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Oh god I have people to not let down now  There are no paper instructions for this kit, which means I'll be following video directions from the maker himself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awNHCEm4bLk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oSo3e2Fog4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTjOU6jp02c Now to boring things: I'm currently self-employed, I'm in the process of moving apartments, AND I got possible job offer in another country a few days ago, so please excuse me if you're not flooded with updates, although I'll try to keep things going - I just have a lot on my plate right now 
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Feb 14, 2011 22:39
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Manny posted:Looks good, are you going to have trouble sawing the nose off and fabricating a motor mount? I guess you'll also need to have the correct thrustline set up. My Dad had a similar problem, and he got someone else to do it - they made up a carbon-fiber disc, which was epoxied into the nose. Also, nice pool table! Sawing the nose shouldn't be to hard just need a bit of down and right trust to keep it from getting to out of whack. I am getting a plywood motor mount laser cut to fit but I have decided to spend the time to design a battery and servo tray that notches into the motor mount to stiffen up the whole front end of the plane. The pool table is a piece of poo poo that came with the house.
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Feb 14, 2011 23:39
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wJUWzYuuqs Thought this was quite neat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n55v_bZ5zTk
Manny fucked around with this message at 16:04 on Feb 15, 2011 |
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Feb 15, 2011 15:43
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Manny posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wJUWzYuuqs Manny posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n55v_bZ5zTk Yeah, that's a big old oops. On the upside, his camera's waterproof. I wonder how difficult it would be to install flotation bags on that thing.
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Feb 15, 2011 18:53
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Someone at my club trying to give my camera a haircut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAbUIB7Vu2U
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Feb 17, 2011 15:38
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Manny posted:Someone at my club trying to give my camera a haircut: Wow, is that a 250? Those things seems soo agile (like too agile) Nice piloting skills.
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Feb 21, 2011 20:26
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I think it is a 250, but not entirely sure. To keep this thread rolling, here's a couple of my other toys:  Click here for the full 1024x683 image. My current favorite - .82ci 4stroke attached to a plane weighing about 4lbs.  Click here for the full 1280x853 image.  Click here for the full 1280x853 image. This is the same guy as from the video above:  Click here for the full 1280x853 image. Manny fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Feb 23, 2011 |
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Feb 22, 2011 11:40
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Don't worry Manny, I'll spend so much time getting started so catching up won't be an issue. If my goal is stable camera platform, should I really be thinking quad? How big will the price difference be?
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Feb 26, 2011 21:54
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IsaacNewton posted:Wow, is that a 250? Those things seems soo agile (like too agile) Nice piloting skills.
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Feb 27, 2011 13:04
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I have multiples 450 (tried belt and shaft and got enough spare for a spare) It looked like a 250 in the air but the end of the video showing the dude going up to it shows it real size. The camera's fish eye lens make it look small. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ect6ixLbHM Boring to watch but it's my first flight -- Last summer. I don't have enough cash to keep it flying, but I got better (thank god.. :P) IsaacNewton fucked around with this message at 16:49 on Feb 27, 2011 |
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Feb 27, 2011 16:45
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The weirdest part about flying RC helicopters are the crashes. They're always funny for some stupid reason even if the one crashing is yours. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwjEV7MmHPw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G8gNOS4bLQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAYYHcSBETQ#t=0m26s jagdtiger00 fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Mar 1, 2011 |
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Mar 1, 2011 17:04
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The last one is particularly retarded though, who would maiden over water unless you fly something with floaters?
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Mar 1, 2011 18:20
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IsaacNewton posted:The last one is particularly retarded though, who would maiden over water unless you fly something with floaters? Hell even with floaters if the wind gets a strong hold of it or there's some other big malfunction or mistake on the pilots part the thing will end up in the water upside down anyway.
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Mar 2, 2011 04:02
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jagdtiger00 posted:Hell even with floaters if the wind gets a strong hold of it or there's some other big malfunction or mistake on the pilots part the thing will end up in the water upside down anyway. At least you don't have to fish it ouf of the water afterward. So I got the urge to fix my 450 pro clone. The last thing I remember about it is the tail had a weird high vibration that made the tail grip's screw loosen before takeoff. I tried so many thing to fix it and it drove me nuts.. I'll try a more zen approach this time around.
