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i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

devmd01 posted:

I can't wait for the hong kong order from hobbyking with all of my batteries to arrive, I just did another order this morning for a battery from the US warehouse so I can get this plane in the air.



That's a great jet. Very easy to fly and kind of fast as long as you have a good battery in it. I flew mine stock for a while then got bored with that and spent several times the cost of the stupid thing on a HET 6404 fan, Don's Wicked 4000+ motor, Gens Ace 4S 2200 30C packs, and a Hobbywing 60A ESC to make it go faster.

lovely video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMZgrS79LWc

The airframe got pretty beat up from repeated landings on our rough grass field and is looking kind of ratty. I want to find a fiberlgass airframe to put the fan and stuff in but there isn't much available for 64mm fans out there, it's either 55mm crap from GP or 70mm from everyone else.

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i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

ImplicitAssembler posted:

I was kinda ignoring all the foamies (and 3D) until I saw this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRJBmp9j8gY

For me, it's the best 3D video out there.

This is the bigger, original version of the Crack Pitts.
I went with the smaller one partly for storage, but in terms of the areas I can fly, even the bigger one would have been fine. I still may get it one day.

Thanks for the kind words! (I'm the dude flying in the video).

Glad you are liking the Crack Pitts Mini...love the aerial footage. I am really loving mine as well. It's funny, it's an entirely different experience than the standard Crack Pitts. It's fast, snappy, and unforgiving. The larger Pitts is much slower and easier to fly and learn maneuvers on. Hard to beat the cool factor of a fully capable micro bipe though. :cool: So, if you get frustrated trying to learn something like hovers or harriers with the CPM then one of the larger planes might make things a little easier for you.

My favorite foamy is probably the Crack Laser though.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

ImplicitAssembler posted:

Right...I think my wife would like a word or two with you...

Seriously, though, I would look at the large scale 3D planes and mostly shake my head. (I still kinda do)..the only other stuff appeared to be the pattern flying and while impressive in their accuracy, also very boring...until I saw your video.

I'll build the FT 3D next (I have all the bits anyway) and then probably get the PA Addiction as my next plane.

If you like my video look at some from Daniel Holman and Gabriel Altuz. They are very good at doing precise stuff low enough to be exciting and interesting. Precision competition flying (pattern/IMAC) is a lot of fun to do but I agree that it is pretty boring to watch.

Post progress of the FT 3D for sure...you learn a lot when you scratch build stuff. I am curious to how it flies.

Also, I owned the Addiction and didn't really like it. It's extremely slow, floaty, and kind of bad in the wind, just like a light little foamy, but not nearly as durable and a lot more expensive. It's extremely delicate and easy to break during transport. The servos they sold with it were junk and eventually the elevator servo gave out and the thing was destroyed. It is very easy to fly and learn to 3D with, but still not as easy as a good foamy. If you get comfortable with the mini Crack Pitts then you will honestly get bored with the Addiction. Go for something like the 3DHS 41" Edge or if you can swing it the 48" Edge 540T-EXP from ExtremeFlight; they are more durable, better in the wind, and will grow with you as a pilot and keep you interested.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

Golluk posted:

I think I'm getting close to being confident enough to add video gear to my bixler.

Which means I need to find the following:

Camera (really no clue. 5v or 12v? Thinking 5v.)
Vtx (thinking 5.8ghz, not concerned with signal penetration)
Antennae (if required)
Battery or power filter.

Vrx (no clue, but I doubt I'll bother with antennae tracking or DVR)
Power (likely go with lead acid battery)
Screen or goggles. Thinking of just a 5-7" screen for now.

Any recommendations on the above that people have been happy with?

Eventually I want to get an odd as well if that effects the vtx choice.

I recently built an FPV SkySurfer (same as the Bixler I think) and went with the following set up. I got it all from ReadymadeRC. You can probably get it for a wee bit cheaper elsewhere but these guys have great service and everything I needed.

600 line RMRC camera, 12V
1.3 ghz 400 mW transmitter
IBCrazy Bluebeam RHCP cloverleaf antenna pair
1.3 receiver, V3
8 inch monitor

The video system is working great. I need to go to 72 mhz or UHF as my radio system is now my weak link. I would also like to get an OSD for GPS directions (I kind of lost my bearings flying at a new location and wouldn't have been able to get the plane back if it weren't for some spotters).

