Ruby comes with an extraordinary level of pro-active customer support. It's the opposite of "Do It Yourself". Rather than leave you to the time, pitfalls, and frustration of configuration an autopilot yourself, we provide necessary settings files by working with you in person. We'll be glad to help you to set up several different planes or configurations, or to make changes as your preferences change.
We want you to be able to keep your transmitter settings exactly the way you had them before Ruby, to be able to plug your servos into Ruby simply by following the labeling printed on it. ("Aileron Left", "Aileron Right", etc..), and to spend little or no time configuring.
There are many ways that the mapping of transmitter controls to servos and flight controls can vary. Fortunately, settings can be loaded into your Ruby to support just about any scheme.
The Ritual
We'll need you to go through a specific sequence of control movements on your transmitter (it will seem like a witchcraft ritual), and send us the data file that Ruby records to the flash chip during the process.
The whole ritual typically takes about 5 minutes, and you won't have to think very hard.
With that data file, we'll be able to send you back a configuration file telling Ruby how you would like your transmitter controls to correspond to flight controls / servo outputs on Ruby
The following should be performed Ruby installed in your plane and connected to servos and all peripherals (receiver, gps, power sensor). This will allow us to check all systems and sensor orientations for you as we review this data file.
Be sure to disconnect motor or propeller!
Perform all steps in exactly the order given below. When asked to move a control, hold the control for about a second at each position. Note that the correct servos may or may not move as you move transmitter controls at this point. This ritual will provide information needed to correctly map controls to servos.
Except where asked to dip the plane's nose, keep the plane as level as possible in pitch and roll through the ritual. If it's a taildragger, prop the tail up to level the fuselage.
- Disconnect motor or propeller
- Connect the airspeed/magnetometer sensor to Ruby controller
What does this sensor have to do with control setup? When we review your data, we'll use data from your movement of the magnetometer as a cue / index to be sure there's no confusion / skipped steps below .
Make sure the airspeed / magnetometer is not close to any ferrous or magnetic object (i.e. metal table or servo).
- As part of the ritual, we'll see if Ruby can detect when radio contact has been lost. This is important, because otherwise Ruby may fly your plane off into the distance thinking that you're still in control. If your receiver has a "failsafe" feature, disable it, or configure it so that it outputs an extraordinarily low value on the throttle channel when signal is lost. See "Receiver Failsafe Configuration".
- Connect desired receiver to Ruby controller
- Be sure that the SD Flash chip is inserted in the Expander, and the Expander is attached to the Controller
- If the Ruby controller and airspeed / magnetometer sensor are already installed in a plane, make sure the plane is right-side up and somewhat level.
If not already installed, make sure that the controller and airspeed/magnetometer is oriented on the table in the same way as if will be when installed in your plane, right-side-up and level.
- Turn on transmitter
- Select the transmitter settings, channel reversals, mixes, etc... that you normally use with your plane without Ruby.
- Move all transmitter controls and mix switches etc... to centered / trimmed positions used during normal cruise flight.
- Move throttle to off / zero.
- Flip the switch you wish to use for mode selection down/towards you. (which will select "manual mode" once Ruby is configured)
- Move flaps switch to the "up/retracted" position
- apply power to Ruby
- Seal the face of the airspeed pitot with your finger and squeeze gently on sides to create a little pressure inside the tube. We'll use this to check functioning of your airspeed sensor.
- Make the plane completely level (as it would be in cruise flight)
- point the plane approximately to the north
Elevator
- Point the plane approximately to the east.
- Move the elevator stick for full "up" elevator. (pull the right stick all the way towards you)
If the elevator surface moves down instead of up, reverse the channel in your transmitter settings.
- Elevator down (push the right stick all the way away from you)
- Elevator center (just let go of the stick)
Mode switch
- point the plane approximately to the south
- flip the switch to be used as "mode switch" (typically "gear" switch) all the way away from you (this will engage autopilot or aided mode)
- if this is a 3 position switch, flip the mode to the center position (this will engage aided mode)
- flip the mode switch all the way towards you (manual mode)
If your plane has ailerons:
- Point the airspeed/magnetometer nozzle approximately to the west
- Move aileron stick all the way to the right, with no movement up or down direction
If the right aileron moves down instead of up, reverse the aileron channel in your transmitter settings.
- Aileron left ""
- Aileron center (just let go of the stick)
If your plane has power / throttle:
- point the airspeed/magnetometer nozzle approximately to the north
- *** For electric planes, be sure that the motor or propeller is disconnected
- Throttle full (push the left stick all the way forward)
- Throttle off (pull the left stick all the way towards you)
If your plane has rudder:
- point the airspeed/magnetometer nozzle approximately to the east
- Rudder right
If the rudder moves to the left instead of right, reverse the rudder channel in your transmitter settings.
- Rudder left
- Rudder center
If your plane has flaps:
- point the airspeed/magnetometer nozzle approximately to the south
- Flaps down
If flaps move up instead of down, reverse the flaps channel in your transmitter settings.
If your plane has camera pan:
- point the airspeed/magnetometer nozzle approximately to the west
- Pan right
If camera moves to the left instead of right, reverse the channel in your transmitter settings.
If your plane has camera tilt:
- point the airspeed/magnetometer nozzle approximately to the north
- Tilt up
If camera moves down instead of up, reverse the channel in your transmitter settings.
If you have video + RubyOSD and wish to use a switch on your transmitter to select OSD mode:
- point the airspeed/magnetometer nozzle approximately to the east
- flip the switch you wish to use for control of OSD to the position you wish to use to turn the OSD on
- if it's a 3 position switch, flip to the middle position, which will engage "warn only" mode
- then, flip to the position for OSD off
- point the airspeed/magnetometer nozzle approximately to the south
- Tilt the plane nose down. A 10 or 20 degree dip will suffice. (We'll use this to confirm orientation of the sensors.)
- shut off the transmitter (This will allow us to see what your receiver outputs for failsafes)
- point the airspeed/magnetometer nozzle approximately to the north
- turn off ruby
Grab the most recently recorded "data_##.utd" file (the one with the highest number) from the SD Flash chip and send it to us as a file attachment to: support@uthere.com. (If you're not sure how to do this, [click here]).
Note that every time Ruby is powered up, it creates a data file. There may already be a number of data files in there from factory testing and calibration. All we need is the most recent one created when you performed "the ritual". This will be the highest numbered one. You're always free to delete ".utd" files from the SD Flash chip whenever it gets too cluttered. Just be sure to leave the ".utms" file in place to tell Ruby to continue to record data files in the future.
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