How to get smoother FPV Acro!

In the eternal hunt for that golden tune, i discuss a few other things worth bearing in mind. Tuning your PIDs to death is only a part of the total solution to a better flight experience. If you want to get in touch, i'm on RCGroups forums as 'Neilius'
I'm always happy to help! Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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[@AlbertKimTV]

Great video! This is one of the first ones that explains things in simple terms. So many other videos about tuning makes no sense to me. Keep up the good work!

[@NJ-Tech]

hey thanks! Really appreciate that :)

[@alwayscleanandclearpoolcar1227]

First video I've seen that really breaks down your controls with what you are doing. I've watched dozens of hours of vids with people trying to explain what they are doing, but your HUD of your stick movements really puts it in a much clearer perspective. I wish more people would add that portion to their videos. would make passing the knowledge on much simpler.

[@NJ-Tech]

thanks man, really appreciate the feedback :)

[@mmstac]

Thank you very much, this has helped me fly notably smoother. Focusing more on throttle management and minimizing right hand movement is working great.

[@NJ-Tech]

that's great to hear man, happy flights! :)

[@ianrice1778]

I really like what you have to say. Having people send in their videos so you can help them is a smart idea and really awesomely kind way to help them. Amazing flying by the way :)

[@skypilot23]

Now I can get over my feeling like the way I fly- like your recco is too much like planes. Where I come from. Smooth like you say. Cool

[@BudgetFPVRC]

Your maneuver breakdown and visual is perfect instruction. Once I can understand the elements of a maneuver it is much better for learning how to execute the maneuver. I think your less is more tip is one to live by. Again, excellent videos you are putting out.

[@NJ-Tech]

+bah7566 much appreciated, thank you!

[@Jacey2001]

this is exactly what I just figured out on my own recently. i was always micro managing the sticks nervously.. then i got more comfortable and tuned better. thats when i finally realized my drifting center stick prob.. punched in your recommendation of 4 deadband.. now no probs.. i can get smooth fpv video because i can literally let off the sticks between moves. its very satisfying. thanks man

[@NJ-Tech]

Great to hear my friend and so glad you feel like you're moving forward at each step! That's all that matters :)

[@knightwolf8877]

Jay Vantol can you link me to the deadband video?

[@Jacey2001]

Kristian Taylor i dont think it was a video. it was a response to my question, i had some drift in flight so i asked and he recommended setting RC deadband to 4 in clean/betaflight. it worked. but now i also set my taranis subtrims to alleviate the off center sensitivity in the sticks.

[@knightwolf8877]

Jay Vantol ah ok thank you

[@jaspreetsidhu5708]

love your videos and how you explain everything. funny how you used flow, we use it all the time in snowboarding made it very easy to understand everything after that. Thanks for the video.

[@NJ-Tech]

Thanks :) appreciate it!

[@MarcHord-mk5ff]

great tips. i have had a hard time with this and slowing down and gaining control has been hard to accomplish. Slow and steady has saved alot of parts recently.Thanks for the video.

[@NJ-Tech]

Marc Hord you're welcome. And totally agree to go slow and keep high until the consistency starts to happen.

[@playtimefpv]

Very cool of you! I don't know how much your making but they need to give you a raise! Thank you!!

[@Niels.Brouwers]

Just found these videos, absolutely brilliant. Very clear explanation of what (and why) to do! Much appreciated!

[@NJ-Tech]

thanks man, really appreciate hearing that :)

[@liamthomasltfpv2073]

thank you for taking the time to share - i find your explanations most helpful.

[@NJ-Tech]

You're welcome, and thanks!

[@CradyLab]

Brilliant explanation and a great use of the Blackbox Flight Recorder.

[@NJ-Tech]

thank you sir, hope it helped :)

[@CradyLab]

I did! I've been struggling with making the transition from flying multirotors like 'guided balloons' to aerobatics and your explanation of how these maneuvers are initiated is the most lucid and comprehensive I've seen. Thanks!