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

ImplicitAssembler posted:

Argh, just about what I didn't want to hear. Michael Wargo seems to rate it, but then they also appear to sponsor him :).
They no longer sell those servos though and now recommend using the Hitec 65s. I like the way it flies in the videos, so maybe I just like floaty planes :).

How much better is the Crack Laser in the wind (compared to both the mini Pitts and the Addiction?). Maybe I should just stick with foamies as I mostly want to fly in my local park, but more than a very gentle breeze makes it tricky to fly the mini Pitts.

Well, none of the 32" planes are any better in the wind than the Addiction. But if the wind blows them into the ground or a tree it won't hurt them, whereas the Addiction turns into a bunch of splinters.

Don't get me wrong, the Addiction does what it is designed to do very well: float along easily and slowly. But you can get the same performance from a foamie without the expense. For the same flying space and situation I would go with a foam plane every time. A lot of people are happy with the plane though, so if you want a balsa plane that's easy to fly and don't mind the expense then you'll probably like it.

If you want a bigger foam plane, the new 39" RCF Edge is awesome to fly. Decent in the wind, very stable, very durable.

A regular Crack Yak is also a great plane for a bit more wind than the CPM. The Crack Laser will also be a bit better but not as good as the Crack Yak, and is not quite as durable. The Laser is certainly my favorite foamie ever though as far as flight performance; I get them in twos so that I always have an extra one ready for when I wear out the first one.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye
Managed first place in IMAC Unlimited regional points even though I only got second in the regional fly-off. Won freestyle though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrMAcFsFCYY

I also bought one of the Sebart Mig-29's from Thunder Power as they were on clearance (40% off). Those things were way too expensive when they came out but I always wanted one; I couldn't resist when the price came down.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

CrazyLittle posted:

They're just o-rings. You can get some at the local hardware store.

You can also purchase a couple of feet of surgical rubber and cut little rings off of it. You get a near-lifetime supply of prop savers for a couple of bucks.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

NitroSpazzz posted:

Potentially/Probably a foolish question here.

I have four 3s1p 2200mAH battery packs for my Mini Titan, can I wire them in series-parallel to create a 6s2p pack with 22.2v and 4400mAH? I've seen plenty of people wire two packs in series OR parallel but no one doing series-parallel. I'm thinking my Raptor 30 with worn out engine could use a 50 stretch and e-conversion. Ideally this wiring scheme would just be for testing and working the bugs out then later get a 6s1p ~4500mAH pack.


In other news I was digging through some boxes and found my old downlink gear, only 200w (if I remember right) but should be fun to play with. Need to find a screen or something to test it with. Don't worry I'm not going to attempt FPV with it as it sits, this was a 5 minute tape and toss job before it got too dark. (KX131 CCD Camera, 2.4Ghz 200mw tx/rx)

Thinking about it more I think I'll move things to above the wing for better balance.

You can certainly turn 4X 2200 3S into 6S2P4400. However some really good 6S 4400's are only about 60 or 70 bucks from EPBuddy so you will probably just wind up buying those and skipping the hassle.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

Freakazoid_ posted:

I was hoping for some general advice, because the two planes I have don't have any obvious model numbers. If they did, I would've had something to research with.

The first plane looks pretty much like a shrunk down older cessna, with a wing span of about two or two and a half feet and feels kinda like plastic construction. The second plane is much bigger, can't quite tell what material it's made of, and I have trouble making a comparison with any existing aircraft. It has a wingspan of about five feet, has yellow wings and tail section, a half blue and half yellow fuselage, and orange flaps on the wings. The cockpit is located almost in the center of the fuselage. The propeller blades were removed and never replaced, but were originally made of wood. Both planes have motor engines and share a single remote control which I seem to have misplaced.

If they are older planes with glow engines then the hip young kids with their FPVUAVquadrodronecopters and 3D Crack Watchamacallits with electricity in them probably won't be interested, so this means selling online is probably going to be more pain than it's worth.

Assuming you are in the US, go here: http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx and find a club in your area. Contact the president of this club and ask about a swap meet or auction near you, bring them and sell them.

