X650 build

[Exopackshiu]

What kind of camera are you using. Did you slot the top to slip up to the antenna. How is your CG with all that weight in the front.

Rich[

Hi Rich,

The Camera made by :Oregon scientific.com the feature it's offer more then a Go pro ( remote, small screen rear of the camera ,replay ,delete,water proof, all can be done) it says 1080p HD with the 5mega pixels , personally picture quality in comparison to Go pro not quiet there yet!

All the weight in the front of the Bird . I'm afraid it's not… it's distributing evenly, my only concern is the motors way too powerful. odd cases it's require gain adjustment Hmmmm.

Shiu

 

[kuau]

I about ready to start my new x650/WKM/avroto/maytec esc build but now I am having second thoughts.
Besides the more expensive mikrocopter, uavframe, etc, what other frames are there that would be an upgrade from the X650, yet still under 500.00 ?

steve

 

[Kilby]

So finally got my build taken care of this weekend. I'll be posting some pics & video soon, but I had to jump on here first and just let everyone know how impressed I am with not only the DJI, but the Avroto motors. They run as smooth as can be and have some great lift! I haven't even begun to dial this thing in all the way, but I can already tell I'm going to be a happy camper! Stock settings out of the box got me some of the most stable flight I've seen to date.

More to come soon.

 

[Heisenberg]

Hey Kilby,

How did your build go?
I have been looking at converting my x650 v8 to a WKM DJI (v4) with Avrotos and possibly maytech 30amps - can't decide whether it is worth trying this with the X650 frame or just getting the cash and upgrading to a droidworx or a CS. Interested to see how you went.

Cheers, H.

 

[Kilby]

months later, I finally post some pics.

2 cameras on board, 1 FPV & 1 for AP.
3 blade 10" GWS props on Avroto Motors
40 amp DYS ESC's
GoPro HD 2 & Cannon s90 on an MC6500 camera mount

View attachment 2860View attachment 2861View attachment 2862

 

[janoots2]

Nice setup Kilby, I've been following you, Dixter, jhardway, Exopackshiu and some others on your setups. I just got a bunch done tonight on my first build (x650 v8). Went with Avroto 2814's, Maytech 30amps, T8FG, DJI WKM, Graupners, a gimbal coming over from Germany, probably going with HX9v. The "Replacement After Market Motors for the xAircraft x650 v4/8" thread was a big help to me. So.....hello! I'm sure I'll be asking you guys some questions in the next couple weeks! Did you mount your IMU in the middle? If so, what did you use to prop it up like that? Maybe a pic with the "lid off"?

View attachment 2863

 

[Kilby]

How's it going, janoots. You are going to have a ton of power with 8 of those motors spinning! Can't wait to see that thing in action.

I put my IMU dead center on the CF plate that used to hold the FC1212. I think I was getting high frequency vibes there, but I just remounted it and used a zip tie this time also. It seems to be better than ever. I always got 2 flashes for my mode indicator before, but since the remount & new props it's gone down to just one for the first time.

 

[bofreddy]

Kilby

I am in the middle of the decision process on what I want to do. I have been researching multi-rotors for about 2 months now and for the money I keep coming back to the X650 V8 for my first machine. Should I Buy the 650 v8 stock and then upgrade or do a custom build once I learn to fly it well. This will be my first Quad Just curious about what you have into your build. I'm very new to this and if I ask a stupid question please forgive me.

 

[janoots2]

Thanks! Hey, did you cut the red wires on your ESC's? I can't seem to find a straight answer anywhere if it's the right way to go...
* Figured it out, just pulled the pins out after programming them.

 

[janoots2]

Hey bofreddy. I was in the same boat as you about a month ago. I just finished my build and waiting to fly for the first time (plugged in my power source to charge up my batteries for the first time and it was DOA!, so now impatiently waiting for the new one). Anyway...I decided on the x650 v8 as well, but upgraded all the components (DJI, Avroto 2814's, Maytech 30amps, Graupner props) because I didn't hear positive reviews on the xAircraft "brains". Now that I've been through the build, I almost feel like the components I have installed are too heavy duty for the frame and I should have went with something like Rusty's UAP1 frame (which is actually comparable in price). I have a feeling I'll be learning to fly on this frame and putting my components on a different frame in the near future. Of course this is from somebody who isn't even airborne yet, so take it for what it's worth. I also have a feeling that I'm in trouble with these copters as I'm already looking at building another one without finishing the first... Good luck!

Kilby

I am in the middle of the decision process on what I want to do. I have been researching multi-rotors for about 2 months now and for the money I keep coming back to the X650 V8 for my first machine. Should I Buy the 650 v8 stock and then upgrade or do a custom build once I learn to fly it well. This will be my first Quad Just curious about what you have into your build. I'm very new to this and if I ask a stupid question please forgive me.

 

[Kilby]

Hey guys, just noticed the replies to the thread. The x650 is decent, but they had some major issues with the first version of the electronics that come with it. I ran the stock stuff for about a month and found it just to unreliable. I later upgraded to almost the same set up as janoots, but with only 4 motors instead of 8. The new V2 electronics are just starting to get into the hands of the general public and it sounds like the reviews are favorable, but they still haven't released the GPS yet. That is what will make the difference. The GPS on the original NEVER worked, but they sold tons of them. That sketched me out and I just couldn't see trusting a company that would treat it's customers that way. Even if they have their electronics sorted out now, I personally will never buy another XA product in my life due to the sketchy business practices I have seen them engage in.

