I decided to give multirotors a shot, and bought some stuff a few weeks ago to put one together, using the X230 quadcopter combo:
X230 Mini Quadcopter Combo (w/Motors, ESCs, Propellers)
And Turnigy 9x TX/RX:
Turnigy 9X 9Ch Transmitter w/ Module & 8ch Receiver (Mode 2) (v2 Firmware)
And MultiWii Pro flight controller:
MultiWii PRO Flight Controller w/MTK GPS Module
And put together:
I flashed the flight controller board with MegapirateNG firmware so I can use the Arducopter mission planner software, however the latest 3.0.1 version doesn't currently support the gyro on this board, so I'm stuck with the older 2.8 firmware
I did a bunch of PID tuning, as the default values caused it to oscillate wildly as it lifted off the ground, which is to be expected for such a small copter.
So I spent basically an entire day PID tuning it, and managed to get it pretty stable and responsive while tied to some string, took it outside, flipped it a few times, and finally got it off the ground ... and it flew backwards into a tree and wrecked my prop
So while I'm waiting for new props, I decided to rebuild it to be a little more "crash resistant", by moving the antennas and GPS module.
I also think vibrations are a major issue causing the copter to veer off instead of staying stable, so I cut off the mounting tabs from the flight controller board and double side taped it to the receiver, hoping it gives a bit of vibration resistance. Unfortunately though I've reached the point where I can't file the board any further without damaging traces, and it's still contacting the support standoffs, so I don't know how vibration resistant it'll really be
It does look a lot neater though. I also attached the 915Mhz wireless telemetry module (the black antenna at the front between the motor arms), and also the bluetooth module so I can view stats from my phone, which is awesome.
I can't really think of anywhere else I can put the flight controller without it being exposed in crashes, however I've kinda been eyeing off the proper APM2.5 controller, as it officially supports the Arducopter firmware, and is smaller and uses better sensors, but it's a bit up there in price at around $200 shipped.
Hopefully my new props arrive and I can resume testing, but the first few "tests" have been valuable in learning at least
X230 Mini Quadcopter Combo (w/Motors, ESCs, Propellers)
And Turnigy 9x TX/RX:
Turnigy 9X 9Ch Transmitter w/ Module & 8ch Receiver (Mode 2) (v2 Firmware)
And MultiWii Pro flight controller:
MultiWii PRO Flight Controller w/MTK GPS Module
And put together:
I flashed the flight controller board with MegapirateNG firmware so I can use the Arducopter mission planner software, however the latest 3.0.1 version doesn't currently support the gyro on this board, so I'm stuck with the older 2.8 firmware
I did a bunch of PID tuning, as the default values caused it to oscillate wildly as it lifted off the ground, which is to be expected for such a small copter.
So I spent basically an entire day PID tuning it, and managed to get it pretty stable and responsive while tied to some string, took it outside, flipped it a few times, and finally got it off the ground ... and it flew backwards into a tree and wrecked my prop
So while I'm waiting for new props, I decided to rebuild it to be a little more "crash resistant", by moving the antennas and GPS module.
I also think vibrations are a major issue causing the copter to veer off instead of staying stable, so I cut off the mounting tabs from the flight controller board and double side taped it to the receiver, hoping it gives a bit of vibration resistance. Unfortunately though I've reached the point where I can't file the board any further without damaging traces, and it's still contacting the support standoffs, so I don't know how vibration resistant it'll really be
It does look a lot neater though. I also attached the 915Mhz wireless telemetry module (the black antenna at the front between the motor arms), and also the bluetooth module so I can view stats from my phone, which is awesome.
I can't really think of anywhere else I can put the flight controller without it being exposed in crashes, however I've kinda been eyeing off the proper APM2.5 controller, as it officially supports the Arducopter firmware, and is smaller and uses better sensors, but it's a bit up there in price at around $200 shipped.
Hopefully my new props arrive and I can resume testing, but the first few "tests" have been valuable in learning at least
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good luck with it :beer:
