I'm using a KK2 board with a HobbyWing quattro 20A esc, all wired up as someone suggested over on RCGroups, power up quad and the motors won't arm. They just beep at me (?)
Not sure what end points/throttle curves etc I should be using on my 9x, I just set it to a default Acro (airplane) model.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Also, the KK2 is showing 0 volts when it first powers up???!! Everthing beeps once then shuts up, then when I press 'Menu' to take the KK2 out of safe mode I get beeps every 2 seconds or so and no throttle response...
Got it all wired up as per this helpful diagram from a fella over on RCGroups: (http://static.rcgroups.net/forums/attachments/2/0/5/9/6/2/a5371210-212-KK2QuattroX.jpg)
Cheers!
-Al
Forgot to mention that 'S3' on the Quattro esc provides the BEC power for the KK2, hence I plugged it into the motor one port on the KK
The KK2 will read 0 volts unless you have specifically soldered in the voltage detection (which isn't there out of the box)
Is it actually arming. You press menu to exit the menu and it should be in safe mode, then you'd arm with throttle down and to the left (iirc, could be the right). Is this bit happening ok
It will actually say on the screen safe or armed. If it does get armed then it will beep every few seconds to warn you about it.
few answers
1) standard plane setup is fine
2)You need to solder a pin on the board so it can read battery voltage
3) have you calibrated the esc ( press button 1 + 4 then add power to kk with 9x at full throttle , then lower throttle then release buttons)
Also have you checked the receiver test on the KK screen
YES! You guys rock! For starters I had the aileron output plugged into throttle on my receiver :o and then I had no idea you had to hold the rudder to the right to arm it! So happy hearing the whine of those motors!
Thank you sooooo much for your help lads, might get some flying done tomorrow after all!
-A very very happy Al ;D
Quote from: adrenalinjunki on May 07, 2013, 11:45:17 PM
That's what I like! I happy Ending on This Forum!
Now Just Don't Crash it! DOh!
I'll try! :laugh:
-Al
Tried a maiden flight today and it was all over the place! Wobbling like mad from side to side (oscillating?). It was a bit better once I adjusted the end points on my 9x to make it less twitchy, but it was still very uncontrollable when I wasn't even touching the sticks!
I think I've got all the motors spinning in the right direction with appropriate CW or CCW props on each, my props say 'R' on some of them, which I have taken to mean 'Right' so I put them on the clockwise spinning motors (is that CW or CCW?).
Also, which way do the props have to face the ground? I've put them writing side up, i.e. the outwards curve facing up and the inwards curve facing down. Not sure if that makes any sense so I'll throw a few pictures up.
(http://i41.tinypic.com/2yloahl.jpg)
(http://i41.tinypic.com/n50w1z.jpg)
Cheers for any help!
-Al :)
Hi mate, nice job!!
Add a fith servo lead to pins 5 on the input side of the board from your RX & then set your TX to use that channel on a switch. Think you did this?
Then go into options on kk2 & set auto level to switch rather than stick.
This will allow you to turn on the stabilizer with your tx
Props should be writing side up for a multicopter. Similarly writing side forward for a fixed wing, whether it is a pusher or tractor config.
I've got a KK2 board in my Turnigy quad but can't help with the settings for your quad. Mine is rock steady. Someone else here should be able to give you the settings.
Anyway, shouldn't you be studying????? ;D
With props, they have a specific airfoil shape to them & normally the trailing edge is a bit more curved near the root than the leading edge, so the rounder more curved edge is the rear & should be pointed in the direction you want the air to be moved.
With the oscillations the kk2 has x2 types, a fast shake that will make it hard to stay still & maintain height & also a slow wobble that will just wobble the quad a bit. The fast shake is your P gain too high, & the wobble is your I gain too high.
Best to leave ALL end points on your TX at 100% & all trims at 0 (dead centre) too.
Go into your rx test on the kk2 & see if all the channel numbers read zero? If no go into your subtrim to zero them. Otherwise your quad will not be trimmed.
Then go to your P & I gain settings, take the P to maybe somit like 50 & the I gain to 0, this will allow you to dial in you P gain without the I gain effecting it. Hover, land & dial up the P gain a bit & repeat until you get the shakes then back it off a bit until stable.
Then do the same with the I gain (leave P where set though)
To see if the auto level is on it'll tell you on the main safe screen.
Lastly you can adjust the responsiveness of your quad with stick scaling, lower for slower & higher for faster - be careful it'll get real quick real fast with this!
Al, have you got these?
Before you start tuning the KK2, have those props been balanced.... it will make the difference between an angry wobbling monster and a smooth hover. Once you are happy that the props are balanced up nicely, *then* look at your gain values.
Despite the KK2 stick scaling, I also have a 60% expo set on aileron/elevator as well to smooth things out
Also very important to upgrade to firmware 1.5
The standard 1.2 is ok but 1.5 is way better
Quote from: CurryKitten on May 08, 2013, 01:21:20 PM
Before you start tuning the KK2, have those props been balanced.... it will make the difference between an angry wobbling monster and a smooth hover. Once you are happy that the props are balanced up nicely, *then* look at your gain values.
Despite the KK2 stick scaling, I also have a 60% expo set on aileron/elevator as well to smooth things out
Very good point CK, those hobbyking props are normally well out!
Righty, thanks for all the advice! Have done everything that you all suggested, properly balanced props, played with PI editor and self level settings, and now the ruddy wind has picked up big time! And the garage is piled full of goodness knows what, so no flying for me just now :(
As soon as the wind dies I'll get it back into the air and report back with the results.
My V929 kiddies toy quad that I've been practicing on is very twitchy, so if I were to dial in some expo on my 9x would that dull it down a bit? Never knew that :+ I guess I've tried to dive straight into the world of multirotors, I need to do some serious reading up on all of this stuff!
Cheers lads,
-Al :)
Righty, got the 450 out for another flight today, and much steadier now I've played with the PI gains etc (cheers for the tip!). But the stick response is still wayyy too sensitive for me, a tiny movement sends the quad shooting off and it's really difficult to get back under control, so do I adjust the stick scaling on the KK2, or do I adjust endpoints/expo on my 9x?
Thanks for the help lads, sorry for the constant pestering :)
-Al
Cool you got it mostly sorted. Stick scaling would be good i think. What settings do you have for it?
I fly my tri with zero TX expo & adjust on kk2 scaling
Either !
Expo is all about the desensitizing the centre points of the sticks. Using it on a quad/multi is particularly useful for being able to keep it in a rock steady hover. (I use 60%) If it's a problem that the quad is blasting off too far when you push the stick forwards, then use the stick scaling, or a dual rate or an end point.
If you are flying in autolevel mode, then a different route to take is to dial down your P limit. This will limit what the inputs do to the quad, so full stick on a low p limit = a gentle movement. Dialled down too much of course, then it will limit you maneuverability, but will enable nice smooth flight for FPV.... as with most things there is a sweet spot to find.
I like my stick movements to be small - hate having to do full travel to get anywhere
Yes. I dont think you will be able to set the throttle expo on the 9X in Acro mode. So you will have to set it up using the stick scalling on KK2.
I recommend that you set all the expos (Stick scalling)on the board itself. I keep the throttle at 40 and leave all channels as they are.
And now my question, how do i update the firmware on the KK2LCD board? :+
I'm not suggesting throttle expo (although you can set in if you use er9x) just on aileron/elevator.
You need an avr programmer to update th firmware. The 6 pin interface is just at the bottom left of the LCD screen.
Upgrade kk2 with this bud
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__27990__USBasp_AVR_Programming_Device_for_ATMEL_proccessors.html (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__27990__USBasp_AVR_Programming_Device_for_ATMEL_proccessors.html)
Thanxx guys for the firmware update help. Any idea about the firmware changes which have been applied?
