|
It is the wicking kind designed for post-assembly use, but's also slightly weaker than blue. Not much, but it is. Purple (food-safe) is the weakest.
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2013 06:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 07:11 |
|
|
DKWildz posted:Thanks! Turns out before I got it a co-worker picked one of those up to one up me on the size! So been messing around with that. Quickly finding out that even though they may be bigger, outside is still pretty much a no-no unless it's dead calm. So with that, I've already been looking around for the next thing, and found this 'scale' made after a Comanche (of course the tail rotor isn't right, but that's ok Unless you get much much bigger, it isn't size that you need (though it does help), it's a combination of speed and the ability to move not just forward and backward, but side to side. Okay, with tacking motions you could get back to you in wind, but it's just easier to compensate with a bit of side thrust than it is to fly at an angle. Co-axial designs are basically never as fast as fixed pitch designs. Because they use the tail rotor to tilt the craft, they can't ever tilt the rotor as far as a craft with a swashplate moveable rotor. The same tail rotor also limits the tilt to only one axis, hence they can only move forward and backward. The downside of fixed pitch helicopters is that they're a bit harder to fly, it's one more movement to think about. The v911 and the 9958 are two of the more popular fixed pitch helicopters. They're about the same size as your current ones, but work much better outdoors. That Comanche looks like a fine model. It is a fair bit larger, but more importantly it's fixed pitch. There isn't much info out there though, but what there is seems positive. Hope it goes well. Aurium fucked around with this message at 07:27 on Apr 22, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2013 07:12
|
|
) Youtube videos have shown it to be a pretty quick and maneuverable outdoor flier. Still really low on the flying time, but that's ok too!
|
CrazyLittle posted:green loctite isn't "weak" it's wicking, last I checked. Ahh ok. This is the stuff anyway http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__19067__TL_680_Thread_Locker_Sealant_Low_Strength.html It is easy enough to undo and I have never had anything come loose when it wasn't supposed to with it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2013 16:04
|
|
|
DKWildz posted:Thanks! Turns out before I got it a co-worker picked one of those up to one up me on the size! So been messing around with that. Quickly finding out that even though they may be bigger, outside is still pretty much a no-no unless it's dead calm. So with that, I've already been looking around for the next thing, and found this 'scale' made after a Comanche (of course the tail rotor isn't right, but that's ok I started the same route as you. You're probably ready for a single prop helicopter. I'd suggest the WL products V911. You can find it on amazon, though it is cheaper on ebay (with longer shipping). Seriously the v911 is the best drat helicopter out there, nearly indestructible, and is a hoot to fly. Mine spent a week in a tree through several thunderstorms and is still flying. I'm charging its batteries as we speak. V911 is also calm enough to fly inside. And like the guy above me said, the coaxial design will never go outdoors well, just because it doesn't have enough control authority to move you. That is because there is no actual control surfaces on it. The v911 uses a moving swash to direct the motion in your typical aircraft vector movements (roll and pitch axis) and will have much more authority outside. This is the order of how good helicopters fly in the wind flybarless collective pitch (blade nano/ blade mcp) > flybarless fixed pitch (blade msr x) > fly bar fixed pitch (v911) > fly bar coaxial (syma s107/108/109) (if youre super interested in this hobby and like indoor flying check out mini/micro quad helicopters and also indoor planes like the parkzone vapor and minivapor)
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2013 17:19
|
|
|
I am still amazed how much better my MCPX flys in the wind outside compared to the larger 120SR that I replaced with it. One thing to consider with collective pitch helis like the mcpx is if you use a programmable radio they can be tamed down a lot until you are ready for more response and power.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2013 17:36
|
|
|
mashed_penguin posted:I am still amazed how much better my MCPX flys in the wind outside compared to the larger 120SR that I replaced with it. One thing to consider with collective pitch helis like the mcpx is if you use a programmable radio they can be tamed down a lot until you are ready for more response and power. Yeah, my blade nano flies outside better than almost anything I have save for the MQX. I still like the fly barred helicopters for inside flying. Nothing except a quad beats that on dynamic stability while flying. It seems to me that the flybarless ones usually end up being more expensive than fly barred too, so I hate risking my nano indoors. First time I flew it indoors I broke a tail boom and a prop blade. It's definitely not the most sensitive helicopter but it travels so stinkin quick. My V911 cost me $35, an extra parts kit cost me $5, and I haven't needed it, despite leaving it in a tree, running it full bore into a wall, chair, floor, myself, glass door, etc etc. It's stupidly strong yet stupidly easy to control (I ran into all those things because I suck at flying). I'm addicted to these stupid little toys. Don't buy a DX6i or any spektrum controller because there are just too many cool things that you can fly with it you will end up owning them all 
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2013 22:04
|
|
|
Bob A Feet posted:Don't buy a DX6i or any spektrum controller because there are just too many cool things that you can fly with it you will end up owning them all Ain't that the truth! I just got a Durafly Critical Mass Micro for my birthday last month (great little parkflyer with lots of acrobatic potential), and now i'm looking at a Parkzone UM Stryker 180 as well. I love the micro/minicub size planes, there's a field right next to my neighborhood that I can go fly for 30 minutes after I get home from work to decompress.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2013 14:33
|
|
|
Thanks for all the info, everyone. Been taking it all in. My coworker picked up a V911 so we've been messing with that and I quickly found out how unprepared I was with the left/right swap to the left stick, and the sheer speed once you take away the counter-clockwise prop. It was pretty scary considering we're flying this at our shop with concrete everywhere and the shop itself makes a pretty good wind tunnel that throws us all around. In the end though, it makes me even more excited for that 4 channel Comanche that's on its way right now! You've done a bad thing by naming that controller sir. Looks like a lot of fun. And saves having to lug around a bunch of controllers for each thing! EDIT: That MiniVapor looks like a blast! If only it was as cheap as the Syma's at around $20! DKWildz fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Apr 23, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2013 15:21
|
|
|
DKWildz posted:Thanks for all the info, everyone. Been taking it all in. My coworker picked up a V911 so we've been messing with that and I quickly found out how unprepared I was with the left/right swap to the left stick, and the sheer speed once you take away the counter-clockwise prop. It was pretty scary considering we're flying this at our shop with concrete everywhere and the shop itself makes a pretty good wind tunnel that throws us all around. In the end though, it makes me even more excited for that 4 channel Comanche that's on its way right now! Don't worry about the V911. Once your senses adjust you will be able to fly it no space at all. I regularly fly mine around my tiny rear end kitchen while I'm cooking food. The v911 is just below the line of hobbygrade helicopter and toy grade helicopter. Toy grade being the ones that if you break a part, it is cheaper to just replace the entire thing. YOu can get an entire new v911 w/o controller for like $15-$20 on ebay. Hobbygrade, aka anything made by Blade, is something that you will be able to find replacement parts for (and should). Most hobby shops carry those parts too since Blade and the BnF spektrum capable things are so stinkin popular. And yeah, before you invest a lot in the hobby, if you decide to, get a dx6i: I have two planes, two helicopters, and a quad I fly off of it and its wonderful.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2013 19:11
|
|
|
Beautiful evening tonight, just enough wind to maintain/climb altitude at 1/4 throttle. not shown: the insane vertical dive I made when I heard a prop plane heading my direction (I am well over 5 miles from any airport). devmd01 fucked around with this message at 02:02 on Apr 27, 2013 |
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2013 01:57
|
|
|
He was coming to formation fly with you.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2013 13:35
|
|
|
I did get a plane to waggle its wings at me a couple of weeks ago!
