DJI F550 build - let's go!

[Richlizard]

All parts arrived and we are ready for the off. 

What could possibly go wrong?

All advice along the way appreciated as always. If it is ok, I would like to post images step by step and highlight any areas that were particularly troublesome. I imagine with my experience there will be loads! 

[flybywire]

I do love a good unboxing!
I used my own motors/esc';s, but other than that, it was a doddle to set up & fly.
Just take your time.
Andy

P.S I find it helpful to put an XT60 connector between the PMU module and the board power bus, then you can isolate the motors for firmware updates/testing/setting up etc, so no damage from angry props on WOT!

[Opto-Mystic]

Great stuff, Rich.

If you get as much fun and satisfaction it putting it together and firing it up as I have, then you are in for a blast!

I wish you all the best. I see you have the Zenmuse gimbal - I am chuffed to bits with mine.

Don';t fall into the trap I did, the ESCs will need calibrating! I didn';t do that on my F540 - I forgot to RTFM (read the fine manual)

I for one, look forward to seeing the finished product and the first videos there from. 

[Richlizard]

I do love a good unboxing!
I used my own motors/esc';s, but other than that, it was a doddle to set up & fly.
Just take your time.
Andy

P.S I find it helpful to put an XT60 connector between the PMU module and the board power bus, then you can isolate the motors for firmware updates/testing/setting up etc, so no damage from angry props on WOT!

Thanks Andy. I am still coming to terms with the err terms. Which part is the PMU module and which part is the board power bus?

Cheers

[Richlizard]

Great stuff, Rich.

If you get as much fun and satisfaction it putting it together and firing it up as I have, then you are in for a blast!

I wish you all the best. I see you have the Zenmuse gimbal - I am chuffed to bits with mine.

Don';t fall into the trap I did, the ESCs will need calibrating! I didn';t do that on my F540 - I forgot to RTFM (read the fine manual)

I for one, look forward to seeing the finished product and the first videos there from. 

Thanks Donald.

User manual? My ESCs came in a plastic bag. There is a user manual? 

[Opto-Mystic]

Thanks Donald.

User manual? My ESCs came in a plastic bag. There is a user manual? 

My little joke - there ain';t a user manual as such! I use this forum as the user manual. 

However, there is reference in the Naza paperwork (online) somewhere that says that the ESCs must be calibrated. It was Marklincs who talked me through the process - very easy and quick..

Using the Futaba T8J, the way that I finally calibrated my ESCs was as follows:
1 remove props
2 in Futaba menu, Set Ch3 end points to -125% and +125%
3 disconnect all ESCs from the Naza unit
4 plug the first ESC into Ch3 on your receiver
5 Throttle fully forward
6 connect battery, 3 beep sounded
7 reduce throttle down to zero - one beep
8 disconnect battery
Repeat 4 to 8 until all ESCs done, then reconnect them to the Naza unit as before.

Prior to calibrating them, I could not arm the motors properly...This is the way I did it and it worked - It may or may not be the only way - I hope others will pop up with additional comments or processes to calibrate the ESCs.

[flybywire]

Thanks Andy. I am still coming to terms with the err terms. Which part is the PMU module and which part is the board power bus?

Cheers

Cool!  The ';PMU'; is the device or power interface (BEC) that adds DJI';s proprietary ';Canbus'; functionality, allowing the use of expansion modules like the OSD mini, 2.4 Ghz Bluetooth waypoint module etc etc!
http://www.dji.com/feature/naza-m-v2-features/
Have a read if you haven';t already!

ATB

Have fun

P.S I believe that the DJI ';opto'; esc';s do not need calibrating?  Pls don';t quote me on that as I haven';t used them (I us HK Afro';s)

[Opto-Mystic]

[snip]

P.S I believe that the DJI ';opto'; esc';s do not need calibrating?  Pls don';t quote me on that as I haven';t used them (I us HK Afro';s)

Aha! The ESCs that I have are ';OPTO'; 30A... they needed calibrating -  calibration may be make/type specific, not sure on that! Anyone?

[Richlizard]

Thanks again.

