Product Review ** DJI NAZA-M V2 w/ GPS

[Bartman]

When it comes to flight control systems for multi-rotor helicopters, there are many choices covering a wide range of performance, cost, and complexity. So it might be comforting to know that one choice in particular is capable of providing good control, at a reasonable price, and without a lot of set-up and configuration headaches. There are actually a few systems that could do very well without being too expensive or too complicated but since I recently found myself speaking to Patrick of Aerial Media Pros (www.aerialmediapros.com), the system we're going to discuss is one of those that Patrick knows best, the DJI NAZA-M V2 with GPS.

Patrick started Aerial Media Pros a couple of years ago and has focused on DJI flight control systems almost exclusively and, in the process, has built a solid reputation amongst both hobbyists and professionals. Having just completed a DJI F450 FlameWheel build with a DJI NAZA-M V1 I was curious to see the improvements incorporated into the most recent version, the NAZA-M V2. Patrick has been a frequent participant at MultiRotorForums.com as well as a site sponsor so he graciously offered to sponsor this product review and I gratefully accepted.

 

[Bartman]

DJI has been making flight stabilization systems for single-rotor helicopters for a number of years and their entry into multi-rotor helicopters began with the successful release of their Wookong system. Though not without its early problems, the Wookong was the first multi-rotor flight control (FC) system to come fully enclosed which gave it a more finished appearance and a certain amount of protection from damage. It performed well at the time of its release and has been consistently improved upon remaining popular to this day even after the release of its successor, DJI's A2 system. Not long after the Wookong had established itself, DJI introduced the NAZA-M V1 and it too was warmly received by multi-rotor pilots for its features and performance at a cost that was very reasonable.

And so it went for quite a while, the Wookong (WKM) finding itself on movie sets and commercial shoots the world over and the NAZA-M spending countless afternoons ripping around parks, club fields, back yards and even a few commercial gigs of its own. Curious to everyone that witnessed it, the NAZA-M had (and still does) an uncanny ability to very precisely hold a position over the ground using the GPS add-on. Granted, there were reports of errant heli's flying off to places unknown but we'll discuss that when we discuss the NAZA's advanced features.

As I said in the first video, the package contents were well protected and in removing everything from the box it all appeared well made and ready to go. The heli for this review is what I call an XY-4, it's a quad with the front (and rear) arms set apart like the two front arms of a Y-copter allowing an unobstructed view forward for AP/AV and FPV flying. It's a design I created late summer 2011 and I've been using it ever since. The review heli has four new Tiger MT2814-770kv motors with Hobbywing Platinum Pro 40A ESC's (stock firmware), dual 6000mah 4S LiPo's, and Xoar 12x5 PJA beechwood props. There is also a DJI H3-2D brushless GoPro gimbal along for the ride but that will be the subject of a separate review.

So to get started with your NAZA (Rhymes with 'plaza') you're going to need to have on hand;

• An RC system (Transmitter and Receiver)
• A Windows based computer with the latest NAZA Assistant software installed
• A copy of the NAZA-M V2 Quick Start Guide
• A two to six cell Lipo
• A battery connector that can be temporarily attached to the NAZA's PMU battery wires.

You'll be much better off doing your initial set-up before you mount the NAZA in your airframe. The NAZA manual has 32 pages so I haven't printed it except for pages 5, 6 (configurations and connections) and 24 (LED Combinations).

 

[Bartman]

Regarding the NAZA's advanced functions, it is my belief that these should be disabled prior to your first flights (Keep It Simple Space-cadet!). This is especially true if this is your first attempt at building and flying a multi-rotor helicopter or your first experience with a DJI flight control system.