The most you could possibly stand to make on both aircraft is probably a hundred bucks if that's worth your time. It's equally possible that it will only bring twenty bucks.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

deong posted:

I picked up a Syma X1 for xmas and it's been fun, but its a bit too big for my tiny rear end apartment. So I've been thinking of picking up one of the nano. Do y'all have any recommendations for which to get? I've mostly seen things about the Estes Proto X and Hubsan X4. I don't like that the Estes doesn't have a removable battery. And it sound like the remote is a bit dumbed down. I have read using the X4 tx livens up the heli quite a bit. Thinking the Hubsan is the way to go, the estes looks cooler though.

Derp. The Estes proto x is smaller than the x4. That's the size I want.. But would like to be able to replace batteries.

The Estes Proto-X is a lot of fun but it actually needs a bit of room because it's so quick. You can get it moving really fast in a large area. It needs about as much room as a Hubsan because it covers a lot of area quickly. The transmitter is indeed cheesey as hell and you can't fly multiple batteries through it. It's still a lot of fun for a cheap distraction toy.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

mashed_penguin posted:

The FAA rules are full of paradoxes though that make it highly questionable that an RC model is even legally an aircraft. For example an "Aircraft" can only be flown above 500ft but an RC Model can only be flown below 400ft. You can't recklessly endanger someone with an aircraft if your RC model is not an aircraft.

Many of the FAA regulations that define what an aircraft appear to only apply to a vechicle with the pilot inside of it.

Also the 400 foot guideline is from some bullshit 1 page monthly circular from 1981 and many RC pilots regularly exceed 400 feet with no consequences.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

ease posted:

I'll show off our 'clubs' custom mini quad that one of our members cut for 12 of us :



He just finished everything up and we should be getting them soon.

I will probably be flying with the owner of that quad on Friday, definitely need to give it a try. That thing looks awesome.

I got out to a frozen lake this weekend and had a blast.



Edit: video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3WqLdl0N3g

i own every Bionicle fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Feb 10, 2014

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

ease posted:

With Jason? Tell him ease says hi.

Will do.

darknrgy posted:

Daaaaaamn! Nice flying. I have EF's 48" Edge 540T coming in the mail. And I'm waiting on one more part before I'm done with my HK 51" Slick. It's going to be a great year.

Thanks. You are going to love the EF Edge.

tehk posted:

Awesome video. Makes me very tempted to get into 3d planes but I suspect having a hard time picking it up since I'm heavy into 3d helis again and the muscle memory has to be so different.

How accurate are 3d planes in Real Flight and Phoenix?

I don't have a lot of time on Phoenix but the planes in Real Flight 7 are a bit too easy. Still a good practice tool though. If you want to try 3D with airplanes get a foamy from Twisted Hobbys: inexpensive, fly great, and are very durable. You can do it with a cheaper plane but just like helis, if you go cheap on your first one you will have a much harder time than if you get something worthwhile. Muscle memory is very different from helis but the mind set is the same...practice until you can do it. I'm kind of in the same boat with helis, I have a nice 450 and trying to progress and it's a totally different skill set versus planes. If you have been able to progress with heli flying then you will be able to progress with 3D planes in the same way. The people who expect to be able to go out and fly hard 3D on their third flight are the ones who are disappointed.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

tehk posted:

I picked up a DX7s a few months ago and I want to unload it. Are these things hard to get rid of? I am going UHF and it looks like a Taranis would have been a better buy.

No, people buy them all day long. You can probably expect ~150 for it or so if it's in good condition. Put it on RCG/Helifreak/Runryder.

Example:

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=601963

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

Slanderer posted:

It was an annoying failure mode---the motor spins up just fine without a propeller, and doesn't seem to make any weird noises that could go along with a bad bearing. But once you put a propeller on it, the motor takes a bit more throttle to get spinning, and then once it does it stops spinning and starts jerking around once the throttle gets above a certain point.

It could also be a faulty or intermittent motor connection. Make sure those are secure and re-sweat the bullet solder joints if necessary.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

darknrgy posted:

All that stuff can melt and allow the wires to short out. There's more power and higher voltage going through the motor when the prop is on. Not trying to argue with you, I just know that is what happened to my motor. I took it apart and could visually see where it was shorting out. I didn't try mine without the prop, but I could get the motor up to about 1/4 throttle and it worked fine. Past that, it would short out internally.

In any case, I'm only sharing this because I thought it was interesting. Just tossing out ideas of what might have happened to your motor. You're absolutely right that the cost of these motors makes it impractical to try and repair them in a lot of cases (other than bent shafts and whatnot).

I will echo this, I have had motors that ran fine with no props on them but when the current went up with a prop they would short and stutter. I also had some that would short and stutter once they warmed up. These would also often have no visual signs of shorting.

I have blown up a lot of motors.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

uXs posted:

Got my Nano CP X today, together with the factory brushless upgrade and 6 batteries. First CP heli, so obviously I crashed a bunch of times.

After I went through all 6 batteries, I installed the BL upgrade, and ran into a problem. The tail just wags way too much.

Now I don't think I really had any excessive tail wagging without the BL upgrade. I mean, I may or may not have had any, but I don't remember having it. It probably wobbled a bit but you can hardly expect a tiny (CP) helicopter to be completely rock-solid. The thing is that the tail wagging is really obvious and annoying now, so I can't but conclude that because I don't remember it having before the upgrade, it just wasn't there. (Or at least way, way less.)

So I switched back to the stock motor, but the wiggle is still there. It's really annoying seeing it just wiggle so much while hovering, and when turning around it's not at all smooth either.

Any ideas? I've read that a bent feathering spindle could be the cause. Maybe I bent it while getting the stock motor out? I really had to pull on that thing to get it out and I may or may not have pushed on the blades a bit.

I guess maybe I should fly a bit more first because apparently it can take a few flights to break it in? But I suspect that will do exactly nothing.

I'm really not looking forward to replacing it or even getting it out to check :-/

At least a replacement would be rather cheap. (And I can order it together with a replacement canopy for my MCX2. Apparently that gets shredded rather easily when a CP X crashes into it. :science:)

The gyros, including the one that keeps the tail steady, are on the main board. If that wiggles around it can couple back into the feedback loop and cause the wag. So make sure that is screwed to the frame securely. For that matter, make sure the frame is not broken, and that the landing gear is not broken, a wiggling battery could also cause it.

Make sure the tail is on securely as well, and that the tail blades are not bent over or flattened (though this usually causes the heli to blow out and not wobble).

FWIW I went through an MCP X and two Nano's trying to learn heli 3D. My skills improved a lot but I got so frustrated fixing them all the time that I stopped flying them and just gave them (or the remains) away. Something always needed replacing or fixing, and my two Nano's both needed new 3 in 1 boards after a few weeks of flying. I really hated taking them out flying after a while because I always needed new parts and it was 10 bucks here, 20 there, eventually I had spent more than it was worth on parts. I finally bought a nice 450 from a friend after a while and instead of using micro heli's I've been practicing on Realflight. I've learned a lot more a lot more quickly; the larger helis fly entirely differently. Not trying to discourage you of course but if you get fed up with the Nano then there are other ways to have fun with helis.

i own every Bionicle fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Mar 25, 2014

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

porksmash posted:

I'm on the verge of picking up a Hobbyzone Champ to learn to fly airplanes with. Any other recommendations for first timer planes? I have a Spektrum TX already so Hobbyzone is a plus, but I can always get an OrangeRX receiver if I have to. I have a bit of experience flying quadcopters.

The Champ is a great way to learn. It's cheap, very tough if flown over grass, and has Horizon support behind it. Hard to go wrong with that. If you want to do FPV afterwards a SkySurfer or similar will be an easy transition after the Champ.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

Arcturas posted:

Huzzah! Then I think I'm ready for my maiden voyage tomorrow. ESCs are programmed, ESCs are calibrated, rudder & pitch are reversed on my transmitter, when I armed the KK2 board, I was able to spin up the correct motors, and I'm excited to get going.

I'm a little annoyed with the plastic adapter rings that came with the slow fly props I picked up. There isn't really a ring that fits snugly on the shaft of my motors. So I tossed on the plastic adapter ring that would fit around the threaded collet adapter shaft, and screwed them on as tight as I could while nudging the prop left and right to try and keep it as centered as I could.

One of the plastic adapter rings might be able to be screwed onto the collet adapter shaft, but I'd basically be threading the inside of the plastic to screw it down.

What motors are you using? The link you posted for them goes to the props.

