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Delta-Wye posted:Too funny not to share:
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Jan 31, 2012 03:47
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Looks like they were using a mikrokopter-based hexa-copter with a camera gimble attached underneath. I wouldn't really bank on a "one-size-fits-all" approach to multi-rotor helicopters. That's a quick way to dump a TON of money into something that may quickly be surpassed by newer tech.
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Jan 31, 2012 08:35
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InternetJunky posted:While the video was great, where can I find more information about the quadrocoptor or whatever you call it with the camera they were using? It is probably one of the expensive german ones but might be a home built rig. I've made several quads and tricopters myself. If you want to fly these things I suggest starting small with a 4 channel coaxial
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Feb 1, 2012 04:25
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One of the less expensive quadcopter ($139 plus shipping, you have to have a transmiter) It makes me regreat having bought a 4ch heli, could have bought this baby with the same money  EDIT: Check out these quadcopters this video was posted on the youtube thread Micr0chiP fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Feb 1, 2012 |
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Feb 1, 2012 12:37
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Anyone built foamy planes? I want to build one that is fun to fly. I know how to fly CP helicopters already and can fly the planes pretty well on the sim so I don't really want a starter, slow as poo poo, plane even if it's my first. Any ideas? I got plenty of 9g servos so it would be nice if I could use those.
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Feb 4, 2012 20:24
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Define "fun to fly" - there's a TON of options out there. Two foamy-builder's channels: http://www.youtube.com/user/ExperimentalAirlines http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeysRC Here's a pretty simple one, the funbat: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1385215 CrazyLittle fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Feb 4, 2012 |
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Feb 4, 2012 20:26
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That's the problem, there's like 2 million plans out there and I don't know which one works and which ones flies like poo poo. Helicopters are much easier to figure out in that regard. It mights be easier to just get a cheap plane from hobby king but I liked the idea of building a plane from scratch. Edit: Oh you edited your post, thanks! I'll look into that. 
IsaacNewton fucked around with this message at 20:49 on Feb 4, 2012 |
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Feb 4, 2012 20:45
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IsaacNewton posted:fun to fly Sounds like someone needs a polaris. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=922465 Even available as a kit if you dont want to do any cutting. http://modelaero.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=POL-1&Category_Code=AM
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Feb 5, 2012 23:54
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helno posted:Sounds like someone needs a polaris. Where do you get that bare foam? Looks like a perfect model for me otherwise!
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Feb 6, 2012 01:40
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IsaacNewton posted:Where do you get that bare foam? Looks like a perfect model for me otherwise! Looking online, http://www.rcfoam.com/ seems like a possible source. More expensive than I would like
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Feb 6, 2012 01:57
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IsaacNewton posted:Where do you get that bare foam? Looks like a perfect model for me otherwise! Most hobbystores carry depron these days.
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Feb 6, 2012 02:56
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The dollar tree sells foam board that people seem to like. It has paper on it, and supposedly just spraying it with water will make it peel right off, but a lot of people just leave it on too.
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Feb 6, 2012 14:24
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My latest scratchbuilt is a replica of the Hall PH-3, a 1939 patrol seaplane. I modified the plans for the Drake FFF. It's got dual KFm2 wings and dual 1100kv motors spinning 8x6 props. 48" wingspan, 37" length.    Just got a simple 5.8ghz and cheap CMOS camera right now, but I want to put a better vtx and camera along with a pan/tilt mount so I can drive around on the lake and chase ducks this spring. Probably going to upgrade the props too. I have some 9x7s that I may cut down to fit or I'll try to find some 3-bladed props. The 8x6s work great but when the wind picks up I definitely need more pitch speed. Here's the FPV maiden, tons of fun on the snow! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdiwkddOqpQ
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Feb 13, 2012 21:00
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If you are a fan of FPV flying and UAVs in general then please take a few minutes to sign this petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/rear end...m_term=own_wall Currently big defense contractors like Raytheon and Northrop Grumman as well as aerial photography companies are lobbying hard to keep the UAV/AP market to themselves. This makes perfect sense when you realize the amount of money that goes into a simple traffic helicopter, let alone a photoshoot for a documentary, as well as the monopoly of UAV use by the military and police. Here's a better description of the problem: quote:The RCAPA-(radio controlled aerial photography association) meets all of the requirements to hold a seat on the UAS ARC. The ARC is an aviation rulemaking committee which is supposed to be open to public discussion, in this case pertaining to the use of UAS/r/c aircraft for commercial aerial photography, among other uses. The RCAPA would be the only voice for the small business stakeholders on the UAS ARC if Ms. Gilligan would give them a seat but so far she has not. This is disenfranchisement. So please, please sign the petition so in the future people can do this without fearing government punishment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Nw2f48ScU
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Feb 16, 2012 19:29
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I signed as I support the idea of legitimized RC AP/AV for businesses, but let's not delude ourselves: Under current FAA regulations, flying UAVs and taking AP/AV for hire is illegal without impossible-to-get certs and licensing. Also, multi-rotor and most R/C photography platforms are not mature enough to be flown safely around people and property which small business users would be using it for.
