I have all of my ELEV-8's set to between 25 & 27. I have tried lower settings around 20 like you currently have, and have noticed that they are kind of squirrelly in the air. I used to use a DX6i until I recently upgraded to a DX8, so you are adjusting the correct trim setting for the Gain. I would suggest bumping your gain up to 26 before you try your next flight and see how that works for you. The other thing you could try doing as you said you gave it a very small correction and it went much further than anticipated would be to adjust your "Elevator" and "Aileron" down to about 60% on both ends. This essentially decreases the sensitivity of the sticks, so if you were to go a full stick left, it would only be 60% of the motion, so you can get used to the craft, and vice versa for forward and backwards. Just an idea!
Kevin Cook- What's the difference between the Open and the Sport model? I looked on their website and didn't see anything about the Open model.
The real difference is that it gives access to available I/O, making it easy to update with new sensors. However, there is only one software version that you can load, which is a lot like the AP mode used on the Sport. Whereas the Sport has several options which in the end is just an adjustment to the PID loop making control movements very responsive in "expert" mode and a lot less responsive in "AP" mode. But I'm thinking we will see some clever firmware updates from our forum members here that will have some new flight software for this board; cough "Jason".
Sorry for the lack of updates for a while, but we're going final on a game at work, I just got back from China, caught a cold from lack of sleep while adjusting to our time zone, etc, etc. Life has been *really* busy for me for the last while. I haven't touched *any* projects for well over a month. Hoping to finally get some time in on it this weekend.
OK - I don't mind sharing my stupidity. Got my crash kit, installed PROPS *see note to Parallax below - verified my tx was set right, and went to fly.
Let me just say this - you CAN fly a hoverfly/elev-8 at 100% gain - albeit briefly. I've done it 3 times now, and only broke one prop.
I had adjusted everything before I got to the spot. It lifted off - took off in a direction, I adjusted trim and set it down. 2 more times. I decided 26% was still too much gain or not enough, and went to adjust it. Suddenly, I had the realization that on a DX6i - it doesn't automatically load the last used program. I'm not ashamed - well maybe - but I'll share my dumbassery so maybe somebody else doesn't have to.
Anyway - dialed the box up to load the right model - restarted the process - and suddenly was rewarded by a very stable beast. After that, I got a bit disoriented on direction - I'm accustomed to planes - lost the "front", nearly flew it into a dense river bottom forest - corrected abruptly (trust me - it was the better option- and flew it head down into - luckily - a very dense thorn thicket. From about 50ft at a 30% descent I'd say.
Anyway - lesson learned. I know EXACTLY what I need to do - and I would have replaced the only prop that got pranged - but I thought I oughta bring it back home and give it a good looksee. The thicket was so thick I kept having to arm and disarm to find the damn thing. but - she was in great shape. And btw - this is on the Arkansas river bank in summer - thar be monsters in thar. A few scratches on me but the Beast is fine.
NOW - @parallax - the crash kit I ordered Saturday had the old props. I started to call you about it, but I decided that the chances of me getting out of this without breaking another prop or two were slim to nil, so I just changed out the good black ones. You have to widen the adapter grommets a bit for it to slide over the new shafts. For those that haven't seen them - the black ones are MUCH more attractive and agressive looking. But again - @parallax - you probably are going get that as an issue. After I get this thing dialed in I'll order a couple of sets of the black ones. Plus - all the motor mount/prop mount kit parts are useless to me in this context...
If you want to send out the crashed Sport board I'll take a look and see if I can't re-flow the Gyro and get things working again. It could be a solder break on one of the legs of that chip.
Let me know.
