A SK450 Dead Cat Quadcopter To Call Your Own

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Bio: Hello,mynameisToglefritz.Thats
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(http://cdn.instructables.com/F0S/2AQR/HUHT1ONZ/F0S2AQRHUHT1ONZ.LARGE.jpg)
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(/id/TuscanSoupintimefor
Beforewegetstarted,IjustwanttotakethefirstsentenceofthisInstructableto
letyouknowthattherearenodeadcatsinvolvedinmakingthequadcopter
describedintheforthcomingsteps.ThereasonthetitleofthisInstructable
containsthe"SK450DeadCat"bitisbecausethatisthenameoftheframewe
willusetoconstructthequadcoptermoreonthatlater.Theframedesignwas
inspiredbyaquadcopterbuiltbyBartJansen(https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=0kSYhhilorA),aDutchartist,thatfeaturedthetaxidermiedbodyofhispetcat,
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FVI/N3XD/HSVTB1GN/FVIN3XDHSVTB1GN.LARGE.jpg)
Orville,asamajorstructuralcomponent.Wewillnotbeusingdeadanimalsas
partofourquadcopterinthisInstructablethough.
Winter)
Tags:
quadcopter(/tag/typeid/category
technology/keywordquadcopter/)
multirotor(/tag/typeid/categorytechnology/keyword
multirotor/)
remotecontrol(/tag/typeid/category
technology/keywordremote+control/)
aerialphotographymultirotors(/tag/typeid/category
ThisInstructablewillshowyouhowtobuildyourvery
ownquadcopterspecificallydesignedforaerial
photography/videography.Hereyouwillalsofind
theoreticaldiscussions,tips,tricks,andotherresources
thatIhopewillgetyouwellonyourwaytobecominga
quadcopterexpert.
Inspiration
technology/keywordaerial+photography+multirotors/)
quadrocopter(/tag/typeid/category
technology/keywordquadrocopter/)
drone(/tag/typeid/categorytechnology/keyword
drone/)
Related
QuadcopterHACK!
[Designandprintyour
PropellerGuard]
Askjustaboutanyquadcopterpilotwhytheybecameinterestedinquadcopters
andyouwillalmostcertainlyhearhowtheywerefascinatedbythegracewith
whichquadcoptersfly,orthebeautyintheirmechanicalsimplicity,ortheir
usefulnessasaartisticplatform.Well,Iamnotgoingtodeviatefromthiscliche
heresincethefirsttimeIsawaquadcopterinflight,Iwashooked,andIknewI
hadtotrybuildingoneformyself.Thereissomethingviscerallysatisfyingabout
seeingacraftyoupainstakinglyresearched,assembled,andprogrammedtake
totheair.Attachacameratoyourquadcopter(aswewilldointhistutorial)and
youcanseetheworldfromaperspectivenormallyreservedforbirds.Iamsorry
ifthisisallgettingabitstarryeyed,butItrulythinkquadcoptersarebeautiful
crafts,andIthinkyouwillagreeafterbuildingyourown.Let'sgettoit.
CraftDesign
Let'sbeginbytakingamomenttodiscussthedesignofthequadcopterwewill
bebuildinginthisInstructablebecauseitisabitdifferentthanthedesignof
traditionalquadcopters.Normally,aquadcopter,which,bytheway,isa
multirotoraircraftwithfourrotors,hasacentralbodywithfourequallyspaced
armsextendingoutwards.Eacharmisoffsetby90ofromitsneighbors.Inother
words,thecraftisshapedlikeaperfectsquare.
Thedifferencebetweenthistraditionaldesignandtheonewewillbebuildingin
thisInstructableisthatthefrontarmsonourSK450DeadCatquadcopterare
angledmoretowardsthebackofthecraft.Seethediagramonthisstepfor
clarification.Byanglingthefrontarmsbackabit,wecanmakesurethat,whena
cameraismountedonthefrontofthecraft,therotorsstayoutofshot,producing
bettervideos.
InstructableTableofContents
1. Parts
2. AttachArmstoTopBodyPlate
3. AttachBottomBodyPlate
4. AttachCameraMountStruts
5. AttachLandingFeet
6. MountMotors
7. SolderBatteryConnectortoQBrain
8. MountQBrain
9. MountFlightController
10. MountFlightControllerAssemblytoQuadcopterBody
11. MountRadioReceiver
12. ConnectRadioReceivertoFlightController
13. BindRadioReceivertoRadioTransmitter
14. ProgramQBrain
15. ConnectMotorstoQBrain
16. ConnectQBraintoFlightController
17. CalibrateThrottleLimits
18. MixerEditor
19. PIRollandPitch
20. SelfLevelSettings
21. ReceiverTest
22. SensorTest
23. ACCCalibration
24. BalanceQuadcopter
25. BalanceProps
26. AttachthePropstotheMotors
27. TuningyourQuadcopter
28. Congratulations
FirstFlight
AfterIbuiltmyquadcopterandwaitedmonthsforthisyear'sparticularlylong
andseverewintertoend,ItookmySK450DeadCatoutinthebackyardfora
testflight.MyfirstdayofflyingwasfairlysuccessfulIdidsomemaneuvering,
somehighaltitudeflying,andcapturedsomeprettycoolfootage(seebelow).
Unfortunately,thedayendedwithapropellerembeddedinthegroundandone
ofthequadcopter'sarmssnappedinhalf.SoIneedtoeffectsomerepairson
thecraftanddosomemoretuning,atopicwhichwewillcoverinthe27thstepof
thisInstructable.
Whenyoufirststartflyingquadcopters,youwillcrashalotsojustbeprepared
forthatemotionallyandwithspareparts.
(http://www.instructables.com/id/Quadcopter
GameofDronesIfitflies,
itfights!
(http://www.instructables.com/id/Game
ofDronesIfitfliesit
fights/?
IndestructibleDronesFor
DummiesThekeytoReal
stableflights
(http://www.instructables.com/id/SUPER
STABLEMULTIROTOR
QuadcopterSpyPlane
(http://www.instructables.com/id/Quadcopter
SpyPlane/?
li_source=pm&li_medium=related
instructables&li_campaign=related_test)
CustomFoldingH
Quadcopter
(http://www.instructables.com/id/Custom
FoldingHQuadcopter/?
li_source=pm&li_medium=related
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Step1:Parts
TomakeyourveryownSK450DeadCatquadcopter,youaregoingtoneedto
ordersomeparts,quiteafewpartsinfact.BeforeIlistthepartsusedinthis
tutorial,IjustwantedtomakeanoteaboutthesupplierIchosewhenpurchasing
components.Iorderedallofthecomponentsusedinthistutorialfrom
HobbyKing.HobbyKingisanonlineretailerofawiderangeofhobbyparts,
includingpartsforbuildingmultirotoraircraft.ThereasonIchosetoorder
componentsfromHobbyKingis,quitesimply,becausetheirpricesareverylow.
Now,IdonotintendthispagetobeareviewofHobbyKing,orofanyofthe
productslisted,butIjustwantedtonotethatthetradeoffforHobbyKingslow
pricesisslowshippingspeedsandnonexistentcustomerservice.Thislast
pointisprobablythebiggestdrawbacktousingHobbyKing,theircustomer
serviceisabsolutelypathetic.Ifyoudon'twanttouseHobbyKing,youcan
usuallyfindthepartsyouneedfromsellersonebay.
YouwillneedthematerialsinthetablebelowtoconstructtheSK450DeadCat
quadcopterinthistutorialbytheway,thatnamewillmakemoresenseafter
youreadthelist.Iincludedsomenotesabouteachcomponentbelowthetable.
Thenotesarenumberedandcorrespondtothenumbersintheleftcolumnof
thetable.OnelastdetailandthenIpromisewewillgettothepartslist.
HobbyKinghaswarehouseslocatedinmanycountries,withtheirmain
warehouselocatedinHongKong.Ifoundthatorderingallofmyquadcopter
partsfromtheHongKong(international)warehouseledtoextremelyhigh
shippingcosts(forme$114).So,afteralotofexperimentation,IfoundthatI
couldminimizeshippingcostsbyorderingsomecomponentsfromthe
internationalwarehouse,andsomepartsfromtheU.S.A.warehouse.Iincluded
acolumninthetablethattellsfromwhichwarehouseIorderedeach
component.
SK450DeadCatQuadcopterParts
Part
Number
Part
HobbykingSK450GlassFiberQuadcopter
Frame450mm
U.S.A.
DeadCatConversionKitforSK450
QuadcopterFrame
U.S.A.
Turnigy2200mAh3S20CLipoPack
U.S.A.
Quantity Country
Link
HobbyKing
260000001
(http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?
idproduct=36709&aff=1276085)
HobbyKing
9171000113
HobbyKing
T2200.3S.20
TurnigyAccucel650W6A
QBrain4x20ABrushlessQuadcopterESC
TurnigyMultistar2213980Kv14PoleMulti
RotorOutrunner
10x4.5SFProps2pcStandardRotation/2pc
RHRotation
HobbykingKK2.1MultirotorLCDFlight
ControlBoard
(http://blacktieaerial.com/2014/07/26/product
reviewkk21flightcontroller/)
Turnigy6XFHSS2.4ghzTransmitterand
Receiver*
10
TurnigyBESCProgrammingCard
11
10CMMaletoMaleServoLead
HobbyKing
ACC6
U.S.A.
HobbyKing
9020000001
U.S.A.
HobbyKing
91920001150
International
HobbyKing
017000064
International
HobbyKing
91710003340
International
HobbyKing
9255000014
International
HobbyKing
TR_PC
International
HobbyKing
258000011
International
*TheTurnigy6Xisasixchanneltransmitter,whichmeansithasplentyof
channelsforcontrollingabasicquadcopter,however,if,andthisisabitofa
complextopicforthisfirststepofthetutorial,youwishtoputacameragimbal
onyourquadcopter,youmightwanttoupgradetotheTurnigy9X,whichhas
threeadditionalchannelswhichcanbeusedtocontrolthegimbalmotors.
Thetotalpriceforthepartsthemselves(notincludingshipping)
isintherangeof$250.
PartsNotes
1. TheSK450framekitcontainsthearms,motormountingplates,flight
controllermountingplate,andhardwareforthequadcopterframe.
2. TheDeadCatconversionkitisnamedafteraquadcoptercreatedbyDutch
artist,BartJansen,whichusedhisdeceased,taxidermiedpetcat,Orville,as
amajorframecomponent.IfindJansenscraftdistinctlydisturbing,butIdo
admirehisundeniablecreativity.Thekitmodifiesthecenterpartofthe
quadcopterbodytomakemountingacameraeasier.
3. TheTurnigy2200mAhlithiumpolymerbatteryisthepowersourceforthe
quadcopter.Youonlyneedonebatteryforyourquadcopter,however,I
recommendbuyingasecondonesothatinthefield,youcanquicklyswap
outthefirstbatteryafteritgoesflatandcontinueflying.Dependinguponthe
payloadIputonthemyquadcopter,andhowaggressivelyIfly,Iget
anywherefromfivetotenminutesofflighttimeonacharge.Thismightnot
soundlikealotoftime,butitactuallyfeelslikeplentyoftimewhenyouare
flying.Nowyoucouldbuyabatterywithmorecapacity,butbatteriesget
rapidlymoreexpensivewithincreasingcapacityandtheyalsogetheavier.
4. TheAccucel6isthechargerforthebattery.Notethatyouwillneeda12V
powersourcewithabarreljackconnectortopowerthecharger.
Unfortunately,IdontthinkHobbyKingsellsone,butyoucanpickoneup
fromanyelectronicsretailer.Youcanactuallyalsouseyourcarbatteryasa
powersourceforthechargerusingtheincludedalligatorclipconnectors.
5. TheQBrainisthecomponentthattakescommandsfromtheflightcontroller
(whichinturntakescommandsfromyou)andfromthosecommands
controlsthequadcoptersfourmotors.TheQBraincombinesfourelectronic
speedcontrollers(ESCs)intoonepackage,whichmakesforacleaner
quadcoptersetup.
6. TheTurnigyMultistar2213980Kv14PoleMultiRotorOutrunnerarethe
motorswelluseinthistutorial.Nowwhenitcomestochoosingmotorsfor
yourquadcopter,youhaveanearinfinitenumberofchoicesandIdontwant
tomakethisstepanylongerthanitalreadyis.Thereisplentyofother
informationaroundtheinternetaboutchoosingmotorsthough.
7. The10x4.5propsarepoweredbythemotorsandprovidetheliftforour
quadcopter.Choosingprops,likechoosingESCsandmotors,isa
complicateddecisionmakingprocessbutitisagainonethatiscoveredin
detailbyotherwriters.Theseparticularpropscomeinpacksoffoursoyou
willonlyneedone.However,propsarealwaysthefirstthingstobreakina
crash,andsinceyouwillinevitablycrash(sorry,itstrue),youshouldgraba
fewextrasets.
8. TheHobbyKingKK2.1flightcontrollerisresponsibleforreceivingcommands
fromthepilot,monitoringdatafromitsonboardsensors,doingcalculations
basedonthosecommandsandthatsensordata,andthenthenissuing
commandstotheESCtocontrolthemotorstomovethequadcopter.The
HobbyKingKK2.1isafantasticflightcontrollerbutitdoeshaveasteep
learningcurve.TheKK2.1featuresanonboardLCDscreenforitsuser
interface,meaningthatprogrammingtheflightcontrollerisextremelyeasy
anddoesnotrequirealaptoporspecializedsoftware.Youwillhavetodoa
lotofresearchtounderstandthedifferentsettings,butonceyoudo,itis
triviallyeasytochangesettingsinthefieldifyouhaveto.PlustheKK2.1is
extremelyaffordable.
9. TheTurnigy6Xisasixchannelradiotransmitter.Thetransmitterfeatures
twocontrolsticksthatcanmoveintwodirectionseach,plustwotoggle
switches.Thetransmittercomeswithacompatiblereceiver.Youwillneed
fourAAbatteriesforthecontrollerandyoumightwanttogetalanyardso
youcanhangthetransmitteraroundyourneck,whichmakesiteasierto
controlsinceyourhandscanconcentrateonmovingthesticksinsteadof
supportingtheweightofthetransmitter.
10. TheTurnigyBESCProgrammingCardisusedtoprogramtheQBrain.
11. Thesethreewireservoconnectorsareusedtoconnecttheradioreceiverto
theKK2.1flightcontroller.
Step2:AttachArmstoTopBodyPlate
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FPX/86EA/HSRZJHP1/FPX86EAHSRZJHP1.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FKZ/CV1U/HSRZJHR1/FKZCV1UHSRZJHR1.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FP5/A3B4/HSRZJHRR/FP5A3B4HSRZJHRR.LARGE.jpg)
Inthisstep,wewillattachtheSK450armstotheDeadCattopbody
plate.
Alright,nowthatyou'veorderedallofyourquadcopterpartsandenduredthe
excruciatingwaitfortheirarrivalinthemail,wecanstartassemblingthe
quadcopter.Sotokickoffthebuildprocess,wewillattachthefourSK450arms
totheDeadCattopbodyplate.Forthisstepyouwillneed:
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FZQ/SB9F/HSRZJHSG/FZQSB9FHSRZJHSG.LARGE.jpg)
TheSK450DeadCattopbodyplate
AllfourSK450arms
Sixteensmallhexscrews
ThreadLock
EachofthefourSK450armshasfourscrewholes.Foreachofthearms,lineup
thesefourholeswiththeholesinthetopbodyplate.Then,applyasmalldotof
threadlocktoeachofthescrews,threadthemthroughtheholesinthetopbody
plateandintotheholesinthearms.Tightenthescrewsuntiltheyarequite
snug,butbecarefulnottotightenthemsomuchthattheycrackthebodyplate
orstripthethreadsinthearms.Thethreadlockshoulddoafinejobpreventing
thescrewsfromlooseningwhensubjectedtothevibrationsproducedbythe
quadcoptersrotorsduringflight.
