x650 Firmware ?'s

[dckiteboards]

I already upgraded the firmware to 1.30.xfw and everything connected fine and it upgraded. now should i do the firmware upgrade to the AHRS-S . I tried a few times and keep getting ''time out''

also I plugged everything in and put my hand on top of the quad and ran half power to see if my props are turning right and steering is correct , and it seems to have baddd wobbles, im holding ver lightly . if I were to let go it would go nutz and flip right over. i already changed settings in the quad to nuetral, what am i doing wrong

 

[dckiteboards]

im runing 3s3350 mah flight power battery too

 

[Bartman]

dck
did you balance the props? the plastic props from XA absolutely positively have to be balanced. there's a video posted in the general discussion area on balancing props if you're not familiar.
the stock props are very lightly loaded on a stock X650 so they are a little jumpy as a result without much weight on them. I've replaced mine with Graupner 11/5's and it is much more stable. With a camera and video transmitter I expect it to be even more stable.
as for the AHRS firmware I wouldn't bother upgrading it until after you fly. If you simply have to have something to do then you can give it a try and I found the directions in the XA wiki to work fine the one time I had to do it. i can't specifically remember the steps but if you try them and continue to have problems we can dive into it a little deeper.
i don't know how much weight is optimum but adding weight for a first flight seems like a good idea to me if you don't have a lot of experience. the down side to that is that if you side load the gear in a bad landing they'll snap even quicker with the extra weight so maybe that isn't such a great idea.
take it slow and at some point you've got to give the throttle a little shove and get up out of ground effect to really see what you've gotten yourself into. it's fun and a little nervewracking the first time. but you'll never have another first time so make the most of it.

 

[dckiteboards]

ok i think i figured it out i had some switches flipped on my radio and when i was connected to the comp i could see what changed what. also it was set for plus style and mines at cross. so all that said i put it up and it felt more stable still with my hand on it.

 

[dckiteboards]

ok first flight hands off in my house. high ceilings. went very well. controls are veryyy touchy especially the throttle I can handle the steering but not the throttle butill just have to get use to it. im going to setup the gopro to fil second flight and ill post it in 10 minutes.

 

[dckiteboards]

it was little tweaky with the fresh battery.

 

[dckiteboards]

ok and also already broke the skid... prettttty dammm cheap if you ask me.it barely came down hard and snappped. on the bed

 

[moslow]

ok and also already broke the skid... prettttty dammm cheap if you ask me.it barely came down hard and snappped. on the bed

Ya dck i have broken 4 or 5 of them. Just a little uneven ground an snappppp. I picked up some steel rod at the hardware store and made a set. I am not worried about weight right now cause i havn't mounted camera. I have also made my own landing gear out of old road sign which added 200 gms but have crashed a couple times and havn't broken anything. Seems to fly a little better with the weight. Happy flying

 

[Bartman]

are you guys breaking the skid 'pipes' or the bottoms of the gear legs?
the extra weight definitely helps but then you run the risk of snapping the bottoms of the gear legs. i saw your pics moslow and i don't think you'll be snapping those gear legs anytime soon!
all in all it they fly pretty well but you just have to be patient and get the details sorted out.
bart

 

[dckiteboards]

yep now broke the arm, on my soft comforter.
just a word to beginners like me if your reading this. get ready might as well order like three of these helis your going to break everything!

 

[Bartman]

ordering extra skid pipes, arm tubes, a motor mount, one of each prop, when you order your kits is a good idea.replace the plastic screws at the bottom of the stack with steel also if you want to survive your first flight in one piece.bartposted from my not-so-smart cell phone

 

[dckiteboards]

well so i ordered what i need from jeffrey with xaircraft usa. I had a few questions for him, and he explained exponential and dual rates also set my throttle curve for landing.

everyone has been amazingly cooperative with a newbie, thank you thank you. Ill get it down soon and I hope to help someone in my shoes soon. I can defintily offer advice to someone getting into it already...