FPV - Cabin Fever

[@MidwestRob]

Thanks for the huge compliment Dennis. I'm glad I've been able to inspire you like others have inspired me. I'm using a custom made damper made from memory foam earplugs sandwiched between layers of firm foam. I use the damper materials under and behind the GoPro to isolate it from the frame. It hasn't been the perfect solution, but it seems to work pretty well.

[@MidwestRob]

Thank you. This heavier frame isn't as agile as some of the smaller and lighter quads, but it's very powerful and carries a lot of speed and momentum. It has a very fluid feel to it when flying.

[@MidwestRob]

Thanks. I love the versatility of multicopters. You can hover like a helicopter, or soar like a plane.

[@MidwestRob]

Thanks John. Yes, I was flying in manual mode. When flying in attitude/GPS mode, the Naza tries to limit the craft from rolling or pitching more than 30 degrees. The Naza is capable of performing aerobatic maneuvers, like flips and rolls, when flying in manual mode.

[@MidwestRob]

Thank you. It's total weight is about 1600g. That includes the battery, GoPro, FPV gear, and everything else.

[@MidwestRob]

Hey no problem, I'm happy to help. Tuning is an art in itself. Ideally you will want your craft to have a nice locked in feel without oscillations. If the multirotor tends to slowly roll or pitch on its own, you will need to increase the gains on the axis that it is loose. If the craft oscillates on the roll or pitch axis you will need to lower the gains until the oscillations disappear. Your flying style is also a big determining factor in how you should tune your multirotor.

[@MidwestRob]

Thanks Hadley. I still baby this thing around. I will be starting another FPV quadcopter soon that I will be using to bash around more. I like my TBS Disco too much to abuse her.

[@MidwestRob]

Yeah, the Graupner props are very well balanced. Occasionally you may have to balance one, but most of them are good to go out of the box.

[@MidwestRob]

Thanks a lot hadriez. I get a lot of inspiration from many FPV pilots including you, so keep posting your videos also.

[@MidwestRob]

I'm actually using a diversity receiver setup so I can use two separate antennas. I point my patch antenna in the general direction I plan to fly and the second antenna is a 6dbi omni directional whip to get 360 coverage up close and behind me. You could achieve similar results with just one receiver and circular polarized antennas. I got this setup before the CP antennas were popular.

[@MidwestRob]

Hey John, I was wrong. I looked at the Naza manual and the slope limit for attitude and GPS mode is 45°. When flying in attitude or GPS mode the motors will shutoff if the slope angle of multi-rotor is beyond 70°. If your multi-rotor is beyond 70° and you are in "Attitude or GPS mode" the Naza assumes that a crash is imminent and will automatically disarm the motors for safety purposes. I think you can turn this safety feature off by changing your motor "Cutoff Type" to "Immediate Mode".

[@MidwestRob]

Thanks. I'm flying in manual mode, so the altitude is maintained through manual throttle and pitch inputs by me. If your Naza isn't maintaining altitude during forward flight while flying in attitude mode, you may need to increase your vertical gains in the DJI assistant software. It's not unusual to have to increase throttle a little during fast forward flight to maintain altitude, even when in attitude mode.

[@XXPITT]

i have to say rob, your videos are the business. you can fly that quad like its a plane. like the way you stick to the roads when your taking the turns

[@MidwestRob]

Thanks Jefferson. I don't think you will have much trouble adjusting to manual mode with your RC experience. The controls are a bit like flying a helicopter. My advice to you would be to first get a good feel for manual mode while flying line of sight. It's going to feel very sensitive compared to attitude/GPS mode, so some expo and reduced rates will help a lot. It's important to always be ready to flip the switch back to attitude/GPS when you feel like things are getting out of control.

[@1aalbes1]

verry good video , verry sharp , no vibrations , and the flip over ,verry nice

[@dennisbaldwin]

Thanks for the tip and I see exactly what you're getting at. I may give that a try soon. Keep up the good work.

[@MidwestRob]

Sometimes. They can be really tough to see until you are right up on them. It's easier to look for and clear the power poles.

[@MidwestRob]

Hey John. The Open Pilot program is open to anyone who wants to get involved. Go to the Open Pilot website to find out more. There are a few places you can order a CC3D flight controller if you want to try one out for yourself. BTW, I'm using a DJI Naza flight controller in this video.

[@profylr]

Another great flight. I've said it before and I'll say it again. You have some serious skillz.

[@MidwestRob]

Anywhere between 7-9 minutes. It changes depending on how hard I fly and the ambient temperature. The health of your lipo battery also plays a big roll.

[@FPV4x4Action]

Awesome vid Rob! Nice long shadows with sunset and really like the transition after the rolls and dives

[@MidwestRob]

That's a good question. Unfortunately I don't have an Amp sensor to monitor those measurements. I suppose I could figure out the average with enough of the variables and a little bit of math. It's something I've never really had an issue with. There's a good chance I've probably exceeded 25C from time to time, but the batteries I'm using are rated up to 50C burst.

