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Copyright 2013 Eagle Tree Systems, LLC                                                           Page 1 
 

Table of Contents 

Introduction 1 

Specifications 1 

How to Get Help 1 

Terms and Symbols used in the Manual 1 

Main Features 2 

Overview/Quick Start 2 

Guardian Physical Connections/ Controls 3 

The Receiver Connection Harness 4 

Receiver Requirements 4 

Mounting the Guardian in your Model 5 

Preflight Checks 6 

First Flight 6 

Tuning Stabilization Gains 6 

Status LED 8 

Mode/Config Switch Behavior 8 

The Guardian PC Software 10 

Guardian Configuration Page Software 
Reference 11 

Troubleshooting / F.A.Q. 12 

Limited Warranty 13 

 
 

 

             Guardian 2D/3D Stabilizer 

          

   Document Version 2.0 

Assembled in Taiwan

 

Introduction 

Thank you for your purchase!   Based on Eagle Tree's proven inertial stabilization technology, the Guardian 2D/3D Stabilizer (the Guardian) stabilizes just about any type of 
fixed wing model, and works with any radio.   Unlike most “gyro stabilizer” products on the market, the Guardian provides true wing leveling stabilization as well as precise 
fly-by-wire control.     This lets you configure the Guardian to return to level flight in an emergency, by just flipping a radio switch! 

 

This instruction manual will guide you through the installation and operation of your Guardian.   The latest version of this manual is available in the Product Manuals 
section of the Support tab on 

http://www.eagletreesystems.com

. The online manual is in full color, and includes any updates that were made after this manual was 

produced.     Please read the entire manual carefully before proceeding.     If, after you read the manual, you have further questions or problems, see the “How to Get 
Help” section below. 

 
Packing List 

Your package should include the following:  The Guardian, the receiver connection harness with labeled 
connectors, the quick reference card, and a printed version of this manual.    

Specifications (approximate) 

 

Input Voltage Range: 4.5v to 16v 

 

Current Draw:  Approximately 31mA 

 

Dimensions: 41mm x 22mm x 11mm (1.62 inches x 0.86 inches x 0.42 inches) 

 

Mass:  11 grams (0.4 ounces) including harness 

 

Maximum Servo Current through Guardian: 5 Amps 

How to Get Help 

Eagle Tree is committed to providing great customer service.  If you’ve read the manual and something is not clear, 
just ask.  We’d much prefer to take the time to answer your questions, rather than having you waste your valuable 
time struggling with an issue.     

To get help, visit the Eagle Tree Guardian support thread at 

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1596644

.  

Chances are someone has posted a solution to your 

problem already. If not, posting your problem there will get a very quick response from the Eagle Tree community. 

If you prefer to not post on the forum, or you feel there is a problem with your Eagle Tree hardware, please open a 
support ticket with us at 

http://ticket.eagletreesystems.com

 and we will respond to your support ticket as soon as we 

can.    Note that when you create a support ticket, you will be emailed a link that will let you check the status of the 
ticket. If you do not receive the email, this most likely means that a spam filter is intercepting emails from Eagle 
Tree.     

Also Eagle Tree greatly values your feedback on how we can improve our products.  To leave us feedback for a 
new feature request or improvement, either post the feedback on our support thread above, create a support ticket 
with your feedback, or send feedback at 

http://www.eagletreesystems.com/Feature/feature.html

 

Terms and Symbols used in the Manual 

 

Warning or Caution 

  

Helpful Note 

 

Pitch – Lift or descent of the nose and tail of the model.  Normally controlled by the elevator, or 
movement of elevons in same direction. 

Roll – Rocking movement of the wings, side to side.   Normally controlled by ailerons, or 
movement of elevons in opposite directions. 

Yaw – Turning of the airplane without banking.    Normally controlled by the rudder. 

Axis – an imaginary line drawn horizontally through your model’s wing (for Pitch), horizontally 
through your fuselage (for roll), or vertically through the center of your fuselage (for yaw). 

Control Stick – The stick on your radio that controls elevator and aileron functions (pitch and roll). 

Attitude – The orientation of the model with respect to the horizon. 

2D Mode – A mode where the model is brought to a level attitude (level flight and level wings) by 
the Guardian when the control stick is centered. 

3D Mode – A mode where the Guardian attempts to hold the model’s present attitude when the 
Control Stick is centered, by moving the model’s control surfaces automatically. 

Heading – The present direction of travel of the model with respect to North. 