It sounds like you had some very interesting first flights, but that you came out pretty good in the end! It is only through crashing and learning from the crash that we improve, and fortune favors the brave, so we have to be willing to push it to learn and improve! Do you have any pictures by chance of your ELEV-8 flying near the monster infested waters? Those would be awesome to see!
still waiting on the tx/rx to arrive and my stand-offs - thank-you Tiger
but have managed to steal enough time from lifes other chores to get most of my wiring done
only need to solder battery connectors, run power to leds and i am done
the props are not attached yet, just there for show at the moment
didnt end up going with hex head screws as it seems the screws i got were not incorrect
they are the ones detailed with the updated ELEV-8 Assembly Diagrams v1.3...i did my initial mock up using an older version, my bad
and as you can see in photo, only used the red/white checker stickers for front, with the red leds, and have nothing in the rear
kinda thought it makes it easier to differentiate between front and back
anyways, will pop in as soon as i have any updates
Is there any chance that Parallax will be making available an airframe-only Elev-8 kit (quad)? Also, any chance that a hex and/or octo version may be produced and made available by Parallax?
We have an Airframe & Hardware Kit that will be available by the end of the week, and I am working on getting the Hex Upgrade Kit together. I am hoping to have the upgrade kit out by the middle of next month, if not before. It's all trickling down the pipeline!
So I've been slowly piecing together an ELEV-8 for a while now, just waiting on a few more parts before I can get it built. I also have the Open board and am looking forward to tinkering around with new sensors (hopefully GPS, accelerometers, etc. for some autonomous flying). In the meantime I plan to just have some fun flying it around.
I'm also hoping some new firmware shows up with something closer to the "expert" one for the Sport board. I was out at Parallax a couple months ago and they filmed me flying my buddies' ELEV-8 doing some fast forward flight, flips and rolls with the expert firmware and it flew really nice. So I'm hoping to be able to fly my quad with the same high rates on the Open board. Or maybe I can try my hand at propeller programming too . I think the ELEV-8's going to be a great platform in any case. Can't wait to get mine flying!
So I mentioned earlier this week that I would have the ELEV-8 Airframe and Hardware Kit available by the end of the week, and I have! Here is the link to it!
By the way, that video above is our QR Code video that is going on our ELEV-8 Retail packaging. We put that video together so you could scan the QR code with your phone in the hobby store and actually see the ELEV-8 flying! I think it turned out pretty well! What do you guys think?
Where does one find this elusive "Open Board"? I have searched the forum, Parallax, and the web but have not resolved my quest.
The Open board is not available for direct sales YET; but my offer still stands. If you have a Sport board and want to trade, I'll set that up for you.
The Open board is not available for direct sales YET; but my offer still stands. If you have a Sport board and want to trade, I'll set that up for you.
Thanks for the reply and offer Kevin, but I think that I will wait. Prefer to have one of each and at this point don't see the advantage of a trade.
I have been watching the development of the Elev-8 for a while now. Myself and 2 other of my friends finally decided to purchase one of this. It finally arrived today and I was so excited! I first opened the package and looked at the contents and I only had one ESC. I emailed Sales and Customer Service about that them went to start with the motors. I wanted to just see how they mounted but as I looked at it none of the holes lined up right. Can someone help me with this? I have read through this whole thread to get to know as much as possible about the project and everyone has been such a great help already with the tips and ideas on here. Thank-you and I hope to have more on the progress that we make on the project!
I have been watching the development of the Elev-8 for a while now. Myself and 2 other of my friends finally decided to purchase one of this. It finally arrived today and I was so excited! I first opened the package and looked at the contents and I only had one ESC. I emailed Sales and Customer Service about that them went to start with the motors. I wanted to just see how they mounted but as I looked at it none of the holes lined up right. Can someone help me with this? I have read through this whole thread to get to know as much as possible about the project and everyone has been such a great help already with the tips and ideas on here. Thank-you and I hope to have more on the progress that we make on the project!
Thanks,
Chris S.
Welcome to the forums!
First, call tech support : (well, too late now)
Toll-Free Tech Support (888) 997-8267
The people in the forum can not help with missing parts.
So you got four motors, one ESC, and one controller board? Got a picture of the mis-alignment?
We will get this resolved for you right away. Message me with your information and I'll make sure you get all missing parts. I'm very sorry to hear about the issue!
@Publison: Thanks for the help! It looks like Kevin is take care of the missing parts for me. As for the motors, I found out what was wrong there. The holes that the screws go in are diferent distances apart. All I had to do was turn the motor 90 degrees and everything worked out perfect!
@Kevin: Thanks for helping! I sent you a message with my info.
I just built my Elev-8 and we have had at least a dozen successful flights. I have a Futaba T6EX radio and a gain setting of 18 seems to work the best. We also installed a MAXSonar-EZ0 for altitude hold.
So now, we are ready to begin experimenting with software. However, I cannot seem to find the source code for the HoverlyOPEN board. Where should I look?
So now, we are ready to begin experimenting with software. However, I cannot seem to find the source code for the HoverlyOPEN board. Where should I look?
If you find it, let me know too. First thing I want to do after getting it flying is to start modifying the code. I'd rather not start from scratch.
So I mentioned earlier this week that I would have the ELEV-8 Airframe and Hardware Kit available by the end of the week, and I have! Here is the link to it!
I need more lift! Are there any plans for a Hexa Airframe and Hardware kit?
Mark
Mark,
I am finishing up the ELEV-8 Hex Upgrade Kit, and should have it available by the end of the month at the latest, although I am trying to have it out before then. The kit will include all the necessary hardware and electronics for you to transform a standard quad into a hex.
Mark,
I am finishing up the ELEV-8 Hex Upgrade Kit, and should have it available by the end of the month at the latest, although I am trying to have it out before then. The kit will include all the necessary hardware and electronics for you to transform a standard quad into a hex.
-Nick
Nick,
Great news! What electronics will be included? I have one of the original 25 ELEV-8 kits with Turnigy 2217 motors and Plush 25 ESCs.
Comments
The real difference is that it gives access to available I/O, making it easy to update with new sensors. However, there is only one software version that you can load, which is a lot like the AP mode used on the Sport. Whereas the Sport has several options which in the end is just an adjustment to the PID loop making control movements very responsive in "expert" mode and a lot less responsive in "AP" mode. But I'm thinking we will see some clever firmware updates from our forum members here that will have some new flight software for this board; cough "Jason".
Let me just say this - you CAN fly a hoverfly/elev-8 at 100% gain - albeit briefly. I've done it 3 times now, and only broke one prop.
I had adjusted everything before I got to the spot. It lifted off - took off in a direction, I adjusted trim and set it down. 2 more times. I decided 26% was still too much gain or not enough, and went to adjust it. Suddenly, I had the realization that on a DX6i - it doesn't automatically load the last used program. I'm not ashamed - well maybe - but I'll share my dumbassery so maybe somebody else doesn't have to.
Anyway - dialed the box up to load the right model - restarted the process - and suddenly was rewarded by a very stable beast. After that, I got a bit disoriented on direction - I'm accustomed to planes - lost the "front", nearly flew it into a dense river bottom forest - corrected abruptly (trust me - it was the better option- and flew it head down into - luckily - a very dense thorn thicket. From about 50ft at a 30% descent I'd say.
Anyway - lesson learned. I know EXACTLY what I need to do - and I would have replaced the only prop that got pranged - but I thought I oughta bring it back home and give it a good looksee. The thicket was so thick I kept having to arm and disarm to find the damn thing.
NOW - @parallax - the crash kit I ordered Saturday had the old props. I started to call you about it, but I decided that the chances of me getting out of this without breaking another prop or two were slim to nil, so I just changed out the good black ones. You have to widen the adapter grommets a bit for it to slide over the new shafts. For those that haven't seen them - the black ones are MUCH more attractive and agressive looking. But again - @parallax - you probably are going get that as an issue. After I get this thing dialed in I'll order a couple of sets of the black ones. Plus - all the motor mount/prop mount kit parts are useless to me in this context...
