(2/5) PixHawk Video Series - Power, installation, final checks and first hover

[@jimmcminnsr6309]

Don't understand 100%, I thought you said to pull all the red + wires from all the ESC's connectors before you plug them into pins 1-4 on the Pixhawk. Then I thought you said to leave one red + into a connector to power the rail for the ESC's. You talked about a diode, is a UBEC the same thing? You are the best teacher, instructor, I have ever watched. You are the best and I thank you for that. I guess I could install the UBEC in line for pin 1 that shouldn't hurt anything, however, don't want to anything without your OK. I'll be working on the camera gimbal and retractables in till I hear from you. I do so much thank you. After I get a few bills paid down I want to help support your channel. Man, without you I all of us would at a lost. Please keep up the good work.

[@isaackay5887]

Yeah I'm confused about this too.

[@maxp9793]

Thanks for keeping it to the point. I appreciate that fact that you don't over-produce by adding music, transitions and stupid opening sequences. Nice quality audio and video too.

[@Painless360]

Thank you. In our videos the technology is the star and explaining it and how to use it is the objective. Happy flying!

[@taodu169]

Great video! I've been searching on the Internet for a long time and I think this is by far the best PixHawk video with great explanations and details. Nice work!

[@airizalful1]

I continue to return to your videos to learn and re learn how to build/ wire drones. Thank you for all the time and effort you have put into this, I’ve learned a lot.

[@roadkill4twenty541]

I just wanted to say thank you for this. You have the best how-to videos for this stuff anywhere on YT. I'm very new to the hobby and I'm in the process of building my first drone, and I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have with my build without your videos. I salute you sir!

[@greenee2005]

Hi, near 6:30 you slide over how you finalized the installation of the power module, and how that connects to the pixhawk ultimately. You only have one battery on the craft at a time, correct? You plug the battery into the power module, which goes through the "power distribution board"(the frame, correct?) , but how does it get from the frame to the pixhawk? What connections did you make from the distribution board to get it to connect to the six-prong power adaptor atop the pixhawk?

[@greenee2005]

+Sir Gravy after some further consideration I notice the 6 prong output on the power module. Do I only connect the power module to the distribution board? One end attached to the distribution board, one to the battery, and then 6-prong to the pixhawk?

[@Painless360]

+Sir Gravy Power is connected to the PM (that then powers the Pixhawk via the 6 strand cable) then the other side of the PM connects to the PDB that connects to all the other parts of the system. Best of luck.

[@greenee2005]

+Painless360 holy fast reply! thank you very much. So the power wires that came with my DJI F450 set will not be used, am I correct? I hope you don't mind my questions your videos are very comprehensive! Thanks again

[@Painless360]

Not sure as we don't use DJI kit here (not fans ;) Best of luck with it..

[@WaynesWorld69]

Only just discovered your channel and really loving it! My next build I'm planning to use the Pixhawk - thanks for making the videos and being so thorough with your explanation. Much appreciated!

[@stevejones9044]

Agreed! I'm already planning my next quadcopter build, one with mission planning in mind and I haven't even finished my current one which is a simple 250 racer type.

[@Nebul3r]

All hail Painess360, i am about to build a Skywalker X8 and like previous comments have mentioned this is by far the most detailed tutorial on the internet, use all your videos for all my rc related issues, builds and references, keep up the great work, wish you good health and a long life

[@jaydenrareproto]

Watching this 6 years after it was made. Hopefully the instructions are still the same!

[@Drice26i]

I calibrated the ESCs manually as instructed in your video. I chose the AT9 as my first controller, and all are fine. This morning I pull the ESCs out the outputs and calibrated them one by one powering the pdb with the flight battery, so the pdb is fine. No matter what i do suggested in any forum as a solution has fail. No toning when attached to Pixhawk.

[@Painless360]

+Forest M A video of what's going on to show those trying to help can be very useful.. Best of luck..

[@zhongandy172]

sorry for asking so many questions....... but emm at 12:08, isn't the power module will power the pixhawk yet why you still plug a red wire from the esc to power it?

[@Painless360]

+Zhong Andy all in here - ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-powering-the-pixhawk.html best of luck

[@DuaneMorrisPhotosByDuane]

My test flight went well, forgot about the reversing the aileron and yes it is a bit exciting if not done before the flight. Okay on to the next video! So Cool!

[@Painless360]

Congrats on the maiden! Happy flying!