[@NJ-Tech]

lol guided balloons! Laughed a lot when i read that! Thanks mate, very nice to read and keeps me motivated to keep doing them. Cheers :)

[@Painless360]

Great video, thanks for sharing..

[@NJ-Tech]

you sir, are are a hero of the hobby! Thanks so much for the comment, big fan here.

[@dontreadmyprofilepicture7385]

Painless360 don't read my channel name

[@danielvalencia6082]

Thanks for the ideas! I've always wanted to decouple the actions of the quad to see if it's tuned right but when I watch others tune they seem to just slam the sticks, and as you said there's no good information from that. I'm gonna see what happens when I try and leave the right stick alone. Back to the drawing board :)

[@NJ-Tech]

No problem! Just food for thought really, let me know how you get on :)

[@blackmennewstyle]

Nice share man :) Have a great weekend and happy flying

[@NJ-Tech]

thanks man, have a good one :)

[@unclejerry486]

Thanks! Please continue making these maneuvers vids!

[@NJ-Tech]

Thanks man :) I've got a few more im working on, appreciate the feedback!

[@NJ-Tech]

Thanks man :) I've got a few more im working on, appreciate the feedback!

[@mrxXzekeXx]

I freaking love your videos, i have watch a looot of "how to X with stick camera" videos, but they are so freaking fast on the sticks and i'm really new to this (and old so my eyes and stuff arent the best and fastest anymore :P ) so i can watch the video but i aint learning sh*t.. But your videos, can only say thanx man!! Helped me so much! :) Good work! Love from Sweden!

[@NJ-Tech]

mrxXzekeXx ah thanks man that means a lot to know it's helping people out. just the reason why I do it :) appeciate the comment! have fun!!

[@mrxXzekeXx]

Np mate! :) Bought a RTF from Eachine (wizard) as my first "real" quad but now im gonna build my first own instead (has had the Wizard for 2 months) and then your PID's tuning videos gonna be my next study! :)

[@checkeredflagfilms]

Like your sensible/reasoned approached to FPV. A rare commodity in the community. Btw...I have not seen this in FPV acro demo's...seeing the stick pattern/movement is very helpful but why hasn't someone created a small frame animation (like we see in BetaFlight) that mimics the real time rotation/pitch/roll of simultaneously? Then you could actually follow the actual trajectory of the aircraft as the maneuver was executed.

[@checkeredflagfilms]

what do you think about the second part of my comment. creating an animated drone to use in your acro-tutotials...just alongside the sticks? Perhaps AE or other 3D capable software.

[@davidaearthy]

Thanks for sharing. I so need to smooth out my flying. I don’t notice when I’m flying but when I watch the videos back I’m putting in to many inputs and it ends up jerky and unpleasant to watch. What’s the software you are using for this by the way? Maybe I could use this along side my videos to see what I’m doing while I fly.

[@2crashy545]

This is the video I needed. I notice you weren't using any yaw there either. Excellent, less is more.

[@NJ-Tech]

+Flight Mode Fast Thanks, and well spotted! As i've mentioned in a previous video, yaw is probably the easiest to accidentally nudge when you're working the throttle a lot. You can cheat a little by increasing your Yaw 'deadband' to help ignore those tiny nudges. But something to consciously work on when flying, i think.

[@2crashy545]

Thanks that's brilliant. I've reached the stage where I'm bashing the sticks to try to reach the next level and I can see that's all wrong now. I've just had a fly following the less is more approach and I think it was instantly better. Video to follow later today. Please feel free to subscribe and any pointers along the way would be gratefully received. You have a superb flying style for sure. Thanks again.

[@eleftherioskarakostas7191]

I like your approach , watched couple of your videos, good content had to sub. Keep it up mate, thumbs up

[@NJ-Tech]

Thanks very much! Really appreciate the kind words and the sub :)

[@airplanegeorge]

the stop action with the sticks is really good. slow motion would be good to. Just started switching to acro, It's like starting over. funny, it's easy on the simulator.

