Naza-H and the Heli alternative

DennyR

Active Member
In this thread we discuss the latest DJI autopilot/controller for helicopters and add to the Knowledge Base of all the newest products to come along for future reference.
 
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hjls3

Member
Denny do you have, or know of anyone that has tried the NAZA H on a 400 size heli? I am interested in learning the NAZA H but dont want todo it on 700 size heli - want to one day get there but for now i have not stepped up to the 700 size birds.
 
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DennyR

Active Member
I find the larger ones a lot easier to fly and see, but the Naza-H works very well on those small machines. Even as a 3D machine you can have the best of both worlds with careful set-up. It's a game changer. When I get my Alexmos gimbal sorted, It will go on a 500 size heli. for sure.

I would like to point out that the Nex-7 was just put on for the models CG and not properly balanced. We have a preproduction camera that is somewhat better. It would normally have a special in house lens hood. Not recommended by DJI but essential if you want to avoid blade shadow artifacts on the lens.

FWIW we are currently using two 5000 mah batteries.
 
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hjls3

Member
thank you Denny, I was not sure. I am wanting to pull the trigger on a LOGO 400 and build it specifically with the NAZA H. I need some more SRH time and thought that I could kill two birds with one stone. Get some more time before stepping up to the big ships, and learn the NAZA H. With all of that said - I certainly understand that the bigger ships are a bit easier to fly and if I werent currently trying to re-stock the saving account after replacing a AP MR (due to stupid operator error), I might be tempted to look into a bigger bird. I am thinking that if I have some success, the NAZA H will be moved to a big ship carrying a Z15 with WKM just like your setup. Just not quite there with my SRH skills yet.

look forward to seeing what you come up with on that 500 size bird/Alexmos gimble. Thanks again.
 

DennyR

Active Member
Don't be in any hurry to go bigger, Most of my guys here say that the Logo is the best of the smaller ones.
 
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DennyR

Active Member
Ed
It's not finished yet. but if you have anything to say about it from your own experience............. please do.
 

nicwilke

Active Member
Denny, Thanks for putting this out there. I'm considering a SR heli in the future. What are the pros and cons? Do you get better flight time? Can you lift heavy cams?
Would someone with no SR heli experience struggle with Naza-H? or would skills with multirotors be a plus to fast track the learning?
There seems to be not much vibration on your copter with zenmuse.
 

Tahoe Ed

Active Member
I like the set up of this controller in Assistant. If you have a Phantom, the Assistant GUI will look familiar. I took the WKH off my Trex 550 and put the Naza H on. The copter was already set up well mechanically and did not require much tweaking to make it work with the Naza. I got a wicked kick in the tail on the first flight. I am using a JR9503 Tx and the gains showing for the tail are different than what is being shown in Assistant. Your HH gain should be about 40 to start. For me to get there it has to be about 50 in my Tx. If you have a Futaba, the gains should be about the same. With the original software there was a problem with drift in ATTI mode. That has been corrected in v1.04 and the drift can be tuned out in Assistant. For those of you that are looking for a bailout function, this is not the controller for that. However, it will make the learning curve for new pilots a lot less intimidating.

Right now you must take off and land in Manual. DJI has promised that they will have auto takeoff and landing in a future software release. The WKH has this feature and I really like it. Take off in ATTI or GPS with only the throttle. Hands off everything else. However the Naza has one thing that the WKH does not, the ability to fly 3D in manual. Not my thing but it is important to some. I have a Trex 500 that will be the eventual home for the Naza H as the WKH will go back on the 550. This is a nice controller at a reasonable cost when you include the GPS.
 

DennyR

Active Member
Denny, Thanks for putting this out there. I'm considering a SR heli in the future. What are the pros and cons? Do you get better flight time? Can you lift heavy cams?
Would someone with no SR heli experience struggle with Naza-H? or would skills with multirotors be a plus to fast track the learning?
There seems to be not much vibration on your copter with zenmuse.

I would suggest getting a Sim. such as the Phoenix, you will find that the real thing is actually easier to fly than most of the small hot 3D models. I practice with a TDR which is in there. You can set it up to be gentle or pretty wild. You can also find some tricky scenery to get in and out of which will improve your skills in no time. Once you can hack that you can fly all day in manual mode. Atti is the best for me because I don't want it to brake and hold position every time I slow it down, as it will in GPS mode.

As for endurance the normal 5000 mah cheap batteries will give you around 15 mins. if you don't cane it. You can go a very long way in that time.

Ed
Same here on the Rudder gain. I even changed from 115 tail blades to 105.
 
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DennyR

Active Member
Sorry I changed the link - couple of Typos in the rush.
 