Initial flights should be kept short in duration, not too high above the ground, and relatively close to where they started from (without creating a hazard for the pilot, of course). For new pilots it can be very hard to maintain situational awareness because most multi-rotor helicopters look basically the same front to back and side to side. Once they are too high or too far it can be impossible to tell which way is up, back, left, right making it very likely you will lose control and crash. Failsafes may help but if they aren't set up exactly right, they can just as easily make things worse as you begin to panic, start flipping switches, or flip the radio off and on a few times......it won't matter and your investment will crash or fly off before your eyes.

To avoid this loss, you'll need to have a plan and you'll need to stick to it. Start out slow, learn to see the helicopter in the sky and to always know where it's going and in which direction it's pointing. Don't fly too high or too far from where you're standing. Keep track of flight times and the rate at which you are draining your batteries. If you don't run your batteries dead, or fly beyond your ability to see and know what the helicopter is doing, if you don't set up advanced features incorrectly you will have eliminated a lot of the reasons that pilots lose their heli's before they've really started to enjoy them. Moving right along.......

The NAZA has three flight control modes. MANUAL means the heli will do what you tell it to do and won't try to level itself once you release any stick inputs. If you lean it to the right at a thirty degree angle, it will hold that attitude in the air and fly away until you do something to bring it back. This is great for sport flying and often when shooting video making the ability to fly well in MANUAL mode a great skill to have as a pilot.

Also available is ATTI mode. With ATTI mode the heli will attempt to level itself anytime you release the sticks to neutral. So you might roll into a 45 degree bank to the right but when you release the sticks the heli will return to level, generally causing it to slow to a slight drift. It's a big help when flying and especially when learning. If you're new to multi-rotor helicopters and have a three position switch for your Flight Mode channel then I suggest you set it up to have ATTI mode in the first two positions of the switch and GPS in the third position (if you have GPS). If you don't have GPS you can just make that switch position ATTI also.

With the GPS option installed you'll also have GPS mode which is another way to say position-hold where the helicopter will use GPS signals to stay over a position on the ground until it is moved via stick inputs or the mode is deselected. This can be an aid when learning if it's set up properly.

By now you're either excited and ready to go or your head is spinning. If your head is spinning, go back and watch that last video again. Maybe the first one too.

This next video is from our NAZA/F450 group build but it should help someone attempting to set up a NAZA-M as their first flight controller.

 

[Bartman]

Before we get to the flying, let's talk about a small phenomenon called “Ground Effect”. When the heli is very close to the ground, all of that air that is being pushed down from the propellers will have nowhere to go as it impacts the ground and builds up a little under the helicopter like an invisible cushion. This will have the odd effect of making it easier for the heli to fly but it will also have the potential to confuse the flight controller. Single-rotor heli's with flybarless systems especially don't like flying in their own “ground effect”. As we speak about our first flights you'll see I won't recommend skidding around on the ground in the heli's “ground effect” as this may make the heli very unstable causing you to think there's something wrong. When the time comes, the best approach will be to give the heli enough throttle input to pop it off the ground up to an altitude of about six to eight feet, out of its own ground effect but still low enough to survive a less-than-perfect landing.

Don't get me wrong though, prior to the first flights you can run the motors up on the ground just enough so that if you move the control sticks in any direction the heli will lean a little allowing you to see if the motions match the stick inputs correctly.

I'm ready to fly and if you're still reading then you probably are too. Let's take a look at the next video where we do some flying and then we'll tackle the advanced features we've been avoiding so far.

<Insert video 4 here....Please note, bad weather in the NJ, USA area has delayed the full reporting of the NAZA-M V2's flying qualities>

 

[Bartman]

How did your first flights go? Very well? Sort of good? Horribly? If they didn't go so well do you think you know why?

Here are some common reasons why the first flights don't go so well;

• Front of NAZA IMU is pointing towards the back of the helicopter (motor wires should be plugged into the FRONT of the NAZA)
• NAZA needs to be mounted upright (upside down is baaaaddddd, you didn't do that, right?)
• NAZA components are not plugged into each other correctly
• Controls calibration not completed successfully (Use NAZA Assistant to check this)
• Controls are reversed (Use NAZA Assistant to check them)
• ESC's have not been calibrated (DJI 30A Opto ESC's do not need to be calibrated)
• One or more motor directions are reversed (switch any two of the three motor-to-ESC connections to reverse the direction of the motor)
• One or more motors are plugged into the wrong slots of the NAZA
• One or more propellers are on the wrong motors or upside down
• Radio transmitter is set to Heli instead of Acro
• One or more receiver channels are plugged into the wrong input ports of the NAZA
• Old channel mixes in your transmitter are messing things up
• Flight battery is dead or close to dead

If you go through the list and don't find anything wrong and you're still having problems then you need to give your dealer a call and ask for help. Online forum sites like MultiRotorForums.com can be a great resource as well but if you find out that something is just not right then a good dealer (like AerialMediaPros.com) will be invaluable in helping you to get your situation figured out. Support matters so buy from reputable shops that back up their products and that will help when things don't work out as expected.

If you've found your problems then go enjoy that first flight! If not, go through the list again and make absolutely sure everything is installed and configured correctly.

ADVANCED FUNCTIONS
Mastering the NAZA's advanced features isn't as hard as you might think, especially if you've successfully built and configured your heli and have made it through the first few flights. It's very (very very very) important to understand what they offer and how to use them in the course of regular operations. Advanced features should be added one at a time with sufficient time spent learning how each works before adding the next one. Your NAZA's advanced features consist of Failsafe Mode, Intelligent Orientation Control (IOC), Low-Voltage Warning, and Advanced Receiver Protection.

FAILSAFE (GPS Required)
Once you've developed some confidence in and the ability to fly your NAZA you may want to consider setting up the built-in Failsafe feature.

Keep in mind there are different Failsafe modes that may be referred to as you're out researching your new heli on the internet. Your radio's receiver probably has the ability to enter its own failsafe condition if it loses contact with the transmitter. If you've configured it correctly then this may include the receiver going to a pre-determined set of control inputs until it can reestablish a connection with the transmitter. This is different from the Failsafe feature built into your NAZA flight control system.

The NAZA's Failsafe feature requires the ability to create a mix of two channels in your radio and it may be difficult to do correctly for someone that is new to RC. Once set up though it enables the pilot to command the helicopter to enter Failsafe mode through a combination of radio switches which should cause the helicopter to return to the point that it took off from provided that it has enough battery life remaining to make it back. There is a red box on page 24 with important notes that you must understand before you attempt to fly with the Failsafe feature enabled.

I've flown with the Failsafe feature activated and I've found it to be a worthwhile feature. The trick here is to know when Failsafe has activated so that you won't interfere with it or panic and assume Failsafe isn't working even though it is. It requires a slow hand once it activates, you have to watch and sometimes wait even though that can be very difficult when it appears that you've lost control.

INTELLIGENT ORIENTATION CONTROL (IOC, GPS Required)
With the Failsafe feature working and well understood the next feature worth trying is the Intelligent Orientation Control (IOC). This is a really neat feature as it allows the heli to be flown left/right and forward/backward without regard for where the nose of the heli is pointing. TO do this IOC relies on a very accurate GPS antenna installation and a very accurate compass calibration. Once it is working properly, the pilot should be able to even use it as a recovery aid in the Home Lock mode. Like the other advanced features though it's important to read through the directions and to understand the various warnings that might prevent IOC from working for you. Most notably, if your NAZA has less than six GPS satellites IOC will not function and if you drop below 6 while using IOC, IOC will become disabled. There is another red box on page 19 with important warnings related to IOC and it will be helpful if you know what the different LED indications are, especially those related to GPS satellite counts when in modes that rely on the GPS receiver.

