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Etrips posted:So... kinda interested in maybe getting into this. Is there a decent kit that is recommended to start out with? If not, maybe a guide in what all the parts that are needed to get started? If high-powered acro isn't the goal and you would rather do indoor/outdoor proximity, then I would check out the Happymodel Snapper7. I'm in disbelief that it's still going for $87 after all the positive YouTube reviews of it. The usual price point for brushless whoops has been around $120 and this one has those beat on features and performance. The previous go-to was the Boldclash BWhoop B06, but that one didn't have BLHeli_S ESCs, current sensing, RSSI, OSD, or an aluminum/carbon fiber frame. The basic version was sold out, so I had to pay an extra $10 for the standard version that comes with two extra batteries and a charger. I'm kind of glad I did because the batteries it comes with are pretty impressive. They really do demonstrate how much C-ratings are completely fabricated. These are rated at 30C, but they have noticeably more punch than the "80C/160C" GNB batteries I bought at the same time. The included charger is crap, though, and probably dangerous, seeing as it charged some of my LiHV batteries to just below 4.3V, and others to 4.4V or above. The display reads even higher, so even that's off. Also, all six channels have coil whine. You can imagine what a chorus of "squeeeeeeeeeeeee" sounds like for an hour straight. I'm not sure what I'd recommend instead to a beginner, though. For 1S batteries, I was previously using the BetaFPV charger, but that one is a little pricey for what it is (especially since you need to buy or build an AC adapter separately), slow, and it undercharged my batteries (to 4.28V). These days, I use an ISDT Q6 Plus with a $4 parallel board and a $10 120W HP laptop power supply converted to XT60, but that doesn't make economic sense unless you already have bigger models (or plan on getting some). I should post some DVR videos of this thing. Every time I play them back, I have to remind myself that this isn't something bigger because it seriously moves, even outdoors.
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May 22, 2018 03:58
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Well, the Eachine VR D2 Pros were a nice, cheap option for FPV goggles while they lasted. I just ordered a set to replace my current ones with assorted problems (loose battery connector, nonworking "-" button because I clipped an SMD resistor reassembling it, and most recently, I broke the lens) and the live tuner feed has taken a huge nosedive in quality:  I'm hoping this is just a case of Eachine being Eachine and using whatever random hardware they have available at the time, and that other units manufactured around the same time don't have the same problem. As lovely as that is, it's still preferable to knowing that all units from this point forward are absolute trash. Oddly enough, the DVR input is roughly the same between the two goggles. It's just the live feed that is distinctly awful. I could get the EV800D instead since that is the closest option out there in terms of price and features, but my brother has that one, and I hated it when I tried it. The padding is too thin with no cheek support, the extra weight of the front-mounted battery makes it even worse, and the screen is heavily blue tinted. Plus, the display is really glitchy and has weird timing issues where the bottom of the screen will display entire rows of pixels out of order roughly every other time it's powered on, and the only way to work around it is to navigate deep into the menu and cycle diversity on and off (and that only works some of the time). I used to have some HeadPlay SE V2 goggles that I really liked (IPS display, excellent reception for non-diversity, marginally more comfortable, easy to open) for about a month, but they were way too big to fit into my FPV bag, so I had to let them go.
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Sep 20, 2018 06:41
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Meanwhile on Banggood: https://www.banggood.com/DW384-1pc-...ur_warehouse=CN  Yes, that's exactly the type of accessory I was thinking about purchasing to complement the ESCs I was searching for.
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Oct 21, 2018 21:10
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My Rhythmic Crotch posted:Call me old fashioned, but I just don't think dual processing is needed or beneficial, I think it provides a placebo effect if anything. Kinda modern, as in BetaFlight 3.2.5. I did the opposite of this back in October, which was taking a KingKong Hex 300, enabling damped light on the ESC and replacing the stock CC3D running LibrePilot with an OmnibusF4 V1 to see if I could get it to fly like a modern multirotor. Nope, still flew like something from 2014--a bouncy, uncoordinated mess. The same-sized Hex I built shortly afterward using the same flight controller, but with other modern components (SunnySky 1806 motors and cheap BLHeli_32 ESCs) was a world of improvement. Still much slower than a 5" quad and can't flip nearly as fast (too much bounceback at high rates), but it definitely lives up to hexacopters' reputation for smoothness. Flight controllers can only do so much to improve the natural flight characteristics of these things and the importance of good motors and ESCs is understated.
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Feb 24, 2019 22:45
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True on the ESCs. Most of the advancements in the last couple of years seem to be more about adding features rather than performance. Motors, on the other hand, have come a very long way in a short period of time. Even within the same stator size, the difference between those years-old KingKong motors and the SunnySky 1806 was astronomical. The KingKongs wouldn't even idle properly below 1250μs and couldn't hold attitude properly during level flight, let alone during punchouts. The high idle meant I couldn't use anything except the lovely stock 5040 bi-blades it came with without risking a runaway climb. Edit: picture of the hex build that followed up on my KingKong experiment featuring the above motors. Not a build I would recommend doing, but I had to get at least one crazy one out of my system. The VTX is loose because I had to borrow the right angle adapter for my main quad. 
Zorilla fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Feb 25, 2019 |
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Feb 25, 2019 01:05
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moron izzard posted:Is there an issue with the qx7 other than the crossfire mod? Maybe he's referring to FrSky's shittiness as a company as of late. Between the X-Lite Pro, X9 Lite, and the anticompetitive and hypocritical moves against Jumper, FrSky seems to be doing everything they can to piss off their customer base. All they had to do was maintain course and keep selling well established products people know and trust, but they're choosing to act more like Apple or Tesla by trying to close off their ecosystem, limiting consumer choice, and threatening anyone who offers a better way.
