Multirotor helicopters have
become one of the most
exciting developments in all
of RC. Some hobby shop owners and
online retailers have noted that this
segment is outselling any other type of
RC product. After my fi rst fl ight with
a microsize quadcopter, I had a better
understanding of what the excitement
was about.
My second fl ight was on a friend’s
Dajiang Innovations Technology (DJI)
Flame Wheel F550 outfi tted with the
NAZA controller and GPS. I knew
I had to have one. It was apparent
to me that it was not only fun to fl y,
but also provided a stable platform
for recreational photography or
videography. (If used for photography
or videography, keep in mind others’
rights of privacy before taking photos
or videos.)
Assembly
The DJI Flame Wheel F550 ARF
kit includes one complete frame, six
motors, six ESCs, and 16 propellers.
You will use 10-inch propellers for 3S
battery packs and 8-inch propellers for
4S battery packs.
M3x8 screws for mounting the
motors and M2.5x5 screws for
attaching the arms, hook-and-loop
material, a battery strap, and a set
of power leads are included. DJI
generously provides additional screws
and two additional propellers of each
size to ensure a broken propeller or
a missing screw won’t postpone your
enjoyment of its product.
Assembly requires much soldering,
so be sure you have a fi ne-tip soldering
iron, solder, and fl ux on hand. The
bottom frame uses integrated printed
circuit board (PCB) wiring so the
power is distributed from one power
connection to all six speed controllers.
The board is well marked and the
instructions clearly show where the
connections are made. It is important
that all the solder connections provide
a solid joint, so be sure to test each one
before continuing with the assemblyprompted to update the firmware to
version 2.01. When I confirmed that
everything was properly working, I
attached the top board so that the
GPS and battery could be mounted.
Check that the motors are turning in
the proper direction. The diagram in
the instructions shows the alternating
directions of the motors.
Setting up the NAZA controller and
GPS using the software is not difficult,
but requires the use of the 41-page
user manual, which can be downloaded
from the DJI website. When you
mount the GPS on the bracket
and attach it to the top board, it is
important to remember that you must
measure the distance from the center
point, in centimeters, of all three axes
and input them as either positive or
negative as instructed on the diagram.
When all of the settings are
complete, and before the first flight,
calibrate the digital compass. This is
done after powering the model and
quickly flipping the position switch
that was assigned for Control Mode
six to 10 times. The LED indicator will
be yellow. Rotate the Flame Wheel
horizontally until the LED changes to
green, and then calibrate the vertical
by rotating the Flame Wheel vertically
until the LED goes off, confirming the
calibration was successful.
Flying
When the flight battery is connected,solder joints connect the six ESCs, two
more are for power, and two more
are for the Versatile Unit (VU), at the
power connections. When the soldering
is complete, it’s time to mount the
motors to the legs of the Flame Wheel.
I used medium-strength threadlock
from Bob Smith Industries to ensure
the screws stay put.
The legs can then be attached to
the bottom board where all the solder
connections were made using the
included screws. The motors can be
plugged into the ESCs and the NAZA
controller is mounted in the center of
the bottom board. Placement should
be as close to center as possible and
pointing in the proper direction,
receiver inputs facing the rear. Your
receiver of choice can then be mounted
next to the NAZA controller.
Included with the NAZA are eight
three-pin servo connectors to connect
the NAZA and the receiver. Futaba
S-Bus is also supported.
I mounted the NAZA and receiver
using double-sided tape. After the GPS
compass and VU were connected to
the NAZA, it was time to connect it to
the PC using the included USB cable
plugged into the VU.
I downloaded the latest software
from the DJI website and was
prompted to update the firmware to
version 2.01. When I confirmed that
everything was properly working, I
attached the top board so that the
GPS and battery could be mounted.
Check that the motors are turning in
the proper direction. The diagram in
the instructions shows the alternating
directions of the motors.
Setting up the NAZA controller and
GPS using the software is not difficult,
but requires the use of the 41-page
user manual, which can be downloaded
from the DJI website. When you
mount the GPS on the bracket
and attach it to the top board, it is
important to remember that you must
measure the distance from the center
point, in centimeters, of all three axes
and input them as either positive or
negative as instructed on the diagram.
When all of the settings are
complete, and before the first flight,
calibrate the digital compass. This is
done after powering the model and
quickly flipping the position switch
that was assigned for Control Mode
six to 10 times. The LED indicator will
be yellow. Rotate the Flame Wheel
horizontally until the LED changes to
green, and then calibrate the vertical
by rotating the Flame Wheel vertically
until the LED goes off, confirming the
calibration was successful.
Flying
When the flight battery is connected,
the LED located on the VU will
This is what is
included with the
Flame Wheel F550
ARF. Extra screws
and propellers are
provided.
48 Modelprovide a status on the GPS connection
as well as the battery. It takes
approximately 5 seconds for the GPS
to initialize. I programmed the LED to
go yellow when the battery is getting
low during fl ight, and then red when it
is time to land.
