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polyfractal posted:The flight sim sounds like a good idea, especially since I don't have anyone coaching me. Are they pretty good substitutes for real flying (for a total newbie)? Yes and no. I've got both RealFlight and Phoenix, and neither really matches the experience of flying outdoors. The flight models are fine, and they're excellent for not trashing thousands of dollars worth of kit while learning to do some things. But the lack of depth perception definitely changes the way it plays. Even throwing the image onto a wall via a projector doesn't seem to give the true sense of size or scale. I fly a lot more casually in real life than I do in the sim, partly I think due to actually seeing the distances for real, and my vision being "full", rather than the 70-110 degree FoV a monitor or screen presents. That all said, it's not a bad way to get some practice in. Flite Test have a few videos that are 5 minutes long, worth watching just to get an idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4uksz0dd0s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGLsWZHV3Zs
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Sep 5, 2012 23:57
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Is rcgroups pretty much the go-to forums for R/C planes? Obviously this isn't a huge thread, and as a beginner I'd rather learn through osmosis and reading tons of threads instead of asking stupid beginner newbie questions to people who are clearly a couple of levels beyond a 3-ch trainer. Is there a good R/C electrical beginner tutorial with respect to tying together ESCs, motors, battery systems, radio, etc within the plane? I have a fairly good idea of what everything does obviously, but I'm looking for something a little more in-depth, like how relationships between prop size/engine/esc rating are affected when you change components that I can use as a reference. You get some of that while reading through threads here and there, but unless I take notes it's just noise. I'm looking to take the next step and move up to a real controller and a full 4ch+ plane I can just bind and fly. I'd like to get something that will be able to handle my future plans for some time to come - a short-medium range FPV learner, an EDF jet, then build up to a medium-long range FPV platform. Would the Spectrum DX7s be a decent choice for that?
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Sep 10, 2012 15:12
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For long range you want a 72mhz tX or a UHF system like dragon link. You can attach to a dx7. I'm not sure about the dx7s. A stock 2.4ghz system is going to cap you at about 1km.
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Sep 10, 2012 20:24
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Yeah, long range is a whole different ballgame. 1KM with 2.4 ghz is plenty right now, and will far outweigh the range of any initial fpv system that I build up. Start slow, build it right, fly it right, then and only then move on to something bigger and better seems to be the order of the day when it comes to FPV.
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Sep 10, 2012 22:02
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So I've been searching about for a complete FPV kit as I have nothing, except my AXN, at the moment. Are sets like this good value/quality? I will only be using it to fly around the park and generally in line of sight. There might be one or two trees between the plane and myself at times. As I am in Germany, I am only allowed a transmitter of up to 25mWatts at 5.8GHz. What kind of range is possible with that?
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Sep 12, 2012 11:24
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I had a KK blackboard collecting dust after installing a KK 2.0 board on my tricopter so I decided to make a cheap simple quad. I used the following power system. Turnigy 2204 motors SimonK'd plush 6A esc's 1000 mah 2S battery 8x4.3 props The frame is made out of fan fold foam that I milled on my phlatprinter. It isn't strong but it is very light and easy to repair. Ready to fly weight is 266 grams.   
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Sep 13, 2012 01:49
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So my backordered SkySurfer finally came in. Everything shows up tomorrow...I AM SO EXCITED!  Hopefully I'll be able to keep from destroying it the first weekend I go flying.
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Sep 19, 2012 13:19
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polyfractal posted:Hopefully I'll be able to keep from destroying it the first weekend I go flying.  Hmmm...
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Sep 23, 2012 03:32
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Nothing a few toothpicks and some glue wont fix.
