Just inherited an F550, would love some advice :)

[Adam Pollard]

Good morning :)

A friend at work gave me his F550 today, he only flew it once and it was completed to the bare minimum to get it in the air.

Ive never had a drone before but im fairly handy with a soldering iron and techy stuff. Would love some advice to get this drone into better shape and in the air :)

So some pictures to get started .....












Soo main questions I have ...

>> Which legs to get as currently has none.

>> Do I upgrade that Naza (which model is it) or just stick the extras on it, gps etc ....

>> I only have that battery, no idea what condition its in, no charger etc so a list of things to buy would be wonderful!

The long term goal is just to get it in the air in some privately owned farm land near me, i have the farmers permission :) I guess would eventually like to be able to have my go pro on a gimbal.

Any ideas and advice welcomed!

Thanks

Adam

[Ern Stock]

Hi.
Am only a beginner myself with camera platforms but have a few years experience with littler multi rotors.

To start , I wouldn';t worry about extended legs , reckon it';s possibly easier to land neatly on the stubby legs , til you get the hang of it. ( have a piece of board for grassy take off / landing)

You will need to know what flight modes are set on the FC and tx - Dji not my bag , but plenty people here to help.

You need  a lipo balance charger , and to read a few lipo care guides. The chargers are from £20 , or £30 with 240 supply. ( ie imax b6 copies on eBay - best to buy from reputable seller )
Can';t see in pic but the battery may be a bit small / low flight time. But ok to start with maybe. Be an idea to put it through charge / discharge cycle to get an idea of capacity.

Having permission to fly is great.

Very very first thing to have is a prop nut spanner. And to always remove props before any bench tests.
Also to consider the potential for harm at anytime the props are on and a battery is connected.
Hope you get to fly.

[ched]

I have a F450 camera ship (quad version of what you have). I use a 3S (3S= 3 cell so 4.2/cell = 12.6v Lipo) 3300mAh. Your hexcopter can probably carry a bigger battery no problem but at this time stick with what you have.

You need a Lipo charger that can charge at least 3.3Amps x 12.6v = 42watts. This is so you can charge the battery at a usual rate of 1C (1x Amp capacity of battery).

You need to download the DJI Assistant software. This enables you to connect the flight controller (Naza) to your computer. Once you have connected it, it is best to backup the settings, so you have a known starting point you can return to if necessary.

Within the DJI assistant you will be able to see which direction the motors on each arm rotate and then you can determine which rotation prop to use on which motor.

One thing that may be helpful is to spend £15 on something like an eachines E010. It';s a mini indoor quad that you can learn to fly with before taking the Hex out.

[Adam Pollard]

Thanks for the comments guys!

SO i guess what i really need is some links ... can anyone chuck some links up for a charger ... and any reccomendations on what route to go with the naza stuff? Strip it all out and upgrade? or just add gps to the existing one?

Thanks guys

Ad

[ched]

Naza is a good stable flight controller. You can update software on it to get more stability. I will post link tomorrow.
I would stick with the naza and add GPS.
I will have a look for charger links tomorrow and let you know.

[ched]

Much as I dislike Amazon here is an Amazon link for a imax b6 (I guess by price it';s a copy) http://amzn.to/2sHR7xD
The reason I used Amazon is that their customer service is usually fairly good once you work out how to chat to them, should you need to.
One thing to note is that I can';t find a charger with a lead that connects to your battery connector. I believe the battery connector is an EC3 but it could be a different EC connector. Best to look closely at the connector and hope it is labelled. If it';s an EC3 this should connect charger to battery https://goo.gl/3rAZHS
If you want to add GPS this is what you are looking for https://goo.gl/m4RxCv
I cant vouch for the sellers on ebay as I have never used them but at least knowing what you are looking for you can search for sellers with decent feedback.

Hope the above helps?

[Adam Pollard]

Thanks so much thats exactly what I was after!

Ive ordered the two charger bits ...

And is that the only bit i need to make my GPS stuff work?

So add some legs and that and im ready to do some basic flying?

Can someone let me know which version of naza I have so know which software to get? is it naza lite V1?

Thanks

Adam

[ched]

As far as I know its just the gps module and the mounting pole to keep it away from the power wires. You will need to set flight modes up in the DJI assistant. So before you do that make a backup of the Assistant settings (there is a tab to do it). Also make sure you have a record of your tx setup. Reason being is if you didn';t set it up you wont have any idea what to do if the tx has issues. Making a note of tx settings has nothing to do with gps just best to have record of settings before doing any changes.

