Buy Now! The Barometer sensor cover with foam insert provides isolation of the baro sensor from wind, sunlight and prop wash. This greatly improves the altitude hold features of the copter.

On V3 models the baro cover and foam simply snap into place where there are matching holes on the board and plastic holding pins on the cover. On V1E models there are no pin holes but the baro cover can be easily retrofitted and glued onto the board.

You may be asking why direct sunlight would affect the sensor. Barometric sensors also require temperature measurement to accurately calculate the altitude. Direct sunlight heats the metal case of sensor and causes temperature fluctuations as well as a difference between the ambient air and metal case temperature; like black pavement is much hotter than the air above it (in the summer).

In short, here are the steps to retrofit a V1E model:

1. Cut the plastic holding pins on the baro. (Will already be done by us if we know it is a retrofit.)
2. Place the foam into the baro cover.
3. Place a *small* amount of super glue to the bottom edges of the bar cover
4. Place the baro cover onto the V1E board in the proper orientation and hold for a few minutes.

Use a razor blade to cut the plastic nibs off and ensure the baro cover edges are flat so the super glue will adhere around all edges. If you haven’t already, remove the blue tape that is blocking the Baro. The blue tape protects the baro sensor during board cleaning and shipping.

Now test fit the baro cover onto the V1E board without using glue. Notice that there is a little cutout in the corner of the bar cover. It is to fit over the transistor shown at left. The corner of that transistor is just a little bit in the way thus requiring the cutout in the baro. The edge of the baro cover will fit snugly between the orange colored capacitor marked C24 and the baro.

Hold the baro orientated so that it will be easy to place directly on the board. Now apply a small bit of super glue around the edges of the baro cover. Be careful not to use too much or touch the foam as it would later turn hard and not breathe. I find it helps to squirt the glue onto a piece of paper and then use the applicator tip to transfer glue to the baro edges.

Now place the baro on the board and hold for 1 minute. Remember the corner cutout is to go over the transistor so hold the baro cover when applying glue so it can easily flip over and onto the board properly aligned. We’ve included some extra foam just in case you need to try again.

Let the board sit for 12 hours so the glue fully cures. Crazy glue is fast but it actually takes 12-24 hours to fully cure and reach maximum strength. You can try it a half hour after if you are gentle.

Latest updates

• Use the New Online Help-Desk Ticketing System to submit your recall documentation and get email updates, no PDF needed. PDF recall documents will still be accepted if you prefer.
• Recall processing is closed for the summer months and will resume the 1st of September.
• Over 90% of all affected units have been serviced. No issues reported after servicing, everyone is flying great!
• We've added a Canadian service depot! see below.

Servicing and Recertification

Your unit will be repaired, tested, and returned to you with a new crystal of a different part# than the original. The new crystal has gold plated contacts for a better solder weldment and improved overall characteristics.The part number for the new crystal is (Abracon Corporation) ABM7-16.000MHZ-D-2-Y-T, or digikey# 535-9840-1-ND, it is a 16MHz 18pF quartz crystal with a footprint size of 0.236" L x 0.138" W (6.00mm x 3.50mm). PLEASE be sure to tell us the serial number of your unit if you self-service so that we can track outstanding recall units. Thank you!

Time Limit and Availability of this Recall

There is no time limit for this recall. Although, we urge you to return your unit for repair immediately. Servicing and recertification is available to anyone with a V1E regardless of the original ownership, just send it to us no questions asked.

Risk to user and bystanders

It has been discovered that it is possible for a dying crystal to cause the motors to throttle up even while the copter is in the "disarmed" state. Though this is a rare occurance, it has been reported and recently deduced to be caused by failure of the quartz crystal. We've tracked an unusually high number of warranty returns with faulty crystals and up to now were happy to handle each as a warranty issue. However, in light of new evidence regarding the safety of a faulty crystal we feel obligated to recall all units with this part#.

See What Went Wrong? at the bottom of this text for more information on the risks concerned in this recall.

How to proceed:

1. Download the Recall form below
2. Print and complete the form and mail to us along with the Quadrino V1E to one of the addresses at the bottom of this page.

