your power connections, because it is a flexible, multi-stranded wire that
will in general make your life many times easier.