Summary of Contents for Guardian 2D/3D Stabilizer

Page 1: ...ething is not clear just ask We d much prefer to take the time to answer your questions rather than having you waste your valuable time struggling with an issue To get help visit the Eagle Tree Guardian support thread at http www rcgroups com forums showthread php t 1596644 Chances are someone has posted a solution to your problem already If not posting your problem there will get a very quick res...

Page 2: ... control stick is moved to turn this heading is reset and subsequently relocked as soon as the stick is centered again Automatic Turn Coordination When enabled Automatic Turn Coordination will cause the Guardian to employ the step on the ball method of actuating your Rudder for you As you enter a banked turn the Guardian will assert a coordinating response on the Rudder automatically This deflecti...

Page 3: ...all stabilization gain if you are using the gain knob o Observe how your servos react as you pitch roll and yaw your plane o Adjust the Guardian Pitch Roll and Yaw axis dials with a screwdriver so the servo for each axis deflects in the correct direction to bring your model back to level A centered dial asserts zero stabilization on that axis Turning it clockwise or counterclockwise increases the ...

Page 4: ...ts Receiver Connection Requirements The number of connections between the Guardian and your receiver depends on type and capabilities of your model the level of Guardian in flight control you require and the number of spare receiver channels you have For very basic models the Guardian is capable of operating with only the Elevator input and Aileron input connected BEC Receiver Battery Power Requir...

Page 5: ...Good and Bad Ways to Mount the Guardian Wing Type Configuration The Guardian is configurable for most common wing types By default it is configured for traditional wing control Please refer to Figure 4 which shows the receiver and servo connections for typical wing types The Guardian requires unmixed control inputs from your receiver even if you have a V Tail or Elevon model If you have a V Tail o...

Page 6: ... Guardian 2D 3D Stabilizer uses accelerometers and gyroscopes to measure the orientation of your model relative to the local direction of Earth s gravity In addition it interprets Pitch and Roll attitudes commanded by your Elevator and Aileron stick movements respectively With this information it is able to determine the error between your requested flight attitude and your plane s true orientatio...

Page 7: ... more information on this Setting Master Gain control to the minimum will lower the overall gain to zero while positions in between will yield proportional gain Lowering the individual gain dials on the Guardian will lower the gain for that axis only and allow fine tuning This might be desirable if for instance oscillation is encountered on one axis but not the others One possible strategy for set...

Page 8: ...e information After this startup blink sequence the LED will display Steady State status as described below LED Indication during Steady State Solid On 3D Mode One repeated blink 2D Mode Solid Off Stabilization Disabled Additional LED Messages 2 repeated blinks Radio Stick Menu is active 3 repeated blinks USB is connected 4 repeated blinks Error condition Error type is indicated by a pause and a n...

Page 9: ...when the servos of your model stop their normal stabilization deflections and instead perform a short twitch followed by no further movement Also the status LED will blink in a two blink sequence when the menu is active Menu Navigation Once in the menu you will start at menu item 1 in the List of Features and Options section below The menu items can be navigated by deflecting the Aileron and Eleva...

Page 10: ...heir airplane can disable this feature for a rate gyro experience 3D Mode Only Enabling Direct Rate 3D Stabilization is strongly recommended if this mode is set to Off Radio Stick Menu Options 1 Off 2 On 8 Derivative Gain Tunes the dampening derivative gain of the airplane Increasing this value will strengthen the rate gyro behavior of the Guardian while leaving the 2D leveling and 3D Heading Hold...

Page 11: ...ounting offsets This step will fail if either the Pitch or Roll is greater than 25 degrees 10 Save Configuration Records your current settings as set on Guardian to a txt file to load later Useful for saving profiles for individual airplanes 11 Load Configuration Recovers the settings from a previously saved configuration file and writes them to the connected Guardian 12 Factory Reset Restores the...

Page 12: ...ng around inappropriately you may need to move the Guardian away from sources of R as a powerful BEC or motor Or you may need to mount the Guardian differently to reduce excess Eagle Tree Systems LLC Page 12 Controls the 2D Heading Hold gain When set above zero this option determines how hard the Guardian will assert a roll to k 2D Heading Hold Gain Controls the Automatic Turn Coordination gain In...

Page 13: ...rkmanship for a period of one 1 year from the date of original purchase This warranty is nontransferable If your unit requires warranty service during this period we will replace or repair it at our option Shipping cost to us is your responsibility To obtain warranty service email support eagletreesystems com for further instructions This limited warranty does not cover The Software See the Softwa...

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