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Setting up Matek 5in1 PDB for lost model alarm on Naze (or any aux triggered device)
#1
Recently I was building my XD stealth 150 (hey Oscar, when is yours ready?). One thing I discovered right away was the fact I have to make everything fit in a very small constrained space. I opted to use Matek 5 in 1 PDB, which among being a PDB (5v/12 and LED power) it is also utilises a powerful buzzer than can be used as a low voltage battery alarm and a lost model alarm (very useful for such a tiny model!). This tutorial can be used to learn how to setup a trigger with Naze32 for any device needed signal input. I'm going to use naze32 feature to control 2 Servos as pan and tilt as the source for input for the alarm.

The battery alarm setup is straight forward. The board would take voltage directly from the battery and there is a button to cycle through setting the alarm off on 3.4v, 3.5v or 3.6v. Just power the board and cycle through, a tiny LED would indicate your selected settings. However when I searched the interwebs, I could not find a good tutorial on how to setup the lost model alarm on this capable board. I have figured it out and thought it might be useful for others. Here we go.

[Image: 5AlaWq7l.png]

First thing first - connect your PDB supplied servo wire (JST) to the soldered pins on the power distribution board (the bottom part of the PDB on the image above - I am attaching an image to illustrate this). The orange arrow is the AUX or signal wire, where you would use input from your flight controller to invoke the alarm. Red arrow is the positive live wire while the black arrow is the ground/negative. Both should be connected to your flight controller ESC rail (more on this in a moment). However, please pay attention, if you are using the 5V BEC output marked in a circle, remove (or don't connect) the live wire (red line). 

Next we need to connect the flight controller to PDB in order for it to control and invoke the alarm. I am using Naze32 (rev 5 on this case) so my tutorial here would be on setting up this board. I'm also using clean flight configurator. However it's possible to setup on other boards too, just follow the and apply the same logic. I connected the AUX from the PDB to the ESC rail on the first port (ESC 1). It just happens to be that you can make use of the ESC to control a servo (pan and tilt). 
[Image: 5MKLPtNl.jpg]

The input can be simplified to just trigger a single, in our case the PDB alarm. This is how you do it:
Enable servo tilt on the settings tab in clean flight.
[Image: DA46lRfl.png]

Then select the channel on which you would trigger your alarm from the radio. I use AUX4 on my taranis. Set that up on the Servo tab. Also make sure your 'end points' are set on the min/max settings. In most cases the defaults work just fine.
[Image: 9JERLUsl.png]

Last point to remember is that there is no need to setup the buzzer option on your radio modes, so just leave it as is.
[Image: IJvZ24ul.png]

Note that once servo tilt is enabled, all your ESC are pushed by 2. So what used to be ESC3 is now ESC1, ESC4 is ESC2, 5 is 3 and 6 is 4. You cannot setup a hex on this setup. Also note that ESC1 is now used for tilt and ESC2 is used for pan.
And thats about it. Your alarm should be invoked now by your chosen switch on the radio.
You can use this to setup anything on the naze32.
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#2
Mine is still in progress.. Having lots of trouble with the atom cc3d...

Great tutorial detail and well explained Smile
Actually this article can be split into 2.. One for the pdb setup another for output pwm signal from Naze would you mind if I edit it for you ?

How do you find the matek 5 in 1 PDB?
Don't be a LOS'er, be an FPV'er :)  My Gear - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
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#3
Sure you can split this. Although I believe the article's value is as a whole. For a tutorial about pwm output, a section about the radio configuration is required otherwise it would not be a standalone.

I think the matek board is very neat. I read their quality might not be that great and the BEC dies sometimes. But utilizing so many features for a board less than 10usd is amazingly value for money.

PS. I hope I'd remain a candidate for the reward. that is if you split this in two Smile
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#4
Yea I think you really deserve my prize this week ?

Splitting the tutorial depends on specific application just makes it easier for people to search and refer to it ?
Don't be a LOS'er, be an FPV'er :)  My Gear - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
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#5
Thank you Smile
Thinking of more idea's for articles that can help the community.
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#6
Jazzcool, thanks for the tutorial! I have a Matek 5-in-1 PDB as well but the X-Racer F303 board and X4R communicating over Sbus.

However, I only soldered enough pins on the FC for 4 motors and the 5V input, but I have the 3 extra PWM channels on the X4R, so I was going to use one of those channels directly to the PDB for my lost-model buzzer (bypassing the FC completely). I don't even know if I have room to put more pins on the FC (it's a 180 quad so very cramped).

The problem is, the PWM channels are apparently hardwired as 1-3, which are the same channels as used for the main flight axes like pitch and roll. Apparently the same info is sent over Sbus Channel 1 as PWM channel 1, for example (if anybody thinks that's false let me know).

