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babyeatingpsychopath posted:http://hackaday.com/2014/10/06/quadrotor-pod-racing/ That looks badass  Especially the one with all the high-brightness red light on his rear end.
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Oct 8, 2014 04:10
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slidebite posted:^ That DOES look like fun. Which kind of recalibration, the easy one you do manually by twirling the quadcopter, or the more advanced ones in the dji assistant? You could also consider replacing the compass, depending on the cost (all the replacement parts are numbered and available from amazon and other stores
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Oct 8, 2014 19:07
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slidebite posted:^ That DOES look like fun. You can plug it into your computer and run some more detailed calibrations, that's about it. The tech support is non-existent, you can try facebook but god it's awful sometimes.
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Oct 8, 2014 20:30
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Gorilla glue really is a life saver. Went to check out a spot as a possible place to fly around, without any real intention of flying due to wind. And I decided to see if I can fly in one spot into the wind... which I actually pulled off a couple times briefly. Then the wind would suddenly die, also suddenly putting my plane below stall speed, sending it nose down and to the left. Also had what must have been a nice downdraft suddenly push the plane down 2-3 meters and back onto the ground. A right instead of a left on the ailerons sent it cartwheeling along the ground eventually. Usual sort of damage, and 6 glue jobs later its back together again. I'm thinking of nicknaming it the Humpty Dumpty flier. Never know when you won't be able to put it all back together again. Also waiting on all my orders is patience testing.
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Oct 8, 2014 21:53
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MrYenko posted:Flew my quad for the first time today, after a long string of delays. Even with the factory default flight controller stabilization settings, it was reasonably stable, and the only thing that kept me from continuing for more than a few minutes was the fading light. Glad to hear you got her up and running and that it's working well for you. I only ever used the Velcro strap and it never let go on me. I used a pretty beefy one though so that might help
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Oct 8, 2014 22:00
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Erwin posted:Your drone cost $3,000? Not that I doubt you, but what has gone into it that costs that much? It's really easy to get into that range if you're building a drone you intend to use for film production. It's astronomical if you're just flying around for fun, but we need a lot more control of our cameras/range/etc. Off the top of my head, my package was: Phantom 2 NAZA controller iosd mini 5.8 ghz FPV transmitter Futaba remote 7" FPV monitor w/ antennae anti-gravity motors carbon fiber props hd3d gimbal 3 upgraded batteries go pro 3 hero + hard case Which all adds up. But what you get is a very maneuverable drone with amazing range and flight time that can go 50+ mph, all while capturing a pretty rock solid image. BTW, does anyone know if the Hero 4 weighs any more than the 3? I'm wondering if the h3 3d gimbal will still work with it. That 4k @ 30fps is pretty enticing.
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Oct 9, 2014 00:27
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Like I said, we're looking at a ready to fly S1000 and thats pricey.
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Oct 9, 2014 00:35
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RaoulDuke12 posted:It's really easy to get into that range if you're building a drone you intend to use for film production. It's astronomical if you're just flying around for fun, but we need a lot more control of our cameras/range/etc. 1 oz. There is an issue with the h3-2d and the earlier h3-3d w/ the go pro bus though. People are testing cheap replacement bus on goodluckbuy (people were using it to "upgrade" their v2 h3-3ds before) to see if the issue is resolved. moron izzard fucked around with this message at 03:24 on Oct 9, 2014 |
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Oct 9, 2014 03:13
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Golluk posted:Gorilla glue really is a life saver. Went to check out a spot as a possible place to fly around, without any real intention of flying due to wind. And I decided to see if I can fly in one spot into the wind... which I actually pulled off a couple times briefly. Then the wind would suddenly die, also suddenly putting my plane below stall speed, sending it nose down and to the left. Also had what must have been a nice downdraft suddenly push the plane down 2-3 meters and back onto the ground. One thing that takes a while to learn is that it's usually better to throttle up when you are in trouble rather than down. Throttle up gives you back more control (more speed and air going over the control surfaces) where as less speed just makes you more likely to stall again. It's a good idea to practice stall recoveries in a "controlled" environment. Go up high, stall your plane and figure out the quickest and most effective way to recover (not necessarily the same). Unless it's a large/heavy plane you should be able to recover within 10 vertical feet or so. Don't be too jerky with the controls or you will just throw it into another stall, possibly a worse one than the first time.
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Oct 9, 2014 14:17
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This is where I think getting a small basher sports/3D plane will pay off. It will dramatically increase your flying skills and especially with EPP planes, you just pick them up and throw them back into the air when you crash them.
