Hello Dave, I'm putting together KDE 5215XF-435KV with Herkules III, since my 4014XF motors are in US for shaft upgrade. I will probably test them again with and wihout payload this week.
Here is an update: The setup is: * KDE 5215XF-435KV * Herkules III Okto XL * Tiger 18x6.1 props * MK FC 2.5 The copter is configured as X8. The frame is Cinestar 8, converted to a coaxial setup. I have done over 100 flights with this copter and so far what I can say is, it's very stable, powerful and reliable. Herkules III is working very good. I had 4 different BL Ctrl 3.0 failures since MK has released their new ESC, I believe Herkules is much more reliable solution right now. KDE 5215XF-435KV motors are not as efficient as 4014XF motors and I'm loosing some efficiency with a coaxial setup (I measured as %20 efficiency loss). With all these in mind, I get around 9 minutes of flight time with 10Ax2 batteries with an AUW of 14kg. I'm considering to move to Herkules III on all my copters, since it's more future proof with the compatibility with other FCs incase I shift from MK to another FC system. And the best part, Herkules III proved to be working flawlessly on a heavy lifter with huge motors like KDE 5215XF-435KV.
Are there any downsides with Herkules setup. Is it hard to dial in with the MK FC? I´m about to start a X8 build and wonder if I should leave BL 3,0 and go for the Herkules. That said - I have more than 400 flights with BL. 3,0 without any issues at all.
@ Ozkan, can you post your settings? Interested in seeing your Gyro settings. I think I had a similar issue with the shakes, just tuning it out now but would like to compare. Cheers, Cam
@Bo : It's pretty straightforward, it's almost plug&play. What motors do you plan to use? The biggest motor I would use with BL Ctrl 3.0 would be KDE 4014XF-380KV. I trust Herkules III much more than BL Ctrl 3.0 right now. @Cam: No special settings, just D is set to 12, the rest is default. I couldn't find the source of the vibration problems; they were gone after unassembling and assembling again.
I also fly Red with KDE 4014XF based flat octo /w 18" props. It's based on BL Ctrl 3.0. What's your intended AUW? Personally, I wouldn't recommend flying X8 + XF4014 if the AUW is over 13-14kg. The thrust data on KDE's web site are not exact, and if you add %20 efficiency loss on X8 setup, you might be a bit underpowered. Just a thought.
I just ordered the KDE5215-435. In the mean time I got a mail from Andreas saying this: Some of our customers are flying with KDE5215 and have good results with Herkules. Maybe you need a timing ADV24 instead of ADV18 to run this motor smoothly. But this costs a bit if efficiency. We had good experience with T-Motors U7 and 22” props and 6S. This is a quite safe and efficient combination. For what it's worth.. Cheers
I also had to use timing ADV24 for smoother flight. I would never complain about efficiency if I would be using this combination as a flat Octo but the motors are so strong for stock Cinestar frames. I bought carbon booms which has 2mm wall thickness and changed them on my X8 system, it removed small resonances caused by the weak arms. Maybe will try now as a flat onto but the copter will be enormously big.
So very strange - After 2 super smooth flights I experienced the exact same thing as Ozkan. First flight without payload - super smooth flight. Second flight - with 6 kg payload, also a smooth flight. Then I changed to a camera gimbal (3,3 kg) Then the kopter starts to fly like it fighting 30 knots of wind in calm weather. The motors also sounded wierd. It seems to have something to do with pressure sensor... I'll check all connections and try again. Maybe reload the MK firmware (2,08a) to see if it makes any difference... I have attached the gpx file from the third flight
Is there any chance that the power board is giving off enough EMF under heavier payloads to cause GPS issues? Have you tried this with PH off?
The strange part is that just minutes before it start acting weird I had strapped 6kg payload on her belly and all was good. My problems first started when the 3,5 kg gimbal was on... I did not have PH on at any time, only AH. But it was also of at times. Same thing...
Bo: Is there any mechanical "play" or looseness in the camera payload -- if it is, it will act like a pendulum and you will hear lots of changes in motor pitch as the flight controller tries to compensate -- and the compensation will make things worse. Andy.
Then it sounds like Dave might be on the right track -- have you tried flying with the camera payload, but with nothing on the payload turned on? Andy.
Hi, Now I have bin testing my X8 build for a month or so. It flies well in dead calm, but just 5 mph of wind it starts to shake like crazy. A total no go for shooting footage. I tried to change the mixer to 64% - 72" - same thing. And I think I have done every possible PID tuning and adjustments in MK tools, with no luck and now I out of options - so any help very much appreciated. Here is my setup: Herkules III FC 2,5 KDE 5215 - 435 18" carbon props - (I have also tried the 17" Xoar props with same result.) Total UAW 14 kg Happy Ester