Hi guys,
I flew it again today and was going to make a more formal report but if I can get this done here and now I'm all for it.
It was windy today which is what I was waiting for to make a more informed report. It was probably blowing 12 to 15 with gusts to 20. Using position hold it held its position very well. The gusts would knock it off position, maybe twelve to fifteen feet from its "spot" but it would fight its way back and resume holding its spot pretty well. Much better than before.
Using "Return to Home" it made steady progress back to the point where it first got a satellite fix. I tried it from an upwind position, crosswind, and then a downwind position about 50 yards away and each time it got home pretty well. It didn't race back, it didn't crawl back, it was a nice comfortable pace. The wind was gusting when it was doing RTH from the downwind position and it took some time for it to fight its way back but it did it. From the crosswind position it was blown downwind as it was flying home with the crosswind so the final return path was L shaped but it did it.
A couple of notes;
- the modified Hoverfly PRO/GPS system is using the new LEA6 GPS antenna from 3DR, https://store.3drobotics.com/products/3dr-gps-ublox-with-compass
- install the new antenna with the white arrow pointing forward and the square GPS receiver facing UP. the GPS board will automatically adjust for declination so there's no need to point the antenna anywhere other than straight forward.
- a firmware update is required for both the PRO and the GPS (I think it was called ubloxBeta or something like that), both firmware updates are considered "Beta" to be used at your own risk (as is this review)
- the HF PRO/GPS isn't using the magnetometer that is resident on the new GPS antenna so if you haven't done the external-mag modification, and if your wiring isn't very clean allowing for magnetic interference then you might still have issues with the HF GPS performance ( I still have some HF GPS mounting kits available that lift the GPS board 2" off the PRO board to help minimize interference from the surrounding electrical environment, it's an option instead of going the external-mag route)
- compass calibration needs to be redone after doing the mod and installing the Beta firmware
- the process of trimming and then setting the trim into the PRO (I forget what the procedure was referred to) needs to be done and done well. if the heli isn't trimmed just right then the non-centered heli will fight against the efforts of the GPS to hold position making it appear as it the GPS is at fault.
- in the photos below you'll notice the red wire from the GPS was clipped and there are two wires going to the ground position on the new antenna
What impressed me most was that the position hold was a smooth effort. The heli wasn't rapidly and aggressively twitching to hold it spot, it did it in a way that seemed well thought out, determined, and with control. I plan to use the same heli to go shoot a commercial building tomorrow and will be using the Position Hold feature to help fly the heli so I can be in the goggles when I need to to set up the camera. I haven't been able to do this with this heli before now because the GPS was so prone to wandering and making sudden and drastic control inputs.
Overall it's a good update if you ask me. It's not like a NAZA on a calm day but a NAZA would have been upside down in the weeds today with the winds blowing as they were. Give feel free to give it a try and please chime in if you have any questions or other details to add.
View attachment 16874View attachment 16875View attachment 16876
Bart
