I have tried a few flight controllers and some are still in the drawer. This is because they get to complicated and I am not computer savvy. I then bought the kopilot and after a few videos managed to set it up, I was doubtful it would be up to what I expected. I have been using it for the past few months and I could not be more impressed. It is consistently reliable and given me such peace of mind and I enjoy flying so much more. This will now be standard in most of my planes. Your video is well explained. Thanks
After 2 years of no flying i got my little Dart 250 from the back of the shed and was clueless again on the Kopilot settings, have the manual somewhere, but your excellent video's are a trusted life and timesaver as always. Thanks again Lee!
Painless, I want to thank you for all your tutorials, reviews, and flight videos first. I have to say thank you now with the tutorials on the Kopilot system. I was able to follow your instructions and I did the maiden flight of my FPV Glider and it was an amazing experience. I was able to do the flight and tested stabilization, RTH, and even failsafe RTH successfully. I do have some trim & battery positioning to work on to get the best balance/performance but it was a fantastic experience. Thanks again for all you work.
Thank you for this video, having someone showing how the things look when done right is really helpful. I just finished the setup of my Zohd Drift with Kopilot.
Great update again Lee, thanks for reminding others about setting the throws back to 100% before attempting the autolevel calibration. This caused me a lot of frustration last time but I know you have a separate video for this now. Thanks Lee.
sorry to go crazy on the comments. I put this setup in my yellow EF 300extra. modes are, stabilization, off, RTH. everything worked great. I even threw the plane in the air to test the auto take off and it worked great!!!! thanks again for this video. The only thing i dont like about it, is you have very limited control when the model is in stabile mode. I wish it was more of just a gyro, but I am still learning all the functions of this item!! thx again
Once again Mr Painless helps me out. I have just installed one of these which I bought for thirty six pounds from banggood. in my Bixler 3. Followed your clear and simple set up instructions. It works a treat . I think I really put it through its paces. In manual I put it into a full stall switched into stabilize and it corrected itself immediately . To be fair the bixler does tend to correct itself but not as quickly. I performed a half loop in manual switched to stabilize whilst inverted once again the Kopilot sorted it out beautifully. The return to home is great the only very slight downside is that the home point is set above the point where the board powers up which means when it returns to home it orbits over the pit area. Easily fixed by powering up on the far side of the strip. The scary part of my test was actually switching off the transmitter. No problem there back to the home point like a well trained pigeon but when I switched on after the test I had no throttle control so ended up landing dead stick off strip. ( nice day for a walk ) . It was pilot error as I have to set all my switches to the up position before the radio will power on of course this set my throttle in safe mode and I forgot this. Auto launch is a bit scary you really need to give it a good shove to keep it on track as the throttle opens. I think I found a nice little hack or trick. If I apply full left or right rubber in stabilized mode the plane makes nice flat turns. I am thinking of mixing one of my pots to the rudder. This could be really useful in a thermal. Thank you Mr Painless you made my install really easy. FDO
I got one for free with my Zohd Talon GT. I installed a Matek board with INav but your video has encouraged me to put it in my old Durafly Sidewinder fpv race wing.
This video was just what I needed. The instructions are ok, but a bit confusing when first trying out the system. Your video really helped clear things up for the me though, so thank you so much!
Thanks for this. When I did my maiden on the Dart 250g it immediately death rolled to the right and broke the nose off (ouch, but you can't see where I glued it back together so all is well.) I did manage to figure out the Kopilot problem and get it flying nicely, but I wish I had seen this then, 'thank you' to your patreon for inspiring it. I had to move (during a pandemic? Eeesh!) and haven't flown it in too long. I originally tried a little 200mw aio cam like you have in this video and I could never get any range. So I bought an RDQ vtx and a good cam but still haven't set it up. Now that I have the DJI goggles on order I'll probably just stick a Caddx Nebula in it! And someday I'll fly it again ha ha :)
Thanks for doing this video, I’ve got the Dart 250g and while it flies beautifully in stabilised mode, it was an absolute pig in manual mode. Now I have a better understanding of where I went wrong.
Really enjoy your videos, Ive learned a ton.. Appreciate all your hard work.. I finally figured out the Kopilot for my Dart 250 after watching your video a dozen times. One thing that I couldn't figure out and probably missed in the video.. The Manual mode was working ok, but when I went to adjust Stabilize mode with rotating the pots, everything started to get reversed.. I swapped the servo leads and everything is right as rain... The next one will be a breeze to setup..
Many thanks for your videos about the zohd that made my life much easier! I have flown the bigaole before the zohd and must say that the zohd has some very nice features. Besides the easy setup I really like the automatic storage of the home position. I planned to build in a zohd in all of my (next) airplanes. Please keep up the good work! Greetings from The Netherlands. Jan
After watching this video I had to have this for my new trainer w/FPV! My only hiccup was the double sided foam pad raises the Kopilot enough that the GPS holder doesn't clear. Wish they would have included the screws to mount the Kopilot. Im looking forward to the maiden flight thou..
💯Thank you very much, i am very new to the new world of electronics and flying drones, FPV planes, i am looking at getting a ZOHD vtail plane. I like the way you zoom in and show a close up of everything and thank you very much for the pro tips,💯 nicely done! 🇺🇸🐾🐾🐾🖖 I will definitely use ur coupons next time i get something from BangGood/ BangBad. Getting ready to pull the trigger 🔫, 💸 on ✈️ ZOHD products! Semper Fi!
Thank you so much for detailed Installation guide! 👍 I bought a Kopilot Llite together with a Zohd Drift. Unfortunately, I‘m having big problems getting a connection to the Kopilot. I‘m using a Crossfire Nano + Taranis QX7S + Crossfire module. The Connection between Crossfire Nano and Crossfire Module seems to be fine (solid green light). I‘ve created a simple 4 Channel model in my Taranis and added a 3 way switch as channel 5. For the transmitter output, I‘ve selected external and Crossfire. With this setup, no input reaches the Kopilot. The Kopilot is permanently in balanced mode (flashing green light). I can select different plane types using the set button of the settings board in this mode, but this does not solve the issue. Surprisingly, this setup worked before I played around with small settings board. It seems that - by accident - I‘ve messed something up within the Kopilot. Is there factory reset for the Kopilot available. Can you provide some hints for troubleshooting this issue? 🧐
How odd. You could try it without the settings board plugged in and see if that changes it. I'd also double check that CH5 is being put out on the SBUS connection to the KoPilot and that the output is set to SBUS in the TBS Agent Lite LUA script on the radio.. Best of luck!
The flashing green led(s) means that the Kopilot is in RTH/FENCE/Altitude Hold Mode NOT Stabilized. IF this is not changeable by moving your channel 5 switch then that means that the Kopilot IS NOT receiving any input signal from your receiver. As Lee says check that you have your settings correct for an S-bus signal output from your Crossfire unit. Also remember that you MUST unplug the Kopilot settings board BEFORE you cut the power to it (NOT AFTER!) or you can lose the settings that you just added.
I tried a different reciever (non Crossfire) and it worked. It seems to be an issue with the Crossfire module. I wanted to check the configuration of the module and couldn‘t execute the lua script. There seems to be no communication between the crossfire module and the Taranis. I tried a factory reset of the Taranis and the module, but it didn‘t solve the issue. Could there be an issue with the compatibility after a factory reset?
@@peterkoslowksi4462 I have absolutely no knowledge of Crossfire. Possibly your best bet would be to ask on the RCGroups Forums thread on your Crossfire receiver if there is 1. Best of luck!
I'd check the settings on the radio are for CRSF for the external bay. I'd think hard about what you changed as it sounds like you did something else you cannot recall. See my Crossfire for beginners series fro how to set it up.. Best of luck!
SUPER IMPORTANT IF YOU ARE USING ELRS!!! Channel 5 is binary so you will need to move one of the leads in your receiver to channel 6 and set up using channel 6 as your mode switch.
Hi I purchased the ZOHD Kopilot for my first AR Wing, but I had problems with the controls but I think now I know what I did wrong but now I have a Maytek F411wse in it. Now I know what I did I need to order a new gps module and a new plane . Thanks for the video and information.
I do have a question about the ZOHD Kopilot, I have a Volantex A.S.W 28 Would like to put it in and if I'm right I can use the aux port for the flaps. and I I uses the Beitian BN-220 on my AR Wing but if I'm right again I can order the Beitian BN-880 and then I can have a compass GPS module. Will this work ? Thanks again for the video and information and the answer
If you're looking on doing anything more advanced than basic stabilisation and an emergency RTH mode then adding a more advanced FC with something like Arduplane or iNav would be a better choice. See my builds and comparison for both. Happy flying
12:24 I found with autopilots like the Eagle tree 2D/3D and Ardupilot that adjusting the trims in manual mode would affect the autopilots control and it sounds like the ZOHD is the same. The way I addressed it is to use the flight modes settings on the Taranis linked to the flight mode switch, you can then specify that the trims are only used in manual mode. Means you can adjust the trims for each individual flight and weather condition and know that the stabilised flight modes will not be adversely affected.
