Good news! All of the videos are aimed at newer pilots on the channel but without the basic vocabulary you get by watching the 'Introduction to Remote Control' series and a little time in the forums/sites it can be tricky..
First I'd like to say Thanks!! Your videos helped me start off on my new hobby. It all started with my FLip32 and now I'm moving to a DYS f4 Pro OSD FC 1. I'd suggest you mention how new pilots can determine an F1 board to an F2,3,4 board. Some sellers won't tell you and just give the processor (STM32F3) I believe this would be helpful especially for budget new pilots from purchasing something outdated. 2. I enjoyed my 10Dof Flip32 but I would like to know is there a Flight controller that still have 10Dof capabilities that can fit a freestyle FPV Quad? 3. If the trend now is for freestyle/race boards to exclude compass and baro is it possible to add a Baro (compass too) to a Board with a free UART? I found a MPU9250 + BMP280 Sensor Module and was curious if it is possible to add that to the newer boards. I've seen videos of people adding them to CC3d Boards. If memory serves me right the brain line has an addon but I'd like to know if this is possible on other boards. (Also the SPracing F3 boards seem to be unavailable for the longest time) The baro would be the minimum as for pilots here in the US we have a limit of approximately 400ft and would love to know how high up our drones are when flying.
I've been flying with an Ardupilot Mega 2.6 for several years on my long range FPV-planes and it has mostly been an positive experience. It broke mine a few weeks back due to some power-issues but I purchased a new one. The main reason for doing this is that I already had all of the external devices (GPS, OSD, airspeed ++), making a £35 purchase for a new, an easy choice. Although I have tried the waypoint-features, I have not really used them too much and the focus has been more on having dependable RTL / Loiter functionality in place. However, its not hard to see the direction that the F3/F4 family of boards is going where more and more functionality is being built into a single board (power sensors, pdb, osd, logger ++) and a more user friendly configuration arena through a single Chrome app. Although all of this is open source, the APM-platform is pretty messy in comparison with separate configuration and software for each addon (e.g. the MinimOSD). As I understand from you mr. Painless360, INAV is also progressing rapidly and starting to provide many of the APM-features that most of us actually use. I therefore have a feeling that the Pixracer / Pixhawk family will loose more and more momentum for airborne devices, at least for the hobbyists. If I where to start from scratch today, I would have selected a highly rated multi function F-series board and INAV and jump to the skies with a cheap and compact setup. ... or am I totally wrong?
Not at all, the other thing to think about is the ethos and pedigree behind some of these systems. Mission Planner is mature, tested and has years of successful flying by professionals and hobbiests alike. iNav is a new kid on the block in comparison but catching up. I like both but would trust my largest, most expensive models to Mission Planner/Ardupilot..
+ Painless360 - I've recently seen talk that there has had to be some feature pruning in the F4 Betaflight code base, not anywhere near the amount as F1, but apparently it's getting harder.
Lee, now mid 2019, has much changed? I fly with Betaflight on my current quad but I now have a couple of projects (fixed wing and quad) where I want more autonomous navigation capability. I’m utilising the F405 FCs and interested in the pros/cons of iNav v Ardupilot (noting your more recent videos on the later)?
Sir, can you make a video... reviewing the PIXHACK V5 and can you tell the differences between PIXHAWK 2.1 and PIXHACK V5..... cause I can't afford that much!! And it means a lot to me!!... thank you
Excellent video, but maybe, for us fixed wing types (yes there are still some of us around!), you could do a video on flight controllers/OSD's more specifically for fixed wing FPV planes and show which of the quad flight controllers could easily overlap to fixed wing and which are better mainly for fixed wing flight. But focus on flight controllers better suited for fixed wing FPV applications especially keeping in mind cost and the ease of use.
big fan of your videos you basically held my hand through my builds,I also have been focused on multi rotor but am trying to move into fixed wing and would love to see some f3/f4 type boards I could use on both
Hi First of all... I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!! So many usefull information and so fun to follow. I have a wing (800mm wing) and I want to add a flight controler, I need just OSD and 3axis giro. What do you recommend? And what software to use? Thank you and continue with the wonderful work you do for the hobby!!
great layout, animations & explanations of different FC software' .lots of info packed into a fairly short video considering everything you touched on.. Thumbs Up
ArduPilot is the firmware, I'd use Mission Planner personally. It's what I like and works even on slower computers (handy for lower spec laptops/tablets at the field)..
Phew! Glad it made sense. I've been wrestling with that content for about 6 weeks trying to figure out a way to cover it that didn't take an hour that would still be useful.. Happy flying!