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Feb 16, 2012 20:50
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Yep they're illegal to fly for hire. That's pretty stupid huh? The petition is to let a representative group of small commercial UAV operators the chance to have a say in the FAA regulations that will be released. Right now they are writing them to force you to get a full-scale pilots license to fly a UAV and that's stupid for obvious reasons, it's just a needless hurdle to keep cheap AP from hampering the big dog's profits. What are you talking about? I was just at a sporting event and there were RC blimps dropping coupons into the crowd, clearly they are safe enough. Those are UAVs operating for profit, albeit indoors. Put some ducts around the blades on a multirotor and it will be much safer. And yes they want to fly them around people and property but that's what commercial AP platforms already do, and they have much more potential to cause damage. All these issues are to be discussed in the UAS ARC and that's why it's imperative that the RCAPA is involved to offer some insight and balance against (dishonest) corporate and political influence. Full size helicopters crash all the freakin time btw.
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Feb 16, 2012 21:38
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Vitamin J posted:Yep they're illegal to fly for hire. That's pretty stupid huh? Vitamin J posted:The petition is to let a representative group of small commercial UAV operators the chance to have a say in the FAA regulations that will be released. Right now they are writing them to force you to get a full-scale pilots license to fly a UAV and that's stupid for obvious reasons, it's just a needless hurdle to keep cheap AP from hampering the big dog's profits. Vitamin J posted:What are you talking about? I was just at a sporting event and there were RC blimps dropping coupons into the crowd, clearly they are safe enough. Those are UAVs operating for profit, albeit indoors. Vitamin J posted:Put some ducts around the blades on a multirotor and it will be much safer. And yes they want to fly them around people and property but that's what commercial AP platforms already do, and they have much more potential to cause damage. All these issues are to be discussed in the UAS ARC and that's why it's imperative that the RCAPA is involved to offer some insight and balance against (dishonest) corporate and political influence. Vitamin J posted:Full size helicopters crash all the freakin time btw. They also have rules and failsafe mesaures to minimize damage... which most multirotor and AP/AV platforms do not. For that matter, do you think a wedding photographer who doesn't know poo poo about R/C but bought a hexacopter is going to honor NOTAM's or even know what they are?
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Feb 16, 2012 22:14
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Yeah I guess we agree but right now they won't even allow small business UAV operators or even operators running as a non-profit to use them in things like search and rescue, even when they are requested by the local authorities. These people have tried to apply for experimental permits or emergency permits or whatever and keep being denied. This is obviously to stop a grabbing newspaper headline and keep the association of UAVs with the military.
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Feb 17, 2012 00:22
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Vitamin J posted:Yeah I guess we agree but right now they won't even allow small business UAV operators or even operators running as a non-profit to use them in things like search and rescue, even when they are requested by the local authorities. These people have tried to apply for experimental permits or emergency permits or whatever and keep being denied. This is obviously to stop a grabbing newspaper headline and keep the association of UAVs with the military. That's a bit silly. Yes, there are a few experimental licenses that were granted for research purposes, but no commercial licences are being handed out. A hobbyist can fly their kit for search and rescue for free, so it's not the "use-case" that's limiting them. It's the profit motive driving a flood of people into the market who shouldn't be there which presents a problem. Besides, I'm hoping that by the time the new UAV bill goes into effect (which pushes the FAA to legalize commercial UAV use) that the R/C gear will be more stable. This arduino poo poo flys, but it's already hit its limit for platform expansion.