It's common practice to recalibrate the radio in the FC after you trim. Check out the Arduplane build as it can do all of it automatically... happy flying
Lee: Very nice job! I really liked your still-frame closeups. Good tips at the end. 1) What was the all-up weight on your plane? Which model is it? (Drift?) How do you use it? Long range? Sloping? Thermals? 2) Does ZOHD Kopilot Lite mind the lack of a rudder? 3) Have your tried either of the Express LRS Happymodel systems? (915mhz or 2.4ghz)? I'd like to see your take on these new short latency, long range products. Love your stuff! - Jim
Hi James, 1) It is a very easy to fly, floaty model great for relaxing flying in very calm weather. 2) Not at all 3) I've not. I am a TRACER and Crossfire fan. Happy flying!
Thanks for doing videos like this, the last time I flew fixed wing it was with nitro, crystals, coloured ribbons & a peg board, so it's going back some to say the least & none of these types of electronics existed back then, so it's great to learn about these types of products both for new pilots & those like myself returning to the hobby.. Having seen your earlier video, I've purchased one of these from BG & was just about to install it in to my brand new plane, that was until I found that the carbon fibre wing support rod that's supposed to be straight was actually bent! So that's put the build on hold for now until HK send me out a replacement.. That said, something I had to Google to find the answer (& it wasn't easy) & I'm wondering if it's the sort of real real basic stuff that you can cover in future videos is things like which way up is the GPS unit supposed to go?? And does it actually matter?? Also, the best placement for it, as from what I've read I believe that some of the other electronics can interfere with the signal... Anyways, I look forward to your future videos...
Good day. I’m working hard to install a ZOHD Kopilot Lite into a small foam flying wing. I am attempting to set up the Kopilot using a Spektrum DX9 transmitter and Spektrum AR 620 receiver. Despite working hard at it, I’m quite frustrated. I began with a clean slate by creating a new model in the transmitter with no mixes. Using the Kopilot’s PWM wiring harness and the transmitter’s RX PORT ASSIGNMENTS function I have programmed the transmitter to AETR rather than the Spektrum standard of TAER. The transmitter now controls ailerons from channel one (rather than the Spektrum standard of throttle on channel one), elevator on channel two (rather than the Spektrum standard of ailerons on channel two), throttle on channel three (rather than the Spektrum standard of elevator on channel three), and rudder on channel four. At the receiver the Kopilot wiring harness’s white wire is plugged into channel one and the mode switch servo plug is inserted into channel five. I have also programmed the transmitter to have the three position “B switch” control the Kopilot’s Mode function (switch position +100 = stabilized, position 0 = not stabilized, position -100 = Return To Home). In the model, the servo connected to the aileron channel (#1) is installed in the left wing, and the right wing servo is connected to the elevator channel (#2). Following the instructions that ZOHD provides, and a number of RUclips videos, I have used the Kopilot’s control panel to set the unit for a flying wing (both green LED’s are lit along with the red GPS LED. As far as I can tell, everything’s perfect - but, there is a problem. I am flying Mode two - elevator and ailerons on the right stick and throttle and rudder on the left stick. The left stick’s throttle control works just as it should. That is not the case with the right stick. When I pull back on the right stick my wing’s control surfaces move for a left turn (right aileron down, left up)! When I push forward on the right stick my wing’s control surfaces move for a right turn (right aileron up, left down)! When I move the right stick to the right, both ailerons move up. And when I move the right stick to the left, both ailerons move down! When I engage the stabilizer via the mode switch, corrections made by the Kopilot are a consistent mirror image of the results of control inputs. In other words, when the wing is pitched down, the stabilizer acts to bank the aircraft to the right. When the wing is pitched up, the stabilizer acts to bank the aircraft to the left. Similarly, a left bank brings a downward pitch correction, and right banks result in an upward pitch correction from the Kopilot. I have had the same results using a different receiver and transmitter, as well. I don’t understand why the transmitter’s right stick has aileron controls on the vertical plane and elevator control on the horizonal plane. I would be grateful for any help you may provide. Thank you
I've only seen issues like this when either the servos are in the wrong connections or you have two different servos in the wings with one moving opposite.. Best of luck
@@Painless360 As you suggested, the aileron and elevator servos were in the wrong connection, one servo's travel for stabilization had to be reversed at the potentiometer, and the second servo's travel had to be reversed in the transmitter. Three small actions; each, by itself, simple. But when combined, very vexing for over four days. Once again, thank you, thank you!
Nice instructional vid, I never did get auto launch to work consistently on my Dart 250g though. A lesson I learnt, I set fail safe as rth for the Dart rather than my usual throttle kill. On the second flight last time out I did my usual launch, chuck it about a bit then rth while I put my goggles on. I soon realised that it was flying away from me rather than rth, but by that time it was out of range of the XM+ so I never saw it again.
Having followed this really useful video I had the KoPilot setup in my Drift, but one thing doesn't look right. In manual mode everything is fine but in stabilised mode the AIL and ELV pots which I thought set the gyro gain also affect the servo travel and the lower the gain the less the transmitter can move the servos. For example, in manual mode full stick deflection moves a servo about 60 degrees. In stabilised mode with the gain pot fully clockwise the servo will still move 60 degrees, but if I reduce the gain pot to almost zero the servo now only moves about 3 degrees for full Tx stick deflection. On my planes with gyros such as the nX3 or Multiplex G3 I always start with low gains and after a test flight start increasing the gain until the model starts to over correct, at which point I reduce the gains very slightly. With the Kopilot starting with low gains means that even a full stick deflection hardly moves the servo so I have no confidence to put the Drift into the air as I appear to have no control. Is this gyro gain reduction in maximum control surface movement normal for the KoPilot ?
Hi Lee, a question on PWM connection on the KOPILOT. I have a Devo7 TX and RX701 receiver which I want to use with my Drift setup. My question is does the RX701 use PWM so it will connect with the KOPILOT as per the instruction sheet. I cannot find anyone who has the answer. Hoping you might be able to throw me the answer. Appreciate your help.
Quick warning: if you're setting up on your bench in stabilized mode the motor will be grumbling or clicking as it waits for a GPS lock. This means that there is no airflow over the ESC and it can get HOT. Unplug a couple of the motor wires if it's taking a long time to get the pots set up right.
Hi Lee, I suspect you are getting tired of the KoPilot questions like the ones below. I do hope you would add answers to these: 1.) When selecting the model "Type", is this done in Manual or Stability mode or "either".? 2.) When the Type is done, is there an "exit" step/procedure or do you just go on the rest of the setup? 3.) We know for the initial setup all channels are set to 100%. That Rate causes a lot of excessive control surface throw in Manual mode. There is confusion about what happens within the KoPilot if one later reduces the Rate for less movement. How does this affect the KoPilot, say when switched to Balance/Stabilize or RTH modes. If it is a problem, is there a workaround option to have a lower Rate ...? Suggestions...? As always, Thank you for the informative video work, DL
The setting button on the KoPIlot settings board does different things depending on the mode so make sure that you are in the right one. Its covered in the video so if you follow it you should be good. No save process for the type, just stop pressing when the controls work in the right way. Once you've set it up, the last job is to reduce the throws on the radio for manual mode and turn down the gain on the KoPilot so that they only move that much in stabilise too. Best of luck!
Hi. I have been flying R/C models since 1962 in all the usual types. But some years ago I thought that my skills had reached the point where it would be better if my models had some level of stabilisation and return to home capacities. I have tried several different systems. Ardupilot, Arkbird, Pixhawk,Mini Pix, and most recently Zohd Kopilot. All proved difficult to set up but the Zohd proved impossible and has, I suspect, a fault. It seems not to be in production any longer. What is there in the current range which fills the bill ? Clear instructions and step by step installation details are essential. My preference is for fixed wing applications. My Mini Pix was the only success I had with Copters but the Mini Pix seems not to be available due to design licensing issues. I have enjoyed your guidance in the past and look forward to some full and frank guidance with a currently reliable product. Best wishes: Birdmanpete
If you are looking for the majic combo of stabilisation with GPS function then that limits the stabiliser options you have. There are lots of 'old-school' stabs. that work great for the basics but very few have added the extra features. I suspect that your KoPilot is faulty. I've seen a few since it was released. The manual was always a little 'light' on detail so I made the setup videos to help pilots with that. In terms of the options. KoPilot Lite is still the simplest to setup, and when working (i.e. not broken and setup properly) provides auto-launch, stabilisation and RTH features that you don't need a PC to setup. Outside of KoPilot, there are a few others about (something called the Sparrow for example) but I've not tried them. For fixed wing I use INAV. It isn't too tricky, the setup steps are well understood and there is a large community that can help with setup and issues. It does require you to fire up a PC and soldering iron but you can have all of those features you want and so much more. Check out my INAV for beginners 2023 series for the latest series..
In regards to trimming. Step 1 fly in manual mode and make the trims on the radio. Step 2 do the calibration using the kopilot in stabilized mode. After you have done the calibration in the kopilot, do you (A) reset the trims to center on the radio or (B) leave the trims on the radio?.
