Pushing through the 120m altitude

[iampat]

I can't try this as my NEO zone is already unlocked by DJI Flysafe to go beyond 120m however, try setting a new homepoint at 119m?
Wash, Rinse and Repeat.
Notwithstanding, just get it unlocked by DJI Flysafe. It's simple.

Hi! When i try to do the flysafe procedure (In Switzerland) i can't complete the last step because it tells me that there are no geo zones in europe, but still i would like to unlock my neo to go beyond 120 above my home point without having to replace it every 119 meters. what do you think?

 

[h3045]

You need either the Goggles3 or N3 and the DJI FPV RC3 to fly manual mode.

Manual mode is no stabilization and rate mode vs. N & S DJI stabilized sort of angle modes. Totally different skill sets to fly manual mode. Rate mode is the speed of the rotation. Assuming a linear "curve" profile and max rates set at 360. Push the sticks over to max and you rotate 360degrees a second. And will continue to rotate until you manual compensate. Push the sticks over to 50% of throw and you will rotate at 180degrees per second until you manual compensate. Angle mode is just that. Assuming max stick throw delivers 45 degrees of rotation. Thats what happens and no more. Center the sticks and the quad centers/levels at zero degrees. But if not a stabilized DJI. You will lose altitude without compensating with proper throttle input. If you become dependent on DJI stabilization you will have issues flying other angle mode quads.

Before investing in the hardware. My suggestion is to purchase a 1s micro quad ($25-45) to fly LOS (line of sight) and learn to fly no stabilization angle mode first. Basic skills such as throttle modulation. Understanding and getting the feel for prop backwash. Developing the coordinated movements of two sticks to maneuver without stabilization. Just the 1st step in going manual mode. DJI stabilization masks these basic things. Step 2. Simulation time in manual mode. LiftOff, CurryKitten... inexpensive and functional.

I keep coming back to this post as I am on my journey to understand flying manual.
This is one of those posts that get more informative as time goes on. I still think I haven't squeezed all the info out of it (for example, the part about linear "curve" profile and max rates don't make sense yet) but it's such a rich post that I must say thank you.

I ended up with an G3 and FPV RC3 through second hand purchases. Currently I am flying LOS with neo and spending time on a free simulator from steam.

I can hover well and go forward and backwards, but I still struggle with turns. I also struggle to yaw 360 because I keep triggering the throttle while doing so.
I absolutely cannot fly with the goggles on because there is a sort of "blindness" to the surroundings.
At least LOS flying allows me to make corrections and be aware if the drone is going crazy.

A question (or two) if you are willing to entertain it:

1. Would you recommend a simulator like Velocidrone over the ones you mentioned?

The free simulator that I use has poor physics. It doesn't correlate to reality because in reality the drone is constantly jittering, especially at launch. In the simulator nothing like that happens and even the stick sensitivity is poor. (It's called FPV Skydive)

2. In flying Normal or Sport mode, I would often adjust the camera to get an idea of the surroundings. Is that completely off the table with manual? Do you just flying around to get an idea what's left,right, above you, below you?

 

[Christian]

I´d recommend Liftoff to practise. The licence is around 20 € or usd, but works good for me (I´ve got 2 old HP Zbook G2s with i7 4x2 cores, 16 - 24 GB RAM amd firepro / nvidia quadro gpu) relatively smooth. There are very useful excercises for beginners.

Before to fly, try to look around where you fly first. Where are trees, electric wires, people around, in case of a crash is the place accessible etc. In manual mode, you have much less options to move the camera. If you tilt up, the drone will fly faster, if down flies slower. If I fly in a place that´s unknown for me, the 1st battery is just fly around in normal mode, to get to know where I am.

 

[NeoNeo]

The MacBook used for a simulator processor and graphics card are too wimpy to handle LiftOff effectively. Slow to load, bit sluggish at times. I just use CurryKitten. No issues. Just tune the simulator to something similar to what the Neo feels like in real life using the FPV RC3. That and using a RadioMaster Pocket on the sim basically doesn't translate too well between sim and reality. But close enough for training. A high skill level manual mode flier would not be happy for training purposes. But for recreational basic manual mode flying it works.

Just a heads up if people are unaware. GitHub and DJI had a data breach awhile back. Had to reset passwords. Also, malware software detected some form of malware that wasn't detected a year+ ago when I downloaded ELRS configurator program from GitHub but appeared a month or so ago. Problem with open source "free" stuff? Why I isolate some things on an older laptop.

