Weather sux, getting ready for the TBS Crossfire build...

[Wayno52]

Hey guys just got my bird back from my tech guru, he installed betaflight 3.2 and also set my pid’s higher as per my request. How are you guys feeling about 3.2? Is it just me or is it significantly better? I was getting some vibration before and a fair bit of prop wash. Now it is near perfect ( as far as I can tell). Haven’t looked to see wat pid’s are now but I flew 4 packs this afternoon and WOW. Also new booster antennas. Great range

 

[Jtrjr]

Wayne,

Glad to see that your bird is updated and flying well! I haven't had much time to fly my birds with BF3.2 on them. I'd say I felt a bit of difference but nothing significant. The PID changes you had done may have smoothed out your vibration and propwash issues.

Jerry

 

[Wayno52]

Thanks for clarification Jerry , wasn’t sure which had made the difference. Man it’s like a totally different beast. I love it. Wayne

 

[VirtueViolater]

It may be the week off also, glad you're back in the air!

 

[Wayno52]

That’s true also Virtue. It was 2 week’s since last flight.

 

[VirtueViolater]

That's why i have several quads, i have to do a whole lota crashing to be grounded...lol

 

[Jtrjr]

Finally got back to the build. A lot of time was consumed updating the OpenTX system on my Taranis X9D+ and getting the new Lua scripts functional to control the Crossfire module. There are many new things to learn about the CRSF protocol and all of the new settings.

The Crossfire can use a PPM, IBUS, SBUS or the CRSF protocol but I figured since I'm going through all of this hassle anyway I may as well try CRSF. Supposedly, it dramatically decreases latency. I'm probably not a good enough pilot yet to get much benefit from it but for very good pilots it's said to make a big difference.

I got the BFF4 updated to BetaFlight 3.2.1 and my Aikon ESC's to BLHeli 16.67. Tested motor function, changed to DShot 600, got the Crossfire bound/communicating and set-up basic settings and my radio in BetaFlight.

A change on the BFF4 from the BFF3 that has me a bit concerned is they are now suggesting running the VTX direct wired to the Lipo. On the BFF3's my Tramps run off the VBAT on the FC. This is my first build with the VTX wired directly to the Lipo. Hopefully, I won't have any issues with it. I do have a low ESR cap connected to the Lipo as well so hopefully that will keep things in check.

Although the Crossfire receiver is relatively small, it's an odd shape. I was having a lot of difficulty placing it. I finally decided to raise my FC standoffs and slide under the FC. I'm going to install the antenna on top of the canopy as I want to keep it as far away from the carbon fiber as possible. I still have to figure out how I'm going to mount it. This is when I wish I had a 3d printer!

With a lot of luck I'll have it ready for a test flight or two today or tomorrow, weather always being a factor.

Jerry

 

[Jtrjr]

Got everything ready for testing. I hope the weather is at least clear and calm tomorrow. I know it's going to be cold. I'm going to try some EMax Avan 5050 props. Heard some good things about them but they may be too much. I had some trouble finding a good way to mount the antenna but I think it'll work okay for some test flights.

Jerry

 

[theGreenOrange]

Looks awesome, are you going to do some longer range flights along with the barnstorming?

 

[Jtrjr]

I might give it a go. I think I'm going to run into range issues with the video and I'm not too hip on getting into all of the ground station stuff. The Crossfire mod isn't really "extra" gear that I've got to setup and maintain every time I fly. The ground station stuff is modules, batteries, wires, etc., seems like too much of a hassle as well as additional expense. I'll have to do some more investigating. I can still run my Phantoms and Mavic when I want to go for miles.

Jerry

 

[theGreenOrange]

I am curious to see what range a Tramp gets for you.

 

[Jtrjr]

Well, ran into a few more issues. Lot's of back and forth on github to get it sorted. As with any new product, a lot of rapid changes. I had my BFF4 FC flashed to 3.2.1 but the Crossfire stuff I was using was for earlier versions. I had to update all of the Crossfire stuff to get everything going properly.

The only issue I have now is that I like Motor Stop on and a switch for Airmode. I know it's amateur but I like it that way. I couldn't get it to work like that. I had to leave Motor Stop Off which would cause the props to spin up without Air Mode Permanently Enabled and my switch for Air Mode was useless.

It's 34 degrees here, a bit too cold for my liking but I put it in the air for a single pack. Didn't really test range and the PIDS were defaulted so the flight wasn't very exciting.

Something I really like is you can access all of your PID, rates, filters, etc. from either the radio or the goggles. I should also be able to do the same for my VTX settings but I haven't sorted that out yet. It may only be available for the TBS Unify stuff. I'll have to research that a bit more.

I'll start getting my PID's and rates sorted and see if I can figure out the Air Mode and VTX settings issues. Hopefully, the weather won't get any worse and I'll be able to burn a few packs tomorrow.

Jerry

 

[theGreenOrange]

Is it time for your cold weather tent yet? We had 80 something degrees here today. Kids were sweating like crazy at soccer practice.

Hey, forgot to mention you should be able to access the tramp VTX settings from OSD on your tGO SE, I wired it up and cofigured it for that. I forgot to test it but should be all good.