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Mar 2, 2011 16:25
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Have you tried balancing the tail rotors? I'm still waiting for parts to ship from Hong Kong, I've been practicing with a soldering iron though, so hope to report some progress soon!
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Mar 2, 2011 16:43
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Manny posted:Have you tried balancing the tail rotors? I tried but it's not as easy as balancing the main blades. Their weight are equal (based on my lovely scale) and I attached both of them together and placed bits of tape on the middle of the highest one until they were level. I'm gonna change the belt to see if it has a bad kink or something then go on and spend hours upon hours trouble shooting every single part until I go nut again. 1) belt off, full motor speed, if noise remains then its up front, otherwise its on the tail 2) belt on, no tail blade, if the noise remains then its in the tail assembly, if not its the tail blades 3) ??? 4) Fly!! IsaacNewton fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Mar 2, 2011 |
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Mar 2, 2011 16:52
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Ok, I'm usually a smug dick when it comes to learning poo poo by googling but I've been enjoying some slices of humble pie lately . But I think I'm nearing a crest on the learning curve and I will order some stuff come next payday. Frame and controller kit from the quadframe guy. Maybe I'll order some of the business bits as well, but the next phase is deciding on motors and battery and stuff. Gonna do some more forum reading before I start to have an opinion. I went by a hobby store in my town. So typical of other online vs brick&mortar experiences. Do I go for the ridiculously cheap online store abroad with the massive selection of parts? Or do I go with the expensive, extremely limited selection local store where the guy behind the counter doesn't even try to feign interest when you're not looking for one of the premium priced standard products? Oh decisions...
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Mar 8, 2011 20:52
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It depends what type of products you're looking for. I now buy all batteries from an online shop based in Hong Kong for a fraction of the price of my local model shop, and chances are they may even be made in the same factory. A few years ago the quality wasn't really there, but the latest Li-Pos have been excellent, and so much cheaper that even if you do get a lemon, the savings mean that it doesn't really matter. I think the cheap motors are pretty good too, although I have had issues buying 3 identical motors that turned out not to be. They're also usually a little less efficient than the more expensive brands like AXI, or Mega. For electronics like speed controllers, I'm not really sure myself. The really cheap ones just aren't as good as the more expensive brands. My top recommendation for speed controllers is a company called Castle Creations. They're quite expensive, but not outrageously so, but you notice the quality difference to the bargain basement ones. Theres an instant throttle response whilst I've had unbranded controllers that had a frustrating slight delay on pick-up. You can also plug them into a pc by USB and update the firmware and programming very easily instead of having to use a programming card or input stick controls to a series of beeps. It's got me wondering if I want to risk a £300 GoPro to 3x $15 speed controllers when a failure of any one of them would cause a guaranteed crash.
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Mar 11, 2011 18:33
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I also buy tons of stuff from hobbyking Never had a lipo fail in anyway and I still use the first one that I bought from them with no real loss of power. Only thing I had fail was a 60 amp speed controller that I was pushing about 80 amps through during bursts.
