FinalGlideAus
terrorizing squirrels
I was originally writing an article for the multirotor newbies to help them out but then thought that this might be useful as a sticky for the top of the multirotor forum. It may help to reduce the same questions being asked over and over and may just stop some from making a mistake in the first place. I'll post my raw article piece below for you to comment. Anyway, what do you think Craftydan? As a moderator, would you want something like this heading this forum? Input Welcome. Especially if I have anything wrong. Have I missed anything important?
Multirotor Top Tips
Learning to fly a multirotor can be a fun experience if done correctly but can be rather frustrating if done the hard way. These Top Tips have been compiled from the lessons learned by others so you won’t have to learn the hard way. Following these tips does not guarantee a smooth progression as not following them does not guarantee a disastrous experience but rather the odds are in your favour if you don’t re-learn others mistakes.
1: Expect a steep learning curve.
If you have no previous RC experience expect a steeper learning curve. This is not to say you will fail, but rather expect things to progress slower. Multirotors can be harder to fly than RC planes due to their inherent instability and having no previous RC knowledge can make things harder. If you know someone who can be a benefit then ask for their help.
2: Expect to crash.
This is a given. You WILL crash. You WILL break things. How much it costs to fix and how often is up to the multirotor you buy and the decisions you make as you learn.
3: Study Study Study
There is HEAPS of info on the internet and in forums like here at FliteTest so spend you’re time while deciding what to buy and soak up what info you can while you wait for your parts to arrive. Hopefully doing this you will have already helped to answer the inevitable questions you will have when it comes time to build and fly.
3: Select a proven design and motor setup.
Although scratch building can be rewarding, there are so many variables that go into a multirotor that for your first one it is best to go with a proven design. This also goes for the motor/prop choice. Getting the wrong setup can be frustrating and expensive. Choose either a setup recommended by the kit manufacturer or go with a setup many others have proven to be a good choice for your multirotor.
4: Forget about a 4S battery for now.
4S battery powered multirotors are for the experts. 3S battery setups are for everyone else.
5: Leave the GoPro and FPV gear on the work bench for now.
Yes! I’m talking to you...
I know you’ve seen all those amazing video’s posted on YouTube but forget about that for now. Learn to fly first, then strap on the camera. Learn to crawl before you walk. Doing so will probably save you from breaking your FPV gear and GoPro before you get to really use it.
6: Keep it simple, keep it light.
The more simple and light it is, the less likely you will crash it and the more likely it will come out unscathed when you do. Following the above tips will help ensure this. Right now you do not not need the complication of GPS and Return to Land functions etc.
7: Balance your props and motors
Vibration is the enemy of a multirotor. It adversely effects the flight controllers ability to fly and can cause general badness on a multirotor. The link below shows clearly how to balance a propeller.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2OwSc35Ozc
The next link shows how to balance a motor using an Iphone Vibration App.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RItntpZZH4g
The next link shows how to balance a motor using a mirror if you don’t want to use an Iphone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtYxYMczkvg
8: Flash Your KK2 (or KK2.1)
If using these popular Flight Controller boards the stock Firmware that comes on these is pretty ordinary. Some people have a nightmare trying to fly with it while some not so much. Either way, there is a noticeable improvement when you do. Although everyone has they’re own favourite firmware version, a beginner won’t go wrong with Firmware version “Steveis 1.6” for the KK2 and Firmware version “Steveis 1.12S1 Beginner” for the KK2.1. To do this you will need a flashing tool like the “USBasp” flash tool in the link below. This link also shows you the steps involved in flashing your KK2/KK2.1 with your desired Firmware version. These flash tools can be found on Ebay as well as Hobbyking among other places very cheaply.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oXzVEdjuTE
Some people have found they need to do a factory reset in the KK2/KK2.1 menu after updating the firmware if they have problems which rectifies things.
9: Fixing a tricopter with a KK2/KK2.1 that is spinning out of control
A common fix to a tricopter that does this is the servo value needs to be changed in the KK2/KK2.1 mixer editor on the menu screen. Scroll down and select the “mixer editor” and in the top right of the screen select “CH:1” (channel 1) and change to “CH:4” (Channel 4). Now select “Rudder” on the screen and change the number from 100 to -100. The problem should be fixed. Some servo’s require 100 value and some require -100.
10: Leave your Flight Controller flight settings and radio settings alone.
If you have built your multirotor well and setup your flight controller properly with the right Firmware it should fly pretty good right out of the box. If that is the case then don’t be tempted to fiddle with it. You don’t yet have the skills to know how to adjust things. Learn the basics of hovering first and then start adjusting things. Fiddling with the settings early on will most likely end up with the multirotor flying worse and harder to fly. If you must, then consult the experts on the forums first. A video showing the symptoms will help others resolve the issue.