[@lobofpv8722]

Hello Lee Thank you for all your helpful videos, they have been a big boon for me throughout the process of building My quad. I have everything looking fine as of now, well sort of... Flashed the radio (Taranis Plus) and the Pixhawk board, calibrated the Pixhawk, calibrated the ESCs, added the six position rotary Mode Switch and have it up and running with modes assigned and recognized by Mission Planner. Everyone seems happy. Happy, with one small issue. When I arm the Quad, the motors all start to spin, even with the throttle stick retarded, all the way. The motors all start together and seem to be turning at the same speed (maybe a few hundred RPM), not enough to take off but still not a good thing. I have checked all the Channel Ranges, using Mission Planner, and they are within the 1000 - 2000, the stick movements correlate to the graphic and the pitch channel is inverted from the stick, just as you describe in "(2/2) Power, installation, final checks and first hover". The Receiver that I am using, is the X4R with a standard Servo Style lead, plugged into the fourth channel pin-outs. IIRC this is not correct, something about S-Bus vs CPPM with this receiver. I have tried an "inverter" lead as well as the little lead from the Smart Port Plug. I have not installed the little jumper thingy on the two Signal pin-outs on channel 2-3. Not too sure if I am supposed to do that and do not want to risk damaging the X4R. The Motors I am using, are a matched set from LD Power. The ESC's are the non-BEC variety with only Ground ( - ) and Signal ( ~ ) wires. But I don't think this has anything to do with the issue. I am getting main power from the in-line power board shown in (2/2). After the motors arm and start spinning they will respond to throttle stick movement, If I leave the stick alone and just let the motors spin, they will shut down after about ten seconds, which seems logical since the Pixhawk does not sense flight and disarms as a safety thing, correct? I have checked and rechecked everything and can not find any reference in any of your fine videos. Have you any ideas what is going on? I am champing at the bit to fly this puppy. However, I am not going to risk damage to me or others till I get this sorted. Suggestions? Peace, Wolf

[@Painless360]

Motor_stop :D kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYm2f5p5hp6KgNk

[@lobofpv8722]

Excellent. Thank you very much. Gotta go fly. :o)

[@amandron3961]

9:00 Is Iris configuration and X configuration the same in mission planner? Do we choose Quad X configuration for Iris Configuration as well?

[@Painless360]

No idea, I've not used that. I'd check in the forums. Best of luck

[@armanyaranus3574]

Great video, one question though. Don't you need controller codes in simulink to control the quad?

[@greenee2005]

Hello again, around 17:25 you mention the Pitch must be reversed but did not mention the proper way to do so. Any tips?

[@Painless360]

Channel reverse on your radio.. Best of luck!

[@greenee2005]

+Painless360 got the channel reversed. thanks! I am what I believe is my final issue before I can fly, and it is a problem you may not know.. When I connect my ESCs to the distribution board they start to beep. non-stop. Before I get a chance to connect my remote or anything.. when all three jacks are plugged in the ESCs won't function, just beep beep beeping away. Perhaps a calibration issue.. any guess?

[@Painless360]

Please follow the videos, they show the steps to a successful setup. Sounds like the throttle may be reversed too. Check everything in Mission planner and keep the props off until you get it all working..

[@roamingpodcast]

Thank you for the video! How can I change the rotation direction of the motors ? (reverse button in missionplanner doesn't work)

[@Painless360]

Swap any two of the three wires that go from the ESC to motor. See my video on esc basics... Best of luck

[@abidikar]

Great info on Pixhawk. Thanks. Little confusion... Pixhawk can be powered by Battery & USB simultaneously for Mission Planner...??? Pixhawk can take power supply from Power Module & ESCs simultaneously...???

[@Painless360]

If ever you are unsure of something, the documentation is maintained, up to date and excellent - ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-powering-the-pixhawk.html you can have it powered up and plugged into the USB too..

[@MattMolnar10]

Great video! Thanks so much. I'm trying to calibrate my Turnigy Plush escs. I'm using a Taranis 9 plus and a x8r receiver which I bound in D16 mode (SBUS). When I plug an esc into channel 3 and try to do the throttle calibration, I'm not getting the right tones and can't calibrate. Do I need to bind the receiver in a different mode when plugging the esc directly into channel 3? I'm a bit confused. Thanks for any help you can provide.

[@vickybanate]

great video!! one thing is the FS-R9B a PPM-Sum Receiver? or i need to add a PPM encoder to convert the PWM to PPM?

[@Painless360]

Not sure, looking at the specs there isn't a mention of it so I'd guess not..

[@drivilz]

great video, i wanna ask. i saw you didn't use any of the telemetry on the pixhawk. so is it not necessary to bought and installed the Telemetry for mission planner?

[@Painless360]

You don't need it to fly... Happy flying

[@drivilz]

@@Painless360 aight, thank you for the help m8

[@sanathshetty1320]

I use a 11.1v, 4200mAh battery when I connect the power module to the battery it got burned out. Thank you for this great video.

[@mlpvid]

Hi, I am enjoying your series, very helpful. I do have a question. Still do not understand how to best connect ESC's to Pixhawk. Did I miss something or is it best explained elsewhere. Thank you, Michael Lewis

[@Painless360]

The connections are the save as any other flight controller. We do have a series 'Introduction to RC' that covers all the basics including power and ESCs.. Hope it helps..

[@abobakermohammed8593]

Thank you very much Please can I have a list of the parts used in this video

[@Painless360]

This is an old series. See the more recently builds up for modern kit. Best of luck

[@vickybanate]

so while using Power module do i've to remove the red wires(+5v) from all the esc or only from 3(11:42)? please help i'm getting confused

[@Painless360]

It depends on what type of ESCs you have. If they have linear BEC then you can connect them all. Best of luck

[@jerryaberdeen6984]

I am thinking of building my first aircraft, would it be OK to ask for your hardware setup to see if i could do a similar build. I would love to have a list of the parts you used. Thanks

[@crusso2007]

Great video!!! Subscribed!! What is the model of this drone? Where can i buy it?

