How To Open A Quad Motor To Clean It

Here are some useful tips to assist y'all setup and configure CleanFlight on Naze32. If y'all accept been using Baseflight, delight jump and read "Migrating from BaseFlight" section first. If yous are a complete new user, just read on. If you lot take any questions I haven't mentioned, please go out me a comment. (This postal service is primarily written for Naze32, but nigh of the data likewise applies to CC3D To see how to wink Cleanflight on CC3D, bank check out this post).

Getting Started
Flash Cleanflight Firmware
Migrate from Baseflight
CLI Commands
ESC Scale
Autotune
LED_Strip
Inflight PID Tuning
PID Controller 0, 1 and 2
Blackbox

In that location are many reasons why you lot should alter over from Baseflight. For more tips on using the Naze32, or caption of certain parameters, check out the Naze32 Guide.

Getting CleanFlight Configurator GUI

Aforementioned way as getting the BaseFlight Configurator, you merely search for "CleanFlight" in Extensions in Google Chrome. If your existing CleanFlight GUI version is out of appointment, you can merely remove information technology and re-download it.

Download Driver for Naze32 Board

If y'all have already used Naze32 before, you probably have installed the driver. But if you are new, or yous are using a new reckoner that never has connected a Naze32 before, you will have to install the Driver first. Otherwise your lath is not recognised and information technology won't exist assigned a COM port.

There's a link for the driver correct in the Cleanflight GUI , but in case you can't detect information technology, here is the driver download address.

Once the driver is installed successfully, y'all should see this in your device manager, with a COM port number assigned. If non, endeavor to restart your computer first.

Wink Firmware on Naze32 and CC3D

When y'all open the CleanFlight GUI, yous will notice it won't connect no matter how difficult you printing the "connect" push button. That'southward considering your Naze32 is all the same on BaseFlight, so nosotros need to flash CleanFlight firmware on the Naze32 and CC3D first. Even when y'all have already had CleanFlight flashed, you might still want to exercise this once again in the future for the latest firmware update (the extra features and problems fixes). Annotation that yous will need an USB-UART adapter for the CC3D before flashing.

* Delight notation that firmware is reverse-able, you can ever go back to BaseFlight if y'all desire.

Firmware flashing is really simple and straight forwards. Open the Configurator GUI, cull the COM port for your lath. Then go to "Firmware Flasher".

In the listing of available firmware are for different boards. I would personally choose the latest Stable version.

And now printing "Load Firmware (Online)", the release information volition appear. You may want to cheque "Full Bit Erase" for new boards.

At present double cheque you accept selected the correct firmware, and press "Flash Firmware".

LEDs on your Naze32 or CC3D will starting time blinking, when information technology finishes flashing firmware, the LED volition stay on solid once again. This will take less than a minute.

Now, endeavor to connect your board in the CleanFlight GUI, taadaa! It works! :D

Some people might accidentally wink the incorrect firmware (due east.g. flashed CC3D version on the Naze32), and you tin't talk to the board anymore. Uncomplicated fix is to short the bootloader pads on the lath, and check "No Reboot Choice" and "Flash on connect" (merely appear when the commencement option is checked). Then load the correct firmware and flash again.

Migrating from BaseFlight

There are 2 aspects you should know if you lot are a BaseFlight user and changing over to CleanFlight. First, the steps to drift your settings over. Second, you should be aware of the differences in some CLI commands. Original certificate is here. Here is the summary.

1. Before flashing CleanFlight, you want to backup your settings (PID values, CLI variables etc).

2. Disconnect bombardment, connect USB cable to ability the board.

3. In CLI command, dump your configs for each profile, and salve to text file.

profile 0 dump contour 1 dump profile 2 dump

Also take screenshots of your AUX settings so y'all can set it up in CleanFlight afterwards, note that AUX settings are not backwards compatible.

After flashing CleanFlight, paste the output of your first profile into CLI.