The NAZA start sequence requires
both transmitter sticks to be pushed to
the bottom corners of the transmitter.
The motors will start for 3 seconds,
awaiting throttle input from the pilot. If
no input is given, the motors will stop.
This excellent safety feature ensures that
accidentally bumping the throttle will
not start the motors.
The NAZA-controlled DJI Flame
Wheel F550 has three fl ight control
modes: GPS Atti., Atti., and Manual
Mode. In any of the fl ight modes, user
input overrides the self-correction.
The GPS Atti. Mode locks the
position of the Flame Wheel and will
provide self-correction
to maintain its current
location and attitude. This
is the best setting if you are
using the Flame Wheel for
photography or videography.
Atti. Mode will only
provide attitude stabilization
and is best used when you
want to “sport fl y” the model.
Manual Mode provides no
attitude-angle limitation or
position locking.
After one quick fl ight
to confi rm that everything
was working, I strapped
my Watt’s Up wattmeter
to the Flame Wheel to
get some idea of what
kind of draw the power
system pulls in fl ight. The
wattmeter displays the
highest readings until the
battery is disconnected.
With a short, 3-minute
fl ight, including hovering and basic
fl ight, I eagerly checked the wattmeter
to fi nd that the peak draw was only
322.3 watts and 20.65 amps.
All of my fl ying has been in either
GPS Atti. or Atti. Mode, allowing me
to become more comfortable with the
fl ying capability of the Flame Wheel. In
A close-up of one of the motors
and ESC that are included. Two
sizes of propellers are also
provided.
Shown are the NAZA controller and VU, which
has a mini USB plug to connect it to a PC for
programming.
My completed Flame Wheel weighs 3 pounds, 11
ounces ready to fly. The round white disk mounted
above the battery is the GPS Compass Module.
Above: The bottom frame uses
integrated PCB wiring so the
power is distributed to all six
speed controllers from a singlehigher than 20 meters. If below 20
meters, it will climb to 20 meters and
return.
Once at the home point, the NAZA
controller will instruct the Flame Wheel
to hover for 15 seconds at 20 meters and
then slowly descend to land!
It would be impossible to describe
all the features and settings the NAZA
controller with GPS provides within
this review. If you would like to fi nd
out more about this robust controller’s
capabilities, download the manual from
the DJI website listed in the “Sources”
section.
Conclusion
The DJI Flame Wheel F550 combined
with the NAZA controller with GPS
provides an intuitive, stable platform for
pilots looking for a multirotor helicopter
capable of fl ying within a small area.
It also provides a great platform for
recreational, aerial photography, and
videography.
I was impressed with the safety
features incorporated in the NAZA
controller such as the start-up procedure
and the return-to-home fail-safe.
These features, combined with the
ability to program the controller via a
computer and the completeness of the
hardware and components included
with the ARF, should help ensure
success in assembling and piloting this
exciting multirotor offering.
—Jay Smith
[email protected]
MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR:
DJI Innovations
www.dji-innovations.com
Empire Hobby LLC
(480) 982-0909
www.empirerc.com
SOURCES:
Futaba
(800) 682-8948
www.futaba-rc.com
Thunder Power RC
(702) 228-8883
www.thunderpowerrc.com
Bob Smith Industries
(805) 466-1717
www.bsi-inc.comThis DJI Flame
Wheel F550 with
LED lights, landing
skids, and camera
mount with GoPro
camera attached
belongs to Clint
Akins of Castle.
Photo by Jennifer
Orebaugh.
Atti. Mode, the model scoots around
well and it’s fun to perform sweeping
turns and Figure Eights.
The NAZA controller also supports
Intelligent Orientation Control, which
allows the Flame Wheel to be fl own
in Course Lock or Home Lock. When
fl ying in Course Lock, inputs of forward,
back, left, and right will not be affected
by the direction the Flame Wheel is
pointing. So left is left no matter if the
front is pointed toward you or away
from you.
In Home Lock, all controls correspond
as if the Flame Wheel was connected
to the home location on a tether. So
if backward fl ight is input, the Flame
Wheel will fl y backward toward the
home point.
Although the hexacopter is capable of
looping, I have yet to try it. Those who
have were successful, but the maneuver
requires Manual Mode and high altitude.
Another excellent feature of the
NAZA controller with GPS is the Fail-
Safe Mode. This mode can be set up so
that the Flame Wheel either lands at
its current location or will return to its
home point and land.
The Fail-Safe Mode can be triggered
by a loss of signal from the transmitter,
if one of the controls is no longer
responding, a low battery, or if activated
by the pilot. Mine is set to return to the
home point and, when activated, the
Flame Wheel will hover in its current
position for three seconds and then
fl y toward home at its current altitude
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/12
Page Numbers: 47,48,49,50
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/12
Page Numbers: 47,48,49,50
Multirotor helicopters have
become one of the most
exciting developments in all
of RC. Some hobby shop owners and
online retailers have noted that this
segment is outselling any other type of
RC product. After my fi rst fl ight with
a microsize quadcopter, I had a better
understanding of what the excitement
was about.
