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Drone the fourth - time to fly

6.5.2020

Translation: machine translated

The drone is running. Finally, all the motors in my DIY project respond to the inputs from my remote control. But I have to dig deep into my wallet for this.

Once again, the postman brings new parcels for the racing drones I'm building. This time it's antennas, flight controller, ESC and smokestopper. My previously installed 4-in-1 flight controller is far too weak with a maximum output current of just 15 A. The new ESC offers a lot more with 45 A and should be able to cope better with the current consumption of my motors.

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Drone, the first - smells a bit burnt, doesn't it?
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All over again

By now I've got it under control: I remove all the cables from the old flight controller with my much too big, clunky soldering iron, loosen my metal screws and get rid of my black carbon fibre plate. The new flight controller and ESC, which controls the motors at the appropriate speed, are fitted with 30×30 mm holes to match my frame. The two components are quickly attached. The ESC goes at the bottom and the flight controller at the top, with sufficient clearance. The VivaFPV flight controller comes with rubber pads that are inserted into the drill holes. This keeps the electronics away from the metal screws and therefore away from certain death. In addition, the IMU (position and acceleration sensor) receives fewer vibrations from the motors and can therefore regulate more precisely.

Once everything is soldered and connected, the setup in Betafilght starts all over again: install the latest firmware, select the appropriate ports for telemetry data, set the remote control and motor protocol, programme the various modes such as Horizon, Angle or Armed and connect the battery (including smokestopper) to test the motors. I realise that not all motors turn in the right direction.

My sketch to help me remember the direction of rotation

I use the BLHeli programme to programme the incorrectly rotating motors to "Reversed" and give them all a firmware update to the latest version.

Is it not working again?

My remote control keeps losing the connection to the Air-Unit. In Betaflight under the Receiver tab, the inputs of the various channels jump around wildly. What is wrong? I reset the connection of the remote control to the air unit and do the same in Betaflight. Nothing helps.

I was so pleased that everything would be much quicker and easier with the new flight controller. Far from it.

In dialogue with my colleague Tino Kälin, my trusted advisor, we discover the errors. The power supply for the air unit is soldered to the flight controller. The voltage on the flight controller is 5V - but the air unit needs at least 7.4V to work correctly. I also learnt that the smokestopper should not be connected to the copter when I test my motors. If it is connected, the motors don't get enough power and don't work correctly. Another lesson learnt.

Now you come into play

I want to fly. For some time now. I've been ready for a long time and now my copter is finally ready too. Whether I can do it remains to be seen. I would like to do my first flight with an experienced drone pilot. I would be very grateful for any tips and tricks. Would you like to help me next week? Then send an e-mail to manuel.wenk[at]digitecgalaxus.ch. Content: 2-3 links to videos, a few sentences about yourself and your experience in FPV, a suggestion for a flying location and your telephone number. All this will only be sent to me and will of course be treated confidentially.

Lessons paid so far

The last time I had to buy new material for 161 francs. The antennas, smokestopper, ESC and flight controller added 153 francs to that. So I've already spent 314 francs more than necessary.

RC helicopter accessories

TBS Smoke Stopper

RC helicopter accessories

VivaFPV F4 FC with OSD PDB

RC helicopter accessories

VivaFPV 45A BL32 4in1 Dshot1200 3-6S ESC

RC drone accessories

EUR15,90

DJI Air Unit

Drone antenna

If you don't want to miss my maiden flight, follow me as author by clicking on "Follow author".

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Manuel Wenk

Communications Manager

Manuel.Wenk@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.

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