Equally mentioned, some CLI commands have been changed in Cleanflight, and you will notice some commands are not recognised by CleanFlight. To solve that, expect upward the new configuration options and choose appropriate values for the settings.

In one case done, salvage the config, and verify your config is OK, east.grand. features serial ports, etc. Finally, repeat the same process for the other profiles.

CLI Commands

CLI command is the ultimate tool for configuring the Naze32. At that place are many parameters y'all can play with, to find out type "DUMP" and printing enter, a huge list will return. There are quite a lot of changes to the commands in CleanFlight (mainly added underscore "_" in some of them).

My CleanFlight CLI Settings and Tunings for Naze32

Here are the ones I have used. At that place are as well GPS features, but since I don't use GPS however I won't talk about it for now.

Fix LOOPTIME = 2500 – (~400Hz, but if you lot have softserial features enabled such equally GPS, they uses a lot of processing power, so you might have to increase looptime)
Prepare ACC_LPF_FACTOR = 100
FEATURE RX_PPM – If your radio back up PPM, you tin can enabled PPM on your board, so only i indicate connectedness is required for 8 channels. Some other advantage of PPM is you can gratuitous upwards the pins for other serial devices such as GPS.
Feature FAILSAFE – You tin can prepare failsafe on the board and/or your radio receiver (if supported). If you lot use failsafe, it's best to have failsafe enabled on both FC and receiver just in case your connectedness is lost between receiver and FC.
Feature MOTOR_STOP – The motors will cease when throttle is zippo, they don't spin after arming.
Fix DISARM_KILL_SWITCH = i – This allows you to arm/disarm your quad with a switch. Set it to 0 if you desire to arm using stick (Yaw).
SET ALIGN_BOARD_YAW=ninety (ARROW POINTING Correct) – When mounted the board the normal way, it'south hard to get access to the USB port on a mini quad frame. You lot can rotate the lath left or correct for easy access. You tin can tell the lath you rotated information technology using this commands.

If y'all are wondering why looptime is 2500 and Acc_lpf_factor is 100, check out my explanation on Naze32 Guide.

Update 20 Apr 2015: Looptime – I am now using Oneshot on my Blueish Serial ESC, with PID controller 2, I am able to lower looptime to 1200!!! :D (the everyman it tin go) it flies like a dream!

After configuring the features and parameters, blazon 'SAVE' to save settings.

Some other throttle commands.

MIN_COMMAND – lowest throttle value the flight controller can use, y'all should set it to the lowest value of your throttle. Note: When the FC is not armed, it volition by default use the value of MINCOMMAND if your throttle is lower than MAXCHECK. You can apply this command to simulate a max and min throttle signal, to calibrate ESCs. Default is 1000.

MIN_THROTTLE– the lowest throttle value that turns the motors on. If this number is gear up lower than the motors tin reliably spin, it can cause the motors to stop spinning when hard yawing or during quick flips and rolls. This would cause loss of stability and command. Default is 1150.

MAX_THROTTLE – Your full throttle setting. Should match what your ESCS are calibrated for. Tin can be set a little lower if you desire to take room for the motors to maintain remainder and suit speed at full throttle.

MAX_CHECK – Throttle must reach this number for stick commands while disarmed. Keep mincheck and maxcheck close to the endpoints of your throttle.

MIN_CHECK – When armed, if your throttle pass this value, MINTHROTTLE will be used instead, and motor will commencement spinning.

Note: If motor_stop is non enabled – motors will spin and idle at MINTHROTTLE speed when armed but will not react to changes until MINCHECK is reached.

ESC Calibration

You lot can utilise the configurator or BLHeliSuite to calibrate your ESC's.

Alternatively y'all tin can likewise use CLI commands to practise so.

REMOVE PROPELLERS before working with the quadcopter. You've been warned.

For some reason, my radio is not working for calibrating ESCs, and then I take to apply the CLI tool in the baseflight GUI. It'southward just equally handy.