<Insert vid 4 here>

LOW VOLTAGE ALERT
The NAZA-M V2 offers two forms of advanced voltage monitoring and a Low Voltage Alert. This requires you to choose a low voltage level at which the heli will activate the low-voltage protections. At first glance this probably seems like a great idea but lower voltage battery packs (the NAZA-M V2 can be used with 2 to 6S packs, that's a range from 7.4 volts to 22.2 volts!) will experience a greater voltage drop when you hammer the throttle even if the batteries are not depleted and this can trigger the low-voltage protections! Depending on what you're flying over or how far you are from your intended landing point this could be bad. If you choose to use this function you need to know very well how long your batteries will last and keep in mind that it might activate at a bad time. Most of the set-up information for this feature is in the NAZA Assistant software under the Advanced tab. I do not use this feature but instead carefully monitor my flying times and have very loud battery monitors/alarms attached to my batteries at all times.

RECEIVER ADVANCED PROTECTION
Adding to the ways in which your NAZA can enter FailSafe mode is the Receiver Advanced Protection function. For this to work the NAZA has to sense that one of the three main flight controls (A, E, or Y) is not centered and has not changed for at least twenty seconds! If you are under the impression that you've lost contact with your helicopter then just imagine how long twenty seconds is to have to wait for something to happen! The only scenario I can think of for Receiver Advanced Protection to actually help would be if the receiver died or for some reason stopped sending signals to the NAZA. The NAZA would have to believe that the controls are not centered in addition to being unchanged for 20 seconds though. I haven't tried this feature and frankly, I'm not sure how I'd test it other than to mis-rig my controls so they are not centered and then leave the heli to drift off into space for at least twenty seconds. With the many layers of failsafes between the NAZA and the typical RC system I'm not sure this feature is even worth having or trying. Please feel free to chime in below if you've thought this through in a different way and came to a different conclusion.

FLIGHT LIMITS
This function is pretty easy to understand from what is written in the manual and I've use it to set my max altitude to 130 meters and my max radius to 300 meters. The available range is 10m to 100,000m for both altitude and radius with the 100,000m limit a bit on the generous side.

SUMMARY
In summary I'm very happy with the performance of the NAZA-M V2 so far. It has been very easy to install and set-up and I've found its features to be very capable of keeping the review heli both stable and safe. Poor weather has limited the amount of flying I've been able to do but what I've seen so far has been encouraging. While I'm not likely to use all of the advanced functions, the fact that there is a very capable GPS option as well as IOC and an advanced FailSafe means it's a bargain for $300.00! The fact that it flies my medium lift quad so well has me curious to see if it would do equally as well with a heavier eight-motor coaxial quad. We will report more on the flying part of the NAZA ownership experience as soon as the weather begins to improve.

Regarding the NAZA's reputation for fly-aways, I'll be paying close attention to how this NAZA behaves and I'll be looking for signs of a loss of control not related to me sometimes having dumb-thumbs. The advanced features may appear simple at first glance but they actually require a thorough understanding of multiple parameters and this is likely outside the capabilities of even the sharpest first time flyers. It is because of this that this I've recommended they be disabled until such time that the pilot can spend enough time to be thoroughly familiar with each function and how they work. I think that if this approach is strictly followed then the chance of a “fly-away” can be greatly reduced and maybe even eliminated. Many new multi-rotor pilots have found success without the aid of advanced protections so it shouldn't be impossible for NAZA pilots to follow the recommendations I've outlined while enjoying theirs for a long time.

Thank you again to Aerial Media Pros for sponsoring this review and for their continued support of MultiRotorForums.com.

www.aerialmediapros.com

 

[Mojave]

Great review Bartman. I especially like the fact that you worked with an XY design. Looking forward to more reviews like this.
Thanks!

 

[Bartman]

Thanks Mojave! More of the review will happen when I more time and better weather to fly it. So far there have only been about three or four flights and in those I've been able to shoot video with the H3-2D which has been really good and I've also tested the GPS mode and IOC. GPS mode is stable in typical NAZA fashion and IOC is effective without big altitude deviations as it's spinning and flying around.