[@Painless360]

This is a very old video and these components are very out of date now. Check out the playlists for a more modern build with current components.. Best of luck!

[@Drice26i]

Love the vidoes. Followed these to the T, and went to test the motors and nothing. After a bit of research i find that Emax esc's are not compatible. Might I ask which ESC's you are using with the Pixhawk? Reptile Aphid X450 frame Emax 2212 980kv Brushless Pixhawk w/GPS Default PM 1047 CF Props 3S 30-40C 4000mah Have Emax SimonK 30A Linear Esc (which are not compatible)

[@Painless360]

+Forest M Can you post a link to the URL that covers why the EMAX ESCs will not work - I've not come across that. We are using cheap and cheerful 20A ESCs from HobbyKing (flashed with SimonK)..

[@chhagan_bhusari]

everything setup i test the first flight but it so reactive and everything is great thank you sir for your support....

[@maxp9793]

Appreciate all the great info. I'm really liking this Pixhawk, I have an APM 2.6 on a quadcopter and it's been amazing for auto flights and logging, but obviously I want something more up to date for my new FPV plane. I'd like to ask if you know of any other contenders to the Pixhawk as far as flight controllers go? I've already pretty much decided to get a Pixhawk with osd, gps, power module, but would be interested if there is any thing else I should look at.

[@Painless360]

+Rick N Depends on what you are after, if you mean good GPS modes with Opensource support when the only other one (apart from APM) would be the CC3D Revo. There may be others but we've not used them yet..

[@nadjmishakir8768]

can you list the every equipment that you use? appreciate it...

[@spiworkshop9416]

Nice Video, I have a question regarding pos hold mode ,is it possible to give a predefined lower limit of altitude through GCS so that so that any mistake during lowering the height can be handled with that minimum limit ?

[@Painless360]

If it is then it'll be in the documentation, using a lidar/sonar could be a good idea too - ardupilot.org/copter/docs/altholdmode.html#altholdmode-tuning

[@k4jsteward]

Thank you, thank you thank you. I cant supply the board but Im hoping you can let us know some of your thoughts about the new pixfalcon. Thanks again

[@ItaldesignSchigera]

Sir, can you please tell us the difference between using Mission Planner and QGroundControl to to configure the Pixhawk?

[@Painless360]

The functionality is very very similar but Mission Planner is only Windows. We cover it more in the PixRacer series.. Happy flying!

[@ItaldesignSchigera]

Thank you!

[@amor2333]

THANKFULLY 👌👏👍🏾 it think it's good flight good luk but how did you change the background of your Radio answer me 🤔

[@crolex6443]

nice video! how did you mount the anti vibration plate on the f450? In my case the the screw heads are in the way. Also the holes of the anti vibration plate dont match on the holes from the frame. Im using the same anti vibration plate.

[@Painless360]

+Needtobea sleep Mine had holes that allowed me to mount it ok, you could use double sided foam strips to make a good connection to the frame and build it up to avoid any bolts/nuts too.. Best of luck!

[@mlsivaprasad]

Great video. Would like to know which frame you are using here. Possibly a link to buy as well

[@Painless360]

This is a very old frame that I'm not sure you can get now. It was a copy of the 'flamewheel'...

[@HughD]

One of the reasons I think some folks, like me, resist using the rather kludgy power module is that on some frames it just doesn't fit well. I think there's a compromise position that I'm going to use, I think. I have desoldered the large wires on the end that connects to the quad or other device and then desoldered the large wires on the battery side of the power module and soldered on much smaller wires and wired them to a convenient point on the frame with battery voltage. I put heat shrink on the module and the exposed cable stubs. What that will do is power the Pixhawk (or APM) and provide voltage monitoring. You will give up current monitoring, of course, but it seems like a good compromise when there are limited mounting options for the power module as delivered. Thanks so much for what you do. There is NOBODY doing it better. This is an expensive channel, though, as I keep buying what you're teaching so I can try it, too.

[@raymondwerker6692]

One tiny question, when connecting the ESC 1-4 to the Pixhawk, do i have to take the red(middle) wire out of all the connectors? And is the diode an option or mandatory? Thanks in advance. BTW Great video series :-)

[@Painless360]

Depends on the 4in1 and how it handles the BEC for the 5v.. most 4in1 setups I’ve seen only have 6 cables (4 signal, a 5v and a GND)..

[@omersalih6188]

I couldn't really understand how you power the ESC's do you power through the PDB or from the Pixhawk ? If you are powering from the pixhawk why do you use a PDB ? Sorry if it is a silly question but I am just getting started I watched all the series but still have some confusions Thanks

[@Painless360]

The two thick wires are for passing the battery power to the ESC for it to use to send pulses to the motor to make it turn. The smaller 'servo' style cables are for GND, 5v back to the flight controller (usually) and a throttle signal cable. Please watch all about ESCs in the R/C Basics series if you're new to this..