[@justin.a.d3259]

absolutely love your videos!! very very helpful! I'm curious though whats a good 250 scale fpv quad to get into? I've mainly been doing minis and saving up for a 250 scale just can't pin point what would be a good one to start with for racing and freestyle.(I feel the flight style requires a certain model, however im uncertain about that.)

[@NJ-Tech]

Thanks :) there are loads of good frames out there to chose from depending on your budget. Personally i prefer spending on a good frame because the quality of carbon fibre means it will last. The alien, QAV-R are both excellent choices in my opinion but there are lots in that category.

[@justin.a.d3259]

thank you sir!

[@cafiusklien]

This video was why I was all ready subscribed Neil 😉 Top stuff mate ☺

[@NJ-Tech]

thanks very much :)

[@cafiusklien]

+NJ Tech It's Mike btw, it my quad in your surgery. The reason I liked this video is the stick telemetry with the video, it has been very useful indeed.

[@NJ-Tech]

sent you a fb message.

[@Clegg.]

Ah, Cardington, around the corner from me. Be even better to see you demonstrate that in person, ha! Good vid!

[@NJ-Tech]

come say hi on our fb page fpv bedford

[@gutifpv587]

Always happy to be your fail acro muse :D Great vid mate !

[@NJ-Tech]

lol! thanks bro ;)

[@doktordrone]

thank you very much for this useful sharing, please stay safe and healthy 🙏👍❤️🥃🥃

[@NJ-Tech]

Thanks, you too! :)

[@richardgreen3143]

quality video buddy. Out of curiosity what sort of rates do you run then? rc rate and rc expo as well??

[@NJ-Tech]

Thanks :) I cant remember for this but usually i have my rates around .60, RC rate about .60 and super expo at 30.

[@richardgreen3143]

+NJ Tech hmm maybe I need to back mine down then! I have race rate at 1.00 and rc expo at 0.70. havent played with super expo too much...but that is fun just enabling it (whatever it defaults too) :)

[@richardgreen3143]

+Richard Green that should be "RC" not race...bloody autocorrect.

[@NJ-Tech]

i found super expo is great for getting those nice fast rates at the edges of the sticks but to keep things smooth i run lower on the main rate and the have the rc expo more linear. I just find this makes your manoeuvres more controllable and smoother looking. All that said, the main thing is not to change all those too much otherwise you're muscle memory is constantly having to relearn how to smoothly execute all your tricks!

[@stuartmunro3209]

Great video. Great advice; absolutely invaluable. Thanks!

[@NJ-Tech]

Thanks Stuart, much appreciated :)

[@Miniquadtopix]

great info, thanks for the video!

[@NJ-Tech]

no problem, and thanks!

[@masslona]

Great channel and greater content! Subscribed!

[@angel00demon]

Hi ! I just discovered your channel, and I'm a subscriber now! Nice tutorials, and excellent explanation! smoo0O0ooth is fAsSST !!!

[@NJ-Tech]

Thanks man :)

[@DashzRight]

This is a masterclass man.

[@NJ-Tech]

thank you! Really appreciate that :)

[@MarkVellawyatt]

Great explanation....I hope I learned enough to improve more and more :)

[@NJ-Tech]

thanks :)

[@danielminsonpucciariello4608]

Love your videos!!!!!!!

[@NJ-Tech]

thank you! :)

[@FunFactorRC]

One day. LoL really like the series.

[@MikeAndrewsUSMC]

I notice that the rear motors appear to have slightly higher output than the front, is that on purpose? I just wondered if your CG was a bit to the rear of the quad?

