Well after getting bit by the arducopter bug i decided to get a skywalker for doing some fpv flying. I tried it with the quadcopter but found it to difficult to orientate and fly with the goggles. Since its my first time flying fixed wing i thought it would be best to leave off the fpv gear and get some LOS flying in first.Ive got the latest mission planner and followed the steps in the wiki to test it and all seems fine. The wing surfaces change to correct roll and pitch and manual control is working also. I loaded the parameter file for skywalker but wasnt sure if that gets automatically saved to the apm or if i need to do something to upload it there.The only thing i noticed was the aieleron movement when i rolled it wasnt as great as when i moved the stick but i guess that is normal.The xbees are working good at 57k and ive run around with the plane and it tracks it fine.I didnt find any landing gear so i guess i will need to hand launch it. I live on a mountain top with a valley in front so seems a good point to launch. I will upload some pics of the area i will fly in later. Is there a video showing someone hand launching this plane? Im reluctant to just throw it :)Is there a final check list to make sure i havent skipped some important step?Also i couldnt find any pictures of how to position the electronics and batteries. Im using 2x 6000mA 2s coneected in series as a 4s. I guess the best place for those is in the nose up against the sides to allow air flow.Other details in case importantRadio is jr9503 with 9ch receiver and xtra antenna900mhzxbees5.8ghz fpv (ready but will install after first some test flights)Latest mission planner and apm2 softwareWindows 7 with bootcamp on macbookproMtek gpsNo mag or airspeed sensor
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Have you had your first flight yet? I finished setting up my SW today, ready for maiden flight as soon as the weather clears.
My setup is:
Spektrum DX8 with satellite and telemetry module
APM with Airspeed sensor and 900Mhz Xbee. Magnetometer not working for some reason
5.8GHz 600ma video TX, Remzibi OSD with OSDMavlink instead of separate GPS
Custom undercarriage
Diversity Video RX with antenna tracking and Ardustation
Skywalker params file loaded
6000Mah 4S battery pack.
Moxie 980KV motor and 40A ESC
CoG on aileron servo wires.
I think someone was trying to be funny because there was two chinese flags stuck on my vertical stabilizer! First think I did was rip it off. I've also found on my SW that arrived today that this is no longer a see thru canopy, just a chunk of foam.
My Skywalker arrived today. I was taking a quick look at the kit and I noticed that I couldn't locate any hinges for the control surfaces, is that right? Am I supposed to install some??
I loaded the skywalker PID in the Mission Planner but does that automatically get written to the EEPROM or do I need to press WRITE PIDS or do something else to upload it?
I will be using 2 x 2S nano tech 6.0 batteries and have them wired in series. I would like to monitor each cell if possible but it's not critical. Total voltage will be ok for now but with 2 different 2S packs is it possible to connect their balance ports to the IMU as in the link above?
Also today I will install REMZIBI OSD. Looks a bit complicated but the directions are extensive! Which makes it seems more complicated ;-) Reason I mention this is it has battery voltage monitor also. I think it's only total voltage but that is ok. mAh measuring I would like if possible but can wait.
So since I will be viewing battery voltage via REMZIBI on my goggles then I don't really need the IMU to monitor the voltage and display via the ground station but I would like to anyway in case things like RTH can be invoked via battery level.
So if it's possible to monitor 2 separate 2S packs let me know how it should be connected to the IMU.
I have decided to get back into rc planes after switching to Helis 9 years ago. My skywalker should be arriving in this week. Plan on installing my spare APM in it.
Sounds good! Set your three modes to Manual, Stabilize and RTL. Start in manual and then when you're at a safe altitude overhead try stabilize. Be prepared to quickly switch back to manual if something's hooked up wrong. If that works well, try RTL.
Replies
My setup is:
Spektrum DX8 with satellite and telemetry module
APM with Airspeed sensor and 900Mhz Xbee. Magnetometer not working for some reason
5.8GHz 600ma video TX, Remzibi OSD with OSDMavlink instead of separate GPS
Custom undercarriage
Diversity Video RX with antenna tracking and Ardustation
Skywalker params file loaded
6000Mah 4S battery pack.
Moxie 980KV motor and 40A ESC
CoG on aileron servo wires.
I think someone was trying to be funny because there was two chinese flags stuck on my vertical stabilizer! First think I did was rip it off. I've also found on my SW that arrived today that this is no longer a see thru canopy, just a chunk of foam.
Like this:
My Skywalker arrived today. I was taking a quick look at the kit and I noticed that I couldn't locate any hinges for the control surfaces, is that right? Am I supposed to install some??
I loaded the skywalker PID in the Mission Planner but does that automatically get written to the EEPROM or do I need to press WRITE PIDS or do something else to upload it?
http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/wiki/Tuning
Well I'm closer but not ready to launch it yet. :) A few things I need to complete and a question about battery monitoring.
http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/wiki/Voltage
I will be using 2 x 2S nano tech 6.0 batteries and have them wired in series. I would like to monitor each cell if possible but it's not critical. Total voltage will be ok for now but with 2 different 2S packs is it possible to connect their balance ports to the IMU as in the link above?
Also today I will install REMZIBI OSD. Looks a bit complicated but the directions are extensive! Which makes it seems more complicated ;-) Reason I mention this is it has battery voltage monitor also. I think it's only total voltage but that is ok. mAh measuring I would like if possible but can wait.
So since I will be viewing battery voltage via REMZIBI on my goggles then I don't really need the IMU to monitor the voltage and display via the ground station but I would like to anyway in case things like RTH can be invoked via battery level.
So if it's possible to monitor 2 separate 2S packs let me know how it should be connected to the IMU.
http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/wiki/Voltage
Sounds good! Set your three modes to Manual, Stabilize and RTL. Start in manual and then when you're at a safe altitude overhead try stabilize. Be prepared to quickly switch back to manual if something's hooked up wrong. If that works well, try RTL.