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2013 18:17
|
|
|
Got the FX035 (or FX060, or Hunting Sky Feixvan if you will) and have been flying it around a little. It had a lot of trouble going forward outdoors without any noticeable wind. From the unboxing/review video on youtube I adjusted the servo arms to the swashplate (ended up loving up their adjustment too, since the left one would max itself out up or down every time I hooked it back up), and got them as level as the gears to the servos will possibly let me. I need more room now! Once this thing gets going it needs a nice big arc to turn! One thing that's still getting me with it though. I'm sure I don't have all the trims set perfectly yet (and to add I'm a horrible pilot still), but the heli is (and I don't know if this is the right term?) 'fading' right as I try and go forward, and I'm having to go up/left a bit to counteract it. I've moved the trim over to try and fix it, but it seems to be overpowering it? All in all it's been a lot of fun though. Although after taking the body apart to do adjustments, this probably isn't going to allow many more times of doing that, since screws threading into plastic just aren't going to keep eventually.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2013 19:47
|
|
|
ease posted:He was coming to formation fly with you. Reminds me kind of of this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffEYqGGYXRk
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2013 03:38
|
|
|
I picked up a V911 to add to the stable. I've been flying my coworkers a little bit at work, and just flew mine around the green space by my complex's pool. It's everything you guys have said and more haha. This thing drat near points straight at the ground when I go forward. Makes for some amusing divebombs to the ground before letting off and rising back up!
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2013 17:45
|
|
|
I flew 7 miles out and then glided all the way home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPUi9Hp5aNY
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2013 18:00
|
|
|
What part of the world is that? It's very pretty. Utah? Wyoming? Colorado? e: hah I googled "Popwing" to find out what it was and the first link is another of your videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdVTgBOWhzI Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 21:14 on May 1, 2013 |
|
#
?
May 1, 2013 21:10
|
|
|
Good guess, it's Colorado.
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2013 21:48
|
|
|
DKWildz posted:Got the FX035 (or FX060, or Hunting Sky Feixvan if you will) and have been flying it around a little. It had a lot of trouble going forward outdoors without any noticeable wind. From the unboxing/review video on youtube I adjusted the servo arms to the swashplate (ended up loving up their adjustment too, since the left one would max itself out up or down every time I hooked it back up), and got them as level as the gears to the servos will possibly let me. I need more room now! Once this thing gets going it needs a nice big arc to turn! That's the biggest problem I have with helis. I bought one off of craigslist that initially didn't have enough servo throw and since then I could never get it perfect. On the blade helicopters, the ball joint's are notoriously weak too so if you pop it off more than twice you end up buying a new swash. Most places don't make some of the older helicopter's swashes any more in aluminum parts so I just gave up on it and kind of junked it. And since its a blade helicopter, the only thing transferrable off of it was the landing gear  which since it was a blade helicopter, they sucked I guess just be careful taking those joints apart, my fat fingers just cracked them apart.
|
|
#
?
May 2, 2013 04:19
|
|
|
Check this out, some dudes got together and flew Mt. St. Helens. They launched from 9 miles away! Video isn't up yet but there are some awesome shots: http://fpvlab.com/forums/showthread.php?15529-WA-Mt-St-Helens-conquered!!!
|
|
#
?
May 2, 2013 21:51
|
|
|
Sick job on that 7 mile flight VJ. What video frequency was that on?
|
|
#
?
May 2, 2013 22:35
|
|
|
Thanks dude. I was using a Sunsky on 1280mhz and Rangelink UHF.
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2013 00:26
|
|
|
Went to go fly at lunch, charged my batteries back up at work in the afternoon. Got in a hurry getting out the door and didn't unplug the last battery from the charger. I get on the interstate, go "what's that smell?!?" but don't think much of it for some reason. I get home, go to put away the charger, and 
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2013 23:42
|
|
|
I made a longer post in the CoC embedded megathread, but a mod OKed posting this here, too. The startup I work for recently made a Kickstarter project called 'AshimaCore', which is ultimately going to be the avionics package (sensors, microcontroller, datalogger) for a multirotor we have in development. The software will be open-sourced (perhaps excepting the IMU code itself). Here's a picture:  A long-term goal of the startup I work for is to design a hexacopter 'puck'. Here's a picture of the puck, as well as the puck next to our existing quadrotor:   We decided that it would be a good idea to first release the avionics board that we'll be using for a hexacopter precursor to the puck. We looked around for sub-$200 IMUs and didn't find much that was good. There's a $125 IMU from SparkFun, but it has a 16MHz, 8-bit processor with no FPU. If you want logging or wireless ability, you'll be spending more. We give you the sensor + hefty MCU + µSD slot for $129, and adding WiFi is $35. If our board becomes popular enough to hit 1000 units, that $129 price could drop appreciably as well. Anyhow, discussion of this should probably go in the embedded megathread, since this isn't yet an RC vehicle. If anyone here is frustrated with the existing 'brains' for hobbyist multicopters, maybe this can fill that niche.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2013 00:26
|
|
|
Tell us more about the "Puck" airframe. Are those images of a mockup? Are those things on the 6 facets foam bumpers?
