REBUILD: lessons & learning to follow (PT2)

[Motopreserve]

Had a chance to get out and run another 4 batteries through this thing - tuning all the while.

Flew pretty well, for being confined in a tight driveway hemmed on three sides by a garage, a 7 foot snow bank and a large hedge. I think I've officially outgrown the driveway - for real this time. I need a field!!!!!

The over-depleted battery seemed to work ok today. Maybe I got lucky - or the detrimental effects will be on the lifespan of the battery in the long run.

PID tuning a multiwii is a b*tch. No doubt about it. The info is scattered and the videos are French!!! I've had replies over on RCGroups that say don't even change anything at all. That seems unlikely. But I'll keep plucking away at it.

By the end of the day it was flying well in both ACRO (no help at all) and Horizon (basic level mode). I think more tweaks are to be had when there is no wind. But I'm chalking today up as a win. Nice to finally be getting somewhere....

 

[jbrumberg]

Flying with no crashing is always a good thing. Ever closer with the PID tuning. This is good news

I did not go out today. The wind and my exposure would not make for a potentially good flying day. Better conditions are coming.

Scott- I am glad you got this long needed airtime today.

 

[Motopreserve]

Thanks jay! It felt really good. 2 days of no crashing in a very confined area. But to be fair, I'm not really doing much. Lots of hovering and then setting it down to adjust the PID via android tablet. Then all over again....

Im hoping you get a chance to get out there soon. I'm planning on heading to a field later tomorrow - should be able to skip out of the shop a little early if the weather is promising.

Im in very close to making the switch to the ReadytoFly Quads motors. I'm really interested in seeing what effect the lack of long motor shaft has on the tuning. While I fire those up - ill snip the shafts so I can always go back when I need to.

Just checked the weather. Looks to be mid to high 30's with very light wind. Fingers crossed.

 

[coreyperez]

Congrats Moto!

Well I've got the honey badger up and flying again.

She doesn't seem like the girl I knew before... Almost like she is more "cynical" regarding the ways of the world. It could be the winds, but she seems to be acting a little "different".

All in all, the arm (two pieces) had to be replaced, the motor was replaced and I also replaced the ESC because some damage to the wires, etc. Worst case, Ive got another (well two actually) KK2.1 boards, I could put another one and go from there. She flys just fine, but is "jittery", short burps of the throttle, more evident when in self leveling mode.

My hands got cold, so I called it a night, but it was good to be back from my first REAL crash.

Corey

 

[Motopreserve]

Corey, did you recalibrate the KK2 after the crash? I think Jay determined that it's needed if you smack down hard. That's what I recall anyway.

Although i said i had outgrown the driveway, I was going to do a couple last tests before hitting the field - more extreme values on the PID to track the effects. Of course I awoke to find a slight dusting on the driveway. I was so focused on the fact that it was supposed to be warm and calm today that I missed the call for snow!



oh well. Shouldn't effect me at the field if I get over there today...

 

[coreyperez]

I got both the ESCs re-calibrated (since I replaced one) and also re-leveled the quad. (ESCs were by far the most EXCITING aspect... You KK people know why, and what I SHOULD have done)

But, I'll give it a try again in the next day or two. Need to get the Hex out and spread the love

Corey

 

[jbrumberg]

Corey did you calibrate your ESC's with the props on? Are you drinking the well water over there?layful:

Scott-I have been living in this region for almost 40 years. What the ProMets forecast and what weather we get is often "different" this time of year. Today it just happens to be really different from what had been forecasted. Areas all around me are in Severe Weather Watch mode and I am not. I will say the weather here is very interesting presently. Maybe flyable a little later if all the moisture does not condense out. Was that your dog checking the perimeter of your "flight zone"?

 

[SoCal Blur]

Corey, did you recalibrate the KK2 after the crash? I think Jay determined that it's needed if you smack down hard. That's what I recall anyway.

Although i said i had outgrown the driveway, I was going to do a couple last tests before hitting the field - more extreme values on the PID to track the effects. Of course I awoke to find a slight dusting on the driveway. I was so focused on the fact that it was supposed to be warm and calm today that I missed the call for snow!



oh well. Shouldn't effect me at the field if I get over there today...

The nice thing about that mound of snow is that you can use it as a backstop to catch your quad if it decides to act up...kind of like what they have in some locations on the side of highways for truckers that can't stop their trucks....

 

[Motopreserve]

That's definitely looking at the glass half full The problem is just off to the right is the garage. I am hemmed in - and it closes in on you the minute you start to really fire it up and move. Hovering tests are fine - but the speed of this thing to get from one end of my space to the other is about 1 second - and that includes having to pull back to avoid the bank. It's time for some field time. Snow is getting in the way though - and forecast on/off all day.

Someday I'll be able to really fly this thing....