My second fl ight was on a friend’s
Dajiang Innovations Technology (DJI)
Flame Wheel F550 outfi tted with the
NAZA controller and GPS. I knew
I had to have one. It was apparent
to me that it was not only fun to fl y,
but also provided a stable platform
for recreational photography or
videography. (If used for photography
or videography, keep in mind others’
rights of privacy before taking photos
or videos.)
Assembly
The DJI Flame Wheel F550 ARF
kit includes one complete frame, six
motors, six ESCs, and 16 propellers.
You will use 10-inch propellers for 3S
battery packs and 8-inch propellers for
4S battery packs.
M3x8 screws for mounting the
motors and M2.5x5 screws for
attaching the arms, hook-and-loop
material, a battery strap, and a set
of power leads are included. DJI
generously provides additional screws
and two additional propellers of each
size to ensure a broken propeller or
a missing screw won’t postpone your
enjoyment of its product.
Assembly requires much soldering,
so be sure you have a fi ne-tip soldering
iron, solder, and fl ux on hand. The
bottom frame uses integrated printed
circuit board (PCB) wiring so the
power is distributed from one power
connection to all six speed controllers.
The board is well marked and the
instructions clearly show where the
connections are made. It is important
that all the solder connections provide
a solid joint, so be sure to test each one
before continuing with the assemblyprompted to update the firmware to
version 2.01. When I confirmed that
everything was properly working, I
attached the top board so that the
GPS and battery could be mounted.
Check that the motors are turning in
the proper direction. The diagram in
the instructions shows the alternating
directions of the motors.
Setting up the NAZA controller and
GPS using the software is not difficult,
but requires the use of the 41-page
user manual, which can be downloaded
from the DJI website. When you
mount the GPS on the bracket
and attach it to the top board, it is
important to remember that you must
measure the distance from the center
point, in centimeters, of all three axes
and input them as either positive or
negative as instructed on the diagram.
When all of the settings are
complete, and before the first flight,
calibrate the digital compass. This is
done after powering the model and
quickly flipping the position switch
that was assigned for Control Mode
six to 10 times. The LED indicator will
be yellow. Rotate the Flame Wheel
horizontally until the LED changes to
green, and then calibrate the vertical
by rotating the Flame Wheel vertically
until the LED goes off, confirming the
calibration was successful.
Flying
When the flight battery is connected,solder joints connect the six ESCs, two
more are for power, and two more
are for the Versatile Unit (VU), at the
power connections. When the soldering
is complete, it’s time to mount the
motors to the legs of the Flame Wheel.
I used medium-strength threadlock
from Bob Smith Industries to ensure
the screws stay put.
The legs can then be attached to
the bottom board where all the solder
connections were made using the
included screws. The motors can be
plugged into the ESCs and the NAZA
controller is mounted in the center of
the bottom board. Placement should
be as close to center as possible and
pointing in the proper direction,
receiver inputs facing the rear. Your
receiver of choice can then be mounted
next to the NAZA controller.
Included with the NAZA are eight
three-pin servo connectors to connect
the NAZA and the receiver. Futaba
S-Bus is also supported.
I mounted the NAZA and receiver
using double-sided tape. After the GPS
compass and VU were connected to
the NAZA, it was time to connect it to
the PC using the included USB cable
plugged into the VU.
I downloaded the latest software
from the DJI website and was
prompted to update the firmware to
version 2.01. When I confirmed that
everything was properly working, I
attached the top board so that the
GPS and battery could be mounted.
Check that the motors are turning in
the proper direction. The diagram in
the instructions shows the alternating
directions of the motors.
Setting up the NAZA controller and
GPS using the software is not difficult,
but requires the use of the 41-page
user manual, which can be downloaded
from the DJI website. When you
mount the GPS on the bracket
and attach it to the top board, it is
important to remember that you must
measure the distance from the center
point, in centimeters, of all three axes
and input them as either positive or
negative as instructed on the diagram.
When all of the settings are
complete, and before the first flight,
calibrate the digital compass. This is
done after powering the model and
quickly flipping the position switch
that was assigned for Control Mode
six to 10 times. The LED indicator will
be yellow. Rotate the Flame Wheel
horizontally until the LED changes to
green, and then calibrate the vertical
by rotating the Flame Wheel vertically
until the LED goes off, confirming the
calibration was successful.
Flying
When the flight battery is connected,
the LED located on the VU will
This is what is
included with the
Flame Wheel F550
ARF. Extra screws
and propellers are
provided.