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May 27, 2019 22:44
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Corky Romanovsky posted:Looks like someone is importing the Jumper T16 where I am living and certifying them with the radio transmission authority. I have a few cheap planes I was misled were FHSS compatible that I was considering swapping out components to get them to work, but I'm kinda lazy. Is the T16 good enough to just get that instead? Are you talking about those XK fixed wing models like the A800 that say "S-FHSS" on the transmitter, but actually use WLToys protocol instead? Those should work just fine with any Jumper radio or STM32 multiprotocol module (e.g. iRangeX IRX4). Based on tutorials, it looks like KN -> WLToys is the protocol/subprotocol you want for this if using OpenTX/JumperTX.
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Jun 19, 2019 03:23
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Considering how much praise the Sailfly-X is getting for flying so great, I assume this is grounds for immediately opening a return with the seller without attempting to troubleshoot further? This looks like defective ESCs to me, and there isn't much I can do about that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvOAR42MyIU This is on 3S, stock firmware, and PIDs that are either stock or lower than stock. Motors come down cool. More details in the video description. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 22:49 on Jun 21, 2019 |
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Jun 21, 2019 22:23
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The Aomway Commander V1S goggles I bought during Banggood's big sale came in this afternoon. Today is the day I found out I have a freakishly wide IPD and I can't see clearly out of them  . Because nearly every other set on the market also has the same range of 59-69mm, I'm pretty much stuck with box goggles unless those Orqas that go up to 74mm ever come out and I'm willing to pay for it (nope).I'm also trying to figure out if these things have a defect (always a good sign of user friendliness if I can't tell if something is faulty or part of intentional operation). It seems to be able to save channel, brightness, and contrast settings, but not input or aspect ratio. The next time I plug them in, it goes right back to the RF input and 16:9, so I have to press the Mode button a bunch of times to get back to where I was. Can any Aomway Commander owners tell me if this is typical, or do I need to contact Banggood or Aomway and get this corrected?
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Jul 28, 2019 05:36
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Corky Romanovsky posted:Caught the bug. Have a BetaFPV HX100 coming, and a Larva X pre-ordered...and my 10 pack of Tinyhawk S batteries still haven't arrived. I got one of these about a month ago. For me, the power was totally adequate for keeping a glider in the air for an indefinite amount of time, but it's just really naturally unstable. The gyro spends most of its time struggling simply to keep the aircraft level in even the smallest breezes, and the flight envelope seems to be so narrow that you're either climbing too fast, or stalling without warning. Turning it is like trying to balance on the head of a pin. Depending on how much rudder you give, either you're hardly turning at all, or you're one-wing stalling all of a sudden and you have to hope that you have enough altitude to pull out of it before something bad happens (I didn't, on multiple occasions). I managed to crack the nose on day 2 of ownership, and then break it entirely off a week later the day after I glued it back together. Then cell #2 on the included battery died after about four cycles and it's been sitting in my room with nothing to do. I might make a Molex-to-XT30 adapter and try my much nicer BetaFPV 350mAh 2S batteries with it since they fit, but for now, I can't be bothered. This thing may has well be a 3-channel plane with how little aileron authority it has. I can mash the stick in either direction (yes, while in high rates) but I can't see it banking beyond the way it's constantly fighting the wind. Turning seems to be accomplished primarily by wrestling with the rudder and throttle so that you're neither nosediving nor going too wide and ending up in a treetop at the edge of the park.
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Aug 24, 2019 20:28
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Rincey posted:Nice vids, I love that its first flight ended up unglamorously upside down I always recommend going for a BnF first because it gives you a reference for how to build your own in the future. This is a long-standing debate, though, and is sure to stir up disagreement from somebody. The Buzz is a bit pricey for a first quad, but I suppose you're paying extra for their U.S. presence and parts availability, and that may be something you're looking for. Diatone may have something cheaper with comparable build quality, or you may even consider something like the Skystars Star-lord 228, which is around $200, seems to have spare frame parts for sale, and has a glowing review from AndyRC on YouTube. I actually just got a Buzz in the mail today. I saw a barely used one for sale online earlier this week, put in a soft bid not thinking I would get it, and ended up winning. Unfortunately for me, it's the 1700kv model and I only have 4S batteries at the moment. I flight tested it anyway, and so far, it seems pretty decent. There is nothing mindblowing about it compared to my poverty-spec Frog Lite 218 / Racerstar 2306 2700kv build (which cost about $150 to build a year ago). Well, except that the picture is completely noise free, but that's what having non-trash ESCs will get you. I'll reserve further judgement until I try this thing on 6S, as I'm sure it will tighten the PIDs up considerably. Build quality overall seems to be pretty nice with a chamfered carbon top place, countersunk screws, and a red anodized camera cage, but there's a strange goop adhering the silicone mats to the frame where you would normally expect 3M adhesive and grass and debris get stuck to it easily. Maybe this is a sloppy repair by the previous owner and not something the factory did, but the quad seems too new for that, and it's been done to all three pieces consistently. I also feel like the fact I can see the camera cage and props in my FPV feed kind of misses the point of why this style of frame exists, but the Buzz is hardly alone with this. Overall, I wouldn't have bought the Buzz if I didn't find it at a steep discount, but I'm hopelessly frugal. I feel like you can get 95% of the performance and 100% of the build quality for two-thirds the price elsewhere. I mentioned Diatone and Skystars earlier because I briefly had models from each (GT-M515 and G730L respectively) and have been impressed with their build quality and performance. I'm sure there are other good value options out there that aren't Eachine or Furibee (that's a name I haven't used in a while).