[@dem0n1k]

Love the zooming through the carpark & trees :) :thumbsup: Very smooth flying.

[@MidwestRob]

It can be very difficult to see obstacles ahead along the horizon when flying fast. I can see how a FPV camera gimbal could be an advantage during those fast forward flights. I watched a few of your KZbin videos Sean, and I like how you incorporated the FPV camera gimbal onto your hard-shell quadcopter frame. I like the attention to detail and how well thought out your HUGO quadcopter design is. It's really cool looking too.

[@hadriez]

nice flying there Rob.. to be honest, your controls manning the sticks is one of the smoothest I have ever seen. keep sharing more of your awesome flights!

[@BorisBnow]

What a beautiful sunset flight. Those are my favorite. Very smooth and joy to watch. Also great music choice. By the way I now use same motors and I liked those! I am running them now on 4S on my Iconic-X

[@MidwestRob]

Yeah, the directional antenna comes in handy when I want to fly behind a lot of trees. Most of the time I could probably get by without a 1.28Ghz diversity system, but I like the clarity I get when I decide to venture out of LOS. I also use a 5.8Ghz FPV goggle system on another quad that I like to use for bashing around. I call it my fun copter. I really like how simple the 5.8Ghz system is to setup.

[@MidwestRob]

Thanks. Here are my Naza gains: [Basic P: 165 R: 135 Y: 130 V: 175] [Attitude P: 165 R: 150] This video was flown in manual mode. I need to up the yaw rate a little, but I've been too lazy to change it.

[@CurryKitten]

Wonderfully fluid and fantastically fast. I was surprised to read your setup is on 3s and not 4s. Not quite sure how you are carrying that much speed - but keep doing it, because it looks great !

[@MidwestRob]

Thanks, I appreciate the compliment. With some stick time under the goggles I'm sure you can accomplish just as good of results as myself.

[@labcopilot]

Great flight Rob. Thought you had gone into hibernation for the winter.

[@MidwestRob]

I get an all green satellite link after about 45-60 seconds on the first power up. After that, I get an instant link after changing batteries from the same takeoff spot. Try a low-pass-filter on your 1.28Ghz video transmitter, it should help out a lot.

[@aftertwotoo]

Very nice smooth flying, love the slow flips.

[@MidwestRob]

No, sorry I don't have any pictures of this setup posted anywhere. If you would like me to send you a few pictures give me a PM with your info.

[@seanheadrick]

I have my mini FPV cam on a gimbal in the pitch axis only. When I am at full forwartd pitch the camera lifts a bit to keep the horizon visible.

[@MidwestRob]

Haha. No magic fairy dust required, but I am running on 3s batteries and 10x5 Graupners.

[@blueprint012]

Very nice rob! I am considering the same motors for my discovery. I see you are flying in manual mode. Very nice.

[@MidwestRob]

I meant the "Cut Off Type" in the DJI assistant software. Change it from intelligent to immediate.

[@shawnshighaltitudemedia4507]

Another great video! What an inspiration they are!

[@TheFlyingRookie]

For your FPV flying style there's no doubt a FPV ground station is needed

[@dennisbaldwin]

Rob, you are my FPV hero right now! So good! What are you doing for vibration dampening on the GoPro?

[@JohnTomelevage]

Thanks Rob. Did you ever see the DJI video where they toss the quad into the air and it levels off? I didn't toss mine but after over correcting a roll in manual mode I switched to attitude mode and the motors cut off. I was too slow to do the two-stick initialize and crashed the GAUI. I presume I was over 30 degrees and this caused the motors to be cut off. Other theories or solutions are welcome.

[@JohnTomelevage]

Oh, OK. Thanks Rob. But I don't fly acrobatic with my F550, I doubt it could anyway. I'll have to fix the GAUI before I can try it.

[@vegetoast1]

Good to see you flying Rob! Nice vid, you have a fast bird there mate

[@MidwestRob]

Thanks, I appreciate that a lot.

[@MidwestRob]

Yes, I'm flying in manual mode in this video. I get approx. 7-9 mins per battery depending on how aggressively I fly. Sorry, but I do not own any Turnigy batteries to compare flight times between the two brand names.

[@GillesRanger]

Very nice smotth flight, Mark. You didn't lose your touch during the off time. :)

[@mjl0259]

Very impressive! Question on the low level flying. Are you doing that while the Naza is in altitude hold? I'm using the Naza as well but it seems that when I attempt fast forward flight it looses altitude and I have to back off. Could be I just need more practice, or the quad needs a weight and balance adjustment or I need some settings tweaks with in the Naza. ...or all of the above. :-) BTW...Holy Crap what an awesome place to fly!

[@cheguazam]

Thanks Rob, but now i fly my quads more often, it's like a flting sports car, =) i'll try your settings. See how it works with me. Have a good day.

[@JohnTomelevage]

It looks like you had a great day to fly! Nice clear sky and great colors. I saw you did a couple loops and your description says you used a Naza+GPS. Were you in manual mode? I did some rolls with my GAUI 500X and it seems the motors cut off after maybe 30 degrees into the roll. Not pretty.