Bart

 

[cootertwo]

Good stuff there! Soooooo much to learn, then the hard part..... trying to remember! Ha!

 

[Bartman]

Hi everyone,

I wasn't very happy with the last part of the setup video so I've been preparing an outline to more precisely explain the steps I was attempting to demonstrate. I'll try to answer any questions that the outline might generate but it should serve as a pretty good structure to do the initial set up of a NAZA controller for first time users. If the DJI forums help guys could review this and suggest additions or changes I'd appreciate it.

NAZA-M V2 ASSISTANT REVIEW
INITIAL SET-UP

1. CONNECT

* Open NAZA Assistant
* Turn on RC system Transmitter
* Apply power to Helicopter
​

o Remove propellers first, remove propellers first, remove propellers first, IMPORTANT
o Can use smaller pack for added safety (2S instead of 6S for example)​

* Attach USB cable to Remote LED​

2. Registration

* Occurs automatically if computer or NAZA is not recognized by the Assistant software
* Email address
* Serial number from NAZA packaging​

3. Check installed firmware version

* Occurs automatically if computer or NAZA is not recognized by the Assistant software
* Update if necessary
* Follow instructions in NAZA Quick Start Guide, page 23
* After firmware upgrade, recheck all settings in NAZA Assistant
​

4. VIEW Button

* Overview of important settings
* Information is advisory only (settings changed in other areas of the software)
* Gains are only settings that can be changed on this page of the Assistant​

5. BASIC Button

* Use AIRCRAFT tab to set configuration of your helicopter
* RC Tab​

a. RECEIVER TYPE, select appropriate option
b. RECEIVER ADVANCED PROTECTION, OFF
c. COMMAND STICKS CALIBRATION
​

i. Complete, then check stick throws match indications
ii. Adjust centers of A/E/R using Sub-trim in radio menu if necessary
iii. Check travel direction of each channel, reverse if necssary, use mouse-over menu for guidance on correct movement of sliders​

d. X1 & X2 STICKS MONITOR, not part of initial set up
e. X1 CALIBRATION, not part of initial set up
f. CONTROL MODE SWITCH
​

i. Assign 3-position switch to channel assigned for this function
ii. Move switch to confirm slider responds
iii. Adjust center position first using Sub-trim function in radio menu
iv. Adjust end points individually using end point adjustment function in radio menu
v. If this is your first RC aircraft of any kind, good idea to select Atti from right side drop-down box (3 positions will then be Atti-Atti-GPS)​

* MOUNTING Tab​

a. Measure position of GPS antenna from CG in three directions
b. Use diagram to determine correct + and – orientation
c. X/Y CG should be at the geometric center-of-lift of the heli
d. Determine Z axis center and enter value in appropriate box
​

* GAIN Tab​

a. Leave settings at factory defaults for initial flights
b. Tuning should be done at normal flying weight and configuration
c. May need to make changes whenever weight or configuration of heli changes​

6. ADVANCED Button

* MOTOR Tab
* MOTOR IDLE SPEED
​

a. ECCOMENDE position for most helicopters
b. Consider next position to the left for heli’s with low weight and larger motors​

* CUT OFF TYPE
​

a. Matter of personal preference, I use Intelligent
b. Immediate Mode, good for beginner because props stop when stick is back under 10% (immediately after a crash), bad because props stop when stick is back under 10% (may cause a crash)
c. Intelligent Mode, built in safety if throttle isn’t advance within three seconds of motor start, motors can be manually turned off after landing or at moment of impact in a crash, throttle can be idle in flight without motors stopping​

* F/S MODE Tab, not part of initial set up
* IOC MODE Tab, not part of initial set up
* GIMBAL Tab, OFF (Initial flights shouldn’t have camera gimbal installed)
* VOLTAGE Tab, Protection Switch, OFF
* LIMITS Tab
​

a. Max Height, 135m
b. Max Radius, 100m (initial set up)
c. Please read paragraphs 1 to 4 listed under “Important” on the left side of this tab’s display​

