Which FC for my needs

[Danub]

I am at a bit of indecision for a flight controller on my next multi.

Rig info:
Rusty's uap1 hexa
rusty's diy 2 axis gimbal flying a NEX5 or similar cam
avroto motors using simonk flashed esc's

Flight goals:
1. SOLID altitude/position hold
2. smoooth forward flight. . . . not so much fast forward flight. . . maybe 15-20mph max
3. smooth gimbal output controls. . . . . I realize much goes into making a gimbal smooth.

Please let me know your thoughts about what you use and like or don't.

I am leaning towards one of these 3 so far.
Naza-M:
pros: good altitude/position hold, easy set-up, inexpensive
cons: weak in the forward flight area, rate mode may be challenging to tune, ??high failure rate?? (just my feeling by reading forums), "hobby grade" as in it might not handle my 8# rig so well


wookong-m
pros: supposedly handles weight better, good position/altitude hold. . . . other than that I have not much info about this
cons: beware of firmware changes as they have FW bugs that seem to crash stuff, cost


hoverfly pro
pros: seems to fly smooth and do well with gimbal outputs, handles forward flight well, has built in OSD, USA based W/phone support
cons: ? set-up can be challenging, cost but not quite as high as wookong, unsure about altitude/position hold.

The above comments are based on my reading both the MFG's specs as well as reading forums to formulate my opinion. . . . please feel free to correct me where I may be incorrect.
Which FC would you guys suggest for someone who has experience with multiwii, OPCC, and KK boards and is trying to step-up to the next level of the "game" moving towards AP.

Thanks

 

[Bowley]

You summed it up pretty well.
can't add too much that other than the fact that Naza will only handle 6 motors. I wouldnt agree that failure rate is high, well not in my experience anyway, I find them very reliable.
As you say...Pos'n hold and alt hold is definitely the best I have seen, but gimbal output is very poor.
Never tried WKM.
Hoverfly pro is buttery smooth, a joy to fly in AL and Manual with good gimbal output. a bit more costly when you add GPS (getting up to WKM cost or close to it) I dont have the GPS so I cant really comment but I have read much on the forum of issues with the mag compass. I believe Hoverfly now have a fix for this though in the form of a standoff mag....Oh yeah it also has built in OSD. Its actually pretty easy to set up also.
APM2 is quite good, just a bit too much flaff for me though.
How is multiwii? I just got a crius lite SE but the seller forgot to send me the serial breakout thingy so its not set up yet.

 

[kloner]

if the gps part makes it so you can fly or not, you want a dji

nazas work so good on a perfect rig and are the most sensitive little peckers when a bearing is going out or the prop/adapter is bent you'll find

 

[Danub]

if the gps part makes it so you can fly or not, you want a dji

nazas work so good on a perfect rig and are the most sensitive little peckers when a bearing is going out or the prop/adapter is bent you'll find

I can fly my CC and multiwii in rate modes fine . . . but this is going to be a gimbal/AP rig. . . I know at some points I would like to take my focus from "flight" to "footage" alt/position hold seems to be the way to achieve this with a one operator rig? Do you think the wookong will have the same sensitivity issues as Naza??
My last upload from my QAV with CC.
https://vimeo.com/54905972

Bowley. . . I like my multiwii for a "fun" flyer board. . . I do think they take a lot of time to tune for FPV (my previous experience). . . I am sure with enough tuning it could serve as an AP FC but I am not trying to spend sooo much time tuning if possible
That Naza sensitivity is probably what I am reading into when I am seeing all of the "naza crashed my rig" around forums.

I'm starting to think I should probably "buck up" for a commercial grade FC. DJI or Hoverfly??

Does anyone have an alt/pos hold video for HFPw/gps??

 

[kloner]

I own hfp and in self level, it's alright, in manual, it's pretty dang smooth. the hfp gps is a touchy subject.

yes, dji sensors in general hate crappy installs and failing mechanics. They all do, but when dji fails from it, it's usually pretty violent. i'd never get wkm unless it was a octo or i needed waypoints,,,, personally

 

[Danub]

OK, I have seen you go from naza to hfp. . . would you go back to naza for your gimbal rig?? ( I think I know the answer)
Care to explain why the hfp gps is a touchy subject? Is it a setup thing . . . similar to 1.2 and gps? or is it deeper than that?

 

[kloner]

I'm gonna, but i need a seperate controller. The gimble is ordered.

The hoverlfy gps doesn't seem to work for a whole lot of people. theres a thread in the forum, read for yourself and you decide

you said your doing AP,,,,,, that's pictures, naza would handle that no problem, it's the AV that's a ***** and needs more stable gimble control. no gimble is super easy compared to actualy making a gimble work good

 

[kloner]

naza in atti

I don't have anything that smooth yet with HF, but i'm close

 

[Danub]

Hehe The flyin' witch was cool
I guess I should of said AP/V. . . If I am flying it I will surely be trying to capture video also.