[@profylr]

Thanks, because I was wondering if the power line problem was a Gopro-as-FPV camera problem due to the wide angle view. One last question about naza, how long do you have to wait for naza to get a good satellite link before take off? I had a bad experience with return to home failsafe without proper gps lock......

[@ezragrothe]

Very, very cool. How much does your quad weigh?

[@profylr]

Are you able to see details like power lines with the Sony super had camera?

[@gzyabis]

Awesome! :) what is your gain setup? Thx for sharing ;)

[@dalecarliaphoto]

Great video Rob! Really like your controlled turns, I find it hard to maintain altitude through the whole turn, often I gain some altitude in the middle. Guess this is one of the things that need more practice :) Going to Kansas next week :) -- S

[@SkyburnersDotCom]

Beautiful flight and great skills on the sticks! 4s? Graupners? Magic fairy dust?

[@MidwestRob]

Thank you. I watched some some of your helicopter videos, your an amazing 3D pilot. Here are my Naza gains: [Basic P: 165 R: 135 Y: 130 V: 175] [Attitude P: 165 R: 150].

[@pattystandel5684]

Beautiful Flight!

[@cheguazam]

Hi Rob, you are one of a very impressive and inspiring FPV Quad flyer, i'm using the same gears as yours. Mine is quite sticky as i fly in attitude mode, in manual mode it becomes too wild. Do you mind sharing your FC setting on DJI Assist Software? Tq.

[@MANOSRC]

SUPER THUMBS UP!!!! YOU FLY AWESOME....AND THIS IS A GREAT SPOT TO FLY!!! DJI ARMS ON THE DISCO IS A GREAT IDEA....GOOD THINKING AND GOOD JOB!!!

[@Redshadow71]

Awesome videos.

[@MidwestRob]

BTW, the diversity system I use is overkill for the ranges I fly within (500-1000 meters).

[@MidwestRob]

What size battery are you using? Maybe you could decrease your prop size and increase your battery by one cell. I've read that the larger props tend to create more vibrations.

[@JohnTomelevage]

Thanks Rob. It seems like the motors did cut off immediately. Did you mean to change cutoff to not immediate?

[@jeffersonlord4299]

Hi rob, wow , just brilliant , you have inspired me to now go manual !!! Any advice would be appreciated , I have flown planes for over 20 years and heli for the last 2 years , quads and fpv only 3 month , at the moment Im stuck in my comfort zone flying around in gps mode although more recently flying much lower. Circling objects etc, should I try flicking to manual fpv with some altitude or is it better line of site? How is it going to feel? What about tuning technique ? My setup is simil

[@plema79]

awesome video Rob!

[@MidwestRob]

Thank you. I've been called a lot of things, but I've never been called Mark before. LOL, I'll add that one to the list.

[@aleksandarkolov]

Great video and nice flying!

[@jeffersonlord4299]

thanks rob, what about the tuning? there is a lot of info on the web about getting a tight hover in gps/atti but very little on smooth manual flight, any tips before i commence my training !! thanks for ur prompt reply

[@Pyarngo]

Hello are you flying in manual mode? how long is your flight time with gen ace lipos? Do you have a turnigy lipos that we can compare their flight times? thank you

[@guytimes]

Hey Rob, do you have any links with pictures of your set up?

[@gzyabis]

Thx Rob :)

[@MidwestRob]

It's a fun one to fly.

[@SuperDaibach]

Fantastic flight and beautiful video :) One day I might be half as good, but by then you'll be 5 times better, LOL

[@VideocopterNZ]

It´s funny, it looks like you fly a plane but it´s a copter! Very cool!

[@Atarix777]

My Q40 has arround 1100g inkl. Lipo and is a nice for slow flights until 8 kph - i now ordered also a Q30 frame to build a little Copter that i can use during my lunchbreak (i start to become more and more addicted ^^) and a Goliath Frame that i want to use for filming (all from eyefly.info). I guess the little quad will get a Wii or APM, for the Big Quad i want to get a NAZA+GPS as u have it on ur TBS. Cant wait to get all the parts together ^^.

[@SteveRCPilot]

nice flying

[@trinco]

smoooooothhhhhnesssss

[@Atarix777]

Wow, fantastic video - and some parts are just sooo fast... I dont think my little Q40 can fly half that fast ^^.

[@MidwestRob]

LOL I did, but I crawled out of my hole for more FPV.

[@DesJardinsJ]

Nice!!!

[@89Wido]

^^ The Bird on 3:07

[@jpryor27]

I like your flying, but Purity Ring puts it over the top!

[@WilliePrinsloo]

I want one :)

[@GillesRanger]

Oops... I meant Rob... Cheeze...

[@Cardboardboks]

Dam that is smooth, although I bet you could go lower ;)

[@Pyarngo]

hi there how much amps do you pull when flying in manual mode? Your battery is rated at 25C and base on how you fly I think your pulling more than 25c.