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Oct 9, 2014 19:00
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ImplicitAssembler posted:This is where I think getting a small basher sports/3D plane will pay off. It will dramatically increase your flying skills and especially with EPP planes, you just pick them up and throw them back into the air when you crash them. I was very impressed with the CTH Assassin I saw on the field the other week. Head-on crashes into the ground and into trees and stuff at full throttle, and not so much as a dent. After my FPV project, I want to get a few so my friends and I can go out and have plane fights.
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Oct 9, 2014 19:22
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The bixler is actually holding up surprisingly well. It may just be I'm getting closer to recovery before impacts, reducing the stresses inflicted. But it flew into a light post, dropped 30', and didn't have any noticeable new damage. I don't recall ever cutting throttle until just before impact. I have been giving more if I need to climb, or it looks like it might stall. Overall it's just getting muscle memory for flying in the various orientations. I was thinking a smaller plane might hold up, and fly better in smaller space. Was thinking I'd want to try a wing at some point too. Edit: Looking back at my order history, I think this will be my last purchase for a while. It all adds up quickly. Assassin on order, along with recommended components from HK US. Golluk fucked around with this message at 07:46 on Oct 10, 2014 |
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Oct 9, 2014 21:34
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ImplicitAssembler posted:This is where I think getting a small basher sports/3D plane will pay off. It will dramatically increase your flying skills and especially with EPP planes, you just pick them up and throw them back into the air when you crash them. Yea, not a bad idea for an intermediate pilot. Since 3D is essentially just flying while stalled, you learn a lot of low-speed control and recovery technics.
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Oct 10, 2014 01:31
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I received my recorder and managed to get out yesterday late afternoon       Yep the timestamps are all mixed up, the photos make logical order if not 4th dimensional order 
The Eyes Have It fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Oct 10, 2014 |
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Oct 10, 2014 18:47
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Great little action gifs. How did you make them? I had went to a small town today and took some back roads which took my past a small community center in the literally in the middle of nowhere. Only a couple of small farmhouses near the intersection of the roads but nobody to really bother. Made a great flying park and went through 2 batteries on the Phantom today. Used the GPS auto nav again for the 2nd time ever and it's cool as hell, but on the second time I tried it I lost the signal so I took over control and flew it back manually.
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Oct 10, 2014 21:35
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Mister Sinewave posted:I received my recorder and managed to get out yesterday late afternoon I love the sun halo around the shadow. That's always a cool effect.
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Oct 10, 2014 21:54
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slidebite posted:Great little action gifs. How did you make them? Thanks! I made this youtube video in microsoft movie maker, and just used gooncam.exe while editing from the preview window to snag any brief bits I thought would make nice .gifs. I used the gifs on a web page I wrote up describing getting started in FPV RC from basically square one. I have yet to find a community centre like you mentioned - my eyes are open though. I found an RC field not too far from the city run by a club, but they want almost $250 membership fee up front, then you have to attend their "Flight School" (both class and in-field versions) before being okayed to fly. It might be harmless but uuuuggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh I don't want any of your pseudo-pilot school 'earn your wings!' bullshit, I just want somewhere to safely fly my plane. babyeatingpsychopath posted:I love the sun halo around the shadow. That's always a cool effect. Yeah, it's neat - never saw that before. My best guess is it's an artifact from the camera's processing the sharp line of high contrast between ground (bright) and shadow (dark). I think the same effect is responsible for turning the sun into a boiling death star (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoR1KkHrutQ&t=30s ) 
The Eyes Have It fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Oct 10, 2014 |
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Oct 10, 2014 22:59
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FAA is trying another tactic to make drones illegal... This time, trying to ditch the 1981 advisory circular. This will affect anyone who flies hobby stuff too, so maybe some of the big hobby companies will finally start telling people that this will affect the bottom line. After all, money makes the system go round, not things like laws or rights. http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-faa-is-trying-to-erase-the-1981-document-that-legalized-hobby-drones
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Oct 10, 2014 23:12
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What's the FAA's problem with drones?  The USA should be at the forefront of drone tech development, not a banner for this weird anti-tech thing people have going on. Also a co-worker sent this: 
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Oct 10, 2014 23:57
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Mister Sinewave posted:Also a co-worker sent this: Holy poo poo, that's awesome! That's a seriously cool thing to capture.