Auto level that actually works ;)
Cheers again lads! Will have a wee mess around with the KK and see what I can do, unfortunately it was blowing a hooley up here today, so no flying and tinkering with the quad. Will see what's happening weather-wise tomorrow :)
How do I know what firmware my KK is running? I only bought it a few weeks ago, so I'm assuming it's the latest, but I dinnie ken :)
Also, should I always be flying in autolevel mode, or not?
Cheers
-Al :D
Hi mate, when you turn on the board it'll say what firmware & if auto level is on or off on main screen.
All boards come with 1.2 you NEED to update to 1.5
If you're starting out then fly with auto level but if youre feeling brave then no you don't need to always fly with it on ;)
Cheers Flyn, seems weird they don't ship with the latest firmware!
Programmer wise does it have to be the HobbyKing one, or would a cheapo one like this do? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USBASP-USBISP-AVR-Programmer-USB-ATMEGA8-ATMEGA128-ATMEL-AVR-ATmege-AT90-ATtiny-/190814423744?pt=UK_Computing_Other_Computing_Networking&hash=item2c6d6d0ac0 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USBASP-USBISP-AVR-Programmer-USB-ATMEGA8-ATMEGA128-ATMEL-AVR-ATmege-AT90-ATtiny-/190814423744?pt=UK_Computing_Other_Computing_Networking&hash=item2c6d6d0ac0)
Cheers, sorry for the constant pestering! Never flashed/programmed anything before ;)
-Al
The kk2 as is a ATMEGA 324 PA unit & your eBay item is compatible with ATMEGA 324, so for under £3 it might be worth a punt?!?
Unless anyone knows any different......
In the auto level settings, I could not figure out the reason why the I gain is much less than the P gain. But in the PI Editor, all the I gains are way more than the P gains in all parameters. I am no expert but cannot find out the reason why.
Ok, I cleared out our garage today to make some test flight space, because it's blowing a hooley ootside as per the usual!
I've tweaked the P and I gains a lot, and got it so there is only a tiny bit of slow oscillation, but it's definitely manageable.
But........ FRIGGIN JELLO!!!!!! :o
The props I'm using are crappy BangGood $3 a pair plastic ones, flexi as hell and hard to properly balance, so I'm on the hunt for some better props that are mostly pre-balanced out of the box. I've read a lot of forums and the general consensus is that cheap plastic ones are crap, and genuine APC & Graupner props are a whole lot better. So does anyone have any recommendations on brands? I'm currently using 10x4.5 props and they seem fine power wise, hovers at about 1/2 throttle with the GoPro onboard and a small 2200 3s lipo.
I noticed that electro posted a link to the electricwingman store who have a good selection, so if possible I'd like to order from there https://www.electricwingman.com/multi-rotor-propellers.aspx (https://www.electricwingman.com/multi-rotor-propellers.aspx)
Really appreciate the constant help I get on this forum, it's great for a noob like me to be able to google for hours and then come here to clarify things before ordering crappy gear :laugh:
-Al :)
Most of my experience is with fixed wing and on the last 3 models I have done a fair bit of prop testing from different brands and prop sizes. I keep coming back to APC as they consistently give excellent results. I use a SLEC prop balancer which has served me well but will probably change to a magnetic one on the recommendation of a fellow club member.
Al, another good source of props is Robot birds.
http://robotbirds.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=42&osCsid=f8d972d2b90fb778553330655adddfff (http://robotbirds.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=42&osCsid=f8d972d2b90fb778553330655adddfff)
Al,
Almost the standard answer everytime someone bought a Flamewheel 450 was to throw away the DJI props and replace with some Graupners 10x5's. I found they need some balancing out of the box, but do balance very easily. They aren't cheap though, but I tend to think they are worth it.
I do keep hearing good things about APC, I have el cheapo GWS props on my tricopter which are very flexible - I must try APC's instead on this one at some point.