I have recently bought the fpv version of Drift. I wanted to use my Graupner mz12 Pro transmitter to control it together with a pwm receiver from Graupner. When I was setting up de kopilot, my inputs from the receiver don't work. I plugged my pwm receiver correctly to the kopilot with the special cable. Do you know the cause of this?
@@Painless360 I only have the problems when I want to control the plane with the kopilot, if I unplugg the kopilot and just uwe the pwm receiver, everything works fine
I Finally found the time to retry to setup the Kopilot Lite on my Dart 250 but keep running into the same issue. Throttle stops working once I switch out of manual mode. I really am so close to finally getting it to work. I’ve setup many Inav and ardupilot planes but this is just killing me.
If the servos are 'twitching' when you can't control the throttle, that is because you are in RTH/Launch mode.. That is normal, throttle only starts when the model detects a throw.
You can have no throttle control in any mode except Manual (if you have the GPS module plugged in) UNTIL you have enough satellites acquired to have a stable GPS lock and the Home Point thus set. Take it outside where it can see the clear sky! Alternatively unplug the GPS unit and you will have throttle control in all 3 switch positions.
Hi mate, I'm having difficulty on finding the right LEDs for orientation lights that I can use for a octocopter with the Pixhawk 4. Could you do a video or just explain how to set up LED orientation lights for each arm of a drone? This would be a massive help have been searching the PX4 docs for a good hour at this point with no avail. Thanks!
I dont understand why the OSD doesn't have altitude and heading.. It knows this info but doesnt display it for some reason. Seems like a huge mishap to me.
Hi, I have just set up the ZOHD Kopilot Lite in the Dart 250 and your utube videos are invaluable, one problem I have is getting the balance correct, do you think I could reposition the rx into the rear compartment with the escape, incidentally I have made the rear cover removable. I am a bit new to this hobby so forgive me if these questions seem ridiculous. Do keep up the good work. Oldsurveyor 1944
Help me please, I'm struggling. I don't know why in stabs mode when I touch the throttle and move a bit also my elevato start moving in a strange way.i don't know what to do
Can i have crow mix braking when my ailerons are plugged into a ZHOD KOPILOT LITE but turned off? Current set up is a Voalntex Phoenix V2, Flysky FS-i6x and FS-i6b, plus the Kopilot. what i am thinking is it possible to use the crow mix when the Kopilot is NOT engaged like when coming into landing i turn the Kopilot off so would crow braking then work or not? or would i need a bigger number receiver? as i have a 6 channel that is all used up.
As always, a pretty nice video. I'm trying to use one of these (I know, two years after the release), but I'm unable to use dual rates to make my Drift a little more "mellow" in manual mode. Is there a way to use dual rates and expo with the ZOHD Kopilot Lite? Thanks!
Hi Mate, great video ! I recently bought kopilot lite but having issues with Throttle/ESC calibration. How do you calibrate the throttle /ESC once connected to the FC ? I have used omnibus & matek FC with Inav & ardupilot and they all need throttle calibration via FC to get full range of the throttle . With Kopilot I'm not getting full throttle range via FC?
Hi Joe, I have two of these now and have learnt lots from painless360 on this kopilot. You should have movement in stabilised mode with the ailerons/elevator moving in the correct direction to the movement you are imposing, even without gps. The gps is required for the rth position when you have it selected. Don't fly it until you get the gps lock though otherwise when it does lock you will probably see your plane fly away to where it got the lock. If you haven't got stabilised when testing it on the bench then I suggest something is wrong. Make sure your mode switch is set up to work the right way. 👍
Success configuring to T-tail, thanks to you. No success configuring to wing/elevon. LED configuration is LED1, 2 both on. Power up beeping, but no movement of elevons. No flight modes functioning. No throttle. Help! Thank you
hi, thanks for your videos, they are very good. I have two fixed wings of 800 and 1000mm approx with kopilot with the same problem, they fly perfectly in stabilized mode but when I use the semi-autonomous take-off with the RTH or when in flight I put the RTH it goes like sudden jumps entering a loop that if I don't change to stabilized or manual sure it would end very badly. I have changed gains going down to the maximum elevon, but I do not correct it, I repeat it happens only in RTH mode. What do you think could happen? Thank you
I set leds lights for v tail. My rudder is controlling v tail like it’s the elevator , and the elevator stick is acting like the rudder… I thought I had the servos reversed,, so I switched them but that did not fix it… I tried changing the mix, switching rudder to elev and vise versa,,, now they work correct but in stabilized mode they do not move to correct in the way they should…
Something you should be made aware of. If you are setting up a Talon250g for instance, then the set-up diagram for the Elevator and Rudder servos is different from that shown in the standard Kopilot Lite manual! The servo connections to the Kopilot are reversed. Compare the Kopilot Manual with the ZOHD Talon250g one! The Talon manual is correct for the way that the servos are mounted in the plane body. This could also happen for some delta wings if the Aileron or Elevator servos are mounted differently to the Kopilot manual diagram. Best of luck!
With my Kopilot in manual mode the elevons on my wing move as expected. When I go to stability mode it stops responding to the aileron/roll stick. Port wing servo is plugged into AEL, starboard wing servo to ELE. Two solid green lights for stability mode on a wing. Pots on control board both about 3 o'clock. What am I missing? 🤷🏻♂️
hello great videos as always ... unfortunately i can't solve a problem..in autolaunch mode the engine starts before launch ... shouldn't it do it after launch? ... thanks 
Painless...what about mounting the kopilot angled slightly nose up(same angle as thrust angle needed to fly true level). Will this compensate and keep the model flying true level without screwing up anything else?
You would want to angle it nose down to force the model to have that slightly nose up attitude in flight. I'd follow the setup guide as it works.. Best of luck
hello, I have the zohd lite and I would like to know about fail safe. do I have to configure it on the radio or is it already configured? My radio is the spektrum dx7s
i hooked this setup up but not using sbus, my mode doesnt work nor does the led 1 or led2 even light up. I figured it out. Frsky Ethos the AUX in the SXR need to be turned on and the SXR in the RX needs to be turned off.
Hello again Mr Painless. I find your videos extremely helpful. I have moved my Zohd to my asw 28 .It works a treat the only thing I find a little troubling is in RTH once the model is over head the throttle closes to the point where it is just above the stall. I am sure I am doing something wrong. My flying buddy has just bought a motor glider with a Zohd installed but we don't have the leads to go from the receiver to the Zohd. Do you know where I might find them or what they might be called..
What would be a small thermal glider with an electric motor for getting up, then to turn it off and search for lift? I would be thermal flying over a big farm field with this zohd copilot in the glider. I have a Taranis Tx just like yours. What receiver should I get? I live in Europe so a receiver that could be used on both EU and FCC mode would be nice. Would like the newest rxtx protocoll as I don’t have any airplane receivers for the Taranis tx yet.
Hi Lee, well all is good so far in my set up of KOPILOT and the DRIFT. The ailerons and the elevator however work in reverse to the stick. You mention if this is the case then fix it by adjusting things in the radio. I have no idea how to do this having searched for information. My radio is a Devo 7 but the answer to the problem is probably similar for other radios, can you give me some guidance how to fix this please. Thanks
Reverse the channel. See my plane setup videos. It's also covered in the manual (www.deviationtx.com/user-manual/user-manual-7e-10) - Section 9.8.1. Best of luck!
So this ZOHD Kopilot doesn't have an osd, how does it give you the information you need to make decisions about your flight such as milliamp hours and GPS coordinates and amps?
Any idea what it means when I long press the set button both green lights blink 6 times the servos wipe back and forth then the lights go out and I have no controls at all. I have GPS but no green lights ???
Lee, awesome upload and very helpful. Im attempting to set this up with a DX6i (no 3way switch for modes). is it still possible to use this TX with the ZoHD? thanks
Yes you can but you will not get the mode that the middle switch position selects. Maybe you could mix two switches to give you three positions? Best of luck
I have just installed it in a bi-plane. I am using a Spektrum DX8. I have set it to the flap switch. but I can't get it out of stabalize mode. it remains correcting any movement all the time. (I am getting GPS fix) the switch in RTH mode seems to twitch the surfaces. Any advice to get this to work?
hi: can you cheat the barometer of the kopilot to make it think that you are at a higher altitude as the relative zero altitude? IE: if you stand on a really high ladder and let the kipolite caliberate, then will it fly at x + 35 meters? If X is relatively the zero point, but it is artificially high off the ground, then you will have x + 35 meter for RTH? thx.
Thanks for one more great video. Does the kopilot manage the throttle in RTH? In Failsafe, do I need to set throttle position or just RTH? I apologize if this question has been asked before, I have no idea how to search in the comments.
Painless, what about the failsafe? If the tx and rx loose communication? Does it go into RTH mode? And I see one ail servo input. Does it need Y cable? Thanks.
