Hi,
I'm new to Arducopter and have done a lot of research and studying before finally installing my APM 2.5 unit into my Trex 450 SE v2 this past weekend. So far, "everything" seems to be working as expected for example:
- rotor head, tail rotor are moving in the correct directions
- motor arm/disarm is working
- can throttle up and down with no problem
- can connect to mission planner via USB and telemetry module
- flight modes programmed into one of my Futaba's T8FG 3 position switches (programmed for stabilize, loiter and rtl)
- GPS is working
Everything seems like its ready to me for a first flight, however, I'm just a bit paranoid that I might have overlooked something I should check. Is there anything else I should check?
Initially, I just want to be able to sustain a controlled hover and land, nothing too fancy. All suggestions would be appreciated.
Finally, I know this might be a long shot, but is there anyone here in the San Francisco Bay Area, knowledgeable with Arducopter who might be willing to help assist me (compensated if needed) on my first flight?
Thanks,
Brian
Replies
I'm not from there (Australia in fact) :)
Your best bet is to be brave and safe at the same time. Use cheap blades for your first flights.
The key is PID tuning:
Follow the PID tuning guide on the trad heli wiki. If you dont, your gains will be far too high and your first flight will end in tragedy. If you are smart and follow the instructions to the letter, you will likely have a really well tuned setup after a number of flights :) According to the wiki, first flights are not hovering, but slight tilting while remaining on the ground. You'll get there
Is your heli flybarred? Make sure you select the correct option for this.
Ensure all other options are set in accordance with the wiki, like the 10hz filter.
Good luck, its really not as hard as you think