48 Modelprovide a status on the GPS connection
as well as the battery. It takes
approximately 5 seconds for the GPS
to initialize. I programmed the LED to
go yellow when the battery is getting
low during fl ight, and then red when it
is time to land.
The NAZA start sequence requires
both transmitter sticks to be pushed to
the bottom corners of the transmitter.
The motors will start for 3 seconds,
awaiting throttle input from the pilot. If
no input is given, the motors will stop.
This excellent safety feature ensures that
accidentally bumping the throttle will
not start the motors.
The NAZA-controlled DJI Flame
Wheel F550 has three fl ight control
modes: GPS Atti., Atti., and Manual
Mode. In any of the fl ight modes, user
input overrides the self-correction.
The GPS Atti. Mode locks the
position of the Flame Wheel and will
provide self-correction
to maintain its current
location and attitude. This
is the best setting if you are
using the Flame Wheel for
photography or videography.
Atti. Mode will only
provide attitude stabilization
and is best used when you
want to “sport fl y” the model.
Manual Mode provides no
attitude-angle limitation or
position locking.
After one quick fl ight
to confi rm that everything
was working, I strapped
my Watt’s Up wattmeter
to the Flame Wheel to
get some idea of what
kind of draw the power
system pulls in fl ight. The
wattmeter displays the
highest readings until the
battery is disconnected.
With a short, 3-minute
fl ight, including hovering and basic
fl ight, I eagerly checked the wattmeter
to fi nd that the peak draw was only
322.3 watts and 20.65 amps.
All of my fl ying has been in either
GPS Atti. or Atti. Mode, allowing me
to become more comfortable with the
fl ying capability of the Flame Wheel. In
A close-up of one of the motors
and ESC that are included. Two
sizes of propellers are also
provided.
Shown are the NAZA controller and VU, which
has a mini USB plug to connect it to a PC for
programming.
My completed Flame Wheel weighs 3 pounds, 11
ounces ready to fly. The round white disk mounted
above the battery is the GPS Compass Module.
Above: The bottom frame uses
integrated PCB wiring so the
power is distributed to all six
speed controllers from a singlehigher than 20 meters. If below 20
meters, it will climb to 20 meters and
return.
Once at the home point, the NAZA
controller will instruct the Flame Wheel
to hover for 15 seconds at 20 meters and
then slowly descend to land!
It would be impossible to describe
all the features and settings the NAZA
controller with GPS provides within
this review. If you would like to fi nd
out more about this robust controller’s
capabilities, download the manual from
the DJI website listed in the “Sources”
section.
Conclusion
The DJI Flame Wheel F550 combined
with the NAZA controller with GPS
provides an intuitive, stable platform for
pilots looking for a multirotor helicopter
capable of fl ying within a small area.
It also provides a great platform for
recreational, aerial photography, and
videography.
I was impressed with the safety
features incorporated in the NAZA
controller such as the start-up procedure
and the return-to-home fail-safe.
These features, combined with the
ability to program the controller via a
computer and the completeness of the
hardware and components included
with the ARF, should help ensure
success in assembling and piloting this
exciting multirotor offering.
—Jay Smith
[email protected]
MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR:
DJI Innovations
www.dji-innovations.com
Empire Hobby LLC
(480) 982-0909
www.empirerc.com
SOURCES:
Futaba
(800) 682-8948
www.futaba-rc.com
Thunder Power RC
(702) 228-8883
www.thunderpowerrc.com
Bob Smith Industries
(805) 466-1717
www.bsi-inc.comThis DJI Flame
Wheel F550 with
LED lights, landing
skids, and camera
mount with GoPro
camera attached
belongs to Clint
Akins of Castle.
Photo by Jennifer
Orebaugh.
Atti. Mode, the model scoots around
well and it’s fun to perform sweeping
turns and Figure Eights.
The NAZA controller also supports
Intelligent Orientation Control, which
allows the Flame Wheel to be fl own
in Course Lock or Home Lock. When
fl ying in Course Lock, inputs of forward,
back, left, and right will not be affected
by the direction the Flame Wheel is
pointing. So left is left no matter if the
front is pointed toward you or away
from you.
In Home Lock, all controls correspond
as if the Flame Wheel was connected
to the home location on a tether. So
if backward fl ight is input, the Flame
Wheel will fl y backward toward the
home point.
Although the hexacopter is capable of
looping, I have yet to try it. Those who
have were successful, but the maneuver
requires Manual Mode and high altitude.
Another excellent feature of the
NAZA controller with GPS is the Fail-
Safe Mode. This mode can be set up so
that the Flame Wheel either lands at
its current location or will return to its
home point and land.
