M.A.R.S lite parachute kit

[Numone]

It's a shame so much misinformation continues on such a discussed issue...
Left stick down [only] WILL NOT kill the motors in flight, only the CSC will do that.

CSC is not a stick combination that you will ever encounter in normal flight.

Once airborne the CSC becomes an Emergency Stop feature.
Good luck convincing the manufacturer that it should be disabled.

I just wonder what emergency one would encounter that would require the motors to be killed? These are small electric motors with little torque, not a turboprop. However, inadvertent operation of the CSC does appear to've downed a number of aircraft, which could be removed with a software user option, that's all...

 

[M.I.T. One]

2 hour and 20 min, the chute deployed, (after a full charge with green led off) I have done this twice with way over two hours each time, try it and let me know. One more quick thing, use a computer usb to charge if ya can instead of an ac power pack, the computer out has less milliamps, hope team northuav finds a fix soon

Was it plugged into the servo during the charging process?

 

[N017RW]

Suffice it to say the designers and manufacturers recognize the need for an Emergency Stop.

 

[Keith Lampman]

Was it plugged into the servo during the charging process?

NO ..... Just remember to make sure backpack is off and wait till green led go's out, about 30min for me ..........last test was 2 hour 10 min till deploy

 

[J.James]

Besides just being a tiny battery and some sort of charging circuit in this back pack thingy. What other advantage is there in using the back pack compared to just using a 1 or 2 cell lipo directly to power it??????

 

[Keith Lampman]

Besides just being a tiny battery and some sort of charging circuit in this back pack thingy. What other advantage is there in using the back pack compared to just using a 1 or 2 cell lipo directly to power it??????

Built in on/off switch
state of charge led
servo output
charge through the Mayday usb plug
Weight

 

[M.I.T. One]

Ok I'm pretty darn happy right now. I feel like I finally have this thing all figured out. I successfully had the Mayday board trigger deployment five times in a row. That's even messing with it like turning it on and off between test, unplugging backpack and plugging back in, wires ect... Anything I could think of to throw this thing off its game and it still works as I imagined it should. I just toss whole phantom up in the air and let it free fall for about three feet and every time the servo moved to deploy. Feel like a big weight has been lifted from my chest. I would recommend this setup to anyone now. I also want to say thanks to all those on this forum for help and discussion, also to Keith Lampman taking lead on the emails to North UAV and sharing his knowledge.

 

[m0j0]

Really a parachute! Wow.


Phantom 3 Pro / iPad Air 2

 

[J.James]

J.James said: ↑
Besides just being a tiny battery and some sort of charging circuit in this back pack thingy. What other advantage is there in using the back pack compared to just using a 1 or 2 cell lipo directly to power it??????
Built in on/off switch
state of charge led
servo output
charge through the Mayday usb plug
Weight

Ok Thanks again.

Tho if I just use a tiny 500mah lipo to power the mayday its going to still be able to have the servo output to deploy the chute still. Correct??????

and if so basically with out the back back and just using some one hand small battery's I will just have to deal with plugging the battery in or un plug to turn it on/off and use my own charger. If that's the case. I can live with that for now and can get a back pack later.



and one other ? actully 2 more if I can pick your brain or any one else's about the mayday. Which is to do with the back pack or even if just using a battery.. I have been wondering If You have the mayday is all set up and programmed the way you want. Then the battery gets unplugged or goes dead. Does the mayday still retain any of the programming or parameters that are set in to it???? Or is that some thing thats got to be redone every time power is removed? and along the same line of wondering. It seems from what I'm reading that if the battery goes dead it will deploy the chute. Does turning off the backpack or unplugging the battery if on the bench or after landing also cause the chute to deploy? Or does that only happen if the battery or backpacks voltage drops too low?