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Oct 11, 2014 00:00
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Mister Sinewave posted:What's the FAA's problem with drones? Disclaimer: I like drones. Drones are cool. I fly a mini one around my house when I am bored. I hope to buy an FPV setup one day. The FAA's mandate is to regulate commercial and civil aviation to promote safety. Full stop. Drones do not have the large variety of safety measures incorporated into modern piloted aviation. Instrumentation, certified maintenance and manufacturers, formally trained pilots. The current state of the drone industry is barely past where the "seat of your pants" aviation of 1920s was. The difference is that there is little loss of life because there are no pilots or passengers. They'll incorporate drones, but it's not going to be quick because A: they are the government and B: Drones don't currently operate in a way that can be incorporated into the current airspace environment. One way to do it might be to use the rules similar to amateur mid and high-power rocketry, in that you call the FAA ahead of time for clearance and denote an operating time/max altitude.
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Oct 11, 2014 01:37
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I don't actually expect someone will be able to spell out to my dumb rear end exactly what the FAA's nuanced view is. I'm aware that this is a government body with lots of momentum, new technology, etc etc so on and so forth and things of that nature. I only wonder out loud what their problem with drones is since they seem more hostile than slow to adapt.
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Oct 11, 2014 02:06
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It does seem odd to me that Canada is more "free" than the US when it comes to FPV/Drones. It falls under Transport Canada's jurisdiction, and so long as the model aircraft is under 77 pounds, and not being used for commercial purposes, they aren't going to get involved. Managed to get the Bixler stuck 15' up a pine tree today. Bit of a climb but got it back. Then hit another small tree shortly after. A dog named Tucker then took a dump near it, I think he was trying to show his opinion of my flying skills. Despite that I managed some flying time, pulled off a couple half loop/half roll turns, and a few nice smooth landings. I think I've given up on trying to use the rudder to fly circles, and will try to pretty much fly it like a wing. I also found solo hand launching rather easy and smooth now, it used to always dive down at the ground shortly after. I suspect I'm just more liberal with the throttle before throwing it. Went out later in the day as well, but I think I adjusted the pitch stabilizer and bit on the high side. I tried to perform a loop, but the plane didn't want to go past 75 degrees or so. A later attempt I think I stalled it a bit, and didn't get it to pull up in time. Will be the 4th or 5th time gluing the front fuselage back on. *NEED SOME ADVICE!* The one aileron has half split from the wing. The original construction looks like they just melted and compressed the foam so it would form a flexible joint. Any recommended fix for this?
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Oct 11, 2014 06:21
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Golluk posted:It does seem odd to me that Canada is more "free" than the US when it comes to FPV/Drones. It falls under Transport Canada's jurisdiction, and so long as the model aircraft is under 77 pounds, and not being used for commercial purposes, they aren't going to get involved. Well there is no regulations as of yet, and the commercial thing is no different than here, but I'm not sure how strictly it is enforced in Canada. As for your advice question, the only thing I can think of it packaging tape. You can't glue it as it will be too stiff, and I am not sure if there are hinges made that would work with foam. Tape will at least allow it to be flexible but secure, though I'm not sure how the servo will react with the new load.
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Oct 11, 2014 06:34
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Isn't the FAA's authority over multirotors / drones still under contention - I don't remember seeing anything come out of the Pirker ruling appeal yet.
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Oct 11, 2014 11:19
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A Yolo Wizard posted:Isn't the FAA's authority over multirotors / drones still under contention - I don't remember seeing anything come out of the Pirker ruling appeal yet. That fight is going to come down to what can and cannot be called a "Model Airplane." If you're operating for compensation or providing a service, how is that still a model? At that point you're operating an aircraft, albeit a small, incapable, unmanned aircraft, and, fair or not, in the eyes of the FAA, you're operating under their regulatory umbrella. I'm still under the personal opinion that forcing the FAA to revisit AC 91-57 at this point in time is an enormous mistake, and will result in stifling regulatory over-reaction. The industry (particularly the for-pay service portion of it,) needs to develop more before it will be taken seriously. (Read: Have lobbyists that can shout at least as loud as the OMGDRONESAREWATCHINGMEPEE crowd on the local nightly news.)