The Fail-Safe Mode can be triggered
by a loss of signal from the transmitter,
if one of the controls is no longer
responding, a low battery, or if activated
by the pilot. Mine is set to return to the
home point and, when activated, the
Flame Wheel will hover in its current
position for three seconds and then
fl y toward home at its current altitude
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/12
Page Numbers: 47,48,49,50
Multirotor helicopters have
become one of the most
exciting developments in all
of RC. Some hobby shop owners and
online retailers have noted that this
segment is outselling any other type of
RC product. After my fi rst fl ight with
a microsize quadcopter, I had a better
understanding of what the excitement
was about.
My second fl ight was on a friend’s
Dajiang Innovations Technology (DJI)
Flame Wheel F550 outfi tted with the
NAZA controller and GPS. I knew
I had to have one. It was apparent
to me that it was not only fun to fl y,
but also provided a stable platform
for recreational photography or
videography. (If used for photography
or videography, keep in mind others’
rights of privacy before taking photos
or videos.)
Assembly
The DJI Flame Wheel F550 ARF
kit includes one complete frame, six
motors, six ESCs, and 16 propellers.
You will use 10-inch propellers for 3S
battery packs and 8-inch propellers for
4S battery packs.
M3x8 screws for mounting the
motors and M2.5x5 screws for
attaching the arms, hook-and-loop
material, a battery strap, and a set
of power leads are included. DJI
generously provides additional screws
and two additional propellers of each
size to ensure a broken propeller or
a missing screw won’t postpone your
enjoyment of its product.
Assembly requires much soldering,
so be sure you have a fi ne-tip soldering
iron, solder, and fl ux on hand. The
bottom frame uses integrated printed
circuit board (PCB) wiring so the
power is distributed from one power
connection to all six speed controllers.
The board is well marked and the
instructions clearly show where the
connections are made. It is important
that all the solder connections provide
a solid joint, so be sure to test each one
before continuing with the assemblyprompted to update the firmware to
version 2.01. When I confirmed that
everything was properly working, I
attached the top board so that the
GPS and battery could be mounted.
Check that the motors are turning in
the proper direction. The diagram in
the instructions shows the alternating
directions of the motors.
Setting up the NAZA controller and
GPS using the software is not difficult,
but requires the use of the 41-page
user manual, which can be downloaded
from the DJI website. When you
mount the GPS on the bracket
and attach it to the top board, it is
important to remember that you must
measure the distance from the center
point, in centimeters, of all three axes
and input them as either positive or
negative as instructed on the diagram.
When all of the settings are
complete, and before the first flight,
calibrate the digital compass. This is
done after powering the model and
quickly flipping the position switch
that was assigned for Control Mode
six to 10 times. The LED indicator will
be yellow. Rotate the Flame Wheel
horizontally until the LED changes to
green, and then calibrate the vertical
by rotating the Flame Wheel vertically
until the LED goes off, confirming the
calibration was successful.
Flying
When the flight battery is connected,solder joints connect the six ESCs, two
more are for power, and two more
are for the Versatile Unit (VU), at the
power connections. When the soldering
is complete, it’s time to mount the
motors to the legs of the Flame Wheel.
I used medium-strength threadlock
from Bob Smith Industries to ensure
the screws stay put.
The legs can then be attached to
the bottom board where all the solder
connections were made using the
included screws. The motors can be
plugged into the ESCs and the NAZA
controller is mounted in the center of
the bottom board. Placement should
be as close to center as possible and
pointing in the proper direction,
receiver inputs facing the rear. Your
receiver of choice can then be mounted
next to the NAZA controller.
Included with the NAZA are eight
three-pin servo connectors to connect
the NAZA and the receiver. Futaba
S-Bus is also supported.
I mounted the NAZA and receiver
using double-sided tape. After the GPS
compass and VU were connected to
the NAZA, it was time to connect it to
the PC using the included USB cable
plugged into the VU.
I downloaded the latest software
from the DJI website and was
prompted to update the firmware to
version 2.01. When I confirmed that
everything was properly working, I
attached the top board so that the
GPS and battery could be mounted.
Check that the motors are turning in
the proper direction. The diagram in
the instructions shows the alternating
directions of the motors.
Setting up the NAZA controller and
GPS using the software is not difficult,
but requires the use of the 41-page
user manual, which can be downloaded
from the DJI website. When you
mount the GPS on the bracket
and attach it to the top board, it is
important to remember that you must
measure the distance from the center
point, in centimeters, of all three axes
and input them as either positive or
negative as instructed on the diagram.
When all of the settings are
complete, and before the first flight,
calibrate the digital compass. This is
done after powering the model and
quickly flipping the position switch
that was assigned for Control Mode
six to 10 times. The LED indicator will
be yellow. Rotate the Flame Wheel
horizontally until the LED changes to
green, and then calibrate the vertical
by rotating the Flame Wheel vertically
until the LED goes off, confirming the
calibration was successful.
Flying
When the flight battery is connected,
the LED located on the VU will
This is what is
included with the
Flame Wheel F550
ARF. Extra screws
and propellers are
provided.