[@loricunderhill7206]

I am building a hexacopter, At about 9 minutes in on the video you show the motor config. pins 1 and 2 are both counter clockwise, so for the hex would it be that pins 1, 2 and 3 are for the counter clockwise motors (and 4,5 and 6 are for clockwise) Thank you

[@yasinsaglam4158]

Thanks for informative video so much. I hope you'll answer my question :) I setup like you my pixhawk different thing is my power module did not arrive to me so my pixhawk powered by escs. I have some problems. First my throttle accelerate my motors between 0-50% above 50 there is no change (even propellers not attached) second problem is when I change flight mode to althold my quad falls off and crash :(. All the things that happens can be about how I powered my pixhawk? Thanks

[@MrSilverback62]

There may be one additional reason for a stout GPS antenna mast. I once had an esc burn out in midair. I was using a KK2 board at the time. I had an inverted crash and crushed the KK2. I didn't want that to happen to my PIxhawk, so I used a piece of an aluminum arrow shaft for my GPS mast. I have since had a few inverted crashes with no damage to either the antenna or Pixhawk.

[@googleuser0.021]

Is it ok not to remove the centre (red) wire of the ESCs? , I asked because you mentioned in the video that you disconnected it.

[@Painless360]

Yes you can. You only need the red wire if you want to power something from the 5v it supplies... Happy flying

[@brumkid100]

just a quick question. Im new to this but love the videos, Im looking at grabbing a pix hawk, but there are two versions. Im in the UK and need the 433Mhz Version i think. Is that referring to something in the pixhawk, or iwll any board combo be fine? There are also other variations of pixhawk like the PixHack etc. Are these just the same thing?

[@ryanlalonde4895]

Random Question: what did you use to fix your PixHawk vibration mount to the Flame Wheel? Thanks for the videos!

[@Painless360]

I normally end up using double sided foam when I can't use screws. Best of luck!

[@leeiverson145]

Hi I need to ask some advise, I have built my first drone now i am using the pixhawk and a dx8. Have an issue in that the roll controls the pitch of the drone and pitch controls the roll. On mission planner on the calibration for the radio all is as it should be, The new dx8 has a option to assign channels, but this one don't. Is there anyway i can edit this in the controller? The esc are in the correct ports. Good videos you have saved me many many times.

[@Painless360]

+Heliboy1975 the documentation in Ardupilot is amazing. If you Google for the problem you're having you usually find an article that covers the answer. Something like this for example - ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-rcmap.html

[@DFSrlz]

When connecting the esc's to the flight controller, do you need to keep the ground wire connected if you are not powering the pixhawk with the esc? Or does the signal wire still need a ground to complete a circuit? Just curious.

[@Painless360]

+DFSrlz you can often get away without connecting the GND cable but sometimes it can cause problems with the esc reading the signals cleanly.. I always connect them if I can here..

[@tomcarreriddell]

So with the ESC connections, do i connect ONE of the cables with all three wires going in (-+s) and the REST of them with only the - and s wires? Please let me know!

[@Painless360]

What kind of BEC are in the ESC you are using?

[@aliasgarbadani4543]

Hello! I was wondering if Pixhawk could possibly used on a small boat? I see a lot of people using APM 2.5/ArduPilot on retrofitted boats, but I haven't seen Pixhawk implemented.

[@Painless360]

Yep - discuss.ardupilot.org/t/apm-rover-new-release-also-for-boats/8308 :D

[@tilneyaviation]

Hello - Thank you for your videos. They have helped me tremendously. I do have a question. I'm running pixhawk 2.4.8. Completed all the set up, and mission planner shows all fail safes have passed. Issue is with ESC calibration. I tried calibrating both by way of battery connect/disconnect with throttle up, and through Mission Planner. Both sequences seem to work as I get the expected tones, however once I reboot pixhawk, I get max throttle at 50% stick. Its as if pixhawk isn't saving the ESC calibration. Keep in mind everything worked perfectly well before I changed my AR6200 for a new AR620. I switched back and still same result. Any advice from the guru is appreciated!

[@tilneyaviation]

I forgot to mention that throttle controls work as expected immediately after connect/disconnect calibration, but after reboot the settings appear to get lost.

[@Painless360]

You usually need to power cycle the ESCs to store the calibration. The calibration is on the ESCs not in the Pixhawk. I'd check in the forums for the ESCs you have in case it's a common issue with them... Best of luck

[@tilneyaviation]

@@Painless360 Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated! I'll research the ESCs.

[@DiegoAlvarez-to9wj]

thanks for answering , I did . but when I finish does not allow me to test engines .. I have to disconnect the battery and reconnect , arm and just then I make them work, but not all the same ... greetings

[@Painless360]

+Diego Alvarez not sure what this relates to. Please reply to the comment and then I can see the original question and thread. All of the steps we used to get flying are in the videos. The documentation for Ardupilot and the Pixhawk are excellent. Best of luck!