Step3:AttachBottomBodyPlate
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FPD/R3TS/HSTP1P0U/FPDR3TSHSTP1P0U.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F89/R94B/HSTP1P10/F89R94BHSTP1P10.LARGE.jpg)
Inthisstep,wewillattachtheDeadCatbottombodyplatetothe
SK450armswhichare,inturn,attachedtotheDeadCattopbody
plate.
Withthetopbodyplateattachedtothearms,nowwecanattachthebottom
bodyplate.Wewillneed:
TheSK450DeadCatbottombodyplate
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FYY/ZJQ4/HSTP1P1S/FYYZJQ4HSTP1P1S.LARGE.jpg)
Eightsmallhexscrews
ThreadLock
WhereastherearefourscrewholesonthetopoftheSK450arms,thereare
onlytwoonthebottomlineuptheholesinthebottombodyplatewiththosein
thearms.Then,applyasmalldotofthreadlocktoeachofthescrewslike
beforeandscrewthemintotheSK450arms.Again,thescrewsshouldbesnug,
butbecarefulnottobreakanythingbytorquingthemdowntoohard.
Step4:AttachCameraMountStruts
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FYI/8Y82/HSTP1P6K/FYI8Y82HSTP1P6K.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FEB/1MLE/HSTP1PB8/FEB1MLEHSTP1PB8.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FDL/NOYF/HSTP1P9A/FDLNOYFHSTP1P9A.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FTJ/AD9U/HSTP1P72/FTJAD9UHSTP1P72.LARGE.jpg)
Thecameramountstrutsarereinforcementbeamsusedtolimitthe
amountofflextheDeadCatbottombodyplatewillexperienceunder
theweightofacamera.Inthisstepwewilladdthesecameramount
strutstothequadcopter.
OnthefrontoftheSK450DeadCatbottomplate,thereisakindofshelfthat
holdsacameraforaerialphotography,videography,orFPV(oritcanholda
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FZS/LJE4/HSTP1PB5/FZSLJE4HSTP1PB5.LARGE.jpg)
cameragimbal).Thisshelfisabitofacantileverthough,sotomakesureitdoes
notflextoomuchundertheweightofanattachedcamera,andalsotoprevent
theshelffrombouncingandmessingupyourvideo.Wewillnowaddtwostruts
toprovidesupportfortheshelf.
Thestrutsthemselvescomeinthreeparts:ametalrodthreadedatbothends,
andtwouniversaljointpieces.Toassemblethestruts,screwauniversaljoint
pieceontoeachendofeachthreadedrod.Adjusttheuniversaljointpiecesso
thattheyareparallel.
ThetwostrutsmountontotheSK450framewithtwoballjointseach.Wewill
attachthestrutsfirsttotheSK450topplate,andthentothecamerashelfonthe
bottomplate.First,pickuponethestrutsyouassembledandoneoftheball
joints.Putthethreadedendoftheballjointthroughtheuniversaljointonone
endofthestrut.Then,putthethreadedendoftheballjointupthroughoneof
theholesinthetopbodyplate.Finally,placeadotofthreadlockontotheball
jointscrewandscrewanutontotheballjointtoholditinplace.Ifyouareabit
confusedatthispoint,takealookattheimagesonthisstepforclarificationthis
stepisnotascomplexasitsounds.Repeatthisprocesswiththeotherstrut.
AtthispointyoushouldhavethetwostrutsattachedtotheSK450topbody
plate.Nowwewillattachtheotherendsofthestrutstothecamerashelf.First
though,youwillneedtoadjustthelengthofthestrutsbyscrewingdownor
looseningtheuniversaljoints.Youwantthestrutstobefairlytightsothatthe
camerashelfcanonlybendatinybitbeforerunningoutofslackandbeingheld
inplacenicelybythestruts.
Likebefore,insertthethreadedendoftheballjointthroughtheuniversaljoint
onthestrut,anddownthroughtheholeinthecamerashelf.Then,depositabit
ofthreadlockontotheballjointthreadsandscrewonanut.Repeatwiththe
otherstrutandyouarefinallydonewiththisstep.
Step5:AttachLandingFeet
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FTS/U8F1/HSTP1PCL/FTSU8F1HSTP1PCL.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FHA/Q0R3/HSTP1PCN/FHAQ0R3HSTP1PCN.LARGE.jpg)
TheSK450DeadCatlandingfeetholdthequadcopteracouples
inchesabovewhateversurfaceitlandson.Inthisstepwewillmount
thelandingfeettotheendsoftheSK450arms.
ThelaststepinassemblingtheSK450DeadCatquadcopterframeistoaddthe
landingfeet.Gathertogether:
Allfourlandingfeetpieces
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F6U/VI6E/HSTP1PCQ/F6UVI6EHSTP1PCQ.LARGE.jpg)
Eightsmallhexscrews
Threadlock
WewillattachonelandingfoottotheendofeachSK450arm.Noticethatthe
landingfeethavetwoscrewholesononesite,andjustonescrewholeonthe
otherside.Thesidewithtwoholesgoesclosertothequadcopterbody.
Now,thereareatotalofthreescrewholesoneachlandingfood.However,you
willonlybeabletoscrewintwoscrewsbecausethemiddleholeistoodeepfor
thescrewtofit.Iamnotsurewhythelandingfeetaredesignedthisway.
Anyway,applyadabofthreadlocktoeachofthescrewsandscrewdownthe
landingfeet.Asalways,getthescrewsniceandsnug,butkeepinmindthatthe
landingfeetaremadefromplastic,sodontgocrazy.
NowbythispointyoushouldhavetheentireSK450frameassembledminusthe
motormountplates.
Step6:MountMotors
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FOX/LR2W/HSTP1PJ1/FOXLR2WHSTP1PJ1.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FSL/ODNY/HSTP1PJ8/FSLODNYHSTP1PJ8.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F3I/YXS7/HSVTB0ZG/F3IYXS7HSVTB0ZG.LARGE.jpg)
ShowAll7Items
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F3Y/1U1V/HSTP1PJD/F3Y1U1VHSTP1PJD.LARGE.jpg)
Inthisstepwewillattachthequadcoptersfourmotorstothemotor
mountingplateswhich,inturn,wewillconnecttotheSK450arms.
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F5R/T20C/HSTP1PJJ/F5RT20CHSTP1PJJ.LARGE.jpg)
Bythispoint,youshouldhaveyourSK450DeadCatquadcopterframemostly
assembled.Theonlyframepartsyettobeattachedarethemotormountsthats
becauseweneedtoattachthemotorstothemotormountsbeforeattachingthe
motormountstotheSK450frame.Theentireprocesswillinvolvethreesteps:
attachthepropadapterstothemotors,attachthemotorstothemotormounts,
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FPC/MWTE/HSTP1PJT/FPCMWTEHSTP1PJT.LARGE.jpg)
andattachthemotormountstotheSK450frame.
Sofirstwewillattachthepropadapterstothetopsofthemotors.Theprop
adaptersareusedtoaffixthepropstothemotors.Beginbyremovingthenuts
andmetalplatesfromeachofthepropadapters.Then,usethreeofthesmaller,
hexheadscrewstoattacheachpropadaptertothetopofamotor.Then,finally,
replacethemetalplateandnut.Notethatwewillwaituntillatertoattachthe
props.
IfImaydigress,thisactuallybringsupthemostimportantsafetyruleforworking
withquadcoptersoranyothermultirotoraircraft.Never,ever,everworkon
yourquadcopterwhilethepropsareinplaceandthebatteryisattached.
Whilethemotorsareatspeedthepropsarejustlikebladesandcancause
horrificinjurieswhentheyhitflesh.Iamnotgoingtopostanyimageshere
becausetheycanbeverygraphicbutifyouhaveastrongstomachyoucanfind
plentywithasimpleimagesearch.Alwaysremoveyourbatteryand/orprops
beforedoinganyworkonyourquadcopter.
Backtothetaskathand.Nowthatthepropadaptersareinplaceonthetopsof
themotors,wewillattachthemotorstotheSK450framesmotormounting
plates.Ifyoulookatthebottomofthemotors,youwillseefourscrewholesand
abigholeinthemiddlethroughwhichthemotorshaftisvisible.Now,ifyoushift
yourgazetothemotormounts,youwillseethesamearrangementoffourscrew
holessurroundingalargerholeinthemiddle.Themountingholesonthebottom
ofthemotorsarenotsymmetrical,soyouwillneedtorotatethemotormounting
platesuntiltheholeslineup.UsethePhilipsscrewsincludedwiththemotorsto
affixthemotormountingplatestothebottomofthemotors.
Nowforthelaststep,attachingthemotormounts(nowwiththemotors
attached)totheSK450DeadCatframe.Therearesixholesaroundtheedgeof
eachmotormount,butwewillonlybeusingfourbecausetheothertwoare
occupiedbyscrewsholdingonthelandingfeet.Youwillprobablywanttoorient
eachmotorsothatthewireleadspointdownthequadcopterarm.Downthe
roadwewillworkonfasteningalltheloosewirestotheframe.Withthemotor
orientedproperlyandthescrewholeslinedup,applyadabofthreadlockto
eachscrewandproceedtoattacheachmotormounttotheSK450frame.
Step7:SolderBatteryConnectortoQBrain
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F4S/SIES/HSVT9XXT/F4SSIESHSVT9XXT.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FPP/U09Y/HSVT9XYA/FPPU09YHSVT9XYA.LARGE.jpg)
Inordertoconnectthebatterytothequadcopterselectronicssystem,
wewillneedtosolderabatteryconnectortotheQBrainfourinone
ESC.Inthisstepwelldojustthat.
Inthenextstep,wewillattachtheQBrainfourinoneESCtothequadcopter
frame.But,beforewecandothat,wewilljustneedtosolderabatteryconnector
tothebatteryleadsoftheQBrain.
So,whileyoursolderingironisheatingup,youwillneedtodeterminethe
orientationoftheplug.Inotherwords,sincetheplugispolarized(itwillonly
workinonedirection)youneedtoknowwhichwireattachestowhichplugpole.
Thebatteryplugswhich,bytheway,arecalledXT60plugsareshapedlike
arrows,withaflatendandapointyend.TheredwirefromtheQBrainshould
besolderedtotheflatendoftheplugandtheblackwireshouldbesolderedto
thepointyside.
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F59/UJ83/HSVT9XYG/F59UJ83HSVT9XYG.LARGE.jpg)
Nowtotheactualsolderingprocess.First,slipapieceofshrinktubingover
eachoftheQBrainsbatteryleads.Then,usingcarebecausesolderingirons
areobviouslyveryhot,soldertheQBrainbatteryleadstotheXT60pluginthe
ordermentionedabove.Then,aftergivingthesolderacoupleminutestocool,
slipthesectionsofshrinktubingoverthesolderconnections.Finally,apply
someheat,withaheatgun,oralighter,orevenamatch,totheshrinktubingto
finishthebatteryconnection.
Step8:MountQBrain
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FOD/C046/HSVT9Y1I/FODC046HSVT9Y1I.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FEK/GNN6/HSVT9Y28/FEKGNN6HSVT9Y28.LARGE.jpg)
Inthisstep,wewillmounttheQBrainfourinoneESCtothe
quadcopterframeanddosomeminorwirerouting.
TheQBrainisnowreadytobeattachedtothequadcopter.Wewillbemounting
theQBrainbetweenthetopandbottomDeadCatbodyplates.Thispositionwill
allowthemotorleadstobeeasilyrouteddowntheundersideofthequadcopter
arms,thebatteryleadtoberoutedtowardsthebackofthequadcopter,andthe
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FM2/79S5/HSVT9Y35/FM279S5HSVT9Y35.LARGE.jpg)
controlleadstoberoutedupthroughthetopbodyplatetotheflightcontroller
(whichwewillmountinthenextstep).Itisabittrickytodescribethemounting
positionoftheQBraininwords,sodefinitelycheckoutthepicturesbelow.The
workofactuallyattachingtheQBrainisdonewithziptiesasshowninthe
picturessincetheQBrainlacksanykindofmountingbracketsorholes.
AfteryouaredonefasteningdowntheQBrain,wewilldoatinybitofwire
routing.IfyoulookattheSK450armsatthepointwherethearmsmeetthe
bottombodyplate,youwillnoticeasmallkindofarchwayopening.Eachofthe
motorsarepoweredbythreeleadsfromtheQBrain.So,simplystickeachset
ofthreewiresfromtheQBrainthroughthearchwayontheclosestarm.
Step9:MountFlightController
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FFF/57CZ/HSVT9Y7Q/FFF57CZHSVT9Y7Q.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FDX/09UH/HSVT9Y7A/FDX09UHHSVT9Y7A.LARGE.jpg)
Inthisstep,wewillmounttheKK2.1flightcontrollertotheflight
controllermountingplatewhichlaterwewillattachtothequadcopter
body.
IfyourememberbackwhenyouunpackedyourSK450framefromthebox,
therewerethreesmallbodyplatesthatwehavenotmadeuseofyet.Wellone
thirdofthatisabouttochange.TheHobbyKingKK2.1flightcontrollerwillbe
mountedontotherectangularplatewithradialspokesaroundacentralhole.So
grabthatpiecealongwiththeKK2.1flightcontrolboard,andthefourwhite
nylonspacers,screws,andnuts.
First,locatethefourmountingholesonthefourcornersoftheflightcontrol
board.Usingthenylonscrews,attachanylonspacertoeachcorner.Then,stick
thethreadedpartsofthenylonspacersthroughtheslotsinthemountingplate
sothatthebuttonsontheflightcontrolboardfaceoneofthenarrowendsofthe
plate.Finally,screwthenylonnutsontothethreadedpartsofthenylonspacers
onthebottomofthemountingplate.
Step10:MountFlightControllerAssemblytoQuadcopter
Body
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FPW/2E4A/HSVT9YFL/FPW2E4AHSVT9YFL.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F1J/4QW4/HSVT9YG9/F1J4QW4HSVT9YG9.LARGE.jpg)
WiththeKK2.1flightcontrollermountedtotheflightcontroller
mountingplate,wewillnowattachthatplatetotheSK450DeadCat
quadcopterbody.
NowthatwehavetheKK2.1flightcontrollerattachedtothemountingplate,we
canattachtheentireassemblytotheSK450body.Wewillattachthemounting
platetothefourblacknylonstandoffsweinstalledonthetopbodyplateawhile
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FQD/3WD8/HSVT9YGZ/FQD3WD8HSVT9YGZ.LARGE.jpg)
back.TheorientationoftheKK2.1flightcontrolboardwithrespecttothe
quadcopterisveryimportantthough.ThebuttonsontheKK2.1boardmustbe
mountedtotherearofthequadcopterframeinorderfortheKK2.1toget
accuratereadingsfromitsonboardsensors.
So,positionthemountingplatesothatthebuttonsontheKK2.1aretowardsthe
backofthecraft.Then,usingthefourblacknylonscrews,attachthemounting
platetothequadcopter.Getthescrewssnug,butdonttightenthemtoohard,
theyarejustplasticafterall.
Step11:MountRadioReceiver
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F5E/5TBE/HSVT9YKB/F5E5TBEHSVT9YKB.LARGE.jpg)
Inthisstepwewillmounttheradioreceivertothequadcopterbody.