11: Time to hover so take things slowly
Find a nice grassy and open area to start with little to no wind preferred. Your concrete driveway is NOT a suitable place to learn to fly a multirotor. The hard driveway, your garage door, your boundary fence or neighbors roof will confirm this.
Start by hovering into wind with the multirotor’s tail facing you. It may sound boring but keep doing this until you get confident at it. Maybe try going forward and back or maybe in a little wind but keep the tail facing you and don’t go too high. Once you’ve mastered that then try a hover with the multirotor sideways to you. This may not seem like much but you need to learn to hover at different angles before you can fly circuits. Once again try forwards and backwards and maybe side to side but not too high. Holding the hover in some wind will confirm your getting good at it.
Now your ready for some gentle circuits. Try to do figure eight patterns so all your turns are away from you. Lastly you need to master the nose in hover. With the multirotors nose facing you, your controls are backwards and things get confusing very easily. Practice practice practice and some patience will get you where you want to be.
12: Adjusting P and I gains.
Once you have the hang of flying your multirotor you may want to play with your P and I gains. The link below explains how to set them. Remember that the values are different between firmware versions and different multirotors so don’t get fixated on the numbers unless the multirotor matches yours in all aspects.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82naZVGX3yY
The link below explains KK2/KK2.1 auto level setup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0Bh3fMGHbM
13: Stick Scaling, Radio Dual Rates and Expo.
Now you can play with these fun things. Stick Scaling and Dual Rates are basically the same thing but stick scaling is what is adjusted on the multirotor in the Flight Control board. Dual Rates are adjusted in transmitter and can have different settings on a switch that can be changed mid flight to increase or decrease control response. When you increase either the stick scaling or dual rates the multicopter will then become more twitchy. Expo is then programmed into the radio to “numb” the centre of the controls down while still giving you full control at the extremities. As you increase the Stick scaling/Dual Rates, you generally increase the expo but beware that having too much expo can be worse than none at all. It is all a fine balance. The link below explains Dual Rates and Expo. Skip forward to the 11minute mark in the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jBNz0DBY3w#t=36
The link below talks about Stick Scaling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99ItmKr_HJ4
By now you’ve probably got enough experience to do things yourself and probably have quite a bit of knowledge so why don’t you stay on the forum and help out some of the new pilots on here going through the same things you have had to overcome to make it this far.
Happy flying.
Multirotor Top Tips
Learning to fly a multirotor can be a fun experience if done correctly but can be rather frustrating if done the hard way. These Top Tips have been compiled from the lessons learned by others so you won’t have to learn the hard way. Following these tips does not guarantee a smooth progression as not following them does not guarantee a disastrous experience but rather the odds are in your favour if you don’t re-learn others mistakes.
1: Expect a steep learning curve.
If you have no previous RC experience expect a steeper learning curve. This is not to say you will fail, but rather expect things to progress slower. Multirotors can be harder to fly than RC planes due to their inherent instability and having no previous RC knowledge can make things harder. If you know someone who can be a benefit then ask for their help.
2: Expect to crash.
This is a given. You WILL crash. You WILL break things. How much it costs to fix and how often is up to the multirotor you buy and the decisions you make as you learn.
3: Study Study Study
There is HEAPS of info on the internet and in forums like here at FliteTest so spend you’re time while deciding what to buy and soak up what info you can while you wait for your parts to arrive. Hopefully doing this you will have already helped to answer the inevitable questions you will have when it comes time to build and fly.
3: Select a proven design and motor setup.
Although scratch building can be rewarding, there are so many variables that go into a multirotor that for your first one it is best to go with a proven design. This also goes for the motor/prop choice. Getting the wrong setup can be frustrating and expensive. Choose either a setup recommended by the kit manufacturer or go with a setup many others have proven to be a good choice for your multirotor.
4: Forget about a 4S battery for now.
4S battery powered multirotors are for the experts. 3S battery setups are for everyone else.
5: Leave the GoPro and FPV gear on the work bench for now.
Yes! I’m talking to you...
I know you’ve seen all those amazing video’s posted on YouTube but forget about that for now. Learn to fly first, then strap on the camera. Learn to crawl before you walk. Doing so will probably save you from breaking your FPV gear and GoPro before you get to really use it.
6: Keep it simple, keep it light.
The more simple and light it is, the less likely you will crash it and the more likely it will come out unscathed when you do. Following the above tips will help ensure this. Right now you do not not need the complication of GPS and Return to Land functions etc.
