New and looking for pointers!

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Hi Everyone-

I am brand new to the RC quadcopter world and RC in general and have decided to purchase an FC40 as my first foray into what I hope is a fun and rewarding hobby. Like all of you, I suspect, I like to read as much as I can before diving into something new and I am hoping for some direction from the experts here. I've downloaded and read the manual, downloaded the various software, and looked at various YouTube videos explaining the various modes, etc. What I have yet to see, however, is an all-in-one, well (English) written document that fully and comprehensively explains all the various software features, proper firmware upgrading (and resetting if something should go wrong), proper calibration methods, troubleshooting, etc. Does such a reference document exist? It would be nice to have it all in one place rather than having to cobble together various disparate media to generate a complete picture. Maybe it is out there and I missed it? I'm anxious to jump in, but hesitant to make the investment without knowing I'm doing things correctly.

Appreciate any and all help I can get! :)

Kyle
 
We all had the same concerns before and after receiving the quad. Just order one and in the mean time read all of the posts here that you have time for and view a lot of videos. Ask a few questions that you may be confused about. That's about the way I am sure it worked for just about everyone here including myself. Things will start to make more sense when you get your hands on the quad.

Good luck, Kwas
 
I'd feel better knowing I can't irretrievably screw something up in the software. Is there a default "restore" option to reset it to factory defaults if something gets out of whack?

I will take your advice, however, I think such a reference is still a good idea for newbies.
 
there is a reset to default option..you can also take pics of your screen with your phone..shouldnt be many changes to make
 
Ok, so already have my first question since my wife knew of my plan (been discussing it for a couple of weeks) and surprised me with an FC40 for my birthday today(!)

Which screws do you use to attach the camera mount? I was just going to use the M3x6.5, but flipped the quad over and the sticker on the bottom says "see manual to use the correct screw". I checked the Phantom and camera manuals and neither says if you use the M3x6.5 or M3x8 which came in the silver bag with the wrench. Seems like a stupid question, but for the sticker...
 
Wow, that's one sweet woman you got. Actually, my wife gave me (persuaded me to order) this quad as well. She almost insisted that I took it because she had read that it would automatically fail safe and return. My first non GPS Quad flew away and crashed in the middle of the lake, after I lost connection.
Next thing she 'gave' me was a Gopro because she wanted the takes to be as good as possible. (I was keen enough to get her in the clips as much as possible in the beginning, and that made her realise that the quality of the camera was OK'ish but should be better when she was in the picture, hehe).

I think I used the shortest screws for the mount, come to think of it, I used the same length for the landing gear. The shortest are less prone to stick out inside the quad which could lead to making contact with the electronics. And there were plenty of that size in the bag. On my FC40 there was no such sticker by the way. I just used the screws that made the most sense to me.
 
lake_flyer said:
Wow, that's one sweet woman you got. Actually, my wife gave me (persuaded me to order) this quad as well. She almost insisted that I took it because she had read that it would automatically fail safe and return. My first non GPS Quad flew away and crashed in the middle of the lake, after I lost connection.
Next thing she 'gave' me was a Gopro because she wanted the takes to be as good as possible. (I was keen enough to get her in the clips as much as possible in the beginning, and that made her realise that the quality of the camera was OK'ish but should be better when she was in the picture, hehe).

I think I used the shortest screws for the mount, come to think of it, I used the same length for the landing gear. The shortest are less prone to stick out inside the quad which could lead to making contact with the electronics. And there were plenty of that size in the bag. On my FC40 there was no such sticker by the way. I just used the screws that made the most sense to me.

Yep, she's a keeper for sure! It's an awesome gift and now I'm committed to getting the most out of it.

What you say makes sense. The M3x8 screws seem perfect for the FPV attachment bracket so I'm guessing that's what they are for. It's just strange- I've put together my share of Ikea and other foreign designed products that didn't overlook what screws go where and am a little surprised that a popular $500 product would omit this info. Minor gripe though.
 
Anybody know where I can get replacement vibration dampeners for the FC40 camera? Had a minor crash and lost one. Glad they give you extras with the kit, but I'd like to know where to get more if I ever need them and I don't see them listed on DJI's website.
 
Yamasung said:
Anybody know where I can get replacement vibration dampeners for the FC40 camera? Had a minor crash and lost one. Glad they give you extras with the kit, but I'd like to know where to get more if I ever need them and I don't see them listed on DJI's website.

