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Not sure if this is the right thread for this question... I'm interested in trying to build an autonomous multicopter. I'm assuming it would be worthwhile to spend some time with an RC multicopter to get a feel for how they should move, rather than jumping into trying to program something. Is that a valid assumption?
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Aug 25, 2014 20:18
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You could use an arducopter based controller, such as the Pixhawk or APM. Both of those support autonomous operation, controlled by a remote ground station.
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Aug 26, 2014 02:20
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If I wanted to get into quad-copters where would I start? Is there some sort of newbie friendly prebuilt or kit that I could get?
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Aug 27, 2014 23:44
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The Hubsan X4 and the Blade Nano QX are great starter copters - small enough that you can fly indoors, but they can manage outdoors pretty well too as long as there's not much wind. If you want to build one yourself things get a little more complicated.
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Aug 27, 2014 23:49
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I need to get business cards made with "A couple thousand...about half a mile...about fifteen minutes"printed on them so I can use them to answer the inevitable set of questions I get every time I fly. I do love the reaction, from a little kid to an old man that I get when I show then the view on my phone. That never gets old. I had a close call yesterday, flying around some naval gun battery ruins. It was a well protected area but when I popped up above the trees while I was moving myself it got into high winds. So all I hear are the motors straining really hard and I lose signal (tons of concrete). Luckily I regained in a few seconds and it was fine.
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Aug 28, 2014 14:23
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Kuvo posted:If I wanted to get into quad-copters where would I start? Is there some sort of newbie friendly prebuilt or kit that I could get? Blade 180QX is also a great starter, better for outdoors, but can be flown indoors as well. I have a Blade MQX, which is the same copter, just the older version and I have a ton of hours on it. Still kicking, still flies great.
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Aug 28, 2014 16:22
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Arcturas posted:The Hubsan X4 and the Blade Nano QX are great starter copters - small enough that you can fly indoors, but they can manage outdoors pretty well too as long as there's not much wind. If you want to build one yourself things get a little more complicated. I should probably learn how to fly using something cheep and prebuilt first before trying to build my own. To that end, the Blade Nano looks good but requires a "4+ channel DSM2 or DSMX transmitter". Any recommendations? Should I get one with more than 4 channels (maybe a receiver?) if I'm thinking about eventually building my own quadcopter? FPV stuff looks really fun but I no idea what I'm doing.
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Aug 28, 2014 16:28
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Kuvo posted:I should probably learn how to fly using something cheep and prebuilt first before trying to build my own. To that end, the Blade Nano looks good but requires a "4+ channel DSM2 or DSMX transmitter". Any recommendations? Should I get one with more than 4 channels (maybe a receiver?) if I'm thinking about eventually building my own quadcopter? FPV stuff looks really fun but I no idea what I'm doing. Get the Blade Nano QX RTF (Ready to Fly) and you're set to go. It's $20 more expensive than the Blade Nano QX BNF (Bind 'N Fly) and is exactly the same except it comes with a transmitter. You won't want to use the transmitter for other quadcopters but it's cheap enough that you can see if you like flying the things before getting into something more complicated. Plus it's a really simple transmitter, you don't have to worry about binding it, you don't have to worry about hitting the wrong buttons or WHY THE drat TRANSMITTER WON'T TURN ON WHICH STUPID SWITCH IS ON I SWEAR I HAVE ZEROED ALL 85 STUPID SWITCHES GAH! Not that I do that from time to time or anything... If you mistakenly buy the BNF version (or get that one as a present from someone who wants to buy the slightly cheaper Christmas present), you can buy the transmitter that comes with the RTF version off Ebay for like $20.
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Aug 28, 2014 16:51
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Arcturas posted:Get the Blade Nano QX RTF (Ready to Fly) and you're set to go. It's $20 more expensive than the Blade Nano QX BNF (Bind 'N Fly) and is exactly the same except it comes with a transmitter. You won't want to use the transmitter for other quadcopters but it's cheap enough that you can see if you like flying the things before getting into something more complicated. The problem with some of the Nano's is the parts are harder to replace. (as the entire circuit board is the frame of the little quad). The Hubsan X4 has a Crash Kit that comes with 2 motors (1 for each direction) props, battery, a whole new body, and even LED's for an extra $20 and it big enough to fly outside and inside with ease. The Nano can struggle with wind a bit, and the battery is not an easy swap out for continued flights. Also I am going to make some business cards saying exactly that. Always the same questions, always the same vague answer... Also need to add "No you cannot fly it" to the list.
