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You don't need something bigger than 250mm if you want something smaller then the phantom, you just need a different configuration 250. I believe the phantom is 350mm so the only significantly worthwhile smaller quads are the H style 250s. You can pack on the accessories normally used on a 450 fpv frame. The new motors and ESCs have turned 5" prop multis from neutered toys into the best fpv funfly quads. Unfortunately they have the battery time of a 3d heli but if you are flying them right 6 minutes will be exhausting in one go anyway.  They make minis with six props too if you have a small dick or too much money 
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Jun 6, 2014 23:08
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That H one looks neat. What are those called? Or is it a "buy all the pieces" sort of thing?
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Jun 6, 2014 23:10
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Yes it is one of those sort of things. that is a qav250 and many places sell them in a almost ready to fly packages that are just a reciever and batteries away from flying
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Jun 7, 2014 00:30
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QAV250 is awesomesauce. Its only limit is battery life. So much fun and it flies so much larger than it is. There are many like it but this one is mine. 
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Jun 7, 2014 05:08
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Adjusted COG on my plane and it still face-planted  Double checked COG upon return home and it's just a wee bit forward of where it should be, I can only assume I was looking at it cockeyed when I checked it after adjustment. Here's the slick stand I whipped up to balance the plane so I can adjust COG. It's kind of a pain in the rear end to measure "xyz millimeters from nose" because the whole plane is of course just a mass of curved surfaces. 
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Jun 9, 2014 02:27
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Mister Sinewave posted:Adjusted COG on my plane and it still face-planted Slightly forward should be ok. Are you sure that you got the elevator set up right? So that when you pull back on the stick, the elevator goes up?
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Jun 9, 2014 06:03
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Had some good flights with my Caipirinha and Qav250 on the weekend. Was a bit windy but at least it was steady. First time I have really flown over any high consequence water. Thankfully I didn't crash into it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8coTYgb21oc
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Jun 9, 2014 06:33
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ImplicitAssembler posted:Slightly forward should be ok. Are you sure that you got the elevator set up right? So that when you pull back on the stick, the elevator goes up? Yeah, but I don't even get that far. My wife holds the plane (or I do), ramp throttle up to full blast and hand launch it more or less like a paper airplane. It goes, but takes a grass dive within 15-20 feet. Elevator is idle (straight) or full up - doesn't matter. Maybe it needs to be thrown with more force at launch? Kinda hesitant to try it because when the COG was way forward the first time we thought maybe it needed to be launched with more force but all that did is make it plow into the ground hard enough to split the nose.
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Jun 9, 2014 06:35
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Mister Sinewave posted:Yeah, but I don't even get that far. My wife holds the plane (or I do), ramp throttle up to full blast and hand launch it more or less like a paper airplane. It goes, but takes a grass dive within 15-20 feet. Elevator is idle (straight) or full up - doesn't matter. "A nose heavy plane flies poorly, a tail heavy planes flies once." +/- one or two mm won't matter with this plane as long as you've got it balanced, and it looks like you do. Don't worry about it being 100% level or even "a bit" nose heavy. In fact, "a bit" nose heavy for your first flights would be a good idea with this particular plane as it will help you keep you speed up and allow you fly in slightly windier conditions. Maybe you do need more speed on launch. First thing I would check would be to make sure your prop is on correctly. Looking at the nose of the plane, you should see the writing that is printed on the prop. It doesn't matter if the prop is on the nose or it's a pusher like yours, the writing should always face you when looking at the nose of the plane. You can still have it blow air the proper direction, but if the prop is on backwards you're not getting the benefit of the props' airfoil design and it's essentially just a fan... horribly inefficient. Another thing I would do would be to try and launch it without any power at all. i.e. treat it exactly like the paper airplane you mentioned. Wait for a breezy day and throw it into the wind. It would be a good idea to have some tall grass around to cushion its "landing". It should glide a short distance and not nosedive. If it still nosedives, check your elevator. Make sure it's level with the horizontal stabilizer. If it IS level, then mechanically add some positive deflection by adjusting the clevis. Try gliding again. Rinse repeat until you have it gliding properly and then try it with power. (With all of that tossing you did, you'll have a good idea how hard to throw it when you use power) You don't need to go for a full flight if it works with power. You just want to make sure it doesn't nosedive. Since you've been messing with the mechanical deflection, don't forget to re-measure / calibrate your elevator throws on your radio once you're ready to actually fly it. Good luck! e: I just noticed something looking at your pic. I see that you have it balanced, but the canopy is missing. You are balancing it with the canopy and battery in it correct? The weight of the battery would push it past "a bit" nose heavy and make it "far too nose heavy". i think this is my last edit: It looks like you have flaps on your wings as well. You don't need these for launching. They'll come in handy when you start adding weight like FPV gear, but only when you think "gee, I wish it could fly a bit slower" or "man, it lands too fast". Widdershins fucked around with this message at 13:28 on Jun 9, 2014 |
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Jun 9, 2014 13:02
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3d printing rc parts? Hey guys I was wondering if anyone knew if there would be a market for custom 3d printed parts, from propellers to chassis. Any and all feedback would be great. Thanks.
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Jun 9, 2014 15:56
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DontBeThatGuy posted:3d printing rc parts? Hey guys I was wondering if anyone knew if there would be a market for custom 3d printed parts, from propellers to chassis. Any and all feedback would be great. Thanks. 3D printed ABS isn't quite as strong as molded ABS and the surface finish isn't great. So I don't think that high stress items like arms, or aero items like props, would be a great choice. However, other stuff like adapters, riser blocks, mounts, gimbals parts, etc would be perfect. In fact I have a friend who has done a lot of 3D printing and sold a bunch of parts for large scale RC aircraft. Guides for choke pushrods, mounting blocks, and baffles that direct airflow over engine cylinder heads have all been super popular. I needed some riser blocks for some servos that sat a little too low in one of my airplanes and instead of screwing around trying to cut them out of wood and keep them from splitting when I drilled holes in them, I just modeled them in CAD and had him print them. Worked great.
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Jun 9, 2014 16:31
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DontBeThatGuy posted:3d printing rc parts? Hey guys I was wondering if anyone knew if there would be a market for custom 3d printed parts, from propellers to chassis. Any and all feedback would be great. Thanks. No. Filament deposit nylon, pla, and PVC isn't very strong. The bond between layers is nothing like you'll find from a solid molded part. The surface finishes are ~not~ good, which is critical for propellers. Chassis are more about light weight, than strength, for aircraft at least. So 3d printing can be acceptable. But you're still taking a hit on strength versus weight. Any parts you make, are going to be for making molds.. or fringe parts, like prototype quadcopter bits.
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Jun 9, 2014 16:43
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That's some really useful information, thank you. The prop is correct and some unpowered hand launches sound like just the thing for future tests. Widdershins posted:e: I just noticed something looking at your pic. I see that you have it balanced, but the canopy is missing. You are balancing it with the canopy and battery in it correct? The weight of the battery would push it past "a bit" nose heavy and make it "far too nose heavy". Now that you mention it, the (lightweight) canopy may have been the reason the balance looked different after the fact. I think I balanced it without the canopy originally (but with the battery). Then when I checked it afterwards it was a bit nose-heavy. Details! Widdershins posted:i think this is my last edit: It looks like you have flaps on your wings as well. You don't need these for launching. They'll come in handy when you start adding weight like FPV gear, but only when you think "gee, I wish it could fly a bit slower" or "man, it lands too fast". I'm not messing with the flaps at all yet, I installed them because I had the parts and it looked easier to install & leave alone for now during assembly then it would be to add them later.
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Jun 9, 2014 18:04
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DontBeThatGuy posted:3d printing rc parts? Hey guys I was wondering if anyone knew if there would be a market for custom 3d printed parts, from propellers to chassis. Any and all feedback would be great. Thanks. I don't think printed propellers would work so well, but lots of people are doing 3d printed frames. The nice thing about 3d printing is you can choose the amount of infill for each print, to to tweak rigidity vs lightness without designing a new model. I would do mine in ABS since it is tougher than PLA. I plan to do one for my first quad build, something like this http://ohmeye.com/2013/ohmini-quadcopter-bill-of-materials-details/ If you use IRC, there is a #multirotors channel on freenode.net where the person that wrote that blog and a few others that have 3d printed frames hang out.
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Jun 9, 2014 19:03
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Wojcigitty posted:3D printed ABS isn't quite as strong as molded ABS and the surface finish isn't great. So I don't think that high stress items like arms, or aero items like props, would be a great choice. However, other stuff like adapters, riser blocks, mounts, gimbals parts, etc would be perfect. In fact I have a friend who has done a lot of 3D printing and sold a bunch of parts for large scale RC aircraft. Guides for choke pushrods, mounting blocks, and baffles that direct airflow over engine cylinder heads have all been super popular. I needed some riser blocks for some servos that sat a little too low in one of my airplanes and instead of screwing around trying to cut them out of wood and keep them from splitting when I drilled holes in them, I just modeled them in CAD and had him print them. Worked great. Thanks for the input,if you could finish them via sanding and possibly plating would this make more aero items feasible to be 3d printed?
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Jun 9, 2014 19:29
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I pulled the trigger on a HobbyKing SK450 quad (not the RTF Turnigy one), as an upgrade from my MQX, which has seen a ton of flight time and about 80 feet of replacement square CF tube. I wanted something bigger that could carry a gopro and would be a bit tougher and more wind resistant. How does this list look? HK KK2.1.5 FC SK450 Frame Power Distribution Board Turnigy D2836/0 950KV outrunner Afro 30A ESC with SimonK firmware I also ordered some 10x4.5 props, servo leads and I already have a TX, 6CH RX and a couple 3S 1100 batteries I can use. Anything I did horribly wrong or omitted? Beve Stuscemi fucked around with this message at 00:46 on Jun 10, 2014 |
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Jun 9, 2014 19:30
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DontBeThatGuy posted:Thanks for the input,if you could finish them via sanding and possibly plating would this make more aero items feasible to be 3d printed? No, DontBeThatGuy, don't be that guy. Acetone vapor bath can smooth them, but it does nothing for the internal structure, and removes all the sharp edges. 3d printing's resolution is also not exactly great for aerodynamic surfaces. it's good enough for "holes" but can't print threads on a r/c scale. 3d printing is awesome. This is NOT one of it's good applications.
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Jun 9, 2014 21:16
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Plastic props are dirt cheap anyway and CF ones aren't that expensive either. I really don't see any point to 3d printed props 
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Jun 9, 2014 22:50
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:I pulled the trigger on a HobbyKing SK450 quad (not the RTF Turnigy one), as an upgrade from my MQX, which has seen a ton of flight time and about 80 feet of replacement square CF tube. Pretty much every 450-sized quad build should be able to lift a gopro. The SK450 frame though is a fairly bad design with multiple weak-points on the arms. I wouldn't recommend buying it if you haven't already. If you don't want to bother making your own simple H-quad frame, and don't feel like paying for one of the fancier fiberglass/CF frames, then I recommend getting a DJI F450 clone frame so that you can get cheap replacement arms, or even buy real DJI arms as replacements when you break them. Your motors are over-spec'd, and/or your batteries are underrated. If you're getting four motors & ESCs with 30A draw, you're setting up a maximum drain of 120 Amps, where a 3S 1100mah battery (assuming 40C) is only good for 44 Amps. Even assuming that you're hovering around half-load, that's still 20 amps more than the batteries are rated for, and 40C batteries are more expensive. Get 2000+ mah batteries rated for 25-35C range. Battery max amps = (C-rating) x (amp hours) = 25C battery * 1100mah = 25 * 1.1 = 27.5 amps If you're flying that with 10" on 28-36 980Kv props (and approximate weight of those parts) you'll most likely end up with too much lift an unable to descend without losing control.
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Jun 10, 2014 02:37
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OK, so what would be the recommended motor, 1100KV? Or bigger/smaller props with the 950? Also that 950 motor is rated at 23 amps, its just that the ESC's can handle 30 amps.
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Jun 10, 2014 03:01
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Since you're looking for lifting capacity, I would suggest buying bigger batteries. I'm typically using 2200mah 25C batteries, and I'm using DT750 motors, (which are kinda crappy but cheap) and I get about 7 minutes of flight time with a F450 frame, DT750 motors, 9x4.5" props. Each motor only draws ~10-12 amps nominally and they're rated for a max of 18 amps. If you want longer flight times than that you're probably going to want to run multiple packs in parallel to boost your mah total, or else get larger packs (4000mah etc). Also friction collet prop adapters are better than direct screw-down for multirotors, but a prop adapter that doesn't rely on tension to stay on the motor is a better investment because then you don't have to crank down on your propeller in order to make sure it stays on the motor. Look for motors that have something like this:  This is from a turnigy SK3 motor. Some of the current hot-items to get are SunnySky motors, but they tend to sell out quickly. Sunnysky 2212-980kv: http://www.multirotorsuperstore.com/motors/sunnysky-x2212-980kv-brushless-motor.html  I have a set of those on another quad of mine with 8" propellers and it flies acrobatics just fine. I haven't tried timing it yet, and haven't tried a camera on that one, but I'm sure I could run up to a 10" prop if I needed more lifting capacity.
