FPV 5.8 ghz brown outs NEED HELP

[PKbunyi]

Hey Pilots, I have been having issues lately with my fpv setup. I am flying Immersion RC 5.8 GHz with circular polarized antennas and Fatshark Attitude SD. I'm using the Orange RX T-Six Transmitter with 6ch failsafe long antenna which also has a satellite receiver. The antenna of my 2.4 receiver is mounted to a zip tie with heat shrink. I have used this set up before with no issues and have flown maybe 2 to 300 meters with no problem. Recently I have been getting many brown outs. Three were pretty bad crashes and today I had four brown outs. Today I was flying to test the range and when I got about 50 to 100 meters it would blip for maybe half a second where I didn't have control but it didn't crash. My video seemed to be fine when I was flying. I was testing on a beach. Both my transmitter and receiver antennas are both vertical when I fly. Is my video transmitter swamping my control receiver or something? Do internet routers affect 2.4 GHz? Maybe the temperature outside? It was below freezing. Please Help!!!

 

[xuzme720]

Your video should have no effect on control as those 2 frequencies play very well together. I would suspect routers or some other 2.4ghz interference causing your trouble if it's interference that is the cause. What usually happens is your signal will knock out their wireless. What is more likely if you are flying in the same place you always do, is something bad in the Rx. Do you have a second Rx to range test with? I'd be willing to bet you'll find your trouble is there.

As an exception to the rule, the FT guys had some trouble with a neighbors security system, so a different flying area might be all you need...

 

[DDSFlyer]

on another note that case for your KK2.1 is sweet! 3d printed? where did you get that?

 

[PKbunyi]

Yeah my school got a 3D printer and because I broke my kk 2.0 I made a case for my kk 2.1 haha. 3D printers are AMAZING!!!

 

[PKbunyi]

What do you mean a second Rx? What exactly is the Rx?

 

[xuzme720]

Sorry, it's the receiver. Rx is just a short way of saying it, like Tx is the radio or transmitter...

 

[PKbunyi]

OOOOHHHHH is that what that is??!! Rx is the receiver and Tx is the transmitter? That has been bothering me for ages.

 

[PKbunyi]

When you say different do you mean different brand? Because if you look in the pictures, one receiver has tape and one doesn't. They are different but same kind and brand.

 

[DDSFlyer]

He's saying that the current Rx that you are using may have something wrong with it and if you have a second Rx to replace it and try again to see if the same thing happens to rule out just the Rx...sorry if I am speaking for him

 

[Epitaph]

Another reason for brownouts is tension crashes on the power setup. Are you getting enough amps to the control system? Maybe the BEC you are feeding it withis damaged and not giving enough amps, which in an attempt to get the wattage needed will give a voltage spike, and if that negative spike is low enough, then the receiver and/or KK board may literally reboot, which is the most common reason for brownouts on planes normally. Try hooking a capacitor in one of the free Rx channels, see if it improves, and if it does (like not browning out so much), then the problem maybe secondary power distribution.

 

[PKbunyi]

What size capacitor should I buy if I make my own?

 

[Epitaph]

If it's just for the receiver, then something like a 5000uF 10V should go down nice. Just install it on the positive and negative of the servo pins, making sure the polarity is correct, and that should do it. If the power drain is on the KK2, I don't know it's specs. Anyhow, how are you feeding everything on the 5V side? Is it with an independent BEC or using a BEC from a non-opto speed controller?

 

[PKbunyi]

I'm am not using an external bec. I'm using whatever is in the Afro 20 amps with simonk. I'm not even sure how you would rig an external bec with the kk 2 boards because I think it takes power from the first speed control.

 

[Epitaph]

I think that BEC just doesn't have the power to run it all... BECs get old and worn. To wire in an external SBEC, you remove the red centre wire from the connector on the ESC feeding it now, and then connect an external BEC to a free channel as all the positive and negative conections are togeather, and only the ppms are seperate.

Did you remember to remove the red cable from the other ESCs you are not using to feed the receiver? Try for the time being removing the red from the one being used now, and connecting the red from one of the others, this way you use the BEC from one of the other ESCs instead which might not be as worn, bit I think you're better off with an external BEC as the intergrated ones in the ESCs are probably only 2 amps

Almost forgot! If you don't have a free channel to plug the new external BEC into (which could be the case), you can use a "Y" connector, like you use to put 2aileron servos on one channel, putting the male of the ESC (minus the red middle cable, of course) in one of the females of the "Y", the BEC in the other female, and the male of the "Y" in the board where the ESC used to be. It's how we used to feed the old 4 channel receivers on a nitro plane when all 4 channels had servos in them already "back in the day"

I'd still add the capacitor though, for extra security, especially if using an original Spectrum receiver...

 

[xuzme720]

KK2 and the Rx is all it's powering unless you are pulling power off the board for anything else. Since there are no servos, I'd be very surprised if power draw is it in this case, but you are very correct in that most brownouts are caused by either spikes or servos/accessories drawing too much amperage.
On another note, the KK2 boards have 2 busses that can be used creatively for power to different systems. All the inputs on the left side of the board and the M1 port are joined as one buss and provide power for the KK2 as well. So, the Rx can be powered from any of those ports if you go with a BEC and also provide power to the KK2 without using any of the right-hand M ports. Also, if you need a low draw separate 5v source, you can pull from M2-M8 provided you have a viable ESC source connected on there somewhere.

 

[ghostrider03z]

This is nothing to do with the question but do you think you could put those 3d printer plans for the case on mediafire? Our school has a 3d printer and it would be awesome to print one..

I have had similiar sounding crashes with my tri...When the crashes happened, did it seem to flip towards one side? Like did one or two motors spin up fast?

 

[PKbunyi]

http://www.thingiverse.com/ or just search for the plans on google. I'm not sure about your crash though you need to be more specific.

 

[ghostrider03z]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=triOaVbGIHE&feature=c4-overview&list=UUs6cQr247tesbODQS6vUpPw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRutw7SFiuU&feature=c4-overview&list=UUs6cQr247tesbODQS6vUpPw

In those two videos you can kind of see/hear how it crashed, do your crashes happen like that?

 

[PKbunyi]

Same happened to me three times. I was going pretty fast with all my fpv gear and a heavy 5000 3s on my Batbone V Tail. Recently got it back up and running with kk 2.1. I ran it easy and slow fully loaded along a beach to check the range. 4 out of the five times is lost control about 50 meters away for a split second, enough for it to kinda lean over and then regain control. I came back to land and found my receiver was blinking meaning I lost signal. However when I fly 2200 4s without my camera stuff and the lighter battery and all, it flies fine going really fast. I can fly aggressive with flips and stuff and not lose signal. So I'm guessing something with the super heavy load with a 3s causing more power to be drawn or something. I am going to test the capacitor in the receiver and maybe a lighter load with a 2200 3s.

 

[PKbunyi]

Ok update. I rotated my esc's. Which ever one is plugged in first on the kk 2.0 and 2.1, which I think is the front left esc, powers the board. I switched that esc from the same set of esc's and did one test flight so far and got no drop out. I am going to do more test flights.