/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1445116
Does this general have an IRC channel?

>>1445122
No. Is that something people want/expect from a general?

>>1445122

I hang out in the UAVfutures discord.

>>1445255
There's also #multirotors on freenode & FPVChat on Slack.

>>1445255
Pls link?

>>1445834
>UAVfutures discord
https://discord.gg/S6Z3qJS

What is the general procedure of tuning a quad? I have betaflight and pids available in osd but i don’t know how to start. No matter how high rates i set it feels sluggish so i assume i need better tuning.
I have only oneshot 125 compatible escs though.

>>1445952
>oneshot 125


This is old tech. You need to get onto Dshot.

Really with betaflight you dont have to do any tuning. Its more about filtering and having the right settings than it is about PID's


You can get vibration and propwash out with D term settings and stock PID's on most builds.

Dynamic filtering does a great job.

>>1446030
Thank you, you just couldn't be any more vague with your explanation if you tried. You would've been much more specific if you only said "I don't know".

>>1445952
Is there anyone here who actually knows what he is doing instead just fucking around with random numbers?

>>1446330

I dont know how you have your quad setup.

I dont know what version of betaflight and the configurator you are using.

The entire filtering system just had a major overhual. So all the settings for all the filters have changed.

I dont even know if you are using filtering if you even know how to or if you are just trying to fly without filtering.

So yea there is a lot of stuff I dont know about what you are doing.

>>1446473
I am using betaflight 3.4 all stock settings.

>>1446507

Yea some versions dont have the Dynamic filter on by default. They will also be setup for Bi-quad and not PT1 on the tuning tab.

You should turn on Dynamic Filter and then go into tuning and change it to PT1.

Also make sure that both of the notch filters are off.

By doing this you will see a huge change in the way the quad flies. Then all you need to do is play with the D setpoint weight and transition sliders.

>>1446473
>>1446507
>>1446529
On noisy setups biquad will actually fly smoother (but also feel less responsive) than PT1.

I've got a question. I've recently obtained a TS832 and a receiver: RC832. It's 48 channels and I've read online that you can use channels for audio/video and use other channels for the RC plane's controls.

I'm not entirely sure if that's the case, as it seems more like these channels are for changing the different channels for frequencies.

Would that mean that I'd have to get another transmitter/receiver for actually controlling the RC plane?

>>1448272
It’s a VTx and VRx for video. You will need an actual RC controller like the FrSky Q-X7, X9D or X-lite

>>1448276
Surely I'll need an onboard receiver too though, right?

>>1448277

Yes the Radio Control link and Video Cam link are not the same.

You will have antenna for each system.

>>1448280
Ok thanks. Going to try and do it myself using NRF24L01.

Any other shops within EU that hold multicopter frames?
I'm not interested in racing quads but a slightly bigger quad/hex platform, hobbyking used to have under 50usd cf frames that were really good, I planned to take dead cat with mobius gimbal of s500 from unmanned tech, still looking if there is any other shop with under 100 eur price tag for a solid frame.

>>1448345
Hobbyking

My quad crashed today. I was flying in a straight line, coming back from the long end of the meadow when it suddenly mosed in, turned upside down and crashed, the only thing I could do is disarm.
There was no sign why it crashed, no damage on the antennas, no jammed motor, no burned out esc. There were no trees or wires nearby. Voltage was fine, there was video and control the whole time, apart from the nose dive. After the inspections it hovered fine for 3 minutes.
Is it possible that either the motors or the escs crapped out from 4s? I was flying 3s until now. The motors and escs are Multistar Elite 2204 and Multistar 30A.
I don’t see any other problems that could cause the crash.

>>1448382
Anyone? Should I replace the motors or the escs? Or both? I am kind of leaning towards both, but ehh... money...
What are some good quality budget options?

>>1448382

If your Motors and ESC are rated for 4s then I dont think they were the cause of it.

It could be something weird like a betaflight glitch. Ive had some of my betaflight tuning setting set in a way that it caused my quad to fall out of the sky randomly. It happened only when I was messing with the Dterm slider and I had the Transition very low.

But what would happen is the quad would just randomly fall out of the sky for seemingly no reason at all and it would be fine after a reset. But once I changed the settings to something that worked better with my hardware I never had that problem again.

Call it a Gremlin and just change filtering settings around for the D term and transition. Then give it a week or so of flying to test its stability.

>>1445116
a quick reminder that quad copters suck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W170zszmkWk

>>1448998

I haven't seen too many helicopter videos, but there seems to be a trend: learn how to do useless dumb shit, then make a 5 minute or longer video doing it. over. and. over.

>>1449003
>useless
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Fu6Leb_aE

>>1449012

I didn't watch the whole video, but it wasn't 10 minutes of some autist doing snap roll after snap roll after snap roll, so what exactly is your point?

2.6 kilometers high? heli yes quad nope
fly upside down? heli yes quad only when crashing
land safely with a failed motor heli yes quad no

advantage of a quad? millenial snowflakes can fly them because they require no skill or training

>>1449043

this post is quad pottery

>>1449045

lol read it again. it's like heli dogma

beebo would laugh at you

Question: can the amount of power input determine the clearness of the camera OR does the quality of the camera just suck?

I'm asking because I'm messing around with a RC832/TS832 and the quality is just too blurry that I wouldn't even dare to use it for anything off-ground.

This is the camera: https://www.ebay.com/itm/600-700-800TVL-CMOS-Camera-FPV-RC-Quadcopter-Home-Security-Spy-Cam-Camera-NTSC/401304738267?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=670919208490&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Since it's a cheap model I think it's just the camera, but can't hurt to ask before looking into more expensive options.

>>1448382
>There was no sign why it crashed, no damage on the antennas, no jammed motor, no burned out esc

>>1448704
>Should I replace the motors or the escs? Or both?

Your logic confuses me. Why would you replace components when there is no indication that there is anything wrong with them?

>>1449350
Generic cheap CMOS cameras are garbage. Either use a CCD camera (Sony Super HAD II based) or if you really want CMOS go for one of the modern CMOS cameras developed specifically for FPV.

>>1449360
>Generic cheap CMOS cameras are garbage
Figured that much. Cheers.

>>1449350

The amount of power input can absolutely effect the clearness of the video because you generate noise that can go into the video feed.

But the type of noise is usually filtered out with capacitors on our builds. I put extra caps on my ESC's also to help with video noise.

But it has a lot to do with your hardware. Which components you have and how they work together.

Some ESC's just make more noise than others because they dont have as much filtering of caps on them and they are not made well.

Cheaper motors will add more noise into the fpv system than better motors will.

Sometimes even Flight Controllers have to be wired up in special ways to get the best and clearest picture out of them. Like grounding your VTX and Cam to the same pads on the FC can get you a better result.

There are soo many factors that go into what could cause noise on your fpv feed.

What you want to do is build a system that is known to work and has been tested by many other people. Dont waste time money and effort trying to find something new that you dont know how good it is.

The only FC I would even consider buying right now is from Matek or Dalrc

Because these two companies know how to deal with noise better than all the other flight controllers out there.

They have onboard 5v and 9v regulators and the 9v regulator is great for feeding your VTX and cam.

>>1449388
You say that like including a basic LC filter/regulator is super complex. These days if you just use a VTX that isn't complete shite, feed it LiPo voltage & let its 5V regulator power the camera, it will give you perfectly clean video.

If you're using GPS to fly your drone, you have to code to account for GPS dropout, or it will crash your toy into the ground, when GPS does it thing periodically. There's no way to defeat this anti-terrorism protocol, you just have to live with it.

>>1449494
>anti-terrorism protocol
Let me get this straight. Are you suggesting that GPS modules have a random outage to prevent kebabs from using them as suicide drones?

>>1449386
>and has been tested by many other people
>Dont waste time money and effort trying to find something new that you dont know how good it is

Is this /diy/ or /prefab/?

>>1449531
There are regulations on what types of capabilities can be included within civilian grade GPS receivers that are sold to the public. It's to prevent nutcases from building homemade precision guided missiles and bombs.

If my memory is correct, only licensed pilots/airlines/aircraft manufacturers/etc can buy receivers that will operate above a certain altitude. I'm not sure, but there may also be velocity restrictions.

Question: Is there a camera drone somewhere that can point its camera straight up? Or will I have to build/mod one myself?

Here is a $250 dollar build that would make a pretty nice freestyle quad for a newer pilot.

https://rotorbuilds.com/build/9014

Best freestyle motor made.

Really tough to beat the efficiency of those silver windings.

>>1449763

>Another amazing feature are the high temperature silver core windings. These windings are able to withstand much higher temperatures than conventional windings.

*eyeroll*

1. Silver is only about 5% more conductive than copper.
2. Beyond the stupidity of even implying that the melting temperature of the winding conductors themselves are any sort of limitation (you have way bigger problems if your motor is at >1,700°F), copper's melting point is HIGHER than silver's, and by a good margin.

And, before any of the more electrically-knowledgeable folk reading this start wondering: No. Copper and silver have an almost identical change in resistance in response to temperature.

The Mr. Steele motors are actually really good for freestyle but their design is a bit old. They are the best you can find to compare to the f40 pro ii

Naked bottom motors are better because sometimes if you crash with the old type the bottom of the motor rubs the bell. The newer naked bottom design is engineered to remove this failure point.

Also the C clips are going out of favor for using a screw to hold the bell on. And some grooves on the top of the motor helps the prop from slipping.

You can find motors that are more efficient than the Tmotor f40 pro ii but they will make much less thrust.

>>1449679
The altitude & velocity limits are so high that they will never affect our quads/wings/etc. Pretty much the only scenarios in which they actually affect hobby use is high altitude ballooning & rocketry.

>>1449768
Maybe he meant that silver is prone to oxidation, giving you an added layer of protection.

>>1449768
The temp resistance is not of the winding cores, it is the temp resistance of the enamel coating.
Of course I have to mention because /diy/ is full of literal retards, that temp resistance has nothing to do with electrical resistance.

>>1449692
TBS Discovery or deadcat type drone with a forward mounted Quanum/Feiyu Tech 3D Mini Pros gimbal and GoPro Session 4/5

>>1449360
I'm coming from fixed wing powered and competition glider flight, by my experience a bad flying characteristic is caused by bad equipment. That is my default logic, it flies wrong, I'll try to find out what part caused it and replace it.
By some Anons tips I tried to fiddle with the PIDs, didn't dare touch the Dterm treshold and whatevergizmos. Before, it flew sluggish and it had some kind of vibrations visible in camera, I thought it was from the props and the CMOS Sparrow.
I increased P from 45 to 60 and D from 25 to 27, now the image is solid, the quad is much more responsive but there is still some room for improvement. So thanks for the help, the motors and escs stay for now.
I might replace the FC to an AIO F4 something because there is a whole lot of clutter and cable jungle in the frame right now and the video feed has some "running diagonal lines" kind of noise. It is flyable but I figure reducing the clutter and getting rid of the minimOSD board it will be a lot cleaner.

>>1449772
>Naked bottom motors are better because sometimes if you crash with the old type the bottom of the motor rubs the bell. The newer naked bottom design is engineered to remove this failure point.

They're also much more prone to getting filled with mud, particularly when coupled with more lightweight style arms.

What about Emax RS2205 2600KV? I saw an unused set of 4 going for cheap on my local club adverts.

>>1449892
They were the go to motor about 2 years ago, these days they are slightly underwhelming when it comes to absolute performance/efficiency but if they're cheap you could certainly do worse. They're also very durable.

>>1449894
Thanks. I think 40€ for the whole set is a good price.

>>1449890

But they are much easier to clean than the closed bottom design.

If you are going to land in mud I would rather land in it with the naked bottom design than with the closed one because you are going to get mud in Both types no matter what. And its going to be easier to clean the naked bottom design.

Just blow it out with compressed air and it all falls out the bottom. But if you have a closed bottom design you probably will have to take the motor apart and if you have a C clip and not a screw then its much harder. You need a special tool and if you try to do it with a screwdriver you can easily mess up the Bering.

>>1449904
I'd rather not go flying if there is mud around. Not with the quad anyway, I have plenty of options to fly with.

>>1449892

They are a bit of an outdated motor but still ok for freestyle.

If I was gonna spend $18 per motor I would get the RCX 2206

http://www.myrcmart.com/product_info.php?products_id=11767

They are out of stock now but made with nice components.


Emax has recently updated their motors to the newer designs. But the price went up also.

>>1449908
Price is up, almost double in the hobby all around because of Trumps stupid tax warfare and the chinese response export tax increase. Basically all the world is fucked especially the EU.

>>1449907

Or better yet dont crash.

If its muddy out and you are worried about crashing in it then you need more stick time in the simulator.

>>1449911
indeed, that is how it was with my planes.
I'll have to see if my old sim dongle works with my Aurora 9 and if the dongle works with Lift Off.

>>1448998

Maybe you would like 3D quadcopters more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ_1xQXj0FQ

>>1449911
Just build a platform it can land on.

>>1449919
Not him but when I tried using a big 6sqm camping plaid my best accuracy was hitting it's 10m vicinity.
Landing in LOS means taking off the goggles, putting on my glasses, getting slightly adjusted to the harsh light, it takes too long to just leave the thing in a hover because it quickly drifts away until it is difficult to see it.

>>1449919

Sometimes new pilots may have an unscheduled landing lol.

>>1449920
>>1449923
Worst case scenario, if you need to land in mud anyway, get one of these:

Unless you want to be a drone acrobat of course.

>>1449768

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BeFoz3Ypo4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgSXg-WOEVY

>>1449924
Remember that dream where you go to school and in the middle of class you realize you forgot to wear pants?
That landing skid thing is worse than that dream.