Download the Quadrino V1E Recall Form or use the New Online Help-Desk Ticketing System and get email updates.

• We will notify you once we receive the unit.
• Your unit will be promptly serviced and returned to you.
• Return multiple units together using a single form but list each serial# on the form.
• If the unit's serial number is damaged, state DAMAGED in the serial number box. A new serial will be assigned by us. Please do not intentionally damage the serial number as it is the only way for us to track the manufacturing data of each unit.
• Place the unit in an air-tight zip-lock bag or anti-static bag if possible.
• Do not include the EZ-Connect Wiring harness, you can leave this attached to your quadcopter.
• It is not required to contact us regarding your return, the form tells us everything we need to know. If you do not receive notification of receipt of the unit within 1 week for domestic US shipments, or 2 weeks for international you should contact us for an update. If you have questions and wish to contact us you can do so using our contact information found on the Recall form.

 Contacting Us

Our contact information is listed on the Recall form. You may also speak to us during our regular weekly webex meeting on Sundays.

DIY User Servicing / Performing the repair yourself

We recommend that you return your unit to us for the proper servicing procedure. Though given the technical nature of many of our customers, under some circumstances we may grant the user (you) to service thier own unit and we can ship the replacement crystal to you. Performing the desoldering of the old crystal and soldering of the new one does require a competent level of soldering experience to be done properly. Recommended tools and supplies would be a soldering iron capable of surface mount soldering, hot-air or infrared reflow tool, small gauge high-quality solder and flux. The repair is further complicated by the conformal coating that protects the boards. If not done carefully the conformal coating may become marred making the repair visually unappealing (but otherwise fine). If you have surface mount soldering experience and feel you can do the repair yourself contact us using the information in the Recall form to discuss further.

Where to send your unit

Send your unit(s) and recall form to one of these addresses:

United States or International

Colin Mackenzie
11242 Kapok Grand Cir
Madeira Beach, Florida
USA, 33708
 

Canada

flitelab.com
c/o Schooner Solutions Inc
217 St George Blvd
Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia
Canada, B4B 1K7
 

What Went Wrong?

The crystal on the Quadrino is the basis for the timing of all systems within the flight controller including the timing of the motor output PWM signals. This is common of all RC flight controllers. In most circumstances quartz crystals are a very reliable source of timing. Quartz crystal are found in many electronic devices, including your computer, laptop, PDAs and even your wrist watch. It is a piezo-electric based device which, in simple terms, is the electrical equivelent of an elastic and a transducer (speaker). When a signal is applied to the crystal it vibrates at a resonant frequency just as an elastic would vibrate if exposed to the proper sound, in our case the crystal vibrates at 16MHz or 16 million times per second. 

In most cases, these dying crystals die completely and instantly which results in a completely unresponsive unit. This is a good thing! In some rarer instances as the crystal is dying it appears to "slow down", meaning instead of outputting the constant 16MHz signal it drop down to 15MHz, 13, 12, 10, 5, ....then stops. If we turn off the sound on our vibrating elastic, the elastic continues to vibrate for a very short time afterwards but quickly slows down until it eventually comes to a complete stop. The quartz crystal can have the same effect. It is this slowing down of the crystal that poses the greatest risk.

As mentioned earlier, the crystal is the basis for all timing on the controller. As the crystal slows down, it slows down the controller's microprocessor and the system that controls the PWM motor output. This has an effect of stretching out the signal. Think of workers working under tight deadlines. As the workers slow down, thier deadlines naturally begin to stretch out. PWM motor signals are all about timing. The PWM signal is an ON or OFF signal where the ON time is measured between 1000 and 2000 microseconds (usec). A 1000 usecs of ON time tells the motors to stay disarmed, whereas an ON time of  between ~1250 and 2000 usecs tell the motor to throttle between idle speed and full throttle, respectively. Flight controller's must send a minumum of 1000 usec at all times or else the motor/ESC will enter a power-down state and continuously beep (typical case). In the case of a crystal whose frequency is slowing down this 1000 usec signal (disarm command) is stretching out into the 1250 and beyond range which is causing the copter to throttle up unexpectedly. The crystal will completely fail within a few seconds but in those few seconds an out of control copter could cause significant damage or injury. For this reason, it is imperative that a recall on this crystal part# is done even if the unit has been operating normally all this time.

