"RTF" not so RTF. Wired up wrong?

Hi All. Newbie here. A week ago I received an Arducopter Quad from 3DR and nothing has worked at all like it's supposed to.  I went for the soft option of having it assembled for me so all i had to do was put on the legs and rotors, bind my RC gear and it should've been good to go.  I followed all the instructions on the Wiki and didn't actually make it very far.  When I try to calibrate the ESCs they make the musical tone first, then beep twice (all four ESCs) without any kind of change, incessantly.  Tried both methods of calibration and same result.  The RC gear is working (Spektrum DX8) as on the MP software it all behaves as it should.

I asked for help from 3DR and the first suggestion was to configure the 3DR radio on the MP.  When I attempt this (load settings), it says "failed to enter command mode."

Surely this shouldn't be this hard - I've read all the solutions to what seems to be a pretty common problem and tried them, but no dice.  Reversing the throttle channel didn't make any difference.  I did see a reference somewhere to "JP1" needing to be in - I can see the JP1 slot on top of the APM and it is empty. I didn't get a jumper pin with the kit, so haven't tried that.  I did try bridging with a screwdriver but made no difference.

Any advice would be appreciated as I am feeling disillusioned with the whole experience so far.  I was hoping to use this chopper to scare birds off my grapes, but it looks like I won't get it up and running in time to test the theory. :(

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Replies

  • T3
    What kind battery are you using? Did your quad come with 3DR power module installed? Also who built the Quad? Calibrating ESC can be an issue and takes a bit to work.
  • Sorry to hear of your 'learning pains' but it comes with the turf.

    Are you running the DX8 in ACRO mode? (Airplane)

    Which APM are you running? (I suspect 2.5)

    JP1 should not have been used in an RTF aircraft if you have the latest APM (with the Power Module); you do not need JP1.

    We will (hope) assume the aircraft was tested by 3DR prior to shipping and there are no wiring issues.

    Where the props on the motors? (you said 'rotors' and legs; again I assume they were not).

    That is enough questions for now.

    -=Doug

  • Your being discouraged is understandable. You'll get this straightened out in time to scare the hell out of those birds. Please don't be too rough on them though, as they need to eat too! There are a few interdependent things that need to come together to get this working, and we all suffer from the same at first. My experience , however, is with fixed wing and APM. My first experiences exacted a certain amount of cussing before it started to become clear as to what needed to be done. Others here should be able to guide you in the right direction with your new multirotor.

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