REBUILD: lessons & learning to follow (PT2)

[jbrumberg]

Scott- The really good deep cycle marine batteries cost a mint. I was going to and I still have "hopes someday" of converting my little sailboat's auxiliary power to electric power. The last time I checked the price was waay high for those fancy gel types; lead acid types were almost reasonable. None of those batteries are light weight either, but you got a truck. You might be better off with a small portable generator "in the field", but that's a PITA too. I have no clue about those power pack units.

 

[SoCal Blur]

It's funny you mention this. I was about to post that the handle was the single best thing I've done to this quad! .

I find myself much more comfortable grabbing it to carry it around without smacking into the doors etc. thanks for the link though. Might have to grab one for when I can finally get out in the countryside and let loose!

The clear polycarbonate dome came today. I'm currently reorganizing the wiring on my Octo but just popped the dome on top so you can see how nicely it protects the Multiwii and GPS. Ron, the guy who makes the domes includes a 1X2" piece of the material with a note that says "Bend me and see how strong I am" This stuff is tough and light.

View attachment 16686

 

[Motopreserve]

Jay: if I have to run the truck at the field it would be a real buzzkill. Emissions on top of gas prices. Probably not the best idea. A generator seems extreme. I wonder if one of the local boat places has a battery that wouldn't be good enough for a boat but would charge these little Lipos? Is that a pipe dream?

SoCal: that thing looks pretty good. But I have to say, after the past 3 days of coming in/out of the apartment (3 doors all swinging closed after me and 2 dramatic tight turns!), I couldn't live without the handle right now. It has saved several props for sure. But I like that there's a good alternative out there. I have it bookmarked.

 

[SoCal Blur]

Jay: if I have to run the truck at the field it would be a real buzzkill. Emissions on top of gas prices. Probably not the best idea. A generator seems extreme. I wonder if one of the local boat places has a battery that wouldn't be good enough for a boat but would charge these little Lipos? Is that a pipe dream?

SoCal: that thing looks pretty good. But I have to say, after the past 3 days of coming in/out of the apartment (3 doors all swinging closed after me and 2 dramatic tight turns!), I couldn't live without the handle right now. It has saved several props for sure. But I like that there's a good alternative out there. I have it bookmarked.

Oh, I understand. I do like the idea of a handle but a handle wouldn't work on my Octo... it has to be tilted sideways just to get it through the door. One benefit of the dome is that it keeps the wind off the barometer while in flight. Of course you could just put a small piece of foam over the baro sensor....

 

[Motopreserve]

Yep, I have the foam in play. Works well enough I suppose. But the dome is surely safer.

 

[jbrumberg]

The problem nowadays is they "recycle" the batteries so efficiently. In the good old days any good old wino who knew his stuff could make a "living" "recycling" batteries. The "Big Guys" caught on and now everybody is into stripping out the decent batteries for recycling because of the lead. I do not think you would be getting a deal from a dealer. Maybe somebody private.

 

[Motopreserve]

Sounds like I need to just buy some nice property like you have so I can just recharge in the comfort of my own home - which for me would likely just be a shack!

 

[jbrumberg]

Sounds like I need to just buy some nice property like you have so I can just recharge in the comfort of my own home - which for me would likely just be a shack!

It can and does work. Trust me on this. We are living proof. It was not always easy nor pretty. There was a lot of planning, saving, and some luck involved. Now we have no debt , which is good; and no money :black_eyed:

 

[Motopreserve]

PID tuning...and more PID tuning

I have spent about 6 batteries worth of time (not as long as I'd like, but still) tuning the Multiwii PIDs. As previously mentioned, there is so much info, but it's all over the map. Finally got a handle on it though. Since the weather was nice for just a bit, I headed out one last time before the 20" snow storm hit Vermont...

The following is a short video of my driveway tuning routine. Not exciting - but it shows the quad airborne, and NOT crashing

 

[SoCal Blur]

I have spent about 6 batteries worth of time (not as long as I'd like, but still) tuning the Multiwii PIDs. As previously mentioned, there is so much info, but it's all over the map. Finally got a handle on it though. Since the weather was nice for just a bit, I headed out one last time before the 20" snow storm hit Vermont...

The following is a short video of my driveway tuning routine. Not exciting - but it shows the quad airborne, and NOT crashing

Looks pretty smooth to me. I noticed there was a little wind going on there but didn't seem to affect the Quad's flight.

 

[jbrumberg]

Love it. Good work Scott. :applouse::applouse::applouse:

I agree with SoCal Blur on the smooth flight characteristics. Flying up and down my driveway always makes me a little crazy, but tuning requires it. Too bad about this pending weather system. It is one compact, but really powerful system. I am right on the everything line. Lot's of heavy rain here presently which is going over to every variety of frozen stuff with temperature going sub 0°F and windy later tonight. Winter is not over around here.

 

[Motopreserve]

The wind was gusting quite a bit actually. I'd say around 15-20mph at the worst. The quad actually handled it pretty well. I got the tuning better after this was filmed - but of course the camera battery ran out :upset:

My life has become 1 big battery charging circle jerk. The minute I think I have 1 thing set, the other thing burns out....

jay, nothing "pending" about the weather system up here: same driveway as the video - but a few hours into this storm We have about 5" already.

 

[jbrumberg]

Pending to me at this point means that it is and has been here, but it is just beginning to wind up here as the system hits the ocean.

 

[Motopreserve]

I hope the rain keeps the accumulation at bay for you. This is getting ridiculous up here!