>>1449927
I guess I'm out of solutions then. Just don't fly near mud or simply don't live in a swamp.

>>1449904
>you are going to get mud in Both types no matter what

Not in my experience.

>Just blow it out with compressed air and it all falls out the bottom

Can't do that until it dries, which sucks if you tumble in the mud on your first pack.

I actually built a quad with BrotherHobby Venom motors that have no openings whatsoever (except a tiny gap where the bell meets the base, obviously) specifically for flying when its muddy. Which lets face it, is much of the year here in Scotland.

>>1449939
At least it is a guaranteed soft landing

I was flying at a meetup with a other FPV guy (we were the only 2 fpv pilots there). Most everyone else was flying DJI and some other video recording type drones. It was neat to see some of the other parts of the drone hobby world. There were about 45 to 50 people at this meetup.
Here's where things got wierd for us. Neither of us could actually fly. Drones flew LOS fine but at 50 foot video would just cut out. I flew LOS on both my vortexes and he flew LOS on both his custom quads while the other watched in the goggles. And every time video signals gone.
We tried changing our VTX power and different antennas but every time, 50 foot loose contact.
I know RF interference can happen. I'm thinking that was the issue at the moment, any other thoughts?

>>1449939

I never saw a totally closed motor before. Usually they have venting to cool them down as a design feature.

You must have a very specialized situation. It seems like you want to fly and race over muddy fields.

I never tumble in the mud when I fly because I am always flying around trees up in the air. I have thousands of flights and the only time I have crashed is because of a hardware issue. So tumbling on my first pack is just not something I ever do. You sound like a racer to me and not a freestyle pilot.

You can race around and tumble in the dirt all you want with that build. But if you were to take it out freestyle over a parking lot and tumble into the pavement you would find out really fast why the narrow gap is a problem.

>>1449946

I bet the DJI link is stepping all over the 5.8 ghz

Because many of the DJI systems are using WIFI and that is on 5.8

They have some digital video link and its in the air as the same time you are trying to FPV.

I dont think they even have channels like us. Its just done by the DJI software.

>>1449946
Did you try other video channels or even video bands? Fatshark vs raceband etc?
If there were many others maybe some crappy transmitters had crazy interference across the 5.8GHz band. I don't know about DJI crap, but isn't their proprietary system 2.4GHz with control and video link parallel in digital? If it does go into 5.8GHz (which I never seen on my True-D analyzer when one of those overpriced balloons were flying near me) it can knock your signal out. Other than that due to the sheer number of fliers the background can be lifted so high that your VTx can't overpower it.

>>1449955
WiFi is 2.4GHz, the control and video signal of DJI are digitally coded like our transmitters (FrSky etc...)

>>1449956
>>1449946
What power did your VTx had at the time?

>>1449957

Its both and who said their Digitally coded signal was intended to play nice with Analog signals?

>>1449953
>You must have a very specialized situation.

It's called living in Scotland. If you avoid flying over mud, that essentially means you don't fly outside for half the year.

>>1449953
>I have thousands of flights and the only time I have crashed is because of a hardware issue.

"If you're not crashing, you're not trying hard enough."

But more seriously, I don't crash much if at all when I'm just cruising around, but sometimes I like taking risks trying to hit fun gaps etc.

>>1449960
I never said digital plays along analog. It just doesn't show up on simple analyzers like those in the Realacc or True-D receivers.
If it does go into 5.8GHz then it does more than raising the background, all those dumbJI fliers swamped the FPV band. That shit is so dumbed down you can't even set a usable range for others trying to fly.
Anon should take this as a lesson, make it a rule that no DJIers can be up or powered up when the FPVers are flying. FPVers have 30 minutes then DJIers have 30 minutes and so on. Everyone has their stick time and be happy.

>>1449940
Kek.

Why not a small hook. Hang it head high in a tree

>>1449964
>>1449946

DJI stuff is dual band, it uses both 2.4GHz & 5.8GHz, hopping around all the time to get the best quality link it can.

We've had no issues in the past with one person flying a DJI quad while a couple others fly FPV, but if you have half a dozen DJI quads all blasting out all over 5.8GHz then you shouldn't be surprised that the people flying FPV get awful feeds.

>>1449967
One or just a few (2-3) DJIers are not a problem because of the signal hopping. A few short breakups here and there, nothing that can stop you from flying.
A dozen or so fliers are a big problem, it basically swamps up the bands. Same problem Spektrum had before they started using the Futaba style hopping in 2.4GHz digital, if there were many planes up in the air Spektrum fliers were dropping like crazy. If someone uses an old DSM receiver it still does it's shit when there are more than 5 planes up in the air. This is why you never had any Spektrum fliers at competitions of F3J, F5J, F5J-400 and ALES, most of them (80% or more) were die hard Futaba fanatics. Now we have 50% Futaba and the other 50% are FrSky or Hitec fliers with the few oddball Multiplex and Jeti fliers.

>>1449955
>>1449956
>>1449967
>>1449970
We tried race band and FS 1 thru 8. I only have a stock module in my goggles, i think I'm going to get immersion's module since I only have a single module bay in the bear future.

I have little experience with the DJI stuff and I had heard they do jump frequencies quickly and often. I didnt know what bands they do use.
I'm going to suggest that if I go to another fly in, because it sucked. Loads of people were curious about FPV, but I couldn't fly safe so I didnt fly. They were somewhat disappointed BUT they understood.
Also DJI guys are odd, some never land they just pick their drone out of the air or they do things like grab and shake the drones in the air. They also dont get a respectable distance before they arm or take off and its kind of unnerving watching that kind of thing happen.

>>1449984
Research some more on the immersion rapidfire, it has reported "burn in like ghosting" issues in its magic stable mode. The normal diversity is the same as the older True-D.
Looks like the rapidfire magic is blending images together so sudden breakups and rolling screens don't show up, but it also adds up high luminance areas, like the sun. Reports say the sun still has a spot when you go into shadowy parts and only dissipates slowly, the colors are also funky and oversaturated.
I say the rapidfire magic mode is not near as perfect as it shows up on DVR footage.
So if you don't like its quirks, switching back to normal diversity means you payed up a lot of extra money for the same as a True-D or Realacc.
Its spectrum analyzer mode is better though.
I know the True-D looks solid as fuck after the switch from the Nexwave even during diversity switching. $120 vs $79.

Also if you are well experienced in flying drones you should suggest that you can hold a basic training for the DJI fliers, what to do, what NOT to do and how to behave in the air, among other flyers and why shouldn't they just randomly go hunting for the clouds. Always have a spotter around, sense and avoid, the cameras don't really show distant things well and their phones and ipads are not as good as goggles etc...
I think they might (the more intelligent ones at least) appreciate some experienced knowledge to have around.

>>1449984
>Also DJI guys are odd, some never land they just pick their drone out of the air or they do things like grab and shake the drones in the air. They also dont get a respectable distance before they arm or take off and its kind of unnerving watching that kind of thing happen.

This really bugs me too, so many DJI guys just don't seem to appreciate that these things are flying blenders. They'll happily hover the thing right in front of their faces or reach up to catch it without considering how it would maim them if something went wrong.

I think it just comes down to a dangerous level of overconfidence in the technology, they simply don't consciously think/realise that they can go wrong.

>>1450026
Rapid fire I was thinking of, I should have just googled it
I will look at theTrue-D modules.

I'm new to the drone world, only about a month into the hobby, having a blast for the most part. Way easier on my body than racing motorcycles for sure. Harder to learn though.

>>1450027
I think either warning labels will come out or some kind of class action when their bad habits get the better of them. Like I said to the other Anon, I'm new to the hobby and I've had some interesting sightings with the DJI guys. But when I see racers and freestyle guys who build their own drones they seem far more aware of the hazards in the hobby.

It's people who dont observe the rules and best practices that really bring everything down for everyone else

>>1450027
>comes down to a dangerous level of overconfidence in the technology
This.
The stupid idiots just don't seem to care that this is a highly technical sport where things can (and will) go wrong without any initial signs. Software glitches and gremlins do happen during flight and they are unpredictable. It doesn't even have to be technical issue, it is enough to bump the sticks or little Tommy deciding it will be fun to play jakety sax on daddys fancy toy controller to send the thing in his own or someone elses face.
There are safety checks, precautions and proper flying field behavior that is being teached first off at any AMA field or local modeler field where proper modelers are present. These things are not toys.

>>1449898
I'm back. The unused part is not entirely true. The guy selling is an older modeler who bought two sets for his simple Naze32 build. Since he had some bad experiences he always check the motors and on my set he found two motors with 3 bad solders on the wires. He re-soldered them, replaced the heat shrink and tested the motors.
So for 40€ I got a fully inspected and tested set of motors, much more I can say about any normal webshop orders.
Also this guy had his shed full of older wooden built models, acrobats and gliders, had quite a good talk. He also invited me to their club and the flying field on the weekend. I might end up joining an actual modelers club.

>>1450092
>So for 40€ I got a fully inspected and tested set of motors

No, you get a set of faulty motors which somebody has then repaired to an unknown standard. Considering you can buy a brand new set of the same motors for 44€ delivered from banggood I'd say you're looking at a bad deal.

>>1450102
I tried them out, I am fairly confident they will be okay. The "someone" who repaired them is an experienced modeler, judging from his "hangar" I doubt he would sell anything that didn't work.
It is very easy to badmouth someone on the internet from the comfort of your armchair, but I went out, talked to the guy and tried the motors. They don't give any of the characteristic desync whine and they don't heat up more and quicker than necessary. The motors are good, I am currently soldering them in and will give a quick lap in the backyard.

I also like your confidence in banggood, I got a few bad batches from them and their customer support is worse than hobbyking which isn't world class to begin with.

>>1450111
>It is very easy to badmouth someone on the internet from the comfort of your armchair

I'm just pointing out that he is selling you a set of second hand motors which were faulty, for 4€ less than you could buy a brand new set with warranty.

>their customer support is worse than hobbyking

I agree that hobbyking's support is atrocious (only hobby company I've had to use paypal claims to get my money back from), but banggood's is actually pretty decent in my experience & that of most people I've spoken to. For anything less than ~$70 (like motors) they just send you out replacements no questions asked as soon as you go to the effort to spend 90 seconds showing the fault on a video.

>>1450129
You sound like someone being jealous because I got a good deal on a set of motors. You probably never had a motor with broken wires dropping out of the sky, I had one where the wires broke at the base of the winding. The old guy actually looking at these weak points tells me he knows his stuff. Maybe you should check yours too, there might be one or two dry joints waiting to fail on you.
The motors are in and flew one battery, the motors scream and bite, they do have that extra torque the reviews told about. Nothing broke, they are fine. No more testing because it is too dark, the camera was in b&w with all the lights on in the backyard and the adjacent parking lot.

>>1450132
>You sound like someone being jealous because I got a good deal on a set of motors.

You sound like someone who feels obliged to defend a bad deal simply because the guy was nice to you. It doesn't matter how friendly he was or how well he knows his stuff - you overpaid, plain & simple.

>>1450133
Oh, there you go, the motors just suddenly exploded!

>>1450138
Oh, no, the remaining motors formed a circle and chanting, they are summoning the devil himself!

>>1450133
I should have listened to you, now all kinds of demons are flying around and getting into my hair! They are so sticky!

>>1450138
>>1450141
>>1450142
You're... completely missing the point. Congrats.

>>1450151
...aand you're still flaming jealous.
The quad is fine though and flies okay. I'll test it further tomorrow if the weather allows it, but from what I've seen it will work fine.
I hope you will get as good deals as I did today.

>>1450159
You paid €10 each for used motors that retail for €11 new & which most people wouldn't even pay €10 for because they're obsolete.

I'm happy that you're happy, but you really need to learn better judgement.

>>1450175
"used". They were never in any build, only used for testing after a simple resolder of the wires.
Why are you trying so hard to make a big issue of a non-issue? Why are you so jealous?

Is there a good way to see a visual map of all the areas drones can't fly, factoring in the different airspace ceilings and whatnot?

>>1450206
Every country has it's own places to find these maps, some are available online, some are through rigorous bureaucratic procedures.
Generally don't go above 200m, don't fly around power plants and other sensitive places, don't fly around active airfields closer than 5km, don't fly in crowded places and in cities (few exceptions are empty parks and parking lots etc...). Also there are tourist places where drones are forbidden.
Generally be sensible and don't do anything stupid.

>>1450179

You got a bad deal, I'm just pointing that out. I honestly don't understand why you're so adamant about jealousy having anything to do with it - there's no way I'd pay 40 euros for a set of red bottoms today, even if they were actually new.

>>1450206

There's all sorts. I use SkyDemon Light for planning commercial drone work, I use Drone Assist on my phone for recreational stuff. There are all sorts of apps & websites that do this, just try a few out & see which you like.

>>1450223
>I'm just pointing that out.
based on what? you are sitting in front of your computer looking at an anonymous board post. how can you be so sure?
You are so full of yourself you don't even realize how stupid and wrong you are.

>>1450239
>based on what? you are sitting in front of your computer looking at an anonymous board post. how can you be so sure?

Literally wat. How does any of that effect the judgement that 40 euros for a set of red bottoms isn't a good deal? I don't need to see them in person, I know what they are.

>>1450245
Dude, do you really have to spoil someones fun on the internet to make yourself feel worthy? How worthless does someone has to be to get so low?
Just to make things clear, I am having fun with my new motors and will continue to do so while you will wallow in your self pity and anger.
Today I achieved a lot, got new motors, got my quad into a flying state again and got a new friend, maybe more later.
What did you achieved today? you tried to berate me and spoil my fun and you failed. You failed hard.
Oh and I got paid today for my latest job. Because of that, and because I only had to pay 40€ instead of 120€ to get a set of good motors for my quad, I will have a steak dinner tomorrow. So fuck you, pal, try to berate that!

>>1450248
I honestly can't tell if you're trolling now.

The reason I told you it wasn't a good deal was so you could either try to haggle the guy down, or pass on the deal.

The fact you don't seem to be able to believe that & think the only explanation is that I want to make you suffer is honestly quite sad.

I'm glad you're having fun. Helping each other enjoy this hobby is the whole purpose of this thread. But part of that is letting people know if they are about to pay over the odds for something. It really is as simple as that & I genuinely don't understand why you can't get that.

I want the most efficient freestyle prop.

Currently I use the 5x4x3 type of prop but I wonder if anything better has come around.

Its hard to know because you have to have good data to go by and I look at Miniquadtestbench and youtube thrust test video's to try and made my decisions. Miniquadtestbench tests many props but not every type.

What freestyle prop gives the most flight time?

>>1450387
For me the Dalprop Cyclones are the best freestyle props.

Sick of the Babyhawk frame & it's complete lack of camera protection, so I'm trying a 3D printed alternative. Hoping that with the minimal weight it won't break as easily as 5" 3D printed frames do. There's a brace on the bottom so the arms aren't as weak as they look from this angle.

>>1450027
>>1450034
So how do we as people who want to bring better things to the drone world fix that? I mean most people are buying these things online and getting them shipped without any customer support and it's actually bothersome. I have my ham radio license and my local ham shop wants to see my license before they sell me a radio. While I think that is excessive, I understand the reasoning. But at the same time I wonder if that's the only way to keep from all sorts of aerial RC from getting the ban hammer.
>>1450577
I know vortexskids sells stuff for my vortexes, their stuff is all 3d printed. You might try them for protection for your baby hawk

>>1450600
>So how do we as people who want to bring better things to the drone world fix that?

Million dollar question. Realistically I think it's going to take a number of high profile accidents/incidents with serious consequences, prompting draconian restrictions upon the whole community (which unfairly punishes us responsible people for their dumb behaviour), before the general public start to get a clue.

The only comforting thing is that even newer/harsher restrictions probably won't have all that much negative effect upon us responsible people, as enforcement simply won't have the resources to pursue any but the most egregious infractions, the same as they do now (at least here in the UK).

>You might try them for protection for your baby hawk

The babyhawk frame is just fundamentally bad IMO, there's no real point trying to modify/extend it when there are complete alternatives that look viable. The aforementioned camera position is really dumb from the perspective of protection & working with the frame is a huge pain because you essentially have to dismantle _everything_ in order to access anything.

>>1450615
Yeah I hear you on getting the government hammer, I would like to avoid that if possible. I kind of like having the freedom to do things my way, in a safe manner. I dont want things to be so tight I cant fly through my trees at my house.

I almost wonder if you could remove your components from your hawk and install them into a different frame. I've been really happy with my vortex 150, until I crashed into a sand pile yesterday. Woo seized motors lol. But the sucker seems damned near indestructible. However because of how the components are made I'm kind of stuck with their frames

>>1450620
>I almost wonder if you could remove your components from your hawk and install them into a different frame.

Yeah that's what I'm doing.

Stu just put out a 2018 update to his $99 starter build


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFNGUDT_9_c

>>1451386
And it is still shit

>>1451386
>>1451492
Oh look, it's a bunch of banggood shilling. What a surprise.

>>1451492
Compared to what?

A $500 floss build?

Sanguk motors are known to be great for the price, frame is eh, but everything else are everyday budget replacement parts that have proven their worth. He never claims its the best build ever, he says for the price its fast, flies well, and takes a crash.

>>1451794
Good post, $1 banggood credits added to your account

I'm curious, what are your 5"-ers AUW and what frame/parts and batteries do you use?

Couldn't be bothered modifying the design to fit a Micro Swift + piggyback VTX so it's Captain Zipties to the rescue.

>>1451936
My two most recent 5" freestyle builds are 600g AUW with GoPro Session & 1300mAh 4S, which is pretty normal.

I don't pay much attention to weight though, my favourite 6" build is 850g with Session & 2200mAh 4S but it flies like a dream so who cares if it's a brick.

>>1451945
Hmm... strange, I thought my build was heavy, it comes out just around 500g with 4s 1300mAh. I have a Runcam 3 but I rarely use it. I'm thinking of maybe picking up a Split, but I'm pretty happy with my Micro Sparrow 2 Pro right now.

>>1445116
>DJI is the only sensible option.
What we do we support the Apple of drones. Build your own and use a good controller on DJIs shit.

>>1451976
The problem is we don't have miniature (as in 5-6" drone size) 2D or 3D gimbals. With the Split it is possible to have a fast FPV cam and an HD cam for video but without the gimbal we are restricted to 450 size or bigger 10" drones and Gopros. Can't really compete Mavics or even Sparks with them. Even though we have barometer in the newer F4 FCs and there are GPS modules as well.

>>1451976
>Build your own

You can't build something comparable to DJI's consumer offerings, even if you spend substantially more money, it's as simple as that. I'm not saying I like it, but it's the truth.

>>1451984
>>1451976
Also there is the down facing camera stabilization thing with DJI, there is no such thing in the /diy/ segment so you have to settle with bobbling and toilet bowling in GPS hold mode.

>>1452006
There is all sorts of software based stuff that makes DJI's flying camera experience so good that is completely unavailable to the DIY community but which people like >>1451976 completely fail to consider. Even just the basic camera controls that the DJI app gives you (exposure controls, histogram, zebras, etc.) is something that DIY can't really touch, let alone the more complex things like CV-based object tracking.

>>1452030
Those controls are available for any hdmi remote screens for cameras and the newer mini cameras have manual exposure controls, just try them on your phone with a proper camera app.
The histogram and zebras, pixel peaking etc... are actually simple software filters. Maybe Runcam can make a Split version aimed for camera control like that.

>>1452050
If you think that those things are even remotely comparable, either in features, price, or both, then you really have zero clue what you're talking about.

>>1452067
I have a DSLR and all sorts of accessories. Canon has no meaningful video camera controls, but a simple firmware hack called Magic Lantern gives all sorts of camera controls including zebras, pixel peaking etc... Histogram was already part of the liveview mode. Most of those features are simply in the control app as filters. Runcam already has a wifi downlink with liveview in the control app, software wise it can be simply implemented in a specialized app for a new camera capable of giving liveview through normal 5.8GHz video downlink or HD video through digital downlink in 5.8GHz. Most of the magic works in the phone app, with the exposure settings going up (if needed, runcam has a very good intelligent WDR algorithm and light metering). It can be done but needs some serious involvement of open source development. Plus some new standards in video downlink.
The object tracking and video based stabilization are another thing.

>>1452094
>It can be done but needs some serious involvement of open source development. Plus some new standards in video downlink.

This was my point & is the reason that the OP says that DJI is the only _sensible_ option.

Of course given enough time & money you can hack together multiple expensive, disparate technologies to produce something that performs many of the major features of an off-the-shelf DJI product. But the pertinent point is that it will cost more while performing worse.

>>1451936

With a gopro and a 1500mah battery its like 670 grams

Usually 4 mins of flight time. Longer if you fly easy.

>>1451996

DJI used DIY parts to PROTOTYPE their new mavic drone

Sure they are adding lots of technology but its the top of the line camera drone. So they have a gimbal with zoom now.

Most DIY drones are in the class of Racers or freestyle, LOS or FPV builds. Not camera drones.

Been a long time since I've done any RC, and back then it was with planes before quads really /took off/... Sorry.

Anyway, what are the usual flight time expectations for a diy drone build these days? Is it all still 5-10 minutes or less, or are there quads out there that can pull 20+ minute flights?
Recently got a 3D printer and I want to get back into RC 'cause making custom parts sounds nifty. I really want to love quads, but if the flight times are still low af I think I'll skip over them entirely and stick with fixed wing.

Also, should I get a QX7 (is the S worth it)?
Is the X9D+ still relevant and / or a better buy than the QX7S?

>>1452253

5 mins or so is the standard for freestyle builds. You can get to 10 mins if you have a lightweight quad and your just buzzing around going easy on the throttle.

You might be able to get 15 mins with a large battery for some kind of long range flight but the battery is heavy.

You cant make a racer that will last more then 5 mins or a freestyle that can last more than 10.

I have the QX7S and its really nice. I like the better gimbals. The X9D+ is a better choice if you want to use crossfire long range module tho.

>>1452265
Thanks. Never had any interest in racing quads, I have zero skill and I don't like the thought of crashing all the time as a matter of course. More interested in flying around in FPV to see what's up there (freestyle?).

Guess I'll be sticking with planes then... I bought a cheap toy quad at the local hobby store a week or so back and put a 6 gram camera on it for FPV, first thing I've flown in ages. Only notable thing to me is the 5 min flights; really makes it hard to appreciate anything else about it.
I have to say, I don't see how you folks put up with having to land, swap batteries, and rebind again so frequently. And of course having to pack a million batteries to go flying and then charging them all when I get back home sucks. I'm used to having 15, even 30 minute flights on planes just gliding around.

Not enough room to fly fixed wing where I live now, but the area around my house would've otherwise been perfect for multirotor. Fuck I miss living in the sticks :(

>>1452281

I keep 8 battery and I can fly about 40 mins before I have to go home and recharge.

When I get home I put them on my ISDT charger and it takes me two hours to charge them all.

I could probably do all 8 in an hour with a bigger parallel board and bigger PSU.

>>1452281
>rebind again so frequently

I dont have to rebind my quad each time. The radio saves all that.

I'm thinking about designing a quiet drone, I want it to be a tri-rotor design with dual tilt propellers and slow motor so the sound pollution coming from it can be greatly reduced.

what area of this should I start with? I know i'm gonna have to make a custom frame.

Also does anyone know how to make noise reduction shrouds for drone propellers? I know two new Zealand brothers have conceptualized them but i haven't seen anything beyond that.

>>1452253
5 minutes is the general time, there are builds for longer flight times with smoother power or larger props/frames/weight but much less bite.
Other builds are light and fast and have quite a punch but fly less than 5 minutes. Of course actual flying style have a big effect on flight time, hard flying, punch outs, flips and quick turns will always drain more power than simple smooth cruising.

>>1452281
>rebind
Your transmitter or receiver (probably both) is shit, get a proper one, FrSky Q-X7 or X9D are the recommended ones with the S-Bus/S-port something miniature receiver recommended for mini quads.
I myself use a Delta-8 depinned and set to CPPM because my radio is Hitec, coming from (and still doing) fixed wing soaring, carbon-fiber stuff.
I still don't have to re-bind every time, sounds like you have a Walkera shitbucket system.

>>1452291
Try a gopro taped to a stick if you want to peep on your neighbors. Quiet drones are still producing a lot of sound so you will never be able to build a stealth drone you see in movies or in your head, physics don't work that way.

>>1452291

Bi-blades make less noise than a Tri-blade but its still gonna be audible.

You can hear my freestyle quad with tri-blades if you are within 500 feet. But beyond that you can barley hear it.

Sound drops off very fast from quad. Its volume does not carry very far. Meaning its only loud when you are close.

>>1452508
But if you want to capture solid peeping tom images you have to be close. And why else would anon want a "stealth" drone?

>>1452508
>Bi-blades make less noise than a Tri-blade

That's literally the opposite of the truth from my experience.

https://shop.runcam.com/runcam-3s/
New Runcam 3S

So far seems like it is the same as the old RC3 but with replaceable battery, cover door for the SD card as well and rear USB connector so the reverse port of the RC3 is not a problem for Session based cradles and gimbals.
Also the front glass is easier replaceable than the old RC3, with screws like on the Sessions.
Video quality is just as good as the old RC3 with supposedly improved WDR algorithm.

>>1452559
Number of blades are less of an issue, it is more about the shape of the prop blade, the quietest props are the cyclones on 5", similar taper off and winglet shapes on bigger quads also give less noise, but this is more in connection with the props efficiency.
More noise means more tip vortices meaning more drag meaning less efficiency. Aka it beats the air but doesn't fly good.

>>1452565
Shit, it's actually got bigger, need proper cradles and gimbal seats for this much like the Foxeer box.

>>1452549
i designing it with military use in mind i know some people that are looking for a stealth drone like the one i have in mind

>>1452578
We are not going to help you make bomber drones. I am reporting this to the FBI right now!

>>1452581
its to counter the drones ISIS has been using for the past three years

>>1452582
Fuck off sandnigger!

>>1452584

Not a sandnigger just an American interested in stopping the bad guys

>>1452578
I would've thought an aeronautical engineer working for the US armed forces wouldn't need to ask such basic questions on 4chan.

so i got a sorta odd question for you guys, would it be possible to power a drone via a phone power bank or would that be too low of voltage?

>>1452588
Fuck off sandnigger!

>>1452602
Yes, it would be too low voltage, also too much weight. We have proper lipo packs for a good reason, they are also cheaper and better quality than those shitty power banks.

>>1452603
Kk sorry to bother you

>>1452605
OK thanks for clearing that up for me.

>>1452607
Whatever, sandnigger!

>>1452611
JK I didn't leave

>>1452616
I hope so, FBI can track you much better this way

>>1452616
Probably should, regardless of jokes the idea of making an amateur drone to stop ISIS is retarded.

>>1452638
shit sorry I asked I'll leave now.

>>1452638
Not really trying to be a dick, just saying. A civilian trying to engineer an anti "bomb drone" drone is more likely to get you a visit from the cops based on your ISP reports than actually go somewhere.

>>1452641
Meant for >>1452639

My bad.

>>1452641
nah its all good dude I didn't really think about it but now I understand, I don't really want that visit so ill throw that idea out.

>>1452647
Eh, it may be fun to try and make the quietest racer you can, as is quads literally scream when you punch it. Certainly theres some combination of 2-3 inch parts; frame, motors, and props.

Also if it makes you feel reassured or anything since the bomb drone attack earlier this year theres a 100% guarantee some professional company is working on some autonomous system to shoot dromes down. As is we already have drones that drop/shoot nets at other drones, signal blockers, and even trained eagles to combat drones.

>>1452650
Leonardo da Vinci designed a very quiet air screw.

replace your standard props with these silent bad boys

>>1452030
>the more complex things like CV-based object tracking
There are good foss implementations for those algorithms (Max-Margin object Detection from dlib for example or Yolo from Darknet, if you have a powerful ground station), which wouldn't be to hard to utilize. I guess the problem is more, that there are no solutions for this, which can be used ootb with the various DIY drones out there.

>>1452892
It only needs a new standard FC with powerful ARM processor, maybe dedicated tracking processor along with the normal F7 Betaflight based architecture. Shouldn't be much more different than the optical mouse processors. We don't really need HD resolution for stabilization so the sampling can be kept low to keep processor resources within reasonable limits.

>>1452892
>>1452894
You are both laughably underestimating how much development & testing goes into something like this.

Of course there are FLOSS CV solutions like OpenCV & there are hardware products/projects that are already working on (& succeeding in) fusing it into UAV platforms (Erle Brain, Tegra units as companion computers, etc.).

But these sorts of solution are nowhere near the level of usefulness & user-friendliness of what DJI will give you in even just a Spark. At the end of the day, DJI can throw so much money at the problem that they can produce a better solution than even the most committed DIY community could, simply on the basis of man hours.

Again, I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm just saying that DJI is the only sensible option for this sort of thing.

>>1452030

DIY Camera drones is its own ball of wax.

You need to think about DJI as a prototyping company. They use DYI parts in all their testing and then they make their own version of those parts and they add fancy zoom camera's with tracking that tell the drone how to fly.

Get to work guys. You have a lot to do if you wanna make a DJI DYI GPS drone with INAV

Can I get away with printing a camera mount out of PLA and slapping some grippy shit on there, or is TPU a necessity?

>>1453065
>and then they make their own version of those parts

This is a crucial & massive distinction - this isn't something that the DIY community will ever be able to do, simply on the level of volume & set up costs. Same way that we couldn't make a smartphone comparable to a S9 even if the SoC evaluation kit is publicly available.

>>1453108
PLA is very brittle, but if you're just printing something like a solid wedge to strap the camera to the top of it might survive long enough to make it worth printing. If you're printing something that the camera has to slide into, then obviously PLA won't work because you need the flexibility/stretch to actually get the camera in.

Turns out that frame design wasn't particularly good, the way the bracing tapers off by the middle of the motor mount makes an obvious weak spot.

>>1453195
>prints a shit frame in pla
>acts surprised when it breaks

R E T A R D

>>1453195
continue the bracing circles all the way around the bottom of the motor
over-engineer it

>>1453039
You overestimate how much it only needs to be started.
It only needs to someone start it or at least start talking about it and make a rough map of what to be done, other people will join such a project.
In uni (engineering) I am currently studying a material type that didn't exist a few years ago only the rough theory behind it. Someone had the idea to get it made and now it is a complete new branch of the industry.
What I was trying to say above, all the tech is already available in parts, it needs to be brought together. Now new parts need to be invented and many algorithms already exist and well established. Since I am more familiar with lab equipments and metals someone else more familiar in programming and electronics needed to finish it.
What I was doing is throwing ideas into the air, of course it won't get a finished board and parts get into your hand, but more than enough to get things started.

>>1453195
That thumbnail looks like someone's foot with an exploded big toe.

Would I be better off with RX antennas coming out the top of the quad or the back? My quads are built with short antenna diversity receivers, Ive got them positioned above the VTX in a Martian II frame. Spent most of the day designing a 3D printed piece to hold the receiver, and I can set it up to poke the antennas out the top plate or out the back. Not sure if it matter but if they go out the back they will be directly above the VTX antenna.

>>1453416
That's PET-G, I'm not so clueless I'd print something like that out of PLA. Already done what >>1453419 suggested & printed a different design with bracing all the way round.

>>1453454
>You overestimate how much it only needs to be started.

You're talking as though it hasn't already been started. Plenty of people/projects/communities are already working on this, but the results are currently very clunky & low performance compared to commercial offerings & I just don't see how this is going to change.

>>1453508
If you have diversity antennas, you ideally want them in different orientations - eg one pointing upwards & the other pointing sideways. Having them in a V shape is a compromise that is often easier to accomplish. Having them both vertical next to each other largely defeats the point of having diversity.

>>1453419
Or just use a bigger radius beveling where the circle connects to the arm

>>1453508

I like to put them out of the back of the quad. But the top can be good too.

The only thing you have to worry about is the antennas getting into the props if you roll in the grass.

I like to use antenna tubes because they are stiff and protect the antenna well.

>>1453540
>>1453635
This is how I have them currently with 1 build, will post the other design once the part is printed and on there. Been using PTFE tube since most anyone with a 3D printer has some.

>>1453635
One of these days Ill remember 4chan likes to flip vertical photos.

>>1453700

I ordered a 3D printed part to mount my SMA antenna and my RX antenna's better.

Right now I use zip ties and I had some stress on one of my antenna connections to the RX that was causing twitches in flight.

I glued it in a better placement for now but when I get the 3D printed part its going to solve a bunch of little issues with my build.

I have my VTX antenna on the top and the mount is gonna put it out the back at a 45 degree angle. Its going to give me a bit more room for my battery so I can also move my gopro mount back slightly.

I might be lighter this way because I can remove a bit of carbon and some hardware from my frame and the way the antenna mounts it will give some flexibility if I crash instead of breaking an antenna.

>>1453707
I think part of my biggest concern was having the RX and VTX antennas so close to each other, can swear Ive read having them too close can cause interference with each other when the VTX is above 25mw. Current part being printed Im gonna put the RX on the bottom and the VTX above it instead of the posted picture, then have the RX antennas coming out the back. Should be about an hour before thats done.

Design Ive been messing with should work with any frame with 32 x 42mm standoffs, perhaps it can help you out.

>>1453700
>>1453707
>>1453719
A lot of people (myself included) now use the arms to mount the RX antennas & have the VTX antenna at the back.

>>1453759
Antennas on all 3 of my receivers are only about an inch long, LemonRX was out of the equivalent longer antennas version and Im impatient.

Just got a used Lizard95 flying since I got it like 3 months ago.

Sure am glad I decided to replace the broken buzzer, this bitch zooms.

I ran into a strange problem. I upgraded my F3 board and minimOSD to an F4 board with BFOSD.
I also upgraded the motors, before I switched the FC. It ran fine on the F3 board.
Now on the new board I get strange jumps, it suddenly increases throttle then back again, like when I would blip the throttle very fast.
I decreased P and I terms and the jumps are much less powerful, now it just blips the throttle less so it doesn't jump but the sudden "tzip" sound is audible from the motors so it is still doing it. Both in level and rate (air) modes.
The FC is a Matek F405 CTR with the silicon grommets for softmounting.

Did anyone ran into a similar problem? Anyone having any idea how to fix this?

>>1455675
Also running Dshot 300 escs

>>1451976
d-d-destiny senpai?

Hi general, I've read through the copypasta and thread and it just seems that this is a complete buyfag hobby. Is there really much DIY involved?

>>1455681
Yes, making it able to fly and also making it fly well, and then being able to fly well, in increasing amount of time needed.
Also a lot of knowledge and practice when dealing with fixed wings, especially gliders, powered or unpowered.
Also building your own glider from kit or plans is very, very rewarding.

>>1455681
I mean it depends on your own interpretation of 'DIY', but I would definitely say that bolting & soldering together a quad from a bunch of parts counts as DIY.

>>1455675

That is strange.

Are you on betaflight 3.5 and do you have anti gravity on?

>>1455681

Its about the same level of DIY as building your own computer.

A little more complicated because you have to solder your parts together and understand wiring so you dont smoke your components.

Just like building a computer you buy individual parts of your choice and you "build" it all and then program if after the build. Like installing windows and your programs. Or flashing betaflight and setting up your quad settings.

If you like building your own gaming PC you will like building your own Quad.

Its good to have all the skills building teaches you in this hobby.

>>1455718
At first it was on, then I disable AG and it still blipped the throttle

>>1455721
>>1455718
Also returning to stock pids it is still doing it.
This is driving me crazy, I thought I might have an hour to fly before getting dark and here I am debugging a strange glitch.

>>1455728
>>1455718
I'll try reverting to BF 3.4.1 tomorrow, stock pids.

>>1455720
I think this explained it the best. Cheers. Will figure out if I'm actually going to enjoy it, maybe buy a cheapo one to figure that out.

Cant get 100% of the iron particles out of my motors, is a slight scratching sound when hand turning the motor acceptable or am I running a huge risk of losing a motor mid flight?

>>1455803
Have you tried compressed air yet?

>>1455805
Yep, just got done taking a couple motors apart and blasting them with a compressor, they all turn freely just fine. I just hear this occasional scratch from them.

>>1455806
Might be in the bearings.

>>1455815
Would it not be a constant grind if that were the case? I gave the area around the bearings a blast with the air cannon as well. At this point I think its just the smallest shit I cant get out of there.

Like I said they still turn freely, I just get this small scratch out of them every once in awhile. I assume they are still usable?

>>1455818
Yea its usable till ya fall out of the sky. Might just be a bit louder.

>>1455824
Are the chances of it failing mid flight greater than pre/post?

>>1455836
It will overheat and burn out, that is what will happen. Either the motors or the escs as well.
Try harder or get new motors.

A lot of my components are covered with dirt from a rough crash. I used some compressed air to blown most of the debris off, but I couldn't get everything. Would some rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs be safe to use?

>>1455885
I dont see why it would matter save for pure aesthetics? I mean yes, use some 90% or something like that and probably a towel or at least a qtip. Rubbing a cotton pad on an electrical board seems like it would easily pull the cotton apart and leave debris.

>>1455885
>>1455936
I use isopropanol & a stiff paintbrush to clean flux residue off everything I solder, makes everything look a lot cleaner & easier to spot any issues, shorts, etc. Cotton swabs might get caught & leave little hairs, a paintbrush will probably work better for you.

>>1449868
There is no exposed silver. It is coated otherwise it would short out

I found the cause of the blipping throttle problem and sudden jerks and jumps.
It is not a PID problem nor any AG or other BF problem. Truth is, BF 3.5 is too good for troubleshooting, reverting to BF 3.4 the problematic part was immediately visible.
The #3 motor was drooping and that is when the sudden blips and jerks happened, either prop slipping or the motor is trash. It is also slightly more "spinny" than the others when spinning by hand, the magnets are not "gripping" so tightly but only by a little.
I'll try new props but I'm not very optimistic, the prop nuts are very tightly secured by now.

So it looks like I'm in the market for new motors, Samguk something or T-motor F40III are likely candidates.

>>1456174
Yep, definitely a bad motor.
Fuck.

>>1456177
at least you found it before it dropped out of the sky.

>>1456178
Yeah, I was lucky it was such an obvious fault.
Lesson learned, stay away from budget parts, only buy quality parts from the quality suppliers.
Funny enough, all the Hobbyking parts are performing flawlessly, I would use the motors as well if I could fit a nylock over the props but the threads are too short.

>>1456037
>battery connector is backwards
>massive pools of epoxy on the arm braces and around the arm nuts and standoffs
This really fucking grinds my gears

>>1456184
>battery connector is backwards

Wat. You know positive goes to positive & negative goes to negative, right?

>massive pools of epoxy on the arm braces and around the arm nuts and standoffs

That's the alcohol in the middle of cleaning. Did you actually read the post you're responding to?

>>1456189
I always saw FCs with the negative first, also more aerodynamic.
I know it is stupid and the drag difference is close to none, but the backwards connector rubs my OCD the wrong way.

The pools looked like epoxy, but if its alcohol then it's fine. I thought for some reason you had to reinforce the arm braces.

I only have a 2stroke boat no hitech drones

>>1456199
Fancy
I miss my 2-stroke and 4-stroke planes, they are 250 km away and nowadays it is near impossible to buy fuel for them, especially the 4 strokes since castor residue seizes them up.
I especially miss my Black Horse 1.44m Yak 54 with the Saito Bk motor, it's sound was awesome

>>1456203
My boat just had an old weedwacker engine in it so it's pretty easy to get fuel for.

>>1456203
My boat just has an old weedwacker engine in it so it's pretty easy to get fuel for.

>>1456213
So it's a gasser, you are lucky. My planes are using nitrous and methanol mix. Nitro-methane is relatively easy to come by, but methanol is very troublesome. Also mixing and getting proper oil for air use is also tricky, all the forum posts and oil for mixing is based on 1/10 and 1/8 class on-road touring cars.
They work differently to air engines.

>>1451996
>You can't build something comparable to DJI's consumer offerings, even if you spend substantially more money, it's as simple as that. I'm not saying I like it, but it's the truth.
What?
A pixhawk is cheap these days. It's not apple easy but holy shit learn something.

How are the Brother Hobby R5 2306 2450KV motors?
Compared to the T-motor F40II/III motors

>>1456236
DJI has a much more fluid stabiity and has the video based stabilizer which is far away from where pixhawk development is. Basically Pixhawk is what the Naza-M V2 plus waypoint planner is. It is cheap shit nowadays.
Also micro sized gimbal built together with an HD camera, Runcam is still trying to copy GoPro and is falling short still.

Just back from trying Betaflight 3.5 for the first time, the new feed forward feature is certainly the biggest change to flight feel in a long time IMO. The default setting of 60 almost feels as though it damps/smooths user inputs too much for my liking.

>>1456242
Probably very similar, as they're both mid-kv 2306 motors from reputable manufacturers.

>>1456236
I have a Pixhawk build, I think Pixhawk & the Ardupilot project are great & I completely understand why they dominate in research scenarios, but it simply doesn't compete with DJI when it comes to 'I want a flying camera'.

>>1456242
>Brother Hobby R5 2306 2450KV

They are ok but for about the same price you get T-motor F40 Pro II's

Are there any example mini quad builds that focus on maximizing price:performance? Can a single 5 in. build accommodate racing, free style, and decent HD recording or should those uses be split into different drone builds? Looking for the best go to build for a beginner that can serve as a part benchmark

>>1456314
Any freestyle build will also race fine for a beginner. If by 'HD recording' you mean strapping a GoPro on then again, any freestyle build will be fine. But if you're talking about Phantom style gimbal-stabilized footage, then no that can't be combined with a freestyle/racing build.

>>1456318
Makes sense, thanks for the quick advice. I'm thinking about easing into the hobby with a standard freestyle build and then getting another build going focusing on range and fancier footage. Want to get decent electronic tools/materials which will also be an additional cost.

>>1456314
look up UAVFutures channel on Youtube, they just revised their "under $100" builds recently
Hint: they are actually over $100

>>1456329
Hint: UAVFutures is also a massive paid shill for banggood/gearbest, so take everything he says with a large pinch of salt.

>>1456314
A dedicated freestyle build will be designed with a long fuselage that allows photography without showing the props in the shot.

You can get a frame that will do both. Ok.

The Frog Lite Frame

>>1456335
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ViC7w7_tw

>>1456335
It is also a bitch to build with the tiny body, especially for a beginner, made mainly for all-in-one FCs with BFOSD and the VTX barely fitting in the remaining place, especially if you want a good VTX like an IRC Tramp.

>>1456329
>>1456331
will check out. That's exactly why I asked here. Wanted to dodge the outdated and marketing builds
>>1456335
>>1456345
Thanks. That's a good point about a freestyle/racer hybrid needing a frame that accounts for location. Maybe I should consider two separate builds for speed and freestyle. ~150USD per base build is pretty reasonable and that way I can specialize parts for each intended purpose instead of cramming everything on one frame and not really getting the full advantage of speed or freestyle.

>>1456398
I think you're assuming there is a lot more difference between a racing build & a freestyle build than there actually is. Really the only difference is that freestyle builds tend to use longer bodied frames which are easier to strap a GoPro to. All the other components are essentially identical.

>>1456414
You're right. This is a stupid question but for a hybrid build, would it be a combination of FPV cam for steering and Go Pro mount for video capture?

>>1456417

Basically racing quads need to have 35 to 45 degree FPV cam so they can go really fast forward. And you need your gopro to be at about the same angle your FPV cam is at.

You dont race with a gopro on that just lowers your battery flight time, It makes you slower.

Racing is always about lap times when you get good.

>>1456421
I see. So ideally, I could put together a build that uses a frame like >>1456335
which I would be using a proper FPV cam for. Then, the gopro becomes a modular attachment to that frame when I want to capture video?

>>1456426
Yea pretty much you can put a gopro on to get some cool shots of you racing around or just of really high above trees. Racers can still do a bit of freestyle.

Or if you mainly want to do racing you can go for a freestyle frame and its the same thing.

You can fly around a bunch without a gopro in the mount but if you want to take video you can put it in and take some.

You can still kinda race around for fun in a freestyle build. You just cant get the best lap times with one if you wanna be serious

>>1456431
Neat. I can just slot the gopro in when I want and use my integrated FPV cam when I care about speed and want to get the best air time out of my battery. Exactly what I was looking for.

>>1456434
Also, thank you for spoon feeding me

I have a vortex 150 and 230. I like both quads, I'm new to anything air related. I crash a lot and they dont seem as easy to break as other racing drones.
Recently I ordered gemfan 3052s and noticed they fit super tight on the shank of the motors. The stock props drop right on to the bell of the motor. Are their brands of props that are just super tight like that?

>>1456414
Not completely true, yes the componants are identical but the weight and combinations of the components matter.

The best racing builds use sub 60g frames and sub 28g motors. Most use either a 4 in 1 ESC at least, if not an AIO flight controller. According to the racers Ive talked to they usually assume theyre gonna have to repair after a crash, those hyperlite frames are toothpicks. Because of that Ive met a few guys that really like using those cheap racerstar AIO PSC/RC/ESC things in their racers. Extremely light and the fortitude of it doesnt matter since a motor or arm usually breaks first.

Honestly the biggest difference is you want a racer to have as much power for the weight as you can possibly get. Freestlye rigs enjoy a bit of weight. My freestyle quads all weight between 500 and 800 grams fully loaded with battery and camera, whereas a solid Floss build will be less than 300 with a battery.

>>1456482
I bought some cheap king kong props once and they didnt fit over the prop shaft very easy.

When I use Dalprops they fit much better.

With some of the cheap king kong props I even filed out the center of the hub slightly so that they would fit.

So I asked you guys a few months back about what kit to buy in order to make a drone and you recommended me this one:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/S500-PCB-Frame-Kit-500mm-PCB-Board-with-Carbon-Fiber-Landing-Gear-2212-920kv-motor-30A/32808795102.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.11.5ba93a87Xwmc5H&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_1_10152_10151_10065_10068_10344_10342_10343_10340_10341_10698_10696_10084_10083_10618_10307_10301_10303_10059_308_100031_10103_10624_10623_10622_10621_10620,searchweb201603_25,ppcSwitch_5&algo_expid=92c12d24-f474-41cf-802f-2edaf1ed8ee1-1&algo_pvid=92c12d24-f474-41cf-802f-2edaf1ed8ee1&priceBeautifyAB=0

I finally got the money and the time to play around with it, and I finally ordered the D variant. Here are some inquiries of mine, hope you can help me out with them.

You suggested me to buy a new set of props for this thing. Any good pair of props that can be had for relatively cheap and can be bought from someplace in the EU?

Also does it matter that the FC included is a bit old? My intended use is to fly it around with an FPV and goggles and maybe strap an action camera to it to get some footage.

Should I replace the motors included at some point? Can you suggest some good motors for my intended use?

I can only pick the right battery for it after I put everything into flight calc, correct? Also how do I go about finding the maximum battery capacity I can strap onto the thing without completely fucking up my thrust to weight ratio?

Thanks for bearing with me.

>>1456182
Locktite?

>>1456434
Just to make sure as it's not clear you realise this from your posts, but you always use the FPV camera while flying, regardless of whether you're racing or doing freestyle - the GoPro is only for recording to SD card for watching later, you don't see the HD footage live.

>>1456507
>a solid Floss build will be less than 300 with a battery

No, it really won't. The lightest 5" Floss you can realistically build is about 220g dry, which means 400g with a 1300mAh 4S.

>>1456554
Don't loctite propnuts, it can attack the plastic of the props.

>>1456553
>You suggested me to buy a new set of props for this thing.

Wait until you get it, then see if the motor shafts are the kind that fit DJI Phantom style self tightening props. It looks like they might be & if so, they are super convenient. You can buy third party ones for cheap from banggood etc. I use them on picrelated which are similar cheap China brand motors.

>>1456553
>My intended use is to fly it around with an FPV and goggles

The issue you'll find with that is that the DJI Naza flight controller isn't designed for & probably doesn't let you fly in rate/acro mode, which is what all FPV flying uses. If FPV flying is what you want to do, then a quad that large & with a DJI flight controller isn't really the right choice.

>>1456575
I want to use FPV so I can see what I shoot with the action camera that I will hopefully buy afterwards. Will it work for that or should I buy a new FC? Any suggestions?

>>1456553
Just to clear things up, most of us here are racing drone crazy and will answer accordingly.
What you got is a camera drone for aerial video and photography. You can fly through your gopro, the lag won’t matter.
The props I tried and are great the Master Airscrew 10” multirotor ones (thin, wide, white with winglet design). Also APC thin electric ones are nice too.
For the battery I’d suggest getting a 5000mah 3s, maybe 4s, not sure if your parts can take it. We have flown with 3s fine with the Naza builds. Get at least a 3400mah. If the weight difference is small then the bigger will get you better flight times. 10” drones can lift some good loads because most are used with a gimbal

>>1456577
>>1456584

Anon should probably start by telling us what sort of flying they want to do.

Of course you can fly FPV on a 10" Naza quad, but it's not going to look or feel or produce HD footage anything like the 5" Betaflight quad footage posted in this thread, so if that sort of smooth flowing footage is what anon wants they're going to be very disappointed when they first try flying FPV with a self-level-only 10" Naza quad & discover that it's a jerky mess.

Honestly it sounds a bit like anon wants a drone but hasn't really understood/chosen what they want to do with it.

>>1456591
>>1456584
I don't care about flying crazy fast or for it to do aerobatic tricks and stuff. I just want to mount an FPV on it so I can see where I am flying/get an idea of what the action camera mounted on a gimbal is filming.

I just need it to not be completely sluggish and lift a pretty hefty payload (FPV cam, action cam, and the largest battery as possible for maximum air time).

Is the thing I bought any suitable for this role, or does it need a few modifications?

>>1456595
>get an idea of what the action camera mounted on a gimbal is filming.

Ah, so there's going to be a gimbal, that completely changes it. In that case, yes that kit with the Naza will be just fine - the jerky self leveling movements of the quad will be completely removed by the gimbal.

As >>1456584 alluded to, some action cameras actually have low quality video output which can be connected to your video transmitter so you won't even need a separate FPV camera. It has high latency - too high for 'flying crazy', but fine for just flying around. Take note however that the GoPro Session range does NOT have this feature, but if you're on a budget anyway then some of the Yi cameras & SJCAM cameras do have this feature.

>>1456598
Yeah if I were to buy an action cam, I'd probably wouldn't go for a GoPro anyway but some favorably reviewed chink cam.

Can you help me with the questions about the motors and the battery in my first post >>1456553?

The chink motors included with the kit don't really look that good, and I was thinking of replacing them down the road with something better.

>>1456595
Most action cameras give analog video out on their USB connector, there are cables you can buy. Some allow for a control input for camera controls like switching to photo etc..., those cables have an extra signal line.
My Runcam 3 had the simple cable and I got a separate one with camera control.
The Foxeer and Yi actioncams have 4K and have a bigger resolution for photos but are less optimized for FPV.

>>1456599
You can buy the original DJI motors sold for the original flamewheel frames, they are nice. SunnySky and T-motor are also good, similar size and around 900-1000KV

>>1456603
>>1456553
Also when you are ready to fly don't forget to do the DJI dance (compass calibration) and have the cable come out at the forward from the GPS puck. If it toiletbowls in GPS hold just look up the magnetic north difference (degrees) from your location and rotate the puck slightly to the left or the right and it will hold still nicely.

>>1456599
>Can you help me with the questions about the motors and the battery in my first post

Wait until you've actually got the motors & flown with them a bit before you start thinking about replacing them.

You want a 3S battery, probably no smaller than 3600mAh & probably no bigger than 5000mAh. You won't need a high C rating, just 20C will be plenty.

>>1456602
Like a cable that you connect to the USB port on the camera and terminates to something that you can connect to a video transmitter?

>>1456603
>>1456608
What are some good indicators that the motors included in the kit need to be replaced by higher quality ones or ones with a different KV rating/size?

>>1456604
I didn't quite get what you said, can you explain it to me like I'm a complete retard or link me something to read about it?

>>1456608
How can you be so sure about the C rating? The listing doesn't mention the power draw of the motors.

>>1456614
>Like a cable that you connect to the USB port on the camera and terminates to something that you can connect to a video transmitter?
Yes, exactly.

>What are some good indicators that the motors included in the kit need to be replaced by higher quality ones or ones with a different KV rating/size?
KV is for efficiency, you need a set RPM to lift your stuff. For 8-10" it is around 900-1000KV
Indicators of needing replacement are bad flight times, over heating, and for bad motors it is sudden jitters and crunching feeling when you are turning it. Don't mistake crunching with the strong magnet poles.

>I didn't quite get what you said, can you explain it to me like I'm a complete retard or link me something to read about it?
You will see, look up any tutorials on DJI Naza-M and look up "toilet bowling" on google and youtube

>How can you be so sure about the C rating?
Experience. You don't need high power to fly a quad, even racer drones only need high power when doing harder flying, tricks and high speed. Typically quads hover at the lower third to half throttle. Naza also uses the throttle input as indicator of hover/ascend/decend control so it doesn't do direct throttle, maybe in manual only.
20-25C will be plenty on a big battery like a 3600mah or 5000mah.

>>1456620
Τhanks for the advice and your time fa m, appreciate it.

>>1456520
Yeah, I wasnt sure if that was a me thing. I was just curious if other pilots have noticed that there isn't an industry standard for things that seem to have an industry standard.

>>1456629
You are welcome, happy building and flying!

Finally swapped out a 2.4GHz receiver in one of my 5" quads with a 868MHz R9 Mini.

>>1456664
5 km wasn't enough for your freestyle moves?

>>1456575
>the GoPro is only for recording to SD card for watching later, you don't see the HD footage live.
yeah, I assumed that much. That would be a large power requirement and pretty expensive gear I guess. That's the nice thing about the gopro though. It's a discrete component that only adds weight to the build which is why I find it convenient to mount to a racing build so I can capture some semi decent video

>>1456677
It's more about greater confidence rather than greater range. Also, the R9 Mini is both the cheapest & the smallest receiver that FrSky currently sell, so why wouldn't I?

>>1456695
just put a booster on your 2.4ghz TX

>>1456700
Why would I do that when the R9 module is only £45, opens up access to cheaper receivers, will perform better & is actually legal as far as RF regulations are concerned?

>>1456725
I fly with a depinned delta-8 and it fits fine.

>>1456725
>will perform better
How? I never had any problems with mine and I used my frsky 2.4ghz module at f3j and f5j competitions.
Sounds like placebo and buyers remorse to me.

>>1456677

2.4 ghz signal is impeded by trees. The water in them makes you failsafe.

You cant go 5 km on 2.4 unless you are talking about optimal flat open terrain conditions.

I live in a forest and I will failsafe at 600 feet away.

>>1456786
That is 5.8GHz.
While 2.4GHz is close it is not affected as much, even your 868MHz is blocked similarly. The difference is marginal.
If you want to shoot through trees you need the old analog 72MHz at least or lower but even then you will get glitches from multipathing and haze.
You solved a nonexistent problem that you didn’t even needed in the first place

>>1456786
>>1456790
You probably had a faulty rx or a tx module if you had so short failsafe

Please forgive my long blogpost in advance. I'm new to the drone/quad hobby and trying to make an initial build that will have freestyle and racer characteristics.
My goal is to have something that can fly fast for the fun of it and just generally fly about to capture decent footage (don't want a pro racer that has lap endurance etc since I'm not skilled enough for that). I have little experience in part selection so was hoping that someone with more knowledge evaluate this build and see where I am overspending or underspending on components and what incompatibilities I might encounter. While I care about price, I want the best price:performance ratio and not simply the most expensive parts. I don't mind paying if I get something that is significantly better relative to the alternative. I still have a lot to learn and this list is not at all final.

FRAME -- Real Acc Furious 220 mm (97G, 6mm arm)
requirements: has ability to mount action camera on top of FPV

MOTOR -- T-Motor F40 III 2400 KV
Notes: Still need to research wire length and KV

BATTERY -- Tattu R-Line 14.8V 1500mAh LiPo w/XT60
Notes: Is the quality of these worth the pricepoint compared to the next best option?

ESC + FC: Racerstar StarF4S 30A
Spec Notes: has OSD
Notes: What are the advantages/disadvantages of getting an integrated ESC/FC combo like this? Is it better to buy discrete ESC and FC components. Should I be getting a better standalone FC?

VTX: ImmersionRC Tramp (6-18V, 5.8GHz)
Notes: What does international version mean?

ANT (antenna): TBD -- should I get a fancier one than the standard rod types that are usually bundled with the VTX?

FPV CAM: 600TVL 2.8mm lens Super HAD II CCD
Notes: Heard this is the go-to standard camera

Footage CAM: ? (GoPro Hero Session or cheaper alternative?)

PROPELLER: Dalprop Cyclone T5046C

Radio + Reciever: Undecided, whatever is popular and reasonably priced, needs research

FIRMWARE and SIMS: I have no clue. Still need to research.

>>1456778
Are you seriously asking how an 868MHz module with adaptive power up to 1000mW outperforms 100mW of 2.4GHz?

>>1456790
>You solved a nonexistent problem that you didn’t even needed in the first place

Even with the 868MHz module at 25mW in my short amount of testing so far I've been getting substantially better RSSI than the 2.4GHz at 100mW, in exactly the same location/range/trees/etc. Where I was down to 55dB behind the treeline on 2.4GHz, I was at 99dB with 868MHz, which gives me a lot more confidence I'm not going to failsafe.

>>1456825
>FRAME -- Real Acc Furious 220 mm (97G, 6mm arm)

I'd recommend a roomier frame for your first build, something like a Martian II is the go-to for that style in that price range.

>MOTOR -- T-Motor F40 III 2400 KV

Solid choice, but you might want to opt for something cheaper for a first quad.

>BATTERY -- Tattu R-Line 14.8V 1500mAh LiPo w/XT60

R-Lines definitely aren't worth it for a beginner, the premium is only really worth it if you're getting pretty serious about competitive racing.

>ESC + FC: Racerstar StarF4S 30A

I've built two quads with these (eg >>1456037) & they're great for a very clean/simple build, but if you're not already fairly accomplished at soldering they can be very tricky.

>VTX: ImmersionRC Tramp (6-18V, 5.8GHz)

Solid choice.

>ANT (antenna): TBD -- should I get a fancier one than the standard rod types that are usually bundled with the VTX?

The 'rod' type rubber duck antennas are linear polarised, pretty everybody that flies freestyle/racing uses circular polarised as it performs much better when the quad isn't upright. The Lumenier AXII style antennas (Realacc have a clone called the UXII but I've heard mixed reports) are the most bulletproof option if you devise a sensible way to mount them.

......

>>1456825
>>1456829

...

>FPV CAM: 600TVL 2.8mm lens Super HAD II CCD

Any Sony Super HAD II based camera is a solid option, but do yourself a favour & go with one of the modern 'micro' sized ones (eg Foxeer Micro Arrow Pro/v2). They're exactly the same sensor/DSP as the older full sized 'HS1177' style, but smaller/lighter/cheaper. The Foxeer ones are often as low as £14-16 on banggood.

>Footage CAM: ? (GoPro Hero Session or cheaper alternative?)

Session is the ultimate form factor & the only usable audio, but they're discontinued now so don't get too attached.

>PROPELLER: Dalprop Cyclone T5046C

Can't go wrong with that.

>Radio + Reciever: Undecided, whatever is popular and reasonably priced, needs research

FrSky, either a QX7 or an X-Lite, depending how big you want & whether you think you want to 'pinch' or 'thumb' (Google it).

>FIRMWARE and SIMS: I have no clue. Still need to research.

Betaflight for definite. Then sims are more of a preference, I've always used LiftOff & it actually just got a proper release recently after years in early access.

>>1456829
>>1456830
Really, thank you for this huge body of knowledge you are providing.

>Martian II
Good advice. I rather be on the safe side with regards to space. I prefer a tidy spaced build.
>cheaper motor
Heard good things about Emax and it's significantly cheaper. As long as it's got a good community track record.
>battery
Ok. I will get something cheaper with same capacity, maybe Infinity?
>but if you're not already fairly accomplished at soldering they can be very tricky
I see. I will spend a good amount on an iron solder, etc. and will need to practice before I start working on the actual board. Is there a better FC or FC combo board I should be aiming for with regards to ease of build integration?
>The Lumenier AXII style antennas
Noted. Glad to know that there are antennas that play well with various drone orientations.

>modern 'micro' sized ones Sony Super HAD
Got it. Will look for a smaller form factor of the same sensor.

>Session discontinued
That's too bad. I was hoping to get good use out of it with other outdoor stuff too.

>FrSky
Will look into. Related question, with regards to optics, are goggles a gimmick or are they the best choice?

>Betalight and LiftOff
Sounds good. Want to play around with a sim that's hopefully compatible with my controller that way I get some practice.

Again, thanks for all this knowledge. Makes it so much easier to learn.

>>1456825
FPV cam: Go for a Runcam Micro Swift 3, use a soft serial port to control through betaflight. Get a Micro Sparrow 2 Pro if you want a good CMOS. I have both, they are both nice to fly with, the sparrow 2 pro is nicer.
Try getting a Runcam 3 if you can or the new Runcam 3S and a suitable slot, the gopro mounts don't work.
Ultimately look into the Runcam Split so you can record HD footage through your fpv cam.

VTX: only buy the international version, it is unlimited with the power settings, the others are 25mW only. It works but has a smaller range and more difficult to shoot through foliage.

Antenna: AXII, small and durable, more so than the TBS but they are nice as well. Throw away the bundled stick antennas so you never see them again. They are shit.

With FC I would go for a JB F4 or a Matek F405 CTR, maybe a Kakute F4. Not sure if the Kakute F4 has OSD.

Frame looks nice, but see if you can find the cheaper quality ones like the Rotor Riot CL1. The cheap carbon frames like to delaminate faster after a number of crashes.

Radio: FrSky Q-X7 or X9D. Get the sbus receiver.

Firmware: Betaflight 3.4.1 or 3.5, always use the newest versions. In addition to the BF configurator manual and listed driver setup softwares also get the Impulse RC driver fixer, you will need it.

Rest seems okay.

>>1456826
Have you tried a different 2.4GHz module?
You might have solved the problem this way as well, I had a similarly bad module with reduced range. A new module solved it.

>>1456848
Had many bad experiences with emax, forget it. If you have money for the T-motor F40III then go for it, you won't regret it.

>>1456850
>Runcam Micro Swift 3
Looks good. Small form factor and Sony sensor.
>the gopro mounts don't work.
Would the ideal config be to use a strap instead of the mount? Out of curiosity, what exactly doesn't work on the mount? Does the cam not stay in? Last thing I want is for an expensive component like that flying off. Runcam3 seems decent and relatively cheap, will keep it in mind.
>only buy international
I see. I guess there are areas that have spec restrictions? That explains it.

Also, noted on the firmware and Impulse RC driver fixer. Thanks a lot for the info.

>>1456853
Glad you let me know. Rather spend a few extra and not have to worry about a problem product. The motor would seem rather important so don't want to cheap out.

>>1456825

Frame should be fine for fitting everything in there. Its a bit lighter than something like the Martian II but you might have to bottom mount the battery.

T-Motor F40 Pro II 2400 KV are my favs right now.

I think Tattu R-lines are awesome. I just use some Infinity Banggoods but they work.

That Racerstar is very hard to solder. I suggest this alternative : https://www.banggood.com/DALRC-F405-AIO-Betaflight-F4-Flight-Controller-BEC-OSD-50A-Blheli-32-3-8S-Brushless-ESC-for-RC-Drone-p-1300573.html?rmmds=mywishlist

I use AKK VTX they are priced much better. I have not seen anyone show me any proof that buying a Unify or a Tramp gives any better performance.

TBS antennae like the triumph are great, But I use a foxeer they are just as good.

I use that type of cam, its good if you have a 4:3 screen like my Fatsharks.

I use a gopro session 5 but they are discontinued now.

Dalprop are good. The Cyclone T5040C will have better battery and flight time.

I like Frsky QX7 or QX7S for the upgraded gimbals. I Pinch when I fly. The frsky XSR is a good RX for this with SBUS

3.5 betaflight and use the Sim like Liftoff to practice your rates. I use Freestyle rates a lot like Mr. Steele that are pretty fast with just a bit of Expo.

This is what I would mockup right now for a cheap freestyle:

https://rotorbuilds.com/build/9014

>>1456859
>Martian II
might as well go for that one at this point considering I'm a beginner that could benefit from the added ease of install that the extra space gives.
>Infinity
Yeah, I'll start with those and if I have quality problems will just get a Tattu.
>DALRC
Will consider but is it true that getting an FC with integrated ESCs is better (less points of failure)?
>gopro session 5
What is your mounting solution?
>The Cyclone T5040C
Great. Will get those instead. They're even the same price.
Thank you for all the advice. Hopefully, all my components make it to my mailbox.

>>1456848
>Martian II
Just some advice from someone that has multiple builds in that frame. If you plan to do thatg body style, and that price range, at this point I personally would opt for a Rotor Riot CL1, or TBS Source 1. Same body style, quite cheap, but from actual reputable manufacturers. The martian is great and it works but it is quite a heavy frame. And at this point the 2mm bottomplate isnt sold anymore, its now a 3mm, so its going to be heavier.

The fact that this is your first build you are going to be crashing it, spending $25 per motor is a waste. I have never had issues with Emax motors, so consider them still an option. That being said for your first exerience youll be able to tell no difference between T Motor and a cheap ass set of those Racerstar motors. Plus for the price of a set of T Motors you can pick up 2 sets of Racerstars and have spares when you need them. Once youre experienced and decide you want to remain in the hobby then splurge on a nice build.

>>1456862

I use the Martian II myself. Its pretty good for a freestyle and it can go fast enough. Its very easy to build in. I toss the red PDB and just use the black spacer plate. They sell arms and top / bottom plate replacements for this frame. I like it.

I have 8 Infinity I use, they are almost a year old now. I fly at least once a day.

Ive had both 4in1 esc and ESC on the arms individually.

I think if you have a good hardware config it does not matter. Your goal is clean video and the DALRC 4in1 has 9v and 5v regulators. Its very clean. Its been tested by someone I trust.

I use this to mount my gopro: https://www.banggood.com/Eachine-Wizard-X220S-FPV-Racer-Spare-Part-30-Camera-Mount-for-Runcam-3-Gopro-Session-p-1166269.html?rmmds=myorder

>>1456865

TBS Source is like a Martian but it has thicker bottom and top plates. Its a good alternative to the Martian II

The Martian II comes with 2mm top and bottom plates and if you want 3mm you have to buy them separate to upgrade. That adds weight.

The TBS source will do everything the martian can but I dont think you can buy arms. Maybe I am wrong.

>>1456868
Is this just an entire post to confirm what I said??

>>1456852
I've flown at least three different 2.4GHz quads at that spot. And obviously I didn't buy into the R9 system just because I was getting low RSSI with one quad in that one location.

>>1456865
> pick up 2 sets of Racerstars and have spares
That's a good point. I just don't want to deal with in flight failures or quick breakage. Rather pay more to just have one set of decent motors that will stay on.
> Rotor Riot CL1, or TBS Source 1
if they're better manus then I will go for it. 10USD more won't save me and a good frame will protect everything onboard.

>>1456866
>I have 8 Infinity I use, they are almost a year old now. I fly at least once a day.
That means Infinity is more than good enough for me. Thanks.
> DALRC 4in1 has 9v and 5v regulators. Its very clean. Its been tested by someone I trust
In that case, I'm going for it. I don't want a soldering nightmare with the Racestar since I'm a novice.

>I use this to mount my gopro:
huh, says it can take a runcam as well. Has enough reviews to be trustworthy it seems. Thanks.

>>1456882
The racerstar motors arent bad, they just arent incredible. Simply saying from experience, and no one here can deny it, youre going to crash, especially with your first build. Spending $100 on a set of motors that is very likely to be one of the first things broken is a waste when you wont even be good enough to take advantage of the performance difference.

>>1456858
>micro swift 3
You will love it, I have the first micro swift and it is a lovely camera. However you will definitely need a free UART port to control the camera menu so you can set up the image how you like it. The micro swift 3 doesn't come with a menu controller joystick or d-pad, it is controlled by the flight controller.

>>1456884
It's a good point. I didn't know the motors were usually the first thing to go, damage wise. I suppose it would make sense considering their location on the frame. Guess I will go for the racestars and get enough enjoyment out of them before an upgrade. I wasn't planning on doing anything wild and crashing but that is just lying to myself and losing $25 motors would not be the most fun.
I will also appreciate the upgrade to better motors once I have enough experience to understand the profile of the racestars and where they fall short. I just want good price:performance ratio, not top of the line. As long as there are no glaring QC and perf. issues I consider it good enough for my build
>>1456898
>free UART port
Noted to add to the research list. Thanks

>>1456901
free uart port means you will need at least an F4 based flight controller, these have 5 uart ports. At least my Matek F405 has 5 uarts plus one soft serial port.

>>1456882

I suggest you use these ESC on the arms.

https://www.banggood.com/4-PCS-Flycolor-Raptor-BLS-Pro-30A-BLheli_S-BB2-2-4S-DShot600-ESC-with-Protective-Cover-for-RC-Drone-p-1286960.html?rmmds=mywishlist

>>1456901
>>1456910
Also a uart port consists of rx and tx solder pads, it is where the FC can communicate with its peripherals. They are numbered like RX1,TX1,RX2,TX2 etc...
Some FCs have the USB connection on uart 1, others have it separate.

>>1456884
It seems the problem with the racerstars is the silly length of the wiring. Pretty sure I would have to lengthen each motor wire if I were to hook them up to this FC+ESC combo on a TBS Source One or similar frame

https://www.banggood.com/DALRC-F405-AIO-Betaflight-F4-Flight-Controller-BEC-OSD-50A-Blheli-32-3-8S-Brushless-ESC-for-RC-Drone-p-1300573.html?rmmds=mywishlist

>>1456924

That AIO with Flycolor ESC will give a very clean video.

You can put your cam and VTX on the 9v rail and the RX on the 5v

>>1456924
Well unless you are going to use an AIO ESC youre going to have ESCs between the motors and FC.

The Dalrc F405 stack is ok too

Dalrc Engine has pins that connect to the Dalrc F405 FC

How much of a pain in the ass would it be to migrate 3 quads from spektrum to frsky?

Trying to sell just a quad isnt working, think I may drop my DX8 with it and pick up a Taranis and new receivers with what I get.

>>1456929
Ah, I'm an idiot. That FC is not an FC+ESC combo unit like the Racestar I was looking at earlier.

So in conclusion,
DALRC-F405 + Racerstar Racing Edition 2205 BR2205 2300KV + Flycolor Raptor BLS-Pro 30A

are a decent starting combo?

>>1456930
is this basically a FC+ESC stack?

>>1456937
Yea you have to add VTX and RX

>>1456935
Sit down with new RX and open up each quad then solder 3 wires for each one.

You can do it with a bunch of free time and some beers. hehe.

Then you place the antenna and switch to sbus.

>>1456938
Makes sense. Are there advantages to the stack over dedicated ESCs on each arm?

>>1456939
I guess I meant more of how much of a pain is it to set up a bunch of completely new models, channels, switches, ect.

>>1456941
If you burn out an ESC you can replace only one.

If you burn an ESC in a stack you replace the whole board. So cost can be higher.

You may get slightly cleaner video with the esc on the arms.

But the Dalrc Engine has been tested and its one of the best 4in1 esc for noise.

>>1456946
Makes sense. Thank you.
Seems having separate ESCs works out the best for my case of
DALRC-F405 + Racerstar Racing Edition 2205 BR2205 2300KV + Flycolor Raptor BLS-Pro 30A

>>1456942

I build my own models but even if you just bought them its still easy to swap an RX

>>1456947
I had those motors on my first build an they are very efficient. They will give long flight times and are a bit low on thrust but that is ok for a first drone.

>>1456951
I've heard they're decent from others here too. Decided to go with them and save the F40 III for a future build when I know what I am doing.

>>1456947
>Flycolor Raptor BLS-Pro 30A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0xPB4_5wqc

>>1456947
>DALRC-F405

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOKGXVgMTJ0

Am I right in thinking that the Frsky QX7 or QX7S would not be compatible with the ORC Tramp and Lumenier AXII? The antenna and VTX are both for 5.8 GHz while the receiver specs are 2.4 GHz?

>>1456942
OpenTX is pretty easy to work with and the UI on the Tx itself is pretty easy. There are a ton of videos on it, I recommend checking out Project Blue Falcon. I think Painless360 had some too.

>>1456981
I am once again an idiot. I am controlling the Video transmission system with controller and its corresponding system.

I think what I need is:

Frsky QX7 or QX7S with compatible SBUS connector running on 2.4 GHz to have a complete controller system

IRC Tramp and Lumenier AXII running on 5 GHz and some device on the ground that receives video for a complete video transmission system

>>1456996
Yes, you're confusing the remote control with the video system. The QX7 (and most RC transmitters) operate on 2.4 GHz. You need an FrSky receiver (like the XM+), that outputs sBus to control the model, attached to the flight controller.

The Tramp transmits on 5.8 GHz, most goggles or monitors have built in receivers on this frequency. Or you can buy a standalone receiver (like FR632) and plug that into your goggles or monitor.

>>1457001
Thank you. This was a point of confusion. I went from knowing 0 to a lot in a short time and it's getting tangled in my head. Would you recommend goggles or a flat screen to pair with my IRC Tramp & AXII?

>>1457003
Anything on 5.8 will receive video from it, buy matching (RHCP) antennas, if you get a diversity receiver then get a patch antena as well. Can't really recommend anything because everyone has wildly different tastes. You'll need to decide if you want to go monitor or goggles (or both), then pick a price range and check for reviews on certain products.

>>1457011
>Can't really recommend anything because everyone has wildly different tastes.
Got it. Bet it would be easy to get the feed running on a laptop with the right 5.8 antenna but the goggles seem much more immersive but I have never had a optics headset of any kind strapped to my head so don't know how much I would like it. Battery must drain fast too and it must be quite bulky with all those components. Will do some research, thanks

>>1456947
Since those motors are so cheap get 6 or 8 of them, nice to have replacements when you need them.

>>1457018
yeah, I will. They seems to be on sale as well but not sure if that's just one of those perpetual sale marketing tactics. I have pretty much compiled an entire build at this point in one day thanks to all the helpful anons in this thread.

>>1457013
>feed running on a laptop
Not what I meant, but it can be done. I meant something like this:
https://www.banggood.com/Eachine-LCD5802D-5802-5_8G-40CH-7-Inch-FPV-Monitor-with-DVR-Build-in-Battery-p-1029504.html?rmmds=search

Put it on a tripod or mount to the RC transmitter.

>>1457020
Yea banggood does random ass sales all the time.

I picked like 60 various types of Racerstar props the other day for $15, which is the usual price for 20 Dal Cyclones. Cyclones are better of course but Im not good enough at flying to be able to tell a difference between my props. All I know is they dont sound off balance and the quad flies.

>>1457022
>Yea banggood does random ass sales all the time.
Pretty much why I'm rushing to buy build parts since it ends in a few days and I'm not sure I will find a better price elsewhere. Hopefully half of it doesn't get lost in Chinese mail

>>1457021
Yeah, I understand that more integrated solutions exist but would be pretty easy and cheap to get a feed to a laptop that already has a relatively good screen/battery
Just trying to see where I can cut costs at this point since this will cost a bit with a good soldering iron, radio, etc.

>>1457024
Ive never had an order lost from Banggood, Ive received DOA items but they send out a prompt replacement as soon as you can prove the item is actually DOA.

Banggood seems hit or miss here, some people like it others will give you shit. Personally Id love to support sites like GetFPV or Racedayquads but Banggoods prices are hard to beat for my current budget.

>>1457027
>Banggoods prices are hard to beat for my current budget.
Yeah, budget's my problem as well. Maybe when I will be doing better builds in the future I might prefer dealing with US based warehouses/cust support but at this point I'm looking at softening the larger costs of getting good tools and radio since I'm just getting into this so CN supply it is.

>>1457030
To be honest I probably would have dealt with more drone specific/US based companies if prices were more competitive with Banggood. You can get a decent frame for $25 on BG, most everywhere else its at least $50 if not $100. Yes most of the really expensive frames come with warranties on replacement pieces but that doesnt change dropping $100 on just the footprint.

>>1457037
>replacement pieces but that doesnt change dropping $100 on just the footprint.
yeah, that's a huge difference from the standpoint of a standard hobbyist. Warranties and customer support are nice if you're doing professional stuff with your builds. Otherwise it's difficult to compete

>>1457039
They just arent budget friendly as far as Ive seen. A few companies are just starting to compete with clone frames, but Racedayquads is the only site Ive seen offer a budget friendly motor.

Without BG it would basically be buy a premade or drop $500.

>>1457048
>Without BG it would basically be buy a premade or drop $500.
Yeah, even more if you're just getting into it and need a radio and tools. I do like the independent project frames that seem to have popped up. The TBS Source One is what I am considering for my first build and it seems to be good quality and decently priced. Always a fan of product projects like these because it usually brings together people that know what they are doing and are capable of proper component sourcing

>>1457049
Yea Ive been looking at the Source One as well, would be fun to try and contribute to the design considering the entire project is an open source community driven thing.

Right now I think my next build is going to be a budget racer, curious to see what kind of speed I can get for $200 or so.

>>1457050
>Right now I think my next build is going to be a budget racer
Interesting. I just got done compiling a buildlist for my first quad which I want to be a sort of racer/freestyle hybrid. UAVfutures did a build video with a similar goal to yours which I used as a starting point for planning

>>1457052
Hybrid builds all are good for just messing around but as far as Ive seen if you try to race anything that weighs over 400 grams youre gonna get destroyed by people with actual racers. Youd be amazed with the acceleration and cornering an ultralight build can pull when the power to weight is done right. Freestyle builds do well with some weight, it helps them flow if you know what I mean. Meanwhile a dedicated racer can take a corner on a dime and be back at 100+mph in .6 seconds.

>>1457054
>Hybrid builds all are good for just messing around
I know. It's funny because the first decision I had to make was whether to build a dedicated freestyle, racer or focus on a hybrid. Since I'm new and have 0 skills I decided to try a hybrid with cheaper end motors. Also want to strap some sort of action cam on and get decent footage.

>>1457055
To be honest in a Source One, CL1, Martian II, anything with that long body style its going to be more of a freestyler. Dont get me wrong, itll still hit at least 80mph. But its going to be at least 500-600 grams, so itll drag quite a bit on corners, punchout wont be breathtaking.

>>1457063
That will give me a chance to ease into operating it at least.
UAVfutures supposedly made a ~110MPH build with a 97 gram Realacc Furious 220mm. That's 20 grams less than a Source One.
But yeah, if you're building a speed demon, part selection takes more of an effort. Not that I'm a pro, but another thing to consider is how consistent and good of an operator you can be at the speeds you're reaching.

>>1457066
Youll find hardcore racers will typically have 3 to Ive heard as much as 10 identical drones at serious races. Light frame, powerful motors, and usually an AIO FC/ESC/PDB, or at least AIO FC and 4 in 1 ESC. Since most racesonly allow 25mw VTXs to reduce interference you can usually get away with a minimal VTX. At the speeds they fly at with those frames such as a Floss, built as light as possible while still being rigid. When you crash youre pretty much bound to break an arm or a motor. They just swap to the next quad and carry on.

I like to have two quads at all times so if one is down for repairs I at least have something to fly while things ship.

>>1457088
AIOs are nice minus the tougher soldering and central point of failure. Guess neither of those matter much when you can have 10 units on standby that are professionally assembled

>>1457108
Pretty much the general idea.

I have 3 and a micro, pretty much dont use the third so Im waiting on a Frog Lite to get here so I can swap over the electronics, hopefully give me a bit different experience.

>>1457113
According to a friend that uses the Racerstar F4 AIOs on all his racers. Usually something is broken every time he crashes in a race anyways, the single point of failure doesnt matter because any 1 drones time to shine is a 3 minute window that ends in a crash or a finish line.

