550 Pilot's lounge

[PJA]

I haven't been flying my machines for awhile (2 months)... With all the stories about Phantom "drones" in the news lately, I feel like all eyes are waiting for me to slip up... Especially since my first P1.5 crashed near a couple, and his (ugly) girlfriend went off on me about spying on them, being illegal, dangerous because they almost got hit... (almost doesn't count), and they were off the beaten path when they watched my P1.5 hit a tree and fall AWAY from them... Cost me dearly in 'reward' money to get it back and shut her up...

Anyway... Since I do live in one of the 5 boroughs of NYC I really can't find a decent field here to fly my unpredictable P1.5... So since the Phantom is now a recognizable 'drone menace' from news reports, I decided to get my f550 in the air again...

I've tried to keep up with you guys since I was away on vacation for 2 weeks, and I noticed that havasuphoto posted the inside of his UAV on here. I was rewiring mine tonight and took a pic of the 'mess'... I don't know, is it really that bad? Everything seems to fit nice and snug. I rewired it even more to make it look neater than this:

Added LED's and finally got the iOSD to work with my FatShark...

My Zenmuse Gimbal seems to have a mind of it's own and won't straighten out and periodically shifts up, down, sideways... I hope connecting it to the NAZA Assistant will straighten out that problem... It was on my P1.5 when it crashed. Any ideas?

Total Weight is 2725grams... Kinda heavy. I'm using ONYX, Nano-Tech and Venom 6400 3S batts for now... I hope I can get it in the air for at least 10 minutes...

To Be Continued.........

 

[ElGuano]

I do think you need to get a more elegant landing gear for such a marvelous machine though... just sayin'

Thank you, and yes, the landing gear are a sore spot. I'm researching options. I want to keep the weight down to a minimum, but the wobbles are a bit too serious on the DJI gear, especially once I start adding payload!

To Be Continued.........

Sorry to hear about your issues (and it's never nice to have bad encounters with "the public." Glad to see you're getting back on the horse with the F550! Welcome back.

 

[OI Photography]

Glad to see you're getting back on the horse with the F550! Welcome back.

+1 Great to see you around these parts again!

For the odd gimbal behavior, connect the GCU directly via USB and make sure that's updated (if you haven't already). Also, have you already done an IMU calibration on the 550? That might cause the gimbal to misbehave too if that needs to be done, since some of the data it uses comes from the NAZA's sensors.

My apologies in advance if you've already done both of those steps, those are just the first things that spring to mind

 

[joeg1717]

Central PA....... Lewistown....I think its a hike from Reading.....

 

[OI Photography]

Central PA....... Lewistown....I think its a hike from Reading.....

Yeah that's a bit far for a casual get together lol. No worries, I'm just looking for any excuse/opportunity to get out and fly while I'm here. Weather is gorgeous right now and the landscapes around here are as well.

As for upgrading or changing the Radio gear on your 550, you should just need to find a receiver that's compatible with the Futaba controller you have already. The Devo receiver you have on it now can be disconnected completely from the NAZA and simply replaced with whatever receiver you choose. The way the new receiver connects to the NAZA will just depend on whether the Rx has S-bus (aka D-bus) capability...if so then it just takes one wire to connect to NAZA (X2 port). If it doesn't have S-bus then you'll need to connect each channel individually. Either way, just make sure the NAZA Assistant software is set to the right receiver type (D-bus or "traditional") and you should be good to go as far as the installation (replacement) goes.

Since the NAZA on the 550 has the same core functionality and layout as the Phantom, you should be able to use whatever Model setup you have on your Futaba now with the 550 as well (you may need to copy or duplicate the model settings on the controller first).

 

[joeg1717]

I'm located in Pennsylvania, USA. Right now I get in the neighborhood of 300-400 meters before it goes into failsafe and returns home, which is significantly shorter than my phantom 2 which goes to around 1900 meters. I would be happy with a 1500 meter range. I do mostly FPV and BVF with ground station so a decent range is important for me. I have a Futaba 8s for my phantom now.