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Feb 17, 2012 03:20
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CrazyLittle posted:This arduino poo poo flys, but it's already hit its limit for platform expansion. What? edit : To clarify, there is much more going on with MR's than just one kind of board. Ever looked at openpilot? ease fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Feb 17, 2012 |
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Feb 17, 2012 14:31
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oops.
ease fucked around with this message at 14:36 on Feb 17, 2012 |
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Feb 17, 2012 14:31
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I asked this over in the RC car forum and they sent me here. quote:So I have an off topic question here, I can take the time to learn to fly it before I take it over the water, we live in the country so there is LOTS of room and some nice new roads to land on. Is there something that will work?
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Feb 17, 2012 21:07
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I think an EasyStar is probably the most widely used FPV/AP platform out there. If you want to go 70mph ground speed, I'd put a bigger motor on it eventually. Someone here just built a cheaper, slightly smaller nock off called a floater jet that you can get for ~60 plug and fly (you'd need a tx/rx) at hobby king. I think these both can land and take off from water, but I'd double check on the floater jet. Floater jet : http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=8359 Easy Star : http://www.hobby-lobby.com/easystar_rtf.htm My advice if money is a concern? Get the cheaper plane, or something like that and a decent TX. Get at least a dx6i @ ~160. Having a good tX will allow you to program it in the field, configure curves, and make the whole learning process easier. ease fucked around with this message at 21:21 on Feb 17, 2012 |
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Feb 17, 2012 21:12
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Thanks for the help, thats more info then I have got so far, one thing with those two planes is they are fairly light, I think that mounting the camera to them is going to have a very large impact on their performance, is this correct?
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Feb 17, 2012 21:30
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It will definitely fly differently, yes. You'll have to get the CG right by moving the battery from it's stock position most likely. Heavier means more things break when you crash, and your control of the plane will be some what less snappy, but people are definitely putting a bunch of weight on easystars and getting great results. Figure out the weight of the go pro, and make a dummy version of it first. Since if you wreck the most expensive thing on the plane will be the camera, it can't hurt to just put a dummy up front and get a feel for how it's going to be to get your confidence up.
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Feb 17, 2012 22:14
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The floater jet will do about 50mph+ with a 6x5 prop on the stock motor, EZ* will need an aftermarket motor to do that speed and is bigger and heavier so it'll take a lot more power to do the same speeds, it's much more flimsy and spongy while the Floater is stiff and rigid. They'll both hold a GoPro fine if you can bury it in the foam a bit. It'd be sweet to see one land/take off one water too! Will need some floats for the wingtips but it should be ok I'd think.
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Feb 17, 2012 22:43
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I think for 95+% of the time that 50 mph will be OK, if i just travel in a slightly shorter path then the skiier takes then it should work. So really it's a $60 plane that will be able to land on water and carry a go-pro? That's crazy I really thought it would be more then this. I think I'll probably buy two one to learn on and then another one for parts/etc when I crash the learning one
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Feb 17, 2012 23:05
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Check this thread for more info and popular upgrades: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=972336
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Feb 17, 2012 23:37
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ease posted:What? Yeah, Arduino's at its peak in MR development. That's part of the reason why altitude hold is making really slow progress, and GPS (position hold) implementation is near non-existent. Even heading hold using a magnetometer only started working cleanly in 1.9. I have a coptercontrol board as well as a "quadrino advanced" (MWC 9DOF), and the STM32 based multirotor boards are still very very "new" and the software's not quite as stable in flight as KaptainKuk's most recent firmwares. I also have one of AbuseMark's Naze32 boards on order, so I'll get to see if MWC on STM32 is any better. I currently have two frames that I'm flying - a "Rusty" quad frame from AGL Hobbies, with 450-trex booms, and a RC Explorer v2.5 tricopter that I scaled up to inches. Openpilot's Ground Control System is really good, and the interface is great but the setup required to get good results in the air is not well documented. Openpilot's current version is really really good, mind you, but it's not quite as smooth as the PI loop that KaptainKuk did for the 1.6 tri-copter is right out of the box. MultiWii's MultiWiiConf is generally a terrible program, unintuitive and undocumented. You end up having