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Sep 23, 2012 03:50
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polyfractal posted:
This is exactly what I did my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd attempts flying. Hot glue was wonderfully effective. And tape. Fiber-reinforced packing tape on the underside will help protect it from damage if you put it on correctly. Slanderer fucked around with this message at 06:22 on Sep 23, 2012 |
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Sep 23, 2012 06:17
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Hehe, right you guys are.  I added some duct tape on top of this and took it back out today for another few flights. Much better this time! I flew in a larger field, and flew higher to give myself more time to react to screwups. The two helped a lot. I did discover that my plane is horribly tuned...it tries to bank right by itself. Before flight, I verified that all the control surfaces are even and flat. In-flight, I was forced to trim the ailerons heavily to one side to compensate for the banking, and even then it still tried to turn a bit by itself. Any ideas what's causing this?
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Sep 23, 2012 23:09
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polyfractal posted:Any ideas what's causing this? The plane's not 100% straight, even if it looks that way? Bad geometry? Bad hair day? Didn't drink his ovaltine? Shoulda gone to Midas? (Every plane will have its quirks, and you clear those out by test flying cautiously, landing, and then adjusting from there)
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Sep 24, 2012 00:34
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Does the right roll correspond with throttle setting? It might be motor torque.
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Sep 24, 2012 02:22
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MRC48B posted:Does the right roll correspond with throttle setting? It might be motor torque. Pretty unlikely on a sky surfer
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Sep 24, 2012 05:17
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I'll check out the rolling in conjunction with throttle when I take it back out. I have the stock motor, but did replace the prop with a 6x4 APC which apparently does generate more thrust. I think I found the culprit though: the tail feathers were angled compared to the wings. And wouldn't you know, they were banked slightly to the right. I straightened them up and added a carbon fiber rod to help keep it rigid. Hoping that sorts out the issue. Good to know that planes in general have lots of quirks to tweak. I wasn't sure if I had just assembled my plane horribly, or if it was normal for these kind of issues to crop up. 
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Sep 25, 2012 14:26
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polyfractal posted:Good to know that planes in general have lots of quirks to tweak. I wasn't sure if I had just assembled my plane horribly, or if it was normal for these kind of issues to crop up. I can't speak for everyone, but with my bixler, things went something like this: Flight 1: reversed propeller - > crash 2: inverted channel on transmitter -> horrible crash, broken propeller 3: who the gently caress knows, smashed the nose apart 4: stuck control surface, falls out of plane, gets cut open by propeller, then completely severed. catches fire. 5: finally flew beautifully, until one of the connectors to a control surface snapped in mid air, leading to tragedy. At this point I bought a quadcopter. Just as many crashes, but they are generally a lot funnier, so it works out, y'know?
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Sep 25, 2012 14:38
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There's a lot to be said about proper ground testing... Geeze...
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Sep 25, 2012 15:11
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Unless you want to huff glue, ground check everything every time you fly it.
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Sep 25, 2012 15:30
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Nerobro posted:There's a lot to be said about proper ground testing... Geeze... Sounds like nerd stuff to me. I prefer the thrill, the danger, the inevitable regret. I'm in the danger zone.
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Sep 25, 2012 18:31
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EDIT: Bizarro delayed doublepost
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Sep 25, 2012 18:40
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Slanderer posted:Sounds like nerd stuff to me. I prefer the thrill, the danger, the inevitable regret. I suppose my time building planes from scratch makes me more protective. Spend a couple weeks building a HLG.. see what you feel like when it flys off the hi start wrong because you didn't test to see the radio was turned on....
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Sep 25, 2012 18:46
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Slanderer posted:Sounds like nerd stuff to me. I prefer the thrill, the danger, the inevitable regret. I like your style!
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Sep 25, 2012 22:08
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I've been thinking about getting into DIY RC things. After realizing that a homebuilt quad with autopilot might be a little ambitious for a first-ever project I figure I'll back off, but I still need to learn. Any good resources out there other than diydrones.com? And on a related note, any recommendations for a good but inexpensive entry level RC helicopter? I want to fly before I get my poo poo figured out and build something, too...
