Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

Splode posted:

I would not be buying an even more expensive camera drone when you crashed and destroyed the mini in just 3 days

Counterpoint, I would.

But I’m BWM

If you aren’t crashing you aren’t learning!

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

shovelbum posted:

What's the deal with <250g drones now? Where can you fly them?

Anywhere! The FAA has domain over all drones >250g so manufacturers have started to just make lighter quads to get around it

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

Pryor on Fire posted:

Ok thread what is the best way to drop a small hobby drone at about 50 yards safely? I am going to start with 12g #4 steel shot, seems like the best option. I don't want to use a rifle since I don't want to send rifle rounds off at high trajectories.

Anyone have any experience shooting down or getting their drones shot down?

Is there any way to track down which shithead owns the drone based on the serial number or anything else afterwards?

I’m guessing you’re trolling but if not here you go https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/88696-before-you-pull-the-trigger-the-legal-implications-of-shooting-down-a-drone

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

Pryor on Fire posted:

Not trolling, it's perfectly legal to discharge firearms on your property around here, and the polite deputy already informed me they have zero resources to deal with idiots and their drones, he was the one who suggested I shoot it down.

I killed a squirrel for fun and then shot through a box of old 9mm just because I was bored this morning. Not everyone lives in a studio in Williamsburg.

It’s also perfectly legal to fly a drone. It’s illegal however to shoot down a drone. Maybe try TFR if you want a better response; you just did the equivalent of asking a pet owners group how to kill your neighbors German Shepard.

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

Martytoof posted:

Interesting! Are there any decent radios that can take an HDMI or other video output for on-controller FPV? I've got a HMD coming in the mail but if I could replace my 9x with something that I didn't have to frankenstein a screen onto that would be aces. Not that I'm looking to get rid of my 9x right now -- suits my limited use.

Easiest way of doing this would probably be to get an FPV watch and Velcro it to your radio. I don’t know of any radios that have a built in FPV screen


https://www.getfpv.com/topsky-2-fpv-watch-w-48ch-5-8ghz-receiver.html

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

Warbird posted:

Would it be worth the hassle of getting a part 107 if I’m only going to be doing revenue generating activities occasionally? My wife’s got it in her head that we should do a side hustle of photography (drone and regular) and I can’t see any series of events that would balance out the additional insurance and other assorted joys I’d licensed flying.

If you’re going to make money off of it you have to have your part 107 as far as I’m aware. You only get to fly for free if it’s for hobby purposes

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

i own every Bionicle posted:

Another toothpick question.

So the AIO on my TinyHawk Freestyle 1 died as far as I can tell. Won’t arm, no OSD, LED’s intermittent but the camera and vtx always work. I have spent a good amount of time/money upgrading the vtx to a unify nano, camera to a runcam nano, and receiver to a XM+. The quad was amazing before it died.

So now I can replace the flight controller(and bottom plate while I’m at it since it is in very rough shape) for about 60 bucks and continue to enjoy it (while removing and throwing out the stock vtx and rx), or throw the whole thing out and build something fresh to use the vtx, camera, and RX for about 100? I can’t re-use the motors because they have a 3 screw mounting pattern that nobody uses in other frames. I could also try to put a different AIO in it to save some money and maybe be more durable but I’d have to drill new holes in the frame and that seems like a pain in the rear end. Of course installing the XM+ and Unify on the TH board is a pain in the rear end too.

Most importantly, how do I do any of this without giving money to Kabab?

I’ll probably build something fresh and give the motors to somebody who can use them.

There are so many awesome bnfs around $100 that it’d be hard to recommend anything but buying new. Tiny hawk freestyle 2, tiny hawk race, mobula 6, uav65, etc.

For $110 you could get the new tiny hawk freestyle 2 that everyone is freaking out about. Not to dissuade you from reusing old parts but you could get a whole new quad with no work for the same price and then swap in parts as needed

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

deong posted:

I got a DJI Mavic Mini for xmas this year and its been fun. Before this, I've had a few cheaper, not camera, quads.

I'm wondering, if I wanted to get into FPV stunta life.. can I get more than 5 min out of a battery? I really like the mini's 30 min flight time. I was hoping that the new generation (my others are like 5 yrs?) would push the battery limits, but it seems they push the power instead?


https://outcastdroneworks.com/products/microhawk-complete-maker-kit

I have one of these on the way (allegedly). Seems to be the longest flight time currently available with ~15 minutes of freestyle or 20-25 minutes of cruising

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

A Proper Uppercut posted:

So even though I limited my throttle and I did end up messing with my rates a bit, the babyhawk R is proving difficult to learn on, it can get away from you so easily. Can anyone recommend a smaller/whoop style drone that would be better for learning fpv outdoors? Preferably with a frsky receiver.

I’ve been really happy with my beta FPV meteor65. 1s ducted whoop that you can crash into anything and is tame enough to fly indoors. There’s also the mobula 6 if you don’t want to swap to a new battery connector.

I had the chance to fly a tinyhawk freestyle2 recently as well that was a lot of fun and quite capable if you want open props

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

A Proper Uppercut posted:

So even though I limited my throttle and I did end up messing with my rates a bit, the babyhawk R is proving difficult to learn on, it can get away from you so easily. Can anyone recommend a smaller/whoop style drone that would be better for learning fpv outdoors? Preferably with a frsky receiver.

Another random though, have you tried out any of the simulators?

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

Corky Romanovsky posted:

If you want to spread out the cost and get some better equipment, you could start with the SIM software and Radiomaster transmitter, then get a quad and the Eachine EV800D. It will be about $100~150 more, but you will have a much better transmitter and goggles than the $200 bundle.

