Step 37 Synchronization and Range check

TomWolves

Good morning all, I am at step (37) Synchronization and Range check, I can not get the transmitter and ESC's to synchronize, the Hoverfly Open flashes purple and the ESC's beep. The receivers LED is a solid orange. I have followed all the steps in Parallax ELEV8 manual. I am using a Spektrum DX7 transmitter, Ar8000 receiver. The FC never blinks green. If anyone could help I would greatly appreciate it tremendously. Thank you for your time!
T.W.

Publison

Do you have the gear switch, (channel 5), OFF?

TomWolves

Yes! the switch is on zero Publison. It is switch (A) on my DX7, My flight controller just stays purple(blinks).

Publison

That could also indicate that one of the receiver channels are not being detected. Double check the three wire cable are plugged in, and in the correct polarity. I have been there!

TomWolves

Yep! they are all plugged in correctly.

Publison

Did you get an indication that Binding went OK?

Do you have a quick picture of your setup?

TomWolves

See! I think this ELEv8 is just junk!

TomWolves

Was that picture good Publison or should I take another? I sent the last photo before you asked?..

Publison

Can't really see anything in the picture. Maybe a little closer to the FC.

Check to see if Chan 5 is reversed or not. Gain is set to 25%.

Publison

BTW I have two and they work fine. Could just be one little problem with a bad solder joint or bad receiver cable.

TomWolves

How do I check if Chan 5 is in reversed or not? yes my gain is set at 25%.

TomWolves

I checked the ESC's before I put it all together. I did a continuity check on my solder joints.

Publison

PM sent. Check your mail.

Kyle M.

Tom,
I'm sorry you are having issues with your ELEV-8 v2. Have you contacted (call or e-mail) our tech support about the issue yet? There are here to help you, so I strongly encourage you to get in touch with them. They won't rest until the issue has been fixed; it's one of the things that makes Parallax so unique! I've already briefed them on your situation.

The beeping and flashing purple indicates the ESC is in Trouble mode - which is activated when one of the 5 required receiver channels is not detected. Of course, from your photos I can tell that you have the receiver cables plugged into the flight controller correctly (though I can't quite visually confirm that they are in the correct order and are connected to the receiver correctly). If all of that is confirmed to be correct, as well as transmitter settings, then this is an unusual situation, and there could something else amiss - (such as a defective flight controller, but that is very unlikely)

If you PM me an e-mail address, I can send you my DX7 settings file for my ELEV-8 v2 (you'll have to re-bind and have all switches in the 0 position).

Again, I strongly recommend contacting our tech support!

TomWolves

this might be a better picture Kyle.

Publison

Thanks for the new picures. Connections look OK. I see you sent Kyle your email address, so he should be able to send the transmitter settings to you. I do not have that transmitter, and the menus can be very confusing. One incorrect setting will shut down the whole system.

Let use know how you did.

TomWolves

Very confusing to me. The hoverfly manual says one thing and the Spektrum DX7 manual something else. On my DX7 I can not get the gains to go -25% . I am going to wait for Kyle to send me the transmitter settings and try that. Then I will call Tech if that doesn't work. I appreciate all you have done for me.

Publison

I think if you set the gain to 25%, it goes from +25 to -25% automatically. I do not see how to do a negative value. I JUST got a DX6, and I think that is the way it works.

Hang in there. Kyle knows that transmitter better than me.

TomWolves

Oh!, ok well that is the way mine is set. So that should be ok.

Kyle M.

for many of the switches on the DX7, you have to have the switch in the position you want to change the range of. (ie, to change the high range, put it in one position, then switch to the other position to set the low range)

Zakia Ben Youss

This thread was very helpful as it helped double check his wiring (thank you Tom!)
As I told Tom on the phone, from the pictures; it seems that the wires connecting the receiver and the Hoverfly Open board are plugged in backwards to the receiver. It shows from the picture that the signal is the top wire, where it should be the ground wire (as shown in the picture below).
I got an email from Tom, with links to videos he made of his ELEV8 successfully running after fixing the wiring (yay!)

Respectfully
Zakia Ben Youss
Technical Support
Parallax, inc

TomWolves

Well people I have been having boo-coos of problems trying to get my HoverFly Flight Controller to arm, start and what have you. Finally with help from Kyle M, and Zakia from technical support we managed to trouble shoot the problem. I had the receiver cables plugged in up side down. I am attaching a picture that shows the wrong way and right way.
Here is a couple of videos for the test start-up of the ELEV8v2 and maiden flight.
Thanks everyone for the help.

Publison

Awesome Tom! Glad you finally got some air time.