Videos

Sometimes the most innocuous thing can come back to bite you! Dave Jones of EEVblog explains a very costly mistake he encountered while working for one of his past employers. Excellent story!

EEVblog #10 - How a rubber band cost millions of dollars

Disclaimer: GPS for multi-rotors are not for the entry-level consumer. You should be an experienced pilot before attempting to use the Position Hold, Return to Home or Waypoint features of GPS enabled copters. The use of this product without due regard for safety could result in serious hurt to someone or their property.

Buy Now!

Features:

1. Supports Position Hold (PH) and Return to Home (RTH) features of MultiWii
2. Multi-color LED bargraph shows how many satellites are being tracked. Very useful during flights to gauge how well your position hold will be. This seems to be a unique feature of the Quadrino GPS.
3. 20Hz update rate - highest in the market for the best position hold.
4. Based on the 56-channel Venus GPS by SkyTraq. This board regularly tracks 10 or more satellites considerably reducing the positional error.
5. microSD socket on the bottom for GPS position logging. Review your flight path later on Google Earth!
6. Native binary or NMEA mode. The binary mode is recommended since it reduces the communication traffic between the GPS and the embedded microprocessor.
7. NMEA mode can be used to interface with an on-screen display (OSD) module as well as the Quadrino FC.
8. 200mF SuperCap provides battery backup to the GPS satellite positions for hot-start between main battery swaps. Unlike coin-cell batteries supercap's don't die after a few months.
9. High quality 4-layer PCB design for better noise immunity and RF quality.
10. Easy to upgrade - Firmware port and electronic bus switch means upgrading the firmware on the unit is a snap! No complicated signal crossing, blink sketches or jumpers...it just works like it should.  (Some of you know what I am mean!) More information below.
11. Includes the Patch antenna with 6 inch (15cm) cable and SMA male connector.

Using the Position Hold and Return to Home features of this GPS module will require some setup and tuning on your part. This module is not as plug-and-play as the Flight Controller. We are continuing to test and refine the code and options so we expect this to improve in the future. The settings can be tuned through the MultiWii GUI Config application and/or the Quadrino Firmware Config Tool. If you have an android phone and a bluetooth module on the Quadrino you can even configure in the air! At the very least, you will need to run the Firmware Config Tool to enable the GPS features of the flight controller and to determine the Magnetic Declination of magnetic North for your local area. If you are simply using this as a GPS logging device than no configuration is required, just stick in a microSD card and you're all set to generate log files with 20 updates per second! 

Technical Specs

1. Up to 400Hz I2C communication
2. Requires 5V that can be supplied by Quadrino FC board or by ESC BEC.
3. Hot start in 2 seconds!
4. Firmware port (bottom) fits the Sparkfun FTDI breakout board pin-out.
5. Dimensions are 1.5in X 1.4in (WxH)
6. 3D model available in STEP format

⁽¹⁾ Quadrino GPS fits versions V1D, V1E and later models without the need for any wiring. Earlier models such as V1C will need 2 wires for power, contact us for more info and we'll include the required power wires.

POWER CONSIDERATIONS

You should give some thought to power requirements when adding the GPS module. The Quadrino board is capable of powering the GPS module but may have difficulty if also powering a bluetooth device from the SERIAL header. The limiting factor here is the protection diodes labeled D1 and D2 which are rated at max 500mA of sustained current.  In this case, you should probably power the bluetooth module seperately and only connect GND, RX and TX to the Quadrino from the bluetooth module while connecting VCC on the bluetooth module to another ESC or switching BEC. 

HOT STUFF  Some users have reported thier ESC getting hot when adding the GPS module. This is due to the limited power supply ability of some ESCs. The Quadrino flight controller requires about 50mA typical. The GPS module can require up to 150mA when searching for satellites. The combined current can exceed the capacity of some ESC integrated regulators causing them to heat up even when thier datasheets clearly state higher capacity. Most ESCs are fine and run cool. To test simply hold your finger on the ESC that is powering everything and monitor the temperature for a few minutes. If it becomes hot then purchase a "switching BEC" from your RC hobby shop and use that to power the board. The switching BECs are more powerful and can handle much more current than just the flight controller and GPS module.