You need to setup the Rx to make sure that if connection is lost it triggers RTH. If you are using it in a conventional plane layout then you'll need a Y cable.
@@Painless360 P. I ve got it working on a FRSKY PWM receiver with the PWM cable and setup channel 5 goes to -100 when failsafe kicks in. Still one question. Does the Kopilot need to be installed close to the COG? I installed it on a Easystar 1 maybe 10cm in frott of the COG. I could not find the answer in the manual. Thank you.
Hi ive just tried to set this up with the radio master 4 elrs recever and the pocket radio i don't no if your be able to help but I just can't seem to get a 3 position switch to work I get stability mode and return to home manual mod I cant get to work thanks for any advice thanks
Hi, I have set up the kopilot and it works fine. In stabalised mode it flys straight and level, however when I turn the plane it only does a slow gradual turn. It doesn't respond as well as it does in manual mode. What do you think the problems is. Wally
Painless360, great vid. Do you know of any flight controllers with RTH that have a trainer mode with stabilization and a regular mode with stabilization. It seems the manual mode on the Kopilot disables the stabilization as well as the auto level etc. I’m looking for a unit less complicated than the iNav or Ardupilot systems.
My set button doesn't do anything, I only get a red led, no greens. I press the set button repeatedly and press and hold: nothing. I unplugged it and plugged back in, still nothing. On top of that the servos work sporadically. If I can't get this to work I'll use a Guardian gyro, which is a shame because I was intrigued by the gps feature of Kopilot.
Hi, I have a Zohd dart 250g fitted with kopilot, i've been using a X8R receiver to control her via the SBUS port. I Have recently bought a RX6R receiver to save space, the problem i'm having is that I can get the receiver bound to my taranis X9D plus with ease, but when i connect the RX6R receiver via the SBUS connection port to my kopilot, it dosn't seen to regeister with the kopilot, yet if I change back to my X8R and rebind it , the X8R will connect strait away, I've tried setting a new model up for the XR6R but i'm still having the same problems, do you have any suggestions/help where i'm going wrong, many thanks Dennis H
Hi Lee, I spent the afternoon watching your set-up video's and got the stabilisation of the Kopilot to work as it should. What I can't get to work, is the ESC, it won't arm no matter what. Connected directly to the receiver (RadioMaster R86C, or R88) the ESC arms, so no defects there. I'm at a loss what to try next...
There is a problem where some escs will not initialise properly because the KoPilot takes a moment to startup and the ESC times out and disables itself the safety... best of luck
@@Painless360 Thanks! Seems like the ZOHD ESC (rebranded Flycolor) is the way to go, unfortunately I only have the 120A and 150A boat versions at hand...
Good video, her is a challenge for you Lee, see if you can get Ko-pilot to work with Flysky FSai6B, tried on Ibus, PWM nada, still think i got a duff one from our lovely friends at BG
Running Kopilot successfully with Flysky FS-i6 + Flysky FS-iA6B (not FSai6B :D) on PWM in ZOHD Dart250G and Volantex Ranger G2. (G2 needs stock ESC replaced with something like Turnigy Plush ESC to work with Kopilot.)
@@theoztreecrasher2647 I was using the FS-IA6B with hobbyking blue 30amp esc, just could not get the ko-pilot to talk with the RX, i still say i got a faulty one but its enough to put me of the product
@@theoztreecrasher2647Thanks for the heads up. I am planning for the same setup, Kopilot on a G2. I got my G2 during the lockdown and so its still in the box. Why do you thing the stock ESC is not suitable to couple with the Kopilot? Is it because the BEC in the ESC cannot handle the load of the Kopilot board and the servos?
@@julianhumphrey4843 Anything's possible but once I've got past the myriad possible pit/pratfalls in setting it up I've found it OK. You didn't mention your Tx. If FS-i6 stock you know you can't use the Sbus output on the iA6B? Only FS-i6X/S can be set for Sbus use with it. Oddly a different brand of receiver with only Sbus & PPM outputs is working with my FS-i6 on a KingKong/LDARC TinyWing. The ESC incompatibility thing is a known issue. Edit..FS-i6 stock doesn't have S-bus capability and neither does iA6B (uses i-bus.) I was thinking of iA6C. Old Timers' Disease. :-(
I found this controller excellent for launching and nice and smooth for FPV.But unfortunately the RTH let me down on my last outing.Another loss oh dear.Think I will take up RC cars I may have more success :)
Lee if using 2 servos for ailerons with out a Y can you use the S- Bus or is that port only for S-Bus no exception , and adding flaps . can that be plugged directly into your RX? say channel 10?
Well I built a Y to run the ailerons, but I am still curious if they can work separately, and with with the Kopilot powered from the S-Bus can flaps be plugged into the aux port and if so how to have the radio control it. No luck so far making that work.
Hi, congratulations on your channel. I have a kopilot, why are movements in stabilized mode so limited compared to manual mode? Is there a possibility of increasing them to make the wing more agile? thanks greetings
Hi Lee! Thank you for all your tutorials. Greatly appreciated. Maybe a stupid question, I have two aileron servos leads but only 1 aileron connection on the Kopilot lite, where do you plug the second lead in?
@@Painless360 jj604 on rc groups forums asserts that you can run a lot of planes with only 1 aileron fed by the stabilizer and the other (and flaps etc) fed directly from the receiver. He generally knows what he's talking about.
Can I extend the PWN & Mode wires--I have a Radian Pro where RX is underneath middle & ZOHD at top front[with battery & ESC]--Using a Lemon LM0052 RX-Spektrum-No SBUS--thanks
Hi Lee! @Painless360 Ive ordered this lastweek,and its just arrived today..greatfull! 1 question just blinked thru my mind; what if during flight with these Kopilot, my airplane receiver suddenly lost signal to my tx radio? Will the Kopilot take-over,or maybe it'll piloting on RTH/Fence mode? (In this case,im planning to use either std Radiolink R88 2.4g rx, and another setup is elrs..using those Jumper tx module and Aion mini 2.4 elrs receiver)...and had just bought TX16S mkII v4,& im truly new to opentx🤦🏻♂️😅.. Please guide me with some advise...😅
I have tried a few flight controllers and some are still in the drawer. This is because they get to complicated and I am not computer savvy. I then bought the kopilot and after a few videos managed to set it up, I was doubtful it would be up to what I expected. I have been using it for the past few months and I could not be more impressed. It is consistently reliable and given me such peace of mind and I enjoy flying so much more. This will now be standard in most of my planes. Your video is well explained. Thanks
After 2 years of no flying i got my little Dart 250 from the back of the shed and was clueless again on the Kopilot settings, have the manual somewhere, but your excellent video's are a trusted life and timesaver as always. Thanks again Lee!
Painless, I want to thank you for all your tutorials, reviews, and flight videos first. I have to say thank you now with the tutorials on the Kopilot system. I was able to follow your instructions and I did the maiden flight of my FPV Glider and it was an amazing experience. I was able to do the flight and tested stabilization, RTH, and even failsafe RTH successfully. I do have some trim & battery positioning to work on to get the best balance/performance but it was a fantastic experience. Thanks again for all you work.
Thank you for this video, having someone showing how the things look when done right is really helpful. I just finished the setup of my Zohd Drift with Kopilot.
Great update again Lee, thanks for reminding others about setting the throws back to 100% before attempting the autolevel calibration. This caused me a lot of frustration last time but I know you have a separate video for this now. Thanks Lee.
I am currently building a drfft and been having bulk issues watching this helped me out perfectly thanks
sorry to go crazy on the comments. I put this setup in my yellow EF 300extra. modes are, stabilization, off, RTH. everything worked great. I even threw the plane in the air to test the auto take off and it worked great!!!! thanks again for this video. The only thing i dont like about it, is you have very limited control when the model is in stabile mode. I wish it was more of just a gyro, but I am still learning all the functions of this item!! thx again
Once again Mr Painless helps me out. I have just installed one of these which I bought for thirty six pounds from banggood. in my Bixler 3. Followed your clear and simple set up instructions. It works a treat . I think I really put it through its paces. In manual I put it into a full stall switched into stabilize and it corrected itself immediately . To be fair the bixler does tend to correct itself but not as quickly. I performed a half loop in manual switched to stabilize whilst inverted once again the Kopilot sorted it out beautifully. The return to home is great the only very slight downside is that the home point is set above the point where the board powers up which means when it returns to home it orbits over the pit area. Easily fixed by powering up on the far side of the strip. The scary part of my test was actually switching off the transmitter. No problem there back to the home point like a well trained pigeon but when I switched on after the test I had no throttle control so ended up landing dead stick off strip. ( nice day for a walk ) . It was pilot error as I have to set all my switches to the up position before the radio will power on of course this set my throttle in safe mode and I forgot this. Auto launch is a bit scary you really need to give it a good shove to keep it on track as the throttle opens. I think I found a nice little hack or trick. If I apply full left or right rubber in stabilized mode the plane makes nice flat turns. I am thinking of mixing one of my pots to the rudder. This could be really useful in a thermal. Thank you Mr Painless you made my install really easy. FDO
Thanks Lee.
