STORM Drone 6 GPS Flying Platform

[Sky Kite]

Hmmm... that's a bit weird though because a flashing blue light means that the gimbal has recognised that a controller is connected - until I sorted this out, I was just getting a steady blue, which indicates that the gimbal is functioning but there is no control input.

Helipal should help you sort this out though.... Good luck with it - and cheers !

 

[Paul Drone]

Could it be a simple Transmitter setup issue. Maybe the control knob is not mapped to AUX2 on the receiver.

 

[CaptnBly]

Paul,

Thats what I was thinking as well. I set it up according to these instructions: http://image.helipal.com/storm-drone-6-gps-manual-3.pdf the only difference is that

1. [FUNCTION] > [REVSW] > AUX2 = REV
   I don't have an AUX option, rather GYRO. Also noticed under [Model] > [Output] I have 2 [AUX2] options. not sure if their used or what the settings would be. Of to kids baseball practice then will obsess about this some more tonight.

 

[Paul Drone]

The first [MODEL] > [OUTPUT] > [AUX2] should be AUX2 and the second one should be ACT.

 

[CaptnBly]

Sky Kite & Paul. I just wanted to thank you for your time and patience. In fact the issue WAS that the TX set up was a tad off. I now have tilt...a huge load off my mind. Thank you again and I hope I can be as helpful to someone in the future with their drone issues as you two were with me. Thanks again.

 

[Sky Kite]

Excellent - Now you can relax and properly enjoy flying it....

Well done Paul, again !

In fact, I think Paul should lead some kind of Storm Drone 6 Support Club, where we can meet in some dark and seedy corner of the internet to write an instruction manual that can then be handed around on a needs to know basis....

 

[Paul Drone]

Sky Kite. I'm sooo over the Storm Drone 6. I've moved on to bigger and better drones. Just kidding, but I am hooked because of the Storm Drone 6. This is my new baby I'm building from scratch. I should start a build blog as I have learned A LOT.

Just waiting for my DJI A2 and Futaba controller. And I guess I'm gonna need some batteries too.

 

[Sky Kite]

Wow - that looks fantastic Paul - really impressive !

Methinks I'm going to need a fair bit more experience before I think about building a drone from scratch - I'm still very much at the bottom of the learning curve with the Storm Drone 6....

But that looks sooooo good...... !

 

[Nate H]

This has been a great thread for learning how to properly setup the SD6. Thanks to everyone who has contributed. I figured it was time I jumped into the mix with a problem/solution.

Tonight I figured out how to trim the roll axis of the Tarot 2D gimbal. My GoPro was sitting about 2 – 3˚ off level horizon, and while this wasn't a huge deal, I could certainly see it in my footage. The Tarot software would only let me trim out the tilt (connected to AUX2 on my Rx) and not the roll. I saw on another site a solution for hooking up the Tarot gimbal to the Phantom Naza (instead of the Rx) with just 3 wires, so off I went to the hobby shop and bought myself some servo wire and connectors. After about 20 minutes of casual labor, I had a perfectly level GoPro.

The idea is that you loop the gimbal control through the Naza F1 & F2 ports and then use the servo travel limits to set the correct center for the pitch axis and roll axis. After doing this, it actually seemed more convenient to me than using the special Helipal cable extension that hooks directly into the Rx.

So, basically you remove the Red (middle) wire from a male to male servo lead and put some shrink tube on the exposed parts of the red wire so it becomes a single connector you can place where necessary. On the gimbal, put the White wire on roll (R), the Black wire on negative (–), and the single Red wire on tilt (T). Then on the Naza, put the plug with the black wire on top into the F1 port and the single Red wire onto the bottom pin of the F2 port. After you're done with this, simply place a short jumper (Brown, Red & Orange wire) from the X1 port (on the other side of the Naza) to AUX2 on the Rx. DONE.

After this, just set the MAX, MIN and Center points for the gimbal as necessary (trial and error, it's not hard) through the NAZA software on the Gimbal Page. Gimbal works great and there's one less wire running through the middle of the SD6.

