Has anyone figured out how to get power to the flight controller?

[step...@shenandoah.k12.ia.us]

When we plug in the flight controller using the usb to the computer we have power. However, without the usb cable, how do we maintain power when we are not plugged into the computer?  When we have all parts together and plug in the battery, we only have power to the esc and not to the receiver and the flight controller.  Anyone know what might be wrong?

[Dr. Huett]

The issue is that the ESCs (Electronic Speed Controllers) in this year's set (2018) are Opto. 

From Hobbyking: Opto in radio control means Opto-coupler. On the ESC the power used to drive the motor is electrically isolated from the power used to control the servos. This is supposed to reduce radio interference between the motor and receiver as light signals are used between the motor and receiver circuits. As a result, the ESC requires separate battery packs, one for the motor and the other for the receiver.

Previously we used ESCs that contained a BEC (Battery Eliminator Circuit). 

From Hobbyking: The BEC is extra circuitry on the ESC to provide power to the controls to the controlled vehicle so that this control circuitry does not need to carry its own battery pack. ...the motor and servos share the same battery pack.

So like you said, even if you connect everything correctly the FC and reciever won't power on unless connected to a USB. (It can get power from the USB cable.)

I've got the question out to our committee on how we want to solve this. I assume we will get everyone a single BEC to provide power to the FC and Receiver. Sorry for the delay. We will try to get this resolved as soon as possible.

~Dr. Huett

[Dr. Huett]

Sorry for the delay. 

We have ordered UBECs for everyone. This one: BW® RC Servo BEC UBEC 3A 5V for Helicopter Airplane Receiver Servo Power Supply

You will only need one for each quadcopter. 

I plan on connecting it with one of the ESCs to the Power Distribution board. 

(Solder it into the bullet plug with one of the ESCs)

Then it should plug directly into the Receiver to power the receiver and the Flight Controller.

[jh...@clarindacsd.org]

Good Morning,

I am extremely confused on what is all going on here. We have been working hard on this project and seem to constantly get nowhere because we do not have the correct parts or wires or incorrect pieces. A lot of these forums do not get us the correct info or back track on things from past years that are not the same parts. We are new at this and maybe are just not getting it down, but feel like we have had to do a lot of our own research and figuring out how to get this to work correctly. Maybe that is point, but have been mislead a number of times. We have gotten to where we can finally get all of the motors to run and have them all set to speed. Nothing that we have done can we get any lights to come on for the receiver and can not get the remote control to bind. I see here there is an issue with power and wiring.... Is this something that is being sent to us? Are we going to have to complete rewire our drone? I am not always on these forums so just coming across this today. I do not get any alerts when there is things added. Maybe that is my fault, but we are coming to crunch time on the next deadline and know there are teams out there that are already flying their drone through obstacles and we can't get ours off the ground and feel that it is not something that we can control.

If anybody could please help, I'd appreciate it. Our team is really looking forward to this but are frustrated that it is not working out. We feel we are trying our best.

Thanks

James

[Dr. Huett]

The UBEC that we are getting for everyone should fix the problem. The issue is that the Flight Controller and the Receiver are not getting power. 

If the orange light on the Receiver is not coming on it is not getting power (or is broken). I had thought that when the Flight Controller was connected to a computer via USB and connected to the Orange Receiver it would be enough to power on both the Flight Controller and the Orange Receiver. I just tested this, it does not power on the Orange Receiver. 

Once the Receiver is powered you can bind it to the hand-held controller. 

This is the proper procedure to bind the controller to the Receiver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcpbKtoa6xc