[@NJ-Tech]

good question and good guess, but you actually see it with most quads in this configuration. its just the way the flight physics ends up working out. The rear motors, during forward flight, are actually having to work a little harder as they're picking up wash from the front two motors and therefore running at a worse efficiency. I might do some backwards flying to show the reverse in action :)

[@MikeAndrewsUSMC]

Very interesting. I'll do some testing myself as well, curiosity getting the best of me. I've just started learning and testing PID tuning, along with RC rates and expo. This gets very complicated, and does so quickly!

[@danfpv5301]

Hi, i've been having some troubles wiht my quad, im sure you'll probably say that i should fly some better props (Thats what all my friends say) i fly DALS atm and they say flying HQ's will drastically improve it. My problem is that its just not locked it. I have flown my friends quad but mine just doesn't feel as locked in. You wouldn't be able to diagnose something to change if you had a look at one of me edited videos would you?, if not then i will upload a new one with some slower flying. Thanks so much Man. Loved the video btw!!! Really in depth!

[@NJ-Tech]

+Dan FPV nothing wrong with Dal props, that's what i fly :) (provided you haven't crashed the life out of them) drop me a message on RCgroups forum and ill help you diagnose it. my user name is Neilius.

[@FredoCorleone]

Hi NJ Tech, great video! How do I get rid of high frequency oscillations (trembling) while cruising (not even moving the sticks)? I have already softmounted motors and fc, and I don't think stiffness between my quad and fc is the problem here, softmount went so well to the point I can't see any oscillations in the graph within Betaflight while punching throttle (without propellers). Is there a PID in a particular that could help me getting rid of those oscillations? Thanks

[@NJ-Tech]

tricky to say without seeing some video footage of the problem or even better a black box log. Do you have either? Bit D and P can be culprits. If you send me your PIDs and a video at least i can make a suggestion on the numbers for you

[@FredoCorleone]

Okay, tomorrow I'll take a video, upload it and put the link here. ;)

[@FredoCorleone]

@@NJ-Tech Sorry for the delay, I haven't had much time to fly lately. Today I've recorded something, the quad feels reasonably controllable yet it's trembling as mad! I've softmounted everything that could be softmounted (fc, motors, camera holder and camera itself). I've also swapped all 4 motors in favor of new ones. I've reason to believe my PIDs are not that correct despite I really like the feeling of them. PIDs: ROLL P48 I18 D15 PITCH P54 I26 D19 YAW P69 I45 Video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnWQc6qbiL5gZrc As you may notice on the video there's not much of props-wash and there's not much of nose dipping but there's a continuous vibration which looks like waves on screen.

[@CapnMizzo]

Thank you for the great video

[@NJ-Tech]

+Chris Morgan Thank you! Hope it helps

[@budlightme]

Thanks this video really helps .

[@nickthegriffin]

hi I'm just learning to fly my first 250 fpv quad but right now I'm in angle mode as I am not confident enough to go full acro. just wondered if the pid tuning process is viable in angle mode as the fc is always trying to level the quad when sticks centered ?

[@NJ-Tech]

+nicholas griffin hi, those PID figures are still relevant but because of the self levelling its going to be very hard to gauge your tune, unless of course something is wildly out and obvious. I would stick with the stock PIDs until you feel more comfortable switching acro mode. I have a video on PID tuning, it might be useful to familiarise yourself with how the PIDs effect each other before you get to that point. Have fun flying in the meantime :)

[@nickthegriffin]

+NJ Tech thanks for your reply the only problem I have come across is on the very first flight the quad would instantly wobble itself into a crash as soon as I took off in angle but I resolved that by lowering the angle value in cleanflight.

[@NJ-Tech]

yes, that value needs to be at about 3 and its default is 9 (for a reasons i still dont understand!!) That has caused a lot of crashes for people getting started in Cleanflight. In betaflight that value has been lowered by default for some time now. I hope Dominic gets around to changing it.

[@matthewcoleman8267]

New subscriber after watching this vid. I'm still in the crashing phase of drone flying haha

[@NJ-Tech]

+Matthew Coleman haha thanks :) and don't worry im many, many crashes ahead of you!

[@matthewcoleman8267]

Cheers :-) are they the hangers at Bedford Autodrome in the distance?

[@NJ-Tech]

They are indeed the gigantic Shortstown hangers, well spotted!

[@jankryca6543]

Hi, my quad Is yawing when i increasr the throttle. How do i counter this with pids?

[@NJ-Tech]

probably not a problem with the pids. If you are getting yaw during throttle first be 'sure' that you are not accidentally putting in yaw by accident. Adding a deadband to yaw of 5 will help with this. Also check your motors are calibrated. Check your props are in good condition and balanced and there is no heavy mechanical vibration. If all of this is good, then the next thing to try is increasing the Yaw P and I term slowly and see if that starts to help. Finally, if none of this is helping you may need to add a small amount of gyro filtering. Your filter is probably set to 100, i would reduce this down to 80 and see if that helps.

[@danielmfpv5475]

Thanks you this is realy helping me out!

[@NJ-Tech]

:) glad to hear it

[@maxkraus7063]

Which quad Do you fly in this vid?

[@NJ-Tech]

+max kraus This is a QAV-R by lumenier

[@maxkraus7063]

ok thx

[@ghostrider20066]

what is the best for noobs like me to start with ?and then the steps forward

[@NJ-Tech]

+Tony VD Hey Tony, stick to a small area, low speed and practice keeping your altitude the same during a small circuit which will help you gain good throttle control. Focus on coordinating your turns (using a little bit of yaw mixed in with the direction you are banking) aim to look just like a plane would, smooth circuits left and right. Also If you haven't done yet, flying LOS (line of sight) without the goggles can teach you an awful lot alongside time in the goggles. Hope that help! Cheers.

[@ghostrider20066]

+NJ Tech yeah i did some LOS but on a large place so i could not see good where i was and how i was flying in what direction so i was kinda lost. i also could not messure speed i doomed up .. so have to focus on small alt and hoover circles and stuff.

[@NJ-Tech]

+Tony VD yea keep it close enough to hear, and take your time, have a plan for what to work on with each battery, you will start to get it quick enough :) and enjoy!

[@ghostrider20066]

+NJ Tech i wil maybe later on i need some rates to change. thanks

[@Sully365]

great vid. had to sub

[@NJ-Tech]

thanks! :)

[@knightwolf8877]

What's all the different modes.... It's so confusing!

[@KyleGoesUp]

Are you on mode 1 or mode 2?

[@NJ-Tech]

2

[@highlanderc]

what quad copter is this?

[@NJ-Tech]

highlanderc old one now. It was the quav 250

[@TheStickyBusiness]

That is mode 2 sticks? Now I see is mode 2.

[@NJ-Tech]

+Multirotor Go yes :)

[@BAJAFLATOUT]

nice video thanks👍

[@BAJAFLATOUT]

subed you 👍

[@NJ-Tech]

Thanks! :)

[@BAJAFLATOUT]

NJ Tech 😀

[@michaelallensteele]

Thanks for the new ideas for flow in acro. I've used airmode many times, time to try moving less on the right stick (as you suggest). I get a little shaky flying all thumbs (gamer style) after three intense flights (too much intensity I guess). Changing grip might be good advice also in addition to slowing down on right stick. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3ucg6KmeMqnibM

[@MarshFPV]

Looking at my videos, what do you think about my tune?

[@airplanegeorge]

well you asked for a video clip. feel free to pick it apart. props stop if I pull all the way back so I have to guess. Pop and catch is more like climb and recover, I think I am flying like it is a fixed wing. 10 dollar cam has no sound. I put it in horizon to go thru the building. it's a rodeo 110 kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3zOk5usqNGqoa8

[@mrgudeg8756]

Drone frame please

[@NJ-Tech]

Mr Gudeg this is a very old video but I believe it was the qav 250 from getfpv

[@dopefpv2308]

do a pid tutorial

[@NJ-Tech]

I have a pid tutorial! :)