What's the best FC board best for a T-Copter build

cranialrectosis

Faster than a speeding face plant!
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At this point, I usually refill my water glass, eat an apple and check out Mozart:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp_h649sZ9A


I suggest you disconnect the copter from USB and reboot the PC.

Once the PC is restarted, with Chrome and Baseflight NOT running, connect the copter. Does Windows recognize it?

If not, open device manager (or whatever passes for it in Windows 8) and go find the broken device and update it.
 

mrstamp80

New member
I uninstalled everything, shut down the pc. Booted back up and re-d/l base flight, drivers. Now connected everything seems to be working o.k. got to the lastest firmware installed and connected to com3.

Something it must not have liked before. but thanks for everyone's help.

Now my last question how do i set this up as a tricopter? as far as what wires go where, and do i use the breakout harness to connect my escs to motors? will be using ar400 rx. thanks
 

cranialrectosis

Faster than a speeding face plant!
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Amazing how Windows responds to a three fingered salute. :)

Here is the manual for a Naze32. This will show you where the pins go. Be aware, a tricopter uses a servo so you are going to be in servo mode. :)
http://www.abusemark.com/downloads/naze32_rev2.pdf

Ignore the manual for motor rotation direction. Have one motor spinning the opposite direction or be prepared to shim one or more motors to offset the torque.

Once you have flashed to the latest firmware, you can simply choose to configure the board for a tri-copter.

Several threads on this forum speak of how to set up a Naze32 for a tricopter, specifically PIDs. I would start here:
http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?14547-mpbiv-s-Hybrid-3D-Printed-G10-Tricopter-build
 

makattack

Winter is coming
Moderator
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I was playing with a flip 32+, which is a clone and I had to use the cli commands with clean flight to setup the tri mixing.
 

cranialrectosis

Faster than a speeding face plant!
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I was playing with a flip 32+, which is a clone and I had to use the cli commands with clean flight to setup the tri mixing.

Baseflight does it right in the GUI now. You don't even need CLI to rotate the board 90*.

I hear it is partly due to competition from Cleanflight. I hope so. :)
 

mrstamp80

New member
The latest firmware has tricopter in it. Easy enough, just trying to figure out the breakout harness and where the servo wire plugs in.
 

cranialrectosis

Faster than a speeding face plant!
Mentor
I uninstalled everything, shut down the pc. Booted back up and re-d/l base flight, drivers. Now connected everything seems to be working o.k. got to the lastest firmware installed and connected to com3.

Something it must not have liked before. but thanks for everyone's help.

Now my last question how do i set this up as a tricopter? as far as what wires go where, and do i use the breakout harness to connect my escs to motors? will be using ar400 rx. thanks


What exactly did you uninstall? I'm having similar issues...:confused:
 

mrstamp80

New member
I uninstalled base flight, the driver, the zip file for the driver. shut down my pc for 1/2 hour.
Then re-d/l the zip file for the driver found here.... http://www.silabs.com/products/mcu/pages/usbtouartbridgevcpdrivers.aspx
Unzipped the file,opened the folder.
Installed the cp210xvcp installer_x64 .
d/l base flight again.
plugged the board back in via mini usb,
got the board to light up
Do NOT click Connect!!!!
Click on far right about 1/2 way down Firmware Flasher click that
Then on bottom of page click, load firmware (online)
It should open the latest firmware version in the middle of the page
Then click Flash Firmware.
When it's done, click connect.

All these steps worked for me. Now it let's me see the board, and you can go from there as to what commands you want it to do and so on. Hope this helps.
 

mrstamp80

New member
Cranial, you have been a big help! How ever I got one last problem, I can't get any stick movement from my radio to the baseflight screen. It won't arm either. I already calibrated the, the acc,esc's. I can get my 2 aux, ch. to work but no stick movement. Here is a video. Thanks for everyone's help!

 

mrstamp80

New member
Honestly, I don't know what ppm or pwm is. I am using a spektrum dx6 with AR610 RX. I don't know how or what to change it in the transmitter. Sorry to be such a noob, with this fcb.
 

makattack

Winter is coming
Moderator
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I'd try plugging in those aux cables into the throttle / motor pins on the naze32 and see if flipping the switches will change the values. If not, then you might have a bad cable or bad solder connection from the receiver to the board.
 

mrstamp80

New member
I built a new breakout harness, only my gear and aux ch work. Just like the video. I used a ohm meter all cables, from end to board end. Then i swapped ch 5,6 to th, ail. rud, and i get all my stick movements. I have checked and re-checked re soldered the signal wire from ail,thr,rudd,elev. I am now convinced that something is wrong in the board.
 

cranialrectosis

Faster than a speeding face plant!
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"I am now convinced that something is wrong in the board." Been there...Never been right though. :black_eyed:

Can you upload a single still, hi-res photo detailing the wiring from the receiver to the Naze?

In Baseflight in the Configuration tab do you have a check in the box for "Enable PPM input (and disable PWM input)? You should not. :)
 
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cranialrectosis

Faster than a speeding face plant!
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I don't use a breakout so I had the pins wrong in PM last night.

One pin set from the receiver will use all three wires, the rest will only use 1.

On the left edge of the Naze, as the arrow faces away from you, are 5 pins on top and 5 pins on the bottom. You will connect the full cable of 3 wires from ALIE on the receiver to ground, power (marked with a dot on the top of the Naze) and 1 on the top of the Naze. You connect the signal pin of ELEV to 2 on the top of the Naze using a single wire. Connect the signal for THRO to 3 on the Naze. Connect the signal for RUDD to 4 on the bottom of the Naze.

You may use GEAR or AUX signal to turn on horizon mode. It is your choice. That will connect to 5 on the bottom of the Naze.
 

mrstamp80

New member
When I enable ppm box, then the 2 aux switches, for arming and flightmodes don't work anymore. When you leave the box for ppm unchecked the 2 switches work. I know the rx, is good i took it out stuck it in a plane and everything works. (using a good charged batt for all my testing) This is the new harness I built.

naze 2.JPG

naze 1.JPG

naze 3.JPG

naze 4.JPG