DG's Discussions (39)
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HW Quattro and Pixhawk; which one rules the throttle signal?
I've been using a HobbyWing Quattro 4-in-1 ESC all year for my test quad. It has worked very well, however reviewing the manual while installing another in a new copter, it states:
Read more…Throttle signal loss protection: The ESC will reduce the output power
KDE ESC and xxxHawk (Arducopter) will not work properly, period.
For details, see http://multirotorforums.com/threads/kde-direct-xf-uas-esc-and-flight-controller-compatibility-list.20587/page-3
Following KDE's instructions, the other day I thought it was fixed, but spoke too soon.
The copter arms, but the motors wil
Read more…Is there a known problem with KDE and xxxHawk?
So for something different I bought a CUAV Pixhack (the real one) for this current H4 Alien 680 build. To head off criticism, it is not a cheap Pixhawk clone. It is high quality hardware in a machined aluminum case with IMU dampening and no connector
Read more…Pixhawk internal compass interference: is it an issue or not?
I'm currently building an Alien 680 Frame and looking around for ideas on mounting the ESC's, FC etc., I noticed several using xHawks and they mount it inside the frame with the power wires surrounding it underneath the frame.
I've always mounted the
Read more…What laptop are you using with Mission Planner?
My laptop is dead; i5 HP 17". The family is tired of me borrowing theirs. After using Tower for the last several weeks and discovering "issues", I decided to go back to lugging around a laptop or making a portable version GCS so I can use Mission Pla
Read more…Accelerometer errors in Tower
but not in Mission Planner.
'Inconsistent Accelerometer'
and
'Accelerometer error'
What I did do was save parameters, then swapped props and ran Auto Tune. I then switched back to the other props and loaded the saved parameters. Ever since then Tower thr
Read more…Is Solo open source?
If not, how does 3DR get around it? Just wondering as there are disturbances in the force claiming 3RD is violating open source licensing by not releasing the Solo code, or are they?
Read more…Tower bug or AC 3.3 or???
I noticed today Tower was giving battery voltage audible updates as if the battery was fully charged, even though I flew it earlier down to 15v. I powered it down, restarted and it did the same thing at 14.8v.
The flight screen showed the correct vol
Read more…A warning to eCalc users
eCalc estimates for throttle @hover have grossly changed in recent versions at least for my KDE 2814XF-515 motors.
According to eCalc throttle @hover should be 65%. In reality it averages ~45% with the exact same configuration as shown below. When fir
Read more…Sonar or Lidar? Do either work over water?
I will need accurate altitude estimates for video on a trip in July as they will be mission flights.
I think it was said Lidar does not work over water. Does sonar?
Read more…Cannot connect 3DR radios to Tower on Android
I don't know if it's a MP/AC version change or that I reinstalled the drivers (1.9) for the radios.
Are there certain settings the radio must have in order for Tower to work? It worked fine for months (Droidplanner 2 as well).
Read more…What causes motors to lose sync?
On my Y6 with KDE 2814XF-515 motors and HW X-Rotor 40a ESC, Pixhawk, it seems like I have to re-calibrate the ESC's over time. Recently the motors were shaking pretty badly which was obvious when slow motion showed motor #5 definitely spinning odd an
Read more…Does angling the front motors improve flight characteristics?
Multiwii Scarab Y6 copters have a 3 degree "twist" on their motors. Dihedral is now popular on flat hexas/octos and quads (not sure about x8 coaxial).
So I'm wondering if there are advantages to angling the front motors on a Y6. I know it's been discu
Read more…Coaxial more efficient than flat? Read on
Interesting article on co-axial efficiency vs. flat. I've heard arguments for and against putting smaller props on the bottom with different pitch. This essay and video explains it thoroughly.
http://ecalc.ch/calcinclude/help/xcoptercalchelp.htm#hint
What is INAVerr?
I've asked the question several times in various forums. Nobody has yet answered the question.
The most complete answer was from Randy, but did not define how INAVerr is calculated and why 255 is bad, only that it may be a problem in my logs.
It has to
Read more…INAVerr- Is it the GPS or FC or neither?
Should I expect a crash at some point?
Nervously I took the Spy 750 Y6 up for the first time in over 3 weeks (had a warm spell of 25F today).
In stab it flies great, then switching to poshold it seemed fine, but did the twitchy thing again for a few se
Read more…CSGShop NEO-M8N is giving PM errors??
Today I did a test flight before doing a mission. After switching to poshold, it began behaving erratically, twitching and drifting. I was able to land, but puzzled because there were no errors from the GCS.
Running auto analysis, it gave these result
Read more…Sky Hero Spy 750 Y6 build
I've been messing with this copter for a few months now. The biggest setback has been ESC issues with KDE 2814XF-515 motors. Doing it over again, I'd bite the bullet and buy the $$ KDE ESC's made specifically for their motors.
After 4 different ESC's
Read more…Rule of thumb on tuning please
I recently built a Sky Hero Spy 750 Y6. It is using Y6B parameters (AC 3.2) which after having it in the air a number of times is obviously not correct. The motors are KDE 2814XF-515. It seems there is a "RC FEEL" slider, does that affect the PID se
Read more…