landing gear extentions and compass postion ?

[J.James]

Does any one know if I add some landing gear extenders to top of my landing skids. To raise my phantom up about 1 inch higher using the stock landing gear. I'm wondering If need to also slide my compass 1 inch higher on the legs so that its still the exact distance away from the body as it already is on the existing landing gear? Or will it cause any problems if I leave it were it is on the legs???


Thanks for any advise or in site any one can offer on this.

 

[N017RW]

Moving it down will not be a problem.

Just maintain orientation as you are/will with just a gear extension.

 

[J.James]

N017RW thanks. I seen a few people that have had all sorts of problems when adding the widened landing skids due to the compass ending up not being in the right orientation. But I didn't think lowering it would cause a problem with the spacer type extensions I planing on adding. But wanted to run it by someone first just to be sure.

 

[N017RW]

Yea, No prob.

Be sure to recalibrate [compass] once your done though.

In fact, ANYTIME you Add, Remove, or Relocate ANYTHING in or on your Phantom recal the compass.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I have always read (on the internet, so it must be true) that the compass MUST remain in the exact position it is in from the factory. The first people who tried to make motorized landing gear were the first to experience this problem. I would do some more research on this before you fly it with the compass in a new location. Let us know what you find out.

@NO17RW - have you moved your with favorable results?

 

[N017RW]

It must remain in the same orientation i.e. the X, Y & Z axis. Some may confuse position with orientation.

Maintain the forward direction, square to the forward motion and with the connector at the top.

Of course it is possible to move it too close to some offending device but up and down within the limits the OP mentioned are no problem.

Then RECALIBRATE!

Materials aside, putting them on retracts alters the orientation when retracted, a no-no. (as well as extended with the ones I've seen anyways so not to say for all).

 

[J.James]

I think what I will do after its done and recalibrated. Is to give it a tethered hover before flying to to make sure it flys right. and if its at all funky I can slide it up as far as the difference in height is from the extender shims and it should still end up on a spot on the legs that still perfectly straight up and down. Unlike on most of the wide bow legged extended land skids I have seen.

 

[N017RW]

Tethering is dangerous.

If your just lowering it [compass] by lowering the gear via a spacer at the top there is NO issue.

Please don't buy into superstition. Understand how it works and apply that understanding.

Many multi-rotors have their compass on top of the craft. (You've seen those 'pucks' sticking up? That's where the compass is with that style).

ORIENTATION is what's important.

Please write back when you have completed your mod and 'test' flight to confirm for all what has been said here.

 

[J.James]

Please don't buy into superstition. Understand how it works and apply that understanding.

LOL good cause I'm running out of bloody chicken heads to use. I seems to make sence about the compass having to face the right direction and also be square and level to the craft to work right. But the distance thing didnt seem to be some thing that would be and issue because as you have said I have seen them mounted in different places on other set ups. and even seen some work around for the retractable landing gear and the T style legs were they have it mounted on a small post thingy that puts it up at about the mid line of the phantoms body but still holds it so its orientated in the right direction. and the more I think about it and people saying the compass has to be in some exact distance and place from the flight controller or else it wont work dont really seem to compute with me being the naza does not know the distance of the compass from the controller nore does it need to know that to know north from south or its x,y,z, Coordination relative to its self providing its still facing the right way and not siting at a cocked angel or some thing.

Please write back when you have completed your mod and 'test' flight to confirm for all what has been said here

For sure. Will do. Going to be a few days probably before every thing is all done. and can get a test flight on it. But also once i know it flys ok with the added height I'm going to tackle installing a gimbals and a pitch control knob + pitch speed switch. and maybe even a yaw speed mod to the controller to.

 

[N017RW]

If you hold a generic mangnetic needle compass in front of you and move it left-right, up-down, fore-aft, WITHOUT rotating it you will not see any difference in the indicated bearing.

The magnetometer is no different in this respect.

I already know what your resluts will be .

 

[J.James]

The equation to a magnetic needle compass was one of them things I was thinking about when trying to make sence if moving the phantoms compass up or down would make any difference. And it makes perfect sence. high or low a regular magnetic needle compass is still going to know with way is magnetic north

 

[J.James]

Got the leg extenders and no prob with compass that I can see from a quick test hover. Tho there were a few other things I ran in to which made it a waist to even get the extenders I got. First problem which as easy to over come is the 1 inch stand offs make it so the top of the landing gear would not go on with out hitting the arms on the visions camera mount. So I had to flip the part of the mount that goes up against the body over which lowers the camera about 1/2 inch and takes away some of the newly added height from the 1 inch I was adding to the legs. But I could of just used 1/2 inch long stand offs would of been able to clear the camera mount and keep it the same way it was and still have an extra 1/2 inch clearance from the camera and would of had less leverage that the full inch stand offs would exert in any sort of hard landing that wants to the flex the legs.
and the carbon fiber boards that come with the kit seem to serve no use other then to block some of my prop wash which would tae a tiny bit of my lift away and the only real use they seemed to have other then being able to strap stuff to them they just look cool so I left them out of the install. So the only thing I used out of the kit were 8 of the 16 stand offs that were 1 inch long but only gave me an extra 1/2 clearance after having to drop the camera a 1/2 inch. lol