[@patriksivak71]

Hey, I'm looking into seeting up a PX with RadioMaster TX16 and FrSky L9R. However there is this one question which I can't get an answer to. While in flight, is there some way to relay the telemetry to my computer without using another receiver/transmitter on USB? Such that I can control the drone with Radio and MissionPlanner simultaneously. Maybe with a USB connection to radio or something. Thank you for your answer!

[@Painless360]

I'm only aware of things like Crossfire passing on MAVLINK telemetry. In cases like this where you can't find the detail you want it is often because it doesn't do that specific thing. Best of luck

[@marcocasella158]

Did you pull out the red wire from each of the esc?

[@thercrv8202]

Is that a ferrite ring you have your ESC leads wrapped around? Do you have THAT much interference and where is it getting interference from a DC powered device that a ferrite ring can work on? My understanding is that ferrite filters the capacitive reactance off an AC interference source.

[@Painless360]

Did you notice how old this video is ;) Very few pilots do this any-more. See my more modern content...

[@thercrv8202]

I'm surprised you still pay attention to the comments on such an old video. Many kudo's! Perhaps you can tell me where in which video between 1 and 3 of this series do you fix the elev reversal. You mention it a few times, but I can't find the reference and I'm curious about the technique you used. I realize there are a few different ways, just how did YOU do it?

[@Painless360]

Please check out my more modern Ardupilot 2020 series for a full list of steps to setup both Arduplane and Arducopter - they show all the steps. Best of luck!

[@williamlewington3223]

how important is the negative wire on the servo connections from the ESC's ? is it possible just to plug the signal wire?

[@Painless360]

In theory there should be a, negative connection through the power side that is connected up to the speed controller. In reality I’m not sure I would trust that to not be full of electrical noise as the power system is running so I always connect that negative wire up on my builds. Hope that helps, Best of luck with your build.

[@googleuser0.021]

May you please put the link for the ESCs to buy them from 3DXR

[@Painless360]

What amp rating and voltage do you want?

[@googleuser0.021]

Do they come with the jumpers or do we need to purchase jumpers as well? ​@@Painless360

[@Painless360]

Jumpers? What are they? I'm not trying to be obtuse, I just honestly don't know what you are referring to. If you are new to all of this, check out my videos on R/C basics for the names of things and the terminology..

[@googleuser0.021]

@@Painless360 I mean the female connectors of the ESCs to connect them to the cube.

[@Painless360]

If you mean the 'servo style connectors' they most ESC designed not designed for multirotors will come with them attached - see my videos. Best of luck!

[@kh_manithchenda7148]

Hi! Thanks for the video! I wonder if tuning the PID parameters is necessary for the flight?

[@Painless360]

+Manith Chenda most will fly 'ok' on default PIDs but a little tuning can dramatically change the way a craft responds.

[@kh_manithchenda7148]

+Painless360 I see. Thank you!

[@poporbit2432]

i have a used custom quad with a pixkawk RD3 Px4 controller. That was set up 2 years ago. I updated the firmware using your video tutorial. The frimware choises offered were for Pixhawk 1 or pixhawk 1m. I chose Pixhawk 1. No PX4 options were available. is this correct? I was able to complete the controller orientation sequence but no other setup for GPS, Motors and channel sequence was offered. How do I know what has been set up?

[@Painless360]

I've not used one of those. I'd check the forums.. best of luck

[@AeronauticalUAV]

hi painless360, thanks for the video! i have set up the pixhawk as above, and I have an additional walkera g2d camera gimbal powered by a separate 3 cell battery. my issue is: in order to get the camera gimbal to pan down and respond to my tx chn 6 knob, I have to connect the chn 6 output from my futaba ppm rx to the gimbal control board. this causes current to flow between the pixhawk to the rx to the gimbal controller, which im not sure if it's an issue. both the pixhawk rails and the gimbal controller reads 4.9-5.2 V hope you can advice, thanks!

[@Painless360]

+AeronauticalUAV What is the question?

[@AeronauticalUAV]

+Painless360 the question was how to control the gimbal without sending power from the rx to the gimbal controller. I made the mistake of connecting only the signal wire. I've figured out that I have to connect both the signal and ground wires only in order to get the signal sent without allowing power to flow between the two. thanks the reply though!

[@Painless360]

You can usually just connect the gnd and signal wires.. Best of luck!

[@christianmoreno7390]

Hello, hope all is well! I’m building a DIY Drone using a pixhawk & raspberry pi. I got it to arm for a split second but now pixhawk main LED won’t work. I/O & Fmd lights do work, any advice? Is it a bricked board?

[@Painless360]

No idea, I don't use anything with my Pixhawk builds like that here. Best of luck

[@sawthomassawthomas0507]

Hi my radio calibration screen is not show green there is only gray blank.Can you tell me how to solve it?

[@lesliechw]

Thanks for your great video. But the numbering is a bit confusing. Isn't it should be 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4?

[@Painless360]

Leslie Chan we adjust the numbering when the series is complete. I've been planning other videos in this series. Happy flying!