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DennyR

Active Member
I like the set up of this controller in Assistant. If you have a Phantom, the Assistant GUI will look familiar. I took the WKH off my Trex 550 and put the Naza H on. The copter was already set up well mechanically and did not require much tweaking to make it work with the Naza. I got a wicked kick in the tail on the first flight. I am using a JR9503 Tx and the gains showing for the tail are different than what is being shown in Assistant. Your HH gain should be about 40 to start. For me to get there it has to be about 50 in my Tx. If you have a Futaba, the gains should be about the same. With the original software there was a problem with drift in ATTI mode. That has been corrected in v1.04 and the drift can be tuned out in Assistant. For those of you that are looking for a bailout function, this is not the controller for that. However, it will make the learning curve for new pilots a lot less intimidating.

Right now you must take off and land in Manual. DJI has promised that they will have auto takeoff and landing in a future software release. The WKH has this feature and I really like it. Take off in ATTI or GPS with only the throttle. Hands off everything else. However the Naza has one thing that the WKH does not, the ability to fly 3D in manual. Not my thing but it is important to some. I have a Trex 500 that will be the eventual home for the Naza H as the WKH will go back on the 550. This is a nice controller at a reasonable cost when you include the GPS.

Ed I don't seem to be having any problems with landing in Atti. mode.
 

Lanzar

Member
We have it. Tried naza h, wookong h and ace one fully loaded and they are all good. Naza h is cheap and it does the job for pilots like me :) Hate manual
 

nicwilke

Active Member
I would suggest getting a Sim. such as the Phoenix, you will find that the real thing is actually easier to fly than most of the small hot 3D models. I practice with a TDR which is in there. You can set it up to be gentle or pretty wild. You can also find some tricky scenery to get in and out of which will improve your skills in no time. Once you can hack that you can fly all day in manual mode. Atti is the best for me because I don't want it to brake and hold position every time I slow it down, as it will in GPS mode.

As for endurance the normal 5000 mah cheap batteries will give you around 15 mins. if you don't cane it. You can go a very long way in that time.
Thanks, I've got aerosim. I'll give it a try.
 

ChrisViperM

Active Member
:) Hate manual

Reading the manual, or flying in manual....or both ???? :tennis:


In this thread we discuss the latest DJI autopilot/controller for helicopters and add to the Knowledge Base of all the newest products to come along for future reference.

I am glad you started this....at first someone could think Single Rotor Helis got nothing to do with Multirotors. This would be true by just "mechanical" means, but at the second look and from the point of Aerial Imaging, they both serve one purpose....to get the best image possible under a lot of different and varying conditions. I moved from SR helis (which was just flying for fun) to Multis because of the possibilities concerning Aerial Photography. My assumtion was that MR's are just THE ideal platform for AP, but very soon I also learned the limitations of Multirotors.....If you are a serious hobby guy or a professional, you would really need both platforms. There is no sense at all to discuss: Are SR's better than MR's, it's more the question: what do I need when.... I just went away from the thought to find "the ideal" platform which can cover all my needs....I guess I want both. The interesting thing is the fact that Naza-H or WooKong-H are hardly discussed in "traditional" Single Rotor Heli forums....but I guess this will change. I would say that over 90% of all SR helis sold have been used for recreational purpose, just having fun on the local flying field and trying to become a 3D master....and it is pretty exiting to see how quickly things can change.

I went through all Flybarless gyros I could get my hands on, but the Skookum-SK720 has convinced me most. Easy to set up and tune, top performance and very reliable....the only draw-back is the missing GPS modul which they announce now for ages. With the GPS module this could be a considerable alternative to DJI.

Here is a vid of the self leveling feature, which is great especially for beginners:









Would also be interesting to discuss the various brands and models of SR helis concerning their abilities to be "transformed" to Video-Helis...


Chris
 
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DennyR

Active Member
We have it. Tried naza h, wookong h and ace one fully loaded and they are all good. Naza h is cheap and it does the job for pilots like me :) Hate manual

Hi Lanzar
Do you mean flying in manual mode or the software manual which needs some work.
 

DennyR

Active Member
Chris
I too was using a Skookum at one stage, I got cold feet when I realized that the GPS was having problems with the launch date. I respect them for NOT releasing it until it has passed quality control. With these things it is one strike and you are out and hard to come back. I'm not that sure that you really need GPS anyway.
 

DennyR

Active Member
This guy seems to be able to get a Naza-H/450 hovering autonomously without any trouble.
 
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ChrisViperM

Active Member
Chris
I'm not that sure that you really need GPS anyway.

No real need for GPS, but it's good to know to have one if things get mixed up in the air.....

Did you actually try a heli with combustion engine and camera ?....a lot more vibrations than on e-motors, but the flight times would be great


Chris
 

Lanzar

Member
No real need for GPS, but it's good to know to have one if things get mixed up in the air.....

Did you actually try a heli with combustion engine and camera ?....a lot more vibrations than on e-motors, but the flight times would be great


Chris

You dont want to see what exsaus fule and smoke does to the camera. And vibrations :) not a good combo
 

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