Seconded this. Everyone I know with a RTF kit has replaced their radio (they break easy) and complains about their goggles. The EV800d is universally praised and holds its value well on the second hand market along with the radiomaster. You’re better off buying decent components to start off with and if you decide it’s not for you, re-sell.

That being said, I’d get a BNF whoop as your first drone. They take a beating way better than a 5” would and you can fly it indoors during bad weather. Tinyhawk, Meteor65, mobula 6, etc.

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009
Thirded. I and a buddy both went with cheap radios and both now have radiomaster/jumper radios. If you end up not using it you can resell it for the majority of your purchase price

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

Combat Pretzel posted:

quadmovr had two of those videos I was hinting at, for instance this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F3svnfzKwY

Seems they work well enough. I want to try this.

--edit:
Friend of mine got himself a balancer board. AFAIK, he isn't the type to babysit batteries, putting them away at storage charge levels, so I expect him to plug in batteries at different charge and balancing levels. He's in for a fun time, isn't he?

Depending on the difference he’s either gonna fry the board or blow up a battery. Parallel charging isn’t something to mess around on

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

Kuvo posted:

are there any good resources for someone looking to get into FPV quads? looking for a rundown of the items i would need (quad, goggles, remote, etc) attributes/features to compare, different pricepoints, etc. My only real requirement is that it be able to record some video (preferably HD). I guess i could buy that new dji fpv and be done with it but it doesn't seem like i would be paying a premium for a prebuilt package.

Joshua Bardwell

https://www.fpvknowitall.com/

Oscar Liang

https://oscarliang.com/

Either one will give you fantastic up to date info on just about any FPV product along with beginners guides and how tos

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

Kuvo posted:

browsed though this site and watched the videos on how to build his beginner quad and this looks up my alley. having the kits parts pre selected is nice in that it saves me a lot of guessing. i do have to admit though im pretty surprised that after getting the quad kit ($400), battery/charger ($100), goggles ($570) and controller/receiver ($120) im looking at about the same price as the DJI FPV. If i were to get the DJI FPV, would the goggles and controller be useable in any future custom quads?

Only the goggles, the controller is proprietary to their drones. If you want to fly other HD FPV drones like the bardwell build you linked you’d need a different radio like the jumper/radiomaster t-16 or DJI FPV remote (the original black square one, not the new game controller looking one) depending on how you wanted to build and wire plus personal ergonomic preferences

The big plus to the DIY route in my mind is repairability and compatibility. If I crash one of my drones I can order repair parts and in the meantime use anything still working on any of my other drones (cameras, receivers, motors, battery, etc.). If you buy a radio with a multi protocol unit you can bind to almost any receiver out there which really opens up your options as far as prebuilds. If you buy into the DJI FPV and crash, you’re waiting for DJI to repair or replace your drone.

Captain Toasted fucked around with this message at 04:22 on May 10, 2021

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

CapnBry posted:

The FAA has released its the TRUST test (The Recreational UAS Safety Test) that's part of the new requirements to fly a drone now days. You can take it online from any of the approved sites. I used the AMA's website thinking they might have the resources to make it work without ending in an Internal Server Error at some point. I was only partially correct, as that only happened once during the 50 page, 30 seconds-of-loading-per-page class/test.
https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_fliers/knowledge_test_updates/

True or False, hot shot! A RECREATIONAL FLYER SHOULD BE AWARE THAT SOME MEDICATIONS CAN AFFECT THEIR ABILITY TO FLY SAFELY.
False. A recreational flyer should not be aware that some medications won't affect their ability to fly safely.

Thanks for the link! Just completed mine. For anyone worried about it I didn't read a single page of their information and passed with flying colors just from knowledge from this thread. You can even answer a question wrong and the system says "Whoopsie! Try again little buddy"

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

TheReverend posted:

Hey so I have broken a few things on my BnF Nazgul5.

Well technically the camera never worked. I replaced it with a Trex and it looks good. gently caress you Caddex!

But the 12 ga pigtail it came with started to strip the insulation from how stiff it is and bending it to make it to my 4S batteries.

Anyhow, I just unsoldered my 12ga leads.
And resoldered some 14ga.

Holy poo poo it's way easier to solder and manipulate.

Bardwell says that 12ga is reserved for hi performance quads, and I think my 200 dollar BnF doesn't count.

Anyone notice a difference between 14 and 12?!


Also soldering sucks but I think I'm getting.... Better

Feel your leads after a heavy flight. If they’re hot you need to get a lower gauge wire

Also, are you using rosin? That stuff is magic for making your solder joints look professional

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

TheReverend posted:

Thanks yeah I'm using flux, 6040 solder, and a TS100.

I just need more practice I think.

They sell soldering practice boards if you want some experience before you solder the real stuff

https://www.getfpv.com/diatone-mamba-practice-soldering-board.html

Personally I used the faceplate/diagram that came with my FC stack but for $1.99 it’s tough to argue. Definitely worth picking one up if you’re worried about messing something up!

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

Desert Bus posted:

How fast can I lose a cheap RC airplane? I dunno! But I'd really like to find out now that the thought is in my brain.

Edit: there are multiple rubberband/balsa planes in my pond already, just sayin'

There’s something magical about sending a model plane out and watching it soar to unknown heights and distances as you frantically try to regain control

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Captain Toasted
Jan 3, 2009

LifeSunDeath posted:

thanks guys, I'll keep my drone experiences to myself from now on. oof.

Please keep posting and don't let this get you down. We all have made mistakes and want to help others learn without having to repeat them or inadvertently get into trouble

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply