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Man, this has not been a good week for flying. One of the little plastic tabs that holds the ball linkage on my 450 X's swashplate snapped off on landing Friday, and today my 120 SR's tail motor gave up the ghost and seized up. I'm starting to think I may be cursed with helis 
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Apr 12, 2015 21:43
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T1g4h posted:Man, this has not been a good week for flying. One of the little plastic tabs that holds the ball linkage on my 450 X's swashplate snapped off on landing Friday, and today my 120 SR's tail motor gave up the ghost and seized up. I'm starting to think I may be cursed with helis I think this is normal for helis.
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Apr 12, 2015 22:33
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acetcx posted:Second, one of my motors doesn't spin up if I gradually increase the throttle from zero. It works fine if I quickly move the throttle from 0% to 30-40% but if I gradually increase the throttle it never spins up except for a few weak turns early on even if I push it to the point where the other 3 lift off the ground. That sounds like you need to calibrate the speed controllers.
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Apr 13, 2015 02:00
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I think you're right. I calibrated my ESC's yesterday but I'm pretty sure I hosed up the procedure and for some reason I never gave it another try. I'll do that the next time I take it out. In other news I tore apart my Turnigy 9XR, disassembled the left gimbal and reassembled it and now it works properly. I didn't take apart the actual pots, I just reseated everything, so I don't know why it works but it does. I took it out for another flight and it's more or less controllable now. I'm going to need a lot more practice but that's fine - at least it doesn't feel like something's faulty.
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Apr 13, 2015 04:54
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If you have them calibrated properly they should all spool up at the same time when you raise the throttle. This is something that really effects takeoff and landing and far to many people rely on the controller to fix what is an easily fixable issue.
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Apr 13, 2015 05:04
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If I wanted to add telemetry data to a Cheerson CX-20, am I best off with a FrSky transmitter?
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Apr 13, 2015 06:17
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A Yolo Wizard posted:im almost done assembling this talon build, but i had some q's about servos. Good luck with this. The talon frame I got for the tri was very disappointing. Even moderately hard landings hosed up the alignment of the motor mounts (as they're directly connected to the landing gear). The servo I was using was also really quick to go, but that might be a typical case for most tricopters. Does anyone have a servo that'll work well? I've gone through 2 and been very disappointed both times. Cannon_Fodder fucked around with this message at 14:09 on Apr 13, 2015 |
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Apr 13, 2015 14:04
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Cannon_Fodder posted:Good luck with this. The talon frame I got for the tri was very disappointing. no not that talon 
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Apr 13, 2015 17:03
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DreadLlama posted:If I wanted to add telemetry data to a Cheerson CX-20, am I best off with a FrSky transmitter? They have really good telemetry. The CX-20 uses an APM so there are a few options to get telemetry data into a Taranis. I use this to get telemetry into my D4r receiver. It is receiver only so it can be used in parallel with a minimOSD or a 3dr radio link. http://vizual54.github.io/APM-Mavlink-to-FrSky/
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Apr 13, 2015 17:11
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not all cx-20 use apm. make sure you choose the open source version
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Apr 14, 2015 01:28
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FLIR Lepton module as an NTSC out board for drone/uav shenanigans https://groupgets.com/campaigns/92-dronethermal-micro-uav-thermal-camera-breakout-board  Nice that a handy video-out board exists, but the Lepton module is only like 80x40 resolution or something. They are offering an add-on for a 25 degree field of view module (roughly a 2x "zoom" over the original Lepton) but that's still not a lot. In the guy's words on a post in diydrones - a medium sized dog at 50m is a few pixels big. So unless you are using it more or less up close and personal don't expect super predator vision. But let me be clear - the ability to purchase a longwave infrared camera (i.e. heat vision) the size of a large coin and weight measured in grams with a handy VIDEO OUT pin on it for less than $500 is just so 
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Apr 14, 2015 04:39
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A Yolo Wizard posted:not all cx-20 use apm. make sure you choose the open source version http://www.banggood.com/Cheerson-CX20-Opensource-Version-AutoPathfinder-Quadcopter-RTF-p-932145.html If this turns out not to be open source, I will be asking for a refund. helno posted:They have really good telemetry. Bookmarking this for later use. Thank you for the information. Edit: Which website is recommended for impartial write-ups/comparisons of transmitters? I'm trying to reconcile $196 with $324. Sub edit: I can't see why Devos are cheaper than FrSkys. Do they suck? DreadLlama fucked around with this message at 06:04 on Apr 14, 2015 |
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Apr 14, 2015 05:50
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Hi Thread! Had a beautiful afternoon in town and flew the P2V+ from my front yard which is something I don't do often and first time this year. Instant crowd of kids and senior ladies out for a walk. One was a Russian immigrant that was amazed. At first "See, NOT BEES" to her friend and "Is remote control KITE!!!" The GPS return feature blew her mind and made a point to loudly tell all my neighbors (who have NO clue as to who she is) that "IT RETURNS IF THE SIGNAL IS LOST!! IS INCREDIBLE" in a thick Russian accent. Also had more guys come over and watch than I could have had if i set up a stripper pole in addition to he kids that were clamoring for the live feed on my cell. It was kind of cute actually. Also, just catching up on the news and I like the feature set on the new P3 Pro with the 4K camera and Glonass capability with the GPS which should help with accuracy and lock.