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Oct 11, 2014 12:36
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Mister Sinewave posted:What's the FAA's problem with drones? The best commentary is found on the "enlightenedbirdmen" reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/enlightenedbirdmen/comments/2iw0rn/kkaaawww_the_mudmen_tried_to_invade_our_domain/
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Oct 11, 2014 13:19
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If the FAA was actually concerned about safety then it wouldn't be trying to make a differentiation between commercial and hobby. They can claim that me flying over a construction site and taking a photo for fun is legal, then if a week later someone sees it and says "hey I own that site can I buy your phone" my flight was now illegal. This shows the FAA is completely up its own rear end. They're hosed because they just want to find a way to monetize it, and they haven't yet. Pretty much every action the FAA takes shows they don't really give a poo poo about safety. They're currently basing all their "rules" off of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act (FMRA) of 2012, but the problem is that's an act of congress telling the FAA to do poo poo, not a law that says that X Y or Z can be enforced. So the FAA skipped the step where they are actually supposed to make a rule (following lots of public procedures like comments and whatnot) and skipped to "oh here's the rule". There's currently 3 cases filed against the current interpretation. What's so frustrating, is that we (commercial drone operators) want some commonsense, safety-minded regulations. One, it will keep hobbyists from bottoming out the market and Two, the last thing any of us want is to have a drone/medflight accident and kill people. However, the FAA is in full combat mode, which is too bad. My favorite thing recently was a requirement for a drone user and flight manual to be kept onboard the aircraft at all times. Who the gently caress is going to read it? edit: My personal feeling is that the commonsense rules would fall somewhere between requiring a drone operator to have a full pilots license (which is overkill, especially if you operate outside the NAS), and the current wild-west we have now. A series of courses, maybe even online, that give you the basics like "here's where you can/can't fly, here's how to contact an ATC tower to let them know you'll be doing X Y or Z, here's best practices to avoid aircraft, etc" would be a good start, probably an annual or every few year refresher. Having a dedicated observer on each flight (we always do) is another good requirement. Commercial insurance, maintenance and operating logs maintained, etc. edit edit: The best analogy I've come up with for the current state of affairs, is imagine you live in a state with no speed limit laws at all. the state passes a law requiring towns to enact speed limit bylaws, and the next day you get pulled over for speeding. It's asinine. Elendil004 fucked around with this message at 14:53 on Oct 11, 2014 |
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Oct 11, 2014 14:47
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Golluk posted:*NEED SOME ADVICE!* Water based contact cement is the bees knees for full hinge repairs, since it makes a flexible joint that is way stronger than the original hinge. The LePage green stuff is supposed to be really good for that sort of thing, but I haven't been able to find a small tube of it anywhere. Whatever you get, make sure it's not solvent based, since that'll probably melt your plane. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLfRWJ_pgGA
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Oct 11, 2014 15:14
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on the left posted:The best commentary is found on the "enlightenedbirdmen" reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/enlightenedbirdmen/comments/2iw0rn/kkaaawww_the_mudmen_tried_to_invade_our_domain/ So much of life can be understood in terms of West Side Story or 90s drug dealer movies. It's all about Turf! Seriously though, Canada doesn't have no rules. For drones that fly unmanned you need to register yourself, then submit a form for the proposed flight time, area, etc. They are taking the road of "let us know who you are, and where and when you operate." Other than that - for now - that's it. This summer I started to draw up a business plan for an agricultural survey service that used drones (I live in the middle of the prairies where everything that isn't a city or town is a farm). It's absolutely possible - regulatory-wise - although you'd practically need a full time person just to fill out and submit the permission forms. But at least there's no one and no law actually standing in the way of e.g. a startup that wants to try a new way of crop management using an emerging technology like drones. That's the sort of thing the USA should be enabling, especially since like 90% of the hardware I'd be using COMES FROM THE USA
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Oct 11, 2014 16:57
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Mister Sinewave posted:That's the sort of thing the USA should be enabling, especially since like 90% of the hardware I'd be using COMES FROM THE USA Well, you order them from the USA, 99.9% of it is actually made in China/Hong Kong
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Oct 11, 2014 17:51
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You're right of course, but when I wrote that I was not really thinking of the actual manufactured low level hardware. I was thinking of the custom or semi custom stuff needed to make it all work together for a new purpose, including e.g. firmware and so on. You're right of course about the actual "off the shelf" hardware (of which there is plenty.)
