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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- Caddx Walksnail Avatar HD Digital FPV affecting GPS.
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None of these fixes worked for me. So I removed my cheap $10 GPS and bought a $40 Matek M10Q-5883 with compass. I soldered it in, no shields on the wires, no grounding the VTx case....I locked 17 satellites in under 30 seconds. The bottom line is you get what you pay for. This latest Matek chip boasts RF noise filtering built in to it's circuitry as well as a higher sensitivity Rx with an LNA. Save yourself the headaches and pay up for a quality piece of electronics. I did, and it just plain works great.
My DJI builds always have 14 sats as soon as I boot up 😉. Kidding aside thanks for exploring the issue and looking for some solutions, great work! It is especially helpful seeing the process of shielding the gps wires. I am impressed any of our quads get a lock at all using 'cheap' $15 gps receivers and antennas.
Thanks for your help. I bought a Walksneil kit yesterday and am planning my third copter. Good to know that beforehand.
So... you added shielding to your wires and then you solder the shield to the source of the noise... since you connected the source (vtx) GND to your frame and then to your wire shield, effectively turning your wire shield into an RF radiator as well. Solution: disconnect that soldered wire from the shield? I never grounded my wire shield on my 4" LR DJI setup after having slow lock in on GPS. Without that extra GND wire it has always performed perfectly.
Superb video Ian, You look/sound much better, please keep up the good work and you’ll be in the best of health in no time Sir. 👍😎🐈⬛
Had similar behavior of GPS problems with my 4 inch quad (diatone romal4).
I had cheap GPS that I supposed to re flash with ublox firmware. Found out that if my gps is closer to crappy Jhemchu F7 mini FC than 11cm it lose fix. No matter how it's powered (dif power sources and so on). I changed FC to kakutef4v2 mini and no longer had that issue and was able to use stock diatone gps mount. Additionally I used shielded wiring just because while all experiments my connectors become crappy.
My reflashed 7$ gps for now works super fast. And I don't use that f722 Jhemchu FC.
In my theory the noise that affects GPS comes from voltage regulator. Because when FC was powered by USB I had FIX, when I power FC from high voltage power source (lipo, lion, DC cable) the GPS receiving strength drops so it loses fix. I was able to see that via ublox PC app while GPS was connected via UART to USB adapter.
I offer Avatar VRX combo and when I will get it I can try to do similar test.
Possible solution to power VTX with minimum voltage with standalone BEC with good filtering (matek BEC) or with clean lab PD?
Or, power it with a small battery to test - even good power supplies (especially ones that come from AC) can still get some noise in the power. Using a 2S or 3S battery (for ~8-12v) directly would be the best option for testing with clean power. Then if it works, use a bec with some capacitors or something on it for the actual quad & see if it works.
Enhorabuena! Muy buen trabajo. Gracias!!
Great video, I would have liked to see the DJI VTX on the spectrum analyzer in comparison. I remember that the Flywoo Explorer had GPS issues as well, Flywoo only did the copper wrap without the clothtape at that time.
Tbh I did think about that but I’ll probably cover it in a separate video
My GPS problem was fixed on the Explorer by a slower baud rate PGS module that matched the slower serial port baud rate.
I used some copper de-solder braid over the GPS wires on my Flywoo Explorer. Then covered the braided wires with some thin heat shrink (as not to short out anything near by), It worked better than the unshielded factory supplied setup.
@@Flash-FX I used to do this too! Works well! I just use copper tape recently though, I find it quickest for me. I have used shielding cloth too, works well, just a PITA to use. I use the cloth for ESCs and FCs.
Nice!
It is kind of messy trying to get gps working. I have one WS build where separation works really well and I consistently lock in under 30 seconds. Not so much on a second quad where I can't get as much separation and shielding the cable hasn't helped.
Hi Ian. I use a DJI system and have a similar issue. My best fix is to warm up the GPS with my Flipper Zero gpio and a GPS app then unplug and plug into the drone. Interestingly my old GPS unit didn’t do this at all. I lost that in a crash. When I refitted the exact same model I had issues, in fact I tried 2 of them. Both returned no sats. It’s 100% interference as shown on your video but pre-warming takes only a minute and works every time. I reckon you could get away with just powering up the GPS, waiting for a lock led and then transferring to drone for a warm startup. Give it a go 👍
Having the same exact issue on my Chimera 7, well, I can either slap on OpenIPC Mario or DJI O3
Grounding the heatsync would basically turn it into a RF shield. Maybe shielding the edges of the VTX, or the side facing the GPS could help too.
I was thinking this. In a bother box.
@@MadRC Yeah, this is probably why we find those "cans" on DJI boards. They're trying to contain the EM noise and prevent it from reaching the GPS and other things.
I wonder if there would be a market for generic shielding cases for various components.
I was thinking this exactly. I will be conformal coating mine and then sheilding on the sides as much as possible. should be easy to just add copper tape to the sides.
a friend of mine has a same problem locking satellite when using walksnail, mounting it at the back as such. but after moving the gps to the arm it sort it out, satellite locked quickly. copper shielded the wire helped too.