Do you really need the legs? They add weight and are only really necessary if you have a gimbal and/or camera mounted underneath. There are bits of plastic that stick down at the end of each arm to give a little clearance.

As for version, good question. I have no idea how to work that one out.

In the DJI FC section: http://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php?board=12.0 there are a couple of guides to upgrade the software to a better (V2) version. The updated version makes it more stable when in gps mode.

[Adam Pollard]

No you are very right i probably dont need legs, il take a bit of MDF to launch from then once im comfortable il worry about getting my go pro and legs mounted ...

Right ive ordered the GPS module too :)

Yeh thats what I mean, what model of naza do I actually have? Il have a browse, thanks so much for the help so far :)

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[Two-Six]

Hi  Adam

Your first soldering job, change that battery connector for an XT60, the female side goes on the battery.  Most batteries have XT60';s on them.  You have an EC3 which is pretty much just for Eflight aircraft..I think.  The one you have will do for now for testing purposes but look into changing it soon.  Be careful when soldering the battery connector on the battery. 

DO NOT SHORT IT OUT!!!! 

Get one wire and tape it to the battery when you solder the other wire and be extra careful with the soldering iron.  You risk getting exploding hot solder on yourself and having the battery explode.   So wear safety glasses as well.

Apart from that, landing legs.  You don';t need them if there isn';t anything below the bottom plate to get damaged.  Your ESC';s will be OK.

TAKE YOUR PROPS OF before you do anything with it other than get ready to fly it in an open area from at least 10 meters away!
Chopitty-Chopitty-Chop!   Fingers/face...gone.

Get logged into the flight controller (FC) and figure out what';s going on with it.  Set your fail safe and throttle hold and figure how your mode switch is set up.  I think you have a 3 position one on there (Gear/FlightMode)

Dunno if this is any use.  https://www.spektrumrc.com/ProdInfo/Files/SPM6600-Manual_DX6i.pdf

That';s a  big intimidating beasty for a beginner. 

Have you every flown anything that';s remotely controlled before?

Even if you have, if its not a multi-rotor or a helicopter, honestly its quite difficult and you will crash pretty quickly. 

Like Ched says, get a little quad to learn on like the one he mentioned or a Hubsan X3 (without the camers).  They are brilliant fun, very hard to break and fly just like any other multirotor or helicopter (pretty much).  If you can confidently fly a little quad about then you will have no problems flying any other multirotor.

There are lots of great simulators out there too that you can use your transmitter with on your computer.


Have fun, be safe.

[Adam Pollard]

Good morning!

Thanks so much for the warm welcome! Got straight on ebay and got some XT60 connectors. Will be very careful when swapping them over!

All good advice in terms of the legs and taking the props off! Will make sure its all safe!



You lost me a bit here .....  "Get logged into the flight controller (FC) and figure out what';s going on with it.  Set your fail safe and throttle hold and figure how your mode switch is set up.  I think you have a 3 position one on there (Gear/FlightMode).

I have no idea if this drone has even been flown before, certainly doesnt look like it. What software do I need to download, looks like the stuff on the DJI site is all for the modern stuff?


It is a big beasty, ive flown a little hubsan ive got quite a lot and have a lovely big wheat field to practice in so will be very careful!

Any reccomendations on a sim that works with my RC?

Thanks,

Adam

[ched]

The software you need is Naza-M Assistant Software v2.20 and can be found here:https://www.dji.com/naza-m/download
You will also need the drivers on the same page.

Install the drivers then the assistant. then PROPS OFF, connect the hex to your computer and start the Assistant. The software is how you configure the features. Once connected I would go to Tools and Export Parameters so you have a backup copy of the setup.
The view tab gives you an over view, so you can see at a glance whats happening, bottom right will be any error messages. Advance tab allows Failsafe to be set. On the left hand side it should give you a description of what each does.
The RC tab (in Basic) allows you to calibrate your tx/rx to the Flight Controller. Towards the bottom you will see the flight modes. You should have a 3 position switch on your tx that controls this. I have mine set to gps, atti, Failsafe (my falsafe is set to Go Home and landing but I have GPS).
Within advanced tab you can set limits if you have GPS. These are max height (120meter limit in UK) and a max radius from you.
The assistant also lets you configure gps, its mainly just setting the location of the gps ';box'; with ref to the FC.
Once you have GPS setup do not take off until it has GPS lock. Once it has lock if you flick the failsafe (set to return to land) it will come back (if enough battery) and land where it took off. BUT if it did not get a lock before take off it might think take off location was any where in the world and try and get there!!!!!!!