 

[Keith Lampman]

Ok I'm pretty darn happy right now. I feel like I finally have this thing all figured out. I successfully had the Mayday board trigger deployment five times in a row. That's even messing with it like turning it on and off between test, unplugging backpack and plugging back in, wires ect... Anything I could think of to throw this thing off its game and it still works as I imagined it should. I just toss whole phantom up in the air and let it free fall for about three feet and every time the servo moved to deploy. Feel like a big weight has been lifted from my chest. I would recommend this setup to anyone now. I also want to say thanks to all those on this forum for help and discussion, also to Keith Lampman taking lead on the emails to North UAV and sharing his knowledge.

Hey that's why we are all here.......to learn !! I'm happy there are so many smart people here to share their knowledge, I plan to use my low-amp computer usb port do the charging , remember Kyle said there is a "BUG" in the Backpack so we will be hearing from them I'm sure

 

[M.I.T. One]

Built in on/off switch
state of charge led
servo output
charge through the Mayday usb plug
Weight

I would also add that with the backpack modual I'm not worried about reverse polarity damage to the Mayday board as I would be by making a mistake with a separate Lipo battery.

 

[Keith Lampman]

I would also add that with the backpack modual I'm not worried about reverse polarity damage to the Mayday board as I would be by making a mistake with a separate Lipo battery.

I'm 100% sure the Mayday Board will keep it's setting, I plan on flight testing as soon as I get my Phantom back together.....The Mayday has some protection, none if ya plug in a battery into the servo output so be careful

 

[Keith Lampman]

NEWS ABOUT BATTERY BACKPACK !!


Kyle O'Rourke <[email protected]>
9:44 PM (11 minutes ago)

Greetings,

Its important that you read this notice about the Mayday Battery Backpack that you were recently shipped to ensure continued safety.

The short version:

1) Do not let the battery drain too low, don't operate the Mayday using the Battery Backpack for more than 30 minutes,
2) Be sure you have the latest firmware,
3) We will be eventually replacing your battery backpack, please contact us with any questions.

The long version:

We have received reports of inadvertent recovery system deployments and have traced the cause down to an interaction that happens during a low battery condition. The rest of this note details what we believe is happening, as well as what we are going to do to fix the issue.

During regular use, the Battery Backpack performs its job flawlessly and without error. After approximately 40 minutes of use the battery is supposed to be recharged. The reported issue seems to be when the battery is at the end of its usable discharge cycle.

After about 40 minutes of use the battery is depleted and the voltage drops. When the input voltage cutoff inside the Mayday is exceeded, the Mayday shuts down. However, since there is now no longer a load on the battery, the voltage rises back up again, and the Mayday restarts. Power-cycling of non-latching battery systems is a well-known issue, and the Mayday is designed to continue operating through power losses and brownouts.

The problem is that most common servos exhibit a 'twitch' in one direction when power is applied. When the battery depletes, it will start to power cycle the Mayday as the battery drops and rises again. Over several on and off cycles, we believe that this servo 'twitching' eventually causes the parachute system to release (the Mayday itself is not firing the parachute.)

So as long as the battery is properly charged, there is no problem. We did not initially latch the power because we believed that some power, even intermittent power, was preferable to no power -- and the reported issue never came up in testing.

Regardless, we have a reported issue, and we believe that the current design does not live up to the quality standards we have set for North UAV products. We plan to upgrade the Battery Backpack's design to include a larger battery, and a microprocessor-controlled power management system so that the power will not continuously cycle when the battery is depleted. We will be sending replacements to everyone who has already received their battery backpack.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to email us at [email protected] or call us anytime at +1(925) 548-2672.

Sincerely,

Kyle O'Rourke
[email protected]

 

[Jbundy63]

I was on NorthUAV earlier and checking on my backpack order status and I don't see the battery backpack on their site, I found my order in my account and shows as processing/ backordered. I wonder if they have taken it off until the overcharge issue is resolved? Yes I agree Keith that I will charge mine via USB computer port as well. Thanks guys Keith Lampman and M.I.T.One for all the information and positive thread. [emoji106]

 

[Keith Lampman]

I was on NorthUAV earlier and checking on my backpack order status and I don't see the battery backpack on their site, I found my order in my account and shows as processing/ backordered. I wonder if they have taken it off until the overcharge issue is resolved? Yes I agree Keith that I will charge mine via USB computer port as well. Thanks guys Keith Lampman and M.I.T.One for all the information and positive thread. [emoji106]

Looks like Kyle is going to take care of us, I really like their service so far !!