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Jun 10, 2014 04:07
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Are you mini quad guys using bullet connectors? My QAV250 is only missing my vector and connections between the ESCs and motors. I'd solder them directly to my ESCs but the wires don't reach so I am torn between hard wiring or 3.5mm vs 2 mm bullets. Anyway I am excited to get this in the air. Surprisingly I have a ton of space now that I don't have to plan for a 4500mah 4s battery taking up 2/3 of the frame. My only real issue is my camera which is a metal cased pixim seawolf so I can't strip it like the tbs69 version because I won't have a way to mount the lens. It is really making me consider testing the latency of a gopro live out setup for the mini
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Jun 10, 2014 04:49
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tehk posted:Are you mini quad guys using bullet connectors? My QAV250 is only missing my vector and connections between the ESCs and motors. I'd solder them directly to my ESCs but the wires don't reach so I am torn between hard wiring or 3.5mm vs 2 mm bullets. tehk posted:It is really making me consider testing the latency of a gopro live out setup for the mini CrazyLittle fucked around with this message at 05:28 on Jun 10, 2014 |
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Jun 10, 2014 05:26
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I direct soldered my motor leads saves weight and less chance of a disconnect. One problem with using a gopro for live out other than latency is that they don't handle exposure well when looking directly into the sun. The ground goes dark compared to a boardcam with wdr.
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Jun 10, 2014 06:24
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Got my Turnigy SK450 today. Besides having a terrible user manual and an almost-useless battery strap, its a pretty decent way to get all the parts you need cheap. I will probably look into flashing the ESCs once I get the equipment to do so, besides that, is there any good site or source for setting up the KK 2.1 board? I have aerial RC experience (4 channel heli and proto-X drone) so I know that stuff, but getting some decent settings into the KK seems to be something required out of the box.
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Jun 10, 2014 13:09
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We had our 4th annual Colorado FPV meet over the weekend and it was the biggest and best meet yet! We had at least 25 pilots and double or more aircraft and were sponsored by ReadymadeRC, Flite Evolution, and Servocity. Here's a very cool compilation one of the guys made with a bunch of our footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWDaAykgpf4 Some still from my quad:      
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Jun 10, 2014 15:14
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Vitamin J posted:We had our 4th annual Colorado FPV meet over the weekend and it was the biggest and best meet yet! We had at least 25 pilots and double or more aircraft and were sponsored by ReadymadeRC, Flite Evolution, and Servocity. Cool stuff. I'd love to go to a big FPV meet. There aren't any near Vancouver that I have heard of. You guys have great spaces for flying in Colorado by the looks of it.
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Jun 10, 2014 15:43
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I wish I lived near BLM land like that. Looks so fun to fly there.
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Jun 10, 2014 17:27
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How the yells were people handling frequency bands for video? I guess a ton of people are using grey channel setups and 5.8.
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Jun 10, 2014 22:12
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You just have frequency cards printed out and you can only fly if you have a card for your video.
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Jun 11, 2014 00:29
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Yeah it's an awesome spot and we are indeed lucky to have so much open space. As far as video frequencies go, we don't use any formal system like cards or a board. Those never work out because people always take the card and aren't ready to fly, or other people don't want to wait and power on, or people just forget. What we do is just have a flight line that everyone flies from and when you want to power something up you shout out the frequency and wait for a response. After a while people figure out who they conflict with and the small groups of people figure it out on their own. Another reason freq boards/tags don't work is because analog video gear is sloppy and the channels spill over. You have to have some decent separation, even on 5.8 with the highest bandwidth. Another key part is pilots on the same frequencies bands have to be wary that if one is far away and the other is close, it will give them a bunch of interference. If the other pilots buzzes their ground station the video can go out completely for a few seconds. This year we had the most pilots of any year, but we also had 0 frequency conflicts. In the past we've had at least 1 or 2 shoot-downs, but this year we had none.
