Quad Copter Build- Need Criticism

[Zachary May]

For a school project, we are taking a quad copter that was built from a previous semester and trying to get stable flight of it for autonomous controls. The quad copter does not fly well at all. We were trying to use this for our project as we were told it was a "working" quad copter, but as you can tell it does not work very well.

Video of it "flying"

The flight first starts out with me just pressing the throttle straight up and then after using the aileron to correct for the horrible take off. If I were to press the throttle straight up, it would not fly, instead would just flip over.

Controller we are using
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor..._Module_8ch_Receiver_Mode_2_v2_Firmware_.html

I have it in mode 1, heli 2
One problem I am having with this is when I turn it on and go to the settings, and display. The aileron is not centers even though I am not touching the controller.
Is there any adjustments that should be made to the controller for better flight?

Motors
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...D3536_8_1000KV_Brushless_Outrunner_Motor.html

Propellers
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__22456__Slow_Fly_Electric_Prop_12x4_5_SF_4_pc_Green_.html
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...x4_5R_SF_4_pc_Green_Right_Hand_Rotation_.html

ESCs
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...0A_BlueSeries_Brushless_Speed_Controller.html

Frame
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...Quadcopter_V2_0_Carbon_Fiber_Frame_550mm.html

Flight Controllers
http://www.hoverflytech.com/controllers/
We have a hoverfly Pro only

Whenever I plug in the Hoverfly pro to the computer, the setup utilities reads all the PWM of the quad copter just fine. Whenever I move the throttle, it response appropriately on the received channel but not in flight. The artificial horizon is sometimes off (would that be that the frame is not 100% balanced?). Whenever I move the quad copter, the hoverfly responses to the changes in altitude and all the sensors are diagnosed as working correctly. I have the Hoverfly set on X mode with the latest firmware as well.

I'm looking for anything that could make this thing fly better, from changing parts, to way to diagnose my problems.

Thank you for all the time and help

Zach

 

[mlebret]

I have it in mode 1, heli 2

Hello,

First be sure your R/C is set to Plane, not heli... Then you are free to choose your flight mode (1 or 2) but most of U.S. users are mode 2, like in a real aircraft, when you move the Yoke to control Roll and Tilt with right hand, and Power lever is on the left with the Yaw control.

??? There is no link to User Manual on the Hoverfly website ??? Found, ...

Marc

 

[joem rivera]

This is almost my problem.mine is soon as you press on trhottle the qaud will just spin.any help with this.

 

[sledge57]

First be sure your R/C is set to Plane, not heli...
Marc

THIS above all else is the first place to start

 

[econfly]

More on the heli vs plane radio issue:

Most radios out there are legacy items with a deep history in RC airplane and helicopter use. All sorts of odd items and settings on your radio are aimed at flight control and stabilization -- something that is almost completely unnecessary with modern flight controllers and multirotors. Much of this legacy flight control in radios either mixes channels or switches modes of operation. So a default setup might actually give you all sorts of weird behavior based on positions of switches you don't even use.

So, the starting point is to pick airplane mode instead of heli. This is not a guarantee that oddities won't remain, but it's a good start given that airplane mode in most radios has a less complex initial setup. You can pick heli if you want, but likely will have more items to fix or turn off as a result.

Next, check the channel outputs carefully. How one does this is dependent on the radio and the flight controller. A Futaba T14, for example, will show you channel outputs on the screen. Or, a DJI flight controller will show channel inputs in the assistant software. Be certain that moving the T-R / A-E sticks results in the channel output you want (i.e., moving throttle does not result in some other channel moving as well). Confirm switch positions and function. Just check everything to be sure the signal you want the radio to send is the signal that is sent and nothing more.

Radios will have different ways to fix any issues that arise. Back to my Futaba example, the places to look for things you don't want happening includes things like program mixes, mode switching (idle up, etc.), throttle curves and mixes, etc. Know the radio and everything it can do. Then, for just about every multirotor use these days, turn off all but basic function. This goes for trims too. Unless you plan to fly full-manual any non-zero trims almost certainly will result in something you don't want.

 

[BeamHangar]

If you still haven't sorted your 'flip/drift' issues, also have a look at all your trims & sub-trims and make sure on the set up that all of these are centered....
Hope this tit-bit may be of help also.

BH

 

[fengshuidrone]

I second what BeamHanger says. If you don't know how there are a ton of YouTube videos about it. I fly my Multiwii Pro2 Fc quad with a Turnigy 9x set to mode 2 and heli and it flies great. You just need to know how to set it up.