[@NUXLOO505]

Hi im planning to build a robocat quad, but i really would like it to have GPS, will this kind of set up with the pixhawk you have shown here work.

[@Painless360]

+Dorian Bond if you have the space then it should do, check out the iNav series too.. Best of luck with it

[@rushikeshharkal4710]

Hello, Can you make one more video on how to calibrate GPS and Pixhawk? Currently i can't connect my GPS with pixhawk. Help!

[@Painless360]

I have a few series on the Pixhawk where I run thought the entire setup process. Check out the PIXHawk playlists..

[@hiker6798]

Thank you for these videos, they are great, complete and very well explained! Got me off the ground for the first time!

[@FarhanMemoninNorwalk]

Which radio receiver is being used and which transmitter is it compatible with?

[@Painless360]

This video is part of a series that are designed to cover all of the most common questions. Please also see the 'Introduction to Remote control' playlist for more generic basics of RC.. Best of luck

[@Peeseebeeb]

After following your video 1/5 I completed the tasks but still get flashing yellow lights. On going through the user manual, I am confused as to what the motor numbering is. Are the motor numbers as displayed on the frame type document, or are they as numbered on the actual aircraft frame? I am setting up an RCTimer S800

[@Painless360]

The wiring of the motors to the flight controller is as they are displayed in Mission Planner - all detailed here (same as the video) - ardupilot.org/copter/docs/connect-escs-and-motors.html hope it helps..

[@Peeseebeeb]

Thanks for clarifying that. It is how I wired up the aircraft.

[@zhongandy172]

Hello painless, firstly thanks for all the amazing videos. However i'm having problem with my motors. When i finished calibrating and when i connect everything together the motors are beeping, and i tried to calibrate ESC and i cannot hear a beeping sound from the esc whatsoever. Please help. I　ａｍ　ｕｓｉｎｇ　ｐｉｘｈａｗｋ．

[@Painless360]

What troubleshooting have you already tried?

[@zhongandy172]

i'm not so sure. I have done all the esc calibration and the beeps stops and motor start to work. However when i disconnect the battery when the throttle is still low which is followed on the manual it start to beep and not moving again after i plug the battery in again

[@hammerdown6998]

Hey Painless. Having issues with my Pixhawk 2.4.8. Been flying the APM 2.6 for a couple years now with no real issues to speak of. Decided to build a hex with the pixhawk and setup and install was flawless. Flight, however, was a nightmare. Stabilize flight was fine but when I went into loiter, it started drifting all over. RTL the thing just took off, climbed to 100', and and made huge circles. I took control in stabilize and brought it down. I unhooked the external compass and mag and hooked it to flight planner. It pointed dead North. So I put the external comp. back on and it then read 40 deg N x NE. Do you think this conflict in heading is causing this problem?

[@Painless360]

If the mag has any problems then the GPS modes will mess up. See out video on why GPS modes need a solid compass for an explanation about why. I'd look at reducing the interference on the model.. Best of luck!

[@mohsinraza-xp8pj]

same problem when in loiter mode then there is statbility issue

[@vaibhavkumar814]

Is it mandatory to add switch with the pixhawk? Will it work without use the the switch?

[@Painless360]

Yep - ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-safety-switch-pixhawk.html

[@DFSrlz]

Hey painless, quick question. When I calibrated my escs and tested the motors, the response was flawless. When I arm the quad, the throttle is very laggy. Quite a bit of hesitation. Is there a setting that needs to be changed to increase the response on the pixhawk?

[@Painless360]

Depends on what you're doing and what modes you've got selected.. what troubleshooting have you already tried?

[@DFSrlz]

Right now I just have it in Stabilize mode. Didn’t do it with any props on because I’m still in the testing phase. For troubleshooting I have recalibrated the esc’s via throttle at full, not through mission planner. Calibrated accelerometers , level calibration, compass. Have kept response time on my TX to 0ms. Not sure what else I could test since I’m still new to the hobby.

[@WalterBoring]

Do you have a url for the anti vibration mount you put the pixhawk on?

[@Painless360]

+Walter Boring No sorry. Just searched on eBay..

[@huntermillr]

Not sure if anyone else asked yet, but is there any specific reason and/or benefit to putting your gps/compass in the front of the craft rather than on the back?

[@Painless360]

+Hunter Miller Non at all, so long as the GPS is as far from any interference/other antennas as you can get it..

[@huntermillr]

ok cool, I'll probably end up mounting it up front anyways to keep it away from the 5.8 omni antenna. Thanks for your help and videos!

[@walkercustominstall8796]

is he saying to pull the middle wire off the esc before connecting to the Pixhawk?

[@MAGNUSDRONES]

Painless 360 .... just curious if you have a particular ESC you use or like to use with your PixHawk?

[@Painless360]

For the Pixhawk we don't have a preference. I tend to find that more simple SimonK based ones seem to work great everytime. Happy flying!

[@conradgonsalves2922]

What kind motors did you use ... I mean the kv ?