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Jun 11, 2014 02:43
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uXs posted:Well, I finally got around to having a look at the spindle on my Nano CPX. It's so obviously bent that it's not even funny. No need to roll it over an even surface to detect it, it's plainly visible with the naked eye. Progress report: tail wobble seems solved more or less, it still vibrates a bit but I guess that's normal. New problem: randomly falling out of the air. Suddenly the blue led & main rotor lose all power. Sometimes power comes back after a second, sometimes not. At first I thought it was a bad contact but that doesn't seem to be the case. I looked around a bit and I guess it could be the main motor, or maybe the main board? I think I'll replace the motor with the brushless one I have and see if that helps. If not, dunno if I'll bother buying a new main board. Getting kinda annoying, and hard to learn how to fly CP when it keeps not working or not working well. My MCX2 has crashed way more and it's still flying like new. I guess I could get something else? Maybe the 130X, seems to be decent and I can fly outside with it. Problem remains that I don't see where I could fly, silly country is full with buildings and poo poo.
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Jun 11, 2014 14:30
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I'm sure some of you guys have seen this before, but be careful out there, FPV is dangerous (to the pilot): http://motherboard.vice.com/read/this-kid-got-assaulted-for-flying-his-drone-on-a-beach quote:Regardless of the hobby's legality, flying drones have been a touchy subject with some members of the public—namely, those worried about being filmed or photographed in public. In at least one case, that fear has turned violent: A woman was recently arrested in Connecticut for assaulting a hobby drone pilot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIGRRRcuvQw Actually this guy is a hero and should be held in high praise in the FPV community. There is nearly no better way to get the point across that FPVers are minding our own business having fun and anyone who is afraid of drones is just a paranoid psycho.
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Jun 11, 2014 19:21
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That guy did very well to not escalate the situation further. Its a good thing he got her on video though otherwise things might not be going as smoothly for him. The RC groups thread though where he originally brought up the incident couldn't be more full of  But then it is rcgroups so no surprise there.
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Jun 11, 2014 19:44
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uXs posted:Progress report: tail wobble seems solved more or less, it still vibrates a bit but I guess that's normal. If the blue LED goes, then a brushless wont solve it. I had the solderjoint in the battery plug come lose, so it's worth checking all the solder joints between the battery and mainboard. I have a brushless MCPX, but after we moved, I've barely flown it .We previously had a nice small square of long grass right behind our apartment building, where as I now have to go to the nearest park and I always end up flying my planes rather than the MCPX. They are a bit of a pain to maintain, as there's always something to fix. I still haven't tuned mine properly after upgrading it and still need to extend the battery leads, along with fitting the new canopy properly. With my TH Foamies, I charge the batteries and go fly. If I crash it, I pick it up and toss it back in the air...I still want to learn to fly helis properly, though.
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Jun 11, 2014 19:48
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uXs posted:Progress report: tail wobble seems solved more or less, it still vibrates a bit but I guess that's normal. It's probably a main board. I went through a bunch of them. Welcome to the Nano CP X. The 130X seems hit or miss, some people love them and have great luck, other people have nothing but trouble with the tail gears stripping and the servos going nuts.
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Jun 11, 2014 19:53
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ImplicitAssembler posted:If the blue LED goes, then a brushless wont solve it. I had the solderjoint in the battery plug come lose, so it's worth checking all the solder joints between the battery and mainboard. I wish there were a heli equivalent to 3D foamies. Simple and cheap to build, durable, and easy to work on. But right now there isn't. I think the best way to learn helis is with a simulator and a good larger machine. I've been flying a 450 with an Ikon FBL (actually MSH brain which is the same thing), which has auto-level built in, so you can hit a switch and the no matter what orientation, the heli will flip over upright and fly like a coax. It also flies so much better than the micros, which makes learning much quicker and easier. I can also fly it in pretty small spaces. Unfortunately, this is a much more expensive route than the micros.
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Jun 11, 2014 19:59
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mashed_penguin posted:That guy did very well to not escalate the situation further. Its a good thing he got her on video though otherwise things might not be going as smoothly for him.
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Jun 11, 2014 20:32
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My wife would kill me if I bought a 450 sized heli...not that it stopped me from looking up prices :P
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Jun 11, 2014 20:55
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ImplicitAssembler posted:If the blue LED goes, then a brushless wont solve it. I had the solderjoint in the battery plug come lose, so it's worth checking all the solder joints between the battery and mainboard. Wojcigitty posted:It's probably a main board. I went through a bunch of them. Welcome to the Nano CP X. Thanks for the info. I'll mull it over a bit, perhaps wait until the World Cup is over to do anything.
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Jun 12, 2014 15:37
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