Ever onward!! Thanks Nick - you got me rolling.
If you want to send out the crashed Sport board I'll take a look and see if I can't re-flow the Gyro and get things working again. It could be a solder break on one of the legs of that chip.
Let me know.
It sounds like you had some very interesting first flights, but that you came out pretty good in the end! It is only through crashing and learning from the crash that we improve, and fortune favors the brave, so we have to be willing to push it to learn and improve! Do you have any pictures by chance of your ELEV-8 flying near the monster infested waters? Those would be awesome to see!
but have managed to steal enough time from lifes other chores to get most of my wiring done
only need to solder battery connectors, run power to leds and i am done
the props are not attached yet, just there for show at the moment
didnt end up going with hex head screws as it seems the screws i got were not incorrect
they are the ones detailed with the updated ELEV-8 Assembly Diagrams v1.3...i did my initial mock up using an older version, my bad
and as you can see in photo, only used the red/white checker stickers for front, with the red leds, and have nothing in the rear
kinda thought it makes it easier to differentiate between front and back
anyways, will pop in as soon as i have any updates
I'm also hoping some new firmware shows up with something closer to the "expert" one for the Sport board. I was out at Parallax a couple months ago and they filmed me flying my buddies' ELEV-8 doing some fast forward flight, flips and rolls with the expert firmware and it flew really nice. So I'm hoping to be able to fly my quad with the same high rates on the Open board. Or maybe I can try my hand at propeller programming too
I'm not sure what they did with the footage.
Edit: Found it (part of it anyways). About 20 seconds into this video is the flipping bit...
[video=youtube_share;uzsEn4pjK3g]
http://www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/txtSearch/80090/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/848/Default.aspx
The Open board is not available for direct sales YET; but my offer still stands. If you have a Sport board and want to trade, I'll set that up for you.
Thanks for the reply and offer Kevin, but I think that I will wait. Prefer to have one of each and at this point don't see the advantage of a trade.
JIm
Jim will be the future owner of two (2) ELEV-8s.
I have been watching the development of the Elev-8 for a while now. Myself and 2 other of my friends finally decided to purchase one of this. It finally arrived today and I was so excited! I first opened the package and looked at the contents and I only had one ESC. I emailed Sales and Customer Service about that them went to start with the motors. I wanted to just see how they mounted but as I looked at it none of the holes lined up right. Can someone help me with this? I have read through this whole thread to get to know as much as possible about the project and everyone has been such a great help already with the tips and ideas on here. Thank-you and I hope to have more on the progress that we make on the project!
Thanks,
Chris S.
Welcome to the forums!
First, call tech support : (well, too late now)
Toll-Free Tech Support (888) 997-8267
The people in the forum can not help with missing parts.
So you got four motors, one ESC, and one controller board? Got a picture of the mis-alignment?
We will get this resolved for you right away. Message me with your information and I'll make sure you get all missing parts. I'm very sorry to hear about the issue!
@Kevin: Thanks for helping! I sent you a message with my info.
I just built my Elev-8 and we have had at least a dozen successful flights. I have a Futaba T6EX radio and a gain setting of 18 seems to work the best. We also installed a MAXSonar-EZ0 for altitude hold.
So now, we are ready to begin experimenting with software. However, I cannot seem to find the source code for the HoverlyOPEN board. Where should I look?
Thanks Much...
If you find it, let me know too. First thing I want to do after getting it flying is to start modifying the code. I'd rather not start from scratch.
Nick,
I need more lift! Are there any plans for a Hexa Airframe and Hardware kit?
Mark
Mark,
I am finishing up the ELEV-8 Hex Upgrade Kit, and should have it available by the end of the month at the latest, although I am trying to have it out before then. The kit will include all the necessary hardware and electronics for you to transform a standard quad into a hex.
-Nick
Nick,
Great news! What electronics will be included? I have one of the original 25 ELEV-8 kits with Turnigy 2217 motors and Plush 25 ESCs.
Mark