I don't fly any multis yet but I do a lot of 3D foamies with similar sized motors and props. The old GWS props had a hex on the inside. They got rid of this like a year and a half ago or so and now the inside is just round. Except that the diameter of the ID is bigger than the inscribed diameter of the old hex they used to have, so they included a bunch of plastic rings with them. Except the ID of those rings doesn't mach in the inside diameter of the hex they used to have. :downs: So you have to use an adapter ring that comes with the motor, and if you ever lose it after a crash you are hosed. Assuming the HK props are GWS knock-offs that's probably what's going on.

Tangentially related: my new airplane is available from Twisted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUGTx2nJCAc

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

ImplicitAssembler posted:

Yeah. Already ordered :) (I hate you)

Nice, let me know how you like it. It kind of reminds me of the Mini Pitts in energy level when you fly at high throttle but with more precision. On 2S or with the throttle pulled back a bit it's a lot more gentle and stable than the Mini Pitts. It's also a lot easier to build and a lot more durable.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

ImplicitAssembler posted:

Sounds good:). I was about to order the Crack Yak,when you posted the hints on RCG, so decided to hold off.
Starting on 2S, but will probably buy a stack of 3S lipos later.

I'm starting to get comfortable with the Mini Pitts, but it's hard to find days where it's not too windy.
This one should hopefully give me a bit bigger window to fly in (And be more durable!.
My wife thinks I'm crazy as I keep rebuilding my larger scratchbuilds, when they inevitably break). The Mini Pitts has been a winner in that department...apart from a few hardware changes (servos), it's been my most reliable and durable plane and after I rebuilt the control rods, it's been a lot more precise too.

Yeah this is much better in the wind. In fact that video was done in 10-15 mph winds, that's why it's so much faster going left to right than when going right to left.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

Mister Sinewave posted:

I'm not going to be completely reckless and put equipment at risk for no reason (well, for no good reason) but I'll be honest, I secretly think "this can't be that hard" and nothing short of seeing for myself is going to convince me otherwise.

I may very well end up being the RC version of the hobby-pilot doctor who inadvertently commits suicide by small plane but it'll be much cheaper and less fatal (but possibly about as embarrassing.) I have carefully weighed these risks and decided to do it anyway :yayclod:

Because you seem dead set on trying this FPV the first time out and likely destroying something, I want to give you some advice that I found important when I got into FPV.

Find a really safe place to fly with easily identifiable landmarks.

I tried flying at a farm once that looked like a big checker board once I got into the air, even though it had a lot of variety on the ground. It was very disorienting, and if it weren't for spotters I would have lost my plane.

Also, if your radio link is on 2.4 and your video link is 1.3, you can very easily lose control of the airplane with no warning (ie very little video flicker). So set your failsafes correctly so at least the power cuts when you lose it if you don't go UHF right off the bat.

Learning to fly LOS before FPV isn't helpful just in case you lose video link, it's helpful so that you know how to manage the energy of the airplane and get a real-world idea of how it behaves (sinking and climbing) at different throttle and speed settings. It can be super disorienting just having a VHS-quality view from the plane.

The general approach with FPV is to build the system up one component at a time. Fly the plane with no video system, make sure it is stable and reliable and you don't blow up the motor/ESC/servos (two of the people I've helped get into FPV have had this happen with their HK-supplied motors and ESC's, even on the recommended equipment). Get a good idea of what flight time you can expect. Then add video and make sure it doesn't cause too much range reduction with the radio link. Make sure it is reliable and solid, then add OSD. Add pan and tilt if you must only after all that stuff is proven and solid. If you have no LOS skills you will be skipping an important step and you're compounding it by being a general noob at modeling.

Please don't crash into some old lady's house and create bad press for us.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye
Awesome! Let me know how you like it.

On my way to the Joe Nall fly in right now. Going to be awesome.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

ImplicitAssembler posted:

So, I got quite sick for a bit, so I didn't get to maiden this until today, but it's awesome!.

It'll fly slower than the Crack Pitts Mini, but at full rates it's just insane. Still very much a newbie at 3D stuff, but slow rolls are much easier and I got them almost straight and I even got something that resembled a rolling harrier.
Struggled a bit with hovering (something I now got pretty good at with the CPM), but I think it's mostly until I get used to the throttle range/response.

I can see how this one would be completely insane on 3S, but I better stick with 2S until I get the basics down.
Only negative is that the wheel pants wont survive long in the tallish grass I'm flying from, so I think I'll take them off.