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2013 03:37
|
|
|
It's a 3-D printed mockup which will hopefully use ducted fans instead of propellers. What you guessed as foam bumpers will be batteries, to increase the moment of inertia and thus make it easier to control.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2013 07:13
|
|
|
Pololu has a nice imu for only $40, which I've used in an arduino based quad. Also, while I understand why you want to increase the moment of inertia to make your puck less twitchy, I wouldn't want to fly a multi copter that puts the batteries in the most vulnerable spot. I've also done a ducted fan tri and ducted fans have a really crappy lift/weight ratio; though maybe you've found some better ones than I.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2013 07:52
|
|
|
Victor posted:It's a 3-D printed mockup which will hopefully use ducted fans instead of propellers. What you guessed as foam bumpers will be batteries, to increase the moment of inertia and thus make it easier to control. Ducted fans typically make for terrible multi-rotor craft because you need high torque, low RPM, and a high speed-to-speed transition response time... which is kind of the antithesis of a ducted fan.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2013 09:29
|
|
|
TheLastManStanding posted:Pololu has a nice imu for only $40, which I've used in an arduino based quad. quote:Also, while I understand why you want to increase the moment of inertia to make your puck less twitchy, I wouldn't want to fly a multi copter that puts the batteries in the most vulnerable spot. quote:I've also done a ducted fan tri and ducted fans have a really crappy lift/weight ratio; though maybe you've found some better ones than I. CrazyLittle posted:Ducted fans typically make for terrible multi-rotor craft because you need high torque, low RPM, and a high speed-to-speed transition response time... which is kind of the antithesis of a ducted fan.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 00:58
|
|
|
CrazyLittle posted:Ducted fans typically make for terrible multi-rotor craft because you need high torque, low RPM, and a high speed-to-speed transition response time... which is kind of the antithesis of a ducted fan. Not to mention the noise. Multicopters can be almost silent with the right combination of gear. EDFs on the other hand, had someone call the noise police on me once when I was flying in a park. Noise police didn't really care, given I only had one 4 minute run battery on me and the sound really wasn't that loud in comparison to old lawn mowers or line-trimmers.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 01:26
|
|
|
Victor posted:It's a 3-D printed mockup which will hopefully use ducted fans instead of propellers. What you guessed as foam bumpers will be batteries, to increase the moment of inertia and thus make it easier to control. Wouldn't decreasing the moment of inertia be better seeing as how you are using electronic stability control? Also using 4 batteries like that will be a pain in the rear end.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 02:21
|
|
|
helno posted:Wouldn't decreasing the moment of inertia be better seeing as how you are using electronic stability control? Also using 4 batteries like that will be a pain in the rear end. The battery situation is only obnoxious if you want to change them out on-location instead of just recharge the unit or throw a second one up in the air while the first one is recharging.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 03:42
|
|
|
Victor posted:Cool; that didn't show up in my searches for some reason. I keep forgetting about Pololu. It's not quite right to call that an 'IMU' though; one needs to do sensor fusion and provide calibration functions. The orientation sensor Pololu sells, which has an ARM microcontroller, is $149. I'm not sure why it costs so much; it's listed for even more at other sites. quote:The puck version will have a lot of smarts to avoid battery-exploding impacts. It's actually intended to be thrown as a way to guide where it goes. quote:TheLastManStanding, would you be willing to share a bit more about your ducted fan tri? I admit I'm a bit skeptical of the design, but it isn't the end of the world if we can't get it to work and have to use something with exposed propellers, instead. Victor posted:A higher moment of inertia means that the electronic stability control doesn't have to be as good. That's good when you don't want to pay tons for top-notch sensors and other components.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 04:09