to look through 3-4 different sites just to get a basic setup flyable. I would set the goalposts for commercial readiness at the kind of stability you get out of those cheap-rear end coaxial copters you can buy at mall kiosks. Vitamin J posted:The floater jet will do about 50mph+ with a 6x5 prop on the stock motor, EZ* will need an aftermarket motor to do that speed and is bigger and heavier so it'll take a lot more power to do the same speeds, it's much more flimsy and spongy while the Floater is stiff and rigid. They'll both hold a GoPro fine if you can bury it in the foam a bit. It'd be sweet to see one land/take off one water too! Will need some floats for the wingtips but it should be ok I'd think. Yeah, IMHO the AXN floaterjet flies faster/smoother than the Easy Star/Bixler. The angle of incidence on the wing isn't quite as aggressive, and as J said the whole plane is a LOT more rigid. If you're going to try water landing, I would very carefully seal all the electronics. Neither of these planes were designed for water, and have lots of holes that could let water into the main compartment. CrazyLittle fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Feb 17, 2012 |
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Feb 17, 2012 23:47
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Im just looking at what all I need to buy here, I need the plane obviously: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=8359 Then I need a battery, this one for lighter weight. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__16217__Turnigy_1800mAh_3S_20C_Lipo_Pack_USA_Warehouse_.html Then I guess I need a charger for the battery? http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__18066__Turnigy_Accucel_6_50W_6A_Balancer_Charger_w_accessories_USA_Warehouse_.html Then I need a transmitter: http://www.bigdoghobbies.com/product-p/spmr6610.htm (local) The radio includes batteries and charger right, does that one I liked to, there is no description. Then if I want a helicopter to fly inside? Then if I want a helicopter to fly outside? (I am bored!) Thanks!
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Feb 18, 2012 02:10
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Carleton posted:Im just looking at what all I need to buy here, Don't get the one from China - order out of their US warehouse. It's cheaper in a lot of ways, and you'll get it faster: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__18916__Floater_Jet_EPO_with_Motor_ARF_USA_Warehouse_.html From earlier: CrazyLittle posted:Here's my plane of choice: AXN Floater-Jet Since you mentioned the Spektrum radio, skip the CT6B transmitter. Carleton posted:Then I need a transmitter: I'll update the list above a little later when I get home. *edit* updated list for you: quote:From hobbypartz.com in California: CrazyLittle fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 03:27
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A DX6I will come with a wall wart charger and 4 spektrum branded nihm AA's
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Feb 18, 2012 04:40
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That depends on where you buy it. The european versions (with the castrated wattage setting) do not come with batteries or the charger. And: The plug is exactly reverse polarized (english is my second language so hopefully this is correct) then any other plugs to hook up a charger to the TX. If you use a Graupner or Robbe charger on the DX6i it will go up in flames. BTW, I don't think the Easy* is flimsier. The EPP is less rigid as the EPO of the Floater, but for the beginner this is an advantage. When impacting the Easystar tends to bounce off the ground with a warped nose, which can be easily fixed by holding it in hot (not boiling!) water. The Floater jet breaks in pieces (which admittedly can be also easily glued back together with CA and kicker spray on the spot). A great engine for the Easystar is the 1700kv Mystery brushless motor. Comes with a 30A ESC, just check ebay for 1700kv mystery and you will find it. Couple it with a 6x4 APC E or Graupner Vinyl prop and you have about 700g of thrust. Definitely enough to get my Easy to 300m+ up with a Samsung S750 digicam attached. BTW, get yourself the 50g CA glue from Hobbyking and some kicker spray. That stuff will be your biggest friend the first 20+ flights. Definitely helped me when teaching myself how to fly... Servos: I love the HXT900 from HK. The SG90 I got are a mixed bag. Some are great, some are horribly imprecise. I put four of those in my MPX Gemini and had to replace them all cause after doing some rolls the biplane wouldnt stop rolling when the SG90s would not go back to their center. With the HXTs its no issue. Otoh the SG90s in my MiniMag did not have that issue, so maybe it was just the odd batch... (My 737 is still not in the air. Have to fix the front wheels still and its been snowing, raining and being way too windy here nonstop the last three weeks...) Edit: Heli inside - get the Blade 120. Its simply great fun and surprisingly easy to fly. Almost like a koax. Heli outside - if you want to to it the easy way, take a look at the MPX FunCopter. Make sure to get the V2 version. V1 had some serious issues, which were almost all fixed in V2. Or get a Blade 400/450 for outdoors. Prepare to spend a substantial amount of money for spare parts though... Stay away from the HK 450 clones. While they can be built cheaply, the screws they come with and the blades are complete junk. There are so many parts which you end up switching to original T-Rex parts, you end up paying almost the same in the end. Tried it, gave up and sold the pices when I discovered that half of the main head was simply missing.