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Apr 14, 2015 06:32
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DreadLlama posted:Edit: Which website is recommended for impartial write-ups/comparisons of transmitters? I'm trying to reconcile $196 with $324. There isn't really a single good site for TX reviews, you're probably better off just searching for user reviews or checking rcgroups. Also, the cheaper TX you linked is the older model X9D without a receiver, while the more expensive one is the upgraded X9D Plus with a better screen, vibration feedback, and a few more upgrades, packaged with a receiver (where are you getting those prices, though? I followed the link and got $156.35 and $250.99). Devo transmitters aren't bad - I have a Devo 10, and I still use it reasonably often, but FrSky is definitely better. Better telemetry, better firmware, better build quality. The one nice thing about a Devo TX is that it'll do both DSM2/DSMX and the Devo protocol without the need for a module (just a quick firmware flash), but at the same time, that means you can't swap a module in if you ever need to operate on a different protocol.
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Apr 14, 2015 08:02
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Thanks. I'll read up on RCgroups. They steered me towards the CX-20/Quanum Nova vs. the Walkera X350. (Prices are based on geolocation. My prices are generally in Canadian. ) I'll keep that in mind about FrSky. People who care to do a good job are important.
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Apr 14, 2015 08:34
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You don't need to replace the transmitter on the cx-20 if you want telemetry - all of it can be sent to a laptop or android tablet with a cheap 3dr telemetry radio. I'd just stick with the transmitter included with your cheerson. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...+radio&_sacat=0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfPXQ2QzOqQ From there you can also set up your missions and waypoints and such
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Apr 14, 2015 11:27
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DreadLlama posted:Edit: Which website is recommended for impartial write-ups/comparisons of transmitters? I'm trying to reconcile $196 with $324. The Taranis is a great radio but is starting to get pricey because of the limited availability. The banggood price is kind of crap when you can get it in Canada for basically the same money. I got mine last fall for $230 but the Canadian dollar was worth quite a bit more then. http://www.greathobbies.com/productinfo/?prod_id=FRSX9DP
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Apr 14, 2015 22:58
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Canada Drones has it for the same price, but with the case: http://www.canadadrones.com/product-p/frsky-taranis-plus.htm
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Apr 14, 2015 23:03
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Was coming in for a landing, approaching between a tree and a house, when a big blue box saying "Low Voltage" covers most of my screen, and a second later I lose signal. Throttle and elevator up, and hit RTH while I took off my googles. Flew it around for another attempt LOS, and noticed it flying rather lethargically. I assumed the battery pack for my VRx or DVR had gone too low, but the way the plane was flying had me worried. Sure enough, pull out the cell checker, and its 9.6 volts total. Could be worse... First cell 2.96. drat, there goes that 3AH 3s. It crept back up to about 3.2 by the time I got home, but I'm sure it went down to the mid 2 volts under load. Guess I shouldn't have turned off the "Prominent Low Voltage Alarm" on the OSD. I'll keep a close eye on it, but I suppose I should really replace it. Perhaps with a 4s 4AH. I might as well replace the balance weight in the nose with more battery. Should make for some amusing performance with the SK3 2836-1040KV I'll be putting in.
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Apr 16, 2015 01:42
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One time like that is unlikely to kill it. Especially on a fixed wing that is not really demanding.
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Apr 16, 2015 02:10
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Golluk posted:Was coming in for a landing, approaching between a tree and a house, when a big blue box saying "Low Voltage" covers most of my screen, and a second later I lose signal. Throttle and elevator up, and hit RTH while I took off my googles. Flew it around for another attempt LOS, and noticed it flying rather lethargically. I assumed the battery pack for my VRx or DVR had gone too low, but the way the plane was flying had me worried. Batteries always creep back up to "default" voltage, that's why you check as soon as you land. It is not a problem with the battery. You may know that but just pointing it out in case you didn't.