OK, what's a Futaba 8S? is that the T8J? What receiver are you using in the P1? should be something like a 20008 or similar number. I have a T8J and futaba receiver in my P1 and it goes about 1500M. In my P2, I have the 14SGH and am using the stock phantom 2 receiver and antenna's and go out to 2000M before I decide to turn around and come home.
all my flying is bvr.

Changing from what you have to the futaba is pretty easy....Sbus on futaba to X2 on the Naza, done. Like I said, there are entire thread on how to do the set-up....this one is for the P2, but will work the same for the F550;
http://www.phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=8358
The nice thing about the 8FG and the 14SGH is that you can copy that profile in that thread onto an SD card and load it into the radio-works great.

I'm still using the EZ-UHF on my F800....long story-but basically I just changed engines, burned up some ESC's, replaced them, and am still testing the new engines. I went from 3S to 4S with bigger engines. Once I get that sorted, I'll probably get rid of the EZ-UHF and go with the Futaba because the 14SGH shipped with a receiver.....I'm just waiting to iron out any problems before swapping the rx/tx set-up.

Oh, I believe there is a link in that thread for the 400mm antenna's. There's only 1 place you can buy them. You have to carefully "split" open the receiver case and then gently pry the short antenna's off their little snap plugs, then plug the long ones on, and snap the case back together-done.

The radio is the Futaba D8FGS, Naza flight controller and a walkera rx701 receiver.

 

[joeg1717]

Central PA....... Lewistown....I think its a hike from Reading.....

Yeah that's a bit far for a casual get together lol. No worries, I'm just looking for any excuse/opportunity to get out and fly while I'm here. Weather is gorgeous right now and the landscapes around here are as well.

As for upgrading or changing the Radio gear on your 550, you should just need to find a receiver that's compatible with the Futaba controller you have already. The Devo receiver you have on it now can be disconnected completely from the NAZA and simply replaced with whatever receiver you choose. The way the new receiver connects to the NAZA will just depend on whether the Rx has S-bus (aka D-bus) capability...if so then it just takes one wire to connect to NAZA (X2 port). If it doesn't have S-bus then you'll need to connect each channel individually. Either way, just make sure the NAZA Assistant software is set to the right receiver type (D-bus or "traditional") and you should be good to go as far as the installation (replacement) goes.

Since the NAZA on the 550 has the same core functionality and layout as the Phantom, you should be able to use whatever Model setup you have on your Futaba now with the 550 as well (you may need to copy or duplicate the model settings on the controller first).

If that's the case, particularly with the radio, that does not sound bad at all.

That's unfortunate about the flying.... there is not another person around that has any copters...... sort of by myself

 

[OI Photography]

That's unfortunate about the flying.... there is not another person around that has any copters...... sort of by myself

Yeah I haven't gotten the impression that Central PA is exactly drone central lol. There's a few other members of this forum more to the N and E parts of the state, but in the couple of days I've been here it seems like I may have the only Phantom for miles around lol.

If you find an excuse to be down this way in the next couple of days I'd be happy to fly with you, I just can't get out very far from where I'm stay.

BTW I can tell there's a very ripe market here for Ag services...I'm sure all these rows of corn I'm surrounded by could use some drone-based crop inspections

 

[havasuphoto]

@PJA; your wires look neater than mine....I've yet to go back and do the zip tie and heat shrink-but it's on my "to do" list, just after flight testing.
I'm lucky-I live in the Desert, and am very crafty at finding places to fly where I won't bother anyone, or even go noticed much. A lot has to do with the time of the year, and very early in the morning on weekdays.
This is Sara Park(some might recognize those hills, South of Lake Havasu-the aircraft is looking North). I was 1700M away-and had clear video and RC control.


@joeg1717; that link I posted contains a file that will work on your T8FGS. I suggest you read parts of that thread, as the installation of the receiver in the aircraft will be very easy.
Just take the top off-un plug and remove the old remote, keep those wires, you'll only need 1. Which receiver do you have?

