PKZ Cessna 210 mode two mod

[nhask]

I have been flying indoors with my micro Cessna 210, which is mode one [rudder on right stick]
Which is always an issue when I fly outdoors. Thumbs trained wrong! My PKZ J-3 Cub bl is on a DX6 radio with rudder on left, to get me ready for ailerons. I decided that I must have all planes mode two [rudder left, aileron right if its got them]. So that when the weather is nice & I actually have off, I will be having a good time flying instead of learning to fly mode two as the wind suddenly picks up as it likes to do.

I bought a PKZ um P-51 last summer and it was too much for me to learn mode 2 & fly this fast plane at the same time.

I opened up the transmitter of the Cessna and checking with a meter discovered that I could swap the rudder to the left stick. If I carefully cut the center trace on the horizontal pots on the sticks. Then soldiered in wire to swap the the sticks. It worked, I am now slowly learning to fly the Cessna mode 2. At least it is a forgiving slow flier.

This is for the soldiering experienced, with steady hands, if you mess up your radio don't blame me.

Ned

[nhask]

Sorry for the low quality cell phone pix.

Take out the transmitter batteries!
There are 6 screws on the back of the transmitter, remove them, put them in a bottle.
Open the case carefully on its side on a table. The power switch & the trim button extensions will all fall off. Don't loose them. Pry out the led, it just has hot glue on it, mine fell loose, easily. 4 more screws hold the pc board in place. They are the same as the others, save them & the antenna cover.

If you look carefully you can see a horizontal cut through the center trace coming from the 3 soldier joints. That is the back side of the pot from the left horizontal stick. Okay you can't see the trace, but you can see the cut from my exacto & the trace going left from the soldier joint.

You carefully cut the trace & test with a meter that it is cut.

You do the same on the other side, except that the trace is going up. Cut right below the unused soldier joint, leaving the surface-mount capacitor connected to the pot. Test that it is cut.

Ned

[nhask]

Now it is time to soldier some hookup wires to swap the pots.
If you zoom into the picture you can see that the green wire goes from the center soldier-joint on the right pot, to the unused soldier-joint above the cut on the left. The red wire goes from the center joint on the left pot to the right unused soldier-joint on the left.
Use your meter to check that nothing is shorted.

Put two screws back in holding the board in place. re-install batteries. Turn on transmitter.
connect battery to plane and test control. If all is good, then after powering down glue the wires
to the board with flexible silicone glue, so they don't wiggle and crack loose later.

You will notice that your trim is still set & still on the right trim buttons.

Ned

[nhask]

Place the pc board back in place, if it doesn't want to go check that the two plastic support pins underneath aren't hitting your wires. If so bend them a little, it happend to me.

Put the antenna cover back on, flat sides at the base up. It will just stay in place.
Glue the led back in place I just used silicone rtv and some tape to hold it till it set. I didn't wait for it. Put the trim extension buttons in place. I found it easier to keep them from falling out, by holding everything on one edge [sticks & battery box on the sides, antenna away from me].
You may have to wiggle the antenna a little. Then just put the rest of the screws back in.
And don't forget to put the power switch extension back on.

Test it one more time & you are good to go!

Ned

[cjg]

Nice mod.

However, I find I have no trouble switching between 3 channel and 4 channel controls. In a 4 channel, most turns are aileron, which is right stick, same as the 210 3 channel (its just the turn is performed by a rudder, not the ailerons).

[nhask]

cjg,
Well I find that my muscle memory of mode one is still messing me up just flying the Cessna. I am getting better, but it is not like I get much time to practice.

On the planes I fly with ailerons, like my P-51 micro, you get much more aileron command than rudder. So I am used to giving more rudder, if I get them switched up, I end up inverted. That usually happens 5 feet off the ground on take off. So I find this mod quite helpful.

When all this Spring wind & rain dies down & I have time off. I want to be ready for outdoor flying.

Ned