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Aug 28, 2014 20:33
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Did a bit more chasing of Implicit's scratch build Foamhunter today. This time with my Caipirinha. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuMg97erl_8 I also chased a seagull that was pretty funny. Especially when it spotted me bearing down on it.
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Aug 30, 2014 04:29
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I'd like to get some nice aerial footage over long periods of time from the same location. the idea struck me that I could use a tethered rc airplane and just run power and data over the tether. the trick is, I need autopilot software to keep it in roughly the same place, because I'm not about to sit around and babysit it for days. does something like this exist? note that the area is fairly windy, although the wind is always from one direction and reasonably steady.
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Sep 3, 2014 08:44
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rotor posted:I'd like to get some nice aerial footage over long periods of time from the same location. the idea struck me that I could use a tethered rc airplane and just run power and data over the tether. the trick is, I need autopilot software to keep it in roughly the same place, because I'm not about to sit around and babysit it for days. does something like this exist? note that the area is fairly windy, although the wind is always from one direction and reasonably steady. How high are we talking, and how accurate do you need that position to hold? A helium balloon or kite would probably be better. You're probably not going to be able to get anything to fly with a tether attached since that will pretty much destroy the craft's center of gravity and the weight of any power tether you add would be heavier than the craft's ability to lift. Medium to large foam planes run on 8.4-11.1v lipo packs and can discharge upwards of 25-30 amps. If you're doing time lapse, the camera and gimbal itself will probably add a lot of weight. Also gps, alt hold, and position hold aren't accurate enough to maintain a strict position under 4-5 ft of drift. If it needs to be that accurate you should just put it on a flagpole.
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Sep 3, 2014 09:12
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anywhere inside a 20' area would be plenty fine I think. I thought about a kite but how do I get it to stay up for days? the wind is pretty steady but idk if it's THAT steady. a blimp type thing might make more sense I guess. a balloon doesn't seem steerable but maybe I'm wrong??
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Sep 3, 2014 09:21
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rotor posted:a blimp type thing might make more sense I guess. a balloon doesn't seem steerable but maybe I'm wrong?? ? Take blimp. Add propellers on the payload basket. Voila! Steering!
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Sep 3, 2014 15:25
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A small weather balloon with a three point tether would provide a more stable picture over a period of several days, no babysitting required. Bonus you can run power line down the tether, so you only have to lift your camera.
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Sep 3, 2014 17:22
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I've been pondering a quad for quite some time now, but I have zero R/C construction experience, and no extraneous gear. (Most of the scratch or kit quads seem to be low priced because the builder "just happens to have" the motors/batteries/transmitter/etc, already, and I don't have that luxury.) I've been flying my S107 and Blade Nano for about a year now, and it's time to move on. I'm looking for a more advanced quad, that is ready to go, but is the sort of thing I can fiddle with going forward, and something that's big enough to stick a GoPro on. I'm not ready for FPV at this stage, but it's something is probably like to do later, if I stay in the hobby, but probably not with this quad. Currently, I'm looking at the Blade 350qx2 RTF. It's $469, and it's ready to go. I can't find anything remotely similar at the price point. Comments? Can anyone point me at something that would give me a bigger bang for the buck, even if it's not RTF? I'm comfortable building something, but mostly I've been finding that to get similar capabilities will cost closer to a thousand dollars.
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Sep 3, 2014 18:07
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If you check my post history in the thread I linked a DIY first quadcopter build a long while back. It worked pretty well for me and didn't need any soldering. Ended up costing ~$300 after buying the charger and Tx. What exactly do you mean by "more advanced"? Just bigger? Faster? If you want the option to do FPV but aren't quite ready for it yet, look into the 250 frames. Someone in the thread posted a pretty sweet FPV setup using a Naze board that you could put together for $200-$400 if you omit the FPV gear and are comfortable doing soldering. The thing to remember is that it's a slow and fiddly hobby. Parts take forever to arrive, half the time there's no documentation so it's trial and error, etc., etc.
