Converting Phantom 2 to F550? Do-able?

[b1nuzz]

Hi All,

Hope you can help. I have received much help in the phantom forums in the past.

We have a phantom 2, with FPV and H3-3D gimbal, but wish to upgrade to a 550 so that we can move the camera forward and generally get a more stable shot.
How much of the Phantom can be stripped down to make the new 550?

I assume the FPV Monitor, Video TX and H3-3D gimbal and iOSD Mini can all be transferred, but what from the internals?

Can I use the motors and buy an additional 2?
Can I use any of the NAZA internals?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, hoping to get stuck into this project soon and getting excited.

Many thanks

Ben

 

[ElGuano]

You can move everything but the Naza, but you'll need a pmu and gcu.

If you want the Naza you have to include the motherboard and the battery, and then you don't need the pmu or gcu.

 

[rilot]

If you want the Naza you have to include the motherboard and the battery, and then you don't need the pmu or gcu.

No, because the Naza in the P2 only supports 4 motors, not 6 like the full Naza.
I wouldn't bother with trying to move P2 stuff to an F550. Your best bet is to strip your FPV gear off, put the P2 back to stock and then sell it to finance the bits for the F550.

 

[SanCap]

I thought the Phantom 2 has Naza M which has capability of 6 motors?

 

[OI Photography]

I thought the Phantom 2 has Naza M which has capability of 6 motors?

Hardware is the same, firmware-locked features are not

I wasn't aware of the 4-motor limitation but it makes sense with the others DJI crippled the P2 NAZA with.

 

[SanCap]

I am kind of glad I have the older naza m v1 that has been upgraded to V2.

 

[ElGuano]

If you want the Naza you have to include the motherboard and the battery, and then you don't need the pmu or gcu.

No, because the Naza in the P2 only supports 4 motors, not 6 like the full Naza.

Ah yes, good point. The p2 assistant still shows the mixer type but I forgot it doesn't have the screen to allow you to change it.

 

[b1nuzz]

Thanks for your help.

So rather than stripping it, i think we will keep it complete, buy a F550 RTF kit and then put a 3D Gimbal and video TX stuff on.

Am I correct in thinking that the NAZA-M that will come with the F550 RTF kit will need a GCU in addition for the H3-3D?
Or is it built in?

Many thanks

Ben

 

[ElGuano]

Correct, you'll need a GCU to use the zenmuse.

 

[b1nuzz]

Great. Thank you.

Off to buy stuff.

 

[EMCSQUAR]

I thought the Phantom 2 has Naza M which has capability of 6 motors?

Hardware is the same, firmware-locked features are not

I wasn't aware of the 4-motor limitation but it makes sense with the others DJI crippled the P2 NAZA with.

I wasn't aware of that either and as a matter of fact I've been using extra motor ports for low power sources. So it must be the signal that's locked.

 

[ElGuano]

I thought the Phantom 2 has Naza M which has capability of 6 motors?

Hardware is the same, firmware-locked features are not

I wasn't aware of the 4-motor limitation but it makes sense with the others DJI crippled the P2 NAZA with.

I wasn't aware of that either and as a matter of fact I've been using extra motor ports for low power sources. So it must be the signal that's locked.

It's not that the signal pin being locked, it's the fact that the Phantom 2 Assistant is missing the motor mixer page that allows you to tell the Naza what kind of configuration you have (quad, hex, octo, x/y/i), so it's essentially locked on Quad-X and cannot be changed. The power and grounds are all linked so you can still draw 5v power from the pins.

 

[SanCap]

"It's not that the signal pin being locked, it's the fact that the Phantom 2 Assistant is missing the motor mixer page that allows you to tell the Naza what kind of configuration you have (quad, hex, octo, x/y/i), so it's essentially locked on Quad-X and cannot be changed. The power and grounds are all linked so you can still draw 5v power from the pins."

Would you be able to use Phantom 1 assistant? Naza 2.20.

 

[ElGuano]

Would you be able to use Phantom 1 assistant? Naza 2.20.

No, the p2 Naza doesn't work with the Naza-m v2 assistant on any platform (PC, Mac, iOS).

 

[OI Photography]

Would you be able to use Phantom 1 assistant? Naza 2.20.

No, the p2 Naza doesn't work with the Naza-m v2 assistant on any platform (PC, Mac, iOS).

I wonder if anybody has tried to wipe a P2 NAZA and force the regular firmware on it from scratch. Something tells me there might be a hardware ID at play though that would prevent that. Just random wondering and speculation on my part

 

[ElGuano]

I haven't heard of anyone trying, but you would think the best use case would be to turn a Naza Lite into a full Naza-M V2, and that hasn't happened yet either

 

[Browneee]

Ok, I have a Phantom One with NAZA v2 ... I use a MAC with the assistant on it. One of the pages has multiple copter sets ups.

Would I be able to use Phantom one NAZA v2 in a F550... Obviously it would work for a F450

 

[OI Photography]

Would I be able to use Phantom one NAZA v2 in a F550... Obviously it would work for a F450

Yep! You'll need the other associated bits too (PMU, GPS, LED) but the P1 NAZA v2's are identical to the retail boxed models, down to the firmware.

 

[Browneee]

Awesome Ol , seems I had a win

 

[Browneee]

Sorry to hijack thread "b1nuzz"

Update, just thinking of buying a complete NAZA-mv2 with the pmu, gps etc etc... So what I'll need next is to either use my DJI transmitter and purchase a receiver for it. OR, I have a DEVO F12E Transmitter out of a downed Tali H500, but I'll need to purchase a new DEVO RX1202 receiver for it.

So biggest question I need help with.... Will the DEVO F12e & DEVO RX1202 receiver work with the NAZA gear? It's a $400 transmitter on its own I believe and would be a shame to waste it ?