7. TOOL Button, shouldn’t be necessary for initial set up
8. UPGRADE Button, should have been addressed at initial start up of NAZA Assistant
9. REVIEW AND CHECK

* Return to VIEW Button and double check all settings
* Disconnect
​

a. Close NAZA Assistant software
b. Unplug USB cable from Remote LED
c. Remove power from aircraft
d. Turn off RC transmitter​

* Connect aircraft and NAZA Assistant according to CONNECT directions at the beginning of this outline
* Review all settings and then disconnect according to above steps​

10. Enjoy first flights

* Not too high or too far, remember it’s very easy to lose orientation of heli which can cause a crash
* 400 ft altitude limit according to AMA/FAA agreement
* Use fully charged batteries and limit flights to 2 or 3 minutes
* Keep track of mah replaced during battery charges so as to determine maximum duration of your batteries on your heli​

11. Consider configuring advanced features one at a time as flying skills and system understanding improves (In all cases, read and understand operating principles behind advanced functions as they are added)

 

[Emowillcox]

Nice review Bart and I really like those frame plates you used on your review!

 

[Bartman]

thanks! i did the customary uboxing video but when i went to watch and edit it i thought i'd rather have my teeth pulled then have to sit through it as a viewer. so, in a moment of desperation, i decided to have some fun. the Blade MQX that was flying the box could barely lift it and couldn't fly itself out of ground effect. whenever it got close to the side of the table and lost the benefit of the ground effect against the table it went over the side and crashed! i couldn't stop laughing at one point because it was such a flying failure except for the one try that was used in the video!

gotta get out and fly it some more and report back! we actually have a small handful of flying videos that we have to get moving with to wrap up some of our product reviews from this past winter.

 

[juan23d]

This cleared up some questions I had today about my initial setup. Glad I did not fully install the camera gimbal yet. Thanx.

 

[juan23d]

Regarding the NAZA's advanced functions, it is my belief that these should be disabled prior to your first flights (Keep It Simple Space-cadet!). This is especially true if this is your first attempt at building and flying a multi-rotor helicopter or your first experience with a DJI flight control system.

Initial flights should be kept short in duration, not too high above the ground, and relatively close to where they started from (without creating a hazard for the pilot, of course). For new pilots it can be very hard to maintain situational awareness because most multi-rotor helicopters look basically the same front to back and side to side. Once they are too high or too far it can be impossible to tell which way is up, back, left, right making it very likely you will lose control and crash. Failsafes may help but if they aren't set up exactly right, they can just as easily make things worse as you begin to panic, start flipping switches, or flip the radio off and on a few times......it won't matter and your investment will crash or fly off before your eyes.

To avoid this loss, you'll need to have a plan and you'll need to stick to it. Start out slow, learn to see the helicopter in the sky and to always know where it's going and in which direction it's pointing. Don't fly too high or too far from where you're standing. Keep track of flight times and the rate at which you are draining your batteries. If you don't run your batteries dead, or fly beyond your ability to see and know what the helicopter is doing, if you don't set up advanced features incorrectly you will have eliminated a lot of the reasons that pilots lose their heli's before they've really started to enjoy them. Moving right along.......

The NAZA has three flight control modes. MANUAL means the heli will do what you tell it to do and won't try to level itself once you release any stick inputs. If you lean it to the right at a thirty degree angle, it will hold that attitude in the air and fly away until you do something to bring it back. This is great for sport flying and often when shooting video making the ability to fly well in MANUAL mode a great skill to have as a pilot.

Also available is ATTI mode. With ATTI mode the heli will attempt to level itself anytime you release the sticks to neutral. So you might roll into a 45 degree bank to the right but when you release the sticks the heli will return to level, generally causing it to slow to a slight drift. It's a big help when flying and especially when learning. If you're new to multi-rotor helicopters and have a three position switch for your Flight Mode channel then I suggest you set it up to have ATTI mode in the first two positions of the switch and GPS in the third position (if you have GPS). If you don't have GPS you can just make that switch position ATTI also.