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Apr 16, 2015 02:51
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That is a lot of good information concentrated in very few posts. Thank you. I think I'll hold off on the FrSky for now. It seems it might be overkill to put a $300 controller on a $300 flight drone when I haven't yet even got a gimbal. But telemetry is important, even if I have to solder electronics. I read that when it comes to radio waves, there is a tradeoff between frequency and range. http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/some-tips-on-picking-frequencies posted:In general, the lower the frequency the longer the range [...] So I understand that, all else being equal, lower frequencies should be better. But, the author goes on to make some points about frequency crowding. And now I must consider the implications of that. For a rural location, is 433MHz or 915MHz better? Many of my neighbors have telephones. Most have electricity. I'm informed that the municipality plans to attract a cellular telephone tower sometime this decade. But I suspect the single greatest local RF source will remain 2-stroke outboard sparkplugs. Gasser pilots have to deal with interference from their engines. Do they have a favoured frequency? Or does it not matter?
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Apr 16, 2015 03:44
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I've decided to get a GoPro and mount for my F450, and I would like to be able to see the footage live as I'm recording it. Other than the GoPro itself and the mount, exactly what equipment do I need to make that work? My flight controller (Naza-M v2) already supports gimbals out of the box. I'm mostly looking for what video transmission / display equipment I need. I don't really care about FPV racing or anything since this is primarily going to be a camera platform, so it'll all be done via the GoPro if possible.
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Apr 16, 2015 16:04
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Has anyone heard of carbon fiber props causing problems with Naza controllers? So I had a weird problem (that I posted about before) with my quad. First it was flying well, but the battery life on a 3Ah battery was like 3-4 minutes. I had 9 inch props and the motors recommended 9-10" props, so I got some 10" carbon fiber props from Amazon, and a 5.5Ah battery to see if it could lift that (because it was the only bigger battery that was Prime eligible). After that it started flying terribly, and I didn't realize that the poor handling coincided with swapping the propellers - I thought it was something else that went wrong around the same time. It would randomly rev and climb several feet, or dip several feet, or suddenly strafe 50 feet to the right before I could swing it back, even on GPS mode. Manual mode was impossible to fly in, and almost every flight ended in the quad wobbling uncontrollably and randomly into the ground. I Googled and read and tried all of the tips in discussions about weird Naza handling problems - electrical tape on the controller, rebinding the transmitter, calibrating the compass, praying to Satan. None of these things fixed it. I thought maybe the whole thing was just too heavy so I took the legs and camera gimbal off, but it handled exactly the same. This confirmed that something had changed, because when I first put it together and did test flights with just the frame, it was rock solid. I Googled some more and in a comment on a Youtube video of all places, I found someone who said they had the same problem with carbon fiber props, and switching to plastic fixed the issue. So I put my 9" plastic props back on and BAM, rock solid again. I've ordered 10" plastic props to see if they work. From Googling "Naza carbon fiber propeller problem" a lot of people think it's the fact that the carbon fiber props are not balanced, or that they're not flexible, but a friend of mine had a more interesting explaination - props build up a static charge, and carbon fiber is slightly conductive and could be feeding that static back through the motors, ESCs, and to the controller. In the end, I don't really care why, but I thought that made more sense than the other explanations, especially since handling got progressively worse during flights. Has anyone else had similar problems with carbon fiber props? Hopefully the plastic props will fix the issue.
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Apr 16, 2015 18:39
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Can't speak for other quads, but when I used to frequent some Phantom forums, the normal advice was to avoid CF props for ~reasons~ Question for Canadians: There is an online store for a quad dealer in the small town of Coaldale, AB (close to Lethbridge) but be darned if I can find anything on it anymore. Anyone know who it is?
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Apr 16, 2015 19:55
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Erwin posted:Has anyone else had similar problems with carbon fiber props? Hopefully the plastic props will fix the issue. I have a set arriving today for my F450, hoping I don't have the same issue. Will let you know if it happens though.
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Apr 16, 2015 21:05
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Krittick posted:I've decided to get a GoPro and mount for my F450, and I would like to be able to see the footage live as I'm recording it. Other than the GoPro itself and the mount, exactly what equipment do I need to make that work? My flight controller (Naza-M v2) already supports gimbals out of the box. I'm mostly looking for what video transmission / display equipment I need. Have you checked the tutorial videos on flitetest and stone blue airlines? Their forums also go over some cheap options.
