Ordered, and received (Saturday), a 2014 RTF Y6. Ordered everything they offered with it (Spektrum DS7, telemetry, OSD, extra batteries, extra parts, etc.....). Basically, if there was a box to check and order something I did.
After having my inital prop install issue, thank you everyone for the help, I decided to educate myself before the first flight.
Download the latest misson planner (APM Planner 2.0) onto my mac, started going through the instructions (i.e. calibrating esc's, radio setup etc....).
But I started to wonder, What exactly did 3DR do before they sent it to me? My assumption is that, since I ordered everything, it is all hooked up, set up and truly RTF.
I know I need to learn all this stuff eventually, but beyond balancing/installing my props is there any other set up I MUST do before I fly, or has 3DR (Hopefully) done it for me?
Thanks.
Replies
Hi Tom,
I've had the '14 Y6 for a couple of weeks now. I used my own radio (Turnigy 9xr), so I had to do the radio calibration and switch setup. I did calibrate the esc's, and I've recalibrated often as I've been flying in temps from 0 to 45F. I'm not sure how much of an effect temp has on them, but I figure its worth the time. I have not done any other calibrations (as they said they flew it before shipping), though I might run through them just to see if anything changes. I checked the props and all were very balanced with the exception of one, and that one was not off much. It sure seemed like a leap of faith to put it in the air the first time, but it has flown well. I probably have 5-7 hours on it so far in all of the standard modes. BTW, my understanding was that if you bought the radio with the Y6, everything was setup and tested for you and it should be truly RTF. Give it a try and let us know what happens!
When I got my Y6, the documentation was very poor and incorrect. I hope they've fixed that now. The biggest error was that they labeled the motors with directions to put the props in the Y6A config, but they configured the Pixhawk for Y6B. I had done enough research to know that Y6B was is the preferred setup, so fortunately I caught that before installing the props and attempted to fly. They included docs for APM 2.6, not Pixhawk. The other thing that bothered me was that they didn't include any spare hardware. How about putting in a handful of the small nuts and bolts? When I received it, a couple nuts had fallen off and I fortunately found them in the bottom of the box underneath the packaging. That convinced me to put a little loctite on everything. I would have liked to see a prop wrench and the other basic tools as well. I'm sure in time they'll get it straightened out.
With regards to the prop adaptors, you just have to screw them on with some force. I used some pliers with electrical tape to keep from scratching them. Once I got enough threads exposed, it put a nut on and tightened it up. That loosened it up, so when you need to take the lower props off, you should be able to with a little bit of effort. Good luck!
Damn, you got documentation.
All I got was a 8.5x11 two sided, one fold "Quick Start Manual". Covering the Flysky Radio, not the Spektrum I ordered, and one of the graphics sooooo small it is impossible to read.
How did you figure out it was configured for Y6B? Plug it into the mission planner software?
My motor labels did have it as Y6B. All top rotors spinning clockwise.
Well, incorrect documents are probably more dangerous than none at all. They acknowledged the errors and then probably decided to press ahead with deliveries w/o documentation while its being updated. I would've hoped that they'd at least give you some links to correct documentation on the website.
To see what's programmed on the Pixhawk, go into Mission Planner > Config/Tuning > Full Parameters List and then look at the FRAME variable. A setting of 10 is the new Y6B config.
Hey Tom,
I can't help much, but I'm in much the same position as you and have a couple of questions. How long did your order take to ship?
By initial prop install issue, are you talking about how they're just difficult to get on the motors?
Thanks in advance! :)
BTW I ordered almost the exact same kit...Y6, same radio, every option except the gimbal, gopro, and spare parts.
Took just over three weeks.
I have found nothing to be crystal clear so far. The "quick start" manual says/shows to put the props on, but they won't go on the shaft. So I put a question out to the forum and was told everything from jamb them on to drill out the hole. Plus, you should really balance them before hand. None of that was mentioned in the "quick start manual".
The large LiPo's took forever to charge. One took well over 24 hours (again, not mentioned in the manual. So after 12 hours or so you begin to think something is definitely wrong). I would tell you how long it takes to charge the smaller LiPo's, but they did not send any way to connect them to a charger and I havent been to the store yet. They also did not send the wrench for the prop nuts and it appears it should have been included. Throw in a few bags of odds and ends (cables, nuts, bolts ......) where absolutely nothing is labeled and the confusion really sets in.
But alas, you can contact 3DR by calling the number. Where a call service answers and converts your call into an email to "tech support in Tiajuana". Within 24-48 hours you will get a brief response back from tech support, most often referring you to the online forum.
The forum is good though. It just seems like you need to ferret out a lot of information that should have been clearer to begin with.
24 hours is a very long time, and probably means that you are charging them at a very low amperage.
It will depend on the specific battery, but you can likely increase the amps to have them charge faster. The general rule is to take the mAh value and divide by 1000. That will be the max charge amps, so for example, I use 6000 mAh 4S batteries, and can charge them at 6A. Unfortunately my charger only goes to 5A, but at 5A, they charge from empty to full and balanced in a couple of hours.
Thank you very much for that info Tom, good stuff to know. Yeah I get the impression they (3DR) want to be a one-stop RTF solution for people who are more interested in getting up and flying than assembling a kit. I noticed they didn't include an LCD screen option for the FPV package, so I had to order that separately...then when I asked by email if it came with any brackets, was told no, I'd have to figure that out myself. No big deal for someone with some background in this hobby, just ordered some generic brackets off ebay, but still, that's not a RTF package IMO. They should at least offer a LCD bracket kit on their store.
I also wanted to purchase the gimbal mount plate they use in their Tarot kit, but they will not sell it alone so I've got to figure something out for mounting that up as well. Not sure what you'd do if you did have the plate installed by them and then crashed/needed a replacement.
I'm starting to question the sensibility of this purchase. I'm hoping for redemption with an amazing experience when it gets here.