[@Painless360]

+Conrad Gonsalves for larger 10 inch props, I usually end up using something like 950 KV Motors

[@nevzattanver8879]

thanks for the video :) i would like to ask a question. is it possible to run the motors after completing wiring everything by connecting pixhawk with usb,not by using xt60 or a lipo battery? i want to test motors before buying a lipo battery. could you advise me something? thanks :)

[@Painless360]

You need battery power to run the motors. See the other videos in the series... best of luck!

[@nevzattanver8879]

@@Painless360 thanks a lot :)

[@FLYWDRAGHIL]

you are awesome!!!! cleared every doubt

[@Painless360]

Thank you! :D

[@FLYWDRAGHIL]

SIR!! i have one question,suppose i have exported the mission to the pixhawk via radio telementry and the way points are far away from the reach of fpv signal,rssi signal or any type of signal so is that craft gonnaa perform its waypoint,,,,,????????????? summry is that,,,,is that important to have conectivity with craft on a mission???????????????????

[@TintTechs2]

great videos. learning a lot from them. i have a pixhawk with an emaxx 4 in 1. it will not power my motors nor does it beep or do anything. the pixhawk seems to work fine alone. the emaxx seems to work fine by itself when i plug the leads into the throttle on the receiver. they just dont seem to work together. any ideas??

[@Painless360]

Lots of ideas but tricky to help with that level of detail. Are you arming the Pixhawk?

[@gregmack2971]

DJ Cheek I was reading on the Pixhawk wiki that it may not work with Emax ESC's unfortunately. see here - copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/initial-setup/assembly-instructions/connect-escs-and-motors-pixhawk/

[@TintTechs2]

+Painless360 yes. the Pixhawk arms and acts like it's working correctly. the Emax 4 in 1 also woks correctly when it's calibrated through the receiever but when the Emax in conected to the Pixhawk the Emax does nothing. no beeps. no nothing. i've read that many people are having this problem.

[@TintTechs2]

+Greg Mack thank you for the reply. i have seen that little note but only after I purchased the Emax. wish I had seen it sooner. Emax seems to be a great little unit and maybe even a good company, pixhawk seems like it's a top of the line kind of controller. they should have mad sure that these 2 units are compatible.

[@JayDrone]

so the +5v u say only into one of the esc - so the other 3 remove the center pins? is this correct

[@dronesvisionsaeriennes]

Hi Painless, i've just received my Pixhawk 2.4.6 from Banggood with all components (osd, bluetooth, switch, buzzer...), i've loaded Mission Planner and followed your video to wire , tune, check...but on the last M.Planner version , there is an item to Escs...but i can't to start motors despite switch to arm them and i get a tone , bip, on one of my engine...i wonder if its esc is hs or not...what do you think about it...? and i can't find a schematic to wire Lipo + Pixhawk module + Pdb..., did you get a link for this...? Best regards and good flights Philippe

[@Painless360]

Do they run when you perform the ESC calibration?

[@dronesvisionsaeriennes]

Hi Painless, they don't run ...first i don't know if i only need 1 Esc with black (brown ) + red + signal ...and only signal on the 3 others...or only 1 Esc with black + red + signal and black and signal on 3 others ..or black + red + yellow( white ) for 4 Esc... despite your very good videos series but i think i don't understand very well for this...The second...On M.Planner i get the last version with ESCs calibration but a sentence is " push the button ...unplug/plug via usb"....this button isn't switch because after it is written...."push switch if ..." so i think it's the "Green" button....Start or Ready...isn't it...? Thank's a lot for your explanation....Best regards Philippe

[@Painless360]

A video of the problem can be helpful..

[@supercobrapro7470]

Can i use this with 6 Hobbywing X8 Motors ( hexacopter )?

[@Painless360]

Yep. Check out the wiki.. Best of luck

[@jacobsingh4873]

What motors are you using on the F450?

[@Painless360]

I used the 2212/935 with 10x5 props..

[@gloriaross7520]

Hi You did not show. How do you change the roll and pitch in radio set up PixHawh? And Yaw. Thank you, Ross

[@Painless360]

+Charles Ross Sorry, I don't follow..

[@youssefbakloutii]

Hello thanks for the video i did try this build i am having trouble when throttling the drone flips over and don’t go straight up. I don’t know whats the issue here anyone can help ?

[@Painless360]

Sounds like you've missed something in the setup see kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJ-1l2dqlMZ7rJI for the common mistakes. Don't worry, we've all done it! :D

[@slawsonb]

Why is the video series numbered 1/1, 2/2, 3/3...? If there are 5 parts shouldn't they be numbered 1/5, 2/5, 3/5...?

[@Painless360]

+Bruce Slawson Well spotted, until a series is complete we number like this. Once the last video is up then the numbering is all cleaned. Often the plan for the series and number of planned videos changes mid production as subscribers ask for different things.. Happy flying!

[@jaseduar]

hello, I hope you can answer me, I am trying to mount a pixhawk to a plane, is the power module enough to power the servos of the plane? they are 4 servos. or do I need plug a bec on the servo rail with the zener diode?