Very informative and useful even a year later. Just as JC from "Project Blue Falcon" was, May he Rest in Peace.
I got one for free with my Zohd Talon GT. I installed a Matek board with INav but your video has encouraged me to put it in my old Durafly Sidewinder fpv race wing.
This video was just what I needed. The instructions are ok, but a bit confusing when first trying out the system. Your video really helped clear things up for the me though, so thank you so much!
Thanks for this. When I did my maiden on the Dart 250g it immediately death rolled to the right and broke the nose off (ouch, but you can't see where I glued it back together so all is well.) I did manage to figure out the Kopilot problem and get it flying nicely, but I wish I had seen this then, 'thank you' to your patreon for inspiring it.
I had to move (during a pandemic? Eeesh!) and haven't flown it in too long. I originally tried a little 200mw aio cam like you have in this video and I could never get any range. So I bought an RDQ vtx and a good cam but still haven't set it up. Now that I have the DJI goggles on order I'll probably just stick a Caddx Nebula in it! And someday I'll fly it again ha ha :)
Thanks for doing this video, I’ve got the Dart 250g and while it flies beautifully in stabilised mode, it was an absolute pig in manual mode. Now I have a better understanding of where I went wrong.
I bought the Drift with the koPilot Etc a couple of months ago and just getting round to setting it up, found your videos very helpful, thank you!
Yes, thanks for this vid as about to employ this on a sailplane as a failsafe backup kind of thing since i had one lying around but never used it.
I just wanted to thank you for all the videos you've produced. :)
Really enjoy your videos, Ive learned a ton.. Appreciate all your hard work.. I finally figured out the Kopilot for my Dart 250 after watching your video a dozen times. One thing that I couldn't figure out and probably missed in the video.. The Manual mode was working ok, but when I went to adjust Stabilize mode with rotating the pots, everything started to get reversed.. I swapped the servo leads and everything is right as rain... The next one will be a breeze to setup..
Thank you very much we'll definitely start over and go back through everything to see if I missed anything
Many thanks for your videos about the zohd that made my life much easier! I have flown the bigaole before the zohd and must say that the zohd has some very nice features. Besides the easy setup I really like the automatic storage of the home position. I planned to build in a zohd in all of my (next) airplanes. Please keep up the good work!
Greetings from The Netherlands. Jan
Really good tutorial! Well explained and very graphical!! Perfect for beginners...
After watching this video I had to have this for my new trainer w/FPV! My only hiccup was the double sided foam pad raises the Kopilot enough that the GPS holder doesn't clear. Wish they would have included the screws to mount the Kopilot. Im looking forward to the maiden flight thou..
I cut a small piece of foam from the GPS cover. Best of luck with the maiden!
Thanks for taking the time to explain how and why, awesome!..
Thanks a lot, Lee! That's really useful!!! 😃
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Many Thanks. Will let you know how I go.
Yes this would have helped me on that Dart 250!
💯Thank you very much, i am very new to the new world of electronics and flying drones, FPV planes, i am looking at getting a ZOHD vtail plane. I like the way you zoom in and show a close up of everything and thank you very much for the pro tips,💯 nicely done! 🇺🇸🐾🐾🐾🖖 I will definitely use ur coupons next time i get something from BangGood/ BangBad. Getting ready to pull the trigger 🔫, 💸 on ✈️ ZOHD products! Semper Fi!
Thank you so much for detailed Installation guide! 👍 I bought a Kopilot Llite together with a Zohd Drift. Unfortunately, I‘m having big problems getting a connection to the Kopilot. I‘m using a Crossfire Nano + Taranis QX7S + Crossfire module. The Connection between Crossfire Nano and Crossfire Module seems to be fine (solid green light). I‘ve created a simple 4 Channel model in my Taranis and added a 3 way switch as channel 5. For the transmitter output, I‘ve selected external and Crossfire. With this setup, no input reaches the Kopilot. The Kopilot is permanently in balanced mode (flashing green light). I can select different plane types using the set button of the settings board in this mode, but this does not solve the issue. Surprisingly, this setup worked before I played around with small settings board. It seems that - by accident - I‘ve messed something up within the Kopilot. Is there factory reset for the Kopilot available. Can you provide some hints for troubleshooting this issue? 🧐
How odd. You could try it without the settings board plugged in and see if that changes it. I'd also double check that CH5 is being put out on the SBUS connection to the KoPilot and that the output is set to SBUS in the TBS Agent Lite LUA script on the radio.. Best of luck!
The flashing green led(s) means that the Kopilot is in RTH/FENCE/Altitude Hold Mode NOT Stabilized. IF this is not changeable by moving your channel 5 switch then that means that the Kopilot IS NOT receiving any input signal from your receiver. As Lee says check that you have your settings correct for an S-bus signal output from your Crossfire unit.
Also remember that you MUST unplug the Kopilot settings board BEFORE you cut the power to it (NOT AFTER!) or you can lose the settings that you just added.
I tried a different reciever (non Crossfire) and it worked. It seems to be an issue with the Crossfire module. I wanted to check the configuration of the module and couldn‘t execute the lua script. There seems to be no communication between the crossfire module and the Taranis. I tried a factory reset of the Taranis and the module, but it didn‘t solve the issue. Could there be an issue with the compatibility after a factory reset?
@@peterkoslowksi4462 I have absolutely no knowledge of Crossfire. Possibly your best bet would be to ask on the RCGroups Forums thread on your Crossfire receiver if there is 1. Best of luck!
I'd check the settings on the radio are for CRSF for the external bay. I'd think hard about what you changed as it sounds like you did something else you cannot recall. See my Crossfire for beginners series fro how to set it up.. Best of luck!
SUPER IMPORTANT IF YOU ARE USING ELRS!!! Channel 5 is binary so you will need to move one of the leads in your receiver to channel 6 and set up using channel 6 as your mode switch.
Yep, this could be changing soon... Stay tuned
Hi I purchased the ZOHD Kopilot for my first AR Wing, but I had problems with the controls but I think now I know what I did wrong but now I have a Maytek F411wse in it. Now I know what I did I need to order a new gps module and a new plane . Thanks for the video and information.
I do have a question about the ZOHD Kopilot, I have a Volantex A.S.W 28 Would like to put it in and if I'm right I can use the aux port for the flaps. and I I uses the Beitian BN-220 on my AR Wing but if I'm right again I can order the Beitian BN-880 and then I can have a compass GPS module. Will this work ? Thanks again for the video and information and the answer
If you're looking on doing anything more advanced than basic stabilisation and an emergency RTH mode then adding a more advanced FC with something like Arduplane or iNav would be a better choice. See my builds and comparison for both. Happy flying
12:24 I found with autopilots like the Eagle tree 2D/3D and Ardupilot that adjusting the trims in manual mode would affect the autopilots control and it sounds like the ZOHD is the same. The way I addressed it is to use the flight modes settings on the Taranis linked to the flight mode switch, you can then specify that the trims are only used in manual mode. Means you can adjust the trims for each individual flight and weather condition and know that the stabilised flight modes will not be adversely affected.
It's common practice to recalibrate the radio in the FC after you trim. Check out the Arduplane build as it can do all of it automatically... happy flying
Lee: Very nice job! I really liked your still-frame closeups. Good tips at the end.
1) What was the all-up weight on your plane? Which model is it? (Drift?) How do you use it? Long range? Sloping? Thermals?
2) Does ZOHD Kopilot Lite mind the lack of a rudder?
3) Have your tried either of the Express LRS Happymodel systems? (915mhz or 2.4ghz)? I'd like to see your take on these new short latency, long range products.
Love your stuff! - Jim
Hi James,
1) It is a very easy to fly, floaty model great for relaxing flying in very calm weather.
2) Not at all
3) I've not. I am a TRACER and Crossfire fan.
Happy flying!
Thank you friend .
Thanks for doing videos like this, the last time I flew fixed wing it was with nitro, crystals, coloured ribbons & a peg board, so it's going back some to say the least & none of these types of electronics existed back then, so it's great to learn about these types of products both for new pilots & those like myself returning to the hobby.. Having seen your earlier video, I've purchased one of these from BG & was just about to install it in to my brand new plane, that was until I found that the carbon fibre wing support rod that's supposed to be straight was actually bent! So that's put the build on hold for now until HK send me out a replacement..
That said, something I had to Google to find the answer (& it wasn't easy) & I'm wondering if it's the sort of real real basic stuff that you can cover in future videos is things like which way up is the GPS unit supposed to go?? And does it actually matter?? Also, the best placement for it, as from what I've read I believe that some of the other electronics can interfere with the signal... Anyways, I look forward to your future videos...
The square sensor on the GPS has to face the sky. I've covered that in other build videos... Happy flying
Good day. I’m working hard to install a ZOHD Kopilot Lite into a small foam flying wing. I am attempting to set up the Kopilot using a Spektrum DX9 transmitter and Spektrum AR 620 receiver. Despite working hard at it, I’m quite frustrated.