Best bet folks is not buy anymore VTX’s From Walksnail/caddx and hopefully they get us a new version out. These current ones are crap.
For me, the separation seems to also be the biggest differentiator. By luck of installation, all of my fixed wings have big separation and no obvious GPS issues (3 planes, GPS lock in about a minute). The 2 quads are much tighter, and both have these issues. As a band-aid fix, I unplug my WS, get GPS lock, plug WS back in, then takeoff. Does not instill confidence for RTH. Working on a better fix now. Maybe someone will start making/selling some shielded GPS cables since it is that sensitive (I know, lazy). Loved the how to build video. Will probably give it a go.
Has worked for me. Thank you ♥
Thanks for the video. Fantastic content as always. One question though, I didn't quite get where the ground wire off the copper tape gets soldered to? Do you solder it to a ground pad on the FC? Thanks
i guess so
Have you considered adding a real pit switch to turn off the VTX. I have the new Bardwell F7 that has this built in. You could set your arm channel so that when it moved up a little but not enough to arm, it turns on the VTX. This would simplify getting a GPS fix without the VTX being powered on.
Except for, then you'll still have the problem the moment you turn on the VTX to go fly...
@@Vousie This is to deal with heat build up because the motors are not running while waiting for a GPS fix. Once you turn the VTX on, you will be arming right after that which should keep the VTX from heating up too much. If you crash in a field, you could also disable thE VTX in that situation to keep it from overheating.
@@TechnicallyTom No... This video is about the Avatar VTX interfering with the GPS signal. It makes the GPS struggle to pick up the signals it needs. So yes, using real pit would let you get a GPS lock with the quad on the ground, but as soon as you turn on the VTX to go fly, then it will start interfering with the GPS again. Perhaps not enough to lose the lock - that depends on how bad the interference is - but it will still degrade the GPS performance.
@@VousieI seem to remember there being mention of heat build up as well. This does not solve the entire issue but at least helps with getting the fix and with heat issues. I know moving or shielding the cable has not worked as well as hoped. Moving the GPS forward on the quad would probably help but this is not convenient on most frames.
Awesome work, Ian! 😃
Did you used 2 pieces of the copper tape or was it just my impression? Because, if you did, you should test the continuity between them... Because there won't be. The adhesive side is isolated.
Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
They were still attached. Even adding more will still conduct as the adhesive is minimal.
Some of the copper tape is both side conductive. I use this one. They have one side conductive too.
@@lemonsquareFPV That one I've never seen. But it could be REALLY useful to make 18650 battery packs, because you wouldn't need a spot welder and using a soldering iron isn't a very good idea.
@@MCsCreations why? Glitter 801B is SOOO cheap spot welder (i use it and it is so cool!), that you can forget other ways.
Have you tried to mount gps module in the middle of the arm?
That has been my go to place for s while 🤔
The copper foil only connected to a GND pad of the FC, which still isn't really a complete shield. Would you try to connect the other end of the copper foil to the GND of the GPS header?
Have you tried shielding your VTX antenna wires?
Found that these crap antennas are not grounded! The ufl was laying on the plastic, not the grounding shield of the antena. Just lazy qc there. After solve it, it worked without problems
I would have used the Braided Shield from another Coaxial Cable. For further testing I would also move the GPS puck.
would I be worth trying a choke on the wire to act as a low pass filter?
I wonder if there's any variance between units. Your test unit grounded with two bolts showed a significant reduction in noise yet there's no way for us to tell if the same happened to the unit on the quad. Would be nice to point that RF meter at the actual VTX that gave you all the trouble and see what's actually going on there.
Why not just run the vtx in the front of the frame near the camera, and just have shielded short wires between the FC in the back closer to the GPS. You can put the ESC wherever, I put it in different places. Works for me.
Also oscillator and electrical noise wise, changing length of the wire short or long helps significantly. I have been unlucky and had a resonant wire length a few times LoL 😂
Best of luck fellow pilots!
From what should you keep the distance as big as possible with the GPS? The two antenna-bulbs, or the VTX - or both? And what would be the distance where you can say, it's much better? 5 inch?
I tried using the ViFly gps mate to power up the gps solo first to get a lock which it does, then power on the quad and it keeps the lock with 10+ sats, but as soon as I arm and the vtx goes to full power, they start dropping and eventually loses all of them 😭
I had this problem with my walksnail v1 vtx. Did everything with shielding, moving the gps to the front and grounding the vtx. Could not get stabel gps. I gave up and laid it a side for one year. Yesterday i upgraded the FC to BF 4.5 and the walksnail wrx and vtx to latest firmware. Now I have stabel 10-12 sats and everything is golden. I have an M8 gps.
Twisting the wires helps with interference and crosstalk. I've seen that be a simple fix with noise.