- - - -

Basically I followed the photos on this thread: http://www.multirotorforums.com/sho...T-2D-brushless-Gimbal-and-standard-Phantom-TX

 

[emmac]

Hi Paul and co! haha! You all sound very informative indeed! I have a question we need resolved urgently! I bought the storm drone about 5 weeks ago. Had two quick flights with it at home in australia, it worked fine. Crash landed once but all was okay. I have since been in iceland travelling around and been trying to get it flying again to film some awesome areal footage and it wont work. It flashes the 13 green lights to tell us it's found the home point but then it just goes back to flashing orange straight away and wont start up. Any suggestions would be so much appreciated. I've written to helipal but still waiting to hear back! We need to get this thing flying asap- I'm missing out on capturing so many incredible locations! Thanks so much in advance for your help!!! Cheers, Emma

 

[Nate H]

Have you calibrated the compass since you traveled to the far side of the world? Naza-M Lite or V2?

 

[emmac]

Have you calibrated the compass since you traveled to the far side of the world? Naza-M Lite or V2?

Noooo I haven't! I did think about that but I talked myself out of that being the issue!? The Naza-M lite!

 

[Nate H]

If you don't know the process, check out page 35-36 of the Naza-M Lite manual: http://download.dji-innovations.com/downloads/naza-m lite/en/NAZA-M LITE_User_Manual_v2.00_en.pdf

Also of note from page 35: "The GPS will not work in the polar circle."

Now, I think that Iceland is just south of the polar circle, but you're pretty darn close...

 

[emmac]

OMG!!!! That is crazy! I hope that isn't the case! I hope we are far enough away for it to work here! haha. I don't know how I didn't see that "minor" fact! I will give the calibration a go and let you know! Thank you so much for your help!!

 

[Sky Kite]

Hi emmac - I've just seen these posts and I don't know the answer to your query but, if it is because you are in or too close to the polar circle for the GPS to work properly, my understanding is that you can still fly the Strom Drone in ATTI mode. The DEVO 7 Setup manual from Helipal states:

"ATTI mode means drone is flying with Altitude Sensor only, no GPS sensor.

If you are flying in urban area with tall buildings, we recommend you fly with ATTI mode instead of GPS mode. To switch into ATTI mode, switch the FMD switch to position 1.

Drone LED will be flashing Yellow slowly, this is ATTI mode."

The FMD switch is at top right on the DEVO 7 transmitter....

 

[charley whiskey]

I have the Storm 6 with all the accessories NAZA-M V2 GPS- FPV Package Deluxe. Have found it quite hard to assemble as the instructions are not clear and it takes a long long time hunting through the HP website to find everything. The FPV although ordered did not come and so I have had to retrofit it when it should have all been installed.
I had the same issue with my Tarot gimbal that everyone seems to be having in that I had no idea where to plug the white red black cable already attached to the gimbal but the other end waving in the breeze. This forum sorted out and correct me if I'm still confused BUT it goes in the devo port not the naza port .....???correct ? (please say yes !).
The biggest issue for me now I guess also seems common in that, I am expecting everything to be calibrated (as this is what I paid for) but nervous that it won't be. AND also somewhat confused regarding calibrating GPS etc. has this already been done ? do I needto load updated firmware or whatever ?

The Lipo batteries, Storm 11.1V 2500mah 28C Li-Po Battery and Storm 11.1V 5500mAh 35C LiPo Battery Pack
...................... charging rates ? I bought the RC Ultimate Duo 400W X 2 Charger/Discharger Dual Output and the eFuel 30amp switching power supply. I currently have no idea what amps and volts I should be using to charge the batteries as I have followed the manual and in Lipo Balanced mode with the temp sensor attached it says VOLTAGE OVERLOAD !
Any Storm 6 users in The Newcastle Hunter region of OZ want to get together to talk and see how we all have these set up ? please contact me I need some reassurance and love to see what other people are doing. A local support group would be fantastic.

Any experiences with the STORM Drone 6 GPS Flying Platform. I would like to buy one so any useful comments are welcome.
thx!

 

[Sky Kite]

Hi charley whiskey - I plug mine into the Devo port (which seems simplest and most direct) but others seem to put theirs through the Naza unit - being a bit of a novice with these things, I don't know whether there are disadvantanges to doing it the way I have....

Unfortunately, I can't answer your query regarding the charger - I use the charger that Helipal sent me by default when I bought the drone and, when I connect both the main charging cable and balancing plugs to the charger, it automatically senses that it is a 3 cell battery (11.1v) - I set my charger to 1 Amp, which I believe is (a) safest and (b) best for the battery, but I'm guessing that it will also be slower than the 2 or 3 Amps options I have. I also have to make sure that mine is set to Lipo.

