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Professional Tuning Service

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Brian White edited this page Jan 18, 2022 · 238 revisions

Welcome to the PIDtoolbox Tuning Service!

Whether you're a hobbyist or professional drone operator, PID tuning can seem overwhelming and complicated. Blackbox tools like PIDtoolbox are pretty sophisticated and require a lot of background knowledge. Furthermore, many people simply don't have the time to put into it, or they just wanna fly. While defaults and presets will get you in the air fast, nothing beats a custom tune! As the developer of PIDtoolbox, I'm happy to offer this service to the community at two price points (Commercial, Hobbyist) to fit the needs of the broader community!

  • For a free assessment of any issues that might prevent moving forward on the tuning process, forward a logfile to the PIDtoolbox guy on Facebook messenger or on my Discord. If there are no outstanding mechanical issues, you can move forward with the service by selecting the option below that suits your needs.

  • Support the PIDtoolbox project on Patreon. Some clients find some combination of 1-on-1 tuning service plus one of the Patreon tiers to fulfill their needs. I'd encourage you to look at these options and think about how they might work together. I hope you find this useful.

  • If you'd just like to donate to the PIDtoolbox project, it is so much appreciated, thanks! PayPal Donation Thanks!

The Service

The PID tuning service I offer is very data driven, systematic and precise. It doesn't matter what drone, the principles are the same. I've tuned everything from micros, 5-7inch freestyle quads, to pretty much every x4 and x8 cinelifter platform that Shendrones and other companies make. It is done over direct 1-on-1 video chat meetings (typically over Zoom) and direct messages. Generally speaking, my method involves a set of specialized flights while recording blackbox log data from Betaflight, Emuflight or INAV (the service not extended to non-logging platforms). Depending on the option you decide to go with, I provide various levels of step-by-step guidance through my method, making changes to the PIDs, filters and other configurator settings along the way. We use PIDtoolbox through the entire process so there's perfect opportunity to learn a lot in the process, and carry it forward in future builds! The "big-picture" value of this service cannot be overstated!

There are 2 options

Option-1 (Commercial, $200 CAD): Cinelifter/videographer, Professional start to finish PID/filter tune with full instruction and multiple 1-on-1 video-based meetings

Book your 1-on-1 Meeting Now!

This option is the most comprehensive step-by-step guidance through my tuning process, and may involve multiple direct 1-on-1 video-based meetings (usually through Zoom). The fee is $200 CAD for the 1st complete tune (1st rig), and $150 CAD for every subsequent tune (2nd+ rig), as the client learns the method. A "complete tune" refers to some troubleshooting, configurator set up, filter recommendation, PID tune, final field test plus any additional fine tuning, for ONE specific rig/drone. A "subsequent tune" refers to the entire process described above on a new specific rig/drone from the same client. The value here cannot be overstated, even for semi-advanced clients. You'll learn how to carry this knowledge forward and how to troubleshoot most issues that confuse so many people.

This option is for professional and commercial pilots, and those who want step-by-step instruction of my method. It is also for those who want the very best flight performance, and are super picky about forward flight stability for HD videography. Note, this option includes some reasonable level of troubleshooting, such as improving forward flight instability, propwash control, or reducing motor heat issues. I do tend to go out of my way in this regard to make sure clients are as satisfied as possible.

Option-2 (Hobbyist, $50 CAD): A 30min 1-on-1 video-based meeting with follow-up logfile analyses

Book your 1-on-1 Meeting Now!

This will include a 30min 1-on-1 video-based meeting (usually Zoom) with follow up logfile analyses done via direct messaging (Facebook messenger or email). The client will forward a set of logfiles from ONE rig/drone in advance of the meeting, and I will analyze these files and gather information to formulate a detailed set of changes that will be implemented during the 1-on-1 video meeting. Ideally, the client would have followed the "Basement Tuning" method described in videos on my YouTube Channel, and would send a comprehensive list of the logfiles collected from that method. That said, if the client did not complete my method the first meeting could be used to help answer any questions to fill in knowledge gaps about the method. Otherwise, the client may also bring logfiles from a different method, I am happy to analyze any logfiles and give my professional advice in any case. Clients will be given a written, detailed recommendation including step-by-step changes in the configurator settings (PIDs, filters, other key parameters), as well as specific mechanical recommendations if needed. Usually these changes will be followed by an analysis of a new set of logfiles, and some final tweaks.

This option is for the individual that has pretty good tuning experience but needs expertise in detailed analyses, troubleshooting, or just filling in knowledge gaps. This option is best for hobbyists, and freestyle FPVers, or those with a good background in PID tuning and filtering but need specialized help tuning, filtering or troubleshooting.

TIPS

1. Please name logfile with concise yet informative names, no spaces (e.g., ThrottleRamp-YourName-Rig.bbl , PDbal-Tests-YourName-Rig.bbl , PDgain-Tests-YourName-Rig.bbl , MasterMult-Tests-YourName-Rig.bbl , Iterm-Tests-YourName-Rig.bbl , and so on)

2. When preparing initial logfiles, be sure to include at least one throttle ramp. The throttle ramp is used to set up or adjust filters.

  • A throttle ramp is a flight with a slow 0 to 100% throttle increase, typically ~5-10 seconds in duration, e.g., video of what a throttle ramp looks like
  • Log at 2k, with debug mode set to record prefiltered gyro data (debug mode = 'gyro_scaled' in Betaflight and Emuflight, 'gyro' in INAV)

3. Please take a look at my YouTube Channel and familiarize yourself with my 'Basement tuning' approach.

  • For clients that choose option 1, the PID tuning portion will involve a series of short (20-30sec) line-of-sight flights like this: Example "basement tuning" step test.
  • For clients that choose option 2, to get the most out of this option it would be good, though not essential, if you collected data following my "Basement tuning" approach. If you get stuck at any point, that's fine. Our meeting will clarify the rest, and any collection of data will be useful.

A short list of my clients

Credentials

I've been building, flying and tuning multi-rotors since ~2015. I'm very active in the FPV social media space, and I am a part of a team of experts in our hobby that communicate daily in a private Slack channel, which includes the most active Betaflight developers, and many other experts. Outside the hobby, I have ~15 years experience in science and data analysis, I earned a PhD in Neuroscience in 2006, published in scientific journals, and work at a Canadian University, where I analyze neural data surprisingly similar to the gyro and PID data from blackbox logfiles. PIDtoolbox would not have been possible without my professional experience in science

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