I began with a clean slate by creating a new model in the transmitter with no mixes. Using the Kopilot’s PWM wiring harness and the transmitter’s RX PORT ASSIGNMENTS function I have programmed the transmitter to AETR rather than the Spektrum standard of TAER. The transmitter now controls ailerons from channel one (rather than the Spektrum standard of throttle on channel one), elevator on channel two (rather than the Spektrum standard of ailerons on channel two), throttle on channel three (rather than the Spektrum standard of elevator on channel three), and rudder on channel four. At the receiver the Kopilot wiring harness’s white wire is plugged into channel one and the mode switch servo plug is inserted into channel five. I have also programmed the transmitter to have the three position “B switch” control the Kopilot’s Mode function (switch position +100 = stabilized, position 0 = not stabilized, position -100 = Return To Home). In the model, the servo connected to the aileron channel (#1) is installed in the left wing, and the right wing servo is connected to the elevator channel (#2). Following the instructions that ZOHD provides, and a number of RUclips videos, I have used the Kopilot’s control panel to set the unit for a flying wing (both green LED’s are lit along with the red GPS LED. As far as I can tell, everything’s perfect - but, there is a problem.
I am flying Mode two - elevator and ailerons on the right stick and throttle and rudder on the left stick. The left stick’s throttle control works just as it should. That is not the case with the right stick. When I pull back on the right stick my wing’s control surfaces move for a left turn (right aileron down, left up)! When I push forward on the right stick my wing’s control surfaces move for a right turn (right aileron up, left down)! When I move the right stick to the right, both ailerons move up. And when I move the right stick to the left, both ailerons move down!
When I engage the stabilizer via the mode switch, corrections made by the Kopilot are a consistent mirror image of the results of control inputs. In other words, when the wing is pitched down, the stabilizer acts to bank the aircraft to the right. When the wing is pitched up, the stabilizer acts to bank the aircraft to the left. Similarly, a left bank brings a downward pitch correction, and right banks result in an upward pitch correction from the Kopilot.
I have had the same results using a different receiver and transmitter, as well. I don’t understand why the transmitter’s right stick has aileron controls on the vertical plane and elevator control on the horizonal plane. I would be grateful for any help you may provide. Thank you
I've only seen issues like this when either the servos are in the wrong connections or you have two different servos in the wings with one moving opposite.. Best of luck
Thank so much. With your help, and some from others, we have the system up and running! I'm grateful for your quick and helpful response!
So, what was the issue?
@@Painless360 As you suggested, the aileron and elevator servos were in the wrong connection, one servo's travel for stabilization had to be reversed at the potentiometer, and the second servo's travel had to be reversed in the transmitter. Three small actions; each, by itself, simple. But when combined, very vexing for over four days. Once again, thank you, thank you!
Glad you got it sorted. Having the servos in the wrong outputs is so common I made a few videos on it with things like INAV. Happy flying!
Thanks fantastic video
Thanks....this is some good 👍gouge!
Nice instructional vid, I never did get auto launch to work consistently on my Dart 250g though. A lesson I learnt, I set fail safe as rth for the Dart rather than my usual throttle kill. On the second flight last time out I did my usual launch, chuck it about a bit then rth while I put my goggles on. I soon realised that it was flying away from me rather than rth, but by that time it was out of range of the XM+ so I never saw it again.
WOW what happened?
Not sure but I think the gps may have lost its signal or kopilot corrupted the home point as it flew off at around 100 ft and I never saw it again.
Having followed this really useful video I had the KoPilot setup in my Drift, but one thing doesn't look right. In manual mode everything is fine but in stabilised mode the AIL and ELV pots which I thought set the gyro gain also affect the servo travel and the lower the gain the less the transmitter can move the servos. For example, in manual mode full stick deflection moves a servo about 60 degrees. In stabilised mode with the gain pot fully clockwise the servo will still move 60 degrees, but if I reduce the gain pot to almost zero the servo now only moves about 3 degrees for full Tx stick deflection. On my planes with gyros such as the nX3 or Multiplex G3 I always start with low gains and after a test flight start increasing the gain until the model starts to over correct, at which point I reduce the gains very slightly. With the Kopilot starting with low gains means that even a full stick deflection hardly moves the servo so I have no confidence to put the Drift into the air as I appear to have no control. Is this gyro gain reduction in maximum control surface movement normal for the KoPilot ?
Moving less in stabilised modes is common. I. E. ruclips.net/video/SA7reaRMF4M/видео.html
Hi Lee, a question on PWM connection on the KOPILOT. I have a Devo7 TX and RX701 receiver which I want to use with my Drift setup. My question is does the RX701 use PWM so it will connect with the KOPILOT as per the instruction sheet. I cannot find anyone who has the answer.
Hoping you might be able to throw me the answer.
Appreciate your help.
It looks like it does from the manual for it I found online. Best of luck
Thank you
thenks
Great follow up video!
Brilliant video, thank you
Man i would be totally down with this thing for certain models if it could do telemetry, Mainly battery voltage but GPS would be nice too.
Quick warning: if you're setting up on your bench in stabilized mode the motor will be grumbling or clicking as it waits for a GPS lock. This means that there is no airflow over the ESC and it can get HOT. Unplug a couple of the motor wires if it's taking a long time to get the pots set up right.
Hi Lee,
I suspect you are getting tired of the KoPilot questions like the ones below. I do hope you would add answers to these:
1.) When selecting the model "Type", is this done in Manual or Stability mode or "either".?
2.) When the Type is done, is there an "exit" step/procedure or do you just go on the rest of the setup?
3.) We know for the initial setup all channels are set to 100%. That Rate causes a lot of excessive control surface throw in Manual mode. There is confusion about what happens within the KoPilot if one later reduces the Rate for less movement. How does this affect the KoPilot, say when switched to Balance/Stabilize or RTH modes. If it is a problem, is there a workaround option to have a lower Rate ...? Suggestions...?
As always, Thank you for the informative video work, DL
The setting button on the KoPIlot settings board does different things depending on the mode so make sure that you are in the right one. Its covered in the video so if you follow it you should be good.
No save process for the type, just stop pressing when the controls work in the right way.
Once you've set it up, the last job is to reduce the throws on the radio for manual mode and turn down the gain on the KoPilot so that they only move that much in stabilise too.
Best of luck!
Hi. I have been flying R/C models since 1962 in all the usual types. But some years ago I thought that my skills had reached the point where it would be better if my models had some level of stabilisation and return to home capacities. I have tried several different systems. Ardupilot, Arkbird, Pixhawk,Mini Pix, and most recently Zohd Kopilot. All proved difficult to set up but the Zohd proved impossible and has, I suspect, a fault. It seems not to be in production any longer. What is there in the current range which fills the bill ? Clear instructions and step by step installation details are essential. My preference is for fixed wing applications. My Mini Pix was the only success I had with Copters but the Mini Pix seems not to be available due to design licensing issues. I have enjoyed your guidance in the past and look forward to some full and frank guidance with a currently reliable product. Best wishes: Birdmanpete
If you are looking for the majic combo of stabilisation with GPS function then that limits the stabiliser options you have. There are lots of 'old-school' stabs. that work great for the basics but very few have added the extra features.
I suspect that your KoPilot is faulty. I've seen a few since it was released. The manual was always a little 'light' on detail so I made the setup videos to help pilots with that.
In terms of the options. KoPilot Lite is still the simplest to setup, and when working (i.e. not broken and setup properly) provides auto-launch, stabilisation and RTH features that you don't need a PC to setup.
Outside of KoPilot, there are a few others about (something called the Sparrow for example) but I've not tried them.
For fixed wing I use INAV. It isn't too tricky, the setup steps are well understood and there is a large community that can help with setup and issues. It does require you to fire up a PC and soldering iron but you can have all of those features you want and so much more.
Check out my INAV for beginners 2023 series for the latest series..
Can I use two separate channels for ailerons or I have to use "Y" connector?
Use a Y
Should come with it’s own y connector.
In regards to trimming. Step 1 fly in manual mode and make the trims on the radio. Step 2 do the calibration using the kopilot in stabilized mode. After you have done the calibration in the kopilot, do you (A) reset the trims to center on the radio or (B) leave the trims on the radio?.
I leave trims as the recalibration is teaching the KoPilot the new 'middle' channel values.
I have recently bought the fpv version of Drift. I wanted to use my Graupner mz12 Pro transmitter to control it together with a pwm receiver from Graupner. When I was setting up de kopilot, my inputs from the receiver don't work. I plugged my pwm receiver correctly to the kopilot with the special cable.
Do you know the cause of this?
If the outputs of the receiver are regular PWM then it would work the same as all other receivers. What troubleshooting have you tried?
@@Painless360 I only have the problems when I want to control the plane with the kopilot, if I unplugg the kopilot and just uwe the pwm receiver, everything works fine
@@robinvanlooy294 Graupner use TAER channel order. Have you re-ordered the pins in the 4-pin connector from the AETR stock order?
Love your videos. And your accent.