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Sep 3, 2014 18:24
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If you want to stick with the hobby, it's best to do a self-build. There are solder-free builds available, and the monetary cost is lower, at the expense of time. A blade or other 350-450 ready-to-fly will absolutely carry a gopro and do most things you want to do though.
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Sep 4, 2014 04:34
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Arcturas posted:? Take blimp. Add propellers on the payload basket. Voila! Steering! do you have any links to software that will automatically keep it in (roughly) one place? MRC48B posted:A small weather balloon with a three point tether would provide a more stable picture over a period of several days, no babysitting required. Bonus you can run power line down the tether, so you only have to lift your camera. I was thinking about a balloon but it seems like it would bounce around a lot more than something that's more actively controlled. Hadn't heard of a three point tether, but I don't have a ton of space to spread out a tether tripod - my roof is like 25x50 feet.
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Sep 4, 2014 05:06
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rotor posted:do you have any links to software that will automatically keep it in (roughly) one place? As for tethers, depending on how high you want it that might be fine. With an rc of any sort you are going to spend quite a bit of time and money getting it to do what you are wanting.
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Sep 4, 2014 06:37
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How high are you planning to run this thing?
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Sep 4, 2014 06:44
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MrYenko posted:I've been pondering a quad for quite some time now, but I have zero R/C construction experience, and no extraneous gear. (Most of the scratch or kit quads seem to be low priced because the builder "just happens to have" the motors/batteries/transmitter/etc, already, and I don't have that luxury.) I've been flying my S107 and Blade Nano for about a year now, and it's time to move on. I have a 450mm hobbyking sk450 based quad i can sell you. You'd need to add a receiver and replace the broken arm, but other than that it's rtf
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Sep 5, 2014 23:48
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Anyone here using a Team Black Sheep discovery? As someone with a KK2.1 board on a Dji flame wheel 450 that doesn't fly great and seems impossible to calibrate, they seem appealing. Plus my arms can be used on that frame with no issue. Is it a good frame to use (along with their "core" controller what's-it) or can I just improve my current setup by getting a better controller board, like a naza?
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Sep 6, 2014 12:41
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Decided to get into flying sailplanes over the long weekend. It's been fun so far, but I haven't been able to do a real landing yet, which culminated in a crash yesterday. I was in a big open field where I thought I was all alone when someone with a dog ran out of the trees where I was about to practice landing. Rather than risk hitting someone, I planted it nose first into the ground. So far I've been able to uncrunch and glue together the front remains of the fuselage, and all that's left is untwisting it a bit before attaching it to the rear half. However, the motor mount has shattered beyond repair and I need to get that replaced. Are those specific to the fuselage or motor model, or are they somewhat standardized and interchangable? This is the mount I need for my Calypso, but I'm having a hard time finding one in Canada, and for the price plus shipping from the US I'd might as well buy a new fuselage with the mount included. Coxswain Balls fucked around with this message at 15:01 on Sep 6, 2014 |
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Sep 6, 2014 14:58
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:I have a 450mm hobbyking sk450 based quad i can sell you. You'd need to add a receiver and replace the broken arm, but other than that it's rtf PM sent. I don't know if the Awful app has "This guy doesn't have PMs notifications," though.
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Sep 6, 2014 15:24
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Laserface posted:Anyone here using a Team Black Sheep discovery? As someone with a KK2.1 board on a Dji flame wheel 450 that doesn't fly great and seems impossible to calibrate, they seem appealing. Plus my arms can be used on that frame with no issue. Its a good setup but expensive. You should get a naze32 as a control board they are dirt cheap and have the most amazing performance and usually need very little tuning. The naza is only really good for hovering around in gps assist mode for aerial photography type stuff.
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Sep 6, 2014 15:55
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I just got a Nano QX, and am having a ton of fun flying it indoors and out. I picked up the RTF model as this is my first model; how does this transmitter compare to one I might buy separately? I'm having a hard time with the left stick, rotating the quad without messing up the throttle is tricky but I can't tell how much of that is me being new versus having a cheaper transmitter.
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Sep 6, 2014 17:55
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CrazyLittle posted:How high are you planning to run this thing? iunno ... 50ft? 100ft? I'm just tinkering with the idea really.
