noob '+' quad questions

[motoringmaniac]

Hi all,
I am building my first multirotor and I am having some trouble. I bought the HK quadcopter v3 board that Josh used and the new version of the Usbasp programmer for it. First of all the programmer doesn't work and it looks like everyone else is having the same problem. I have tried everything and nothing is working, it seems they may not have been flashed at the factory so the drivers are not responding so don't buy one until they get this fixed. Anyway I wanted to make a tricopter like David's or at least an Xquad but it seems as if I am destined to be stuck with a plus style since that is the stock firmware. So I just finished getting my quad assembled and my gyros lined up and I can get it to hover relatively well (more or less). My problem is that I have a very strong yaw to the left. I have full right trim and it still rotates to the left. My gyros are compensating in the correct way so thats not it but its giving me no end of trouble. Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this?

 

[IBeHoey]

Hey motor, which direction do you have the props spinning? In a "plus" config, you should have the front/rear motors spinning clockwise (using Right-Hand, or reverse pitched props) while the left/right motors spin counter-clockwise (using standard pitched props).

I heard about all of the issues HK is having with their newer batch of USBasp programmers. It's a bummer and hopefully they'll get it straightened out. In the mean time, do you by chance have an Arduino? In a pinch, you could use it as an ISP programmer to reflash your KK board.

 

[motoringmaniac]

unfortunately not this is my first go at quads. I wanted the KK2 but it was out of stock as usual and I got the Hk v3 board because Bixler had a how to guide. I managed to figure out a solution to the yaw problem tho, a small piece of card stock folded under the corner of my lead motor did the trick. No trim needed at all now (my wooden boom must have a slight twist in it).

That problem fixed I have encountered a new and more catastrophic one that now has me rebuilding my quad. I loose complete control after about 100 ft. Flies like a dream until that point then drops out of the sky! My setup is as follows

4X Turnigy D2836/11 750KV Brushless Outrunner Motor
HobbyKing Multi-Rotor Control Board V3.0 (Atmega328 PA)
4x Turnigy Multistar 30 Amp Multi-rotor Brushless ESC 2-4S
turnigy 9x stock firmware and frsky module

the esc's are programmed with the little card you can buy but firmware is stock and they are all the ones with sbec's.
I read somewhere that you need to remove the power cable from the other 3 esc's could that be my problem?
My radio has fresh batteries and both it and the receiver work perfectly fine on my airplanes.
Any thoughts?

 

[IBeHoey]

Good to hear you got the yaw figured out, sorry to hear about the crash. I looked up the ESCs you have and they use switching BECs (as opposed to linear) so yes, you'll need to remove the red wire from the servo lead in all but 3 of them. I can't say for sure this is what caused your problem, but it's very likely. With the FrSky module and receiver, did you have failsafe setup?

It's a bummer about the USBasp programmer you got, I'd imagine HK will likely end up issuing a refund since that problem has become so well known. I got a full refund from them once when I bought my Crius AIOP board. It's kind of funny too, the first version of their board had a well known defect and I guess to flush out their stock, they put it on a flash-sale. I read all about the defect and decided to order one anyways because it was an easy fix and a good deal. As soon as I got it in the mail, they took it down from their site before I had the chance to download a picture someone posted of how to fix it. I talked to someone on Live Support and was told I'd be receiving a full refund and wouldn't even have to send back the board. Ever since then, HK went from being "ehh" in my book to "alright". Hopefully, you'll end up having the same experience.

 

[motoringmaniac]

Thanks for the help. The crash looked bad, flew straight into the ground from 30 feet up but I walked away with nothing more than a bent prop. I am now living testament to David's ziptie solution. One motor went flying and the other three need to be put back in place but other than that not to bad. I am really hoping HK comes back on this USBasp. I have a token in on it with HK and I believe several others do too and no one has heard back from them yet, mine has been in for about 6 days. Its only like $4 so Im not that worried. I do want to flash my board though. Can you recommend another reliable source for USBasp's that would work with the Hk V3?

 

[IBeHoey]

Heh, I just started using the zipties myself, it's good to know they're going to work in the event of a hard crash. I've always had decent luck with ordering things off of eBay. I don't know if I would trust them when ordering something big like a FC board or LiPo but there's not really much that can go wrong with an USBasp programmer (aside from forgetting to flash them). If you don't mind waiting on shipping you can find them for around $5. If you're in a rush, you can find a USA seller on there selling them for $10.

One thing great about having an USBasp programmer is that when you're done flashing the board, you could then use it to reflash your 9X over to the ER9X firmware that is, if you wanted to. It requires a little bit of soldering but is totally worth the effort. The ER9X firmware is awesome!

 

[motoringmaniac]

Thanks I'll keep that in mind. I've wanted to try the er9x firmware but never had a USBasp before. Ill have a go on ebay then maybe I will be able to reflash my HK USBasp as well.
Update on that HK just removed the USBasp from the website so they must have got the hint. Haven't heard anything from them yet personally though.

 

[motoringmaniac]

Looks like things are sorted now thanks IBeHoey

 

[IBeHoey]

Glad I could help.

Here's a link to a wiki page that has all of the known mods that can be done to the 9x. Complete with tutorials and pictures. If the FrSky module you're using has telemetry, with ER9X, you can display it's data on the 9x's screen. Pretty cool stuff.

http://openrcforums.com/wiki/index.php/Hardware_Mods_%26_Other_Guides#Hardware_Mods

 

[motoringmaniac]

Awesome thanks!