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Mar 12, 2011 18:51
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Let's keep this thread alive, and turn it into an RC aerial vehicles megathread! I'm just marginally familiar with RC Helicopters, having never graduated from electric to gas though. Currently I have a Blade 120SR and holy poo poo it's a twitchy fucker compared to the Blade CX Coaxial I used to have. Advice for those starting out and want something more than a $30 3-channel micro helo: 1. Start with a smaller electric helicopter 2. Start with a 4-Channel (4 channel includes pitch, roll, yaw, and of course altitude, or throttle). I would recommend a coaxial helicopter (counter rotating blades that really make hovering and simple maneuvers easy). Even though these things may seem dinky and useless compared to the 6-Channel ones you see youtube videos of going upside down and poo poo a basic 4 channel one will provide plenty of entertainment, and you can fly them inside! (Make sure you have enough space) 3. You will crash it, there's no ifs. 4. You will laugh when it crashes, regardless of the damage done. 5. Some people recommend starting out with those flight sims where you plug the controller into the PC and fly a virtual one. I never did, and I imagine it's nowhere near what it's like to get a real one off the ground. After about an hour or so of flight time with my little coaxial I could land the thing on my own head (I never did though because that's dangerous, spinning blades and all) 6. Does anyone else have a better write up? 7. gently caress this kid- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHJs1gBLiuQ&feature=related jagdtiger00 fucked around with this message at 17:23 on Mar 18, 2011 |
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Mar 18, 2011 17:11
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Manny posted:I've ordered the parts and will be building a tri-copter, at first as an aerial video camera platform and then later I may try some of the first person video stuff. I'm going for a tri over a quad as they're easier for orientation in the air, and cost less as you need 1 less motor and ESC. Also the 120degree angle of the arms means they shouldn't appear in view on my wide angle camera. If you're so concerned about stability, then why are you side-mounting the camera? You could hang it straight down from the center of the craft with a bicycle wheel spoke, shortened to mitigate flexing/bouncing. If you're worried about hard landings hurting the camera you could use an array of zipties to cushion it at the base. edit: you could use the tripod socket and just flip the video rightside up in post-edit as well
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Mar 18, 2011 21:07
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That's just now it's designed, with the battery on a movable slider so you can balance it out. I'm building it as planned for now, but I'm looking at pan and tilt mechanisms which would be better suited to hang directly below. The camera can be configured to run upside too. Here's a few stills that I've taken with the camera strapped to a twinstar. I'm working on editing the video, and trying out some stabilization software too.    I tried attaching it under a nitro-powered plane and it didn't end well. First it covered the camera in a smeary mess of oil, then on the 2nd flight the engine quit after takeoff and I tried to make it back to the field but going downwind and the extra drag and weight of the camera didn't help me. I should have stayed into wind - live and learn. Ended up breaking off the undercarriage and cracking a camera mount. Horrible vibration from the 4-stroke too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKJcGurY46s The videos I've taken with the electric twinstar are a lot better, just finding time to edit down all the footage.
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Mar 21, 2011 19:00
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I'm terrible with R/C helicopters.
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Mar 22, 2011 04:49
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Bad Angus! Bad!
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helno posted:The 3.5 channel helicopters are as cheap as they are because they do not actually contain servos for control they simply use transistor based speed controllers to vary the speed of the two main rotors and the .5 channel is the vertically mounted tail rotor to give the small amount of forward speed they can achieve. After you have flown even a basic 4 channel helicopter you will see what you have been missing when you don't have cyclic control. I just bought myself a 3 channel to learn to fly (Syma S031), is there any particular 4 channel heli you'd recommend once I get my head around the S031? 2ndclasscitizen fucked around with this message at 01:35 on Mar 23, 2011 |
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Mar 22, 2011 09:21
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Blade MSR is a good one to step up to. The MCX is easier but an MSR should be manageable if you don't make a mess of your Syma. VVV I bet those little batteries come off that mCP hotter than hell after a few minutes of 3d flying. helno fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Mar 23, 2011 |
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Mar 23, 2011 01:41
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I agree. The MCX is an amazing little heli for a total beginner, they're incredibly easy to fly. The MSR is a little less stable, but more manouverable, so it's good upgrade. A friend just sent me a link to the new Blade MCP and it's insane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqunygaQlQM
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Mar 23, 2011 16:35
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I'd skip the MCX as if you're like me you will quickly get bored with it. It's way too stable and doesn't require much talent to get moving. The MSR (or the knock offs like the CB100 from Walkera or the Nine Eagle Pro) offer a much bigger challenge while staying somewhat in the realm of stable. If your goal is to fly bigger collective pitch helis then that's what I recommend you do anyway. You'll need to learn to control the heli like it's a glass ball on a plate anyway (constant attention / tiny pitch corrections etc) and the MCX does not offer that. If you're doing this for fun and giggle inside then a MCX would work better for you. It's also a great heli to pop out when you're drunk.