With the GPS option installed you'll also have GPS mode which is another way to say position-hold where the helicopter will use GPS signals to stay over a position on the ground until it is moved via stick inputs or the mode is deselected. This can be an aid when learning if it's set up properly.

By now you're either excited and ready to go or your head is spinning. If your head is spinning, go back and watch that last video again. Maybe the first one too.

This next video is from our NAZA/F450 group build but it should help someone attempting to set up a NAZA-M as their first flight controller.

Great Video Thanx!!!

 

[Sharpe Shooter]

Power Distribution

Well done sir. Had this video been made when I started fooling around with quads it would have made life a lot easier.

I'm wondering how you handle power distribution. I've ordered another quad and all of the esc leads run together into an xt60 plug that goes directly to battery. First of all I don't understand why manufacturers don't account for other power needs (gimbals, video tx, LEDs, etc.) and build in some sort of board or extra lead coming off of main plug. On my first build with this situation I cut into the main leads coming from the power plug and soldered in my PMU and a JST plug. It was a hack job as my soldering skills were non existent at that time. (Still works though).

I guess there is no other choice unless I find or make a splitter upstream from that xt60 plug (already using an xt90 to xt60 adapter) or take apart the xt60 plug and try to add on an extra power lead from there. Do you know of any clean way to handle this situation?

Thanks again for all the effort on your Naza review.

Sharpe Shooter

 

[Gary Seven]

Well done sir. Had this video been made when I started fooling around with quads it would have made life a lot easier.

I'm wondering how you handle power distribution. I've ordered another quad and all of the esc leads run together into an xt60 plug that goes directly to battery. First of all I don't understand why manufacturers don't account for other power needs (gimbals, video tx, LEDs, etc.) and build in some sort of board or extra lead coming off of main plug. On my first build with this situation I cut into the main leads coming from the power plug and soldered in my PMU and a JST plug. It was a hack job as my soldering skills were non existent at that time. (Still works though).

I guess there is no other choice unless I find or make a splitter upstream from that xt60 plug (already using an xt90 to xt60 adapter) or take apart the xt60 plug and try to add on an extra power lead from there. Do you know of any clean way to handle this situation?

Sharpe Shooter

Hey Sharpe! I don't understand your comment on power distribution and PDB's (power distribution boards). Lot's of MR kits come with them. Last summer I built my first multicopter using the F450 frame and the DJI E300 power system. But AFAICT, all F450 kits come with a PDB. This means you solder each ESC to it's own individual pad, plus the main power pads for the battery connector. I also soldered in a JST lead to the power pad for later use with the LED's I'm planning to install.

What I'm trying to say is that you can build a variety of MR's that come as kits with PDB's. Yes, some don't and you therefore have to use a harness, but I suspect this has been the case since time immemorial. That is, I have the feeling PDB's are a recent addition to the engineering.

BTW, I agree. Barts [MENTION=1]Bartman[/MENTION]; videos are really helpful and informative. I've got about 20 hours on my F450 /Naza-M v2 installation and the little bast**d really rocks!

 

[rubilac45]

I'm currently waiting for delivery of my third LED Module . Here's what I did while waiting for
a new FC , which proved to be faulty . My scratch built hexcopter is in the 800 + range , with a
canopy that houses the LED module , so for better visability , I spliced two LED's together , to have
one on each side of canopy . They work great as far as that goes , BUT , when attached to USB cable ,
I cannot get a steady grn light , to indicate it's ready to program , hence a third LED for programming .
I hope this helps anyone that has to tinker with everything , like uno .

JJP

 

[swartzracing]

Even though I don't run DJI FC's great review! Very thorough!

 

[Iccobella]

Nice review