Practice hand catching it...practice flying straight at yourself either inverted or upright, give some up elevator (or down if you are inverted) and chop the throttle as you get up close, and grab it. It helps if you have a neckstrap on your transmitter. Much easier on the plane and it looks sweet.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

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.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

uXs posted:

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.

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.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

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 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.

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.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

ImplicitAssembler posted:

So, Cwojcik did this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lflvp1NeipA
And won the IMAC Freestyle World Championship...
Congrats dude!

Thanks dude! Just catching up with this thread after a long time away.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye
I'm a member of three different clubs. For me it's probably a little different because I fly mostly bigger airplanes, if I am doing FPV with little multirotors I fly anywhere safe and fun.

At the best club of which I am member (actually I was coerced into becoming the president) we have a somewhat secluded spot with two locked gates to get into. We have two runways (one for gas/glow aircraft and one for only electric and gliders) as well has a heli circle. Helis are allowed on the gas runway, and electrics and gliders are allowed anywhere...we don't have any bullshit rules about where to fly and we don't have assholes policing them.

We also have two big lean-tos for getting out of the sun or the rain if it blows through, one of which contains a solar powered 12V and 24V charging station. So you can fly all day with a big electric and not bring a generator or run down your car battery recharging. You don't need a lot of batteries and you don't even have to charge them the night before.

We also have a big grill, so if you're going to stay all day, bring some burgers and fire that poo poo up.

We have some of the best heli, 3D/aerobatic, and sailplane pilots in New England at the club. There's also a bunch of old timers who love their overweight glow powered high wingers. We also have some world-class kit builders who churn out beautiful airplanes from boxes of wood. Amazingly we all get along and it's just an incredibly chill place to be.

I also have friends at the club and grabbing a beer after an evening of flying is a frequent occurrence.

The cost for all this? 60 bucks a year, or 85 for your first year.

My point is that clubs can and should be awesome. We are able to be such a cool club because the officers have a lot of common sense, take initiative to fix problems before they become big, and set a good tone for the rest of the club.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye
Yeah all the clubs around here require AMA membership which makes a lot of sense to me. And there are a fair number of clubs that are very similar to the first one you mentioned, I avoid those.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

EdEddnEddy posted:

Question, Has anyone here gotten insurance for their Quad/Phantom in the US and if so, who or what do you go through to do it?

I work doing design and development in partnership with a distributor that sells multirotors, and (anecdotally) I have heard that AP camera aircraft can be insured as photography equipment.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye
The idea of circular polarized antennas is that reflected signals do not become destructive interference. The gain is not necessarily higher, and they are not necessarily more omnidirectional, but they should work better around objects, especially with higher frequencies.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

slidebite posted:

What is the consensus for storage of lipo batteries? Store them discharged fully charged somewhere in between or does it even matter? I'm thinking for storage measured in many weeks or even a few months.

60% charged is best, I usually store them like that or mostly discharged (I usually fly my packs down to 20% or so) and haven't noticed any big issues with storing them at 20%. However, I have ruined plenty of packs storing them fully charged.

The other important thing to remember is that there is no threshold over which it damages them to store them fully charged. So storing them fully charged for 1 day does 1% as much damage as storing them fully charged for 100 days. So the less time they spend charged, the better.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

EdEddnEddy posted:

It is really this bad? Crap.

I usually use the batteries for my Phantom 2 within a week or so of fully charging, but the hassle of having to express charge all 3 so far before I had to do something would be a major pain. Especially if something comes up on a whim and I need a battery like Right Now!

It also depends a lot on the quality of your batteries. It's easier to kill cheap packs by storing them charged, on the other hand I have some expensive Hyperion packs that I have left charged for months and abused for years on end and they still perform awesome.

It certainly is a pain to have to charge at the last minute, which is one nice thing about the new chargers and packs that we have where you can get it charged in 20 minutes.

ImplicitAssembler posted:

I've had 2 of my Nanotech 2200's die over the last month or so...both lost a cell. Very annoying, especially as they hadn't been used much.

Most of the Nanotechs around here have been disappointing.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

Cannon_Fodder posted:

I have a Turnigy Talon frame tricopter and turnigy 9x receiver/transmitter.

It decided today that it hates me so goddamn much.