DISCONNECT Lipo Battery, so type command in CLI:

set min_command=2000

Hit enter and blazon save.

Now disconnect USB cable to power off the flight controller. Ability upwards the Naze again by plugging in the Lipo, and then the USB cablevision. After bootup go back to CLI and type:

set min_command=1000

Now enter "salvage" and yous should hear a musical tone from the motors, which means all ESC's are calibrated.

To check if the calibration was successful, go to "Motors" tab, and check if each motor spins to the same input value. (Remember do non mount your probs when doing this examination.)

AutoTune

Autotune is a new feature in CleanFlight ported from Bradwii, which allows the copter to automatically discover the "most suitable" PID settings. The idea of information technology is that Naze32 will keep increase P proceeds, if the quad goes up / down and overshoots, it will be detected and P will be adjusted. Hither is the document explains what Autotune is in more detail.

Autotune exists as a flight fashion in the configurator GUI. To enable Autotune, you showtime demand to assign it a AUX switch, and y'all can activate it in the air.

Autotune basically gives total control of your quadcopter to the flight controller, and information technology will deport out a series of tuning cycles, perform all sorts of movements to decide the "best" PID settings. As it gets further into the tuning bike, move can be quite big and harsh, so brand certain yous do this in a big open field, without people / property effectually. You should interrupt and disable autotune (by flipping the flying style switch), if information technology's getting unsafe. As well some people suggest a full tuning session is not necessary.

I recall Autotune is a great tool for someone who are not comfy with PID tuning, or not happy with the PID settings they accept now. But in a contempo CleanFlight talk (Nov 2014), Dominic (who started Cleanflight) admitted that "Autotune is not particularly useful yet", and "Autotuning needs tuning". I suppose this is withal a very early on stage for this advance feature, and we should see more improvement in the near future.

More tips on Autotune coming before long.

LED_Strip feature on CleanFlight

One of the reasons that I wanted to attempt CleanFlight was because it supports RGB LED. A item type of RGB LED strip is recommended, WS2812. I happened to have some lying effectually so it was perfect to test it with CleanFlight. I recollect setting this upwardly could exist quite confusing for some people, so I have written a page on how I setup my LED strip with CleanFlight.

InFlight PID Tuning Adjustment with Radio Transmitter

CleanFlight inflight PID tuning allows you to adjust your rates and PID gains using your radio transmitter swtiches and pots, even when you are in the middle of flying.

Before that, to adjust PID values, we usually accept to country, disarm, and connect your flight controller lath (Naze32, CC3D etc) to the computer, and do it in the configurator. Or, the easiest way was to connect a bluetooth module on the Naze32, and adjust the value from an Android App on your smartphone.

Although information technology's now super simple to change your PID and rates, it still need to take this slowly and advisedly. Irresolute rates and PID during flight can cause the quadcopter unstability, and you may crash.

The original documentation is very clear how this can be setup. If you lot have anything unclear about delight permit me know.

PID Controller 0, one and two

Cleanflight at present has 3 built-in pid controllers which you can cull to use. They offers different flight behaviours and takes different PID gains. Here is a quick post to explicate the differences of PID controller 0, i and 2 in Cleanflight.

Cleanflight BlackBox

Blackbox feature allows you to save your flight data on a SD card via a serial port. You can then either convert the data into CSV files or return them into PNG files, so you tin review your flight performance, tune your aircraft, or troubleshoot problems.

Here is a Blackbox Setup guide for Naze32.

cleanflight-blackbox-feature-data-overlay-fpv

Flight Performance and PID Settings

Since CF is a fork of Baseflight, I think the performance should exist like if not meliorate. I will do some exam flights and piece of work out the best PID tuning for my quad, one time the conditions gets better. For now, delight refer to my Naze32 Setup guide for PID settings. (link at the height of this folio)

More coming soon.