Nextonourlistofstufftomountistheradioreceivermodule.Sincethewireswe
willusetoconnecttheradioreceivertotheflightcontroller(inthenextstep)are
fairlyshort,wewillmounttheradioreceiverrightnexttothemountingplateon
whichwemountedtheflightcontroller.
Specifically,wewillmounttheradioreceiverontothetopbodyplatejustinfront
oftheflightcontrollerassembly.Ifyoulookatthisarea,youwillseetwolarge
holesinthetopbodyplate.Positiontheradioreceiverbetweenthesetwoholes
andslideitpartiallyunderneaththeflightcontrollermountingplatesothatthe
radioreceiverpinsareaccessiblethroughthehorizontalslotonthefrontofthe
flightcontrollermountingplate.Fastentheradioreceiverdownwithaziptie.
Theradioantennawillbedanglingoutthefrontofthequadcopter.Thismightbe
problematicthoughsinceitcouldtheoreticallyfinditswayintooneoftheprops.
So,juststicktheantennadownthroughoneoftheholesinthetopbodyplate
nexttotheflightcontrollermountingplate.Then,threadittherestoftheway
throughthequadcopterbysimplystickingitdownthroughoneoftheholesinthe
bottombodyplate.Theantennashouldendupstickingoutthebottomofthe
craftwherewecanberelativelycertainitwillnotencounteranyinterference
fromanyoftheotherelectricalcomponents.
Step12:ConnectRadioReceivertoFlightController
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FKT/G4IO/HSVT9YNP/FKTG4IOHSVT9YNP.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FBU/9FOO/HSVT9YNV/FBU9FOOHSVT9YNV.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FHN/XBT7/HSVT9YR1/FHNXBT7HSVT9YR1.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F5X/SCGV/HSVT9YQK/F5XSCGVHSVT9YQK.LARGE.jpg)
Withboththeflightcontrollerandtheradioreceivermountedonthe
quadcopterbody,inthisstepwewillelectricallyconnecttheflight
controllerandradioreceiverusingthreewireservoconnectors.
Withtheflightcontrollerandradioreceiverbothattachedtothequadcopter,we
cannowconnectthemtogetherelectrically.
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F45/DYQ7/HSXOC5CA/F45DYQ7HSXOC5CA.LARGE.jpg)
Now,Iamgoingtotakeamomenttoexplaintheconnectionsontheradio
receiver,then,inthenextsection,IwillexplaintheconnectionsontheKK2.1,
andfinallyIwillexplainhowtoattachthetwo.
AbouttheRadioReceiverConnections
So,ifyoutakealookattheradioreceiver,youwillnoticethattheconnections
comeinsetsofthreepins.Thelabelonthetopofthereceivershowswhich
rowsbelongtowhichchannel.Eachchannelcorrespondstoadifferentaction
ontheradiotransmitter.Forexample,channelonereceivescommandswhen
youmovetherightstickleftandright,channeltworeceivescommandswhen
youmovetherightstickupanddown,etcetera
Eachofthethreepinsforeachchannelcarriesadifferentelectricalconnection.
Thereisatinylittlelegendunderneaththelabelforchannelonethatshows
whichpincarrieswhichsignal,butthislegendisdifficulttosee,soletmeputit
inwords:theoutsiderowofpinsisground,themiddlerowofpinsispower,and
theinnerrowofpinsissignal.
AbouttheKK2.1Connections
Nowthatyouunderstandtheconnectionsontheradioreceiver,directyour
attentiontotheflightcontrolboard.Lookingattheboardfromthebottom(button
side)youwillfindtheconnectionsfortheradioreceivertotheleftofthescreen.
Therearefiverowsofthreepins.Justlikeontheradioreceiver,eachrowof
threepinscorrespondstoadifferentradiotransmitterchannel.
ThechannelsontheKK2.1boardareabitmoredifficulttounderstandthanthe
onesontheradioreceiverthoughbecause,ifyoutakealookatthebottomof
theboard(youmightneedtopeekthroughaslotinthemountingplate),youwill
noticethattherowsarelabeledforairplanes,notforquadcopters.Startingwith
thetoprowofpins,theordergoesaileron,elevator,throttle,rudder,auxiliary.
Theselabelscorrespondtothevariouscontrolsurfaces(flaps)usedtocontrol
airplanesinflight.Sowewillneedtoformamentalmapofthewaythese
airplanecontrolscorrespondtoquadcoptercontrols.
Justlikeairplaneshavefourcontrolchannels,sotoodoquadcopters,butthe
terminologyusedforquadcoptercontrolisabitdifferent.Thefourcontrol
channelsareroll,pitch,yaw,andthrottle.TotranslatetheKK2.1receiver
connectionsfromairplaneterminologytoquadcopterterminology,wejustneed
tosubstitutetheairplanerelatedwordsforquadcopterrelatedwords:
aileronroll
elevatorpitch
rudderyaw
throttlethrottle(whichmeansaltitudeforquadcopters)
Thisterminologyisactuallyreallyimportant.Youshouldmakesuretomemorize
therelationshipbetweenairplanecontrolsandquadcoptercontrolsbecause
throughouttherestofthistutorialIwilloftenbeusingtheseterms
interchangeablyandthisisthesameformanyothersites.Itwillmakeyourlife
mucheasierifyoudonothavetocomebackheretolookattheabovechart
everytimeyouencounteroneofthesewords.
Theauxiliaryconnectionisthesameforairplanesandquadcopterssinceitis
justusedtocontrolotheraccessorieslikelightsortheautolevelingfeature.
ConnectingtheRadioReceivertotheFlightController
Armedwithyournewknowledgeoftheradioreceiverandflightcontrollerpin
layouts,wecannowconnectthetwopartstogether.Beforewebegin,thereis
justonemorepieceofinformationtoconsider:ontheradioreceiver,allofthe
groundandpowerpins(theoutsideandmiddlepins)areconnectedtogether.
Therefore,weonlyneedtoconnectonegroundpinandonepowerpintothe
KK2.1flightcontrolboard.Thepracticalupshotofthisisthatwewillonlyneed
threeservoleadstocompletealltheelectricalconnections.
First,plugoneoftheservoleadsacrossthethreepinsontheradioreceiverthat
correspondtochannelone.Orienttheplugsothatthebrownwireisonthe
outside.Then,plugtheotherendoftheservoleadintotheaileronplugonthe
KK2.1board,whichisthetopone.Thisplugshouldbeorientedwiththebrown
wireontheoutsidepin.Onmyquadcopter,Istuckthewireunderneaththeflight
controlboardjusttopreventthewirefromhangingoutinopenair.
Nowforthenextwire.Sincewevealreadyconnectedagroundandpowerwire
fromtheKK2.1boardtotheradioreceiver,wewillonlyneedasignalconnection
fortheremainingthreesignals.Conveniently,theservoleadshappentohave
threewires.So,connectthesecondservoleadgoingdowntherowofinside
pins(signalpins)withtheyellowwirepluggedintochanneltwo,theredwire
pluggedintochannelthree,andthebrownwirepluggedintochannelfour.Then,
plugtheotherendofthewireintothepinsclosesttothescreenontheKK2.1.
Theyellowwireshouldbeclosesttotheaileronplug.
Thereisonelastconnectiontomake,theconnectionfortheauxiliarychannel,
whichwewillusetoturnonandofftheselflevelingfeatureoftheKK2.1viathe
leftswitchontheradiotransmitter.Moreonthatlater,fornowconnectanother
servowire,thistimeacrosstheentirefifthrowofcolumnsontheradioreceiver.
ConnecttheotherendacrossthefifthrowofpinsontheKK2.1.
Step13:BindRadioReceivertoRadioTransmitter
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FS3/XLUF/HSVT9YRR/FS3XLUFHSVT9YRR.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F57/XD19/HSVT9YS7/F57XD19HSVT9YS7.LARGE.jpg)
Inorderfortheradioreceivertoprocesssignalsfromtheradio
transmitter,thetwodevicesneedtobepairedinaprocesscalled
binding.Inthisstep,wewillbindtheradioreceiverandtransmitter.
Theradioreceiverisnowelectricallyconnectedtotheflightcontroller,however,
inorderfortheradioreceivertoprocesssignalsfromtheradiotransmitterwe
mustvirtuallyconnectthetwoinaprocesscalledbinding.Bindingpairsthe
radioreceiverandradiotransmittersothatthedevicesrecognizeeachother
andareabletocommunicate.
First,turnonyourradiotransmitterandconnectyourbatterytothebattery
connectorwesolderedontotheQBrainawhileback.Withboththeradio
receiverandradiotransmitterturnedon,locatethebindbuttonontheradio
receiver.Thebindbuttonislocatedinthecorneroftheradioreceiverinthe
upperleftcornerofthelabel.
Presstheradioreceiverbindbuttonandkeepaneyeonthecolorofthelighton
theradioreceiver.Whenthelightturnsgreen,releasethebindbutton.Thelight
shouldnowstaygreentoindicatethattheradioreceiverandtransmitterhave
beensuccessfullypaired.Ifthelightontheradioreceiverflashesalternately
greenandred,thebindingprocessfailed,sojusttryagainanditshouldwork
fine.
Conveniently,bindingtheradiotransmitterandradioreceiverisaonetime
process.Fromnowon,unlessyoubindthereceivertoadifferenttransmitter,
thetwodeviceswillbeabletocommunicate.
Step14:ProgramQBrain
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FJN/IVKE/HSVTB0LX/FJNIVKEHSVTB0LX.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FLQ/V5KP/HSVTB0N0/FLQV5KPHSVTB0N0.LARGE.jpg)
ThereareanumberofQBrainsettingsweneedtoconfigurebefore
thequadcopterwillflyproperly.Inthisstep,wewilluseaBESC
programmingcardtoprogramtheQBrain.
BeforeweconnecttheQBraintotheflightcontroller,wewillneedtoprogram
theQBrain.ProgrammingtheQBrain,oranyESC,involvesadjustinganumber
ofsettingsrelatedtotheelectricalsystemandflightperformance.Toprogram
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FOW/CYZ7/HSVTB0NI/FOWCYZ7HSVTB0NI.LARGE.jpg)
theQBrain,wewillusetheBESCProgrammingCardandtheconnectionhub
thatcamewiththeQBrain.
First,ifyoutakealookattheQBrainconnectionhub,youwillnoticethatthere
arefourrowsofthreepinseach.NowifyoulookattheQBrain,youwillnotice
foursetsofcoloredwiresterminatedwiththreepinheaders.Wewilldiscuss
exactlywhateachofthesewiresisforinthenextstep,butfornow,justnote
thatamongthesecoloredwireconnectors,onlyoneactuallyhasthreewires
connectedtoit,ablackone,aredone,andawhiteone.Plugthisconnectorinto
thetoprowoftheconnectionhubwiththeblackwiretotheleftandwhitewireto
theright.Nowpluginalloftheremainingcoloredwireswiththewires
themselvesontherightsideoftheconnectionhub.
WithalltheQBraincontrolleadsconnectedtothehub,plugtheconnectionhub
wireintothetopoftheBESCProgrammingCardinthepositionmarkedBEC.
Noticethattherearethreepinsonthisconnector,labeledsignal,+,and.The
whitewirefromtheconnectionhubshouldbeconnectedtothesignalpin.
Finally,plugthebatteryintotheQBrainbatteryconnecterwesolderedon
earlier.
TheBESCProgrammingCardshouldnowlightupwithLEDsthatindicatethe
currentsettingsontheQBrain.EachrowoflightsrepresentsasettingontheQ
Brain:
1. Brake:on/off
Thebrakesettingdetermineshowthemotorsbehavewhenthethrottleisset
tozero.
a. On:Themotorsstopimmediatelywhenthethrottleissettozero.This
settingallowsthequadcoptertolosealtitudemorequickly,andcanalso
beveryusefulinpreventingdamageinanimpendingcrash,butadditional
powerisrequiredtostopthemotors,whichreducesbatterylife.
b. Off:Whenthethrottleissettozero,themotoscoasttoastopnaturally.
Thisactionrequiresnoadditionalpowerandsoitincreasesbatterylife,
butinanemergencysituationthepropsmaystillbespinningafterthe
throttleiszeroedout.
2. BatteryType:LixxorNixx
Thebatterytypesettingsimplyspecifiesthetypeofbatteryusedtopower
thequadcopter.
3. CutOffType:low/middle/high
Thecutofftypesettingspecifiesatwhichpoint,asthebatterydrainsand
startsoutputtinglessvoltage,thequadcopterwillcutpowertoprevent
damagefromalowvoltagecondition.
4. StartMode:normal/soft/verysoft
Thestartmodesettingdetermineshowquicklythemotorsacceleratefrom
stationaryduringtakeoff.Asettingofnormalmeansthequadcopterwillget
offthegroundveryquickly.Asettingofsoftorverysoftmeansthe
quadcopterwillgetoffthegroundmoreslowly,whichcanmakeformore
appealingvideos.
5. TimingMode:low/middle/fast
Thetimingmodesettingiscomplex,butitroughlyadjuststhespeedwith
whichtheESCcommunicateswiththemotors.Ingeneral,motorswitha
highernumberofpolesshouldusehighertimingmodes,andmotorswith
fewerpolesshoulduselowertimingmodes.
6. Music
ThemusicsettingcanbeusedtoplaymusicthroughyourESCsmy
adjustingthevibrationalfrequencyofthemotors.Ihavenoideawhythis
particularfeatureexists,butitisactuallyreallyfunandveryamusing.You
canusethemusicsettingtosetasongthatthequadcopterwillplayevery
timeyoustartitup.Tosetasong,selectthemusicsettingandusethe
left/rightkeys.Therearemanydifferentsongsthatarerepresentedby
differentcombinationsofLEDs.
7. GovernorMode:on/off
GovernormodebasicallydetermineshowtheQBrainwilladjustthelift
producedbyeachmotor.Withgovernormodeon,thespeedoftherotors
remainsconstantandliftisadjustedbyadjustingtheamountofpower
deliveredtothemotor.Withgovernormodeoff,theliftproducedbyeach
motorisadjustedbyadjustingtherotationalspeedofthemotor.
ForourSK450DeadCatquadcopter,Irecommendusingthefollowingsettings
whenyouarefirststartingtofly,particularlyifyouplantodoaerialphotography:
1. BrakeOff
2. BatteryTypeLixx
3. CutOffTypeLow
4. StartModeSoft
5. TimingModeMiddle
6. Music(feelfreetoexperiment)
7. GovernorModeOff
Step15:ConnectMotorstoQBrain
(/files/deriv/FOU/R0VD/HSVTB0T6/FOUR0VDHSVTB0T6.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FWP/QITX/HSVTB0U6/FWPQITXHSVTB0U6.LARGE.jpg)
Inthisstep,wewillconnectthemotorstotheQBrain.
NowthatwevefinishedprogrammingtheQBrain,wecanconnectthemotorsto
theQBrain.Beforestartingthisprocessthough,disconnectthebatteryandthe
BESCProgrammingCardfromtheQBrain.
EachofthefourmotorshavethreewireleadsandtheQBrainhasfoursetsof
threewireleads.Now,theorderinwhichyouconnectthesethreewiresis
importantbecauseitdeterminestherotationdirectionofthemotor.However,
thereisnoeasywaytotellwhichorderiscorrect.Sowewilljusthavetoguess.
Fornow,justconnectthethreemotorleadsfromeachmotortothethreewires
leadsfromeachsetfromtheQBrain.Inacoupleofsteps,wewilltestthe
rotationaldirectionofthemotors,and,ifnecessary,wewillreversethedirection
byswitchinganytwoofthemotorsleads.Butwearenotreadyforthatyet.