>>1457116
This makes me worried that I'm going to break my new build like an idiot right away. Guess I should just take it for an easy cruise. Yeah, single poc only matters when you can only afford a few long term builds

>>1457124
Well you have to understand a full blown race centered builds is going to be able to go in excess of 110mph on a full throttle punch. Races usually have the quads flown through gates which at that speed just snaps an arm off like a toothpick. This is your first experience with drones, getting it off the ground and learning how to maintain a simple position/height is the first challenge. If you try to find out just how fast it can go in the first flight you probably deserve to break it.

Watch some guides, consider downloading a simulator. I always see it recommended that you dont use the FPV and simply learn how to hover the drone at a constant height and average location for the first few batteries. After you start FPV find a couple trees to do some circles around. Its a slow process, I was surprised how difficult it was at first. But you get the hang of it. You also have to keep in mind that although the general idea behind this hobby is to not crash its gonna happen, and you are gonna break something. Just because these things can fly at 100mph doesn't mean they can survive hitting the ground at 100mph. Eventually youll get bored of flying in circles and want to try some tricks. And thats why we suggested spare parts, you arent gonna get better without crashing. You just gotta hope each time you can repair the damage readily. Once you get into it most would suggest you have a second quad so you have something to fly if 1 is down. Personally I plan to have a couple bashers and a couple nice builds, plus a dedicated racer or 2.

>>1457124

You should be practicing acro in a simulator for weeks before you even try to fly a new build for the first time.

>>1457129
Disagree with you here. I went into my quads almost immediately in stable mode, went to horizon when I wanted to try flips and shit, and then went to acro. Acro is surprisingly easy in FPV, but thats coming from someone with a far above average number of video game hours. When I first tried acro in LoS I thought I would never learn how to fly with it, Ive since learned a fly half decent. Can pull a few tricks too.

>>1457129
definitely plan to, it's just that the short lifecycle in a race that the other anon mentioned seems intimidating but then again it's a race with obstacles etc which is not novice stuff.
>>1457127
>f you try to find out just how fast it can go in the first flight you probably deserve to break it.
heh, true. I'm just going ease into simple flight on my first run after practicing on sims. Disappointment would be unbearable if I manage to damage it on the first go. Good advice overall

>>1457134
Well its a short life cycle in a race because if you crash its typically pretty bad, on a frame thats designed to be as light as they can possibly get it while still being rigid. All the races Ive seen a crash is either a disqualification fro the heat, or a time penatly plus however long it takes to get a replacement in the air. Freestyle is as chaotic as you make it, some of your best flights are going to be just cruising around enjoying the feeling of flight.

You shouldnt be intimidated really, just because I said buy spare parts doesnt mean youre going to need them every single time you crash. Ive had a motor imbedded in dirt 2 inch with a prop no where in sight, had a quad failsafe 300 feet in the air and fall straight onto a road. Worst I broke in both of those instances was a zip tie. Shit is going to break but to be fair youll find yourself surprised sometimes when it doesnt.

>>1457131
I never bothered with angle mode or horizon mode.

I went right into the Simulator in Acro mode.

>>1457143
I started with a whoop.

>>1457139
Sounds like fun. Time to finalize my build list. It's crazy how much useful knowledge I picked up from this one thread. Went from knowing shit nothing to having a good general understanding of core components and planning a build in less than one day. /rcg/ is a magical place

I think I could probably get at least $500 for my DX8, one of my quads, my whoops and some other random crap. Want to make the switch to Frsky since apparently the range is better, also really like how available the RXs are, LemonRX is the only place worth buying for Spektrum shit.

Is the Taranis Lite up to par with the QX7?

>>1456996
Get a used Fatshark Attitude V3, they are cheap and nice, later on get a True-D attitude VRX.
If you have glasses look up RHO Lens for prescription diopter inserts for Fatshark.

New bag worked a treat, it's surprising how few bags there are with lots of vertical loops for strapping things to :/

>>1456910
>free uart port means you will need at least an F4 based flight controller, these have 5 uart ports

This is misleading/wrong, as the number of available UARTs depends upon how many UARTs the board designer chooses to break out. It isn't safe to assume that any F4 board will have plentiful UARTs, or even that it will have more than a F3 board. Case in point, the TattooF4S that has been discussed before in this thread is a F4 board but only has 1 spare UART in addition to a dedicated SBUS UART RX pad. And likewise there are F3 boards like the Lux v2 which have 5 UARTs in addition to USB, even though they are 'only' F3.

>>1457063
>>1457066
>But its going to be at least 500-600 grams, so itll drag quite a bit on corners, punchout wont be breathtaking.

A 500-600g quad that is durable is far better for a beginner than a 400g quad that will snap an arm after the first big crash. Beginners don't need or want the sort of performance that a seasoned competitive racer does.

>>1457129
Weeks is a bit of an exaggeration. I flew maybe half a dozen packs LoS in self-level mode, then it took me ~20 minutes in LiftOff to figure out how to fly rate/acro & the following day I flew 2 packs IRL just fine in rate/acro. For me rate/acro was one of those things that just needed to 'click' in my head & as soon as it did I was fine.

>>1457183
>Is the Taranis Lite up to par with the QX7?

The X-Lite has much smaller/shorter throw gimbals & is really aimed squarely at multirotors (it doesn't have physical trim switches, pots for flaps, etc. that wing users often want), so you are sacrificing some aspects of form factor (it's bad for pinching) & flexibility for the small size. If you can meet local pilots & handle them both before you purchase, that would be ideal.

T-motor: F60 pro ii vs F40 pro ii, what would be the main difference in flying?
Freestyle and cruising, no racing, I’m looking for efficiency. Spinning 5046 triblade Cyclones, maybe 5040 if it is going to be in stock.

>>1457359

F40's are more efficient. They were tested on miniquadtestbench.com

F60's are more for racers.

>>1457256
>Fatshark Attitude V
>True-D attitude VRX
Thanks. This gives me something to look for. I like the idea of head mounted optics for some reason. Now I understand why they sell the 5.8GHz antennas in pairs. One is for your ground setup.

T-motor F40 pro ii's are what all the rotor riot freestyle guys made their own versions of.

Like the Ledrib, Botgrinder or Hypetrains.

>>1457392
>T-motor F40 pro ii's are what all the rotor riot freestyle guys made their own versions of.

You mean 'put their name on then charged more money for'.

>>1457393

Basically yea. I think each one has a very tiny change to the design also.

>>1457393
That is normal capitalism. If you are famous then your name and approval has value, it would be stupid of you not to turn it into money.

>>1457396
Different spokes and painting/finish.
Okay, F40 pro ii it is.
Or F40 iii. Fuck. Indicision is a bitch. Or not.

>>1457400

I just go by the Data.

And the Data tells me T-motor F40 pro ii

Because I want flight time and they have the good silver windings that beat most all other motors in efficiency.

>>1457392
>>1457393
>>1457396
>>1457397
Yea you guys are high, those motors are based on the original Hypetrain which is a design by RotorRiot, they have nothing to do with T motor.

Fuck sake the design isnt even the same.

>>1457426
Aw shit, Im high.

Turns out they are made by T Motor, use the same OEM stator, but the bell is Rotor Riots design.

Whatever, not like theyre charging a massive premium. Hell Id use them just to get a more unique color from T Motors line up.

>>1457272
Honestly Ill get used to the feel either way, as with most people attracted to the X Lite I grew up with a PS2 controller in my hand so I think Itll work out.

Right now Im mainly attracted top the R9 Lite system you can get with it. Only $30 for the added module and antenna to drastically increase range, sign me up, my DX8 failsafes after like 250m.

Dont suppose youd have any guess to the range of a 600/800mw VTX? As is my quads failsafe while I still have video. I dont expect the video to last as long as the RF but right now my only goal is to increase my range to the entire ~500 or so meter range that is my neighborhood.

>>1457435
>Dont suppose youd have any guess to the range of a 600/800mw VTX?

The same as any RF system, the answer is that it depends massively on environment. A 25mW 5.8GHz VTX will go several kilometres on a fixed wing at 2000ft in the middle of a desert with no obstructions or interference. But that same 25mW VTX will completely crap out if you fly behind a building or some thick trees 100m away.

Realistically though, my friends & I usually fly on 200mW when flying through trees up to a few hundred metres away.

I like having 800mw for punching through buildings.

Yea 200 mW is fine on a nice summer day.

But just for example flying in your car will block the signal and its nice to have more power.

>>1457450
Oh absolutely get a decent VTX that goes to 600-800mW (I use IRC Tramp, Matek VTX-HV & AKK) but you don't have to always run it on full power. Now that we have UART control of VTX it makes toggling power level super quick & easy.

>>1457446
>>1457450
>>1457452
The Aomway VTXs I have now can run 600mw supposedly, never actually measured it but I did find out the other day that 200mw is enough to instantly kill the 5.8ghz wifi connection from my action cam to my phone, so that was kinda cool.

If I can get enough cash out of my DX8, a quad, a charger, some batteries and my whoops I may be able to to another build. Was considering using the Holybro Kakute stack, has a VTX that can do 800mw.

>>1457458
>Holybro Kakute stack

Ohh, that has the Tekko 32 ESC's

Those are like the best ESC you can buy

>>1457466
Good to know.

Honestly Im just lazy. Fucking up a small solder and ruining and entire build is definitely something I would do. Recently been looking at the AIO stacks like the Kakute or the Flycolor Raptor/X Stack.

>>1457470

I saw a video recently by a rotor riot guy. SkitzoFPV and he used his stack that was mostly connected by wires and connectors, it had very few solder points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGweTF8W-DQ

>>1457475
Yea I watched that one recently as well funny enough. Actually the Flycolor X Stack is what got me really looking into it. Standard shit like the Eachine VTX801 and an HS1177 camera plug right into it. ESC plugs into the FC, even has a JST connector for a buzzer. Only required soldering is the motors and maybe the receiver unless I can find one that uses the same connector so all Id have to do is swap wires at the most.

Seems like a fucking dream for assembly and when something needs to be replaced. Only real issue I see is you cant really change the lengths of the connector wires so it may be somewhat sloppy looking.

>>1457482
>Seems like a fucking dream for assembly and when something needs to be replaced. Only real issue I see is you cant really change the lengths of the connector wires so it may be somewhat sloppy looking.

Connectors are also an added point of complexity/failure, they work loose, they become a massive pain when components you buy don't happen to come with a compatible connector, etc. I can understand why they might seem attractive to somebody new to the hobby/who doesn't have much soldering experience, but there's a reason why people who are more seasoned so frequently complain when companies release components that only have connectors & no solder pads.

>>1457485
Im just not a big fan of possibly fucking something up using the wrong 1x1mm solder pad.

Considering I already know what componants can be used with the connectors, save for like I said the receiver, I wouldnt say thats an issue. But hey like you said Im new, using them may be a learning experience for all I know. That Kakute stack has some pretty good reviews from what Ive seen, maybe Ill start with that.

I was scared of soldering at first but now I kinda like it.

>>1457488
>>1457497
Yeah, my first two builds included very little soldering, but now that I've done at least a dozen builds I much prefer to direct solder everything.

>>1457515
>>1457497
Im not sure if Im scared of soldering as a whole more than scared of soldering on those tiny ass little pads they give you for your receiver and shit. Ive already taken tiny ass resistors or whatever the fuck off components trying to resolder shit before.

Id be fucking pissed if I messed something up that actually proved detrimental. Takes a month to ship parts from anywhere.

>>1457522

I do a few thing to make sure it all goes right.

I use flux. I use a temp controlled Iron. I use good solder. And I am paranoid so I use masking tape to tape off the whole FC so nothing moves or gets solder balls on it.

Are there any good EU (UK) shops for mini quads other than quadcopters.co.uk and electricwingman.com?
GetFPV is a no go because Trump is an idiot.

>>1457522
>>1457527
It's mainly just down to practice. You can buy soldering practice kits online, keep any broken components to practice on, etc. & just start out easy & slowly work your way up as your skills develop, don't jump in at the deep end by using components that are notoriously tricky to solder if you're not comfortable with it yet.

>>1457566
As well as quadcopters.co.uk I regeularly use

hobbyrc.co.uk
unmannedtechshop.co.uk
flyingtech.co.uk

I've also used robotbirds.co.uk but only once or twice, so I can't really vouch either way for them.

Avoid any of the 'oldschool' bricks & mortar hobby shops that have online stores, they're always hideously overpriced for laughably obsolete products.

Been reading and watching videos on it for like 3 hours. I cant find a reason not to just migrate everything I have to an X-Lite/R9 Lite system. At a fraction of the cost of crossfire, while yes a fraction of the range, for whats still a very good increase over my DX8.

Im fucking sold.

Dont even have to take the Lite module off the Taranis when I want to fly something that isnt hooked up to R9. Ill admit Im at amateur at this still but fuck, this looks great on paper.

>>1457684
When you will be the most satisfied with the X-Lite you will try to pinch. Then it will be a steep downhill into regret that why didn't you just get the Taranis so you can thumb and pinch when you like.
Suddenly finding 10x precision is a hell of a drug. This comes from someone with 2 decades of video games straight from C64 and NES up to PC, PSP and Xbox 360.
Game controller design looks good and makes sense until you start to improve further, then it will be a janky piece of hindrance

>>1457684
>At a fraction of the cost of crossfire, while yes a fraction of the range, for whats still a very good increase over my DX8.

250mW vs 100mW isn't anywhere near as big a difference as it might sound, because inverse square applies.

>>1457684
The DX8 (and anything Spektrum) is shit so anything else will be a great improvement over that.