Hoeni fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 21:56
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OK! So it was raining and I went out and bought some stuff! I got locally a D6Xi with the reciever (all they had in stock) A MCX version 1 helicopter which is performing nicely I think. And 4 batteries for it. Then I bought online from Hobby King the AXN floater jet and some glue and accelerator Then I bought the following from Hobby partz.com quote:Sky Lipo 1800mAh 11.1V 77P-SL1800-3S1P-20C-3333 1 11.55 Will this do me for now? Anything else I need to get on the way? Don't want to be stranded here!
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Feb 19, 2012 00:18
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Hoeni posted:BTW, Hoeni posted:I love the HXT900 from HK. The SG90 I got are a mixed bag. *etc* With the HXTs its no issue. Carleton posted:Will this do me for now? Anything else I need to get on the way? Don't want to be stranded here! Duct tape or clear packing tape (to line the bottom of the fuselage for belly landing protection) soldering iron some videos*: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU_IEdTDOq0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL_0mQIWPyY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmOIeEdycs4 * I do things just a little bit differently. I don't glue the carbon fiber spar into the wing itself because I want to be able to pull the wings off in transport. Instead, I install the servos in the wings, and then glue the spar cover in place. Then the spar floats freely in the channel to give support, but the wings get held together with tape or with velcro. Also when he installs the ESC he solders directly to the motor, which I don't like doing because I have had ESCs fail much more easily than the motor. The ESC I pointed you to already has a 4mm banana battery plug that matches the battery I listed. On the motor end of the ESC it uses 3.5mm banana plugs. That's where the spare plugs I linked come in - just install male plugs on the motor end, and heat-shrink the bases onto the motor wires. CrazyLittle fucked around with this message at 20:50 on Feb 19, 2012 |
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Feb 19, 2012 07:47
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I am looking for a brushed ESC for a project, does anyone have a source they like? They seem to be pretty much impossible to find; I understand that a brushless motor is superior, but I am modifying a existing RC vehicle and I think brushed motors have gone the way of the dinosaur in the hobby.
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Feb 19, 2012 21:25
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Here's one: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXKBF3
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Feb 19, 2012 22:51
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CrazyLittle posted:Here's one: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXKBF3 That may not be a bad deal, thanks. I found some on hobbyking that were not in stock (let alone in stock at the US warehouse) and was not having luck anywhere else.
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Feb 19, 2012 23:08
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OK, I guess I need one more thing, a simulator! I don't REALLY want to spend $116 for something from hobby town, so I was wondering if there is anything that is working with windows 7 and a 3.5mm male male cable. I see that there are programs that (used to?) work to convert the signal, but now I can't get them running on my computer. Is there a nice little guide to getting the dx6i working with windows 7 with what I have in the house? Will something like this: "Just work" as in it will be recognized as a controller and be plug and play? http://www.dealextreme.com/p/usb-simulator-cable-for-futaba-jr-fs-r-c-remotes-4603 Carleton fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Feb 20, 2012 |
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Feb 20, 2012 00:45
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Seperate post for a new question. Is there a way to charge all 4 of my MCX heli 1s batteries with that balance charger? Do I need to buy something for that? Along the same line - can I use it to charge normal nimh AA batteries? What do i need for that? Thanks!
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Feb 20, 2012 01:30
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