The mystery that is the KK board

[XH558]

I started an interest in multi rotors earlier this year and designed and built a simple ply and aluminium quad - BUT I just could not master the KK board

I gave up trying to configure it -I got everything to work ok except the roll set up - right roll worked ok (one prop slows down and one speeds up) but left roll made the props do weird stuff like one stopping altogether - I think it may have been connected to the ESCs set up as I think the TX set up was ok - but I couldn';t understand the reversing instructions - I used many and all different types and sources and websites - which kept referring to LED flashes and beeps that never happened on mine.......all I seemed to get was a solid light - if it flashed then it flashed too quick for my old eyes   :huh

So I switched to NAZA and that';s been a big success and fuelled the enthusiasm to perhaps have another go at the KK.

So I';ve started to build another simple quad just for fun and I will need some BIG help with reflashing the KK - when I got it it was supposedly flashed as a quad with the arms North South East & West but I think I want to reflash it as an X ... hark at me... flash ... I don';t even know what that means 

I have the USB dongley flashing thing which has ';CRIUS USBasp V0.2'; on it  - and the black KK board with ';Version 5.5'; on it ...

So kiddies - what do I do ??

I know it';s about software for both the dongley thing and the board - but I couldn';t even get as far as working out which way round the USB thing plugs into the board... :embarrassed :embarrassed

The KK website is written in Swahili too

Words of one syllable and lots of diagrams 

[XH558]

Right - now I';ve just surprised myself ....

I sat down and concentrated real hard and managed to get the USB thing driver thingy on and a green light - I made sure I had latest Java Runtime on - then I used a link from this forum to get me to the KK flash thingy software and worked out which way round to plug the board in by seeing there is a blue light one way - which must be right I figured  :huh

I told the black kk software thing that I was using USBasp  then I selected the KK 5.5 thing - then I selected X Copter and it started to run white text and stuff - then it said ';successfully flashed'; 

I';ve never got that far before so I think I may have done it     not sure I could do it again ...

Now I need to get it connected up and see what happens - I suspect it may not be all plain sailing 

I haven';t got 4 spare motors yet so there';ll be a delay whilst I get some - I do have 4 escs ready ....

The Navy  say .... ';Wait One';

[Gaza07]

Well done you are now a Flasher   

[teslahed]

I told the black kk software thing that I was using USBasp  then I selected the KK 5.5 thing - then I selected X Copter and it started to run white text and stuff - then it said ';successfully flashed'; 

I';ve never got that far before so I think I may have done it     not sure I could do it again ...

That seems very much like the method i used, definitely sounds like it worked. There are lots of different firmwares available for the KK1 board with different ';feels'; to them so it';s well worth playing around with. I tried about 5 or 6 different firmwares before i found the one i liked the best.

You can watch me struggle to fly the kk1 in a badly built pvc quadcopter (the first one) in this video here if you want;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjAqZDN8Wns

I bought the board because it looked cheap and simple, but with hindsight if I';d spent a little bit more and got something with auto-level i might have done less crashing and spent less money in the long run. They do seem to be very good for stunt flying once they are setup right though.

[Balders]

I flew a variety of KK boards, mostly on tricopters but also on a quad (with not amazing success on the quad) and have only in the last week or so moved over to a KK2 on my tricopter.  I';ve not really done much testing with the Tri/KK2 combo, but I';m hoping the autolevel will smooth some wobbles I was getting, especially when filming.

[XH558]

Well I';ve had so much fun with Naza on the old quad and now the Hex that - as I can';t afford 2 Nazas - I';ve decided to resurrect the idea of a KK quad 

I';ve learned a great deal and think it';s worth a shot - I';ve managed to re-flash my Black KK board  - also I have 4 cheap escs that I dumped when I moved on to Opto 30s  - I have the aluminium arms of the old quad - and I have managed to scavenge 2 GWS motors lying around my cave and 2 liberated from my fleet of planks  :wink:

I was having no end of trouble understanding the KK board and I just got so very frustrated it wasn';t the best introduction to multi rotors - but now I feel more confident  ::)

So a fettling we must go ....

Time to get building again .....

Cut some ply centres and begun sticking together ... the old aluminium arms are riddled with holes from the last quad - but I figure that just makes them lighter  :wink:

So here we are as of tonight....

[Gaza07]

I like the center plates they are a nice design 

[XH558]

I like the center plates they are a nice design 

5 minutes marking up with a pencil on the wood - a scroll saw - a disc/belt sander - and you';re done   

[Smeagol]

What cross section are those aluminium arms

[XH558]

What cross section are those aluminium arms

15mm ....  B&Qs best 

[Smeagol]

15mm ....  B&Qs best 

I wondered what size they were when I saw them, stock levels of the 10mm local aren';t good, so I wondered if these were a feasible alternative.

[XH558]

Well..... I pretty much assembled it .... had a stack in the middle with RX on the top and board in the middle to protect it ....

Then realised I couldn';t get to the board if I needed to plug the USB thingy in - so I swapped them over and in my ham fisted way knocked the roll gyro card bit and loosened it .... tried a needle soldering iron to strengthen the joints but only succeeded in making things worse - then the whole thing came adrift    :shock:  :shock:  :oops:  :oops:

So - it';s beyond me fixing it - back to the drawing board .....

Let';s have another look at what';s available now ... and I saw this ......

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__31656__Hobbyking_KK2_0_Multi_rotor_LCD_Flight_Control_Board_UK_Warehouse_.html

Looks pretty good in that all the programming is done on the board ...... I like the look of that .....

So let';s think outside the box (or as the Scottish say ';without the box'; ) and use your experience people ... If I said I had a budget of £30 is it worth getting the V2 board thingy above or is there perhaps another option of another make ????

Opinions  :-k

[teslahed]

I think the KK2 is the best option for a simple easy to configure flight controller that performs well.

Multiwii are the only other flight controllers i know of in a similar price range - but they have many more features and requires a fair bit more setting up, so it';s not really a direct competitor.

For fun and stunt flying i don';t think you can go wrong with the KK2. It performs similarly well to the KK1 only it is easier to setup and has auto-level too.

Alternatively if you want the cheap option i still have an old KK1 blackboard lying around which i could sell for (say) £8 including shipping...

[Gaza07]

The gyro that sticks up is actually the yaw gyro, loosened it you say looks like you knocked it off  the kk2 is a very good board easy to use and flies very well, it is far better than the original kk board, I doubt you would better it with a 30 quid budget   

[XH558]

Yes .... you';re right - so I ordered one 

Funnily enough it';s quoted on the UK warehouse as 46.98$ but when you press ';add to cart'; it drops to 26.98$ 

That';ll do for me 

[dani_r]

I';ve had a huge headache trying to figure out the KK board. I';ve gone for a KK2 board from HK which looks like it will be much simpler! A nice intro to quads I think. I won';t be doing much flashing as I will be predominantly using the DJI systems in the long run. Just want to get to grips with flying the multirotors.

Glad you got to grips with yours though :)

[XH558]

Glad you got to grips with yours though :)

Yeah - till it broke 

Never even got it off the ground 

Higher hopes for the V2.0