48 Modelprovide a status on the GPS connection
as well as the battery. It takes
approximately 5 seconds for the GPS
to initialize. I programmed the LED to
go yellow when the battery is getting
low during fl ight, and then red when it
is time to land.
The NAZA start sequence requires
both transmitter sticks to be pushed to
the bottom corners of the transmitter.
The motors will start for 3 seconds,
awaiting throttle input from the pilot. If
no input is given, the motors will stop.
This excellent safety feature ensures that
accidentally bumping the throttle will
not start the motors.
The NAZA-controlled DJI Flame
Wheel F550 has three fl ight control
modes: GPS Atti., Atti., and Manual
Mode. In any of the fl ight modes, user
input overrides the self-correction.
The GPS Atti. Mode locks the
position of the Flame Wheel and will
provide self-correction
to maintain its current
location and attitude. This
is the best setting if you are
using the Flame Wheel for
photography or videography.
Atti. Mode will only
provide attitude stabilization
and is best used when you
want to “sport fl y” the model.
Manual Mode provides no
attitude-angle limitation or
position locking.
After one quick fl ight
to confi rm that everything
was working, I strapped
my Watt’s Up wattmeter
to the Flame Wheel to
get some idea of what
kind of draw the power
system pulls in fl ight. The
wattmeter displays the
highest readings until the
battery is disconnected.
With a short, 3-minute
fl ight, including hovering and basic
fl ight, I eagerly checked the wattmeter
to fi nd that the peak draw was only
322.3 watts and 20.65 amps.
All of my fl ying has been in either
GPS Atti. or Atti. Mode, allowing me
to become more comfortable with the
fl ying capability of the Flame Wheel. In
A close-up of one of the motors
and ESC that are included. Two
sizes of propellers are also
provided.
Shown are the NAZA controller and VU, which
has a mini USB plug to connect it to a PC for
programming.
My completed Flame Wheel weighs 3 pounds, 11
ounces ready to fly. The round white disk mounted
above the battery is the GPS Compass Module.
Above: The bottom frame uses
integrated PCB wiring so the
power is distributed to all six
speed controllers from a singlehigher than 20 meters. If below 20
meters, it will climb to 20 meters and
return.
Once at the home point, the NAZA
controller will instruct the Flame Wheel
to hover for 15 seconds at 20 meters and
then slowly descend to land!
It would be impossible to describe
all the features and settings the NAZA
controller with GPS provides within
this review. If you would like to fi nd
out more about this robust controller’s
capabilities, download the manual from
the DJI website listed in the “Sources”
section.
Conclusion
The DJI Flame Wheel F550 combined
with the NAZA controller with GPS
provides an intuitive, stable platform for
pilots looking for a multirotor helicopter
capable of fl ying within a small area.
It also provides a great platform for
recreational, aerial photography, and
videography.
I was impressed with the safety
features incorporated in the NAZA
controller such as the start-up procedure
and the return-to-home fail-safe.
These features, combined with the
ability to program the controller via a
computer and the completeness of the
hardware and components included
with the ARF, should help ensure
success in assembling and piloting this
exciting multirotor offering.
—Jay Smith
[email protected]
MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR:
DJI Innovations
www.dji-innovations.com
Empire Hobby LLC
(480) 982-0909
www.empirerc.com
SOURCES:
Futaba
(800) 682-8948
www.futaba-rc.com
Thunder Power RC
(702) 228-8883
www.thunderpowerrc.com
Bob Smith Industries
(805) 466-1717
www.bsi-inc.comThis DJI Flame
Wheel F550 with
LED lights, landing
skids, and camera
mount with GoPro
camera attached
belongs to Clint
Akins of Castle.
Photo by Jennifer
Orebaugh.
Atti. Mode, the model scoots around
well and it’s fun to perform sweeping
turns and Figure Eights.
The NAZA controller also supports
Intelligent Orientation Control, which
allows the Flame Wheel to be fl own
in Course Lock or Home Lock. When
fl ying in Course Lock, inputs of forward,
back, left, and right will not be affected
by the direction the Flame Wheel is
pointing. So left is left no matter if the
front is pointed toward you or away
from you.
In Home Lock, all controls correspond
as if the Flame Wheel was connected
to the home location on a tether. So
if backward fl ight is input, the Flame
Wheel will fl y backward toward the
home point.
Although the hexacopter is capable of
looping, I have yet to try it. Those who
have were successful, but the maneuver
requires Manual Mode and high altitude.
Another excellent feature of the
NAZA controller with GPS is the Fail-
Safe Mode. This mode can be set up so
that the Flame Wheel either lands at
its current location or will return to its
home point and land.