[@Painless360]

Depends on the servos. If the ESC handled the servos before then I'd power them from that when fitting the Pixhawk. This is all covered in the series and Arducopter documentation too if you get stuck. Best of luck!

[@gsixx8fpv499]

Painless should I still reverse the Elevator/Pitch on my radio when I’m using my PX4 Pixhawk? My drone keeps tipping over towards the front when I throttle up.

[@Painless360]

If it's Ardupilot then yes, it's all covered in the setup documentation.. ardupilot.org/planner/docs/common-radio-control-calibration.html Best of luck!

[@pradityamsook375]

It's possible for setup pixhawk without remote control? Because i only one use Qgroundcontrol

[@xSpectral]

Hello, I'm getting a PreArm: RC8 maximum is less than trim. Do you have any experience in fixing this issue? Thanks!

[@Painless360]

Looks like a configuration issue, I’ve not seen it but a quick search found this - github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot/issues/8622 best of luck!

[@akaneriyun4774]

Do you need to use a PDB for this?

[@Painless360]

Yes you do.. See the newer Pixhawk Cube or Arduplane builds for more modern components. Best of luck!

[@akaneriyun4774]

@@Painless360 I am using this same model, sir. What is the PDB for?

[@Painless360]

All in the videos.. ;)

[@Drice26i]

I've read alot of forums, I mean alot. Couldn't find the exact article, but basically the Pixhawk send a 900us signal on bootup while disarmed which is too high for Emax ESC's. when i have the time I will find the exact article explaining it. I have tried everything from disarming safety switch to changing the RC_SPEED 50hz. Even went to remove some components from the esc board that a few other did to get their Emax ESC's working but boards are the same so I dropped that thought. Guess I'll try the Hobbyking ESC's.

[@Painless360]

+Forest M Interesting - I'll ask the developers about that...

[@DrJ3k4lMrH4d3]

I’m having issues with mine. When I try to arm the motors it won’t arm. The led keeps flashing green.

[@Painless360]

See my video on troubleshooting arming... best of luck

[@gokulsreedhar9777]

Hello, Great video for beginners like me. I was hoping I could get some help here. I am developing a flight control system using Autopilot (Pixhawk), Companion Computer (ODroid-XU4),Ardupilot 3.5. The application requires me to inspect a power pole using a drone with autonomous flight (UAV). Could you tell me how to set up the geofence (not always circular) with respect to the power pole.? I already know the location of the poles and I am trying to create little geofences around each one,Like a "stay out zones". I aim to get close to the power pole and then click a few pics of the pole for processing. Your help would be appreciated.

[@Painless360]

I've only used this feature as a 'don't fly away from me' feature. All I know is here - ardupilot.org/copter/docs/polygon_fence.html Hope it helps..

[@gokulsreedhar9777]

Thanks. It does help.

[@rathormuslifarm]

hello sir, i want to use pixhawk with 6s 10000mah battery, i have power module G M v1.0, can i connect battery through power module directly to pixhwak ? is their any need of any other component? thank u.

[@Painless360]

It depends on the rating of that power module. I've had a quick look online and couldn't see that exact one but just make sure that it supports 30 volts or more and it should easily handle a 6s pack. Best of luck

[@rathormuslifarm]

Painless360 thank you sir

[@kkhalifah1019]

Question: Does it fly better with a Pixhawk vs with an APM?

[@Painless360]

Depends on how well it's setup and tuned. I'd go for PixHawk now if you can afford it. It's a far more capable platform.. Best of luck!

[@kkhalifah1019]

Another question, if you don't mind.... can I use the old M7N GPS from an old APM on with Pixhawk? What is the difference between the older M7N and the newer M8N GPS modules? Basically, do I absolutely have to buy a new GPS module if I upgrade to Pixhawk 2.4.8..?

[@turboninjastix]

How does the range of Pixhawk/Tower compare to Lightbridge?

[@Painless360]

No idea. We dont use DJI kit here. Best of luck!

[@TheThephreako]

Hey i plugged in my 3dr ublox gps into my pixhawk and opened mission plannar but mission plannar was unable to get gps working

[@Painless360]

+Priyank Patel Happy to help but please watch kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ2sooefiK97f7s and come back to me with more detail of what you've tried..

[@mixed_media00]

HI, Help please. Its already on arming state but nothings happen. The motors wont run

[@Painless360]

Without more detail it's impossible to offer any advice. Happy to help but please watch kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ2sooefiK97f7s and come back to me with more detail of what you've tried..

[@JashuChaudhary31]

Sir I'm using radiolink pixhawk and Avionic RCB6i. In Mission planner radio calibration done perfectly. But From RC motor is not starting. Any Help Motor Test works perfectly from Mission Planner.

[@Painless360]

+Jashu Chaudhary did you arm the flight controller?

[@JashuChaudhary31]

Painless360 arm the copter How ?

[@Painless360]

I suspect that's the problem then ;) See the video series you're watching for how to..

[@JashuChaudhary31]

For arming the copter i have to connect to my pc then its work But how to directly arm from rc.