Other than the gimbal issue (and needing to wait for Helipal to send me a couple of cables that they forgot to send with the deluxe FPV kit), my Storm drone 6 worked perfectly as soon as I'd figured out how to assemble it - no need for any calibration etc and I've never had to connect anything to my PC... yet !

(I'm thinking of upgrading my Naza Lite to the V2 so I can install a DJI mini-IOSD, which I only found out about after buying the drone - and this will definitely mean me having to set it up via the software... which sounds a bit challenging tbh...)

I'm based on the other side of the world (UK) but I wish you luck in getting together with a group over there (I have a mate in Newcastle NSW and have visited a few times, but he's not into drones... yet !).

Hi harena - all I can say is that, once its all assembled and connected, its brilliant - a really great bit of kit for the price - but then this is my first drone and I'm not a member of any club or group, so I don't really know how it compares with others out there....

Hope this helps just a bit....

 

[charley whiskey]

Hi charley whiskey - I plug mine into the Devo port (which seems simplest and most direct) but others seem to put theirs through the Naza unit - being a bit of a novice with these things, I don't know whether there are disadvantanges to doing it the way I have....

Unfortunately, I can't answer your query regarding the charger - I use the charger that Helipal sent me by default when I bought the drone and, when I connect both the main charging cable and balancing plugs to the charger, it automatically senses that it is a 3 cell battery (11.1v) - I set my charger to 1 Amp, which I believe is (a) safest and (b) best for the battery, but I'm guessing that it will also be slower than the 2 or 3 Amps options I have. I also have to make sure that mine is set to Lipo.

Other than the gimbal issue (and needing to wait for Helipal to send me a couple of cables that they forgot to send with the deluxe FPV kit), my Storm drone 6 worked perfectly as soon as I'd figured out how to assemble it - no need for any calibration etc and I've never had to connect anything to my PC... yet !

(I'm thinking of upgrading my Naza Lite to the V2 so I can install a DJI mini-IOSD, which I only found out about after buying the drone - and this will definitely mean me having to set it up via the software... which sounds a bit challenging tbh...)

I'm based on the other side of the world (UK) but I wish you luck in getting together with a group over there (I have a mate in Newcastle NSW and have visited a few times, but he's not into drones... yet !).

Hi harena - all I can say is that, once its all assembled and connected, its brilliant - a really great bit of kit for the price - but then this is my first drone and I'm not a member of any club or group, so I don't really know how it compares with others out there....

Hope this helps just a bit....

Thanks Sky Kite,

With regard to battery charging I got this from "Jacky Lee" at Helipal yesterday;

"First, make sure you need to connect the Red and Black lead AND the white balance too, both pack also.

For 11.1V 2500mah batt, please use 11.1V (3S) 2.5A to charge, or you can use 5.0A to charge, this will double the charging time.

For 11.1V 5500mah batt, please use 11.1V (3S) 5.0A to charge, or you can use 10.0A to charge, this will double the charging time."

 

[Nate H]

It is my understanding that batteries are best charged at "1C" to increase their longevity. For the 2500 that would be 2.5A, and for the 5500 battery, 5.5A.

On a side note: the only reason I connected my gimbal to the Naza was to correct the horizon trim. Otherwise it works exactly the same way as through the Rx. The Naza software is really quite accessible once you have someone go through it once with you (YouTube). I just set one up from scratch when doing my F450 build and it Literally took 5 minutes to program correctly. I'd recommend watching a clip anyways to enhance your general knowledge of the flight controller.

 

[Sky Kite]

Thanks Nate - that's useful (and, regarding the Naza software, reassuring) to know !

My charger, which is a fairly cheap one I think (it came as the default charger with the drone), has 1, 2 or 3 Amp settings and I have just been defaulting to 1 Amp with whatever size battery I've been using (I have a number that range from 2,500 mah upwards). Reading your post indicates that maybe I should be varying the current between the 2 Amp & 3 Amp settings, depending on the size of the battery....

I now usually use my 6,000 mah Turnigy nano-tech batteries (which are nice !) but I've just bought a 10,000 mah battery (cheap from China off ebay) to see how long that gives me - it is heavy though, so I suspect that it won't provide too much of a longer flight time than the 6,000's do !