Atthispoint,youmayalsowanttodoalittlewirerouting.Somepeoplearemore
particularthanothersaboutexactlyhowmuchorganizationthequadcopters
wiringreallyneeds.I,forexample,likeallofmywirestobecompletelyfastened
down,whichyouwillprobablynoticeinthepictures.Butdoingextensivewire
routingcanbefrustratingandtimeconsuming,soifyoujustwanttogettoflying,
youcanminimizetheamountofroutingyoudo.
Step16:ConnectQBraintoFlightController
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FTZ/R40P/HSVTB0XP/FTZR40PHSVTB0XP.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FYV/D13R/HSVTB0XQ/FYVD13RHSVTB0XQ.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FZM/WYMS/HSVTB0XS/FZMWYMSHSVTB0XS.LARGE.jpg)
InthisstepwewillconnecttheQBraintotheflightcontrollersothat
theflightcontrollercanissuecommandstocontrolthemotors.
LetsnowconnecttheQBraintotheflightcontroller.Therearefourconnections
fromtheQBraintotheflightcontrollerthatallowtheKK2.1tocontrolthefour
motors.Tostarttheprocess,disconnectQBrainswiresfromtheconnection
hubwewereusingearlierandsettheconnectionhubaside.
Liketheconnectionsfortheradioreceiver,eachconnectionontheKK2.1forthe
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FDS/SQ5Z/HSVTB0XT/FDSSQ5ZHSVTB0XT.LARGE.jpg)
QBrainhasthreepins:agroundpin,apowerpin,andasignalpin.Alsolikethe
connectionsfortheradioreceiver,onlyonepowerandonegroundconnectionis
needed.Thatiswhy,ifyouexaminethecoloredwiresfromtheQBrain,youwill
noticethat,eventhougheachisconnectedtoathreepinfemaleconnector,only
oneactuallyhasthreewiresconnectedtoit,becauseonlyonegroundandone
powerconnectionisneeded.
Therearetwoproblemshowever.First,theorderofthemotorsaroundthe
quadcopterdoesnotmatchtheorderexpectedbytheKK2.1flightcontrolboard.
Fortunately,thisisaneasyproblemtofixwewilljustmodifytheorderinwhich
weplugtheQBrainsignalwiresintotheflightcontroller.Welldothatabitlater.
Thesecondproblemisabittrickiertosolve.Althoughthefactthatonlyoneof
thefourplugsincorporatespowerandgroundconnectionssaveswire,the
powerandgroundconnectionsareattachedtothewrongplug.TheKK2.1flight
controlleronlytakespowerthroughtheOutput1connection,sowewillneedto
makesurethatthepowerandgroundwiresplugintotheappropriatespots.
Letsfixthissecondproblemnow.Whatwearegoingtodoisdetachthepower
andgroundwiresfromtheMotor3plug,andreattachthemtotheMotor4plug
becausetheMotor4plugwillactuallygointotheOutput1spot.Moreonthat
later,fornow,justfollowtheseinstructions:
1. Thewiresareheldintotheplugsbyplasticclips.Usingaknifepoint,small
screwdriver,orothersmallpryinginstrument,pryuptheplasticclipabove
theblackgroundwire.Then,pullthewireout.
2. Usethesameproceduretoremovethemiddlewirefromtheplug.
3. PickuptheMotor4plug,whichistheonewiththebrownwireandslipthe
redpowerwireintothemiddleslot.
4. Sliptheblackgroundwireintothelastremainingslot,theoneoppositethe
whitewire.
Nowthatwevefixedthepowerandgroundconnections,wecanstart
connectingwires.OntheKK2.1,theoutside(farthestawayfromthescreen)
pinsareground,themiddlepinsarepower,andtheinteriorpinsaresignal.So,
startingfromthetoprowofpins,routethebrownwirethatwejustattachedthe
powerandgroundconnectionstothroughoneoftheholesinthetopbodyplate
andplugintheconnectorsothatthebrownwireplugsintotheinteriorpin.Next,
thewhitewireplugsintothethirdrowofpins,againwiththewireitselfonthe
interiorspot.Theyellowwirecomesnext,plugthatinaswell.Andfinally,plugin
theredwiretothefourthrow.
Step17:CalibrateThrottleLimits
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FHS/2R51/HUHT1OTA/FHS2R51HUHT1OTA.LARGE.jpg)
Inordertomakeallofthemotorsbehaveinthesamewaytoour
commands,weneedtocalibratetheQBrainsothatitknowsthe
maximumandminimumthrottlesignalsoutputbyourradio
transmitter.
WehavejustonemoretasktotakecareofbeforewearedonesettinguptheQ
Brain,andthatistocalibratethethrottlelimits.
Letmetakeamomenttoexplainwhatthatmeanswithabitofanexperiment.
Letsseewhathappensifwepretendthatweareabouttoflyourquadcopter
andweareliftingofftheground.Firstofall,connectthebatterytothe
quadcopterandturnonyourtransmitter.Beforewecanturnonthemotors,we
willneedtoarmtheKK2.1.Todothis,movetheleftstickfullydownandtothe
right.Now,withtheKK2.1armed,slowlyincreasethethrottle.
Youwillprobablynoticethatthefourmotorsdonotstartmovinginunisonand
theymaynotstartuntilyoumovethethrottlestickupquiteabit.Thisisthe
problemwearetryingtosolveinthisstep.TheQBraindoesnotknowthe
maximumandminimumthrottlesignalsoutputbyourtransmitter.
Sotoremedythisproblem,weneedtotelltheQBrainthemaximumand
minimumthrottlevaluesoutputbytheradiotransmitter.Afterwefinishthis
process,allthemotorsshouldstartturningatexactlythesametime,andthey
willalsoallrespondthesamewaytochangesinroll,pitch,andyaw.
LetsgetstartedbyunpluggingthetopQBrainconnectorfromtheKK2.1thisis
theonewiththreewires.Next,turnontheradiotransmitterandsetthethrottle
tomaximum,inotherwords,movetheleftsticktothetop.Thenplugthebattery
intothequadcopter.Hereiswherethingsgetatinybitcomplex.Holddownthe
twooutsidebuttonsontheKK2.1.Whileyouareholdingdownthebuttons,plug
backintheQBrainconnector,whichwillpoweruptheKK2.1.Listenfortwo
shortbeeps,andthen,whilecontinuingtoholddownthetwooutsidebuttonson
theKK2.1,movethethrottlesticktothebottom.Nowyoushouldhearalong
beep,whichmeansthatthethrottlecalibrationiscomplete.
WhenyoureleasetheKK2.1buttons,theflightcontrollerwillstartupinnormal
mode.Youcanverifythatthethrottlelimitcalibrationwasindeedasuccessby
repeatingtheexperimentwedidearlier.ArmtheKK2.1andtryslowlyincreasing
thethrottlecontrolagain.Thistime,allfourmotorsshouldstartupatthesame
time.Remembertodisarmthequadcopterbymovingtheleftsticktothebottom
leftposition.
Step18:MixerEditor
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TheMixerEditorisusedtoinputinformationtothetheKK2.1flight
controlleraboutthegeometryofthequadcopter.Specifically,inorder
tocontrolthecraft,theKK2.1mustknowthelocationsofallfour
motorsrelativetoitself.Inthisstep,wewillprogramtheKK2.1sothat
itknowsthisinformation.
WiththeKK2.1flightcontrollerhookeduptotheQBrainandtheradioreceiver
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wecannowstarttheprocessofprogrammingtheKK2.1sothatourquadcopter
fliescorrectly.
Inthisandthenextfoursteps,wearegoingtobeinputtingawholebunchof
numbersintotheKK2.1forvariousflightparameters.Beforewestartdoingthat
though,Iwantedtotakeaquick288characterstoexplainabitaboutwhere
thesenumberscomefromandwhatthesettingsmean.InthisstepIjustwantto
includesomebasicbackgroundinformationsothatyouhavearough
understandingofwhatwellbedoing,insteadofjustblindlypressingbuttons.
FormoreinformationyoushoulddefinitelydosomeGoogleresearch.
So,letsstartbytalkingabouthowtheKK2.1controlsyourquadcopter.Inorder
tocontrolthemovementofthequadcopter,theKK2.1adjuststheliftproduced
byeachofthefourrotors.Byadjustingtheamountofliftproducedinjustthe
rightway,theKK2.1canmakethecraftascend,descend,ortilttomoveinany
direction.
Inordertodetermineexactlyhowtocontroleachmotor,theKK2.1uses,asyou
mightexpect,quitealotofmath.Iamnotgoingtoexplainhowallthismath
worksfranklyIdontunderstanditallmyselfbutIwillexplainthe
mathematicalfoundationuponwhichalloftheflightcalculationsrely.Inorderto
calculatetheliftrequiredbyeachmotorcorrectly,theKK2.1mustknowthe
exactpositionofeachofthefourmotorsrelativetoitself.Byknowingthese
positions,theKK2.1cancalculatetheleverageeacharmhasoverthe
orientationofthequadcopter.Usingthisinformation,theKK2.1cancalculate
howtoadjusttheliftproducedbyeachmotorandmovethecraft.
InordertoexpressthepositionsofthemotorsintermsthattheKK2.1can
understand,wemustdosomemathofourown.Sincemypurposehereisonly
toprovidesomebasicinformation,Iwillnotdiscussthesecalculationsonthis
page,butIwouldencourageyou,again,todosomeresearchifyouare
interested.Themathrequiredtodeterminethepositionsofthemotorsisnottoo
complexyoulearnedallthemathskillsyoullneedinhighschool.Basically,
eachofthenumberswewillbeinputtingintotheKK2.1MixerEditorrepresents
thesineofvariousangles.
Fornowthough,letsquitwiththebackgroundinformationandstart
programmingtheKK2.1.Thefirststepis,ofcourse,toturnonourKK2.1.Toto
his,simplyattachabatterytothebatteryplugwesolderedintotheQBraina
whileback.YoushouldseethescreenontheKK2.1lightupand,afterflashing
someinformationaboutthehardwareandfirmwareversionsoftheKK2.1,you
willseethehomescreen,whichshoulddisplaythewordSAFEfollowedby
someinformationaboutthequadcopter.
Justonemorethingbeforewegettoprogramming.TheKK2.1hasfourbuttons
usedtonavigatetheuserinterface.Fromlefttoright,thebuttonsareBack,Up,
Down,Select.
Letsgetstarted.ThefirstsettingswewilladjustarethethoseintheMixer
Editor,whicharethesettingsthat,aswejustdiscussed,telltheKK2.1the
positionsofthefourmotors.InthebottomrightcorneroftheKK2.1home
screen,youwillseethewordMenu.Pressthefarrightbuttontoaccessthe
menu.Thereareawholebunchofdifferentsettingsinthismenu,andwewillget
tomostofthemquitesoon,butfornowscrolldowntoMixerEditor,whichisthe
tenthiteminthelist.WithMixerEditorselected,presstheEnterbutton.
Intheupperrightcorner,youwillseeaCH:1label,thismeansthatweare
specifyingthepositionofMotor1.Forreference,Motor1isthefrontleftmotor,
Motor2isthefrontrightmotor,Motor3istherearrightmotor,andMotor4is
therearleftmotor.Tochangeasetting,usetheUpandDownbuttonstoscroll
throughthelist,andpresstheEnterbuttontoselectasetting.UsetheUpand
Downarrowsagaintochangeittheselectedsettingandwhenyouaredone,
pressEnteragaintosavethesetting.Thesettingswellneedareasfollows:
Motor1MixerEditorSettings
Throttle:95
Aileron:34
Elevator:94
Rudder:78
Offset:0
Type:ESC
Rate:High
WhenyouaredoneenteringtheabovesettingsforMotor1,switchtoMotor2by
movingthecursoruptotheCH:1labelandpressingenter.Thenwewillrepeat
theprocessabovetoadjusttheMixerEditorsettingsforMotor2.
Throttle:95
Aileron:34
Elevator:94
Rudder:78
Offset:0
Type:ESC
Rate:High
YouveprobablyprettymuchmasteredtheMixerEditormenubynowso
continuebyenteringtheMixerEditorsettingsforMotor3andMotor4.
Throttle:82
Aileron:71
Elevator:71
Rudder:100
Offset:0
Type:ESC
Rate:High
Throttle:82
Aileron:71
Elevator:71
Rudder:100
Offset:0
Type:ESC
Rate:High
Step19:PIRollandPitch
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TheKK2.1sPIDloopmakessurethat,whenweissuecommandsto
thequadcopter,thosecommandsareexecutedquickly,butwithout
beingsoaggressivethatwelosecontrolofthecraft.Inthisstep,we
willprogramtheKK2.1sothatabalanceisstruckbetween
responsivenessandcontrol.
SonowtheKK2.1knowsthepositionsofthemotors,butwestillneedtogiveit
moreinformationbeforeourSK450DeadCatquadcopterwillflycorrectly.Inthis
stepwewilladjustthesettingsforthePIDloop.LikeIdidinthelaststep,Ijust
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FLI/T7SQ/HSVTB19N/FLIT7SQHSVTB19N.LARGE.jpg)
wanttotakeamomenttoexplainwhatthePIDloopdoesandwhatwearetrying
toaccomplishbyadjustingitssettings.NotethoughthatthePIDcontrolleris
probablythemostconceptuallycomplexpartofthequadcopter,sodontworryif
thefollowinginformationisabitconfusing.
APIDloopisaverycommoncontrolmechanism(probablyoneofthemost
common)thatiswidelyusedinnumerouscontrolsystems,including,ofcourse,
ourKK2.1flightcontrolboard.TheroleofaPIDloopistodetectandattemptto
correcterrorsbetweenameasuredprocessvariableandthedesiredvalueof
thatvariable.Inthecaseofourquadcopter,whenweareflying,wegivethe
quadcoptercertaincontrolinputsandwewantthequadcoptertoobeyourinput
ascloselyaspossible.LetsuseanexampletomaketheroleofthePID
controllermoreclear:letssaywewantthequadcoptertostopflyingleveland
insteadpitchforwardbyfivedegreesinordertomoveforward.Whenwefirsttilt
ourelevator(pitch)stickforward,thereisanerrorbetweenourcontrolinputand
thequadcoptersactualposition.Thequadcopterwouldbelevelwhenwewantit
tobepitchedforwardbyfivedegrees.ThisiswherethePIDloopgoestowork.
Itnotices,byexaminingdatafromtheflightcontrollerssensors,thatthe
quadcoptersrealorientationdoesnotmatchtheonewecommandedthe
quadcoptertotake.So,thePIDloopadjuststheliftproducedbyeachofthefour
rotorsinsuchawaythattherealorientationofthequadcoptermatchesthefive
degreeforwardpitchwewanted.
ThetricktothisprocessistomakesurethatthePIDloopdoesnotaccidentally
overshootthedesiredorientationbybeingoverlyaggressivewhencontrolling
themotors.WhenthePIDloopistooaggressive,thequadcopterwillbetwitchy
andunstableintheairasthePIDloopfranticallycorrectserrorsandkeeps
overshootingthedesiredvalues.However,wealsodontwantthePIDloopto
betoogentle,whichwouldcausesluggishperformance.Sowehavetostrikea
balancesothatthequadcopterrespondsquicklytoourinputwithoutdeveloping
instabilitywithrapid,aggressiveliftadjustments.Inthisstep,wewilladjust
settingsforthePIDloopinordertoachievethisbalance.