Basically what you need to do is remove the old receiver, stick the Futaba receiver in, 1 plug goes into S-bus on the Futaba, the other end goes into X2 on Naza. With the newer Futaba receiver you don't even need to push a bind button. Just power on your remote, then the aircraft, and see if it binds-I think it's a steady green light.
If not, change in System?, Bind, Fastest 12, or multi-fast test....there are only like 4 choices; try each one, until you get the bind button lit.
Then, with the file you downloaded and installed on your radio-go into Naza, and start moving the controls around. First, go to RC and make sure it's set to D-bus.
Also-the latest firmware for the Futaba radio has a calibration utility-so if it's been awhile since you've updated your remote-do that first. It turns your 12 channel radio into a Super(14 channel), for free!!

Go to System, HW Calibration, then calibrate your remote.

Once you've bound your receiver with your transmitter, repeat the calibration in Naza. Make sure all the switches work-and check the throw of all the sticks-they should be +/- 1000.
I label my switches on the remote with masking tape-so I know what each does.

Last, while the aircraft is still plugged into Naza, turn off the remote; you should see the aircraft enter fail safe. I also do this when the aircraft isn't connected to Naza-just to be sure fail safe is working.

You will love the Ianwood V4? file. Also-you can program a "dead" spot on your throttle easily, if you don't have a self-centering throttle. Instructions are in that link.

Changing the receiver is probably the easiest thing you could do....plenty of knowledgeable help here, and in other threads.

 

[SanCap]

With all the aircraft builders around here I thought I would share what I use as a substitute for nylon tye-wraps. I find that even the smallest tye-wrap is kind of bulky and not aesthetically pleasing. I was an aircraft mechanic for many years and this was an accepted practice for securing wires and such. Waxed Lacing Chord http://www.amazon.com/Waxed-Lacing-...=1407262784&sr=8-3&keywords=waxed+lacing+cord. One roll of this will last longer than thousands of the-wraps. There is a bit of an art to tying the knots but I like it better. Here are some instructions http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/cable_lace/cable_lace.html. Here are a couple of them on my newly built 450.

 

[OI Photography]

Interesting! I don't think I've seen those before...kind of like laminated shoelaces for cabling?

 

[SanCap]

Interesting! I don't think I've seen those before...kind of like laminated shoelaces for cabling?

The wax on the lacing holds the cord to itself giving you a chance to secure the knot. The tip of a soldering iron or a carefully placed lighter completes the job but is not required for the knot to hold.

 

[OI Photography]

Interesting! I don't think I've seen those before...kind of like laminated shoelaces for cabling?

The wax on the lacing holds the cord to itself giving you a chance to secure the knot. The tip of a soldering iron or a carefully placed lighter completes the job but is not required for the knot to hold.

Ahh gotcha, makes perfect sense. I think I'll have to try those just to see what they're like for myself.

 

[SanCap]

You will save a little weight also!

 

[SanCap]

Here is another good use of the waxed lacing, the thought is to keep pressure of of the main battery lead solder joints.

 

[joeg1717]

I'm located in Pennsylvania, USA. Right now I get in the neighborhood of 300-400 meters before it goes into failsafe and returns home, which is significantly shorter than my phantom 2 which goes to around 1900 meters. I would be happy with a 1500 meter range. I do mostly FPV and BVF with ground station so a decent range is important for me. I have a Futaba 8s for my phantom now.

OK, what's a Futaba 8S? is that the T8J? What receiver are you using in the P1? should be something like a 20008 or similar number. I have a T8J and futaba receiver in my P1 and it goes about 1500M. In my P2, I have the 14SGH and am using the stock phantom 2 receiver and antenna's and go out to 2000M before I decide to turn around and come home.
all my flying is bvr.

Changing from what you have to the futaba is pretty easy....Sbus on futaba to X2 on the Naza, done. Like I said, there are entire thread on how to do the set-up....this one is for the P2, but will work the same for the F550;
http://www.phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=8358
The nice thing about the 8FG and the 14SGH is that you can copy that profile in that thread onto an SD card and load it into the radio-works great.

I'm still using the EZ-UHF on my F800....long story-but basically I just changed engines, burned up some ESC's, replaced them, and am still testing the new engines. I went from 3S to 4S with bigger engines. Once I get that sorted, I'll probably get rid of the EZ-UHF and go with the Futaba because the 14SGH shipped with a receiver.....I'm just waiting to iron out any problems before swapping the rx/tx set-up.