So I don';t have those bits right? <blush>

Rich

Cool!  The ';PMU'; is the device or power interface (BEC) that adds DJI';s proprietary ';Canbus'; functionality, allowing the use of expansion modules like the OSD mini, 2.4 Ghz Bluetooth waypoint module etc etc!
http://www.dji.com/feature/naza-m-v2-features/
Have a read if you haven';t already!

[Richlizard]

Thanks for the instruction list Donald.

Will make sure it is done.

[flybywire]

Thanks again.

So I don';t have those bits right? <blush>

Rich

Not unless you';ve bought them mate!
P.S I';ve just bought the osd mini/2.4 BT module and the canhub from BYOD for £140 delivered, seemed like a reasonable price?

[flybywire]

Aha! The ESCs that I have are ';OPTO'; 30A... they needed calibrating -  calibration may be make/type specific, not sure on that! Anyone?

Donald, are your';s DJI';s own ESC';s?  It was those that I heard do not need calibration, not optical per-se.

[RCJardin]

I think it just the DJI Opto ESCs in the DJI environment (motors) that dont';t need calibrating.

[Opto-Mystic]

I think it just the DJI Opto ESCs in the DJI environment (motors) that dont';t need calibrating.

I am using OPTO ESCs with DJI motors (2212/920KV) and they definitely needed calibration
See this thread of my trials & tribulations: http://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php?topic=5240.0

[Opto-Mystic]

Thanks again.

So I don';t have those bits right? <blush>

Rich

Don';t Panic - they don';t like it up ';em...

The PMU is in the box with the NAZA-M V2 - it is the small black unit that you plug the GPS unit into and it goes into the the EXP port of the Naza.

The Power Bus is the name given to the wiring within the main board where you have all those solder pads.

EDIT: typo

[Opto-Mystic]

My advice (can be ignored) is that you do not mount the Zenmuse H3-2D gimbal until you have flown the beast and have all the controls trimmed to your liking and you are happy with the feel of things. The gimbal & GoPro together amount to an appreciable cost.

[Richlizard]

P.S I find it helpful to put an XT60 connector between the PMU module and the board power bus, then you can isolate the motors for firmware updates/testing/setting up etc, so no damage from angry props on WOT!

Hi Andy.

Are you suggesting turning this into this? As there doesn';t seem to be a lot of room and as the XT60 are bulky and of course incredibly difficult to get off, it seems like a lot of grief in store rather than simplifying things. Hopefully I am wrong lol.

Rich

[flybywire]

Hi Andy.

Are you suggesting turning this into this? As there doesn';t seem to be a lot of room and as the XT60 are bulky and of course incredibly difficult to get off, it seems like a lot of grief in store rather than simplifying things. Hopefully I am wrong lol.

Rich

Not quite Rich!  If you identify your PMU module (the one that gives the Naza it';s power) most folk take the easy option and solder it to the board/frame power bus.  On the Wookong M (my other flight controller) DJI have installed an XT 60 connector, which plugs easily into another XT 60 adaptor for their OSD device.
I just adopted that simple method myself on my Naza FC';s.  In this way, when you come to connect the FC to your laptop, you pull the XT apart, and hook any 3-4 cell lipo up to the Naza end, so that it only gets power, and not the ESC';s, simples!

Hope this makes sense?
I';ll dig out a photo of mine!

P.S I thought I had a better picture of it, but if you see the ';PMU'; (black box with Naza on it) has a red & black wire coming out of it?  put an XT60 on these, and the other side goes to the frame power bus, but of course, make sure you get polarity and gender correct!  Just take a look at a lipo battery with an XT60, and use the other half on Naza end!
Naza v2 fixed, now to dry assemble the other bits.

[Richlizard]

I see what you are saying now, but it has fuddled me even more after watching my installation videos.

I watched this one here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_987832&feature=iv&src_vid=9mLYu6M904M&v=tTtAFGRwJaE#t=11m51s)

and this one here (DJI F550 FLAMEWHEEL NAZA HEXACOPTER ARF STEP BY STEP COMPLETE BUILD)

and neither of them mention this pmu (yes I have one).

So after having it all laid out and thinking I knew what went where, I am back to square one lol.

Don';t suppose there is an instructional video available for this build?

But back to your point, why do you need to quickly release the pmu?

Sorry to be so dumb. Just so many things conflicting.