Hopefullythatexplanationmadeatleastsomesensetoyousothatnowyouare
readytostarttuningtheKK2.1PIDloop.ThePIDloopsettingsarelocatedin
thePIRollandPitchmenuontheKK2.1.Inputthevaluesbelow.Notethatthe
valuesforRoll(Aileron)andPitch(Elevator)arecoupledsowhenyouchange
thevaluesinoneofthesemenus,thevaluesintheothermenuchangeaswell.
Roll(Aileron)/Pitch(Elevator)PISettings
PGain:50
PLimit:100
IGain:25
ILimit:20
Yaw(Rudder)PISettings
PGain:55
PLimit:20
IGain:60
ILimit:10
Step20:SelfLevelSettings
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TheKK2.1hastheabilitytoautomaticallykeepthequadcopterlevel
aswefly,usingtheselflevelfeature.Inthisstepwewillsetupthe
selflevelfeaturetooptimizethequadcoptersabilitytomaintaina
levelorientationintheair.
TherearemanythingsIloveabouttheKK2.1flightcontrolboardincludingits
smallandlightformfactor,theeasewithwhichitcanbeconfigured,its
versatility,anditsselflevelfeature,whichisthesubjectofthisstep.Whenin
selflevelmode,theKK2.1,asyoucanprobablyguess,attemptstokeepthe
quadcopteraslevelaspossibleduringflight.Selflevelisagreatfeaturefor
peoplewhoarenewtoflyingquadcoptersasitgreatlyreducesthechanceof
losingcontrolandcrashing.Flyinginselflevelmodeisalsonicefordoingaerial
photographyorvideographysinceitmakesthequadcopteranice,stable
platformforyourcamera.
But,fortheselflevelfeaturetoworkwell,wearegoingtoneedtocustomize
somesettingsfortheSK450DeadCatquadcopter.Fortunately,thisstepdoes
notrequiremuchexplanationbecausewhatwewillactuallybedoingis
calibratinganotherPIDlooplikewedidinthelaststep,justthistimethePID
loopisusedforadifferentpurpose.
SelfLevelSettings
PGain:42
PLimit:56
ACCTrimRoll:0
ACCTrimPitch:3
Justbeforeweconcludethisstep,Iwantedtoincludeonefinalbitoftheory
abouttheACCTrimPitchvalue.Thereasonwedecreasedthatvaluefrom0to
3hastodowiththegeometryofourSK450DeadCatquadcopter.The
differencebetweenanormalXquadcopterandourSK450DeadCatquadcopter
isinthepositionofMotorOneandMotorTwo.Comparedwithanormal
quadcopter,thefrontarmsofourDeadCatquadcopterareangledbackby25o.
ThenegativeACCTrimPitchvaluehelpspreventthequadcopterfromtipping
forwardsince,relativetoanormalquadcopter,thereislessliftforthefrontofthe
craft.Ifyoumountaheavycamerainthefront,youmaywishtodecreasethis
valueabitfurther.
Step21:ReceiverTest
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Inthisstep,wewillprogramtheradiotransmittersothatthezero
positionsofthesticksactuallyoutputazerosignal,andthesticks
issuecommandsintheexpecteddirections.
WelcometothelongeststepofthisentireSK450DeadCatquadcoptertutorial.
Beforewegetstarted,letstakeasecondtoreviewtheworkwevedonesofar:
wemodifiedtheKK2.1MixerEditorsettingssothattheflightcontrollerknows
thepositionsofthequadcoptersmotors,wemodifiedthePIRollandPitch
settingssothatthequadcopterrespondsappropriatelytoourcontrolinput,and
last,wemodifiedtheselflevelsettingstooptimizethequadcoptersabilityto
staylevelintheair.Inthisstep,wewillcalibrateourradiotransmitterandthe
flightcontrollersreceiversettings.
Letsgetstartedwithatinybitoftheorydontworry,thisstepismuch,much
simplerthansomeoftheearlieronesinthischapter.Therearefourdifferent
directionalcontrolsonourradiotransmitter,whichyoushouldbefamiliarwith
already:throttle,roll,pitch,andyaw.Eachofthesedirectionalcontrolshasa
rangeofvaluesthatdependonthepositionsofthetwosticksontheradio
transmitter.Thisishowwecommunicatewiththequadcopter.
Ourgoalhereistomakesurethatwhenwemovethetransmittersticks,the
KK2.1receivescommandsinthecorrectdirections.Inotherwords,tousean
example,whenwemovethepitchstickup,wewanttheKK2.1todetectan
upwardpitchcontrol,notdownward.Chancesarethoughthatwithoutsettingup
thetransmitter,atleastoneofthecontrolinputswillbeinverted.Tocorrectthis,
wewillusetheReceiverTesttoolintheKK2.1menu.
Alright,let'sgetstarted.First,turnonyourtransmitterand,intheKK2.1menu,
selectReceiverTest.Trymovingthesticksonyourtransmitter.Youshouldsee
thevaluesintheReceiverTestscreenchangeasyoumovethesticks.Inthe
sectionsbelow,wewillobservethesevaluesaswemovethesticksandmake
changestothetransmittersettingsasnecessarytoachievethecorrect
directionsforthecontrols.
Onelastthingbeforewegetstarted.Therearetwosetsofbuttonsonthe
transmitterthatwewillusetoadjustthetransmitterssettings.First,ifyoutakea
lookatyourtransmitter,youwillnoticearowofsixswitchesbelowthesticks.
Theseswitchesareusedtoreversethedirectionofeachchannel.Whenwe
moveoursticks,thereisachancethattheKK2.1willreadsomeofourinputsas
goingintheoppositedirection.Forexample,wemightmovetherudderstick
left,buttheKK2.1willreadarightrudderinput.Inthiscasewewouldflipthe
rudderswitchtotheoppositeposition.Thesecondsetofswitches,ofwhich
therearefourtotal,arelocatedbelowandtothesidesofthesticks.Wewilluse
theseswitchestotrimthevaluesoutputbythetransmittersothattheminimum
valuesarereachedwhenthesticksareintheirminimalpositions.
AdjustingThrottleTrimandDirection
So,startbymovingthethrottlesticktothebottomposition,inotherwords,move
theleftsticktothebottom.Whenyoudothis,thethrottlevalueintheKK2.1
ReceiverTestwillchange.Wewilladjustthethrottlestickdirectionandtrim
valuebasedonthethrottlevaluesdisplayedintheReceiverTesttool.
First,ifthenumbergoestosomehighvaluearoundorgreaterthanone
hundred,anddisplaysthewordFull,flipthethrottlechannelswitch(thro),which
shouldshouldchangetheinputtoasmallnumber.Otherwise,if,whenyou
movethethrottlestickdown,thevalueisalreadysmallorzero,leavetheswitch
initsoriginalposition.
Second,ifthethrottlevalueinKK2.1isgreaterthanzerowiththestickatthe
bottom,clickthesmallswitchtotherightofthethrottlestickdowntodecrease
thevaluetozero.Otherwise,ifthevalueiszero,clicktheswitchtotherightof
thethrottlestickupuntilyouseeavalueofone,andthenclicktheswitchdown
oncetosetthevaluetozero.Thepointhereistomakesurethat,whenthe
throttlestickisatthebottom,theKK2.1readsavalueofexactlyzero.Youwill
alsoseethewordIdledisplayednexttothevalue.
AdjustingtheYaw(Rudder)TrimandDirection
Wewillusethesameprocedureforsettingthetrimvalueanddirectionofthe
yawstickthatweusedforthethrottlestick.So,movetheyawstick(leftstick)to
thefarleftandobservethereadingsintheReceiverTesttool.
First,ifyouseeanegativenumber,orthewordRight,fliptherudder(rudd)
switchtochangethedirectionoftheoutput.Thisshouldcausethevalueinthe
ReceiverTestchangetosomepositivenumber.Keepinmindthatforyaw
controls,movingthestickleftshouldyieldapositivevalueintheReceiverTest
tool,andmovingthestickrightshouldyieldanegativereading.Thisisalittle
counterintuitiveandcanbeconfusing.Thereasonforthisconventionisbecause
arightyawinputcausesthequadcoptertorotateclockwise,andclockwise
rotationisusuallydenotedbyapositivevalue.
Secondwewilladjustthetrimvalueoftheyawinput.Ifyoutakeyourthumb
completelyofftheleftstick,itshouldsnaptothemiddle,wherewewanta
ruddervalueofzero.If,intheReceiverTestscreen,youseeapositivevalue,
clicktheyawtrimbutton,locatedbelowtheleftstick,totherightuntilyou
achieveareadingofzero.Otherwise,ifthereadingdisplayedisnegative,click
thetrimbuttontotheleftuntilthereadingreacheszero.
AdjustingthePitch(Elevator)TrimandDirection
Nowthatyouaregettingthehangofadjustingtrimanddirectionsettings,lets
moveontotheelevatorstick,whichadjuststhepitchofthequadcopter.Before
webegin,likewiththeyawvalues,thepitchvaluescanbeabitconfusing.
Pushingthestickforwardgivesanegativereadingandpullingthestickback
givesapositivevalue.
Sostartbymovingtheelevatorstickallthewaydown.IntheReceiverTesttool,
youshouldseeapositivevalueandthewordBack.Ifyouseeanegativevalue,
fliptheelevator(elev)switch.
Likewedidwiththerudderstick,nowlettheelevatorstickgoanditwillsnapto
themiddle.IfyouseeapositivevalueintheReceiverTesttool,clickthe
elevatortrimbutton,locatedtotheleftofthestick,tothedownuntilyougeta
valueofzero.Otherwise,ifyouseeanegativevalue,clickthetrimbuttonupto
getavalueofzero.
AdjusttheRoll(Aileron)TrimandDirection
Nowforthelastcontroldirection.Therollstickshouldyieldapositivevalueto
theright,anddisplaythewordRight,andanegativevaluetotheleft,alongwith
thewordLeft.Ifyougettheoppositevalueswhenyoumovetheaileronstick,
fliptheaileron(aile)directionswitch.
Then,releasethestickandadjustthetrimbutton,locatedbelowthestick,to
achieveavalueofzerointheReceiverTesttoolwhenthestickiscentered.
Step22:SensorTest
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Thesensortestisaquickdiagnosticprocedurethatmakessurethat
thesensorsonboardtheKK2.1arefunctioningcorrectly.
WevebeenworkinghardprogrammingallofthemanysettingsintheKK2.1
neededtooptimizetheflightperformanceofourSK450DeadCatquadcopter.I
thinkitistimeforaniceeasystep.Beforeweflyourquadcopterforthefirst
time,itisagoodprecautiontomakesurethatallofthesensorsonboardthe
KK2.1arefunctioningcorrectly.Thiswillhopefullyhelppreventthequadcopter
fromgoingcrazyontakeoffanddamagingitselforsomethingelse.
So,intheKK2.1menu,navigatetotheSensorTesttoolandpresstheEnter
button.TheKK2.1hastwotypesofsensorsonboard:a3axisgyroscope,which
sensestherotationofthecraftaroundtheroll,pitch,andyawaxes,anda3axis
accelerometer,whichsensesaccelerationofthecraftinallthreedirections.The
SensorTesttoolshouldlistthethreeaxesforthesetwosensors.Youshould,
hopefully,seethatthestatusforallsixlinesislistedasOK.
Itisprobablyagoodideatorunthissensortestfromtimetotime,especially
afteracrash.Unfortunately,if,forwhateverreason,oneormoreofyoursensors
failsthetest,youdontreallyhaveanyoptionsotherthanreplacingtheKK2.1
board.Ifyourboardisbrandnew,youshouldreturnit.Ihaveneverhada
sensorfailthough,evenaftersomefairlyseriouscrashes,sohopefullyneither
willyou.
Step23:ACCCalibration
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TheKK2.1isequippedwithatypeofsensorcalledanaccelerometer.
Theaccelerometersenseaccelerationofthecraft,andthedirectionof
gravity.Inthisstep,wewillcalibratethissecondpieceofinformation,
sothattheKK2.1knowswhichdirectionisdown.
SincewejustusedtoSensorTesttooltoverifythatallofthesensorsonboard
theKK2.1flightcontrollerarefunctioningasexpected,wewillnowneedto
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calibratetheaccelerometer.
ReadyforonemorebitoftheorybeforewearedoneprogrammingtheKK2.1?I
thinkitisworthknowingabitabouthowaccelerometersworkbeforewe
calibratetheoneontheflightcontrolboard.Firstofall,accelerometersare
devicesthatsenseaccelerationforces.Theycandetecttwodifferenttypesof
acceleration:staticaccelerationforcescausedbytheEarthsgravity,and
dynamicaccelerationforcescausedbymovement.Sowhenwecalibrateour
accelerometer,wearegivingitazeroreferencesothatthesensorknowswhat
directionisdown(thedirectionofgravity).
TheKK2.1canthentalktotheaccelerometertofigureoutwhichdirectionis
downanditcancombinethisinformationwithdatafromthegyroscope,and
dataaboutthequadcoptersmovementrelatedaccelerationtodetermineexactly
howthequadcopterisorientedinthreedimensionalspace.
Letscalibratetheaccelerometer.Themostcriticalpartofthisprocessissetting
upourcalibrationenvironmentcorrectly.Inordertocalibrateouraccelerometer,
weneedthequadcoptertobecompletelylevelandonasolidsurface.So,using
abubblelevel,findsomesolidsurfaceinyourworkareathatiscompletelylevel.
Itisworththeextraefforttomakesurethesurfaceislevelbecauseifyou
calibrateyouraccelerometerswhilethequadcopterisinanonlevelposition,
yourquadcopterwillprobablydriftaroundintheair,makingitmoredifficulttofly.
Avoidusingawigglytableoraswivelingstoolorsomethingbecauseifyou
quadcoptermovesduringtheaccelerometercalibrationprocessitwillthrowoff
theaccuracyofthecalibration.
So,placethequadcopteronyourchosenlevelsurface.Then,intheKK2.1
menu,scrolldowntotheACCCalibrationtool,andclicktheEnterbutton.The
KK2.1willtellyoutoplacethequadcopteronalevelsurface,whichwevedone
already,sopresstheEnterbuttonagain.TheKK2.1willthengothroughthe
calibrationprocess,whichtakeseightsecondsorso.Makesureyoudonot
bumpthequadcopterorthetableduringthisprocess.Andfinally,thecalibrated
accelerometerreadingswillbedisplayed.
Step24:BalanceQuadcopter
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(http://cdn.instructables.com/F61/3NUP/HSVTB28M/F613NUPHSVTB28M.LARGE.jpg)
Inordertoflycorrectly,itisveryimportantthatthequadcopteris
balancedaroundtherollandpitchaxes.Inthisstepwewillachieve
thisbalance.
Wearejustaboutreadytofly.Weonlyhavetwocomponentsleftaddattachto
thequadcopter(excludingoptionalcomponentslikeacamera):thebatteryand
theprops.Wewillgettothepropsinthenextstep,inthisstepwewillattachthe
battery.Thereisagoodreasonwhywesavedthebatteryforthisstep.Sincethe
batteryisbyfartheheaviestpartofthequadcopter,wecanuseitsbulkto
balancethecraft.
Balancingthequadcopter,bothsidetosideandfronttoback,isveryimportant
foranumberofreasons.First,balancingthequadcoptermakesitmorestable
duringflightsinceitwontbeconstantlytryingtoflipoverordrift.Second,
balancingthequadcopterextendsthelifeofthebatterysincethemotorswillnot
havetofightagainstthecraftflippingover.Third,abalancedquadcopter,by
virtueofitbeingmorestable,makesabettercameraplatform.Andlast,inthe
eventofacrash,abalancedquadcopterwillbelesslikelytocrashupsidedown
anddamagetheflightcontroller.
