NAZA Failsafe question

tomh

Member
Hi. When the Naza loses TX, or the user flips the flight switch to failsafe, the craft is supposed to land automatically. We tested this today with our Flamewheel F-450, and it appeared to work... We gained some height, went into a static hover, then flipped the failsafe, and it landed in a controlled way.

The question I wanted to ask (and was too scared to test practically) is this: if we had been banking at speed, and then flipped into Failsafe mode, would the NAZA have corrected to reduce speed before descending, or would the landing have maintained the horizontal speed (and likely trashed the craft)?

Many thanks
 

When the failsafe is activated by a switch on the transmitter, I believe that the NAZA will get into hover (stop the motion for a few seconds) and the analyse the ship altitude. If you are below 20 m (approx 60 feet), the ship will climb to 20 m and proceed to the selection you have recorded on the NAZA software with your computer i.e. land or proceed to HOME and land. For the failsafe caused by a lost signal (simulated by turning off your transmitter) you also have to program your receiver for failsafe settings (Hitec anyhow). All this can be checked by running the transmitter and autopilot page of the NAZA software to validate the state of the NAZA controller. Go to gps mode and turn your tx off. After a second or so, the NAZA status must go to failsafe AND the throttle position on the tx page must be above 10%. I set up mine one click below 50%. This procedure allows you to check the operation of the MC without jeopardizing your ship in actual flight.

That is if you have the GPS option.
 

tomh

Member
Sorry I should have mentioned - I don't have the GPS option. I've checked the behavior of the NAZA in the software, and it appears to return to return to a sensible landing setting in software at least, but it's hard to tell on the ground whether it will compensate for any accelerations whilst in flight, or whether it will just execute a controlled vertical descent.
 

I definitely suggest that you get a GPS unit as it really makes everything more enjoyable and safe. Without the GPS receiver, the NAZA has no way of assessing your flight parameters other than horizontal reference with 3 accelerometers and altitude with the piezoelectric barometric sensor. Remember that unaccelerated level flight, that is maintaining 30 mph for example, provides 1 G to all axis even if you are in motion. From this, I would be very careful with the use of failsafe without a GPS receiver that would maintain a given position for landing. You know, I started out with a F450 without GPS and really had a ball flying that around but when I tried the GPS, I saw a world of difference...
 

johna58

Member
After following this thread, I decided to hook my F550 to the Assistant (Software version is 1.8, Firmware is 2.02, Loader is 5.0.3) and turn off my transmitter (DX8) to see if, in deed, it goes into the fail safe mode. To my surprise, it does not. It goes to ATTI mode. These are my switch settings:

Gear-Fail safe Mode:0=Disengaged, 1=Engaged, My Default=0
Elevator D/R: 0=GPS, 1=ATTI, 2=Manual, My Default=1
Flap/Gyro: 2=Off, 1=Manual, 2=GPS, Default=2 (used to set compass before first flight)

With all three switches in the default mode, I turn ed off the transmitter and notice the needle in the Assistant went from GPS to ATTI. With the Elev D/R switch in the 0 position, I am able to cycle between all three control mode switch (GPS, Atti and Manual). With the Elevator switch in the GPS mode mode does not go into the Fail safe mode but shifts to the Atti. In the Atti mode at the time the transmitter is turned off, it stays in Atti mode.

My question is and what I would like to know is where in my transmitter is what menu do I need to go and what changes would I have to make to make sure that at the occurrence of a lost of signal, Naza will put the craft into the fail safe mode from GPS or from Atti?

My craft is a DJI F550 with standard motors and NAZA-M with GPS option. Other enhancements include ImmersionRC EzODS, Sony WDr770 CCD camera, 5.8Ghz, 500mw transmitter. Some day if I don't keep crashing and when I get a replacement transmitter supporting the same frequency the receiver supports, I might be able to experience my first FPV (to a 10" screen) since I bought this in the first week of January.
 

quad flyer

Member
From what I've seen from various tests I've done with my own set-up (Futaba 8J, Naza with GPS) the fail-safe settings are dependent upon the type of RC you are using. The Futaba 8J has fail-safe available on all channels and I use a 3 way switch on channel 6 to select manual, atti & GPS mode, on that same channel I have set the fail-safe (lost tx signal) to set the naza to the "fail-safe" section of the mode select.
With other RC, it is possible to set the throttle to go to just below 50% at fail-safe so that it will gently auto-land, the other option would be to set it to 50% and wait for the low voltage alarm to activate and again go into auto-land.
I haven't tried the "return to home" function as I only fly in a small area and don't want to risk a "fly-away" if the GPS looses its position.
I hope this helps.
 

CrashMaster

Member
Do get the GPS it makes the flight time so much safer and if you do have a Tx failure it will fly home (where you took off from) and land very very slowly So slowly you may be tempted to take hold before it lands.... Don't or you may find out first hand just how dangerous the blades are.

Without GPS it has no reference to return to so assume it simply uses the built in Altitude lock and Gyros, stabilises and lands wherever it is.
 

thetung

New Member
Hi everyone,

I'm a bit new to rc world and i'd like to know something about failsafe if you may reply.

I have a dji f550 with futaba t8j controller. In the controllers failsafe settings the throttle is set up to%20. Should i make it %0 or what else? Does making the futaba's failsafe throttle %50 or above makes naza gets messed about failsafe landing?

I need your knowledge to try failsafe before i have a serious situation.

Thank You
 

Benjamin Kenobi

Easy? You call that easy?
Throttle should be set to 50% (technically above 10% but better safe than sorry :nevreness:). You can test on the assistant program to see if you have it setup correctly. Turn off your controller (transmitter) whilst connected to the program and it should enter failsafe mode.
 



thetung

New Member
Throttle should be set to 50% (technically above 10% but better safe than sorry :nevreness:). You can test on the assistant program to see if you have it setup correctly. Turn off your controller (transmitter) whilst connected to the program and it should enter failsafe mode.



My setup is correct and when i turn off the remote it enters failsafe, that's ok. i just could not understand what futaba meant by failsafe throttle. Doesn't naza contrller handle failsafe by itself?
 

Benjamin Kenobi

Easy? You call that easy?
It does once it's in failsafe, but you need to enter frailsafe correctly, if that makes sense. If you set zero throttle, when the receiver enters failsafe the drone will drop out of the sky. It takes three seconds for the FC to enter failsafe.
 

thetung

New Member
It does once it's in failsafe, but you need to enter frailsafe correctly, if that makes sense. If you set zero throttle, when the receiver enters failsafe the drone will drop out of the sky. It takes three seconds for the FC to enter failsafe.


Thank you very much. I'll set to failsafe throttle %50, try as soon as possible and report.
 


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