Ebay.
Search Phantom rubber dampers
 
dtviewer said:
Yamasung said:
Anybody know where I can get replacement vibration dampeners for the FC40 camera? Had a minor crash and lost one. Glad they give you extras with the kit, but I'd like to know where to get more if I ever need them and I don't see them listed on DJI's website.

Ebay.
Search Phantom rubber dampers

Thanks!
 
Ok, so near disaster today. After my very minor "crash" of a couple days ago I took the FC40 out again today. Started motors in GPS mode and commenced a hover roughly 8 feet off the ground. Right away I realize the hovering isn't keeping place despite the LEDs telling me I have 6 sats. Still it seems good enough with the breeze to account for and I get some good shots. Battery is dying so I change battery and repeat the above. Then it goes haywire. Won't hold hover, seemingly won't respond to commands, comes down to the ground, but skitters across some pavement under some cars, emerges from the cars and ascends at an angle like a bat out of hell. I swear the NSA tapped into the thing! Narrowly avoids some trees and two rental houses. I switch to failsafe and it s-l-o-w-l-y comes home and descends but just as it touches down powers up again so I hold it down by the landing gear and it relents and shuts down. I can't believe how lucky I was considering I'm on vacation in the Outer Banks and between the houses, ocean, people, etc. any disaster could've happened. As it is, only minor scratches to the props, and landing pads.

So the obvious question- what could cause this? The previous minor crash was very minor- just ticked a fence enough to dislodge the camera, but regained control and brought it home without incident. That couldn't have knocked the flight controller out of whack could it? Is there a way to function test the NAZA-M/GPS to ensure it is ok without actually flying? I plan to test GPS hovering again (in an open area!) when home to see if it's a one off or persistent problem. This freaked me out though!
 
Im far from an expert but first thing I would do is remove the top half of the shell and make sure there are no wires loose or disconnected.

Good luck and keep us updated with what you find!
 
perhaps it picked up interference from some other kind of remote.

i'm a newbie, how do you switch it to Failsafe?
 
ATOMSK said:
perhaps it picked up interference from some other kind of remote.

i'm a newbie, how do you switch it to Failsafe?

You have to enable it on the S1 switch in the NAZA-M assistant software.
 
Yamasung said:
So the obvious question- what could cause this?

The compass.

What are your compass values?
 
Please download the manual from the DJI website. Go to Support on the right side of the page. Down the list you will find the information for theFC40. Download it and print it out. It reads like stereo instructions, but it does give you the basics that you need.
 
jerrymac12000 said:
Please download the manual from the DJI website. Go to Support on the right side of the page. Down the list you will find the information for theFC40. Download it and print it out. It reads like stereo instructions, but it does give you the basics that you need.

Not to sound ungrateful, but if you read my first post you'd know I've already downloaded and read all of the relevant DJI manuals. No where in the manual does it address what happened today.

The compass, however, sounds logical as the culprit. I should add to my earlier info though that I calibrated the compass immediately after installing the second battery with no error issues. Got home lock with no problem as well (thank god, or fail safe would've failed). I will crack the shell to ensure no wires are loose. I will check the compass values when I'm home and have computer access again.
 
Also check the compass in the Naza Assistant software by doing an advanced calibration of the IMU on a perfectly flat surface well away from any metal, power lines, mobile phones etc.
 
i would also check the battery connections. Since it happened after changing batteries that's the thing I would look at first. The compass might be off too but much more than a little bathtub effect while hovering shouldn't occur. If the compass is really off badly then the compass dance would remain unsuccessful and you would have had yellow flashing lights instead of green. An advanced calibration after any crash is a wise thing to do.

I had two batteries supplied with my FC40 and one of them had a bad connector causing intermitted failure in the power. I widened the poles in the XT60 plug a bit (with a flatbed screwdriver) and the problems were gone.The sudden (and very brief) interruptions in power caused my Phantom to recalibrate itself in midair and a fly away. Of course straight to and over the lake! When I did an on/off on the controller (i had RTH switch not set yet, it was only the second flight) I regained control but it behaved like it was in total manual mode. I managed to crash it more or less controlled into some low hedges without damage. you can see the FPV shots here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyL9CTMJwMs&list=UUpovdMAGJHvLKADs5Fsv5Rg

So check the connectors, wiggle them a bit. Do they hold connection? Are you sure? Mine started the deedeeleedeelee thing again after wiggling the battery wires. That's how I found out. The vibration of the rotors was enough to interrupt the connection no matter how briefly. It was enough to loose my quad in the lake if I hadn't kept cool (TG >40 years RC flying pays off in those situations)
 

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