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Sep 1, 2019 06:37
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porktree posted:What is the consensus on the Emax Buzz? I've been circling around getting something more acrobatic than my Mavic 2, and this looks interesting. I have the DJI RE goggles, will these work with the Buzz? The 4S version comes with 2400kv motors, which spin at the intended RPM at 4S voltage. The 6S uses 1700kv motors, which will still work on 4S, but will be a bit lethargic. Everything else on the quad is the same. The FrSky version comes with an XM+ receiver preinstalled (without the RSSI firmware flashed to it, boo) and the PnP version expects you to provide your own. 4S 1500mAh and 6S 1050mAh batteries cost about the same these days, so the version you choose probably comes down to what you think you'll need more of if you end up sharing batteries with other models in the future. I'm currently messing with a Buzz I got used for cheap. It's nice, but it's not $300 nice. It doesn't feel like it's in another league from my budget Frog Lite build that I've had for a little over a year. I'm also not a skilled pilot who pushes my quads to destruction in an effort to get better, so how would I know? Still, there are a handful of good performing, well thought out 5" freestyle quads at the $200 price point that should provide the same level of performance and build quality as the Buzz. If I have anything against EMAX, it's that their parts availability seems to be really selective. Motors and frame parts are pretty easy to find stateside (if a bit expensive), but to this day, I have no idea what I would do if I ever needed a new set of electronics for a Babyhawk R Pro or a battery pack for their TinyHawk RtF goggles, as those don't appear to be available anywhere. Banggood is having a sale, but most of the good deals seem to have passed. For a couple days, the iFlight Nazgul5 was selling for $143, but it's back up to $196. At that price, it's still worth considering. You may also want to check out the SkyStars Star Lord 228, which is also around $200. BnF is "Bind and Fly", which means the model comes with a receiver preinstalled (or at least it should) and all you have to do it bind it to get it going. RtF is "Ready to Fly", which means it comes with a (usually cheap toy grade) transmitter. I have seen at least one model botch the definition and call a BnF an RtF, but I think it was some big fixed wing or helicopter that would have never come with a transmitter anyway. I've also heard PnP / PnF for when you need to provide your own receiver (like one of the buying options for the EMAX Buzz), and possibly heard that used interchangeably with BnF. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Sep 14, 2019 |
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Sep 14, 2019 02:37
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Alternative pants posted:I can't recommend it enough. I've got the original, the 2s and the freestyle and they're all amazingly fun. I'm wondering what the long term Tinyhawk ownership experience is like. I picked up a couple of Tinyhawk RtF kits being sold for parts with the intent of fixing what I could and parting the rest out. Both of the quads that came with them had the same widespread problem where the motors wouldn't spin consistently due to insufficient 1.0mm connectors that weren't able to provide the startup power necessary to get them going (as seen earlier in this thread, of all places). Tinkering with these has made me really appreciate my Mobula7 a bit more. Everything from the above motor problems, the amount of force/finesse/luck it takes to remove a prop without destroying anything, the way the power lead goes through the battery mount instead of around it, and the way the camera is mounted (and not at all protected) which guarantees that it comes loose over time all seem like instances of rear end in a top hat design that don't contribute to its performance in any way. I'll be the contrarian and suggest also looking at the Mobula7 or Trashcan if you're thinking about getting a brushless whoop. Sure, it's a crude conglomeration of existing parts, but repairs are easy, and unlike EMAX, parts are cheap and plentiful (if you don't mind waiting 2-4 weeks to get them from China). With the Trashcan/Mobula7 V3 frame, it's stupid durable too. I bought two frames several months ago and still haven't had to replace the first one yet despite crashing hard enough to break a motor shaft and several props in that time period.
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Sep 14, 2019 03:38
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porktree posted:Is this a decent starting rig.. Only if you get it secondhand for dirt cheap, which is got I started. I got a full Wizard X220 RtF setup (VR007 goggles, FS-i6 transmitter, lovely 2-3S charger that takes 4 hours) used on eBay in 2017 for $170. For that back then, it was a really good deal for getting started, but as with many Eachine products, I felt like a bunch of the parts needed to be upgraded for the quad to be usable. The stock camera was the worst I have ever seen to date with really narrow FOV combined with no dynamic range. The horizon would completely black out any time the sky came into frame and the view was so narrow I had no peripheral vision or any idea how close I was to any objects ahead of me. Considering this was my first FPV experience, this made something that was already potentially nervewracking into a nonstop anxiety-fest any time I went out to go fly. Switching to a name brand camera with a 2.1mm lens immediately made flying feel much more natural. These days, the X220 is way out of date in just about every way. The motors are 2205 when 2207/2306 is considered standard for 5", the flight controller is F3 with no OSD and lacks an integrated PDB (which complicates the build and is a waste of vertical space on any quad with discrete ESCs), the camera is 2.8mm CMOS when 1.8-2.1mm CCD is ideal (excellent CMOS cameras exist, but jello handling is really important at this size), and it comes with a 3S battery when it needs at least 4S to minimize bounceback and for the PIDs to be effective in general. The VTX is a basic VTX with hit-or-miss performance, but lacks SmartAudio, which is considered standard on all models now. Even the frame is somewhat outdated because it's designed for a full-sized FPV camera when most people in the hobby have moved to micros. In 2019, there are so many better options out there that will ultimately cost you the same amount of money. The kit you listed might be $170, but you'll be spending $25 on a better camera, then another $20 on an F4 OSD flight controller, and then maybe another $15 on a VTX if the stock one ends up being a dud. For that price, you may has well get an iFlight Nazgul5, a SkyStars Star Lord 228, or maybe consider starting with a 2-3" quad since those are still ridiculously fast and have excellent models starting at around $120 (Diatone GT R249, R249+, EMAX Babyhawk R). I see that the Fullspeed Leader 3SE is on sale for $100 right now. The FlySky FS-i6 and i6X are good, basic radios with surprisingly nice feeling gimbals, but if you do get a micro, you will probably want to go with a FrSky radio since I don't think FlySky has any full range diversity receivers that are small enough to fit inside a micro like the XM+ can. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Sep 21, 2019 |
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Sep 21, 2019 22:39
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Bolange posted:After a recent crash I think the camera is busted on my Trashcan but I'm not sure how to easily test it. It's a Caddx Turbo Eos2. When I power up my whoop I get a black screen with my OSD on top of up. I presume this means my vtx and googles are fine (or I would just have static) and the FC is ok since the OSD is working. That just leaves the camera. I've tried reseating it a few times (it's on a tiny little plug just like the motors) and seen no change in behavior. I do'nt have other drones or really know anyone around who's into it that could help me out so I guess I have to just order a new camera and hope for the best? Sounds like every dead camera I've ever dealt with. I even had one that still said "FOXEER" on startup, but there was no video and the board got really hot after several seconds (so maybe an internal short in the image sensor). Take the vinyl cover off the back of the camera and inspect the wiring going to the board. Despite plenty of lacquer covering the solder points, I had a video wire eventually come off my KingKong ET125's camera board after crash #85. The only two nano cameras I know of that have the side screw mounts that fit the canopy are the Caddx EOS2 and the Runcam Nano2, and the EOS2 is a bit cheaper. If it were me, I'd get another EOS2, but use this as an opportunity to get the 4:3 version since it has better FOV.