I Finally found the time to retry to setup the Kopilot Lite on my Dart 250 but keep running into the same issue. Throttle stops working once I switch out of manual mode.
I really am so close to finally getting it to work.
I’ve setup many Inav and ardupilot planes but this is just killing me.
If the servos are 'twitching' when you can't control the throttle, that is because you are in RTH/Launch mode.. That is normal, throttle only starts when the model detects a throw.
You can have no throttle control in any mode except Manual (if you have the GPS module plugged in) UNTIL you have enough satellites acquired to have a stable GPS lock and the Home Point thus set. Take it outside where it can see the clear sky!
Alternatively unplug the GPS unit and you will have throttle control in all 3 switch positions.
Hi mate, I'm having difficulty on finding the right LEDs for orientation lights that I can use for a octocopter with the Pixhawk 4. Could you do a video or just explain how to set up LED orientation lights for each arm of a drone? This would be a massive help have been searching the PX4 docs for a good hour at this point with no avail. Thanks!
If you're looking for LEDs that are controlled by the FC (i.e. WS2812), then there are some documents on Neopixel support. Best of luck!
Nice one! I guess 0 works as a measure of proximity.
Good explination, thank you
I dont understand why the OSD doesn't have altitude and heading.. It knows this info but doesnt display it for some reason. Seems like a huge mishap to me.
Hi, I have just set up the ZOHD Kopilot Lite in the Dart 250 and your utube videos are invaluable, one problem I have is getting the balance correct, do you think I could reposition the rx into the rear compartment with the escape, incidentally I have made the rear cover removable. I am a bit new to this hobby so forgive me if these questions seem ridiculous. Do keep up the good work. Oldsurveyor 1944
Help me please, I'm struggling. I don't know why in stabs mode when I touch the throttle and move a bit also my elevato start moving in a strange way.i don't know what to do
That is normal for many stabilisers. The elevators rise as the throttle increases.
Can i have crow mix braking when my ailerons are plugged into a ZHOD KOPILOT LITE but turned off? Current set up is a Voalntex Phoenix V2, Flysky FS-i6x and FS-i6b, plus the Kopilot. what i am thinking is it possible to use the crow mix when the Kopilot is NOT engaged like when coming into landing i turn the Kopilot off so would crow braking then work or not? or would i need a bigger number receiver? as i have a 6 channel that is all used up.
As always, a pretty nice video.
I'm trying to use one of these (I know, two years after the release), but I'm unable to use dual rates to make my Drift a little more "mellow" in manual mode.
Is there a way to use dual rates and expo with the ZOHD Kopilot Lite?
Thanks!
Yep. Just set them to work only on the same switch position that you use to select "Manual".
Hi Mate, great video ! I recently bought kopilot lite but having issues with Throttle/ESC calibration. How do you calibrate the throttle /ESC once connected to the FC ? I have used omnibus & matek FC with Inav & ardupilot and they all need throttle calibration via FC to get full range of the throttle . With Kopilot I'm not getting full throttle range via FC?
05:25 As I understand it, if there is no movement in stabilized mode it may be because you do not have a satellite lock
Hi Joe, I have two of these now and have learnt lots from painless360 on this kopilot. You should have movement in stabilised mode with the ailerons/elevator moving in the correct direction to the movement you are imposing, even without gps. The gps is required for the rth position when you have it selected. Don't fly it until you get the gps lock though otherwise when it does lock you will probably see your plane fly away to where it got the lock. If you haven't got stabilised when testing it on the bench then I suggest something is wrong. Make sure your mode switch is set up to work the right way. 👍
Success configuring to T-tail, thanks to you.
No success configuring to wing/elevon. LED configuration is LED1, 2 both on. Power up beeping, but no movement of elevons. No flight modes functioning. No throttle.
Help! Thank you
Sounds like you're not changing the model type. See the video for how I do it. Best of luck!
does the settings module need to stay attached to the fc or can it be removed once set?
thanks
Since commenting, I now own one and now know, it doesn't :)
I still don't understand what fence mode does..and what below 35m?
hi, thanks for your videos, they are very good.
I have two fixed wings of 800 and 1000mm approx with kopilot with the same problem, they fly perfectly in stabilized mode but when I use the semi-autonomous take-off with the RTH or when in flight I put the RTH it goes like sudden jumps entering a loop that if I don't change to stabilized or manual sure it would end very badly.
I have changed gains going down to the maximum elevon, but I do not correct it, I repeat it happens only in RTH mode.
What do you think could happen? Thank you
I set leds lights for v tail. My rudder is controlling v tail like it’s the elevator , and the elevator stick is acting like the rudder… I thought I had the servos reversed,, so I switched them but that did not fix it… I tried changing the mix, switching rudder to elev and vise versa,,, now they work correct but in stabilized mode they do not move to correct in the way they should…
Something you should be made aware of. If you are setting up a Talon250g for instance, then the set-up diagram for the Elevator and Rudder servos is different from that shown in the standard Kopilot Lite manual! The servo connections to the Kopilot are reversed. Compare the Kopilot Manual with the ZOHD Talon250g one! The Talon manual is correct for the way that the servos are mounted in the plane body. This could also happen for some delta wings if the Aileron or Elevator servos are mounted differently to the Kopilot manual diagram. Best of luck!
With my Kopilot in manual mode the elevons on my wing move as expected. When I go to stability mode it stops responding to the aileron/roll stick. Port wing servo is plugged into AEL, starboard wing servo to ELE. Two solid green lights for stability mode on a wing. Pots on control board both about 3 o'clock. What am I missing? 🤷🏻♂️
Not sure, all of the steps I use here are in the video.. Best of luck
hello great videos as always ... unfortunately i can't solve a problem..in autolaunch mode the engine starts before launch ... shouldn't it do it after launch? ... thanks

Usually. Sounds like you've not calibrated the ESC... Best of luck
@@Painless360 thank you Painless .. a greeting from Luigi (Turin)
Painless...what about mounting the kopilot angled slightly nose up(same angle as thrust angle needed to fly true level). Will this compensate and keep the model flying true level without screwing up anything else?
You would want to angle it nose down to force the model to have that slightly nose up attitude in flight. I'd follow the setup guide as it works.. Best of luck
hello, I have the zohd lite and I would like to know about fail safe. do I have to configure it on the radio or is it already configured? My radio is the spektrum dx7s
Does the GPS unit have to be outside of the plane like on the main wing or can it also work inside the fuselage? Thank you!
It can work inside too but the least material between it and the sky is best... Happy flying
i hooked this setup up but not using sbus, my mode doesnt work nor does the led 1 or led2 even light up. I figured it out. Frsky Ethos the AUX in the SXR need to be turned on and the SXR in the RX needs to be turned off.
Thanks for sharing the answer so others can find it! Happy flying!
Hello again Mr Painless. I find your videos extremely helpful. I have moved my Zohd to my asw 28 .It works a treat the only thing I find a little troubling is in RTH once the model is over head the throttle closes to the point where it is just above the stall. I am sure I am doing something wrong. My flying buddy has just bought a motor glider with a Zohd installed but we don't have the leads to go from the receiver to the Zohd. Do you know where I might find them or what they might be called..
RTH is there for an emergency. If you are using it to fly home then take back control before it starts to circle
What would be a small thermal glider with an electric motor for getting up, then to turn it off and search for lift? I would be thermal flying over a big farm field with this zohd copilot in the glider. I have a Taranis Tx just like yours. What receiver should I get? I live in Europe so a receiver that could be used on both EU and FCC mode would be nice. Would like the newest rxtx protocoll as I don’t have any airplane receivers for the Taranis tx yet.
I use the RadioMaster or FrSky ACCST/D16 compatible receivers like the X8R for wings and planes when I don't need Crossfire or Tracer.
I cannot close the hatch after installing the kopilot lite..... I dont understand, was my plywood piece installed too high?
You can cut a relief out of the bottom of the foam GPS cover/holder. It helped here as the GPS was pushed a little.. Happy flying
Does reversing the channels, aileron for example. Mess up the RTH feature because the Kopilot does not know it is reversed?
If you follow the steps it will work. Happy flying
Hello again ....thank you for yr videos as usual I have another question....
When in rth mode ....will the drift or wing loiter when it has come home?
Yes, it'll orbit around the home location.. Happy flying
@@Painless360 thank you sir
Hi Lee, well all is good so far in my set up of KOPILOT and the DRIFT.
The ailerons and the elevator however work in reverse to the stick. You mention if this is the case then fix it by adjusting things in the radio. I have no idea how to do this having searched for information.
My radio is a Devo 7 but the answer to the problem is probably similar for other radios, can you give me some guidance how to fix this please.
Thanks
Reverse the channel. See my plane setup videos. It's also covered in the manual (www.deviationtx.com/user-manual/user-manual-7e-10) - Section 9.8.1. Best of luck!
So this ZOHD Kopilot doesn't have an osd, how does it give you the information you need to make decisions about your flight such as milliamp hours and GPS coordinates and amps?
