NAZA M Lite has attacked me twice!

[edpare]

So, I'm an old fart with about 20 years rc experience with fixed wing and limited rotary wing. I get an ARParrot quad and think "this looks like it could be fun!". I order a Century Neo 600 with NAZA M Lite with GPS and it goes together fine. I set parameters using Assistant Lite: I set GPS mode, course home lock, GPS/IOC on; I power up and the quad tilted right and cut my leg requiring 10 stitches (really far apart :upset: ! I replace all 4 props (this time I sanded the moulding flash off the edges) and power up again while standing 15 feet away. This time, with Attitude mode set, it went up about 4 feet, started tilting forward, increased motor speed, and went for my neck before it hit the house. I checked motor speed with 3-way switch at Manual, props on at idle, center, and max and got readings +/- 200 rpm on all 4 motors. So it's not a problem with props, motors, ESCs, or throttle control. (By the way, this set up is waaaay too powerful - just one motor will lift the 1500gram quad!!).

Is there anyway to look at the NAZA's autopilot response curves to barometer and gyro inputs? Is there anyway to look at NAZA's barometer and gyro outputs?

 

[PeteDee]

If the craft does not just lift straight up and hover with a Naza Lite then you have something wrong in your setup.

When you arm your controller you should be standing AT LEAST10 meters from your craft unless you are 150% sure it is set up perfectly.

Once you arm the Naza and you are ready to take off you should treat it like a flybarless heli, give it a good amount of throttle and get it off the ground and up out of ground effects, it should settle into a nice controlled hover at half throttle and you should then be able to breathe on the controls and check that everything is working as it should, if not then there is something wrong with your basic setup, go back and check that all controls are working in the correct direction, calibrate the IMU, calibrate ESC's if you are using other than DJI ESC's, calibrate your GPS, check your gains, etc.

Cheers.

Pete

 

[edpare]

Thanks Pete: good advice! Well, it won't go straight up, but it straightens out within a meter or so, and will hover where I want it. I don't know why it won't go straight up, all the motors/ESCs tach about the same and I wait for the multiple fast green blinks before I throttle up, but the initial "lunge" is the problem. It seems the landing gear legs on the NEO 600 are about 200mm too long and the quad "trips" on its own legs if I don't throttle up fast enough and falls over.
I put shorter (45mm) legs on the skids and now the "lunge" doesn't have enough leverage to tip the quad over

 

[DennyR]

I have tested Naza-M in some extreme conditions of take-off. I once removed the U/C and it was sitting on the ground at about 40 deg of tilt. It still leveled itself and lifted-off perfectly. I have only one gripe about the Naza and that is the LED module that has failed a couple of times now. When the lights go out it keeps flying but it drops out of GPS into manual.

The compass calibration is the way to get it flying properly.

 

[PeteDee]

Thanks Pete: good advice! Well, it won't go straight up, but it straightens out within a meter or so, and will hover where I want it. I don't know why it won't go straight up, all the motors/ESCs tach about the same and I wait for the multiple fast green blinks before I throttle up, but the initial "lunge" is the problem. It seems the landing gear legs on the NEO 600 are about 200mm too long and the quad "trips" on its own legs if I don't throttle up fast enough and falls over.
I put shorter (45mm) legs on the skids and now the "lunge" doesn't have enough leverage to tip the quad over

The motors will adjust as needed but if one of your motors is a little sticky or one ESC's calibration is off just a little then it can take just a little for that motor to catch up and it will be a bit slow to lock.

Pete

 

[edpare]

snip:

Hi Denny, I did the compass calibration successfully per the manual.

Just an idle question: if something was out-of-whack with the gyros or barometer, wouldn't it be that way all of the time? That is, if something was uncalibrated or calibrated incorrectly, it wouldn't hover at mid-stick nor stay "pinned"?

 

[araines2750]

Is the aircraft properly balanced?
Multicopter will act this way if the are rear/front or side heavy. The FC will compensate for the balance problem, but it takes a few seconds.
The motors on the heavy side will also get warm as they are working harder.
Just a guess.
Andrew

 

[edpare]

Thanks, but CG is just over the FC in the middle of the quad.