Oh, I believe there is a link in that thread for the 400mm antenna's. There's only 1 place you can buy them. You have to carefully "split" open the receiver case and then gently pry the short antenna's off their little snap plugs, then plug the long ones on, and snap the case back together-done.

The radio is the Futaba D8FGS, Naza flight controller and a walkera rx701 receiver.

Which Futaba receiver do you use? in looking on line there seem to be many different models to choose from.

 

[dougsnash]

I too am familiar with the waxed cord lacing for use in aircraft. I use it almost exclusively to secure wiring in the full scale homebuilt aircraft I build. lacing holds more securely than a tie wrap, does not become brittle and break like a tie wrap will, and does not have a sharp plastic burr to catch your fingers like when working adjacent to a poorly trimmed tie wrap. Honestly, I had not thought about using the lacing on my F550. Using the lacing to secure the electronics is a great and timely suggestion as I am planning on mounting my ESCs and NAZA in my F550 today. I happen to have a several thousand foot roll of waxed lacing out in the garage (where I build my full scale aircraft).

Thanks for this excellent reminder.

Doug M

 

[SanCap]

Think of all the money you will save on tie wraps now!!! Now you can buy another low voltage alarm or voltage step down gizmo

 

[PJA]

For the odd gimbal behavior, connect the GCU directly via USB and make sure that's updated (if you haven't already). Also, have you already done an IMU calibration on the 550? That might cause the gimbal to misbehave too if that needs to be done, since some of the data it uses comes from the NAZA's sensors.

Last night I upgraded the GCU to 1.8 (latest upgrade)... and I also did an Advanced IMU Calibration. Unfortunately it had no affect on the Zenmuse Gimbal. It seems to have a mind of it's own, then for a few seconds I'm able to control it... I rechecked the wiring of the GCU, PMU and iOSD and everything seems to be set up as per diagrams posted on various pages in this thread and from the Internet. It's a shame too, because I just got the iOSD and FatShark set up to work through the GoPro - looks great! ... I can only think the Zenmuse was damaged from the Phantom crash a few months back.

Other than that, I don't know if it could be an issue with the set up on my Futaba 8J TX. I did find I crossed channels with my LED's and when I turned the LED's on, my f550 lost contact with the controller. I fixed that issue. My Zenmuse is set up on the VR setting under AUX-Channels. It's also turned on in NAZA... Maybe something is cross-set the wrong way.

Can anyone post the NAZA Assistant Gimbal page so I can see if all my setting are correct?

I'm under the impression that the 8 channel Futaba can actually produce 16 channels if using the S.Bus Port system (which I am) and then the other 8 channels on the NAZA v2 become available. Am I wrong about that? Seem like I'm crossing channels as in the example of my LED switching. It there a good Post or Link on how to set up channels so I can be sure - (couldn't find a decent one on YouTube).

Anyway, my f550 starts up... I do the compass dance and then I get the two series of green lights for GPS and then Home Lock... My retracts work fine... I'm ready to fly!!! ... I just can't get the Zenmuse stabilized... I'd hate to buy a new one since they aren't cheap...

Any other things come to mind that I may have forgotten, please LMK

Thanks for your help, OI Photography... I always appreciate it... All you guys have been great with your help... Thanks Again!

PJ

 

[OI Photography]

I'm under the impression that the 8 channel Futaba can actually produce 16 channels if using the S.Bus Port system

Probably, many S-bus enabled radios these days can. I don't know that model of Futaba in particular, but it wouldn't surprise me. Some radios will do 8 channels over S-bus and then 8 more out through the Rx's traditional channel outputs, and some will do 16 over S-bus as well as 8 through the standard ports. Either way though, the NAZA can only accept 7 channel input even over S-bus/D-bus...any other channels you want to use beyond that will have to be connected directly from your Rx to the accessory of choice.

I'm always glad to help out, especially for a fellow 1.5 + 550'er....the "551.5 club"