Obviously, if you have purchased the GPS add-on as part of a Ready-to-Fly built quad by one of our dealers then all this has already been considered for you.

Buy Now!

Latest MultiWii Firmware

The latest version of the MultiWii is version 2.0 Pre2 (2nd Release Candidate) released on March 13th 2012. MultiWii is working up to version 2.0 and this is the second candidate to having a stable version 2.

I've personally tested this out on the Quadrino and overall this is an excellent new release! Acro (gyro) flight is noticably smoother, it reminds me of the flight of a dragonfly! It's just smooth and maneuverable!

Autolevel now contains an auto tuning feature which is enabled in this firmware. This auto-trims the autolevel during flight. Trimming your autolevel was always a bit of a pain. It wasnt a hard process once you did it a few times, but it tripped up quite a few new users to MultiWii. Now we can look forward to great auto-leveling from the get-go!

Head-Free mode (Care-free)

MultiWii version 2.0 includes a new feature called Head-free mode that is great for beginner flyers or for times when you lose orientation of the copter. Do you fly in the dark? With Head-free mode the copter essentially has no "front" and roll/pitch will react according to your perspective. So no matter the copter orientation, joystick forward is fly away, back is fly towards you, left is bank left, and right is bank right. It's that simple and it works! 

To illustrate, I had just got my Gaui330 flying again and due to some twisted arms I had a nasty yaw problem. The copter was spinning like a top a full 360 degrees about every 3 seconds. Instead of compensating with yaw stick, I turned head-free mode on. I flew my spinning top without any problem. It was pitch black out and all I could see is the blue stable light yet I could still fly the copter around even with it spinning!

[notice class="attention"]If you are upgrading from MultiWii 1.9 to 2.0 your accellerometer (ACC) sensor will read crazy. This is expected due to a change in the ACC scale/calibration. Simply place the quad on the table or floor as level as possible and hit the CALIB ACC button. Two seconds later all sensor lines will read normal again. The ACC Z parameter, in case you notice, will now settle at a 256 level as opposed to the old 512 level.[/notice]

Latest Firmware - MultiWii Version 2.1

Read the tutorial on Flashing your Firmware before flashing your Quadrino for the first time!

MPU6050

Some units shipped with the MPU6050 combined Gyro and Accellerometer sensor. Units with the new combo sensor will have the ACC sensor position on the board unpopulated. Bosch Sensortech has discontinued the BMA180 accellerometer with no compatible substitute so the switch to the MPU6050 was required. There is no difference between the operation of the two sensors. (The MPU6050 sensor has some stated features for pre-computing the ACC/Gyro sensor data but documentation of these features are currently withheld by the manufacturer and are thus not used by MultiWii.)

 Stable Version

Download MultiWii V2.1 for Quadrino Zoom "Rev 1E" with ITG3200

Download MultiWii V2.1 for Quadrino Zoom "Rev 1E" with MPU6050 

Beta Testers (2.1 Dev1)

Download MultiWii V2.1 DEV1 for Quadrino Zoom "Rev 1E" with ITG3200

Download MultiWii V2.1 DEV1 for Quadrino Zoom "Rev 1E" with MPU6050

Older Firmware (for ITG3200 only)

Version 2.0 is a good stable version and has shipped on many units.

Download MultiWii V2.0 for Quadrino Zoom "Rev 1E"

The following are pre-releases leading up to the "stable" version 2.0.

Download MultiWii V2.0 Prerelease 4 for Quadrino Zoom "Rev 1E"

Download MultiWii V2.0 Prerelease 2 for Quadrino Zoom "Rev 1E"

Download MultiWii V2.0 Prerelease 2 for Quadrino Basic

MultiWii V1.9 is a good stable version that has shipped with most Quadrinos since December of 2011.

Download MultiWii V1.9 Stable for Quadrino Zoom "Rev 1E"

Download MultiWii V1.9 Stable for Quadrino Basic