Quadcopter - after you guys told me there was a HK-Board

[Jee]

Hi everybody,

I have watched mates of mine fly quadcopters for quite some time.

There are:

- the expensive ones.. (a controlboard can cost around 600$)
- the extreme selfmade ones (take apart a wii-controller and you can build a copter...)
- the comes-as-a-kit ones (gaui 330 and so on)

Well, after watching the flitetest about the self build avatar gunship - which mentions there is a hobbyking quadcopter controlboard - I wanted to give it a try.

So for christmas (it's a gift - form me, to me) I ordered the board and everything else (including everything, lipo, receiver, motors, escs and props) we come in at around 100$.

Here is what it looks like:



And here is how it flew like (maiden flight):

Here is a great tip for everyone wants to try this at home:

Read the instructions. No really. Read them. If you think you know where to plug in the stuff, that's fine... after two broken props and no clue how in the world the gyro-directions can be this crazy wrong and hard to setup.. you will then read the instructions more carefully and notice: the motors are not plugged in clockwise, but 1 4 2 3. (Learn from my fail.)


Hope you got cool gifts too!

Happy new year!

 

[PaulT]

Very nice. There's hope for me yet.
Can you share you parts list and maybe blog the build?
I'm interested in how much thrust you have and what kind of payload.
Good work!!

 

[Jee]

Quadcopter

Blogpost is here: http://jeefly.blogspot.com/2011/12/100-hobby-king-quadcopter.html (Beware, it's german - but may still be usefull to some)

This is the parts list:

4 x hexTronik 24gram Brushless Outrunner 1300kv
4 x Birdie 10A Brushless ESC w/ 1A BEC
1 x HobbyKing Quadcopter Control Board V2.1
1 x 9x5 Propellers (3 Standard and 3 Counter Rotating) 
1 x OrangeRx R610 Spektrum DSM2 6Ch 2.4Ghz Receiver
1 x Turnigy nano-tech 2200mah 3S 25~50C Lipo Pack

This setup came to me more or less random (browsing the site, checkings what's in stock and what might work together). It does work, as you can see in the video. My feeling is that there is plenty of power. The whole thing weighs around 470g - of those grams around 180g are the weight of the lipo.

The build is straight forward - get 2 wooden planks (50cm long) attach them in the center. Install some sort of small plate there to which the board and the receiver are attached (I used double sided mirrorinstallation-tape).

You then wire your ESCs together, so you can reach each of your motors with the 3 phase wires. - The ESCs power supply needs to be all in parallel attached to a plug compatible to your lipo of choice.

I then cut 3 of the 4 ECSs red wires. - So only the BEC of one ESC is used (so they can't interact and destroy each other).

You also need to pay attention that two motors must go forward and two backwards. (See the Hobbyking Maual.pdf for details) - you also need to follow the manual in detail - I skipped checking that each esc was connected as described there.. I ended up with an uncontrolable aircraft (broke one prop). After I did what the manual said I was fine.

It's then important that you check your controls (does the right motor slow down, does the right one speed up) and the gyro directions (again, do the correct motors react). - Otherwhise you have to change gyro directions on the board and/or reverse the channels on your transmitter. - But this is all covered in the manual.

Hope that answers some of your questions, happy flying!

 

[ananas1301]

Schöner Aufbau Jan!

Ich bin grad dabei mir einen Tricopter zu bauen aber deiner scheint auch gut zu fliegen! Kamst scheinbar gut mit dem Erstflug zurecht! Hoffe es geht bei mir genauso gut!

 

[r2pardjo]

hy jee.
nice quad...i want to ask about the transmitter setting for your quad please??
because i just can't flight my quad smoothly...
tks for your help

 

[colorex]

Nice!

I'm planning on a build, probably a tricopter in the cheapo section (cheap stuff in stock)

Looks like I can use some info from your build I'm planning to use HXT Blue Wonders as well!

 

[Jee]

hy jee.
nice quad...i want to ask about the transmitter setting for your quad please??
because i just can't flight my quad smoothly...
tks for your help

Nothing special there (sorry) - I just did what the manual says:

Traval Adjust down to 50% on Elevator and Aileron.
100% on Rudder and Throttle.
Expo 0% on everything.

And that's the way I flew it in the video.

Now I have switched from my DX6i to my DX8 - I increased travel on Ail and Elev to 70%, threw in 20% expo on both and put 10% negative expo on rudder. - But I have not tested this yet.

 

[Zach Scott]

i was wondering if you guys had any issues after flashing your HK Quadboard. I flashed mine to the latest Tricopter config and i can't seem to get the gyro reversed. I turn the roll pot to min and turn on the board but dont' get the flashing light to change the gyro. Not sure where to go next. I have tried going the other direction but to no avail. I have followed all of Davids guide over at rcexplorer but I am not sure what else to do. Tried a reflash and that didn't work either. Just starting to wonder if the pot is not making connection with the board.

any help would be great. thanks