One solution to this might be to remap the channels (e.g. bump them all up by one, so flight channels are 2-5, AUX are 6 and higher), freeing up Channel 1. While we're at it, why not just remap everything by +3: then you have 3 completely independent PWM channels.

I guess that would involve some programming on the Taranis and in Cleanflight. Do you (or anyone) think that is the correct solution? Kind of makes me nervous to remap the main flight axes! I've also heard of custom firmware for the X4R that allows the PWM headers to be mapped to other channels… but I'd rather not go there. Sounds like it would need compilation and an FTDI tool, things that love to fail spectacularly.

Thanks for any help/advice…
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#7
Not sure how to help exactly, I don't use that board. Is it compatible with CleanFlight? However I think you missed a point when you say:
Quote:The problem is, the PWM channels are apparently hardwired as 1-3, which are the same channels as used for the main flight axes like pitch and roll. Apparently the same info is sent over Sbus Channel 1 as PWM channel 1, for example (if anybody thinks that's false let me know).

One solution to this might be to remap the channels (e.g. bump them all up by one, so flight channels are 2-5, AUX are 6 and higher), freeing up Channel 1. While we're at it, why not just remap everything by +3: then you have 3 completely independent PWM channels.

I guess that would involve some programming on the Taranis and in Cleanflight

Reason I'm saying this is that with the method I suggested CleanFlight/BetaFlight 'bumps' channels 1 thru 4 to ESC rail 3 thru 6. So the remapping happens then. Then there's no need to remap your Taranis as well. AUX remains on AUX. Hope this makes sense.
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#8
Thanks Jazzcool, yes this is a Cleanflight board, it is actually quite a popular board atm (Oscar just reviewed it).

I did understand your method, but I didn't solder any headers for anything above ESC #4, and the build is already cramped, so I was asking about an alternative method that doesn't involve the FC at all (going straight from Rx to the PDB).

It was a tad off topic, sorry bout that… I was kinda hoping Oscar or someone with good knowledge of FrSky might also have an opinion. Smile

Maybe I'll just try it. As long as I have a backup and props are off… we can always revert back. Wink
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#9
(07-Mar-2016, 05:21 AM)Relic Wrote: Thanks Jazzcool, yes this is a Cleanflight board, it is actually quite a popular board atm (Oscar just reviewed it).

I did understand your method, but I didn't solder any headers for anything above ESC #4, and the build is already cramped, so I was asking about an alternative method that doesn't involve the FC at all (going straight from Rx to the PDB).

It was a tad off topic, sorry bout that… I was kinda hoping Oscar or someone with good knowledge of FrSky might also have an opinion. Smile

Maybe I'll just try it. As long as I have a backup and props are off… we can always revert back. Wink

nothing to lose .
In case you wish to remap your taranis and confident X4R can output both sBus and pwm simultaneously (I know my X8R does), that should not be much of a problem. 
[Image: w5jwPfxl.png] 
looking at the diagram above, sbus is sitting on ch4. So you can 1 thru 3 as PWM inputs, case being you need to map ch1 to ch4 and onwards (2 to 5, 3 to 6, etc). You should be able to do so from the second or third menu on your taranis. Interesting problem to solve  Cool
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#10
Quick semi-related question: Does the lead for this functionality also power the FC, or do I have to run 5V on another rail?
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#11
I've just got the matek buzzer working on my Dodo. Apparently, on F3 boards, servo tilt doesn't push the outputs by 2 but instead enables motor outputs 7 and 8. It also needs to be activated by a 3 position switch to work. Hope this helps someone else, it was a bit of a head scratched for a while.
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#12
That really will help me out. I have an F3 board I was going to use, and you probably just reduced the number of rocks I'll have to bang together before I get it running.
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#13
(24-Apr-2016, 07:23 PM)AdyP Wrote: I've just got the matek buzzer working on my Dodo. Apparently, on F3 boards, servo tilt doesn't push the outputs by 2 but instead enables motor outputs 7 and 8. It also needs to be activated by a 3 position switch to work. Hope this helps someone else, it was a bit of a head scratched for a while.

Any chance you can share what settings you changed in Cleanflight to make all of that work? Can't for the life of me get mine to work.
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#14
Just going to do it on my sisters quad
DIY my way through as I allways do!
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#15
Hi

i already conected  (im not using the red wire 5v because im using the other 5v pads from matek) and all works good excpet the voltage battery alarm , i selected 3.6v on matek but when battery  reach 3.6v  the buzzer dont work  , its because im not using the red wire and only the ground + signal wire? or i need to select something in cleanflight?

thanks 
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