Remote kill switch?

[jiva]

I'm a totally new Phantom owner. In fact, I haven't even gotten it yet, it's my christmas present. I'm reading up on everything ahead of time though so that I'll be prepared to get it out there and flying on day one. That said, I'm hearing a lot about fly aways, and getting a bit concerned about the possibility that I might run into issues like that.

So it got me to thinking, what could I do if it took off suddenly and I couldn't regain control? I thought about tying a string to it or something, but that seems like a bad idea. I thought about putting a "Stick n Find" BTLE beacon on it (https://www.sticknfind.com) but that seems to have limited range. At the end of the day, all I really want is the ability to send a signal to it to kill the engine if it gets away from me. I don't even care if it then comes crashing to the ground, I just don't want to lose it.

So, I started thinking about wireless kill switches, and although I don't know of any off hand that'd do the job out of the box, I reckon I might be able to rig something using arduino or something. My question to you guys is, do you think that having an arduino based RF receiver on the copter might by itself interfere with the built-in electronics and potentially CAUSE more trouble than it solves?

I was thinking something like: http://dx.com/p/433mhz-rf-transmitt...-link-kit-for-arduino-arm-mcu-wl-green-220194

It runs at 433mhz and that one has a 200 m range... some go up to 800 m.

Any thoughts?

 

[ElGuano]

Honestly, sounds like one of those screen-door-on-submarine ideas to me.

Why would you want a switch that activates the worst possible outcome? If you're afraid of losing your rf control, won't the rf kill switch suffer the same vulnerability? And what reason do you have to think the kill switch will be more reliable?

If your idea is to flip a switch to prevent a flyaway, I'd say spend time and practice flying manual mode, and if the incredibly rare fly-away occurrence happens, you'll at least have a chance to recover and bring it home in one piece.

 

[Mo-Quad]

A kill switch may be one answer to keep your new Phantom from flying away.

I, too, would like to have an answer to the flyaway problem. In July 2013 my Phantom decided to go AWOL and it carried my Hero2 away into the distance, never to be seen again. Beware of flying when storm clouds are in the area. I was flying an hour or so after a strong rain event and perhaps that had something to do with it.

I am getting a replacement for Christmas.

I have looked for a beacon type device but have had no luck. There are GPS devices you could attach, but they are pricey and require a monthly fee to boot.

I think the best answer to flyaway is an address and phone number on the Phantom and hope an honest person finds it.

 

[LeoS]

For areas with cellphone coverage, look into gps trackers.

 

[dkr77573]

If you're seriously considering a kill switch, why not consider a rescue parachute. I saw someone do it with their S800. Get creative!

 

[MILLER4PRESIDENT2020]

when i first started practicing i literally tied a fishing line to it. After a few hours, and testing to make sure the return to home function actually worked as advertised i set her free.

I know fishing line isnt practical for everyday flying with height and distance, but it will at least give you piece of mind till you master the controls.

 

[w0by]

Whenever I fly my quadcopter, I always bring it up a bit, then I turn the remote off to make sure that it starts coming back to home spot, then I turn the remote back on and fly...hopefully it'll help with any fly-aways because I know for sure that it knows it's home spot, unless something happens and it gets really confused..

 

[LeoS]

Whenever I fly my quadcopter, I always bring it up a bit, then I turn the remote off to make sure that it starts coming back to home spot, then I turn the remote back on and fly...hopefully it'll help with any fly-aways because I know for sure that it knows it's home spot, unless something happens and it gets really confused..

If there's something wrong, would you lunge toward it and try to catch its skids then?