As for sim, I don';t know your tx but does it have an old fashioned mouse socket on the back? If not a mouse socket any socket on rear? If so you should be able to buy an adapter to go from tx to pc for a few quid on ebay. The sim I like is called FPVFreerider and full version is about £7. You can download a single map demo which you can test. It';s is not designed for a hex at all but by using it it might help hand coordination and orientation. Orientation is where you can work out what direction the quad is facing when you flying LOS (Line Of Sight). The sim is designed more for small racing quad but if you can learn to fly a small one a big one is easy. When flying the real one take it slowly and only move the sticks a little at a time no jerky moves.
Hope that gives you more info. Don';t be put off by the steep learning curve you will get there 

[Two-Six]

That';s a proper answer from Ched :-)  Glad you have been flying a Hubsan, that will help a huge amount.  You should be fine flying the big un. 

Perhaps do something so you can identify the front/rear easily from a distance.  You can get packs of flouro stationary/stickers that might be used for this.  Its cheap and gives you lots of colours in a pack.  On my helicopters, if I see orange I know its nose in. 

So perhaps make a panel or something somewhere.  Not sure if orange is the best colour for maximum sight range, probably is.  Perhaps use some LED';s too.  Probably not as useful for directional ID';ing but they can look very cool especially in in low light.    In fact, your DJI could carry a good payload, so how about some BIG LED';s, like search lights.  That could be fun.    

Like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl1xYyGom1g

When soldering XT60';s, I got a block of wood and made an XT60 shaped hole in it to hold them in while I solder them.  This holds them well AND there is no danger off short circuits.  Also plug the connectors together as you solder them.  It holds the pins in place.  Sometimes you can melt the plastic and the pins move.  This holds them in good shape. You also need a fairly powerful soldering iron, a 30 watter might not be enough.

[Adam Pollard]

Thanks for the replies chaps!

Ive got the drone all built up now, gps and fpv cam fitted.battery charged etc ...

Downloaded the drivers and installed them ....

Fired up the software with the drone plugged in and then ive hit a wall. It doesnt give me any indication that it know the drone is plugged in. I cant export the old settings etc etc. I cant change any values or access any settings.

The Drone sits there with the green light on solid. If I unplug the usb the led on the drone flashes Yellow constantly, it doesnt seem paired to the RC? I dont really know where to start here?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

Adam

[hoverfly]

These might help
http://wiki.dji.com/en/index.php/Naza-M_LED_Indicator

Your t/x should be turned on before the quad,  it might be an idea to rebind the r/x.
If the f/c is not connecting to the PC check drivers and ports.

[ched]

I assume you are using Windows? If so which one? When you plug the usb from pc into the FC (by led) does PC make the "bing bong" connection noise?
If it does then open the DJI assistant and it should connect to the FC.
Then you should be able to see settings of the FC?
The PC doesn';t get paired to the FC. But you do need the software drivers running for the DJI Assistant to be able to talk to the FC via the USB.

The lights are codes. It would be a good idea to learn them.




So first off get the FC connected to PC. Let us know how you get on.

Just found this : http://forum.dji.com/thread-42282-1-1.html sounds a bit confusing but people have sorted out the issue using one of the methods listed.

[grahamjb]

Hello

The Flight controller is a Naza M Lite, If you are using Windows 10 you need to check that the drivers are installed via device manager, it should display  " DJI USB virtual com port" 
if it doesn';t you need to follow the instructions in this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxE6fEBaCaY

[Adam Pollard]

hey chaps,

sorry been away a while!

That last video was super helpful. Finally got he PC to recognise the FC which is good! ive set up the gps axis and a few other bits but now gotta try and get the thing to fly. At the moment it just sits there blinking red lights. hahah

Work continues ...

[ched]

At the moment it just sits there blinking red lights. hahah

Work continues ...

The red flashes are a code of sorts.

I assume you have done the ';naza dance'; aka calibrate the system?
You can get fast red flashes on low battery or 3 flashes then a pause when not enough sats have been picked up. So sometimes it just needs a few mins especially if it hasn';t been used in a while.

[Adam Pollard]

Thanks again for the quick replies! I realise im being really lazy by asking all these questions but i really appreciate the help!

So ... My drone connects to the PC fine, ive put the dimensions in for where ive mounted the compass. The sliders in the software move when i move the sticks on my TX . . . however i dont really know what im doing now.

The first time i powered the TX and the drone up it flashed red interemittently. I then took it outside (props are still off at the moment) and now i have a consistant yellow/amber flash.

I would quite like to set the TX from scratch really ... its a DX6i. Any good videos about?