Then Neo has a relatively narrow FOV. I routinely turn into obstructions and moments of OH S.... I routinely lose the feel how high Neo is if flying in wide open spaces with horizon lines far, far away. Last winter on the frozen ice covered near shore surface of L. Superior I occasionally crashed, bounced, skipped off the ice on loop #2. Ditto for rolls. Surface comes up sometimes very fast.

You might want to reduce the center stick sensitivity to deal with the yaw throttle input. Maybe try to manipulate stick input with a different grip. Pinch, hybrid pinch/thumb if thumb only. Reduce maximum rates and reducing the center sensitivity is sort of like adding expo with a flatter curve.

 

[h3045]

The MacBook used for a simulator processor and graphics card are too wimpy to handle LiftOff effectively. Slow to load, bit sluggish at times. I just use CurryKitten. No issues. Just tune the simulator to something similar to what the Neo feels like in real life using the FPV RC3. That and using a RadioMaster Pocket on the sim basically doesn't translate too well between sim and reality. But close enough for training. A high skill level manual mode flier would not be happy for training purposes. But for recreational basic manual mode flying it works.

Just a heads up if people are unaware. GitHub and DJI had a data breach awhile back. Had to reset passwords. Also, malware software detected some form of malware that wasn't detected a year+ ago when I downloaded ELRS configurator program from GitHub but appeared a month or so ago. Problem with open source "free" stuff? Why I isolate some things on an older laptop.

Then Neo has a relatively narrow FOV. I routinely turn into obstructions and moments of OH S.... I routinely lose the feel how high Neo is if flying in wide open spaces with horizon lines far, far away. Last winter on the frozen ice covered near shore surface of L. Superior I occasionally crashed, bounced, skipped off the ice on loop #2. Ditto for rolls. Surface comes up sometimes very fast.

You might want to reduce the center stick sensitivity to deal with the yaw throttle input. Maybe try to manipulate stick input with a different grip. Pinch, hybrid pinch/thumb if thumb only. Reduce maximum rates and reducing the center sensitivity is sort of like adding expo with a flatter curve.

Another banger post. I got currykitten, it rocks! Now time to hit the simulator. Thanks for the advice and warnings.

 

[h3045]

Some updates on manual mode flying:

CurryKitten rocks! It's an insanely useful fpv simulator and the guy who made it is equally inspiring. It's one of the coolest indie projects I've come across and the practice on the simulator DOES transfer over to actual flying.

The biggest hurdle to flying is actually taking off. I suspect massive "prop wash" which makes the drone really unstable, but as soon as it's off the ground it's no longer as jittery.

Keeping the camera angle between 5-10 degrees helped me avoid losing control of the drone, so I would recommend that for new flyers. (Even 3-4 degrees is a good start)

Before, I was quite worried about how I would "look around" if the drone had a fixed view, but after trying it out a few times, I think the previous way (where I would look around by moving the camera angle) is actually more restrictive. In manual mode, you are always in motion and you can make short turns, yaw, and just move around to "look around". I don't feel as blindsided as I was worried about.

Things left to do:

- Fly with a higher than 10 degree camera angle
- Remove attitude limits to start doing acrobatics
- Modify the controller sensitivity settings to get a better fit (currently only using defaults)
- Leave my "safe zone" (a football pitch) to explore more of the surroundings in manual mode

As of now, manual mode flying has been the most enjoyable because you're actively flying and making subtle changes to keep the drone in the air. It's a lot more engaging than flying with assistance.

Thank you for the helpful advice guys!

 

[h3045]

Love hearing about more Neo pilots coming to the dark side Full Manual is the business with this fun little ripper.
The sims do a fantastic job, rates will definitely help since everyone 'sticks' differently.

When I wanted to start experimenting with flips and rolls I changed the Neo Rates to these, and I think these are very comfortable medium cine rates that still allow for a snappy flip or roll:

Medium cine (linear):
160 (all) 600 (all) .64 (all)

And then a few weeks later I pumped those up to...

Aggressive Cine rates (I use now on both my Neo and Avata2):
These rates come from Dronarchy who is the Neo & Avata2 master shredder:
220 (all) 800 (all) .4 (all)

Match the rates in the sims exactly, fly with them there then hit the drone, find what works for you the rates will really assist with acro not having to be at 300' lol.

When I fly indoors or want to gap surf the back yard my cam tilt is 0-12, if I'm in a big open area more like 20-25

Happy flying, post clips if you start getting any tricks down!

Thanks @okayest.fpv

I'll give those settings a try first in the simulator, then real life.

Here is my first manual mode footage, a rudimentary "trick" that I figured, i.e if you press the yaw stick and the roll stick in opposite directions, the drone moves in a circular way, giving a nice 360 type view.