It doesn't. Look at inav or Arduplane if you want that.. Happy flying
Any idea what it means when I long press the set button both green lights blink 6 times the servos wipe back and forth then the lights go out and I have no controls at all. I have GPS but no green lights ???
Radio calibration. See the manual. Happy flying
Lee, awesome upload and very helpful. Im attempting to set this up with a DX6i (no 3way switch for modes). is it still possible to use this TX with the ZoHD? thanks
Yes you can but you will not get the mode that the middle switch position selects. Maybe you could mix two switches to give you three positions? Best of luck
I have just installed it in a bi-plane. I am using a Spektrum DX8. I have set it to the flap switch. but I can't get it out of stabalize mode. it remains correcting any movement all the time. (I am getting GPS fix) the switch in RTH mode seems to twitch the surfaces. Any advice to get this to work?
I'd check it is on the right channel. Best of luck
hi: can you cheat the barometer of the kopilot to make it think that you are at a higher altitude as the relative zero altitude? IE: if you stand on a really high ladder and let the kipolite caliberate, then will it fly at x + 35 meters? If X is relatively the zero point, but it is artificially high off the ground, then you will have x + 35 meter for RTH? thx.
Maybe. I always let it get a 3D lock and fly from the position I want as home... Happy flying
Thanks for one more great video. Does the kopilot manage the throttle in RTH? In Failsafe, do I need to set throttle position or just RTH?
I apologize if this question has been asked before, I have no idea how to search in the comments.
It does everything in RTH mode. Happy flying!
Painless, what about the failsafe? If the tx and rx loose communication? Does it go into RTH mode? And I see one ail servo input. Does it need Y cable? Thanks.
You need to setup the Rx to make sure that if connection is lost it triggers RTH. If you are using it in a conventional plane layout then you'll need a Y cable.
@@Painless360 P. I ve got it working on a FRSKY PWM receiver with the PWM cable and setup channel 5 goes to -100 when failsafe kicks in. Still one question. Does the Kopilot need to be installed close to the COG? I installed it on a Easystar 1 maybe 10cm in frott of the COG. I could not find the answer in the manual. Thank you.
Hi ive just tried to set this up with the radio master 4 elrs recever and the pocket radio i don't no if your be able to help but I just can't seem to get a 3 position switch to work I get stability mode and return to home manual mod I cant get to work thanks for any advice thanks
Remember that CH5 on ELRS is a two position channel so don't use that for flight modes... Best of luck
Hi, I have set up the kopilot and it works fine. In stabalised mode it flys straight and level, however when I turn the plane it only does a slow gradual turn. It doesn't respond as well as it does in manual mode. What do you think the problems is.
Wally
KoPilot limits the pitch and roll angles when activated. Happy flying!
@@Painless360 thanks for your help
Thanks for the great video! Does the KoPilit have auto leveling when you let go of the sticks or just stabilization?
It does!
Painless360, great vid. Do you know of any flight controllers with RTH that have a trainer mode with stabilization and a regular mode with stabilization. It seems the manual mode on the Kopilot disables the stabilization as well as the auto level etc. I’m looking for a unit less complicated than the iNav or Ardupilot systems.
My set button doesn't do anything, I only get a red led, no greens. I press the set button repeatedly and press and hold: nothing. I unplugged it and plugged back in, still nothing. On top of that the servos work sporadically. If I can't get this to work I'll use a Guardian gyro, which is a shame because I was intrigued by the gps feature of Kopilot.
Check the mode it is in. It makes all the difference. Follow the steps and tips in the video for how I do it... Best of luck
Hi, I have a Zohd dart 250g fitted with kopilot, i've been using a X8R receiver to control her via the SBUS port. I Have recently bought a RX6R receiver to save space, the problem i'm having is that I can get the receiver bound to my taranis X9D plus with ease, but when i connect the RX6R receiver via the SBUS connection port to my kopilot, it dosn't seen to regeister with the kopilot, yet if I change back to my X8R and rebind it , the X8R will connect strait away, I've tried setting a new model up for the XR6R but i'm still having the same problems, do you have any suggestions/help where i'm going wrong, many thanks Dennis H
I'm not sure, isnt there two SBUS connections on it? One sbus input and one output? I'd check that you are using the sbus out... best of luck
Hi Lee, I spent the afternoon watching your set-up video's and got the stabilisation of the Kopilot to work as it should. What I can't get to work, is the ESC, it won't arm no matter what. Connected directly to the receiver (RadioMaster R86C, or R88) the ESC arms, so no defects there. I'm at a loss what to try next...
There is a problem where some escs will not initialise properly because the KoPilot takes a moment to startup and the ESC times out and disables itself the safety... best of luck
@@Painless360 Thanks! Seems like the ZOHD ESC (rebranded Flycolor) is the way to go, unfortunately I only have the 120A and 150A boat versions at hand...
Good video, her is a challenge for you Lee, see if you can get Ko-pilot to work with Flysky FSai6B, tried on Ibus, PWM nada, still think i got a duff one from our lovely friends at BG
It only supports PWM and SBUS... See the videos all about that in the playlist. Happy flying!
Running Kopilot successfully with Flysky FS-i6 + Flysky FS-iA6B (not FSai6B :D) on PWM in ZOHD Dart250G and Volantex Ranger G2. (G2 needs stock ESC replaced with something like Turnigy Plush ESC to work with Kopilot.)
@@theoztreecrasher2647 I was using the FS-IA6B with hobbyking blue 30amp esc, just could not get the ko-pilot to talk with the RX, i still say i got a faulty one but its enough to put me of the product
@@theoztreecrasher2647Thanks for the heads up. I am planning for the same setup, Kopilot on a G2. I got my G2 during the lockdown and so its still in the box. Why do you thing the stock ESC is not suitable to couple with the Kopilot? Is it because the BEC in the ESC cannot handle the load of the Kopilot board and the servos?
@@julianhumphrey4843 Anything's possible but once I've got past the myriad possible pit/pratfalls in setting it up I've found it OK. You didn't mention your Tx. If FS-i6 stock you know you can't use the Sbus output on the iA6B? Only FS-i6X/S can be set for Sbus use with it. Oddly a different brand of receiver with only Sbus & PPM outputs is working with my FS-i6 on a KingKong/LDARC TinyWing.
The ESC incompatibility thing is a known issue.
Edit..FS-i6 stock doesn't have S-bus capability and neither does iA6B (uses i-bus.) I was thinking of iA6C. Old Timers' Disease. :-(
I found this controller excellent for launching and nice and smooth for FPV.But unfortunately the RTH let me down on my last outing.Another loss oh dear.Think I will take up RC cars I may have more success :)
Lee if using 2 servos for ailerons with out a Y can you use the S- Bus or is that port only for S-Bus no exception , and adding flaps . can that be plugged directly into your RX? say channel 10?
OK I figured out that yes I can power the unit from the S-Bus port, Wahooo. still; searching for the separate servos for the ailarons
Well I built a Y to run the ailerons, but I am still curious if they can work separately, and with with the Kopilot powered from the S-Bus can flaps be plugged into the aux port and if so how to have the radio control it. No luck so far making that work.
I've never seen them separate on one of these. Best of luck
Hi, congratulations on your channel.
I have a kopilot, why are movements in stabilized mode so limited compared to manual mode? Is there a possibility of increasing them to make the wing more agile?
thanks greetings
Nope, the max bank and roll angles are set. Happy flying!
@@Painless360 OK thanks,
I will try to play with the adjustment of the gains to be able to have more control penalizing the stabilization a little.
Hi Lee! Thank you for all your tutorials. Greatly appreciated. Maybe a stupid question, I have two aileron servos leads but only 1 aileron connection on the Kopilot lite, where do you plug the second lead in?
You need a Y cable possibly..
@@Painless360 jj604 on rc groups forums asserts that you can run a lot of planes with only 1 aileron fed by the stabilizer and the other (and flaps etc) fed directly from the receiver. He generally knows what he's talking about.
Can I extend the PWN & Mode wires--I have a Radian Pro where RX is underneath middle & ZOHD at top front[with battery & ESC]--Using a Lemon LM0052 RX-Spektrum-No SBUS--thanks
I'm sure you can. Best of luck
Hi Lee! @Painless360
Ive ordered this lastweek,and its just arrived today..greatfull!
1 question just blinked thru my mind; what if during flight with these Kopilot, my airplane receiver suddenly lost signal to my tx radio? Will the Kopilot take-over,or maybe it'll piloting on RTH/Fence mode?
(In this case,im planning to use either std Radiolink R88 2.4g rx, and another setup is elrs..using those Jumper tx module and Aion mini 2.4 elrs receiver)...and had just bought TX16S mkII v4,& im truly new to opentx🤦🏻♂️😅..
Please guide me with some advise...😅
Set up the Failsafe on the reciever to put the Kopilot into RTH model and then it'll fly back to you in the event of a signal loss.... Best of luck
@@Painless360
Ahaa!!! Thats it...
Now i realise how its work!😅👍🏾
Thanks a lot Lee!!... Happy flying-