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Sep 6, 2014 20:23
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Meat Street posted:I just got a Nano QX, and am having a ton of fun flying it indoors and out. I picked up the RTF model as this is my first model; how does this transmitter compare to one I might buy separately? I'm having a hard time with the left stick, rotating the quad without messing up the throttle is tricky but I can't tell how much of that is me being new versus having a cheaper transmitter. It is easier on a full size transmitter but also a lot of it is just practice. One thing you can do on most transmitters is adjust the throttle tension which can make it easier to use the rudder without changing the throttle.
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Sep 6, 2014 22:41
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Lipo problems: not just for R/C anymore 
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Sep 7, 2014 02:42
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Is that the factory battery?
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Sep 7, 2014 05:28
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Yeah, until this it had never been apart, was sitting on his dresser for the last couple months since he got a new iphone. Came home the other day and the battery had puffed and completely delaminated the phone. He got really lucky the battery didn't puncture and start a fire, considering the incredible pressure it must have been under to split the phone like that and all the pointy and sharp pieces inside an iphone
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Sep 7, 2014 14:29
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I did some formation flying yesterday with two wings and two quads. The sound of them all going past together was pretty cool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVETf4pk4u8 Warning soundtrack contains danger zone.
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Sep 8, 2014 20:15
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I got my pins taken out today. Hooray I guess, they are now sore because they can move, but at least I don't have to worry about catching the stupid pins on things anymore. I put together a gallery showing the injury and the healing process. Check it tomorrow and there should be X-rays as well showing the pins. Note: Not for those grossed out by blood or bad injuries. Also I've been flying for a couple weeks now, and while I haven't had any gassers up since it happened, I might be flying the, this weekend.
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Sep 11, 2014 04:34
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Holy poo poo, that looks gnarly as hell  The pins were there serving the same purpose as the skewer in a shish-kebab, or the giant toothpick in a dagwood sandwich, I assume? e: was any bone broken or it's just holding the meaty parts together? That one pin, holy hell it's all the way up in there 
The Eyes Have It fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Sep 11, 2014 |
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Sep 11, 2014 22:24
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Mister Sinewave posted:Holy poo poo, that looks gnarly as hell No, everything was sutured (stitched) to hold it together, the pins were for the bones. Think of it like a cast, but it's inside the bone instead of around it. The two with pins were broken pretty bad, and near the joint. The middle finger was also broken, but only near the tip, so they let it heal on its own (since it isn't likely to affect movement in the future).
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Sep 12, 2014 01:18
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subx posted:No, everything was sutured (stitched) to hold it together, the pins were for the bones. Think of it like a cast, but it's inside the bone instead of around it. So I just skimmed your post history in this thread but didn't see any other details besides it being a 23" wood prop? Were you helping someone or was it your plane? What kinda plane? Glad you are doing better.
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Sep 12, 2014 17:14
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ease posted:So I just skimmed your post history in this thread but didn't see any other details besides it being a 23" wood prop? Were you helping someone or was it your plane? What kinda plane? It was my plane, an RC Guys Decathlon - 1/4 scale, 98" wingspan with a DA 50. I'm not superstitious or anything like that, I plan on flying it this weekend. I didn't pull it as far forward as I had thought when starting it, and it jerked forward just enough to catch my fingers. I got fairly lucky, in the sense that if it had hit any of my finger another quarter inch back it would have hit the joint. I'm no doctor, but I would imagine that being a lot more healing (and more painful if it tears the tendon).
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Sep 12, 2014 17:49
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I bought a mini quadcopter and used it to learn how ogreish I am at flying instead of trashing a real quad. I still felt limited by the Yaw control being L/R on the throttle - I never change yaw without also moving throttle, so I added a couple little shoulder buttons. If I cramp my fingers around this tiny thing I can now much more precisely control my terrible flying! 
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Sep 12, 2014 18:54
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So I managed a week with my Hubsan H107C before it flew into what I can only explain as a tree on a golf course containing a black hole. I left my number but I'm already planning to buy a replacement after searching the tree for an hour, making me second guess if I even saw correctly where it went. For my next one, what sort of precautions can I take to find it next time other than only flying in wide empty fields? Reflectors, bright paint, or some sort of noise maker? I haven't even received in the mail my crash kit/extra propellers  .
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Sep 14, 2014 02:22
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