 

[Jbundy63]

NEWS ABOUT BATTERY BACKPACK !!


Kyle O'Rourke <[email protected]>
9:44 PM (11 minutes ago)

Greetings,

Its important that you read this notice about the Mayday Battery Backpack that you were recently shipped to ensure continued safety.

The short version:

1) Do not let the battery drain too low, don't operate the Mayday using the Battery Backpack for more than 30 minutes,
2) Be sure you have the latest firmware,
3) We will be eventually replacing your battery backpack, please contact us with any questions.

The long version:

We have received reports of inadvertent recovery system deployments and have traced the cause down to an interaction that happens during a low battery condition. The rest of this note details what we believe is happening, as well as what we are going to do to fix the issue.

During regular use, the Battery Backpack performs its job flawlessly and without error. After approximately 40 minutes of use the battery is supposed to be recharged. The reported issue seems to be when the battery is at the end of its usable discharge cycle.

After about 40 minutes of use the battery is depleted and the voltage drops. When the input voltage cutoff inside the Mayday is exceeded, the Mayday shuts down. However, since there is now no longer a load on the battery, the voltage rises back up again, and the Mayday restarts. Power-cycling of non-latching battery systems is a well-known issue, and the Mayday is designed to continue operating through power losses and brownouts.

The problem is that most common servos exhibit a 'twitch' in one direction when power is applied. When the battery depletes, it will start to power cycle the Mayday as the battery drops and rises again. Over several on and off cycles, we believe that this servo 'twitching' eventually causes the parachute system to release (the Mayday itself is not firing the parachute.)

So as long as the battery is properly charged, there is no problem. We did not initially latch the power because we believed that some power, even intermittent power, was preferable to no power -- and the reported issue never came up in testing.

Regardless, we have a reported issue, and we believe that the current design does not live up to the quality standards we have set for North UAV products. We plan to upgrade the Battery Backpack's design to include a larger battery, and a microprocessor-controlled power management system so that the power will not continuously cycle when the battery is depleted. We will be sending replacements to everyone who has already received their battery backpack.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to email us at [email protected] or call us anytime at +1(925) 548-2672.

Sincerely,

Kyle O'Rourke
[email protected]

Well cool. You hit the nail on the head, after 40 minutes the system deploys due to voltage drop. So I guess I'll be receiving an updated version of the backpack and you should be getting a replacement. Glad Kyle is on top of this

 

[Keith Lampman]

Well cool. You hit the nail on the head, after 40 minutes the system deploys due to voltage drop. So I guess I'll be receiving an updated version of the backpack and you should be getting a replacement. Glad Kyle is on top of this

Haahaaahaa ! no .....I told him I only got 40min and the chute poped, that was because I didn't charge the backpack right !!! I tested five times today, each time over 2 hours before chute deployed after I charged it right first, but hey, if we get up-dated and/or bigger pack's I'm happy !!

Kyle if your reading this sorry I had a "brain-fart" today !!

 

[Jbundy63]

Haahaaahaa ! no .....I told him I only got 40min and the chute poped, that was because I didn't charge the backpack right !!! I tested five times today, each time over 2 hours before chute deployed after I charged it right first, but hey, if we get up-dated and/or bigger pack's I'm happy !!

Ugh that's right, I'm just tired and old LOL It's all good learning this stuff together and yes I'm happy about the upgrade[emoji4][emoji4][emoji4][emoji4][emoji4][emoji4]

 

[Keith Lampman]

Ugh that's right, I'm just tired and old LOL It's all good learning this stuff together and yes I'm happy about the upgrade[emoji4][emoji4][emoji4][emoji4][emoji4][emoji4]

YOUR OLD ! I'm past 60......so I know tired

 

[Jbundy63]

YOUR OLD ! I'm past 60......so I know tired

Ha between you and me that over 110 years of combined oldness LOL What did you say? I can't see! **** it! [emoji15]