Janoots, you should give your build another thought and maybe try it with only 4. To be 100% honest, you don't gain anything by making it an x8 except extra weight. The wookong doesn't handle redundancy, so if you lose one of the 8 props, the counteracting prop on that arm is not going to do you any good. In theory, you are just doubling your chance for something to go wrong (2x the equipment to fail) and not getting the benefits of redundancy. Most all the x650/DJI folks I've seen have done it as an x4, not an x8. The original x8 is possible because all those stock electronics are very small and light weight, not so though with the Avroto's etc. You will get a lot more flight time also with less weight and fewer motors to power.

Learn to fly it as an x4 and save those other motors as either back ups, or for a later octo/hexa build.

Just my 2 cents. Hope that helps!


-Terry

 

[janoots2]

It's funny you mention that! That's my plan.."debuilding" back to a quad as I'm waiting for my p-source. As a "noob" I thought having (8) props would be better (my goal is vib free video). But, as I progress (after mounting motors) (8) avroto's looks like way to much power. Plus, (8) Maytech ESC's don't even really fit on the x650. It's like throwing a Hemi in a Fiat..sooooo..going down to (4) motors (to learn on) and researching a more robust frame to move my components (and gimbal/camera) onto. Leaning towards Rusty's. This thread is about you though - thanks for the help! Interested in your decision/results on the tri-blades.

 

[Kilby]

So far i'm digging the tri-blades. My only complaint is that they were a ***** to balance and they can sometimes feel a little squirrely in a fast decent. I think that's because they are a bit thin towards the tips and must bend under pressure.

I just ordered some 11x5 Graphners though, so we will see how long the tris stay on. I'm going to test both and see.

 

[xvin]

... To be 100% honest, you don't gain anything by making it an x8 except extra weight. The wookong doesn't handle redundancy, so if you lose one of the 8 props, the counteracting prop on that arm is not going to do you any good. In theory, you are just doubling your chance for something to go wrong (2x the equipment to fail) and not getting the benefits of redundancy. Most all the x650/DJI folks I've seen have done it as an x4, not an x8. The original x8 is possible because all those stock electronics are very small and light weight, not so though with the Avroto's etc. You will get a lot more flight time also with less weight and fewer motors to power.

Learn to fly it as an x4 and save those other motors as either back ups, or for a later octo/hexa build.

Just my 2 cents. Hope that helps!


-Terry

Terry, there is a small benefit to the x8 configuration. With reliable props, redundancy is not a main concern, but you will have ability to lift larger weight with less effort per motor. Mind you this is based on my experience with stock xAir v2 motors and graupner props. The Avrotos are great, but may be overkill on a small frame.

With regard to redundancy, I had two separate xAir prop breaks on my x650 v8 before switching to graupner 11x5’s. On the first incident at about 100 feet, I was able to control and level out the WKM after the prop broke. But a few seconds later the vibration from the broken prop caused the WKM GPS antenna to come loose. As luck would have it, the dangling gps antenna hit on a second prop. Btw, I now zip tie the WKM GPS cord close to the top of the stand-off post to limit its movement if it detaches.

One week later a second xAir prop break occurred. This time at about 10 feet. The low altitude allowed me little time to react, so the v8 landed hard enough to bounce, but on the skids with no damage. I believe that if it were a v4 configuration it would have flipped on both occasions.

It's a shame the xAir props break so often. So far the new graupners are working great on stock x650 v2 motors. Also, my flight time increased by 1 min on lipo 5850, 3s with the graupners. Flight time is now up from 8 to 9 – 9:30 with camera, gimbal and second 1000mah lipo for the video Tx. ...your mileage may vary.

 

[Kilby]

Hey xvin,

I was speaking more directly to the set up of x8 with Avroto's on that frame, but I do see your point. If I were still using the stock XA motors I would have stayed with x8 config also I imagine.

So tell me more about your set up and the experience you had when losing a prop in the x8 config. From the beginning I think it was assumed that the WK would react simular to other controllers and compensate when a prop was lost. Then reports came in that it didn't work that way, but I have always questioned exactly what it does. Maybe getting more info from you on the experiences you had would shed a little more light on it. I personally want redundancy, hence the reason this machine started life as a stock v8. With the AVrotos though I think it's overkill on this frame. If it's proven that the WK does show some compensation when a prop is out, I may do an x8 on a larger frame for my next build.

 

[KCBlackSheep]

Kilby
If all the GPS units that were sold were worthless shouldn't they be sending customers their $$$$ back?

 

[xvin]

Hey xvin,

... tell me more about your set up and the experience you had when losing a prop in the x8 config. From the beginning I think it was assumed that the WK would react simular to other controllers and compensate when a prop was lost. Then reports came in that it didn't work that way, but I have always questioned exactly what it does. Maybe getting more info from you on the experiences you had would shed a little more light on it. I personally want redundancy, hence the reason this machine started life as a stock v8. With the AVrotos though I think it's overkill on this frame. If it's proven that the WK does show some compensation when a prop is out, I may do an x8 on a larger frame for my next build.

Hey Kilby - When it comes to the xAir prop break, I saw the WKM system react to level and control yaw after the break, but before I could get her on the ground, the dangling GPS antenna hit the second prop.
If you think about it, after a prop breaks in the x8 configuration, the computer will respond the same as it would to any force that causes unwanted yaw and loss of lift -- it increases the appropriate motor RPM and opposite yaw to compensate -- all under the intense vibration of a broken prop mind you. If there is no second motor on the arm where the prop breaks, the system simply flips. …funny how fast it all seams now that I look at the footage. When it happened, it was all in slow motion.

Here is the new draft setup during a GPS hold test in 25 mph winds with graupners. Notice that my test altitude has decreased ever so slightly since the xAircraft props broke.