2-in-1 Control Unit Description, Arming and Motor Control Test
Your Blade SR is equipped with a lightweight combination of main motor and tail motor electronic speed controls and main
motor and tail motor proportional mixer. The 2-in-1 has an 8-amp brushless ESC for the main motor that is specifically
designed for use in helicopter models. The ESC is not programmable for use in other applications; however, it is equipped
with features and functions that optimize its performance for the Blade SR. These features and functions include:
“Soft” Low Voltage Cutoff •
The ESC features a “soft” low voltage cutoff (LVC) that occurs when the battery reaches approximately 9V under load.
This helps prevent “deep” over-discharge of the Li-Po battery during use. Please see the Battery Warnings and Guidelines
section for more information regarding the soft LVC feature and how to prevent over-discharge of the Li-Po battery.
Soft (Slow) Start •
The soft (slow) start function of the ESC is intended to help prevent potential damage of the Gear train, motor and ESC
by slowly increasing power to the motor (particularly when the rotor blades are not already spinning). The first time you
power up the ESC after it has been powered on and armed, it will take approximately 15 seconds for the ESC/motor
to reach the power level you initially set with the throttle stick/curve. This means you will need to wait approximately 15
seconds before attempting any aggressive maneuvering to allow the power system to reach the set level of power first.
Any time (after the initial soft startup occurs) the ESC/motor have been powered down completely (to 0% power) for
approximately 15 seconds or more, the soft start will occur again. This is particularly helpful if you land the helicopter
to make an adjustment as you will not need to rearm the ESC in order to perform a soft startup. It is simply best to wait
approximately 15 seconds before powering up the ESC/motor again for flight.
Fast Start •
The fast start function of the ESC allows any level of power to be applied almost immediately after ESC/motor have
been powered down completely (to 0% power) for any amount of time less than approximately 15 seconds. This is
particularly helpful if you accidentally bump the Throttle Hold switch or when aborting an auto-rotation attempt as it will
allow the ESC/motor to reach any power level you have set with the throttle stick/curve almost immediately when the
Throttle Hold switch is set back to the OFF (0) position.
The following checklist contains the steps you must follow to ensure proper arming and operation of the 2-in-1 unit, as
well as proper motor response.
Before each flight ALWAYS turn the transmitter on before connecting the flight battery to the 2-in-1 unit. Never connect •
the flight battery to the 2-in-1 unit before powering the transmitter on first. After each flight, always disconnect the flight
battery from the 2-in-1 unit before powering the transmitter off.
Note: The antennas exiting the Spektrum AR6100e receiver should extend outward (to the left and right of the helicop-
ter) as much as possible for the best overall performance. Be sure to double-check the position and orientation of
both antennas before each flying session, especially if the helicopter was taken out of a box or carrying case.
Both the throttle (left-hand) stick and throttle trim MUST be in their lowest possible position in order for the 2-in-1 unit to •
arm. The flight mode (F MODE) switch must also be in the normal (0) flight mode position with the switch toggled toward
the back of the transmitter for the unit to arm.
If this is the first test flight, or a test flight following repairs, you will also want to center the rudder, aileron and elevator
trims (reference Transmitter Control Identification on page 13).
Turn the transmitter on and ensure it has adequate battery power, as displayed by the LCD screen at the top of the •
transmitter. It is now safe to connect the flight battery to the 2-in-1 unit.
Note: Do not move or sway the helicopter until the red LED on the gyro illuminates solidly. This will be covered in more
detail in the next section.
With battery power applied, and once the orange LED of the Spektrum AR6100e receiver glows solidly to indicate a •
positive link to the transmitter, you will hear two “beeps” from the 2-in-1, indicating it has armed properly. The final step
of the initialization is for the red LED on the gyro to illuminate solidly.
When you have heard two “beeps”, the unit is armed and ready for flight. Use caution as both the main and tail rotors •
will now spin with throttle stick input. For safety, once the unit is armed, the main and tail motors will not spin with the
throttle stick and trim in their lowest positions. However, we also suggest setting the throttle hold (TH HOLD) switch in
the on (1) position, toward the front of the transmitter, once the 2-in-1 unit has armed. This will keep the motors and
rotor blades from spinning while you handle the helicopter and transmitter.
If you have not set the throttle hold switch to the on position, or after you set the switch to the off (0) position toward the
back of the transmitter, DO NOT advance the throttle stick until you are clear of the rotor blades and ready to fly.
Note: If you do not hear two beeps or if you hear a constant series of beeps after battery power is applied, the
2-in-1 unit has not armed properly. A constant series of beeps indicates the throttle is set too high for initialization.
Please review the following.
Confirm that the throttle stick is in the lowest possible position and that the throttle trim is set in approximately the ❏
middle position.
Confirm that the Flight Mode (F MODE) switch is set to the “Normal” (0) position. ❏
Confirm you have a positive RF link between the transmitter and receiver. First, check to be sure the transmitter has ❏
been powered on and has an adequate level of battery power. If the transmitter is powered on and functioning properly,
disconnect the flight battery from the 2-in-1, then reconnect it. Watch for the orange LED of the receiver to begin
glowing solidly, and once it does, the 2-in-1 unit should arm normally.
Once you have placed the helicopter in a safe area, free of obstructions, and are clear of the rotor blades, you can safely •
begin to power up the model to check for proper operation of the motors.
Advance the throttle stick upward slowly, just until both the main and tail rotor blades begin to spin. DO NOT attempt to •
fly the helicopter at this time. Note the direction the main and tail rotor blades spin. The main rotor blades should spin
clockwise when viewed from the top, with the tail rotor blade spinning clockwise when viewed from the right-hand side of
the helicopter. If the main rotor blades are operating in the wrong direction, simply reverse the position of any two motor
wire lead connections to the 2-in-1 unit.
With the tail motor/rotor spinning at a low rpm, check that the tail rotor is responding properly to transmitter inputs. •
When inputting a slight amount of right rudder, the tail rotor rpm’s should increase, pushing the nose of the helicopter to
the right. If you are on carpet, grass, or an otherwise uneven surface, be very careful not to allow the helicopter to catch
the vertical fin when testing the tail rotor control on the ground (or during liftoff when beginning a flight).
After confirming that both rotor blades are rotating in the correct directions, and the tail rotor is responding properly to
rudder inputs, your Blade SR is ready for flight. However, please be sure to review the following sections of the manual
BEFORE proceeding with the first flight.
Gyro Initialization, Response Test and Adjustment
Your Blade SR model is equipped with an E-flite G110 Micro Heading Lock Gyro. This gyro offers an excellent blend of size,
weight, features and performance.