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Sep 27, 2019 04:03
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I remember coming across a setting called the "Moron Threshold" when searching for information about Betaflight a while ago. As I understand it, its purpose was to postpone gyro calibration until the gyro readings were stable (i.e. when the dumbass user finally puts the quad on the ground). https://oscarliang.com/moron-threshold-betaflight/ According to the article, the setting was renamed to "gyro_calib_noise_limit", but I don't know if it's still called that in 4.x. It definitely sounds like it would have prevented arming on a freshly booted flight controller while in a freefall. I think the real question is how you managed to starve the 5V regulator on a 3+ cell LiPo enough to reboot the flight controller. Even if it was step-down only, wouldn't it still be ok, even if vbat was sagged all the way down to 6-7V? I've had at least one "oh poo poo" moment with my relatively thirsty 5" hexacopter where it bogged down to ~2.5V per cell (before bouncing back up to 3.5V under load) and experienced a major drop in power when pulling out of a dive and neither the FC nor the VTX seemed to care.
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Nov 1, 2019 00:28
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Rincey posted:Check my understanding: On a R-XSR receiver, there's no need to connect "SBUS IN" on the receiver to anything unless I'm doing a crazy dual receiver setup, right? I just need "SBUS OUT" going to a RX on the FC... right? The guides I'm looking at also indicate you'll need to connect the S.Port pad to get telemetry working.
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Nov 1, 2019 02:46
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ISDT Q6: ABNORMAL BATTERY CONNECTION *SCREEEEEEEEE* Me: What's abnormal about it? IDST Q6:  Between this thing's random intolerance of parallel charging boards, false warnings about reverse polarity after unplugging a battery at the same time I have a 1S parallel board connected (which is a completely passive device, so that makes no sense), the scroll wheel that either doesn't respond or jumps an entire page in the wrong direction, and the lens that scratches no matter how soft the cloth is you use to clean it, I'm done with it. When it works, it works great and has a fantastic user interface, but I'm guessing all the reviewers who have this and other ISDT products as their top picks haven't used it as their main charger for any extended period of time. I also managed to melt the scroll wheel assembly with barely any heat at all while taking the lens off to get rid of the heavy sprinkling of dust that found its way inside the screen over the last year and a half. Yeah, it's not bad enough that this thing is glued together like the some of Apple's greatest hits, they had to use plastics that melt before the glue does. For anyone interested, the HTRC C240 charger is on Banggood for $55.99 ($20 less than most other places right now). Dual outputs, 1-6S support, and a 150W internal power supply for about the same price as a Q6 Plus. Hopefully, that one will serve me a bit better. CapnBry posted:How many times in a row can a motor's C-clip go flying off while trying to put it on, and you still be able to find it easily before it is considered an Act of God? It just happened three times for me and I feel like The Golden Child. I always work inside of a clear plastic bag whenever I need to mess with c-clips. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Jan 15, 2020 |
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Jan 14, 2020 23:54
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Finally submitted my comment to the FAA. I am a terrible writer and have mush for brains, but after reading some of the others, I don't feel too bad. Unrelated, but I do have a new build that I should still be able to fly in a worse case scenario if the above goes through unchanged: 
My first set of BetaFPV 1404 motors had one that consistently desynced about once per minute. Annoyingly, the flight controller decides it doesn't want to log things half the time, but I got enough data to figure out which motor it was and see that the problem followed it when I relocated it. Thankfully, I purchased the motors on Amazon, so they sent an advance replacement pretty quickly. I can definitely say this frame can take a beating after the four or five high altitude freefalls into grass it experienced. I sold my Babyhawk R 2.5" to build this because I found that quad to be a little too punchy and fast for the proximity flying I wanted to do. I'm glad I did because this is my best flying model yet. Very smooth, chill, and efficient (4:30 to 5:00 minutes on 3S 650mAh). It's set up for 4S, but the only batteries I own that fit this are the ones I used with the Babyhawk R, so that's what I use. It does so well on 3S, I don't feel the need to get any 4S batteries for this any time soon. Maybe I've moved on from my "POWAHHH" stage, but climbing and maneuvering performance is totally sufficient on 3S. This frame is meant primarily for BetaFPV 20A Whoop boards, but it also supports 20x20 stacks (which I chose because it was $25 cheaper). Jon E5 FPV Drones on YouTube built one of these using the same Diatone 20x20 stack as me, but for the life of me, I couldn't get the canopy as low as he did and I had to use standoffs. They're not breaking in crashes, so I'm in no hurry to fix it. My only real complaint about the frame is the battery strap slots are a bizarre width that only the included strap comes in (14mm) and I destroyed mine in the aforementioned flips of death. The RDQ 15x155mm strap that you can get for free when you order from their site can fit if you don't mind the edges folding over, but the slot is also so narrow that 95% of the velcro's useful life is consumed simply by routing it through because the hard edges just scrape the mating surface and turn it into a loose frizz. Maybe if I take apart the whole quad and feed the next one through carefully with both hands, I might be able to preserve it, but I'm not so sure.