I am getting that DJI has position hold "worked out" as others are trying to get there.
Maybe I should look to a mix rig of NAZA for FC and maybe a CC or hfp gimbal controller to keep the camera smooth.

This decision seems to be vexing me . . . . normally I would buy both and choose the one I like buuut these guys can get kinda pricey.

 

[Bowley]

Its worth keeping an eye on whats going on with Hoverfly GPS, There is a long thread on here about it, seems the issue was EM interference on the Mag. I am sure they are working round this problem now. Dont know if they can get it as good as DJI, who knows what their magic formula is! but it works. As you suggest, I plan on using a mix, Naza for FC and radian for Gimbal. Just waiting till I can afford 2 radian units. Hoverfly gimbal is also reported to be pretty good.

Interesting that your getting smoother results with Naza Kloner. although I have to say my naza F450 is now far smoother with 9" Graupner Electo props with far less vibration problems. got bored last weekend so just went out to some flying in wind for the sake of it and to check out my Naza GPS hold again. windsock at the airfield next door was horizontal. Lock was solid as usual.

 

[Danub]

Its worth keeping an eye on whats going on with Hoverfly GPS, There is a long thread on here about it, seems the issue was EM interference on the Mag. I am sure they are working round this problem now. Dont know if they can get it as good as DJI, who knows what their magic formula is! but it works. As you suggest, I plan on using a mix, Naza for FC and radian for Gimbal. Just waiting till I can afford 2 radian units. Hoverfly gimbal is also reported to be pretty good.

Interesting that your getting smoother results with Naza Kloner. although I have to say my naza F450 is now far smoother with 9" Graupner Electo props with far less vibration problems. got bored last weekend so just went out to some flying in wind for the sake of it and to check out my Naza GPS hold again. windsock at the airfield next door was horizontal. Lock was solid as usual.

Those radian units look super nice, but $$. For now I might have a spare CC for gimbal control. . . . I might try that for a inexpensive start.
So far it is looking like NAZA W/ some external dedicated gimbal controller. . . . I just found the BIG gps thread off to read.

 

[crcr]

wookong-m
pros: supposedly handles weight better, good position/altitude hold. . . . other than that I have not much info about this

I am also looking into the WKM but have heard that MK is far better at handling weight and stability on the bigger machines.

Craig

 

[Danub]

I am also looking into the WKM but have heard that MK is far better at handling weight and stability on the bigger machines.

Craig

I pulled MK off of my list a long time ago due to the lack of customer support that many that "felt"
I value customer support

 

[kloner]

naza is the same exact support............

only one with actual support from what i see is hoverfly...... and even then just cause you know or are told the problem doesn't make it any easier to figure out. most problems on an MR aren't the FC,,,,,,, Out of everything i started out with last year in MR the only part out of that first kit that's still here is the naza. it's been under water, over water, crashed, abused but still works like a champ

 

[Emowillcox]

Kloner you had your naza under water and it still works>?

 

[kloner]

twice.... it's in my hex now, been in my disco all along

 

[Danub]

naza is the same exact support............

only one with actual support from what i see is hoverfly...... and even then just cause you know or are told the problem doesn't make it any easier to figure out. most problems on an MR aren't the FC,,,,,,, Out of everything i started out with last year in MR the only part out of that first kit that's still here is the naza. it's been under water, over water, crashed, abused but still works like a champ

That is why I was seriously leaning toward hfp. . . . and still will probably end up there. . . . I am parts ordering mode down to servos for gimbal and FC/gimbal control.
At least if i go NAZA it is relatively inexpensive, re-sellable easily, and apparently water resistant!!! LOL Got any video of h2o landing??

I found the "big" gps thread. . . . I "think" I have possible solutions and work-arounds from my fpv knowledge base . . . .check "zipper tubing" for grounding/shielding existing wires. . . what about a shielded grounded case for the gps board?? . . . but I didn't want to start placing opinions in the gps thread as I don't have any facts to base my thoughts on this . . . but on my QAV I run 1.2 VTX and GPS for osd/AAT and have them within 12-14" of each other. I get gps lock in under 1min.

I got my fingers crossed about hfp "fine tuning" their alt/pos hold. Hopefully external mag does the trick but I ain't putting a 3' boom on my copter. lol

TWICE!!! DAMN . . . . WOW!!

 

[Emowillcox]

I just finished a build over the holidays using a hoverfly pro board with 8 motors and I am pretty happy with the way it flys. View attachment 8715View attachment 8716View attachment 8717

 

[kloner]

they are really nice flying and easy to setup. I'm still not the most comftorable low flyer with it yet being all manual mode flying, but it's alright. the self leveling modes kinda weird. Wouldn't waste money on the gps part. Out of 6 fpv aircraft, this is the only one thats FUBAR if it ever gets out off range