My old APM 2.8s can no longer use the latest ardupilot builds. I can still use Mission Planner which I prefer because I want to use GPS / autopilot / and waypoints, but with older builds. Is there any future for my ancient (12 month old) flight controllers? Things change very fast in this hobby. But I really don't want to toss perfectly good flight controllers. Ardupilot unfortunately seems to have favored PixHawk over APM, which is more expensive hardware. I prefer hardware that can use more widely used hardware like the Arduino - is the industry moving away from Arduino? What are the affordable PixHawk clones?
It's the way that the hobby is moving. The code is getting larger and more complex needing more memory and CPU horsepower to use all of the features. It's a shame that the older PixHawks are struggling already as I felt they could have had a bit longer before starting to loose some of the features/support. I'm hopeful that the developers will work on the code to support those older models..
Thanks for all that information but I do have one question. I'm looking at a pixhawk on amazon and they seem to be listed along with PX4 in the title. Now px4.io seems to suggest that this OpenSource flight controller stack has all the features of Ardupilot, well to novice eyes. The family tree of both Drone Hardware and Software is hard to keep up with. Is it a fork, is it a new initiative, has it got some sort of ground swell behind it? PX4 may be the young pretender but then it does seem to be in partnership with 3DR and the Pixhawk platform. I'm going with Pixhawk for GPS flight modes but which stack? I'm leaning towards PX4 but it doesn't get a mention in the 2017 comparison video.
+John Whitmore PX4 is similar to Ardupilot, they are different projects that run on the same hardware. Kind of like Cleanflight and Betaflight. See more in the Pixracer series. I prefer the solid reliability of Ardupilot and good ol' Mission Planner..
I was thinking about buying the APM flight controller from last years video as it received good rating for you and it was relatively cheap however now I don't know which one to buy for gps. Which one would you recommend for under £50?
+Mystical Daptfyie I'd suggest you watch the flight controller comparison I listed a month or so ago. The APM is now really showing it's age and lack of support..
hello, I have a sp racing f3 deluxe and I want to put the GPS antenna but I have the receiver connected in pwm and it creates conflict with the gps in betaflight in uart2 in which another uart I can connect? I agree more inav I want to do future photogrammetry
Sadly some of the earlier flight controllers run out of UARTs very quickly. Without the ability to use a soft serial port then you'll struggle.. Best of luck!
what's a good gps fc. I have apm and my hex is super unstable. it rocks in the wind side to side. is there a way to fix it or just get a new one. using mission planner. thanks
So, @Painless360 if one wants to build something like a versatile drone like the Mavic with 3-axis gimbal control, anti-collision sensors and 2 extra servo channels but _without_ the ultra precise GPS and missions...Would I really need a PixHawk 2.1 running iNav for this? Or could it be done with a much simpler system? What kind of transmitter and receiver would I need for this? (Maybe this is an idea for a new UA-cam series lol)
Only if there is enough room - the PixHawk is a lot bigger. There are smaller, more compact versions about but I use iNav with standard flight controllers if room is tight..
+Painless360 I'm a "rc pilot" for quite some time now but I'm just venturing into UAVs. I would like to use one F4 (or F7 if one considers platform longevity) fc on a fixed wing aircraft. I wish to use RTH and (eventually) mission planner without a lot of additional pieces and hassles. Can you give me an example of a bundle (fc/gps/magnetometer) I could use for it?
I'd look at a PixHawk if it's mission planning you want in future. F4 and F3 based flight controllers with iNavflight are just starting to get to grips with Mission Planning. You can get PixHawk bundles that come with all the parts you need from loads of places. Best of luck!
I've not looked at one as it's all about OpenSource (with a few notable exceptions) on the channel. If I get one to try out - I'll have a look. Happy flying!
Non-open source is for suckers who wouldn't watch any research videos prior to buying anyway. I don't think there's any point tailoring to someone who doesn't want to buy tinker-grade hardware.
there is this 2,1 and i have seen 1 that is simmilar but must have some differences,do any one know it,,its this " Pixhack V5 autopilot flight controller "
See the 'Quadcopter Build' series for my picks. Kakute, CLRacingF4S, Omnibus F4 AIO, BrainFPV RE1... Lots of excellent choices that are not crazy money now..
See my flight controller comparison video from last summer. The pixhawk is the most feature rich, open source flight controller available in my opinion. It's not perfect for racing, but excellent for everything else..
cleanflight is basically dead; it's reached the same point which baseflight was at when cleanflight was developed cf2.0 had to merge in bf3.1 code just to stay up to date, and there isn't much of a difference; personally i'd just stay where the development is
What a Friken Nightmare?? Lol, so you've been way generous w/ your time to even attempt to compare these. What on EArth are you getting thumbed down about? Your accent? Wow, they ought to be glad a user of these controllers had the time to spend to evaluate them & report it back to us!! It's turned into an ignoRANT place on-line? I'd tend to buy the one with the most pros & the least having to configure them. A strong handshake between it & my transmitter seems the only important thing they need to do? Ohh hell, I haven't even got a plane yet. I'll be back to rant later......
Good show! The hobby is changing so much that I can certainly understand your comments and approach this time!
Good news! All of the videos are aimed at newer pilots on the channel but without the basic vocabulary you get by watching the 'Introduction to Remote Control' series and a little time in the forums/sites it can be tricky..
FYI, dRonin is still in active development. Very active, considering the very few developers. (The usual problem, devs latch to the popular stuff.)
First I'd like to say Thanks!! Your videos helped me start off on my new hobby. It all started with my FLip32 and now I'm moving to a DYS f4 Pro OSD FC
1. I'd suggest you mention how new pilots can determine an F1 board to an F2,3,4 board. Some sellers won't tell you and just give the processor (STM32F3) I believe this would be helpful especially for budget new pilots from purchasing something outdated.
2. I enjoyed my 10Dof Flip32 but I would like to know is there a Flight controller that still have 10Dof capabilities that can fit a freestyle FPV Quad?
3. If the trend now is for freestyle/race boards to exclude compass and baro is it possible to add a Baro (compass too) to a Board with a free UART? I found a MPU9250 + BMP280 Sensor Module and was curious if it is possible to add that to the newer boards. I've seen videos of people adding them to CC3d Boards. If memory serves me right the brain line has an addon but I'd like to know if this is possible on other boards. (Also the SPracing F3 boards seem to be unavailable for the longest time)
The baro would be the minimum as for pilots here in the US we have a limit of approximately 400ft and would love to know how high up our drones are when flying.
I've been flying with an Ardupilot Mega 2.6 for several years on my long range FPV-planes and it has mostly been an positive experience. It broke mine a few weeks back due to some power-issues but I purchased a new one. The main reason for doing this is that I already had all of the external devices (GPS, OSD, airspeed ++), making a £35 purchase for a new, an easy choice. Although I have tried the waypoint-features, I have not really used them too much and the focus has been more on having dependable RTL / Loiter functionality in place.
However, its not hard to see the direction that the F3/F4 family of boards is going where more and more functionality is being built into a single board (power sensors, pdb, osd, logger ++) and a more user friendly configuration arena through a single Chrome app. Although all of this is open source, the APM-platform is pretty messy in comparison with separate configuration and software for each addon (e.g. the MinimOSD).
As I understand from you mr. Painless360, INAV is also progressing rapidly and starting to provide many of the APM-features that most of us actually use. I therefore have a feeling that the Pixracer / Pixhawk family will loose more and more momentum for airborne devices, at least for the hobbyists. If I where to start from scratch today, I would have selected a highly rated multi function F-series board and INAV and jump to the skies with a cheap and compact setup.
... or am I totally wrong?
Not at all, the other thing to think about is the ethos and pedigree behind some of these systems. Mission Planner is mature, tested and has years of successful flying by professionals and hobbiests alike. iNav is a new kid on the block in comparison but catching up. I like both but would trust my largest, most expensive models to Mission Planner/Ardupilot..
+ Painless360 - I've recently seen talk that there has had to be some feature pruning in the F4 Betaflight code base, not anywhere near the amount as F1, but apparently it's getting harder.
Excellent! Thank you for this video! I have been wanting to build/crash a small 250 without using my NAZA V2 stuff, now I know what to look at.
I'd love to see a series on the new MicroVector!
Thanks for the idea, I'm more about OpenSource projects here but if I get a chance to get one - I will! Happy flying!
Lee, now mid 2019, has much changed? I fly with Betaflight on my current quad but I now have a couple of projects (fixed wing and quad) where I want more autonomous navigation capability. I’m utilising the F405 FCs and interested in the pros/cons of iNav v Ardupilot (noting your more recent videos on the later)?
If you Google something like "flight controller painless360 ' you'll find the later videos.. I. E. ua-cam.com/video/te4D_fjBVfM/v-deo.html
Sir, can you make a video... reviewing the PIXHACK V5 and can you tell the differences between PIXHAWK 2.1 and PIXHACK V5..... cause I can't afford that much!! And it means a lot to me!!... thank you
Excellent video, but maybe, for us fixed wing types (yes there are still some of us around!), you could do a video on flight controllers/OSD's more specifically for fixed wing FPV planes and show which of the quad flight controllers could easily overlap to fixed wing and which are better mainly for fixed wing flight. But focus on flight controllers better suited for fixed wing FPV applications especially keeping in mind cost and the ease of use.