 

[jbrumberg]

The nice thing about that mound of snow is that you can use it as a backstop to catch your quad if it decides to act up...kind of like what they have in some locations on the side of highways for truckers that can't stop their trucks....

They have those truckstop mounds off "runways" in the hills of PA too. I have seen some bad wrecks in years past. Poor SOB's Those white cold ones work pretty well when they are fresh. I know from personal experience. These old hard, dirty, packed down piles are as hard as concrete now. I'd rather hit a truck mound it would probably be softer.

Success with the self leveling tune on my KK 2.0 board. Thank you Corey (et. al.). I have never really had (or had for long) or could appreciate a self leveling quad before. Really cool. I always have flown the build in acro because my S-L tune was so bad. So I immediately broke with my hover testing protocol and went from hover test self level #2B Take Off xxx.xx and started flying around. In my defense I kept it close, and in S-L mode too. I still have one more battery if the weather holds. Now I need to refine the S-L tuning.

 

[Bartman]

Well... Why yes I did!

I've got 3 balancers I'm going to pit against each other in the review.

Corey

Corey,

Any plans to participate in the product reviews selection contest we have going at the moment?

http://www.multirotorforums.com/sho...or-needed****Contest&highlight=product+review

 

[Motopreserve]

Jay. Great work. It really just takes some patience and some weather to be able to get at it battery after battery.

Weather is not cooperating with me right now. More custom motorcycle parts to make anyway, so it's probably just as well...

 

[jbrumberg]

Wind is getting squirrely, but I am getting close with tuning the self leveling settings. It is also helping my landing practice and not popping out my "martha stuart" issue hot glue gun glue welds on my DIY landing gear. I think the final tune and tests will not happen today; we'll see.

 

[Motopreserve]

Wind is getting squirrely, but I am getting close with tuning the self leveling settings. It is also helping my landing practice and not popping out my "martha stuart" issue hot glue gun glue welds on my DIY landing gear. I think the final tune and tests will not happen today; we'll see.

I have to say, I actually got pretty good at landing smoothly the past couple days. Then again, all I was doing was taking off - straining to see wobble - landing and then doing it over and over again. So I better get DAMN good at it with all that practice

 

[Motopreserve]

This is is why I need to stop using the weather app. Always a let-down...

...Winter Storm Watch in effect from Wednesday morning through
Thursday morning...


* Locations...the entire north country.


* Hazard types...moderate to heavy snow.


* Accumulations...6 to 14 inches of snow...highest across central
and south-central Vermont.


* Maximum snowfall rate...1 to 2 inches per hour...mainly
Wednesday afternoon through evening.

 

[jbrumberg]

Sometimes the NWS and the ProMets get so locked into their own ego's,testosterone, and weather models that they bet the farm on the wrong horse so to speak. There are generally 3 schools of thought interpreting the global weather models. This cartoon kind of reflects that struggle. One of those schools so characterized is an "all american" team so to speak in terms of models, modelers, and interpreters. Can you guess?:highly_amused:

 

[Motopreserve]

Do any of these folks have a model that says this winter will ever end??? .

I'm charging up some batteries now to see if I can get some more tuning done. Looks like it might be the last for a while...

 

[SoCal Blur]

Sometimes the NWS and the ProMets get so locked into their own ego's,testosterone, and weather models that they bet the farm on the wrong horse so to speak. There are generally 3 schools of thought interpreting the global weather models. This cartoon kind of reflects that struggle. One of those schools so characterized is an "all american" team so to speak in terms of models, modelers, and interpreters. Can you guess?:highly_amused:

That picture is missing one individual.... the groundhog who saw his shadow - 6 more weeks of winter!

 

[jbrumberg]

SoCal Blur with my northern exposure and slope the +1' I have over my open field now will probably still have snow on it well into April this year. We have 3 Seasons- Winter, Mud, and Summer. Some people add a fourth- :hororr:BLACKFLY:hororr:. The state bird of NH.:highly_amused: Well

I am closer on the KK2.0 Board self leveling fine tune a little more + trim. I think that the self leveling really only works when it's activated from a level surface at power up/start up from its saved calibration settings. From the looks of activating it in flight it appears to self level at the level it "sees" at activation of self leveling. I may be wrong. S-L is definitely working.

 

[Motopreserve]

It's got another 2 batteries in worth of testing. I now feel confident that the quad is about as stable as it's going to get with the knowledge I presently have. I could see going round and round with this stuff until you were sick of the thing - so I'm choosing to leave it be for now and move on.

Next stop...a field with some room to grow. I really need to get into doing some "exercises." Figure 8s, squares and what not. Just to get more comfortable with how she handles now that she has so e tuning done.

I think the next thing I need to figure out is field charging the batteries. 2 batteries just isn't going to be enough. I've read that deep charge marine batteries might work for hooking up to instead of your car battery. (Which requires the engine to be running - which will make this hobby even MORE expensive!!!).