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Sep 26, 2012 00:42
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Big heli? Small heli? Have you flown any helicopters before? Any price range? The gateway-drug heli is a 3-channel coaxial copter like a Syma S107. It's tiny, stable enough, and can help teach you the basic truths about how helis fly. (IE they drift relative to the ground among other things) http://www.xheli.com/56h-ii-s107g-red.html You can get the same basic copter in a larger outdoor version for under $50. CrazyLittle fucked around with this message at 03:40 on Sep 26, 2012 |
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Sep 26, 2012 03:36
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You can get a mini quad for pretty cheap too : http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__592__501__Multi_Rotors_Parts-RTF_PNF_ARF.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW7_-Nrul_U
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Sep 26, 2012 13:19
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Straightening the tail feathers fixed my banking problem. I also moved some stuff around internally, since the plane was tail-heavy and tended to rise up whenever it was on a straight run (especially when the throttle was increased). I took it for a few flights to get everything trimmed up nicely, then decided "screw it, let's add the FPV gear". Everyone says to get used to RC flying first...but then they also say that FPV is totally different. All suited up, my plane looks like this:  5.8ghz video, the camera is embedded in the cockpit foam insert, cloverleaf antenna out on the tail. All the tape up front is to help protect it, as well as hold some metal washers in place. HOLY poo poo FPV IS AWESOME! Way easier to fly than LOS, in my opinion. Huge adrenaline rush too, especially until you get used to how quickly the camera view can change. I took it to a big soccer park this morning and spent twenty or so minutes cruising around, trying to feel out how it reacts to different speeds and heights. Really, really awesome.
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Sep 26, 2012 15:14
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CrazyLittle posted:Big heli? Small heli? Have you flown any helicopters before? Any price range? Small but outdoor capable, relatively cheap, and easily repairable. I've never flown any helicopters before so the more complicated ones are probably a bad starting point... ease posted:You can get a mini quad for pretty cheap too :
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Sep 26, 2012 17:16
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Generator posted:So I've been searching about for a complete FPV kit as I have nothing, except my AXN, at the moment. So anyone have any thoughts on the linked package?
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Sep 26, 2012 17:55
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Generator posted:So anyone have any thoughts on the linked package? It looks like a decent package. That's the base price for what ReadyMadeRC offers too, so I'd say it is competitively priced. My setup is very similar - bigger transmitter but otherwise the same. I imagine it's cheaper if you buy all the components individually, but I liked knowing everything I was purchasing was meant to work together. Regarding performance, if you can manage the price, upgrade to the circularly polarized antennas. 5.8ghz suffers from multipathing (the signal bouncing off of trees and buildings), which causes your video feed to go all crazy. It also reduces range considerably. From what I've read, a 25mW Tx with linear antennas (the standard rubber duckies) will get you 100-300m of range, depending on how much stuff is around to interfere. With CP antennas you can theoretically get you up to 1-2km. The biggest problem with 5.8ghz is that, no matter the range, you need to basically maintain LOS since it doesn't penetrate trees/buildings at all. *I'm brand new to FPV, so don't take my word as gospel
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Sep 26, 2012 19:15