I can't, for the life of me, get the loving elevator signal t reverse. I did something dumb to try to fix it.

-Turn on Tri
-Turn on transmitter
-Arm it
-go to settings and reverse the elevator
-freak out as my tri jumps about 12 feet in the air for no good goddamn reason since I didn't move the throttle.


This is what I get for trying to set up a profile without any clue.

It's in plane mode, tricopter set up. Throttle is reversed and all the receiver test stuff makes sense and is set to the right channel. It's just refusing to reverse.

This is why I cry.

1. Take the loving props off before you are sure you got your poo poo sorted. :cmon:
2. Sounds like the transmitter is in Mode 1 when it should be in Mode 2 or vise versa. For reference:

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

Elendil004 posted:

Anyone have hands on experience with a larger 6 or 8 rotor? Like an S1000? Something that'll carry a 5d3 or RED?

Yes, I've built a few big hexes and quads that carry large stuff, and I'll likely be maidening an S900 next week. What are your questions?

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

Elendil004 posted:

Think of hobbyists as the filthy console peasants of the drone world.

edit: though to be fair, most commercial users are nearly as bad or worse.

I see a lot of hobbyists crashing Phantoms into stuff but usually that's where it ends. They run out of money or at least learn what they are doing after a few crashes.

On the other hand, because commercial drone flying isn't really legal in the US in most cases, the people who actually are doing it commercially are:

1. Cowboys who don't give a gently caress
2. Idiots to whom it never occurred that what they were doing is illegal
3. People who buy big, expensive systems with no conception of how they work because it's a business expense, even if they don't need it

Or all of the above.

Then they rush to get gigs without making sure their equipment is working well, don't have experience flying the aircraft without GPS, don't take the time to set proper failsafes, etc.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

Vitamin J posted:

Can you cite a law or regulation that gives you reason to say commercial UAV use is illegal? Last time I checked the FAA's attempts to fine commercial flyers in court have been dismissed and they have even admitted in their court pleadings that their cease and desist letters have no legal backing, among other things.

Sorry, it was wrong of me to say that commercial UAV use is illegal. I meant to say that in most cases it is against the FAA's rules: https://www.faa.gov/uas/

My point is just that the dubious legality of commercial drone use, and the fact that it is directly contrary to the FAA's rules, filters a lot of cautious, safety-minded people (but not all, certainly) out of the industry.

i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

Golluk posted:

drat, that Inspire drone is sexy looking. I cringe to imagine its cost though.

Second attempt at flying the Assassin was more successful. I'm going to attribute it to actually mounting the prop properly in the correct direction (it was pushing correctly, but spinning backwards). Also seems to require a lot of reflex (up elevator trim). But got it flying around in circles and figure 8s, and a few nice landings. Even took the not so nice landings like a champ.

I think I'm cheating myself with flight stabilizers though. The wing is relying on it heavily to fly at the moment, and starts to oscillate past 50% throttle speeds. I'll trim it out and fly manual during the day later (wing edge lights, doing maidens at night :smug:).

Are you running the Naze? Is the TPA term available, and if so, have you played with it? TPA reduces the gains as you increase throttle. It's a huge help for mini multirotors and I assume it would also work great for oscillating wings at higher throttle settings. It's in the PID tab of baseflight, set it to something like .6 and then reduce it as much as you can without the oscillations coming back.

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i own every Bionicle
Oct 23, 2005

cstm ttle? kthxbye

Golluk posted:

I'm only running a Acro Naze32 on my Bix3. The Assassin has a Lemon-Rx 7-ch with built in stabilizer. I'll try reducing the gains a bit, but I think the real issue is the Rx itself isn't mounted very securely.

I checked the CG, but if anything it seems a bit too far back. Its within 1-2mm of the wing spar, which is the recommended 6.5" back. Though it does mostly nose dive when thrown without throttle. The elevons up about a half inch seems to be where it flies level, which I think is about the right mount. Still plenty agile and fast for me.

Also have a slight issue with the props. I'm using a prop saver, which doesn't hold in the little shaft size adapter at all. A bit of CA glue is holding it in currently.

I played with the Lemon on a few 3D planes and it was always a game to keep it from shaking at higher speeds. The master gain can also be adjusted on Aux 3, so you might be able to add a mix for throttle -> aux 3 to get rid of the shakes.

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