7: Balance your props and motors
Vibration is the enemy of a multirotor. It adversely effects the flight controllers ability to fly and can cause general badness on a multirotor. The link below shows clearly how to balance a propeller.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2OwSc35Ozc
The next link shows how to balance a motor using an Iphone Vibration App.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RItntpZZH4g
The next link shows how to balance a motor using a mirror if you don’t want to use an Iphone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtYxYMczkvg
8: Flash Your KK2 (or KK2.1)
If using these popular Flight Controller boards the stock Firmware that comes on these is pretty ordinary. Some people have a nightmare trying to fly with it while some not so much. Either way, there is a noticeable improvement when you do. Although everyone has they’re own favourite firmware version, a beginner won’t go wrong with Firmware version “Steveis 1.6” for the KK2 and Firmware version “Steveis 1.12S1 Beginner” for the KK2.1. To do this you will need a flashing tool like the “USBasp” flash tool in the link below. This link also shows you the steps involved in flashing your KK2/KK2.1 with your desired Firmware version. These flash tools can be found on Ebay as well as Hobbyking among other places very cheaply.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oXzVEdjuTE
Some people have found they need to do a factory reset in the KK2/KK2.1 menu after updating the firmware if they have problems which rectifies things.
9: Fixing a tricopter with a KK2/KK2.1 that is spinning out of control
A common fix to a tricopter that does this is the servo value needs to be changed in the KK2/KK2.1 mixer editor on the menu screen. Scroll down and select the “mixer editor” and in the top right of the screen select “CH:1” (channel 1) and change to “CH:4” (Channel 4). Now select “Rudder” on the screen and change the number from 100 to -100. The problem should be fixed. Some servo’s require 100 value and some require -100.
10: Leave your Flight Controller flight settings and radio settings alone.
If you have built your multirotor well and setup your flight controller properly with the right Firmware it should fly pretty good right out of the box. If that is the case then don’t be tempted to fiddle with it. You don’t yet have the skills to know how to adjust things. Learn the basics of hovering first and then start adjusting things. Fiddling with the settings early on will most likely end up with the multirotor flying worse and harder to fly. If you must, then consult the experts on the forums first. A video showing the symptoms will help others resolve the issue.
11: Time to hover so take things slowly
Find a nice grassy and open area to start with little to no wind preferred. Your concrete driveway is NOT a suitable place to learn to fly a multirotor. The hard driveway, your garage door, your boundary fence or neighbors roof will confirm this.
Start by hovering into wind with the multirotor’s tail facing you. It may sound boring but keep doing this until you get confident at it. Maybe try going forward and back or maybe in a little wind but keep the tail facing you and don’t go too high. Once you’ve mastered that then try a hover with the multirotor sideways to you. This may not seem like much but you need to learn to hover at different angles before you can fly circuits. Once again try forwards and backwards and maybe side to side but not too high. Holding the hover in some wind will confirm your getting good at it.
Now your ready for some gentle circuits. Try to do figure eight patterns so all your turns are away from you. Lastly you need to master the nose in hover. With the multirotors nose facing you, your controls are backwards and things get confusing very easily. Practice practice practice and some patience will get you where you want to be.
12: Adjusting P and I gains.
Once you have the hang of flying your multirotor you may want to play with your P and I gains. The link below explains how to set them. Remember that the values are different between firmware versions and different multirotors so don’t get fixated on the numbers unless the multirotor matches yours in all aspects.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82naZVGX3yY
The link below explains KK2/KK2.1 auto level setup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0Bh3fMGHbM
13: Stick Scaling, Radio Dual Rates and Expo.
Now you can play with these fun things. Stick Scaling and Dual Rates are basically the same thing but stick scaling is what is adjusted on the multirotor in the Flight Control board. Dual Rates are adjusted in transmitter and can have different settings on a switch that can be changed mid flight to increase or decrease control response. When you increase either the stick scaling or dual rates the multicopter will then become more twitchy. Expo is then programmed into the radio to “numb” the centre of the controls down while still giving you full control at the extremities. As you increase the Stick scaling/Dual Rates, you generally increase the expo but beware that having too much expo can be worse than none at all. It is all a fine balance. The link below explains Dual Rates and Expo. Skip forward to the 11minute mark in the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jBNz0DBY3w#t=36
The link below talks about Stick Scaling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99ItmKr_HJ4
By now you’ve probably got enough experience to do things yourself and probably have quite a bit of knowledge so why don’t you stay on the forum and help out some of the new pilots on here going through the same things you have had to overcome to make it this far.
Happy flying.
its Flitetest not TestFlite.