Luckily,balancingthequadcopterisnottoodifficult.Tostartwith,sincewe
assembledourquadcoptersymmetricallyaroundtherollaxis,itshouldbe
balancedsidetosideautomatically.Balancingthequadcopterfronttobackwill
involvemovingthebatteryforwardsandbackwardsuntilthepositionatwhichit
balancesthequadcopterisfound.
Inordertotestthebalance,placethequadcopteronsomekindofnarrow
support,liketheedgeofaboard,orapipe,orsomethingsimilar.Iusedapartof
mytoolboxbecauseitwashandy.Withyoursupportselectedchoosearandom
startingpositionforthebattery.Attachthebatterytothebottomofthe
quadcopterusingzipties.Keeptheziptieslooseenoughthatyoucanslidethe
batteryforwardsandbackwardstoadjustthebalancepointofthecraft.
Onelastthing,ifyouplantoattachacameratoyourSK450DeadCat
quadcopter,youshouldattachitintheproperpositionwhileyoutrytobalance
thecraft,otherwise,whenyouputthecameraonlater,thequadcopterwill
becomeunbalanced.Sowithyourquadcoptersetupasitwillbewhenyouflyit,
movethebatteryforwardsandbackwardsuntilthequadcopterstopstippingone
wayortheotheronitssupportwhenyouletitgo.
Ifoundthat,withoutacamera,thecorrectpositionforthebatterywasrightinthe
middle,directlybelowtheflightcontroller.Withthecamera(IuseaContour
ROAM)installedonthecamerashelfonthefrontoftheSK450DeadCat,I
foundthecorrectpositionofthebatterytobealmostattheback.
Step25:BalanceProps
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Balancingthequadcopterpropsisanextremelyimportantstepin
minimizingthevibrationsproducedbythespinningmotors.
Minimizingvibrationimprovesbatterylife,thelifeofthecraftitself,
andvideoquality.
Nowtheonlycomponentslefttoattachtothequadcopteraretheprops.Before
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weattachthepropstothemotorsthough,weneedtobalancetheprops.By
balancetheprops,Imeanweneedtomakesurethateachbladeweighsexactly
thesame.Unbalancedpropscausethreemainissuesduringflight.First,
unbalancedpropscancauseintensevibrationsincethepropsspinextremely
fast.Thisvibrationcaninterferewiththeaccelerometeraswellasloosenscrews
ordamagecomponents.Second,ifyouaredoingaerialvideographywithyour
quadcopter,thevibrationscausedbyunbalancedpropswillcausetheinfamous
jelloeffectinyourvideo(or,tousethecorrectterminology,therollingshutter
effect).Thirdandlast,sincesomeoftheenergyputintothemotorsiswastedon
vibrationwhenyouquadcopterhasunbalancedprops,balancingthepropscan
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FKS/U2QW/HSVTB1PI/FKSU2QWHSVTB1PI.LARGE.jpg)
increasebatterylifeslightly.
Tobalanceourprops,wewilluseaspecialtoolcalled,unsurprisingly,aprop
balancer.Apropbalancerconsistsofametalshaftsuspendedbytwomagnets.
Byusingmagneticsuspension,thereispracticallyzerofriction,whichmeans,
whenwetestourprops,eventheslightestdifferenceintheweightofthetwo
sidesofthepropwillbenoticeable.
Letsbalanceourprops.First,selectoneofthepropsandmountitintheprop
balancerbyslippingthemetalshaftthroughtheholeinthepropandslidingthe
rubberpiecestothemiddlesothatthepropwillbeheldinthecenterofthe
shaft.Then,holdthepropinahorizontalpositionand,takingcarethatyour
fingersdonotbumpthetheproponewayortheother,carefullyletthepropgo.
Unlessyourpropisalreadybalanced,which,unlessyouoptedtobyveryhigh
qualityprops,isunlikely,onesideofthepropshouldfall.Repeatthistest
severaltimestomakesuretheresultisreliable.Thesideofthepropthatfallsis,
obviously,theheavierside.So,cutaverysmallpieceofelectricaltapeand
applyittothelightside(thesidethatwentup)oftheprop.Thenretestthe
balanceofyourprop.Iftheoriginalheavysidestillfalls,movethepieceoftape
furtherfromthecenteroftheprop.Otherwise,ifthesidetowhichyouapplied
tapenowfalls,movethetapeclosertothehub,orcutitsmaller.
Itwillprobablytakesomefiddling,evenquitealotoffiddling,butyouwillknow
yourpropisbalancedwhen,afterpositioningtheprophorizontallyandlettingit
go,itdoesnotmoveatall.Then,repeatthisprocessfortheotherthreeprops,
and,ifyouarenotterriblyboredwithpropbalancingalready,balancesome
sparepropssothatifoneofyourpropsbreaksinthefield,youcanimmediately
replaceitandkeepflying.
Step26:AttachthePropstotheMotors
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FUD/K6LF/HSVTB1R0/FUDK6LFHSVTB1R0.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FNA/XLQ9/HSVTB1RL/FNAXLQ9HSVTB1RL.LARGE.jpg)
Inthisstepwewillattachthebalancedpropstothemotors.
Well,ithasbeenalongjourneybutwearefinallyontheverylaststepbeforewe
gettofly.Thelastthingweneedtodoisattachthepropstothemotors.
Unfortunately,thisisn'tquiteaseasyasitsounds.Yousee,wehavetwo
differenttypesofprops,onesmadetoturnclockwise,andonesmadetoturn
counterclockwise,andbothofthesetypesofpropslookprettymuchexactlythe
same.Tofigureoutwhichpropstogoonwhichmotors,wewillfirstneedto
recallthedirectioneachmotorsspins.So,rememberingthatthemotorsare
numberedclockwisearoundthecraft,withMotorOneinthefrontleft,MotorTwo
inthefrontright,MotorThreeintherearright,andMotorFourintherearleft,
therotationsdirectionsareasfollows:
MotorOneClockwise
MotorTwoCounterclockwise
MotorThreeClockwise
MotorFourCounterclockwise
Nowlet'smatchuptheprops.Firstofall,ononesideofeachprop,youshould
noticeabitofwriting.Wewillmountallofthepropswiththewritingsideup.In
ordertoprovideliftinsteadofupwardthrust,whichwouldforcethequadcopter
intotheground,thebladesshouldspinsothatthewiderpartgoesforward.Take
alookatthepicturesbelowforclarification.Somatchupeachpropwithamotor
thatspinsinthecorrectdirection.
Toattachthepropstothemotors,wewillneedtousepropadapterssincethe
holeinthepropisfarlargerthanthemotorshaft.Fortunately,thepropscame
withpropadaptersinavarietyofsizes.Sojustfigureoutwhichsizeiscorrect
forthemotorsbytestingouteachadapter.Withfourpropadaptersonhandand
thepropellersmatchedupwiththecorrectmotors,wecanstartmountingthe
props.
Thefirststepistotakethenutsoffallfourmotors.Then,putapropadapter
ontoeachmotor,followedbyamatchedprop,andfinallyscrewthenutbackon.
Onceyouhaveallfourpropsattachedandyouhavetightenedthenutsuntil
theyareverysnug,wewillneedtoverifythatthemotorsthemselvesspininthe
correctdirection.Firstofall,memorizethedirectionsinmotorsaresupposedto
spin(seethelistabove).Then,pressthebackbuttonthreetimesuntiltheKK2.1
isbackonthehomescreen.Turnonyourtransmitterandarmthequadcopter
bymovingtheleftsticktothebottomrightposition.
Now,usingshortlittleburstsofthrottle,lookatthedirectioneachmotorspins.If
anyofthemotorsspininthewrongdirection,firstdisarmthequadcopterand
disconnectthebattery.Then,simplyswapanytwoofthemotorconnection
wirestochangetherotationdirection.
Step27:Congratulations
Congratulations!Yourquadcopterisreadytofly.
Congratulations!Atlonglast,yourSK450DeadCatquadcopterisreadytofly!I
justwantedtotakeamomentnotonlytocongratulateyouoncompletingyour
quadcopterbutalsotothankyouforreadingthroughthistutorial.
Whenyouareinawideopenspace(likeoutside)wherethereisnothingtoo
valuableoralivetoaccidentallycrashintowithyourSK450DeadCat
quadcopter,rememberthattoarmtheKK2.1forflight,movetheleftstickdown
andtothefarright.ArmingtheKK2.1allowsthemotorstoturnaccordingtothe
throttleinputyougive.Inotherwords,armingtheKK2.1allowsthequadcopter
tofly.Remembertoalwaysdisarmyourquadcopterwhenyoulandbymoving
theleftstickdownandtothefarleft.
Nowgofly!
Step28:TuningyourQuadcopter
Everyquadcopterfliesjustalittlebitdifferentlysoyouwillneedto
tuneyourquadcopter'ssettings.Thispagegoesoverthebasicsof
quadcoptertuning.
Actuallybuildingyourquadcopteronlygetsyoupartofthewaytowards
successfullyflyingandshootinggreataerialphotosandvideos.Youwillneedto
tuneyourquadcopter'ssettingsinordertooptimizeitsflightcharacteristics.
Specifically,youwillneedtotuneyour"PIRollandPitch"settings.Thesettings
coveredinstep19ofthisInstructableshouldgetyourquadcopterflyingfairly
well,butagain,everyquadcopterfliesabitdifferentlyandeverypilotcontrols
theirquadcopterabitdifferently.Thekeytosuccessfullytuningyour
quadcopter,andIdoubtthiswillbesurprisingtoyou,isknowingwhateachof
theflightcontroller'ssettingsdo.
Now,Idon'twanttogointotonsofmathorelectricalengineeringtoexplainthe
actualinnerworkingsofaflightcontroller'sPIDloopinthisstep.Ifyouwantto
learnhowPIDloopswork,thereisplentyofinformationouttherethatyoucan
accesswithaquickGooglesearch.InthisstepIjustwanttocoverhoweach
parameterinyourflightcontroller'sPIDloopsettingsaffectsthequadcopter's
performance.
PGain
ThePGain(whichstandsforProportionalGain)parameterbasicallycontrols
howyourquadcopterprioritizespilotinputversusinputfromtheflight
controller'sonboardsensors.
AhighvalueofthePGainparametermeansthatthereadingsfromthesensors
willbeveryimportant.AlowvalueofthePGainmeansthatpilotinputwillbe
veryimportant.
IfthePGainissettoohigh,youmightnoticethequadcopteroscillatingorkind
oftwitchingintheair.Thiseffectiscausedbytheflightcontroller'sfrantic
attemptstocorrecteventhetiniestsensordiscrepancies.IfthePGainissettoo
low,thecraftwillseemsluggishandslowtoreacttochangesinorientationon
controlinput.ItwillprobablybedifficulttokeepthequadcopterairborneiftheP
Gainistoolowsincethequadcopterwillbeexpectingyou,thepilot,todomost
oftheworkneededtokeepandcraftstable,andunfortunately,ourbrainsand
ourthumbsarejustnotquickenoughtomaketherapidadjustmentsneededto
keepthecraftintheair.
IGain
TheIGain(whichstandsforIntegralGain)controlshowquicklythe
quadcopterwillrespondtochangesinangularorientation.
Inotherwords,let'ssayyouareflyingyourquadcopterandyouwantittomove
forward.Todothis,wetiltthequadcopterforward.Thisforwardtiltdirectssome
ofthequadcopter'sliftbackwardsinsteadofalltheliftbeingdirected
downwards,whichmakesthequadcoptermoveforward.Whenwereleasethe
stick,thequadcopterwillreturntoalevelposition.
Neitherthetiltingforwardnorthereturningtoalevelpositionhappeninstantly
though.Itobviouslytakesalittletimeforthequadcoptertoactuallymove.TheI
Gainbasicallycontrolshowaggressivelythequadcopterattemptstoachievethe
designatedtilt.
IftheIGainvalueistoolow,thequadcopterwillseesluggishandslowto
respondtocontrolinput.IftheIGainistoohigh,thequadcopterwillagain
oscillateintheairasitfightstokeepaperfectposition.
TuningPGain
Startingwiththevaluessuggestedinstep19ofthisInstructable,ifyoufeellike
yourquadcopterisabittoosluggish,turnupthePGaininintervalsoffiveuntil
yougettheresponsivenessyouwant.Ifyounoticeyourquadcopteroscillatingin
theair,backthePGainoffabit.
TuningIGain
Startingwiththevaluessuggestedinstep19ofthisInstructable,ifyounotice
yourquadcopterdoesnotstopandstabilizeaftermovingthesticksand
returningthemtocenter,increasetheIGainincrementsoffiveuntilyougeta
quickerresponsetime.Youwanttogettoapointwherethequadcopterreturns
toalevelpositionquicklyanddoesnotwanderaroundintheair.
TheIGainvalueisalsousefulifyouareflyinginwindyconditionswhereitis
moreimportantforthequadcoptertocorrectitsangularpositionandnotget
movedaroundbythewindasmuch.
Step29:AppendixA:ChargingtheBattery
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FCX/PLJ2/HUK2EOBP/FCXPLJ2HUK2EOBP.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FGY/7I5T/HUK2EOBU/FGY7I5THUK2EOBU.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FTJ/BUJI/HUK2ENY8/FTJBUJIHUK2ENY8.LARGE.jpg)
ConnectBatterytoCharger
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FB3/U9T6/HUK2EO88/FB3U9T6HUK2EO88.LARGE.jpg)
Batterytechnologyisgreat,asitallowsustobringaportablepowersource
anywherewego,includinghighintothesky.Theunfortunatedownsideto
batterytechnologyisthatbatteriesgoflatafterbeingusedforawhileyou
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F75/NOIO/HUK2ENKT/F75NOIOHUK2ENKT.LARGE.jpg)
alreadyknowthis.Neverfearthough,thisappendixtotheSK340DeadCat
quadcopterbuildtutorialInstructablewillshowyouhowtosafelychargeyour
batteriesusingtheAccucel6charger.
Thefirststepistoconnectyourbatterytothecharger.So,takealookatyour
batteryandyouwillnoticethattherearetwosetsofwirescomingoutoneend:
thethickred/blacksetthatweusetoconnectthebatterytothequadcopter,and
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FOV/CUDU/HUK2EN45/FOVCUDUHUK2EN45.LARGE.jpg)
asetoffourthinnercoloredwireswithathinplugattheend.Wewillplugboth
setsofwiresintotheAccucel6charger.
First,includedwiththechargerwereseveralwireadapterswithredandblack
plugsononeend,andavarietyofconnectorsontheotherend.Locatethe
adapterwithanXT60plugontheend,thisistheplugthatmatchesthered/black
plugonthebattery.Next,ontherightsideoftheAccucel6,youwillnoticeared
portandablackport.Connecttheredandblackplugsonthebatteryadapter
intothematchingcoloredportsontheAccucel6.NowplugtheXT60plugson
thebatteryandonthebatteryadaptertogether.
Nowletspluginthesetofcoloredwiresfromthebattery.Takealookattheright
sideoftheAccucel6againandyouwillnoticeabankofwhitefemale
connectorswithpinsinthem.Noticethateachconnectorhasadifferentnumber
ofpins.Nowshiftyourattentiontothegroupoffourcoloredwiresfromthe
battery,noticethattheconnectorattheendhasfourmalepins.Youcan
probablyguesswhatwelldonext.Connectthewhitebatteryplugtothesloton
theAccucel6thathasfourpins.