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Mar 1, 2020 00:43
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ImplicitAssembler posted:Those have been around for ages. I have one somewhere that I used to take with me to races. You'd be much better of with ISDT charger, though. The iMAX B6AC was my first charger. I had to open mine up to get the protective plastic off the LCD screen and was mildly annoyed to discover that they just crammed a power brick inside it because the whole reason I got that version was to eliminate a power brick. Unfortunately, I don't think you can just drop in a replacement because it does look slightly modified. It has the bare DC output wiring coming out the side instead of a strain relief through the front (because there would be no space for that). If you want 1S support, be sure to get the V2. If the listing is cheaper and it doesn't say which version it is, it's probably the V1. If you do eventually get an ISQT charger, I hope you have better luck than I did. My Q6 Plus was really nice to use, but didn't tolerate parallel charging and had a screen lens made of really soft plastic that scratched really easily. I eventually had enough and got an HTRC C240, which has AC input and dual outputs for roughly the same price as a Q6 Plus and, while it isn't anywhere as slick to use, it just works. I didn't think I would use the dual outputs much, but it has saved me a lot of time so far. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Mar 11, 2020 |
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Mar 11, 2020 20:37
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evil_bunnY posted:TAKE YOUR loving PROPS OFF first 1) Have you ever tried taking the props off a Tinyhawk? 2) "Props off" mostly pertains to when you have battery power connected and are configuring your ESCs in BLHeliSuite or BLHeli Configurator, or testing motors in Betaflight Configurator. Betaflight will keep an arming disable flag active while connected to the configurator (MSP), so you don't have to worry about accidentally hitting any switches on your transmitter in this situation. 3) While the ESCs on many all-in-one boards will power on and run off 5V USB (same with the camera and VTX), this power source won't be able to provide nearly enough current to cause any sort of chaos. The worst I've had happen was when configuring a SailFly-X from scratch on USB power only and one of the motors started spinning on its own at low RPM while remapping the motor outputs (a necessary step because the board is mounted upside down on that model), and I think that only started happening because I hadn't yet switched the ESC protocol from the default ONESHOT over to DSHOT. tildes posted:E: I’m also having a hard time trimming it correctly, it seems to always drift to the side. Is there anything to know when doing that? I have only briefly messed with the Tinyhawk RTF transmitter, but doesn't it play a unique tone when you've reached trim center? I would make sure all trims are at center, then observe what is happening in the Receiver tab in Betaflight Configurator. It will provide a nice visualization of all your transmitter channels as well as show what effect it has on the maneuvering rates of your model. Even on hobby grade transmitters, I usually find I need to set RC Deadband and Yaw Deadband to somewhere between 2 and 10. You may need more on a device using game controller pots instead of real gimbals. Because the Tinyhawk uses an all-in-one board, the receiver should still be active on USB power only (this is true for both SPI and external receivers), so you won't need a battery connected for this. Edit: it just occurred to me that you may actually be talking about flying it in angle mode and may be dealing with an accelerometer trim issue (i.e. the sensor that tells it which way is up). If you change into acro mode and it doesn't slowly roll to the side, it's probably not transmitter-related. You can adjust the accelerometer trim manually in Betaflight Configurator, and you can also use stick commands to do it while disarmed. Bardwell has a video on this here. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 20:18 on Mar 22, 2020 |
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Mar 22, 2020 19:59
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I've owned two XK K110s. The first time I bought it, I beefed it pretty hard a few times and it never flew right for me. The K100 I owned at the same time never game me any such trouble. Six or seven months later, I bought another K110 after outgrowing the K100 and loved it. I think what made the biggest difference is I was using my Taranis X7S with a multiprotocol module to fly it this time instead of opting for the RTF version. The transmitter that comes with the RTF package is very nice for an RTF radio, but the dead zones are too big and configuring curves is a pain in the rear end. The price difference between the BNF and RTF versions is about the same as a 4-in-1 multiprotocol module, so you may has well go that route anyway, espcially since having a multiprotocol module opens the door to using your transmitter to fly all sorts of things in the future. I can share my OpenTX model file if you are completely new to setting up a collective pitch helicopter on a radio. There are some things you should do to make owning a K110 a much more enjoyable experience:
For whatever reason, both K110s I bought had a servo that started dying after a mild crash on day one. Both times I replaced them, all the servos were unkillable after that. Go figure. If you're amassing a spare parts hoard, it's unlikely you'll need more than one of these. I've messed with Horizon Hobby products in the past and they have always left me unimpressed. The two Blade mCP X helicopters I played around with had really sloppy stabilization, notchy motors that kick on way too hard during startup, and do really unstable pirouettes. I don't know if this carries over to other models, but I would stay away. By comparison, the XK K100 and K110 had higher head speed and gyro stabilization that was much more locked in, so I would definitely recommend them instead. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 20:44 on Jul 5, 2020 |
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Jul 5, 2020 03:00
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DreadLlama posted:Anyone buy from droneelite.ca ? They have a hexacopter frame kit I can't find anything wrong with. Are they a scam? Maybe not a scam, but it seems overpriced and outdated, especially the radio system. Is this for the seed spreading project? I'm not sure how much the hexacopter factors into the total price, but you could substitute the following to potentially save a little money and have better equipment that is still relevant today:
I'm not well-versed on large, heavy lifting platforms, so I can't really provide advice on the hexacopter itself, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are much newer, better motors, flight controllers, and ESCs that cost the same or less. Tarot X6 frames seem to be expensive no matter what, though.