Hi Ian. Can you tell me the center-to-center distance of the 2 m2 mounting holes on the 19x19 cam? Can't seem to find it anywhere... Thanks!
Lol that iFlight xl5 hd frame is so heavy!
can I use aluminium tape instead copper tape??
Why not try having the GPS module out of the radiation sphere of the VTX?
Another reason I'll stay with DJI and wtfOS.
I’m selling my WS because of this stupid crap. The VTX’s are garbage
Nice mine is only under should i do the same as you it is much safer
Could use shielded cat 5 6 or 7 Ethernet cable
I used some CAT6 in my car stereo install = FTW.
or a thin usb cable if you don't like the idea of having half an inch cable on your quad :) Just use D- for GND and D+ for GPS_TX because you really want those to be in the same twisted pair.
@@jiatan_fpv I agree I would never have to do this since I won't be flying Walksnail, yeesh.
@@jiatan_fpv I use this occasionally, works well, and wires are nice and small (even with shielding) I use HDMI cables too. Just an idea for others. Works very well! Definitely recommend!
A bolt used to ground reminds me of an electrical inspector that failed my electrical service installation because I used a nut, bolt ant two star lock washers the ground the sub panel to an earth ground rod. He could find any legit issues but was determined to fail the installation. He wanted a self tapping scew to ground the lug, he got it, when he passed the installation I reinstalled the nut, bolt and washers.
If your using a serial port with a slow baud rate your GPS must also have a matching baud rate.
i HAVE ZERO ISSUES. im using m880 gps tho. but i moved my gps away from my antennas. HDZero was the same when I used it. the antennas are blocking your signal. move your gps and you'll be fine
Why not mount the gps at the side at the quad? and make a 3d print to hold the gps .
Have you tried ferrite rings?
Anything you would do differently for HDZero and GPS?
My speedybee TX800 did the same to my gps. what i did is shielding the GPS wiring with EMI shielding tape and grounding the tape surface. it did work well untill the gps pop off and exposing the gps connectors to VTX antenna and I get 0 GPS again :(
everything needs to be shielded, the flight controller, all cables, the video transmitter.
Hey buddy have you found a solution to the GPS problem
Still ongoing.
@@MadRC since I fly fix wing I rapped my wires in aluminum foil and then electric tape and mounted it far away as I can from the vtx as I could, have yet to try it , hopefully it helps
5 weeks and 2 fried WS VTX’s and I called it quits! This is insane stupid. The fb group for Walksnail is filled with Fan boys that like calling you an idiot if you complain about Walksnail and told me just not use a gps! Lmao. I prefer to no where my models go down and not spend hours or even days looking for a downed model so that a no.
@@jimmytheriot8978 I had mine 10 inches away on mini talon and still couldn’t get reliable lock. I’ve shelved the system and went back to DJI in hopes Caddx releases a V2 vtx because the 2 they have out now are garbage
@@Freebird_67 I separate mine about 10" , running the new beta firmware all is good , did over 5 miles the other day no problem
Not entirely clear on why people use copper tape rather than aluminum foil, when most people already have aluminum foil.
hahaha - I called this a long time ago...
@liam when you see this.
Great work Ian
Walksnail….still a beta project in my opinion. Hopefully with the work your doing along with others it can be the system everyone hoped for.
Shielding the VTX antennas?
thats going to prevent your Antennas from functioning as thier purpose is to radiate RF.
@@MachuPichuu I was referring to the antenna wires not the nodes at the tips
@@MachuPichuu Mads Tech has a video on how to shield the wires with supplies that you can get off of Amazon for cheap
I have yet to get a lock on 2 different builds. One quad and one Mini Talon. After screwing around with all this dumb shit mods I shouldn’t even have to do BOTH my Walksnail vtx’s failed. Good riddance. I boxed up the goggles in hopes Caddx releases a V2 vtx. If not I’ll sell the goggles. Definitely not wasting my money on current caddx WS VTX’s
Just buy DJI if gps is important to you
My GPS are all on custom pillars at the FRONT of the quads...well away from the VTX antennas...Lipos are all underslung for good reception of video...😏😳😏😏😏🇬🇧
Those tywraps laying across your GPS antenna isn't helping..Those two Omni's banging out 700mw ain't either. Could they be any closer?...Stupid Chinese design is what it is..Looks neat, but poor performance...🤔😳😏🇬🇧
Fact. But never had this issue with DJI gear. Why I went back and shelved this WS crap. I do like WS goggles and the video feed is nice and in some respects as good as dji imo but I can’t get over these crap vtx they spit out. Total garbage
@@Freebird_67 Nothing wrong with the WS VTX.....GPS type and location is the problem...🤔😳🇬🇧
@@EnglishTurbines boggles the mind that people tend to forget that if you put an antenna in the radiation sphere of a radiator. You are going to have problems.
@@matthewmaxwell-burton4549 Agreed, Christopher F here obviously doesn't understand RF basics though, for example....Made himself look a twat....What can you do?...🤔😳🙄😏😏😏🇬🇧