ProgramCharger
WiththebatteryconnectedtotheAccucel6charger,wenowneedtosetupthe
chargertousethecorrectsettingsforchargingourbattery.Beforewebeginthis
process,Iwanttomakeaveryimportantsafetynote:itisabsolutelyimperative
thatyouusethecorrectsettingsforchargingyourbattery.Failuretochargethe
batterywiththecorrectsettingscouldresultindamagetothebattery,the
charger,orevencatastrophicfailureofthebatterywhichcouldresultina
fire/explosion.Also,duringcharging,alwaysputyourbatteryinaLiPobag,
whichisafireproofbagdesignedtocontainanybatteryfailure.Youshouldalso
neverleaveabatteryunattendedwhileitischarging.
Icertainlydonotwishtoscareyouwiththisinformation,butlithiumpolymer
batteriesarecapableofhighdischargeratesandaremadewithsomepretty
volatileingredients,likelithium,anditisimportanttobesafe.Inreality,ifyou
handle,charge,anddischargethebatterieswithsomecare,youwillbejustfine.
LiPobatteriesalmostneverfailthewayyouseeinsomevideosonYouTube.
Sowiththesafetyinformationoutoftheway,letsgetstartedsettingupthe
Accucel6tochargeourbattery.First,wewillneedtogathersomeinformation
aboutthebattery,whichshouldbeprintedonthebatteryslabel,otherwiseyou
canobtaininformationfromthemanufacturersdocumentation.Theinformation
wewillneedis:thenumberofcellsinthebattery,thevoltageofthebattery,and
themaximumchargecurrentofthebattery.FortheTurnigy2200mAh3S20C
LipoPackusedintheSK450DeadCatquadcoptertutorial,theinformationwe
willneedisasfollows:
Numberofcells:3
Voltage:11.1V
Maximumchargecurrent:2.2Amps
Thefirsttwopiecesofinformationhere,thenumberofcellsandthevoltageof
thebatteryareeasytofind,theyarewrittenrightonthebatterylabel.Thethird
bitofinformation,themaximumchargerate,requiresalittlebitofmathtofigure
outthough,whichIwilltakeamomenttoexplain.
Firstofall,calculatingthemaximumchargingcurrentrequirestwootherpieces
ofinformation:thebatteryscapacity,andthemaximumchargingrateofthe
battery.Thebatteryscapacityiswrittenrightonthebatterylabel.Thebatterys
capacityisexpressedinunitsofmilliamphours(mAh),whichbasicallydescribes
howmuchpowerabatterycansupplyforhowlong.Thecapacityofthebattery
usedintheSK450DeadCatquadcoptertutorialis2200mAh.Asforthe
maximumchargerateforthebattery,themaximumsafechargerateforourLiPo
batteryis1C.Here,theCstandsforcoulombs,whichisbasicallyaunitof
electricalcharge.Thisisprobablyaslowerratethatyoucouldtechnicallypump
intothebattery,butwewanttomakeabsolutelycertainthatthebatterydoesnot
startonfire,sowewillgowiththesaferateof1C.
Fromthebatteryscapacity,andthemaximumchargerateof1C,wecan
calculatethemaximumchargingcurrentofourbattery.Firstofallthough,
chargingcurrentisexpressedinunitsofAmps.Tofindthemaximumcharging
currentforourbattery,wewillmultiplythebatteryscapacityinamphoursbythe
maximumchargingrateincoulombs.First,movethedecimalpointinthe
2200mAhcapacitylistedonthebatterylabelthreespotstothelefttoconvert
frommilliamphourstoamphours.Weendupwith2.2Ah.So,multiplyingthis
figurebythemaximumchargingcapacityof1C,weendupwithamaximum
chargingcurrentof2.2A.
Sonowthatwedidallthatworkandallthatmath,Iamgoingtotellyouthat,
unlessyouareinabighurry,youshouldprobablynotchargethebatteryatthe
full2.2Achargingcurrent.Itwillprolongthelifeofthebatteryifyouchargeata
lowerrate.Sointhistutorialwewilluseachargingcurrentof1A.
NowletsfinallygettoprogrammingtheAccucel6.Firstofall,pluginyour12V
poweradaptertotheplugontheleftsideoftheAccucel6.Assoonasyou
connectthepower,theAccucel6willemitaloudbeep.Youshouldgetusedto
theseextremelyloudbeepsasthechargerwillbedeepingalotinthenextfew
minutes.AftertheTurnigysplashscreengoesaway,youwillbepresentedwith
ascreenwithPROGRAMSELECTinthefirstlineandabatterytypeinthe
secondline.IfthebatterytypelistedinthesecondlineisanythingbutLiPo
BATT,presstheleftmostTypebuttontochangethebatterytype.Onceyou
haveLiPoBATTinthesecondline,presstherightmostEnterbutton.
Onthenextscreen,thefirstlinelistswhatactiontheAccucel6istaking.The
deviceiscapableofchargingthebattery,balancingthebattery,fastcharging
thebattery,storingthebattery,anddischargingthebattery.Thesefunctionsare
allusefulandsomearecoveredinothertutorialsonthissite,butfornow,use
themiddletwoarrowbuttonstoselectLiPoCHARGEsinceweareinterested
inchargingthebatteryrightnow.
Thesecondlinelistssettingsforthechargingprocess,fromlefttorightthe
settingsare:
chargingcurrent
batteryvoltage
(batterycellcount)
Tochangethesesettings,presstheEnterbutton.Thechargingcurrentsetting
shouldnowbeflashing.Usethearrowbuttonstosetthechargingcurrentto
1.0A.NowpresstheEnterbuttonagaintoselectthebatteryvoltage/cellcount
setting.Usethearrowbuttonsagainuntil11.1V(3S)isselected.
Withthecorrectsettingsapplied,wearefinallyreadytochargethebattery.
ChargetheBattery
Tostartthechargingprocess,holdtheEnterbuttonforthreeseconds.The
Accucel6willbeepafewtimesandthenitwillcheckthebattery.Afteracouple
seconds,ayouwillbepresentedwithanewscreen.Thefirstlineliststhe
settingsyouenteredontheright,andthesettingsdetectedbytheAccucel6on
theleft.Ifthesesettingsdonotmatch,presstheleftmostBackbuttontoreturn
tothepreviousscreenanddoublecheckyoursettings.Otherwise,ifthesettings
onthetoplinetomatch,presstheEnterbuttontostartcharging.
TheAccucel6willdisplaythestatusofthechargingprogress.Itliststhebattery
typeandcellcount,thecurrentchargingcurrent,thecurrentbatteryvoltage,the
chargingtime,andthebatterycapacity.Nowyoujustneedtowaitforthebattery
tofinishcharging.Remembernevertoleavethebatteryunattendedwhile
charging.Ifyouhavetoleavebeforethechargingprocessiscomplete,stopthe
processbypressingtheleftmostStopbutton.Lithiumpolymerbatteriesdonot
haveamemoryeffectsoyoucanalwaysfinishchargingthebatteryatalater
time.
Whenthebatteryisdonecharging,theAccucel6willstartbeeping.Firstpress
theStopbutton,andthendisconnectthebatteryfromthecharger.Nowyouare
readytoflysomemore.
Step30:AppendixB:UpdatingtheKK2.1FirmwareSetup
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FQ1/9WPD/HXUCTGSB/FQ19WPDHXUCTGSB.LARGE.jpg)
(http://cdn.instructables.com/F80/A71S/HXUCTGSN/F80A71SHXUCTGSN.LARGE.jpg)
Inthisstepwewilldothepreliminaryhardwareand
softwaresetupforupdatingthefirmwareontheKK2.1
flightcontrollerboard.
Introduction
WhenyouplaceanorderforaKK2.1flightcontrolboard
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FTY/8E1V/HXUCTGT3/FTY8E1VHXUCTGT3.LARGE.jpg)
idproduct=54299&aff=1276085)somebodygoesintoaHobbyKingwarehouse
somewhere,findsaKK2.1onashelf,putsitinabox,andsendsittoyou.The
problemis,likemostelectronicdevices,thesoftwareinstalledontheKK2.1
evolvesovertimebugsgetfixed,featuresgetadded,algorithmsgetoptimized,
ect.anddependingonhowlongtheparticularKK2.1boardyougethasbeen
sittinginthewarehouse,itssoftwareisprobablyoutofdate.
Byupgradingthesoftware(calledfirmware)onyourKK2.1board,youcan
improvetheperformanceofyourmultirotor,asupdatedfirmwarehasmore
advancedcontrolcode.Forexample,theautolevelingalgorithmsonthenewest
KK2.1firmwarearefarsuperiortotheonesthatcomewithfirmwareversion1.5,
whichisthefirmwareinstalledonmostKK2.1boardswhenyouorderthem.So
byupdatingthefirmware,yourmultirotorwillflymuchbetterinautolevelmode
forexample.So,let'sgettothefirmwareupdatesetup.
DeterminingCurrentFirmwareVersion
Asmentionedabove,thefirmwareinstalledonyourKK2.1boardwhenitarrives
inthemailmayormaynotbeoutofdate.Thisisespeciallytrueifyoupurchase
yourKK2.1secondhandoneBayorsomewherethepreviousownermighthave
alreadyupdatedthefirmware.Fortunately,discoveringwhatfirmwareversionis
installedonyourKK2.1isreallyeasy.WhenyoufirstapplypowertoyourKK2.1
board,eitherwithabatteryorwithaUSBaspprogrammer(moreonthatina
second)ascreenwillflashacrossthescreenthatdisplaysthecurrenthardware
andfirmwareversions.YoumighthavetounplugandreplugyourKK2.1afew
timestoreadthefirmwareversionasitonlydisplaysonthescreenforpartofa
second,butyouaregoingtolookatthesecondlineinthesplashscreen,which
says"FW:###".Thatnumberisthefirmwareversioncurrentlyrunningonyour
KK2.1.
HardwareNeeded
YouwillonlyneedtwopiecesofhardwaretoupdatethefirmwareonyourKK2.1
board:
1. AUSBaspprogrammer:aUSBincircuitprogrammerforAtmelAVR
controllers,ofwhichtheKK2.1flightcontrolboardisone(thepopular
Arduinomicrocontrollerisanother).
2. A10pinto6pinAVRprogrammingcable:thiscableisanadapterthat
goesbetweenthe10pininterfaceontheUSBaspprogrammerandthe6pin
interfaceontheKK2.1board.
YoucanorderbothofthesepartsinasinglepackagefromHobbyKing
idproduct=27990&aff=1276085),althoughtherearemanyotherplacesyoucan
buythem,includingAmazon(http://www.amazon.com/SainSmartProgrammer
ATMELATMegaATTiny/dp/B0051SRZWC/ref=sr_1_1?
ie=UTF8&qid=1405868134&sr=81&keywords=usbasp+programmer),eBay
(http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?
_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xusbasp+programme&_nkw=
usbasp+programmer&_sacat=0&_from=R40),orSparkFun
(https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9825).
SoftwareNeeded
Onthesoftwareside,weareveryfortunatetohavefabulousandgenerous
programmersinthemultirotorcommunitywhodonatetheirtimeanenergyto
createeasytousesoftwaretoolsforupdatingtheKK2.1firmware.Thesoftware
Ilikebestwascreatedby"Kapteinkuk"and"Lazyzero."The"KKmulticoper
Flashtool(http://lazyzero.de/en/modellbau/kkmulticopterflashtool)"theycreated
providesagraphicalinterfaceforupdatingthefirmwareontheKK2.1board,
alongwithahostofotherboards.Todownloadthesoftware:
1. Gotohttp://lazyzero.de/en/modellbau/kkmulticopterflashtool
(http://lazyzero.de/en/modellbau/kkmulticopterflashtool).
2. Scrolldowntothedownloadsection
(http://lazyzero.de/en/modellbau/kkmulticopterflashtool#download).
3. Downloadthe"Lateststablesoftwareversions"foryourOS.
Now,ifyouareonMacOSX,youarereadytostartupdatingyourfirmware,just
skiptothenextstep.
IfyouareonWindows(likeme),youwillalsoneedtodownloadthedriver
softwarefortheUSBaspprogrammer:
1. Headovertohttp://www.fischl.de/usbasp/(http://www.fischl.de/usbasp/)and
scrolldowntothe"Drivers"section.
2. Downloadthe.zipfilecontainingthelatestUSBaspdriver.
3. Gotowhereveryoujustdownloadedthe.zipfileandextractit.
4. Rememberthelocationofthisfilebecausewewilluseitatthebeginningof
thenextstep.Seeyouthere.
Step31:AppendixB:UpdatingtheKK2.1Firmware
Updating
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FU7/6Z4D/HXUCTYZB/FU76Z4DHXUCTYZB.LARGE.jpg)
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(http://cdn.instructables.com/F8K/0UB1/HXUCTYWB/F8K0UB1HXUCTYWB.LARGE.jpg)
InthisstepwewillupdatethefirmwareontheKK2.1
flightcontrollerboard.
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FUA/KIUT/HXUCU22L/FUAKIUTHXUCU22L.LARGE.jpg)
PluginyourKK2.1
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FYC/GA4E/HXUCTYXL/FYCGA4EHXUCTYXL.LARGE.jpg)
WewillstartbypluggingtheKK2.1boardintoourcomputerviatheUSBasp
programmer.
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FCO/JWNB/HXUCU212/FCOJWNBHXUCU212.LARGE.jpg)
First,plugthe10pinendoftheprogrammingcableintotheUSBasp
programmerboard.Second,plugtheUSBendoftheUSBaspprogrammerinto
anavailableUSBportonyourcomputer.
Now,thethirdandlaststepistoplugthe6pinsideoftheASPprogramming
cableintotheKK2.1board.However,thedirectionofthecabledoesmatter.
Fortunately,itiseasytofigureoutifyouhavethecablethewrongway,andif
youaccidentallydopluginthecablethewrongdirection,don'tworry,noharm
willbefallyourKK2.1board.So,whenyouplugthe6pinsideoftheASP
programmingcableintotheKK2.1board,youshouldseetheKK2.1'sscreen
lightupanddisplaythe"SAFE"screen.IfyourKK2.1doesnotlightup,you
havethecableonbackwards,sojustturnit180oandeverythingwillbefine.
ForWindowsusers,thereisonelastthingtodo.WhenyoupluginyourKK2.1,
youwillprobablynoticeamessageappearonyourcomputerinformingyouthat
Windowsisattemptingtoinstallthedriverforyournewdevice.Despiteitsbest
efforts,Windowswillfailatthistaskandwewillhavetogiveitsomehelpby
locatingtheUSBaspdriverwedownloadedinthepreviousstep:
1. Gotoyourstartmenuandtype"devicemanager."ThenopentheDevice
Manager,whichshouldbethefirstiteminthelistofprograms.
2. IntheDeviceManager,youshouldseesectioncalled"OtherDevices"andif
youexpandthissection,youshouldfindanentrycalled"USBasp."
3. Thelittleyellowexclamationmarkmeanssomethinghasgonewrong,
namelythedriverfailedtoload,sorightclickontheUSBaspentryandfrom
themenu,choose"Updatedriversoftware..."
4. Fromthedialogboxthatappears,choose"Browsemycomputerfordriver
software."
5. Onthenextscreen,clickthe"Browser..."button.
6. LocatetheUSBaspdriverfolderwedownloadedinthepreviousstep,select
it,andclick"Ok"
7. Finally,clicknext,andWindowswillinstalltheUSBaspdriversoftwareand
nowwearereadytomoveon.
UpdateyourFirmware
Atlonglastitisfinallytimetodotheactualfirmwareupdating.Sostartby
runningtheKKmulticopterFlashtoolwedownloadedinthepreviousstep(it
usuallytakestensecondsorsotostart).Thereareatotaloffivefieldsinthe
KKmulticopterFlashtoolsoftwarewewillneedtosetforthefirmwareupdateto
work.