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Nov 13, 2020 23:09
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Has anything about Nav Launch changed between INAV 2.5 and 2.6 that I should know about? I can't launch my AR Wing Mini for poo poo anymore. What used to be stable, level, reliable launches are now full of torque roll and pants crapping. I barely clear the ground if I'm lucky. Of course, I decided to push that luck further by doing several practice launches to see what might be wrong. Now I have to glue a bunch of broken form back together. It's as though self-leveling is much weaker or it's ignoring the launch angle setting altogether. The only thing I had configured differently since 2.5 was my launch throttle, which was set to 55% when it was previously set to 60% (I wanted to see if I could make launches quieter and less dramatic by backing it off in 5% increments until I found power to be insufficient). The Mini AR Wing is by far the favorite plane I own, so it's a shame this thing will likely be in a million pieces and beyond repair before I ever figure out what is wrong with it. I've had it for 9 mostly trouble-free months, so I find it hard to believe I all of a sudden suck at flying it. Edit: I reverted to 2.5.1 and it's still doing it. I reduced launch throttle to 45%, and this time, tried throwing it with a running start, goggles off (if this value seems low, it's because I'm using this motor and the kv has to be a misprint because it absolutely screams at high throttle. 45% on 4S is roughly equivalent to 100% with the stock motor on 3S). I had much better luck with that launch technique, until I didn't. The final attempt, it dove back into the ground and wouldn't loving disarm the instant I told it to. Now my wing and canopy are all chopped up and beyond repair. Upon reviewing the DVR footage, it exited Nav Launch prematurely five feet off the ground while pitched down and banked to the left, probably because one of the sticks moved during launch. In fact, all my launches are aborting much sooner than I realized. There really needs to be a filter to eliminate transient inputs like that. Then again, maybe I just instinctively pulled up on the stick and don't remember. I could just turn off that feature, but this needs to be idiot-proof and I don't trust myself to reach for the correct switch in a panic. According to this, maybe nav_fw_launch_min_time is the best solution since the guide describes my exact situation. I fly in a relatively tight space, so this will only work if I can still explicitly abort launches by throwing the switch if I find myself going right for a tree or that Honda in the exact opposite direction I expected to be going during that 2-3 second window. Edit 2: after some prop-off ground testing, it appears to do exactly this. It will also let me stop the motor if I zero the throttle during the nav_fw_min_launch_time window without ever exiting autolaunch, so I still have emergency control over that if all else fails. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Mar 17, 2021 |
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Mar 17, 2021 05:28
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I'll be the dissenting opinion. I've owned a Taranis Q X7S since 2018, but tried a Jumper T16 several months ago. The color screen was nice to have, but only indoors. Everything else was worse. The whole radio felt cheaper (especially the buttons and dial) and the ergonomics didn't work for a thumber like me. The housing was just a little bit too tall, which means I had nowhere to comfortably rest my index fingers. Additionally, the placement of switches E and G interfered with my ability to use F and H, which was a problem when I needed to disarm immediately. This could have been resolved by locating them further inboard, but none of the other radio clones that came out after the T16 did that. I suppose it's a matter of quality versus quantity. I would probably be right there with everybody else and would have bought a Radiomaster TX16S in ignorant bliss if I were getting into the hobby today. I landed on the X7S because one showed up on Craigslist for $130 when I was still using a FlySky FS-iA6, so of course I jumped on that. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 05:20 on Mar 21, 2021 |
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Mar 21, 2021 05:18
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By now, I think I've owned my Eachine EV800D goggles for over two years. Only today did I think for the first time, "gee, that search button on the left looks like it would be easy to press by accident mid-flight. Maybe I should open these goggles and remove the trim piece...nah." Literally not even ten minutes after that thought passed through my mind, my finger grazed the button while adjusting the goggles on my face during flight and sent my video feed into various degrees of static. The plane I was flying was close by and heading toward me, so I managed to pick it up line of sight quickly, but then immediately ruined my save by nosediving into the grass at ~40 MPH while attempting to come back around and land it. (black foam + dusk conditions + no experience flying this model LoS + not being able to use angle mode because it can't do tight turns by default = crash)  RIP Skyhunter Racing - July 2020 - May 2021. The plane itself is a total loss, unless I don't mind it being a fugly mess full of holes and cracks. The electronics look completely unharmed, so hopefully they still work. I'd rather lose a $60 plane than ~$130 of reusable electronics. What makes this really annoying is I had just saved this plane from catastrophic failure earlier today when I landed and found that the horizontal stabilizer had come off on one side and was hanging on by a thread on the other. I think the only thing keeping it from flying off in the air was the cloth tape retaining the elevator servo plug extension in the left rear boom. Minor victories preceding major defeats seems to be a recurring theme for me. In conclusion: gently caress. Auto. Search. Buttons. They don't even work right when triggered intentionally, and this one just cost me $60. If you own EV800Ds or other goggles with a similar design flaw, I strongly recommend you find some way to block it off. On these, the button trim just press fits on to a nub on the inside, so removing it is trivial and reversible if you need to put it back in later. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 05:55 on May 8, 2021 |
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May 8, 2021 05:32
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I did end up putting it back together, but the end result looks exactly how I thought it would. I made sure to spend some time at the crash site to collect every last piece before leaving so repair was at least an option. I have some Foam-Cure EPP glue that I attempted to use, but that stuff is absolute garbage and just getting it to dispense is a chore. Maybe it used to be better when it was fresh from the factory and has a short shelf life, I don't know. I ended up using multi-temp hot glue for most of the reassembly. The plane looks like a horrific crime of aviation now and every seam is obvious, but that has been my experience with repairing foam planes over the last two years. Anybody who claims foam repairs can make planes "good as new" are greatly overselling the process. Either that or I suck at this and/or need to use better glue. Funny enough, despite carefully collecting all the broken pieces of the plane, I didn't notice the GPS module had popped off until I got back home and it was completely dark out. I went back to the park anyway, and somehow, I was able to find that tiny 20x20mm board in an area the size of a football field with nothing but a headlamp and my car's brights (also, several pieces of dog poop, but those don't make my planes fly any better). Zorilla fucked around with this message at 07:57 on May 8, 2021 |
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May 8, 2021 07:52
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If you're an adapter fiend like I am, you could also build a JST-XH 2S female to JST-XH 2S male + XT30 and use that to plug the 18650 sled from the X9 Lite into your hobby grade charger. That's what I ended up doing when I bought a fixer-upper Jumper T16 (that I ended up selling a week later because I didn't like the ergonomics or build quality) and wanted other options besides the cheap USB charger that came with the 18650 cells I got for it. Plus, I liked the idea of having a real time voltage readout, timer, and the ability to charge them in about 2 hours instead of 8 if I needed to. On the other hand, if you haven't been at this for 3 1/2 years like I have and don't have a box full of components and a nice soldering iron, you may just want the dedicated USB charger.
