Getting Started With Flight Controllers

[defhermit]

Hey there all,

The journey continues. At some point in the near future I would like to install a flight controller in one of my planes for the first time. I'd just like to get some sort of auto-stabilization going, really. Eventually I'd like to progress to the point where I have some form of "autopilot" for return to home, etc but for now I'd just like to get some stabilization.

Can anyone point me toward some good resources for this? My two largest planes currently are the Storch and the Versa wing (tractor). Is there any reason I shouldn't attempt to do this with the Storch or the Versa?

Is there a good go-to "my first flight controller?" Any really good videos I can watch?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ZoomNBoom]

Tough one. Let me tell you my experience so far. First I tried multiwii a few years ago. It did not meet my goals; its complicated to setup (particularly airplane which is not well maintained), I found the control response too laggy, even in passthrough mode and I had several issues like the rudder constantly trying to counter my bank, its as if it didnt understand that in a fixed wing airplane, yaw is supposed to change as you make a banked turn. It tried to counter that, not good. The only 'solution' I found was setting the rudder gains so low they did nothing when I needed them most, like on take off. I never even bothered trying to setup GPS/RTH.

Now Im finishing my first pixhawk build (actually fixhawk, a clone). Pixhawk is even more complicated, although the complexity here stems from its immense flexibility. Its amazing the things it can do, but if you just want stabilization, its way overkill. Its also not cheap, although the hobbyking implementation, hkpilot32, isnt that bad considering its features. But expect to spend a week reading and watchng youtube video's before you manage to just arm it for the first time.

You want something inbetween, and Im not sure what there is. These eagle tree vector systems look like they are easy to use, but they are way overpriced IMO. Hobbyking has a cheap RTH solution:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...Pilot_System_With_GPS_and_Return_To_Home.html

I wouldnt expect miracles from that, but maybe not a bad idea for a first controller?

And maybe there other one's, like Openpilot, but I have not seen much on their performance and features as airplane controllers. Most seem to use them for multirotors, and thats quite different of course.

So Ill see what others suggest, I dont really have a good solution for you Im afraid.

 

[defhermit]

thanks for the reply! if nothing else it keeps my thread on the first page of the "recent posts" results!

seriously though you've given me a handful of things to get started researching, so thanks.

I thought I had heard of receivers with minimal stabilization features built-in, no?

 

[ZoomNBoom]

Yeah, indeed for spektrum there are several receivers with built in gyro's. If you're a spektrum user, that may be an option, although of course it will have no grow path towards GPS navigation. These gyro also only 'stabilize', that is they counter wind and turbulence effects, but they dont do anything like autoleveling let alone altitude hold. They dont know whats up or down, they just sense movement that is not stick induced, and try to counter that. To be fair, thats mostly all you need an on airplane, until you begin exploring GPS possibilities.

 

[defhermit]

yeah, for now I just want to be able to fly my planes really high and still get OKAY video (non fpv, just a spy camera velcro'd to the plane)...

as it stands now I have trouble keeping the plane level and straight when it is higher than say 100 feet or so.

I DON'T have a spektrum-capable radio setup though. Are there other built-in gyro receivers? I'll just assume that they don't exist for my Turnigy 9x radio. I believe the only receivers compatible with this are the one that came with it, and the 4 channel and 6 channel varieties that come with other hobby king cheapo radios.

well, maybe this will motivate me to get that spektrum module! or move up to the frsky module.

 

[RAM]

You could do it this way. Old school??? but seems much simpler than trying to program a multiwii or other.

 

[William A]

Eagletree Vector.

Don't have any in fixed wing, but 2 in multirotors.

But from what I've read and the videos I've seen with them in fixed wing, it would be my direction.