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CrazyLittle posted:Big heli? Small heli? Have you flown any helicopters before? Any price range? Seconding this. I was in this thread a page or two ago (thanks for all the great info, btw, guys! I appreciate it. ) looking at a EDF Jet/Trainer plane, but after trying out a free simulator with a game pad it turns out... well, I sucked. I knew what my hands should be doing and I knew what the plane should be doing, but my control reflexes were tuned for gaming and everything I did just crashed horribly because I over-twitched the hell out of it. That pretty much nixed the idea of picking up an airplane for a little while.For the hell of it I picked up a S108G for $18 because GOD DAMNIT maybe it was the controller and not me! It wasn't. I crashed the Syma a whole bunch of times because with RC ariplanes and helicopters you need a whole lot more fine control then rescuing the princess from Bowser. Luckily the little thing is durable. Like Fisher Price durable. I haven't exactly been keeping track, but if I had to guess I'd say my 108's had about 60 crashes on it in the short time I've had it. It's also really tiny and can easily be flown in a small and cluttered room. The S107G is my heli's more capable, better repairable, and less toy-like brother with a huge following of users. There are plenty of spare parts available if you break anything, and even if you're not inclined to fix it a complete replacement will only set you back about 20 bucks. If you've never flown a helicopter or airplane before, it's a really good first step just to get used to controlling it and you won't feel all that bad if you There are some downsides though. It is small, and small 3 channel helicopters don't handle wind very well if at all. The S107G also comes with an IR controller, which means no flying out of LOS or in bright sunlight. And while we're on the subject of controllers, it's 3 Channel with Throttle on the left and Pitch/Yaw on the right so when you move up to 4 channel you'll have to relearn to Throttle/Yaw left and Pitch/Roll right. That's a really valid gripe for people wanting to move on to other helicopters, but I'm of the opinion that having something bulletproof to crash is a sufficient trade off. And like CrazyLittle said... they are a gateway drug. Me? I'm already eyeing another Syma (an S102G UH-60 Blackhawk) with intentions to try and complete the military collection.  All that's really keeping me from pulling the trigger is that I haven't decided between a WL v911 (~$40) or a GW 9958 (~$30) as my first entry into 4 channel fixed pitch. From there maybe a 6Ch CP or a Quadrotor or something. I'm kind of glad I sucked at airplanes and didn't pick up the F-8 and AXN Floater, because it turns out I really like helicopters. 
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Sep 27, 2012 00:33
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I got some 800mah batteries (compared to stock 200mah) and modded the minicub to fit them. Took it out at lunch today, and got it trimmed out so it would lazily circle with little to no lift. I put in a fresh battery, started the timer, and did nothing but wide open throttle the whole time. 21 minutes until low voltage cutoff. 
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Sep 29, 2012 01:49
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I picked up a Blade mQx yesterday. This thing is zippy! After slamming it into a wall indoors I decided I'd best learn to fly it outside until I get the hang of it... e: slammed it into the ground in such a way as to pop a motor out of the clip that's supposed to prevent it and apparently I'd not cut power, because a rotor then sliced through the wires. 
mynnna fucked around with this message at 01:57 on Sep 30, 2012 |
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Sep 29, 2012 22:03
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Newcomer to this thread. I recently, accidentally picked up RC flying and I'm in love. I took in a HZ Super Cub and a larger Balsa Nitro plane in on a trade. I knew I would only utterly destroy the Balsa plane so I sold it. But I started flying the Super Cub. I crashed it a bunch of times, repaired it, crashed it again. I bought new fuselage, wing, prop and prop shaft and things were good. Now it's just doing death spirals though - I am not sure what's wrong. In the meantime, I picked up a Mini Cub and have gotten good with it. I can ground-take off and land it decently. A friend of mine has a Firebird Stratos and flying with someone else is always more fun. On my last outing, I crashed the Mini Cub into a football field goal....doh. Only slightly dented the wing and kept flying. A few days ago I picked up the Phoenix 4.0 Sim with the DX5e radio. I've been flying a lot on that. I've been eyeballing an aileron trainer for about a week now and pulled the trigger on a PZ F4U Corsair today (the BNF version). I knew I was going to order this eventually so I've been practicing a bunch on the sim. I figure I won't actually fly the plane until I can execute countless touch & go's without crashing on the sim. I'm getting the itch for an entry level copter, too. I had some early gen Blade co-axial helicopter a couple years ago but eventually sold it because the replacement parts kept getting expensive. Recommendations for a good entry level one, preferrably 4 channel? I'd do sim time first.