Rich

[flybywire]

Hmm, I didn';t watch those vids, maybe take things back to a more simple, basic level?  Just look at the DJI website instructional vids, they';re a bit ';flat'; but they do show you how to hook everything together, albeit without verbal instructions!
Mate, last thing I want to do is confuse you!  It was just a suggestion, you could implement it at a later date if you want, when you know how things are done inside out, back to front, but it really is a simple mod to do whilst you have the thing in bits with hot iron in hand!

P.S, not sure if all that webbing is really necessary on such short cable runs?
Keep it simple!

[Opto-Mystic]

I hope these will help Rich

Naza-M V2 video tutorials:
http://www.dji.com/tutorial/naza-m-tutorials/
It shows the F450 frame but the same procedure will be applied to the F550...

Naza-M V2 Downloads and firmware etc:
http://www.dji.com/download/naza-m-downloads/

Download and read this PDF document it will help in understanding how the bibs & bobs go together, especially pages 4 & 5:
http://download.dji-innovations.com/downloads/nazam-v2/en/NAZA-M_Quick_Start_Guide_v1.22_en.pdf

[flybywire]

Apologies for the bad drawing, but that';s how I do it!

[Richlizard]

Hehe, Andy you can take my word for it that I want to go back to as basic as possible... or even more basic. But those were the only videos I could find for basic build with Naza M V2 and the F550.

The problem being there that neither even give a silent part to the pmu which of course has baffled me when people talk of it here. Especially as it appears it plugs into X3... where one of these videos shows something else plugging in there.

Donald, can you believe I had searched DJI site a dozen times for info and only just found the video as you posted (albeit for the F450.

I think I will just set up 3 monitors and play all 3 videos at the same time. It will surely click into place at some point.

Oh Andy. I see what you are saying but the stuff really is light as fluff and all the comments I have had regarding bare wire on the phantom, I just think it looks real neat. The fluff - I mean mesh - is the last part I was waiting for lol.

[Richlizard]

Apologies for the bad drawing, but that';s how I do it!

All clear thx Andy.

Could you just explain why you have done it like this?

[flybywire]

All clear thx Andy.

Could you just explain why you have done it like this?

I looked at the wiring on my WKM one day, and noticed that instead of two bare wires on the PMU unit (red & black), they had terminated them with an XT60 plug/socket.  This made more sense when I later added the On Screen Display module, which you will find (if you ever buy one) that it too has an XT connection, but one which allows you to connect both devices to the power bus without making any wiring hacks.

It was when I came to build my Naza hex recently, that I decided to replicate this arrangement.  It also has the added bonus (a big one in my opinion) of allowing you to uncouple the Naza FC from the main powerbus, and plug a lipo (even a little 3 cell 850 mAh for instance) direct to the Naza, then plug USB to laptop.
So now you can play with the software setup to your hearts content, whilst being safe in the knowledge that if something glitches, the motors won';t burst into life, tearing you to shreds, whilst eliminating the need to remove your props as well!

It works great for me.

[Richlizard]

Well that all sounds like common sense. And a little lipo can be used while your big fat one is being charged! :)

Ok, well I think in that case I will have to pop up the model shop and get some more bits n bobs :)

Thanks again.

[flybywire]

While yr at it fella, buy half a dozen!

N.B just make sure you get the gender & polarity correct, check it 25 times!  Google it if necessary. 

[Richlizard]

Puhahaha, local model club only had female connectors... and no cable at all.

Plan A back in action lol.

[alex2m]

Thanks again.

So I don';t have those bits right? <blush>

Rich

Puhahaha, local model club only had female connectors... and no cable at all.

Plan A back in action lol.

Hi Richard,

Feel free to give me a call if you';re stuck (I';m in Dublin) unfortunately I don';t have xt60 handy (only xt90, bought by mistake) but I have bullet connectors. 

DJI Opto ESC';s don';t need calibration. They just work. And as you';re using a Naza, you don';t need to worry about whether they will need to have their BEC insulated because ... They don';t have one.  That';s why the Naza is supplied with a PMU.

I also went the "flexible" route and installed connectors, power distribution board etc.  Overkill. At the end of the build, it just works,  you';ll see ...



Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Richlizard]

Thanks Alex.

I don';t think I had planned on insulating any BEC. Or even knowing what it is lol.