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May 22, 2021 04:19
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Kuvo posted:
As far as I know, most 4-in-1 ESCs don't have reverse polarity protection diodes, so a slightly higher reading in reverse (as opposed to a hard open) is plausible. TheReverend posted:My Tinyhawk freestyle 2 or whatever..... Attempting to stationary hover a race/freestyle quad with precision is not really a major part of flying FPV, in my opinion. You can focus on other aspects of flying and hopefully it will come to you later naturally. The only advice I would give is that a quick pulse of throttle works much better for correcting a sinking quad than gently raising the throttle. Think of it like tapping a balloon with neutral buoyancy to get it to go up or down instead of shoving it in the direction you want. Controlling altitude becomes much more manageable when you get some forward speed. Toothpick and other lightweight quads can be a bit floaty, so don't be afraid to completely zero the throttle momentarily to get it to come back down. Good luck. Hopefully your TH2FS doesn't pop motors every 15-20 packs for absolutely no reason like mine has.
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May 24, 2021 21:38
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Micr0chiP posted:Bought a used mavic and Im loving it, but now i caught the fpv bug and im starting to see were else i can spend my money. It might be worth it, but I wouldn't spend a dime more than $120 for the whole thing. The transmitter is fine to start with (though beware that these newer models with ACCESS firmware won't support D8 protocol without an external module, which may be relevant if you're looking at buying any EMAX products in the future). The goggles are probably awful, and if they're anything like the VR006's I started with, really uncomfortable too. The quad itself looks like it's from 2017-2018 based on its design (micros were really dense with huge motors and tiny props back then) and those batteries should be presumed to be worn out. I would be surprised if it had anything remotely modern like an F4 board, OSD, or SmartAudio/Tramp. Probably still way more fun to fly than a brushed whoop like the Cetus though. Don't forget a LiPo charger (something configurable with a display, bare minimum. IMAX B6 V2 or ToolkitRC M6 are the cheapest worthwhile ones I know of). Since the batteries are XT30, you'll need some way to adapt them to XT60. They're easy to make if you can solder, but you can get them pre-built for not much more than the individual connectors themselves.
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Oct 26, 2021 21:43
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tater_salad posted:If you have a decent amount of room indoors the Blade helicopter line is decent. A trello is decent as well for under 100 too but those are both inside things. Horizon Hobby stuff is geared towards more traditional RC model aviation types and is priced accordingly. A simple throtle-pitch 4-channel helicopter like the Eachine E119 is about $60 (used to be much cheaper, but prices are insane right now. However, it's still a fraction of whatever Blade charges for their equivalent). Personally, I wouldn't bother with helis until your skill level reaches a point you want to try 3D, at which point the XK K110 still seems to be the go-to for 1S, crashable helis. Multirotors are so much more mechanically simple and crash tolerant (even compared to 1S micro helis) that it's a far more user friendly experience, especially for beginners. My absolute first model was a Syma X5C I got as a gift and I think that would be perfect for a child just starting out. It's cheap ($40-50), stable, and so light that you can completely zero the throttle and it will gently float back down to the ground if you get into trouble. It also gets 5-7 minutes of flight time on the stock battery and 8-12 minutes on larger 750mAh batteries with no noticeable reduction in performance. Just be prepared to replace motors every few weeks, especially if you fly it back-to-back-to-back like I did. This goes for anything with brushed motors, though. If it were me and I was just starting out now, I'd probably go with a Tinyhawk II Freestyle + Eachine EV800D + Jumper T-Lite, but it doesn't sound like that guy's son is there yet. It's also double or triple his budget. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 07:39 on Nov 19, 2021 |
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Nov 19, 2021 07:29
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guidoanselmi posted:Well I just took the plunge and bought a Dart 250 g with HDZero/FatShark and Matek F411 FC so I can use iNav. IRL flight is too expensive/time consuming, so I figured this was a better option. The Dart 250g was my first real FPV plane I bought back in early 2020. It's relatively easy to hand launch since it has a proper fuselage you can grab on to, but it had very little elevator authority and the thrust angle was wonky. For me, it was virtually uncontrollable in manual mode and I relied on INAV stabilization (which I'm sure is a big no-no). Most planes (and flying wings especially) need to have a bit of up-elevator physically trimmed into them (a.k.a. "reflex") before you maiden them. The CG markers on kits tend to be a little conservative, so you can start right on the markers and move the battery back slightly if you find the nose dipping during level flight. The general wisdom is that you should start in manual mode, get the plane trimmed out, and only then work on getting stabilized flight modes tuned. However, with smaller models like these, I find the lightning fast reflexes of Nav Launch to be a godsend, even on the very first flight. Once you're in the air, it's a good idea to click it over to manual mode to figure out where your trims need to be (either physically or through auto trim) so it's flying straight and stable enough for INAV's autopilot to be trusted with it. You may want to calibrate your flight controller's accelerometer to where the plane is pitched up slightly so that it doesn't lose altitude in angle or horizon mode when your hands are off the controls. A few degrees ought to do it. You may find yourself quickly wishing for something a little bigger and heavier because this model is prone to lots of roll waggle, even in light winds. You said you were in L.A., right? It's been unusually windy here in Southern California the last couple of months and I've been reluctant to even take my Bixler 2 out most days. Hopefully, things calm down later in the year. The FPV wing racing simulators I've seen don't seem to replicate the less desirable characteristics of FPV planes as I've experienced them. Everything is too smooth and laser straight. Things like pitch bobble, yaw waggle, and a desire to keel over and go inverted during steep banked turns (in manual mode) seem to be completely absent from them, so I don't know how much good it would do you unless your goal is to practice flying through gates.