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Oct 10, 2012 04:04
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TotalLossBrain posted:
I learned to fly helicopters with the fixed-pitch MSRX; it is a good outdoor heli to start out with and I beat on it like crazy because I had no RC experience at all. In retrospect, I wish I would have just started with the collective pitch MCPX, even though it's a little more complex to learn at first, it can get out of some situations that you can't recover with fixed pitch or coaxial. I have the coaxial MCX2 for orientation practice indoors, but in reality I don't really use it that much because the MCPX is so much more fun and I practice with it as much as I can outside. you're going to break things while learning regardless of which one you buy, so it might as well be on something you'll be keeping for a while. replacement parts are pretty similarly priced regardless of the model of Blade micro heli you have. if you find that you really get into helicopters you'll probably end up getting an MCPX anyway, so you may as well learn on one. Doubly so since you have the sim to practice it with, too.
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Oct 10, 2012 05:01
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I think I've posted in here before about thinking of picking up a mutlirotor, this showed up in my email the other day and was wondering what you guys think... http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...&utm_source=EDM plug and play, I already have a controller and a few battery packs that will work. This a decent way to get a feel for multirotor or should I just pay the extra $4-500 and build a good one?
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Oct 11, 2012 12:53
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You can build a decent MR for 200-250$ easy.
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Oct 11, 2012 14:04
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Ordered a Syma S107 last night. It'll be here tomorrow. I've got a thread up on ADVrider about RC planes. I have a copy of Realflight that I've been playing with and have around 80 hours in now. I used to build rockets and I'm an automation specialist for the state of CA. I love toying around with models, before I moved I literally had a room full of models and rockets. I'm new to RC but I think I'm understanding most of it. I've read this entire thread and I've been watching youtube videos. I'm more interested in planes than Heli's but I wanted to start playing with something. I want to get a keychain camera and some kind of large glider. I live right on the coast and I'm not after POV flying, just recorded video for now. I need something that can handle coastal winds, it shifts quickly and while I realize I can't fly on windy days there are some that I could get it out and get some fantastic video. I want to build some planes as well, but I think the glider will be my first priority. Next week I get paid and will start ordering things. I'm looking at a spektrum dx6i radio right now since DSM receivers are cheap. Does anyone know if there is some kind of adapter to use an airtronics radio with DSM? I've heard they have excellent responsiveness and range, but their receivers are rather pricey. I'm planning to order this kit http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart.exe/IndexText/FSIGRC60.html?E+Sig next week to start building, It'll be my first model in over 7 years. I think it'll be a week or two before it's fully built. Any recommendations on a decent sized glider that I could get a decent amount of flight time out of and would carry a camera? It doesn't have to be an ARF, I have a full shop and space to build it in.
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Oct 12, 2012 03:08
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The Kadet range of planes make good trainers. I hope you are going to put an electric power system on that Seniorita and some ailerons. If you like building kits and like Sig they have the Riser 100 which is a nice big but simple glider.
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Oct 13, 2012 01:20
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helno posted:The Kadet range of planes make good trainers. I hope you are going to put an electric power system on that Seniorita and some ailerons. Definitely electric on the Kadet. I want to get into glow engines eventually, but I love tinkering with electronics. I'm an automation Specialist so I'm looking forward to tinkering with some of the different UAV/autopilot options. I was thinking about going with a foam glider, I'll be doing flying over the bay and the ocean so I'd like for it to float. My plan was to get something that would be flyable soon and then take my time building the Kadet. I'm planning to pick up one of the #18 HD key cams and do some onboard video. I'm going to wait to delve into FPV to keep my initial costs low. I'm torn about what Radio to get, I'm torn between the Spektrum DX8 and the Airtronics SD-10G. I like the cheap DSM receivers but I'm also concerned about trusting a cheap receiver. I've heard that the airtronics have fantastic response and good range, but the receivers are not cheap. Any thoughts?
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Oct 13, 2012 03:56
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I have an old DX6i and have a bunch of the <$10 receivers. I use the cheap ones on planes that are small and light and enough not to let get to far away. For the bigger planes I use the fancy spektrum receivers. You don't need a very big glider to carry an 808 camera. This is on a Great planes Fling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqbtKNa7Q5M That Seniorita will have tons of room and capacity for autopilot gear.
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Oct 13, 2012 21:12
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