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Mar 24, 2011 22:01
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IsaacNewton posted:I'd skip the MCX as if you're like me you will quickly get bored with it. It's way too stable and doesn't require much talent to get moving. Yeah, I'm thinking about just stumping up for the MSR when I can spare the cash, I think the Syma might've been a bit of a waste of money.
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Mar 25, 2011 09:48
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Manny posted:That's just now it's designed, with the battery on a movable slider so you can balance it out. I'm building it as planned for now, but I'm looking at pan and tilt mechanisms which would be better suited to hang directly below. The camera can be configured to run upside too. Sweet. What kind of engines do these planes have, anyway? Also watching that amazing stuntz chopper video it occurs to me that it's weird that a R/C chopper has a tail rotor. In the full scale things, tail rotors are much less ideal then the twin rotor configuration, as it sucks like 30% of the power from the main engine. Maybe this is different in a chopper that uses electricity...
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Apr 6, 2011 22:05
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I can't even fathom what the linkage would look like on a collective pitch coaxial. :o Edit: Now I know and it's loving crazy. 
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Apr 7, 2011 21:07
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Nebakenezzer posted:Sweet. What kind of engines do these planes have, anyway? The twinstar has 2 little cheap brushless electric motors, the nitro plane is a little Saito .56 glow 4 stroke. I was just getting round to building the frames of my tri-copter and my home internet goes down, and I need to see the building tutorial videos on youtube...
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Apr 9, 2011 23:15
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Funny, I took up flying RC planes four years ago due to the "most fun with 20$ you can ever have"-thread from here, and now i also do some fun aerial photography on the side. Here is for example our rc clubs airfield last spring:  I shoot stills with a modified Samsung S750, videos with an Aiptek HD Trio and also those 12$ keychain cams that you can buy on ebay. My favortie video and photo platform is my modified MPX Easystar. Using added ailerons and a beefy brushless engine, I can get it up pretty fast and high, shut off the engine and take better video and stills while gliding.  Sometimes I try to do more funstuff, here is a video of me trying to chase a friends EDF jet with my EDF jet. He outpaced me.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQAB_j78Feo This one I did last winter in Austin while visiting my in-laws. Was fun to to some aerial combat flying with those dudes from Texas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct0MdAHRD_E Hoeni fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Apr 10, 2011 |
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Apr 10, 2011 22:10
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I have one of those cheap keychain cameras as well. I velcroed it to my indoor plane last friday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybhRzNOGcDo
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Apr 10, 2011 23:15
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I didn't see any thread for stupid newbie questions so here we go! I haven't done anything with RC stuff since I was a kid with lame Tyco cars and what not, but I have a general idea of how engines and motors and flight work, and would love to get into some basic plane-flyin'. Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can get started into this for under ~$50 while still having a good amount of fun? I'm not great with modeling and what not, but if it turns out I love something simple, I'll try my damnedest to get good at it. I've seen a lot of people say the GWS Slow Stick is a great all around plane for beginners, but all of the kits I found don't include radios and what not, so I really don't know where to start.
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Apr 13, 2011 01:46
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Below 50 bucks? If you can find one (for some reason neither ebay nor amazon in the US have them anymore?), get an Air Hogs Aero Ace biplane. Used to be sold for 20 bucks and came with a remote. Only need 6 AA batteries and then fun starts. Really crash resistant, great fun and a good way to try out if its fun for you. If you want something better controllable (the Air Ace and most other sub 100$ stuff is only controlled via using two engines - more thrust on both sides: climb, less thrust - sink, thrust on left and right to steer, you cabn tell that its such a system if it uses 27mhz), check at Harbro freigth for this here: http://www.harborfreight.com/easy-to-fly-wild-hawk-rc-airplane-94774.html Its a clone of the Multiplex Easystar (the silver one like I use for photo flights). Also comes with a remote and is MUCH more controllable. Pretty durable too. Use it in low wind conditions, and you can get a hang on flying. This puppy has real servos, yo you can control speed, height and direction. Not the greatest thing, but a good start. If you can save up more, start with the Easystar RTF package. It may cost 2-3 times of the Harbor freight one, but is worth it. However for a first fix, try the tiny Air Hogs.