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May 10, 2022 20:43
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KINEX posted:I finally got my Rekon 35 configured to how I would like it and even 3D printed an adapter to mount my Caddx Peanut to it so I decided to give it a short maiden flight today. Things were looking good until I tried to put it in GPS rescue mode to make sure it was functioning correctly. The quad flew relatively back to my position but suddenly the throttle cut and the OSD showed the disarmed stats. Unfortunately the quad fell out of the sky and broke its frame along with some of its props. What control link are you using? If it's ExpressLRS, you're supposed to have your arm switch assigned to AUX1 since that channel is updated every packet whereas the others are only updated in round-robin order. According to the documentation, there is a "non-trivial chance" (their wording) you could have trouble disarming it when reception is weak. If you did bump the arm switch, maybe that could cause a delayed disarm if it's not seeing the channel value reliably.
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May 16, 2022 00:53
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The easiest way to think of "C" ratings is that 1C is the amount of current it would take to fully charge or discharge a given battery in 1 hour. This means that, theoretically, you could beat the hell out of 60C battery by using its entire capacity in one minute. In practice, I don't think I've ever seen a once-healthy battery last less than 2 1/2 minutes and not puff. "C" ratings are heavily fudged and more of a marketing point than anything and are used mostly to describe their capability and intended application. Still, I wouldn't use a 25C-rated battery in an application that calls for 75C. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Apr 23, 2024 |
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Apr 23, 2024 02:36
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That red connector is often referred to informally as "JST", but JST is a whole manufacturer (Japan Solderless Terminal)., so that can introduce a lot of confusion. The official name of it is JST RCY and it doesn't see a lot of use outside the toy grade space because it just doesn't have the current delivery needed for most applications. My old KingKong ET125 2S had one, and it somehow performed well despite the connector, but I'm sure a switch to XT30 would have helped. Other common JST connectors include:
Another connector worth mentioning is the Molex 51005/51006 (male and female have unique numbers). These are often referred to as Micro Losi due to its common use on that manufacturer's RC cars, but can be seen on many other (mostly) toy grade models. My XK K110 3D helicopter came with this, but its battery tray conveniently fits high performance 450mAh LiHV whoop batteries, so I eventually put a JST-PH 2.0 connector on it so it could really scream. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Apr 25, 2024 |
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Apr 25, 2024 01:52
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Many hobby chargers will do 1S, but it's not always a guarantee, so you'll want to make sure it's advertised if that's a feature you're looking for. The ISDT Q6 I used to have could charge 1S, but it wouldn't display voltage down to the hundredth of a volt unless you built a cable that bridged the discharge lead to the balance port (Don't do this. I put a 2A fuse inline on mine to prevent catastrophe). My current HTRC C240 will also happily charge 1S, but it needs to be set to "Charge" and not "Balance Charge" or it will complain that the battery is disconnected. I have one of those cheapo blue CellMeter 8 battery testers that is supposed to do 2S-8S, but I've found that it had no trouble with 1S if I used a JST-PH to XH (balance port) adatper I built. The backlight works at full brightness and everything. It's greatly appreciated in the field, or at home when trying to figure out which batteries I can safely bridge together to parallel charge. Some people are sketched out by the USB chargers that come with some models like the Mobula6 and TinyHawk series, but they've been fine for me. They tend to cut off early (like ~4.28V instead of 4.35V), but that's like 5 seconds of flight time, so who cares. CloFan posted:This would add a lot of weight, the TH doesn't have much payload capacity. Keep the JSTs, they are much lighter than XT30 The Tinyhawk is already kind of a fat pig, so I don't know how switching to XT30 would affect it. It seems to be a pretty common mod, but I would have the same inhibitions about adding weight. I'd be more inclined to switch to BT2.0 or GNB27 if I had concerns about PH 2.0's longevity (its main drawback is that the pins get oxidized quite rapidly and needs to be replaced frequently). When shopping for pigtails, make sure the wire insulator is silicone and not PVC. Far too many sellers on eBay, AliExpress, and elsewhere have the cheap PVC stuff and it will feel really cheap and stiff compared to silicone wire, not to mention it will melt really easily when trying to solder it. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 02:52 on Apr 25, 2024 |
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Apr 25, 2024 02:26
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DreadLlama posted:Thank gently caress, smart people have shown up. Oscar Liang has been a well known and active contributor to the FPV community for a long time, so his advice will be trustworthy. A lot of these cheap charging accessories come with the word "balance" printed on it or stated in the product listing even though it's meant specifically for parallel charging. I wouldn't worry about that. The kind you linked are what I use when I want to charge 1S batteries on my hobby charger. My setup is a dual channel charger (HTRC C240) with two 2-6S parallel boards (one for each channel) and a couple of those 1S parallel boards you linked plugged into the last XT60 port of each parallel board. When bridging two batteries together, the general wisdom is that you should never exceed a voltage differential of 0.02V between them, otherwise you risk drawing excessive amounts of current from the higher voltage battery into the lower one until they equalize. With micro 1S batteries, you have a bit more wiggle room. While larger packs can have internal resistances of ~5-10 mOhms when new, my 300mAh packs have always tended to be around 75-110 mOhms and my 450mAh packs 30-80 mOhms. This means you can get away with slightly larger voltage differentials. I've personally never had a problem bridging, for example, a 1S battery at 3.70V and another at 3.75V, but I probably wouldn't go beyond that. Zorilla fucked around with this message at 05:58 on Apr 25, 2024 |
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Apr 25, 2024 05:54
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