The Fail-Safe Mode can be triggered
by a loss of signal from the transmitter,
if one of the controls is no longer
responding, a low battery, or if activated
by the pilot. Mine is set to return to the
home point and, when activated, the
Flame Wheel will hover in its current
position for three seconds and then
fl y toward home at its current altitude
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/12
Page Numbers: 47,48,49,50
Multirotor helicopters have
become one of the most
exciting developments in all
of RC. Some hobby shop owners and
online retailers have noted that this
segment is outselling any other type of
RC product. After my fi rst fl ight with
a microsize quadcopter, I had a better
understanding of what the excitement
was about.
My second fl ight was on a friend’s
Dajiang Innovations Technology (DJI)
Flame Wheel F550 outfi tted with the
NAZA controller and GPS. I knew
I had to have one. It was apparent
to me that it was not only fun to fl y,
but also provided a stable platform
for recreational photography or
videography. (If used for photography
or videography, keep in mind others’
rights of privacy before taking photos
or videos.)
Assembly
The DJI Flame Wheel F550 ARF
kit includes one complete frame, six
motors, six ESCs, and 16 propellers.
You will use 10-inch propellers for 3S
battery packs and 8-inch propellers for
4S battery packs.
M3x8 screws for mounting the
motors and M2.5x5 screws for
attaching the arms, hook-and-loop
material, a battery strap, and a set
of power leads are included. DJI
generously provides additional screws
and two additional propellers of each
size to ensure a broken propeller or
a missing screw won’t postpone your
enjoyment of its product.
Assembly requires much soldering,
so be sure you have a fi ne-tip soldering
iron, solder, and fl ux on hand. The
bottom frame uses integrated printed
circuit board (PCB) wiring so the
power is distributed from one power
connection to all six speed controllers.
The board is well marked and the
instructions clearly show where the
connections are made. It is important
that all the solder connections provide
a solid joint, so be sure to test each one
before continuing with the assemblyprompted to update the firmware to
version 2.01. When I confirmed that
everything was properly working, I
attached the top board so that the
GPS and battery could be mounted.
Check that the motors are turning in
the proper direction. The diagram in
the instructions shows the alternating
directions of the motors.
Setting up the NAZA controller and
GPS using the software is not difficult,
but requires the use of the 41-page
user manual, which can be downloaded
from the DJI website. When you
mount the GPS on the bracket
and attach it to the top board, it is
important to remember that you must
measure the distance from the center
point, in centimeters, of all three axes
and input them as either positive or
negative as instructed on the diagram.
When all of the settings are
complete, and before the first flight,
calibrate the digital compass. This is
done after powering the model and
quickly flipping the position switch
that was assigned for Control Mode
six to 10 times. The LED indicator will
be yellow. Rotate the Flame Wheel
horizontally until the LED changes to
green, and then calibrate the vertical
by rotating the Flame Wheel vertically
until the LED goes off, confirming the
calibration was successful.
Flying
When the flight battery is connected,solder joints connect the six ESCs, two
more are for power, and two more
are for the Versatile Unit (VU), at the
power connections. When the soldering
is complete, it’s time to mount the
motors to the legs of the Flame Wheel.
I used medium-strength threadlock
from Bob Smith Industries to ensure
the screws stay put.
The legs can then be attached to
the bottom board where all the solder
connections were made using the
included screws. The motors can be
plugged into the ESCs and the NAZA
controller is mounted in the center of
the bottom board. Placement should
be as close to center as possible and
pointing in the proper direction,
receiver inputs facing the rear. Your
receiver of choice can then be mounted
next to the NAZA controller.
Included with the NAZA are eight
three-pin servo connectors to connect
the NAZA and the receiver. Futaba
S-Bus is also supported.
I mounted the NAZA and receiver
using double-sided tape. After the GPS
compass and VU were connected to
the NAZA, it was time to connect it to
the PC using the included USB cable
plugged into the VU.
I downloaded the latest software
from the DJI website and was
prompted to update the firmware to
version 2.01. When I confirmed that
everything was properly working, I
attached the top board so that the
GPS and battery could be mounted.
Check that the motors are turning in
the proper direction. The diagram in
the instructions shows the alternating
directions of the motors.
Setting up the NAZA controller and
GPS using the software is not difficult,
but requires the use of the 41-page
user manual, which can be downloaded
from the DJI website. When you
mount the GPS on the bracket
and attach it to the top board, it is
important to remember that you must
measure the distance from the center
point, in centimeters, of all three axes
and input them as either positive or
negative as instructed on the diagram.
When all of the settings are
complete, and before the first flight,
calibrate the digital compass. This is
done after powering the model and
quickly flipping the position switch
that was assigned for Control Mode
six to 10 times. The LED indicator will
be yellow. Rotate the Flame Wheel
horizontally until the LED changes to
green, and then calibrate the vertical
by rotating the Flame Wheel vertically
until the LED goes off, confirming the
calibration was successful.
Flying
When the flight battery is connected,
the LED located on the VU will
This is what is
included with the
Flame Wheel F550
ARF. Extra screws
and propellers are
provided.