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Apr 13, 2011 07:46
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Hoeni posted:Below 50 bucks? If you can find one (for some reason neither ebay nor amazon in the US have them anymore?), get an Air Hogs Aero Ace biplane. Used to be sold for 20 bucks and came with a remote. Only need 6 AA batteries and then fun starts. Really crash resistant, great fun and a good way to try out if its fun for you. Any other suggestions for cheap, trainer planes? The only Air Hogs I'm finding are new, lovely looking ones and Aero Aces that are $80-300 for whatever reason, I'm assuming they're pretty hard to find now. Do you have any opinions on the GWS Slow Stick that I keep seeing people mention?
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Apr 13, 2011 16:08
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Stay away from the more expensive Aero Ace ones. I only liked the classic, small cheap models, the biplane, the Sport and Turbo ones being the best. I have no experience with the GWS slowstick, so can't comment on that one. From an RCGroups article, it looks like a more classic, small trainer. Might be worth it. I'm not a fan of classic wood/paper planes, I like foamies a lot due to their resilience and that you can crash them and fix them on the spot with some CA glue and kicker. And if parts got really bent, just dip them in hot water and the EPP will expand back to its old shape. Pretty neat, since the first few weeks of flying inevitably means crashing... I learned to properly fly with the MPX Easystar (killed two of them in the process, one crashed into a powerline and broke in way too many oieces to be reassembled, ould scavenge its innerts though - number two was accidentally landed upside down with completely killing the electronics - so I just built a third one with all nice little gadgets a you can see...), our RC club usually uses the MPX EasyGlider or the TwinStar2 to teach students how to fly. But if you need a remote, charger and the model plus servos, that is all well beyond your price scope. If I was you, I'd be checking ebay for a 72Mhz remote with 4 channels minimum, like a Graupner X412 or a Zebra 4FM. Since most RC pilots migrate to 2,4Ghz, the 72mhz ones are pretty cheap to get. Make sure to get a receiver with matching crystals as well and with some luck you can get that for under 30$. I don't know if a charger comes with the GWS, but a cheap one sets you back only a few bucks. If you can get a GWS slowstick fpr like 30 bucks and a remote plus receiver and charger for not much more, thats way better then the AirHogs/Aero Ace planes of course.
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Apr 13, 2011 16:28
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Thanks for the tips Hoeni. I stopped by Harbor Freight just now picked up this guy: http://www.harborfreight.com/rechargeable-radio-controlled-airplane-92304.html The "Yellow Bee," is what it's called. Hopefully it ends up not being a complete waste and I can have some fun with it There's a few people online that seem to love it.
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Apr 13, 2011 21:20
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Weeeeell... not really something I'd had recommedend, but a kid in my village here tries to fly one of those. Two things: Out of the box it is too tailheavy. It will stall if you apply full throttle, so tack a penny or two under its nose with sticky tape to bring the center of gravity more to the front. ANd: The wings are pretty brittle (which sucks, thats my main beef with it). Do not glue them back with ca glue if they break, rather use epoxy if you have that and run a strip of clear tape on top and on the bottom of the wing. Reinforces it a tiny bit. If you want to fly it, it must be in no wind at all. Try an early evening when the breeze settled down and use the rudder sparingly. That thing will take a while before it turns and then suddenly turns rather sharply if I remember correctly. Have fun
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Apr 13, 2011 23:05
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Hoeni posted:Weeeeell... not really something I'd had recommedend, but a kid in my village here tries to fly one of those. I know I'm taking a risk here, which thankfully is a fairly inexpensive risk  The local HF has the replacement wing sets on clearance for $3, so if I have fun this weekend I'll be sure to pick up a few. Worst case scenario: I pull a "what do you mean I can't return it, I just bought it!" Best case scenario: I love it, return it, and buy the one you suggested Thanks again for the advice, I'll be sure to keep an eye on this thread and hopefully be able to contribute more-so in the future.
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Apr 13, 2011 23:14
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