 

[jbrumberg]

I consider myself lucky with this storm; maybe 6". The ice before the pending snow and the icing up afterwards will make all this rain a solid ice pack. I do not know which is better- they are both bad. It may improve access down to my airfield, but now I have the charger "issues". There will be more snow probably to come this month and next. I remember the 22" of snow we got in May, 1977. Springtime storms can drop a lot of snow in the NE CONUS this time of year. I am always ready (tractor helps) The lack of solar sunspots is not helping weather-wise.

Hang in there. Stay warm.

 

[Motopreserve]

Hey folks! After running my batteries too low the other day, I've been back to reading about proper handling etc. found a doc that I think may be a good read for anyone new to the hobby. Great info on storage (and the pitfalls if done incorrectly.

You our can check it out HERE:

hope it can help some of you who may be wondering about this stuff.

Stay tuned for some updates regarding my long-lost replacement gimbal. Finally got here...

 

[Motopreserve]

Ready to Fly Quads RTF Gimbal

When I fried the first gimbal that arrived, I have to admit that I was deflated. I also felt a little silly having read the info on the product page, thought it was 'too good to be true' and ordered it anyway...

Its been a long long wait, but Paul (Witespy) finally got me the replacement, and I have to say I'm giddy like a little child. Having never actually seen one of these things up close, I can now confirm it's an amazing piece of technology.

My thoughts on buying this particular one was so that I could A) get familiar with the technology, and B) keep the cost low since I may crash this thing. At only $75, this is the cheapest gimbal I've seen, even for a 2-axis. And the motors and controller board are all included!!!!

I built a quick test stand for the gimbal, couple pieces of scrap wood and some bolts.

Here's a close up...

The white connector in the photo above is where the balance charge plugs in from your battery to power it. Couldn't be easier. Of course when I first fired it up, there was some type of error. . A quick connection to the GUI and it was sorted by calibrating the Accelerometer. No biggie.

I swear, I could walk around with this thing on the stand all day - just watching it balance itself. Of course performance in the air will be a whole different ball game....

 

[SoCal Blur]

When I fried the first gimbal that arrived, I have to admit that I was deflated. I also felt a little silly having read the info on the product page, thought it was 'too good to be true' and ordered it anyway...

Its been a long long wait, but Paul (Witespy) finally got me the replacement, and I have to say I'm giddy like a little child. Having never actually seen one of these things up close, I can now confirm it's an amazing piece of technology.

My thoughts on buying this particular one was so that I could A) get familiar with the technology, and B) keep the cost low since I may crash this thing. At only $75, this is the cheapest gimbal I've seen, even for a 2-axis. And the motors and controller board are all included!!!!

I built a quick test stand for the gimbal, couple pieces of scrap wood and some bolts.

Here's a close up...

The white connector in the photo above is where the balance charge plugs in from your battery to power it. Couldn't be easier. Of course when I first fired it up, there was some type of error. . A quick connection to the GUI and it was sorted by calibrating the Accelerometer. No biggie.

I swear, I could walk around with this thing on the stand all day - just watching it balance itself. Of course performance in the air will be a whole different ball game....

More toys...more toys... Glad Paul finally got your replacement to you. I'm still waiting for some simple stuff (cable, stand offs) for over two weeks now. This is my third order from him. The last two were shipped in about 8 days and there was a lot more stuff. This simple order.... I've email and left him a VM no response. I know he's a 1 man shop and busy but....

Anyway, enough of the frustration venting. :upset:

Looking forward to some good, stable footage from you soon!

 

[Motopreserve]

Frankly, I feel if he's busy enough to be this backed up - he just needs to hire someone. It's insane how long things take. I have some simple stuff if love to order as well - but if he doesn't get his act together, I'm afraid I won't be able to grab anything unless it was something interesting to try, not something I NEED.

This is gimbal was a no-brainer. Cheap and complete. I feel by the time I get the hang of tuning this 2-axis type, the 3 axis will be incredibly cheap. The technology is advancing so fast and prices dropping almost as quick.

 

[Motopreserve]

RTFQ RTF Gimbal Test

I finally strapped the gimbal onto the chopstick quad using my homemade mount. To make doubly sure the gimbal didn't fry this time, I "painted" the aluminum mount with liquid electrical tape. Better safe than sorry, especially when you have previously smelled the results of some electrical mishap.

The additional weight to this quad is substantial. I measured it at 2050grams AUW, an increase of roughly 350grams - the quad was already struggling under its own weight, now it was downright crying out for relief. But how was I to resist at least hoisting it into the air to see what this gimbal does?

Gimbal mounted on the chopstick quad:



I had fabbed up the custom mount using parts from a HK GoPro mount (even at $11, a total rip-off) and some aluminum plate I cut to size. Using the custom aluminum mount, I had to install some 'vibration dampening balls' wedged between the mount and the 2 mounting bars that run under the frame. You can see the yellow balls in the photo below. These bars come stock on the frame for exactly this purpose, but of course in typical HK fashion, the GoPro mount they sell do not fit correctly/tightly onto the bars...

Closeup of the gimbal mounted:



I only had a very small window to get outside before the storm came through, and it was tough to get a really decent test going in the snow covered driveway with the winds whipping, but that didn't deter me from putting together this not very telling, not very sexy video

It's amazing how this thing works. You power it directly from the balance plug of your 3S battery, and then hold it steady for a few seconds until you see it begin its little calibration routine. Then let go, watch it dance, and get ready to fly. Although there is jello and some vibrations going on in the video - and I didn't have a perfect horizon in view to show you all the degree to which this levels the camera, I was still pretty impressed. This is the gimbal functioning with no PID tuning, and only the gyro and ACC calibrated. I can only imagine where this thing can go from here...