Manual control mode?

[phabixio]

Hi PPs
I got my Phantom a month ago and have been flying 3 batteries pretty much every day since,and I am enjoying it more every day.
I read you can set control mode switch to manual but couldn't find much information on how the aircraft would react to commands , I am tempted to test it but would love to know what to expect... has anyone here tried it or could suggest links to infos?
Best

 

[tanasit]

Manual mode is for aerobatic moves or you want to fly with your full control which mean you will get no help from NAZA for the self leveling or correction to stay level. The amount of control you get can be set using the Attitude GAIN for Pitch & Roll. The higher the number the more responsive your Phantom will be.
This is similar to turning the auto pilot off or no more gyro for the rudder control in rc helicopter. So if you know how to fly rc helicopter with 1 gyro axis rudder control, then it won't be that hard to fly in Manual mode.
One caution, before flipping to Manual mode you want to get your Phantom up high because the throttle stick may not be at the point where your Phantom hover, so expect it to either jump up or drop down when entering the Manual mode.
Flight character will be like this: if you push you Phantom forward (right stick UP), it will goes forward but even if you release the stick to the center position, the Phantom will keep on going forward. You need to pull the stick back to stop the forward movement.

 

[SCADAMON]

Got to be good on the sticks... :lol:
http://youtu.be/E-EygML_1cE
http://youtu.be/_CgX2Bw3b1k

 

[ArshadR]

Got to be good on the sticks... :lol:
http://youtu.be/E-EygML_1cE
http://youtu.be/_CgX2Bw3b1k

WOW! I had no idea the phantom was capable of that! That pilot is unbelievably good, with all those trees so close!

 

[martcerv]

Lol that second video looks pretty obviously sped up, no cameraman could keep up with such quick change of directions. My guess is its sped up 200-300% for the most part, manual mode can be quick but not that quick in a phantom no matter how good a pilot you are. A good way to practice and get an idea of how to control manual would be in a sim even some basic android flight sims have quads that behave much the same as a phantom in manual mode.

You dont have to do loops and flips though they can be fun but I prefer to use manual mode in FPV for better control without needing to battle the autopilot.

Here is some of my onboard footage and this isnt sped up at all, it gets rather quick low to the ground but I have just rebuilt in a new shell after getting a little too close to the ground. So my recent flights have been at higher levels and its been windy as $%^# here lately too so close proximity isnt great in gusty conditions.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jTnb-szvYE[/youtube]

 

[phabixio]

I agree it seems speeded up, but it looks fun... and dangerous.
I was hoping it could give smoother movements for filming purposes, I ll give it a try.... carefully!!
Thx for your posts
F

 

[mroberts]

Manual mode is for aerobatic moves or you want to fly with your full control which mean you will get no help from NAZA for the self leveling or correction to stay level. The amount of control you get can be set using the Attitude GAIN for Pitch & Roll. The higher the number the more responsive your Phantom will be.
This is similar to turning the auto pilot off or no more gyro for the rudder control in rc helicopter. So if you know how to fly rc helicopter with 1 gyro axis rudder control, then it won't be that hard to fly in Manual mode.

Double check in the NAZA Assistant - I thought "Attitude" were the gains for the internal stability system, and the "basic" ones were for your control. If you monkey with the wrong ones, you'll screw up the internal controller.

In Manual mode, it seems you still get "help" from the system - it will hold whatever attitude you've put it in, but it wont diverge. Heading hold is reasonable - you don't need to actively drive it to stop it spinning, but it will drift.

I wouldn't recommend increasing any gains for manual mode. It's plenty zippy as it is.

#1 thing to remmeber - ATTI mode is your friend. It will bail you out of a LOT of problems. If things turn to custard, flick the switch to ATTI and give it throttle.

 

[martcerv]

I have to say that manual mode is sooooo much fun in FPV, takes a little bit of practice to get used to it but its insane how much fun it can be.

I did a bit of flying today 6 flights 5 with my 3D setup so its a bit heavy at up to 1.3KG :lol: then I did the last flight with just one cam where my setup was 1150g. I think once you get into it its hard to go back to GPS mode, atti can still be a bit of fun but for fun flying I think its hard to beat manual mode.

If I was out shooting cinematic stuff I would likely use a gimbal and GPS or ATTI modes but for just a bit of a blast I am loving manual mode. Also be aware that flying manual and pushing it will chew through quite a bit more battery I cut my flights about a minute and half shorter in manual compared to the other modes.

I found another cool flying location with more obstacles to fly around and try my best to avoid, my landings really sucked today for some reason though. It did get a bit breezy but the only time I was in GPS mode was takeoff and some landings and these were some pretty shocking landings lol.

 

[martcerv]

Here is some manual flying from today in FPV

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqWkaNL0JQM[/youtube]

 

[tanasit]

Manual mode is for aerobatic moves or you want to fly with your full control which mean you will get no help from NAZA for the self leveling or correction to stay level. The amount of control you get can be set using the Attitude GAIN for Pitch & Roll. The higher the number the more responsive your Phantom will be.
This is similar to turning the auto pilot off or no more gyro for the rudder control in rc helicopter. So if you know how to fly rc helicopter with 1 gyro axis rudder control, then it won't be that hard to fly in Manual mode.

Double check in the NAZA Assistant - I thought "Attitude" were the gains for the internal stability system, and the "basic" ones were for your control. If you monkey with the wrong ones, you'll screw up the internal controller.

In Manual mode, it seems you still get "help" from the system - it will hold whatever attitude you've put it in, but it wont diverge. Heading hold is reasonable - you don't need to actively drive it to stop it spinning, but it will drift.

I wouldn't recommend increasing any gains for manual mode. It's plenty zippy as it is.

#1 thing to remmeber - ATTI mode is your friend. It will bail you out of a LOT of problems. If things turn to custard, flick the switch to ATTI and give it throttle.

I stand corrected. Simply look at the Attitude gain that only has 2 possible setting values which are Pitch & Roll. The Basic Gain has all 4 possible settings. I use the 7th channel with the add-on control lever to set the Attitude Gain in flight and I can test the result in Manual mode so that I get the right feeling for my flying style.

You may want to read the post below for more details:

Naza GAIN effects

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost ... ostcount=1

 

[mroberts]

Bugger me. So there's no way to actually control the aircraft's yaw or throttle response.

 

[tanasit]

Bugger me. So there's no way to actually control the aircraft's yaw or throttle response.

The YAW rate is not as powerful as the helicopter tail rotor because the rate depends on the varying rpm of the opposite motors. But then the varying speed of the motors also affect the other flight characteristics. Therefore the YAW respond is not the quad-copter strong suit.
As for the throttle, in manual mode it is linear for stock TX but for the after market ones, if you programmed your Phantom in the helicopter mode you can set the throttle curve to what you like.

 

[mroberts]

Have you guys dropped the "Attitude" gains for manual flying, or do you only fly in big areas with no wind?

I went out yesterday, and while it was pretty windy, it seemed EXTREMELY twitchy.

 

[dcoski]

Not a Phantom, but it would have to be flying I'm sure in manual mode. Some of the best flying I have ever seen.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/CvJ84-_M_64[/youtube]