Howdy... Three questions: 1) Can this be done? 2) Should it be done? 3) Has anyone done it? Using an MX20, I was thinking what a pain it is with the radians not to have proportional control of the camera tilt. It's really designed to be used with a joystick, but in single operator mode, all 4 joystick axises are in use. So we need to use a switch or pot, neither of which offers the right sort of control. Perhaps a future update will solve this issue, but here's an idea for now: What about using 2 different 'flight modes' on the attached to a switch (perhaps momentary) on the MX20. The first flight mode is standard, while the 2nd changes the Throttle/Gas joystick to control Camera Tilt... The thinking would be, you would get to the correct altitude...activate AH. Flip a switch to change the flight mode, and now the throttle control becomes your camera tilt... and perhaps your camera tilt 3-pos switch becomes your Vario. When you're finished with that shot, you can change altitude as needed with the 3-pos switch, or simply switch back to the 1st flight mode, and continue to fly as normal. Thoughts? Best, Ben
I'll weigh in. 1) I'm not sure 2) No 3) See #2 This looks like a severe safety risk, as there's absolutely no replacement for a quick reaction when (and not "if", but "when") some bit of your copter's navi system goes sideways. And I don't think you'd be able to react and reconfigure things quickly enough in this setup to recover from any sort of setback.
What Steve says! One of the real problems when you are flying (regardless of whether it's a copter or anything else that flies) is something called workload -- really the amount of cognitive power required to deal with all the data coming at you.....and anything you do to increase your workload moves you that much closer to an accident. Control substitution (which is what you're proposing) leads to semantic ambiguity and it would be all too easy to "get it wrong" and attempt to tilt down, only to discover that either (a) the MK Boards are set to vario altitude hold or (b) the mode is still flight control. Either way, you've potentially got a Biscuit Tin Job on and in your hands (A BTJ means that all of the pieces of wreckage are small enough to fit into a biscuit tin). What many folks have done is enlarge rotary control Ctrl7 on the MX-20 either by putting a custom wheel on it, or just wrapping double sided Velcro around the existing knob, so that you can control the throttle with your thumb and use your forefinger to rotate the control. However, what you do highlight is that the current Tx designs are really not optimal for copter control, especially with single man pilot/camera operator. So your correct in pondering the problem -- it's just that I'd argue this solution is too risky. But now you know why I'm investigating the Graupner 4112 sticks with rotary controls on the top..... Andy.