1. Inthe"programmer"field,choose"USBasp"
2. Inthe"port"field,choose"usb"
3. Inthe"controller"fieldchoose"HobbyKing22.1andKK2.1."
4. Inthe"Flashingfirmware"box,underthe"Repository"tab,choose
"KK2.1"fromthefirstdropdownmenu.Justabitofexplanationhere:there
aretwowaystoupdatethefirmwareonyourKK2.1,youcaneitherchoosea
firmwarefilefromyourcomputer,oryoucanletthesoftwareretrievethebest
firmwarefromtherepositorymanagedbyLazyzero.Thissecondoptionis
mucheasier.Atthetimeofthiswriting,thebestfirmwareavailableisthe
"KK2.1V1.9S1bySteveis"butwhenyouupdateyourfirmwareaneven
betterversionmaybeavailable.
Finally,withallthefieldsset,clickthegreenbuttonontherightsideofthe
Flashingfirmwarearea.Thefirmwareupdateprocesscantake20to30seconds
orsobuteventuallyyoushouldseeamessageintheKKmulticopterflashtool
indicatingthatthefirmwareflashingprocesswassuccessful.
Congratulations,youhavesuccessfullyupdatedyourKK2.1firmware.
Wehaveabenicecommentpolicy.
Pleasebepositiveandconstructive.
IMadeit!
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&sort=ACTIVE&limit=40&offset=40#DISCUSS)
Lenny22(/member/Lenny22/)
20daysago
Reply
Howdurableisthismodelcomparedtoothercopters?Doyourecommend
flyingthisifit'smyfirstcopter,orwouldyousuggestamorecrashfriendly
(/member/Lenny22/)
one?
dewayneshorts(/member/dewayneshorts/)
25daysago
Reply
Ok,I'malittleconfused.Yourpicofthetapeonthecontrolerisclearlymode1
(/member/dewayneshorts/)
butyourlinktothetx/rxcomboismode2.Whichoneareyourunning?
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FH2/SXR2/I8MVYY0A/FH2SXR2I8MVYY0A.LARGE.jpg)
herb.jones.104(/member/herb.jones.104/)
2monthsago
Reply
2monthsago
Reply
ThisistheverybestbuildreportIhaveread!
(/member/herb.jones.104/)
badlymade(/member/badlymade/)
Thanksfortakingtimetoputtogethersuchacomprehensivebuildguide.
(/member/badlymade/)
Muchappreciated.
IcanbuyallthesepartsintheUK.But,IhaveaDX6AR7000andanAR6000.
WilltheseworkOKwiththesetupgiven?
BuckingMad(/member/BuckingMad/)
2monthsago
Reply
IwanttobuildthisbutIjustcan'tfindavendorwhoshipsthosepartsto
(/member/BuckingMad/)
Germany.Cananybodyhelpme?
enekuda(/member/enekuda/)
2monthsago
ifoundwheniinputedthesesettingsmymotor1and2wentmuch
(/member/enekuda/)
moreforwardthansideways,ifoundtheAileronandElevatorsettings
formotors1and2wereslightlyswitchedaround(couldbeanewversion
Reply
ofthesoftwareormaybejustanoversightwhentypingupthisamazing
build?lol)
Ifoundtheseworkbestformotors1and2onmyKK2.1
Throttle:95
Aileron:94
Elevator:34
Rudder:78
Offset:0
Type:ESC
Rate:High
Throttle:95
Aileron:94
Elevator:34
Rudder:78
Offset:0
Type:ESC
Rate:High
Correctmeifimwrongbutthatgavemethecorrectorientationofthemotors
enekuda(/member/enekuda/)
2monthsago
Reply
ifoundthissectiontobeabitconfusingatfirstuntilirelizedididnthave
(/member/enekuda/)
enough3pinconnectors...inthepartslistitonlysays1CMmaletomale
connectorsothatswhatibought...maybeshouldberevisedtosay3or4lol
enekuda(/member/enekuda/) enekuda
2monthsago
Reply
3monthsago
Reply
110CMmaletomale**
(/member/enekuda/)
Pinto1(/member/Pinto1/)
Iamcurrentlyinthemiddleofthisbuild.Butitseemsmycontrolsareall
(/member/Pinto1/)
backwards.Forexampleleftisrightandthrottleupisthrottledownect.
Anybodyelsehavingthisproblem??
StefanS2(/member/StefanS2/) Pinto1
2monthsago
Reply
Justreversetheaffectedchannelsonyourtransmitter
(/member/StefanS2/)
TomB10(/member/TomB10/)
2monthsago
Reply
Verynice!Iwaslookingforsomethinglikehis.Aquestion:Isthereplaceto
(/member/TomB10/)
installagimbalunderneath?
Thanks
paolopollono(/member/paolopollono/)
3monthsago
Reply
Greatinstructable!Thankyousomuch,Ifollowedallyourinstructionsandmy
deadcatflewfirsttimeperfect!!!Cheers.
(/member/paolopollono/)
daniel.gierig(/member/daniel.gierig/)
3monthsago
Soundsdumbbutican'tgetitright!
(/member/daniel.gierig/)
IHaveaGraupnerMX12,withthethrottleontherightside.
InYourInstructable,it'sontheleftside,sohowdoIhavetoswapthe
connectors,sotheKKBoardalsorecognizestherightstickasathrottle?
Reply
kyle.kepley(/member/kyle.kepley/)
3monthsago
Reply
WhyisfindingdownloadsforthelatestKK2.1boardfirmwaresuchanelusive
(/member/kyle.kepley/)
thing?GooglealwaystakesmetothatgiganticthreadonRCGroupswhere
findinganylinksislikefindinganeedleinahaystack.Wheretheheckdoes
onefindKK2.1firmwareupdates?
hashirshamshad(/member/hashir+shamshad/)
3monthsago
Reply
4monthsago
Reply
veryhard
(/member/hashir+shamshad/)
russell.king.52831(/member/russell.king.52831/)
Hi,usefularticlebuthaveonecommentregardingpropbalancingdon'tyou
(/member/russell.king.52831/)
havethepropbalancerassembledwrong?Theconicalelementsshould
normallyhavethetipsoftheconesfacingeachother,theyaredesignedso
thattheyselfcentreontheholeinthepropeller.Alsothereisasecondstepto
balancingwhichyouhaven'tmentionedheretobalancethehub(often
referredtoasverticalbalancing).Doesn'tmakeasmuchdifferentasthe
horizontalbalancebutworthdoing.Enjoyyourflying,R
Xearle(/member/Xearle/)madeit!
4monthsago
Reply
(/member/Xearle/)
Hi,
CongratulationsforthisgreatInstructable.Itwasveryusefulandcomplete.I
builtmyDeadCatlastweek.
IwasabletobuyallpartsfromHobbyKing(USAandEuropeWarehouse).I
boundittomySpektrumDX6iwithaSpektrumAR610receiver.
Ifoundtwomissingthingswhenbuildingit:
instep6,"Mountmotors",Ididnotgettheneededscrewsbecausetheydo
notcomewiththemotors.Ihadtolookforsuitablescrewallovermyhouse
(andIfinallyusedsomescrewsfromaPC).Fortherecord,motor'spackage
says"Boltthread:M3*4mm"
instep9,"MountFlightController",Ididnogetthewhiteplasticpartsyouare
usingtomounttheKKboard.ButIboughtaKK2.1.5sincetheKK2.0isnot
soldanymore.Ihadtousedsomenutsinstead(3nutsforeachfoot).
WhenItriedtoflyitforthefirsttimeitcompletelyflippedover(fromrightto
left).Ibrokeaprop:(IfinallydiscoveredthatIhadtofirstloadamotorlayout
intheKK2.1.5menu.Ichose"XQuadcopter"andthenappliedsettingsforthe
motors(step18,mixereditors)(IusedslightlydifferentsettingsIfoundina
Youtubevideo).
IalsoaddsomeLEDstoit,andsomeFPVgear,butIdidnotyettriedtoflyit
inFPVonly.
FPVpartsare:
Camera:http://www.securitycamera2000.com/products/RunCam...
(http://www.securitycamera2000.com/products/RunCam600TVLPlastic
HousingFPVCamera%252dDE.html)
VideoTx/Rx:http://www.securitycamera2000.com/products/BOSCAM...
(http://www.securitycamera2000.com/products/BOSCAMMini8CH5.8G
400mWWirelessFPVTransmitterReceiverKit%252dDE.html)
Goggle:http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__53706__Quan...
(http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__53706__Quanum_DIY_%3Cspan%20style=)
Antennas:http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__49827__...
(http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__49827__ImmersionRC_5_8GHz_Circular_Polarized_SpiroNet_Antenna_V2_RP_SMA_.html)
MyQuadcopternowfliesquitewell!I'mlookingforwardtoflyitmorebutit's
kindoffreezingforthemoment...:)
Iattachedapictureofit.
Thankyou,
Alex
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FII/7TGU/I49RMUA4/FII7TGUI49RMUA4.LARGE.jpg)
cambstoys(/member/cambstoys/)
4monthsago
Reply
Hithere,Ihaveadeadcat450,IalsojustboughtaQbrainbutcannotseemto
(/member/cambstoys/)
getthisdarnthingworking,pleasecouldyoubemorespecificaboutthe
Cabling!
maka0045(/member/maka0045/)
5monthsago
Reply
6monthsago
Reply
Hi.Whatsettingsdoyouhaveinyourradiocontroler??
(/member/maka0045/)
HenrikS1(/member/HenrikS1/)
I'susinganOrangeRxDSM2recieverwithoutnumbers.HowwouldIwireit
(/member/HenrikS1/)
correctly?
MikiM1(/member/MikiM1/)
7monthsago
Reply
HelloIboughtQbrainandNaza.
(/member/MikiM1/)
canyoupostapicturetoseex
howdidtheconnectionbetweenfateandQbrai4x25Anazamlite?,Thank
you
(http://cdn.instructables.com/FTH/IUGG/I1945J8G/FTHIUGGI1945J8G.LARGE.jpg)
KennethF1(/member/KennethF1/)
7monthsago
Reply
Mymotorsdidnotcomewiththemotormountingscrewsasdepictedinthis
(/member/KennethF1/)
picture.Ipurchasedthe"TurnigyMultistar2213980Kv14PoleMultiRotor
Outrunner"aslistedinthepartslistbuttherearenophillipsscrewswiththem.
Themotorsonhobbykingalsodontshowthesescrews.lookingatthelocal
hobbystoresandhardwarestorestryingtofindsomethatwillwrkbutIhave
nothadanyluck.
nUUb(/member/nUUb/)
7monthsago
Reply
Realygreatinstructable,butIthinkthatyuneedtochargebatteryatLiPo
(/member/nUUb/)
balancemode,andnotatnormalchargemode.InLiPobalancemode,
chargerwillbalanceeachofthecellseparately,soismoresafe,andbetterfor
battery
:)
hauie83(/member/hauie83/)
8monthsago
Reply
Higreatinstructable,howcanIconnecttheQbraintotheKK2.1voltage
(/member/hauie83/)
sensortomakeuseofthelowvoltagealarm?Icantseemtofigurethatout.
Anyhelpisappriciated.
Jellyfish789(/member/Jellyfish789/)
8monthsago
Reply
SoIamintheprocessofscratchbuildingmyfirstquadcopter,andIamtrying
(/member/Jellyfish789/)
touseaTurnigyprogrammingcardtoprogrammyQBrain4in1ESC.Iplug
theQBrainintotheprogramminghub,andthatintotheprogrammingcard,
andthenpluginthebatterytoanXT60connectorIsolderedontotheESC,but
theprogrammingcarddoesn'tlightuporrespond.WhatamIdoingwrong,
andwhatcouldapossiblesolutionbe?
Jellyfish789(/member/Jellyfish789/) Jellyfish789
8monthsago
Reply
Nevermind,Ifinishedthebuildcompletely!Greatinstructable,
(/member/Jellyfish789/)
althoughInoticedthatsomeofthemixersettingswereflipped,
possiblybecauseoftherecentfirmwareupdate.
keyblade4321(/member/keyblade4321/)
10monthsago
Reply
GreatinstructableandnowIdefinitelywantaquadcopterformyown!One
(/member/keyblade4321/)
question,insteadofbuyingaSK450DeadCatframeforthequadcoptercould
Ilasercutmyownsuchasthis:
(http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:113497/#files)?Myideawasthatitwouldbe
easiertorepairbrokenarmsandwhatnotifIcouldcreatemyownframe.I
planonusingtheexactsamepartsasthelistprovidedbutchangetheframe.
Wouldthistheoreticallywork?
MrWinter(/member/MrWinter/)
11monthsago
Reply
Thankyouforthisgreatinstructable!OrderedallthepartsfromHK!Looking
(/member/MrWinter/)
forwardforthedelivery!
jjlink(/member/jjlink/)
11monthsago
Reply
11monthsago
Reply
Ivoted.:)
(/member/jjlink/)
Imademyfirstflightsandcrashestoday(Ineverflewbefore).Yes,Iswapped
motors3&4.Ineedtorecalibratethemotorsagainsincethedonotstartat
(/member/jjlink/)
thesametime.Thanksfortheinstructions.
ALECIALLEY(/member/ALECIALLEY/)
11monthsago
Reply
1yearago
Reply
NiceWorkDUDE...Voted
(/member/ALECIALLEY/)
frapedia(/member/frapedia/)
Astunninginstructable!Verywellpresentedindepth.Thanksforsharing!
(/member/frapedia/)
1yearago
Reply
AssumingtheyarecompatiblecananyonetellmehowtoconnecttheQBrain
(/member/jjlink/)
toaDJINazaLite(http://www.dji.com/product/nazamlite).Thanks!
fscacchi(/member/fscacchi/)
1yearago
Reply
Nicework!Ijustfinishmydeadcatlastweek)Justaquestion,areyousure
(/member/fscacchi/)
thatthemixereditorsettingsarecorrect?Ithinkthatyouswitchthethirdand
fourthmotors!Letmeknow!
vnadar1(/member/vnadar1/)
1yearago
Reply
pleasepleaseuploadvideostepbystepplease:(.sothatitismoreeasyto
understandandfixit
(/member/vnadar1/)
mallen15(/member/mallen15/)
1yearago
Reply
Thiswasagreatinstructable,infactimbuildingitmyself,theonethingthat
(/member/mallen15/)
annoyedmethough,asthiswasmyfirsttimebuildingaquadcopter,ididnt
havethepartsthatwerentincludedinthepartslist,whichmademepayfor
moreshippingbecauseineededmoreparts,Thesepartswerethethreadlock,
theXT60connectorsandthepropbalancer,Forothersthatare/wereinthe
samesituationasme,youshouldaddthosetothepartslist,willmakethierlife
muchsimplier,asimstuckwaitingforthreadlockandabalancernow...
KROKKENOSTER(/member/KROKKENOSTER/)
1yearago
Reply
Boywhataninterestingproject!Nowwheredoesthatneighbourstaythatskin
(/member/KROKKENOSTER/)
diponSaturday?
woody6942(/member/woody6942/)
1yearago
Reply
I'mgoingtobuildthisbutwaswonderingwhatkindofcameradidyouuse??
(/member/woody6942/)
Toglefritz(/member/Toglefritz/)(author) woody6942
1yearago
Reply
1yearago
Reply
IuseaContourROAMModel1600.
woody6942(/member/woody6942/) Toglefritz
thankyoufortheinfoandquickresponse!:)
(/member/woody6942/)
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A SK450 Dead Cat Quadcopter To Call Your Own

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