|
|
|
TheLastManStanding posted:1. You're already going to have a micro-controller, so you can have it do all the calcs and calibrations. When I built my arduino based system it could read the imu and do all the calcs in under 4 ms (most of that time is reading the device). 2. True. 3. My boss thinks these aren't necessary constraints. I don't know enough fluid mechanics to doubt him, although commercial availability would seem to indicate something. 4. How did you come to the conclusion of 'not much'? We could easily be talking a 5x increase in the moment of inertia. We aren't interested in the puck doing acrobatics btw; we're more interested in doing 3-D reconstruction from video.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 17:32
|
|
|
Victor posted:
I came here to say this. If edf's ran great on multirotors, you'd probably see more of them.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 17:37
|
|
|
Video of the flight to Mt. St. Helens released. No words. http://vimeo.com/65503201
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 20:41
|
|
|
Hello goons, I need your help! Someone posted a link to the ArduCopters in GBS, and I must have one. I have zero experience with aerial RC vehicles, but hopefully you guys can help. I'm looking at the pre-assembled kits here: https://code.google.com/p/arducopter/wiki/Purchase but I'm not sure what the differences are between them. What is the benefit of a Hexacopter over a Quadcopter? Is it just lift and payload capacity? Beyond that, what is the different in the 3 models of each Quadcopter and Hexacopter? Searching around, it looked like the battery life was about 7 minutes. Is it possible to boost that up to 20-30 minutes? It looks like I'll need a transmitter too and that site is recommending this one http://store.diydrones.com/product_p/rc-spektrum-dx7-01.htm Is that a reasonable choice? I'm less worried about the cost, but more importantly that I get the right equipment. Thanks for your help!
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 21:00
|
|
|
Shadowgate posted:Hello goons, I need your help! What are you gonna do with it? Just toot around in your back yard? Because if that's the answer I can save you about $500 http://www.amazon.com/Blade-BLH7500-BLADE-mQX-RTF/dp/B006R6EGCY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367788876&sr=8-1&keywords=blade+mqx edit-- Shadowgate posted:I have zero experience with aerial RC vehicles Please do not spend $1000 on a kit quad and a dx7 without some experience. Please please please dont Bob A Feet fucked around with this message at 22:23 on May 5, 2013 |
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 22:21
|
|
|
Bob A Feet posted:What are you gonna do with it? Just toot around in your back yard? Because if that's the answer I can save you about $500 I live in the city, so I was planning to take some aerial videos with my GoPro attached. If there is a better way to get into the hobby, please let me know. What would you recommend instead? That Blade mQX RTF looks like a toy. While I'm not opposed to starting on something simple, that seems a little too basic.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 22:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 07:11 |
|
|
You could also try one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Parrot-AR-Dro...ds=ar+drone+2.0 The reason this kind of thing is recommended for new flyers is the same reason folks in Cycle Asylum recommend a used, somewhat beat-up motorcycle to first-time riders: you're going to accidentally damage it, and you want to mitigate the cost of that as much as possible. Consumer-grade RC stuff is durable enough to withstand a few crashes without needing a bunch of expensive replacement parts, and you can get going right out of the box instead of having to learn to build the whole thing over many weeks only to crash and break it thirty seconds into the first flight. Ask me how I know! Battery life isn't going to get much better than 7-10 minutes, especially if you're carrying the extra weight of a GoPro. Larger batteries will help somewhat but you're still going to have to carry the extra weight around, so you won't get as much additional time as you expect. If you want really long radio-control flights, you should be looking at the sailplanes and motor gliders.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2013 22:47
|
|