Ardu-copter flipping sideways instead of taking off

[roineust]

Hello!
i have built an Ardu-quad-copter around the HobbyKing PixFalcon flight controller.
i'v made a serious effort to try to learn how to calibrate the drone using Mission Planner and tried all possible CW and CCW combinations - Yet the quad-copter just stays in place or flips on its side - instead of taking off symmetrically.

Can anyone please help me solve this problem?

Thanks.

 

[holtneil]

Hi make sure motors are spinning the right way
Front left CW , front right CCW
Back left CCW, back right CW
Also make sure the props are on the right motors and the right way round
Check the balance of the quad when battery is on it should balance
Also check the right motors plug into the right pins on the FCB
This is a quick video I did to help one of the guys out on here

 

[roineust]

Holtneil,
i wonder if i did not calibrate the ESC's well.
i hope that what's described in the following video, which is calibrating the ESC's one by one when not connected to the flight controller, is what actually i did not do, although, i did calibrate all 4 esc's and motors, when everything was connected together and to the Mission Planner:

 

[Quest]

Calibration depends on your ESC's some can not be calibrated using the all at once method.

 

[GJH105775]

Probably not calibration, 9/10 times it has to do with props, ACC calibration or motors spinning wrong.

 

[Jackson]

and tried all possible CW and CCW combinations

That's NOT the way it's done.

 

[roineust]

One of the motors starts spinning later than the rest of them - could that indicate about the reason for flipping problem i have? What should i do if this indicates about the problem? re-calibrate the magnetometer? go through the one-by-one ESC calibration process?
Here are the ESC model i am using on the quad:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/..._Motor_Speed_Controller_SimonK_Firmware_.html

 

[Quest]

Here is a link to user manual in case you don'have it https://arduino-ua.com › docs › AfroESC

 

[roineust]

Thanks.

 

[Quest]

Try the attachment instead. What flight controler are you using?

 

[Quest]

I see now you are using a pixfalcon, is this a pixhawk knockoff? I am using the orginal 3DR pixhawk on my latest build with 3DR 30 amp esc's and it is a all at once ESC calibration process

 

[roineust]

Quest, yes it the PixFalcon from HobbyKing - do you think this might be the reason?

OK -
Now that i'v gone through ESC firmware upload again and calibrated the ESC's - all done on the ESC's one by one - i'm kind of lost, since i still get a sideways flipping, instead of a symmetrical take off.

b.t.w the motors all start and speed up in sync now - so that is probably not the problem...

Any ideas what should be next on my problem elimination check list?

Thanks.

 

[RENOV8R]

Still sounds like one or motors are reversed

 

[holtneil]

I second that or the motor is plugged into the wrong headers

 

[roineust]

How can i identify the correct header? i got here 2 yellows, 2 blues, 1 green, 1 orange, 1 black and 1 Futaba black,red,white connector...when i connect them. some headers won't make the motor move at all and some will - there are too many combinations...

 

[Quest]

There is also the possibility that your center of gravity is off.

 

[roineust]

What is the best way to balance the center of gravity or to find out if i have a big problem with it being off ?
Isn't current flight controller technology supposed to be able to compensate for small gravity center miss-alignments?

 

[GJH105775]

What is the best way to balance the center of gravity?

Place two fingers under the quadcopter along an axis you want to test. If it balances good, if not you have to move something like your battery around.

 

[RENOV8R]

By placement of battery, camera, electronics. Use your imagination

 

[roineust]

i'll try checking out the center of gravity issue more thoroughly and let you know if it changed anything. i'm almost sure it is not the issue - since i tried to move the 3S 5800mAh 450 grams battery, in the other way of flipping direction - almost 15 cm set-off and still the quad tried to flip in that same direction. i'll re-check that issue anyway, by trying to balance the quad on my finger or with a rope from the middle of the axis and return with results.