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Oct 11, 2014 18:18
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I didn't realize how much of a latency difference there was between the gopro and one of those sony pcb cameras https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p03xsDZwq1Y the rc model review guy on youtube is supposed to also be reviewing a bunch of different models from the security cam people in the next week or so also, $100 off a new gopro for US people (some sort of formula drifting promo) 
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Oct 11, 2014 19:11
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Mister Sinewave posted:You're right of course, but when I wrote that I was not really thinking of the actual manufactured low level hardware. I was thinking of the custom or semi custom stuff needed to make it all work together for a new purpose, including e.g. firmware and so on. You're right of course about the actual "off the shelf" hardware (of which there is plenty.) I was just kind of being a jerk  The whole legality thing sucks, as with most other things of this nature, as it's only goinjg to affect people that are doing things the right way to begin with. The people that are doing stupid poo poo like flying near airports or people will continue to do so regardless of any regulations, but the aforementioned small business entrepreneurs and hobbyists will feel the full weight of any restrictions.
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Oct 11, 2014 19:29
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Coxswain Balls posted:Water based contact cement is the bees knees for full hinge repairs, since it makes a flexible joint that is way stronger than the original hinge. The LePage green stuff is supposed to be really good for that sort of thing, but I haven't been able to find a small tube of it anywhere. Whatever you get, make sure it's not solvent based, since that'll probably melt your plane. I was thinking a flexible glue might work well. For the time being, I used small amount of white Gorilla glue without water. The Styrofoam hinged was still there, it broke off from the rest of the wing. I Then used a Dremal tool to get rid of any excess/expanded glue that was causing interference. I'll see how long it lasts.
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Oct 11, 2014 23:16
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Mister Sinewave posted:although you'd practically need a full time person just to fill out and submit the permission forms. That's a gross overstatement. the SFOC form is relatively straight forward. Doing the write-up the first time might be a pain, but it's a good way of making sure that people got their stuff in order. In addition, as it becomes more and more common, the chances of TC starting to actually check out on people or other operators reporting you become incrementally higher.
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Oct 11, 2014 23:43
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Took advantage of the calm morning, and got some nice flying in. Gently wondering in circles around me, reversing directions, skipping off a nearby roof, and gently landing into a nearby tree. Unfortunately the canopy decided to stay on said roof...just on the edge, but 2 stories up. Doesn't look like any easy access, and the one home owner didn't seem to want any liability with someone climbing on their roof. I'm off to attempt a retrieval with one of my V911. I've tied a tiny magnet about 3 feet below it with fishing line. The hope is to snag one of the canopy magnets and full throttle drag it off the edge of the roof. It flys ok with it, and has some pull at full throttle. Here goes! And despite my cursing the wind the last few days, it was kind enough to nudge the canopy off the roof for me. Which is probably for the best. I tried fishing it off the back of my pick up, and only succeeded in grabbing hold of my truck. Did lose the clear plastic part of the canopy though, but I'm not as worried about that. Turns out the Acro Naze32 is rated for up to 5.5v source, so I'm good with the BEC I originally ordered. Can't wait for more parts to arrive. I'll have to make do working out the stabilizer/servos for the time being. Which turns out to be very twitchy. Golluk fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Oct 12, 2014 |
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Oct 12, 2014 15:34
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At a family friend's place out in the country for Thanksgiving, so I brought my plane along. What was originally just our friends' daughters turned into all the neighbourhood kids when walking out to the field. Chasing a group of kids around a field with an airplane is way more fun than it has any right to be. They're following it around when it's at high altitude and all poo poo-talking it to come down, then turning it around and dive-bombing them while they either run away screaming or try to catch it. And all their parents are watching from the driveway laughing their asses off.
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Oct 13, 2014 01:07
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Golluk posted:Turns out the Acro Naze32 is rated for up to 5.5v source, so I'm good with the BEC I originally ordered. Can't wait for more parts to arrive. I'll have to make do working out the stabilizer/servos for the time being. Which turns out to be very twitchy. Make sure your power source feeds in through the motor 1-6 leads, and not the PPM receiver pins. That way even if it spikes to the max voltage tolerated, it won't fry the CPU. In other words, the ESC leads are voltage-protected, the PPM/RX/serial pins are not.
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Oct 13, 2014 03:41
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I'll keep that in mind. I'm powering via the +ve and GND of the outputs, M1/throttle, due to convenience. I am a bit concerned with connecting to my laptop through usb, while running off the 5.5v. signal pins should be fine, but I'll be double checking the voltage across the USB +ve and GND. I'd really prefer not to kill any usb ports. Main package from HK is also at the local sort facility. It has the Bixler3, video kit, and goggles, so I'll have lots to work on shortly. Just waiting on the Minimosd and GPS, which Whitespy shipped off fairly quickly. Its still in Florida though.
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Oct 13, 2014 12:50
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