And no i havnt calibrated, everyone in the videos seems to flick a few switches on thier TX first, but i havnt got a clue how to get mine t start the naza dance

Thanks again

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[ched]

I think if its flashing amber once or twice followed by a pause it means it is in atti flight mode.  If it';s fast flashing amber according to the image above it means it has lost the tx signal!!
Normally a 2 or 3 way switch is assigned to flight modes. I would suggest your first flight should be in gps mode (after calibrating the compass and getting a good gps lock).
To calibrate the compass you need to know what switch on the tx changes the flight modes. That is the switch people are flicking multiple times in the videos.
On the rx setup page Like this :

See the ';U'; channel? Well just try and flick each switch on your tx and see which one changes modes. I would say you should, if you can, use a 3 position switch. Then have GPS, Atti and Failsafe set as the flight modes.

If none of the switches move the ';U'; channel then you will need to set the tx or rx up. If you look at the rx on the F550 does it have 5 or more 3 wires cables going from it to the Naza or just a single cable?

I feel you are getting there, not far to go now. 

Forgot to say. If you look at the image on the left it gives you some help on setting flight modes.

[Adam Pollard]

Thanks again mate!

SO that is the screen i have been staring at for the last 20 minutes hahaha ...

Im trying to get the switches set up but it just doesnt seem to make any sense in the TX controls. The Dx6i doesnt seem to have any 3 way switches.

But 3 of my switches make that U channel slider move to different locations. only mode i can access is failsafe.

The problem is im getting such a random assortment of flashing lights that its hard to read.... sometimes green and red sometimes just flashing green, sometimes flashing amber ??

My head hurts, all these videos are really confusing too as they all say different things.

I think i need to start from scratch as ive messed up so many settings?

Thanks for your patience!

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[Adam Pollard]

I have it set so that i can now select failsafe/manual/gps using a combo of two switches? will this do or do i need atti? whatever that is 

[Adam Pollard]

Also now succesfully done the naza dance ...

So after the dance which flight do i need to put it in, its currently just sitting blinking the green light in bursts ....

How do i actually take off now?

Thanks

Ad

[ched]

I have it set so that i can now select failsafe/manual/gps using a combo of two switches? will this do or do i need atti? whatever that is 

Well done.
I would have failsafe, atti and GPS.
Failsafe will tell the F550 to return to take off point (as long as before you took off you had a good gps lock).
GPS is a self leveling mode that allows you to set throttle at 50% and take your fingers off controls and it will just sit in the air and use gps to maintain its position and altitude.
Atti mode is a self levelling mode where gps has no input.
Manual has no self levelling. It is also called rate or acro mode. Unless you know what this is DONT use it!!!!!

[ched]

Flashing green would suggest it is in gps mode and it has a good gps lock.

To take off stand about 15 meters away from it. Make sure there are no people round and it is safe.
Get the green flashes.
Arm the F550 by putting both tx sticks to bottom left. Motors should start to spin up.
Gently raise the throttle and at about 50% throttle it should take off. Be very gently with the controls.
Then lower throttle gently and land.
Then try again, maybe move forward a little by pushing the pitch stick forward a little (should be right stick forward).
Remember when the F550 is facing away from you tx sticks work as expected. If it is facing you controls are reversed!!!!!!!

Good luck, be safe and gentle and of course let us know how you get on.

[Adam Pollard]

Thanks again mate! so nearly there now! I cat get it to arm tho,i have it sitting thhere in GPS mode flashing green. Did the thing with the tx sticks and nothing?

Any ideas?

Thanks again

[ched]

If I remember correctly you can plug it into your pc (WITHOUT PROPS) and then try and arm. I think in the bottom right of the assistant software it should tell you what is going on. The message isn';t great but it might help.

I assume that when you look at the rx page in the assistant you get full travel on the sticks? i.e. do the bars to the extremes? To arm then tx/rx signal  has to go far enough, you might need to adjust tx end points to get full deflection.

[Adam Pollard]

Yeh im getting error 29,

I really dont know if ive got this TX set up right/atall. Trying to find suggestions online but no luck as they are all different

[ched]

Put all TX sticks at the mid point, and then power cycle the F550.
If that doesnt work then you need to recalibrate the tx/rx in the assistant.

I assume you have checked that the stick movements correspond to the correct rx inputs?
i.e.
Throttle stick (left forwards and back) moves the ';T'; in assistant
Yaw (left stick left and right) moves the ';R'; (rudder) in assistant
Pitch (right stick forwards and back) moves the ';E'; (elevator) in assistant
Roll (right stick left and right) moves the ';A'; (Aileron) in assistant


Your switch combo switches flight modes ';U';

I think the above is correct, if not I am sure someone will correct me