48 Modelprovide a status on the GPS connection
as well as the battery. It takes
approximately 5 seconds for the GPS
to initialize. I programmed the LED to
go yellow when the battery is getting
low during fl ight, and then red when it
is time to land.
The NAZA start sequence requires
both transmitter sticks to be pushed to
the bottom corners of the transmitter.
The motors will start for 3 seconds,
awaiting throttle input from the pilot. If
no input is given, the motors will stop.
This excellent safety feature ensures that
accidentally bumping the throttle will
not start the motors.
The NAZA-controlled DJI Flame
Wheel F550 has three fl ight control
modes: GPS Atti., Atti., and Manual
Mode. In any of the fl ight modes, user
input overrides the self-correction.
The GPS Atti. Mode locks the
position of the Flame Wheel and will
provide self-correction
to maintain its current
location and attitude. This
is the best setting if you are
using the Flame Wheel for
photography or videography.
Atti. Mode will only
provide attitude stabilization
and is best used when you
want to “sport fl y” the model.
Manual Mode provides no
attitude-angle limitation or
position locking.
After one quick fl ight
to confi rm that everything
was working, I strapped
my Watt’s Up wattmeter
to the Flame Wheel to
get some idea of what
kind of draw the power
system pulls in fl ight. The
wattmeter displays the
highest readings until the
battery is disconnected.
With a short, 3-minute
fl ight, including hovering and basic
fl ight, I eagerly checked the wattmeter
to fi nd that the peak draw was only
322.3 watts and 20.65 amps.
All of my fl ying has been in either
GPS Atti. or Atti. Mode, allowing me
to become more comfortable with the
fl ying capability of the Flame Wheel. In
A close-up of one of the motors
and ESC that are included. Two
sizes of propellers are also
provided.
Shown are the NAZA controller and VU, which
has a mini USB plug to connect it to a PC for
programming.
My completed Flame Wheel weighs 3 pounds, 11
ounces ready to fly. The round white disk mounted
above the battery is the GPS Compass Module.
Above: The bottom frame uses
integrated PCB wiring so the
power is distributed to all six
speed controllers from a singlehigher than 20 meters. If below 20
meters, it will climb to 20 meters and
return.
Once at the home point, the NAZA
controller will instruct the Flame Wheel
to hover for 15 seconds at 20 meters and
then slowly descend to land!
It would be impossible to describe
all the features and settings the NAZA
controller with GPS provides within
this review. If you would like to fi nd
out more about this robust controller’s
capabilities, download the manual from
the DJI website listed in the “Sources”
section.
Conclusion
The DJI Flame Wheel F550 combined
with the NAZA controller with GPS
provides an intuitive, stable platform for
pilots looking for a multirotor helicopter
capable of fl ying within a small area.
It also provides a great platform for
recreational, aerial photography, and
videography.
I was impressed with the safety
features incorporated in the NAZA
controller such as the start-up procedure
and the return-to-home fail-safe.
These features, combined with the
ability to program the controller via a
computer and the completeness of the
hardware and components included
with the ARF, should help ensure
success in assembling and piloting this
exciting multirotor offering.
—Jay Smith
[email protected]
MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR:
DJI Innovations
www.dji-innovations.com
Empire Hobby LLC
(480) 982-0909
www.empirerc.com
SOURCES:
Futaba
(800) 682-8948
www.futaba-rc.com
Thunder Power RC
(702) 228-8883
www.thunderpowerrc.com
Bob Smith Industries
(805) 466-1717
www.bsi-inc.comThis DJI Flame
Wheel F550 with
LED lights, landing
skids, and camera
mount with GoPro
camera attached
belongs to Clint
Akins of Castle.
Photo by Jennifer
Orebaugh.
Atti. Mode, the model scoots around
well and it’s fun to perform sweeping
turns and Figure Eights.
The NAZA controller also supports
Intelligent Orientation Control, which
allows the Flame Wheel to be fl own
in Course Lock or Home Lock. When
fl ying in Course Lock, inputs of forward,
back, left, and right will not be affected
by the direction the Flame Wheel is
pointing. So left is left no matter if the
front is pointed toward you or away
from you.
In Home Lock, all controls correspond
as if the Flame Wheel was connected
to the home location on a tether. So
if backward fl ight is input, the Flame
Wheel will fl y backward toward the
home point.
Although the hexacopter is capable of
looping, I have yet to try it. Those who
have were successful, but the maneuver
requires Manual Mode and high altitude.
Another excellent feature of the
NAZA controller with GPS is the Fail-
Safe Mode. This mode can be set up so
that the Flame Wheel either lands at
its current location or will return to its
home point and land.
The Fail-Safe Mode can be triggered
by a loss of signal from the transmitter,
if one of the controls is no longer
responding, a low battery, or if activated
by the pilot. Mine is set to return to the
home point and, when activated, the
Flame Wheel will hover in its current
position for three seconds and then
fl y toward home at its current altitude