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Apr 16, 2015 22:36
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DreadLlama posted:That is a lot of good information concentrated in very few posts. Thank you. id just do 915 unless you live somewhere that they use it for phones still (not the USA or canada)
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Apr 17, 2015 01:05
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Geburan posted:Have you checked the tutorial videos on flitetest and stone blue airlines? Their forums also go over some cheap options. I didn't even know those two sites existed at all, so nope. I'll check them out, thanks! Edit: The carbon fiber props for my F450 arrived and work great. It's definitely noticeably more sensitive to the controls compared to the stock props, but it didn't affect things negatively at all. Got these if anyone's curious: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KT3Z558/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Mina fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Apr 17, 2015 |
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Apr 17, 2015 01:26
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Erwin posted:Has anyone heard of carbon fiber props causing problems with Naza controllers? I know carbon fiber does a good job of absorbing radio signals. And caution is advised if trying for long range FPV with a carbon fiber frame. But unless the blades were blocking the GPS receiver, I doubt it would be an issue. It could be changing the response though with the stiffer blades, and what I assume a slightly faster response to throttle changes. helno posted:One time like that is unlikely to kill it. Especially on a fixed wing that is not really demanding. Hopefully. I had a look back at the video from the flight. The strange thing is the voltage was at 10.8, dropped to 10.7, and then I lost video. It came back about 10 seconds later, showing 10.4, dropped to 10.3, and cut out again. Came back again once I had cut the throttle and was landing ( after circling around once ), and showed 9.6. Which matches with the cell checker reading I got just after landing. So I guess in my defense, I never actually missed the low voltage warning (It was set for 10.5). Another question for other Canada Goons, any good sources for Lipo batteries? Most of the ones I use (Rotorgeeks, CanadaDrones, HoverallRC) just carry up to 2200mAH, or are rather expensive. Best one so far seems to be a 4AH 4s from Rotorgeeks.
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Apr 17, 2015 02:44
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I just snapped the arm off of my Hubsan X4. Apparently the stress relief tabs on the legs don't do poo poo when it drops 3 stories on to concrete, go figure. Time to 3D print my replacement frame which I wanted to test eventually anyway. Anyone have experience with these motors? http://micro-motor-warehouse.com/collections/all/products/cl-0720-14 . I'm thinking I might as well upgrade while I have the motors out.
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Apr 17, 2015 03:40
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yes, its a great store and making or modifying micros is cool as heck
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Apr 17, 2015 05:16
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Took out the Assassin wing today for some acrobatics. Pulled off 3 rolls in a row before things got too squirrely for comfort. One less than successful attempt had me pulling up (while inverted) but didn't quite make it level in time before the ground happened. Dusted off the grass bits, checked the screws, and tossed it back in the air. Even managed to grab it out of the air after a couple attempts. Turning on the stabilizer for that might be cheating though.
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Apr 17, 2015 19:49
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A Yolo Wizard posted:yes, its a great store and making or modifying micros is cool as heck Thanks for the input. Yeah I'm loving my X4 so far. I'll throw up some pics of my new frame when I get the chance.
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Apr 18, 2015 14:48
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Erwin posted:Has anyone heard of carbon fiber props causing problems with Naza controllers? I received the 10" plastic props and had the same problem, but even worse. It darted all over while I struggled to control it for 30 seconds, then banked left, stopped responding to input, and smashed into the ground. Put the 9" props back on, and it works fine. I really have no idea what the deal is. So I guess 9" is my max prop size, and now I either have to lose some weight from the frame, or upgrade to a hex. If I do the latter, I'll just take the advice someone gave me in this thread a while back and get a DJI frame and matching propulsion system so I don't have to guess what is causing dumb problems like this. What I don't get is how Phantoms can fly just fine with a camera + gimbal, but I seem to be overweight or under-batteried.
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Apr 18, 2015 20:07
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Erwin posted:I received the 10" plastic props and had the same problem, but even worse. It darted all over while I struggled to control it for 30 seconds, then banked left, stopped responding to input, and smashed into the ground. Put the 9" props back on, and it works fine. I really have no idea what the deal is. I'm mostly guessing at this point, but I can think of two issues. 1. The props will have a different response (amount of thrust, time to spin up/down), and needs the PID settings adjusted to compensate. 2. The larger blades are drawing too much current when the motor tries to spin them faster, and causing the ESC to drop its output so it doesn't overheat. Which of course would cause havoc as the flight controller tries to compensate.
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Apr 18, 2015 20:20
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So I have 2 questions: 1) Anyone have a P3 yet or know of a good review of them? I've got a P2 V+ and I love the hell out of it, but I am seriously loving the idea of 4K camera on the 3 Pro along with some of the other neato upgrades. I'm debating selling my v+ kit and putting that $$ towards a 3. 2) What's a really good read for designing/building a small quad for fpv flying and maybe racing? I've never built one before but I that looks like TONS of fun.
