Who's liking the look of the new FT Aura 5 flight controller?

myxiplx

Member
Saw this on YouTube the other day. I've been itching to get my hands on a Flex Innovations plane, stoked to hear that FT have teamed up with them to release an entry level controller. And I see signs of Josh's focus on ease of use and ease of entry in the hobby in the design :)

 

chris398mx

Master member
Unless I am missing something, for the price of one of these and the satellite receiver, you could buy 2 lemon stabilizer plus 7 channel receivers that do the same thing. This is of course, if I am not missing some functionality that the video does not describe. I am all for new tech and more choices, but for me the lemon receivers are doing the job.
 

myxiplx

Member
If you're not a Spektrum user though, Lemon won't work. Or if you already have Spektrum satellites or receivers the price is pretty close.

The fact that it has clear, well written documentation, and has a setup process that's so intuitive is a huge step up from Lemon.

Don't get me wrong, I fly lemon myself, but there's definitely a market which will pay a premium for a product that's easier to use. Lemon are good, but they rely on the community for documentation, and they're definitely a bit complex to setup.
 

FDS

Elite member
Lemon works great with Multi Protocol modules, I have both their DSMX and old DSM2 receivers bound to my Jumper module.
Also the ZOHD Kopilot is very good for the price and works on different recrivers
 

Hondo76251

Legendary member
I really like the zohd but this is a little smaller isnt it? I've pretty much stuck with the As3x spektrum so far for the small stuff...
 

LitterBug

Techno Nut
Moderator
I am intrigued to know what the core firmware is on it. I may get one just to play.

Cheers!
LitterBug

Edit: After a little digging, the firmware appears to be closed source from the manufacturer Flex Innovations.
 
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alan0043

Well-known member
Hi Everyone,

I am curious but the Aura lite 5 myself. Being a rookie in the hobby I need all the help that I can get. I do have questions that I hope someone can answer for me. Do I have to buy a satellite receiver ? I already have a Spektrum AR400 receiver. I was hoping that I could use the AR400 with the Aura lite. Do you think this is possible ? What do you guys think the total cost is going to be ? I was hoping all I needed was the Aura lite.

Open to all input,
Al
 

clolsonus

Well-known member
The one comment from the video that stood out to me was reference to only needing a dumb transmitter because all the intelligence is on the flight controller board. I've been advocating for this approach for years as the better way. Traditional we pack all the mixing and modes onto the transmitter that sends up raw servo commands. But if the flight controller is smart and has all this, you can do stabilization with *any* oddball configuration and you can conceive of even smarter things the plane could do because the controller knows what's happening on the airplane right now, the transmitter does not.
 

LitterBug

Techno Nut
Moderator
Hi Everyone,

I am curious but the Aura lite 5 myself. Being a rookie in the hobby I need all the help that I can get. I do have questions that I hope someone can answer for me. Do I have to buy a satellite receiver ? I already have a Spektrum AR400 receiver. I was hoping that I could use the AR400 with the Aura lite. Do you think this is possible ? What do you guys think the total cost is going to be ? I was hoping all I needed was the Aura lite.

Open to all input,
Al
You will need a satellite. I've been using LemonRX for years with no issues.
https://www.buddyrc.com/lemon-rx-dsmx-compatible-satellite-receiver.html

Cheers!
LitterBug
 

LitterBug

Techno Nut
Moderator
Hi LitterBug,

Do you think that the Lemon receiver can work with a Spektrum DX5e transmitter ?

Thanks for your help,
Al
I have an older DX8 and don't know anything about the DX5e. Maybe someone else on here knows. I would think newer transmitters would be backward compatible with DSMX....

Cheers!
LitterBug
 

"Corpse"

Legendary member
I think the Aura 5 is a great step towards getting people into the hobby. It certainly helped me to train on a plane that had as3x. I like how flite test has been getting more refined. I think they should make their own flight controller stack.(y)
 

LitterBug

Techno Nut
Moderator
@alan0043 The 5E will work with a lemon receiver. You will need to buy the DSM2 version, not the DSMX one. They make a great micro receiver, I have both the DSMX and DSM2 versions of it, both bind and work fine.
The stabiliser listing here, says it’s DSM2 compatible.
https://www.lemon-rx.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=76&product_id=131

DSM2 is the older air protocol that is less robust. DSMX is newer and does channel hopping which is more robust and can handle more users in the same airspace. The Aura supports "DSM" which means it can do either. So unless the DX5e cannot do DSMX, you are better off using the newer protocol.

From the Aura wiki page http://wiki.flexinnovations.com/wiki/Aura/SpektrumUse
DSMX is recommended, DSM2 is also supported at this time.

Cheers!
LitterBug
 
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DAWNSIGHT4

Member
Definitely think this will be a game changer. I have been wanting to get the rest of my family into flying rc, but needed a stepping block until this. I will definitely look into this for sure!!!!
 

myxiplx

Member
Definitely think this will be a game changer. I have been wanting to get the rest of my family into flying rc, but needed a stepping block until this. I will definitely look into this for sure!!!!

I'm finding nothing beats hands on fun if you're trying to encourage somebody else. I picked up a second radio to setup wireless buddy boxing, and my new plane has a stabilized receiver on it specifically for letting beginners have a go. I have it setup with three flight modes:

1. Unstabilized. This is the normal mode for myself.
2. Stabilized. Still full rates, but stabilized so a little more predictable if the wind gets up.
3. Self leveling. Bank angles are limited to 30 degrees or so, perfect for beginners.

I usually set my trainer button to be my dual rates button too, so beginners get a model that's about 30% tamer than my defaults. Means pretty much anybody can just pick up the spare transmitter and have a go, and even a total novice is going to be flying it around within a minute or so.