+big5astra I like this idea. I'm looking at getting an Eagletree vector so maybe a comparison after that series?
big fan of your videos you basically held my hand through my builds,I also have been focused on multi rotor but am trying to move into fixed wing and would love to see some f3/f4 type boards I could use on both
Hi
First of all... I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!! So many usefull information and so fun to follow.
I have a wing (800mm wing) and I want to add a flight controler, I need just OSD and 3axis giro. What do you recommend? And what software to use?
Thank you and continue with the wonderful work you do for the hobby!!
For me, it's be iNav, cheap and works great if you get a FC with an integrated OSD. See the iNav series where I added it to a wing! :D
The omnibus f3 aio has all of that. I use it on my 1.1m flying wing
great layout, animations & explanations of different FC software' .lots of info packed into a fairly short video considering everything you touched on.. Thumbs Up
Thank you.
great video. Ardu Pilot or QGroundControl (on windows)?
ArduPilot is the firmware, I'd use Mission Planner personally. It's what I like and works even on slower computers (handy for lower spec laptops/tablets at the field)..
Carry on mate, great job
Phew! Glad it made sense. I've been wrestling with that content for about 6 weeks trying to figure out a way to cover it that didn't take an hour that would still be useful.. Happy flying!
My old APM 2.8s can no longer use the latest ardupilot builds. I can still use Mission Planner which I prefer because I want to use GPS / autopilot / and waypoints, but with older builds. Is there any future for my ancient (12 month old) flight controllers?
Things change very fast in this hobby. But I really don't want to toss perfectly good flight controllers. Ardupilot unfortunately seems to have favored PixHawk over APM, which is more expensive hardware.
I prefer hardware that can use more widely used hardware like the Arduino - is the industry moving away from Arduino? What are the affordable PixHawk clones?
It's the way that the hobby is moving. The code is getting larger and more complex needing more memory and CPU horsepower to use all of the features. It's a shame that the older PixHawks are struggling already as I felt they could have had a bit longer before starting to loose some of the features/support. I'm hopeful that the developers will work on the code to support those older models..
Thanks for all that information but I do have one question. I'm looking at a pixhawk on amazon and they seem to be listed along with PX4 in the title. Now px4.io seems to suggest that this OpenSource flight controller stack has all the features of Ardupilot, well to novice eyes. The family tree of both Drone Hardware and Software is hard to keep up with. Is it a fork, is it a new initiative, has it got some sort of ground swell behind it? PX4 may be the young pretender but then it does seem to be in partnership with 3DR and the Pixhawk platform. I'm going with Pixhawk for GPS flight modes but which stack? I'm leaning towards PX4 but it doesn't get a mention in the 2017 comparison video.
+John Whitmore PX4 is similar to Ardupilot, they are different projects that run on the same hardware. Kind of like Cleanflight and Betaflight. See more in the Pixracer series. I prefer the solid reliability of Ardupilot and good ol' Mission Planner..
Painless360 thank you for that response. Ardu it is.
ah multiwii back in the days when you had to build your FC out of Nintendo wii nunchuck.
Indeed, some would still refer to those as 'the good 'ol days1' :D
So thats why it was called a multiwii ( I got into multicopter only a few years ago)
I was thinking about buying the APM flight controller from last years video as it received good rating for you and it was relatively cheap however now I don't know which one to buy for gps. Which one would you recommend for under £50?
+Mystical Daptfyie I'd suggest you watch the flight controller comparison I listed a month or so ago. The APM is now really showing it's age and lack of support..
hello, I have a sp racing f3 deluxe and I want to put the GPS antenna but I have the receiver connected in pwm and it creates conflict with the gps in betaflight in uart2 in which another uart I can connect? I agree more inav I want to do future photogrammetry
Sadly some of the earlier flight controllers run out of UARTs very quickly. Without the ability to use a soft serial port then you'll struggle.. Best of luck!
what's a good gps fc. I have apm and my hex is super unstable. it rocks in the wind side to side. is there a way to fix it or just get a new one. using mission planner. thanks
I'd look at autotune, sounds like the PID loop needs a little attention to combat those outside forces.. Best of luck!
Thanks
So, @Painless360 if one wants to build something like a versatile drone like the Mavic with 3-axis gimbal control, anti-collision sensors and 2 extra servo channels but _without_ the ultra precise GPS and missions...Would I really need a PixHawk 2.1 running iNav for this? Or could it be done with a much simpler system? What kind of transmitter and receiver would I need for this? (Maybe this is an idea for a new UA-cam series lol)
+iMeMySelf if you want magic like performance and feature it’s Pixhawk running ArduCopter.. happy flying!
In all humbleness, please spend the rest of the weekend knowing you are awesome, sir. Thank you! :)
Hello Sir, if a drone mounts a betaflight fly controller, is it possible to substitute it with a pixhawk?
Only if there is enough room - the PixHawk is a lot bigger. There are smaller, more compact versions about but I use iNav with standard flight controllers if room is tight..
Is it possible to integrate inav with an sdk like dronekit for pixhawk??? Thanks
Hey brother do you know if Ardupilot or any of these are particularly pleasant for Fixed Wing
They do one specifically for planes, funnily enough.. called ArduPlane :D Happy flying!
+Painless360 I'm a "rc pilot" for quite some time now but I'm just venturing into UAVs.
I would like to use one F4 (or F7 if one considers platform longevity) fc on a fixed wing aircraft. I wish to use RTH and (eventually) mission planner without a lot of additional pieces and hassles. Can you give me an example of a bundle (fc/gps/magnetometer) I could use for it?
I'd look at a PixHawk if it's mission planning you want in future. F4 and F3 based flight controllers with iNavflight are just starting to get to grips with Mission Planning. You can get PixHawk bundles that come with all the parts you need from loads of places. Best of luck!
Pixhawk is way byond my very limited budget. That's the main reason to consider iNav instead.
Then that's your answer ;)
See the iNav series for lots more detail..
Have been watching it since I finished this video. Thanks. ;)
Where does Eagle Tree Vector fit in? I know it's proprietary but I would like to know your opinion vs PIXHAWK.
I've not looked at one as it's all about OpenSource (with a few notable exceptions) on the channel. If I get one to try out - I'll have a look. Happy flying!
Non-open source is for suckers who wouldn't watch any research videos prior to buying anyway. I don't think there's any point tailoring to someone who doesn't want to buy tinker-grade hardware.
there is this 2,1 and i have seen 1 that is simmilar but must have some differences,do any one know it,,its this " Pixhack V5 autopilot flight controller "
It's a copy, if I get one in I'll take a look...
Hello sir can i use pixhawk 2.4.8 with telemetry kit for f450
Can i use flysky ct6b for this project
+mokal tejas see the Pixhawk series, I use a 450 frame there :)
mokal tejas I use a CT6B for my 450 but I would rather recommend the fsi6, it's around the same price and it's much better
GREAT VIDEO! i'm thinking of making a translation to german....
If you want to send me the German closed captions I'll add them to this one and credit you in the description..
Can you recommend a flight controller which is good at stunts and it is budget friendly?
See the 'Quadcopter Build' series for my picks. Kakute, CLRacingF4S, Omnibus F4 AIO, BrainFPV RE1... Lots of excellent choices that are not crazy money now..
Painless360 thank you! Ill read about them
is the clone SpF3 flight controller still working
I've had a few here and they are working great.
Painless360 the reason I am asking this is that if I buy it I would have references of your great help video thx for your reply
+Lalith Kishore yes, should do. Best of luck with the build
Painless360 sry I still have another doubt that whether can I flash betaflight into the clone SPF3
It should work, but if you have real doubts and want to be safe buy the real SP F3 instead of the clone.
sir which one is best dji lite or pixhawk
I've not used any of the DJI flight controllers so it's tricky for me to comment. Best of luck!
thank u sir.and are the pixhawk fc good
See my flight controller comparison video from last summer. The pixhawk is the most feature rich, open source flight controller available in my opinion. It's not perfect for racing, but excellent for everything else..
Where is the Vector?
+th3batfink not open source ;)
cleanflight is basically dead; it's reached the same point which baseflight was at when cleanflight was developed
cf2.0 had to merge in bf3.1 code just to stay up to date, and there isn't much of a difference; personally i'd just stay where the development is
No RaceFlightOne? (Revolt / Millivolt)
"allegedly" LMAO. Good on you for skipping the A-holes
:D
What a Friken Nightmare?? Lol, so you've been way generous w/ your time to even attempt to compare
these. What on EArth are you getting thumbed down about? Your accent? Wow, they ought to be glad a
user of these controllers had the time to spend to evaluate them & report it back to us!! It's turned into
an ignoRANT place on-line? I'd tend to buy the one with the most pros & the least having to configure
them. A strong handshake between it & my transmitter seems the only important thing they need to do?
Ohh hell, I haven't even got a plane yet. I'll be back to rant later......
KISS is it
See the series on it we have, lovely flying setup..