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Apr 19, 2015 15:45
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they aren't out yet. Tested will probably have a good review, possibly flitetest.
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Apr 19, 2015 17:10
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Apologies for the giant wall of text. I've been lurking this thread for some time and this is my first post... Well, I went out and flew for the first time yesterday. It ended mostly how I expected it to.   So, 2.5 years ago I starting reading this thread and became fascinated in RC aircraft. The newbie recommendations in the thread at the time was for the AXN CloudsFly Floater Jet or a Bixler. The Bixler was sold out at the time, so I bought a Floater Jet, a few 3S LiPos, Thunder AC6 charger, a Turnigy 9x transmitter, and virtually every mod part for that TX (SmartyParts programmer, backlight, LiPo battery, new sticks, FrSky Module, etc). Flash forward a year, and I hadn't done anything (not even put it together), I then bought a Hobby King PocketQuad 1.1 kit and a DSM2 module for my TX. Laziness is strong... so I still did nothing for another year and change until about three weeks ago. Three friends (and fellow goons) all bought various basic quadcopters (Syma X5C-1 and Hubsan X4 H107) and were having a ball with them. I remember I've got all this stuff I never did anything with, so when time allowed I began putting everything together. After opening the box I notice the motor mount on the Floater Jet is just dangling. After fidgeting around, I think I finally have it seated where it belongs. The rest of the plane goes together without issue. I opted to keep my TX running the stock firmware until after I had at least flown once. I also decided to use the stock RF 9x v2 module in the TX with the matching RX. Before getting my plane in the air, I flew both of the quads my friends have and had a blast and really had no issues (i did break 1 prop, but both were much easier to fly than the Proto-X I bought last year). All in all, flying either of these was great fun... so I came home and bought a Cheerson CX-20 from Banggood (drat you China!). Finally yesterday morning I finish the last bit of stuff I wanted to do with the Floater Jet and head out to the RC field with my friends to try this for the first time. Nothing seemed to be going my way, there was an ever-changing wind that always seemed to pick up right after I tried flying. I swear, every time this plane was on the ground, it was calm. Once I tried to launch it, the wind picked up. First launch was sad... maybe 30 seconds before nose diving into the ground. No major damage, so I re-seat everything and try again. The second launch was marginally better. I at least managed to turn around once and head back upwind... and when I tried turning around for my second pass it nosedived again. This time, it knocked the motor mount off again and dinged up the foam a bit. I figure I can get one more launch out of it before it's going to need surgery, so I get everything fixed as best as I could with some duct tape and ready myself for one more try. I also had decided that I was trying to "stay safe" by not climbing much and I just needed to stop pussing out and get some altitude. Third launch was the best so far, I flew downwind, turned and headed back the other direction. All the while, higher than before. Again, the wind wasn't kind to me... I recovered a few times, but in the end I just lost my orientation and then it kept doing loops until slamming into some trees at the edge of the airfield. We eventually find the plane, but it's much too high to reach it. Further adding to the difficulty was there was tons of brush and thorns around making it difficult to throw anything up and hit the plane. Eventually one of the guys with me got a tow-strap we wrapped around the base of the tree and was able to shake the branch enough to get the plane to fall. Success! I was able to recover my dead plane and scavenge it for parts (all I really wanted was the LiPo and 808 cam, getting everything else was just gravy). So now I'm torn... should I buy another Floater Jet, a Bixler, or something else? An ARF Floater Jet is only $53.03 and counting parts from the wreckage I have 2 motors, 3 props, and 8 servos that will work. My end goal after I stop crashing all the time is something I can do long range FPV and aerial mapping with. I know neither the Floater Jet or Bixler is best suited for my end-goal, but that's ok. I really just want something I can learn the basics on and maybe later add a shorter range 5.8GHz FPV setup to. The Bix3 looks pretty attractive, but of course everything is OOS in the US Warehouses. Regarding the TX, is the FrSky module the best? As far as firmware, way back when I bought this, Open9x and ER9X were all the rage. It looks like ER9X development has stopped and Open9x has became OpenTX. All the OpenTX guides I see reference installing on a Turnigy 9XR or a Taranis. I've installed the programmer board, back light, and sticks... just haven't flashed this yet. Can I just follow a 9XR guide and flash OpenTX?
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Apr 19, 2015 20:53
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You should be able to fix that with some Gorilla Glue and maybe some boiling water if there's any crush damage.
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Apr 20, 2015 01:23
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