How to Tune Helicopter Swashplate in Besiege

This is a troubleshooting list to make a perfectly good looking swashplate work better. It is a troubleshooting/tuning guide, not a building guide.

Example Design Description

This is the example I used. If the design is different from yours, the guide is general and can still be helpful.

• أبيض — static:
  Top unpowered wheel supports the top of the mast (red scalling block) connects to the hidden base log with braces. 2 hinges provides extra support to orange cog that powers to the rotor.
• أحمر — mast:
  A tall scalling block connects to the bottom wheel. The wheel’s “ADD PT” is prioritized so the scalling block will only connect to the wheel.
• البرتقالي — engine:
  Brace on a powered cog that provides power.
• Blurple — swashplate:
  A scaling block. Using joint flexibility to tilt. Stay synced with the mast without complex constant velocity mechanisms or a high inertia axle block.
• أصفر — swashplate control:
  The yellow wheel attaches to the swashplate. Three steering hinges are for roll, pitch, and phase shift adjustment.
• أزرق — control rods:
  Translates the tilt of the swashplate to the pitch of each blade.
• Dark Grey — rotor blades:
  Pitch allowed by the strong spinning block set to 0 speed and acceleration. A log for the replica visual. 3 id=’52’ propellers. 2 scalling blocks for the tip, the angled one has low mass of 0.001 for visual, the other’s mass should be tuned.

Troubleshooting List

The format that we will be using in this guide:

• + to increase | do this
• – to decrease | do this

Parts List:

Blade Flapping

• + | blade root block scale – |
• – | blade root block scale + |

Smaller blocks are more flexible

Dissymmetry of Lift

• + | tip mass + | flapping – | mast mass – |
  | swashplate & control rods rigidity (mass and scale) – |
• – | tip mass – | flapping + | mast mass + |
  | swashplate & control rods rigidity (mass and scale) + |

When swashplate & control rods are rigid, the flapping of a blade naturally decreases the dissymmetry of lift.

Rotor Speed

• + | قوة + | power source block support + |
• – | قوة – | |

Swashplate Effectiveness

• + | swashplate end of control rod distance to center + |
  | blade end of control rod distance to blade axle – |
• – | swashplate end of control rod distance to center – |
  | blade end of control rod distance to blade axle + |

Phase Shift

• + | tip mass + |
• – | tip mass – |

Ways of correcting phase shift:

1. Rotate the whole swashplate control.
2. Tilt the control rods so there’s a shift between the swashplate and blades

Vibration

• + | tip mass – | mast mass – |
• – | tip mass + | mast mass + |