Multirotor, multicopter and quadcopter discussion - The Drone thread

Cuchulain · 20 Dec 2013 at 10:32

rhysduck said:
Is there a Tx with the X4 or could I use my Futaba 8FG?

There's a REALLY rubbish Tx with it, I doubt your Tx would bind with it.

Guest2 · 20 Dec 2013 at 14:21

Tx? You get the quad copter, 4 spare blades, battery, usb charge lead for battery, instructions and the controller thing

rhysduck · 20 Dec 2013 at 14:49

Hmm ok thanks.

Tx - transmitter! The "controller" lol

Skeeter · 20 Dec 2013 at 15:25

I'm going to get a guard for my X4 and some extra batteries and try to learn to fly it. Plowing into a wall and breaking 2 props after only 5 minutes put me off a bit first time round.

Whats a good place to get some extra batteries. I'm always dubious of buying batteries from anywhere, as the chance for knockoff parts is so high.

d_brennen · 20 Dec 2013 at 15:47

Skeeter said:
I'm going to get a guard for my X4 and some extra batteries and try to learn to fly it. Plowing into a wall and breaking 2 props after only 5 minutes put me off a bit first time round.

Whats a good place to get some extra batteries. I'm always dubious of buying batteries from anywhere, as the chance for knockoff parts is so high.

Sadly, the best places to buy such are ebay, Amazon and banggood, where the chances of knockoffs are astronomical

Luckily, the Chinese aren't too bad at low capacity LiIon batteries these days. I'd steer clear of the larger capacity batteries for the X4, while they do offer more flight time, it's usually at the expense of agility. Usually the additional flight time isn't all that to shout about anyway. I here Turnagy Nanotech 260mah batteries are a good compromise, with additional oomph for around the same flight time as a stock X4 battery, at about £5

Skeeter · 20 Dec 2013 at 16:19

Yeah I've been looking at Amazon and its a bit of a minefield. When there are places offering packs of 5 with 50% more power for £9, its time to get suspicous

I'll look for the Turnagy ones. Is there any way to buy 'official' Hubsan ones?

Burned_Alive · 20 Dec 2013 at 16:21

Try Hobbyking, they have a UK warehouse.

Guest2 · 21 Dec 2013 at 12:57

wow

murah · 21 Dec 2013 at 14:09

My Hubsan X4 H107L arrived today!! Had to have a sneak peak before Christmas day

Charged it up and configured it (Very easy) and then proceeded to get used to it...Its very different compared to a helicopter my first thoughts where "Flying hovercraft". Super nippy sounds like a 1000 angry bees, Had a few crashes naturally and it survived although from one of them the left rear motor stopped spinning was worried but turns out the prop had got pushed down a bit far so no biggy. Then I proceeded to fly it into the kitchen... this was a bad move on my part as I managed to hit something and promptly sent it flying down the back of the cooker

5mins of filthy work and I had my X4 back ...it still works! managed to get another 4ish mins of flight time far away from the kitchen and used the remaining battery life to fly it on the floor just like a hovercraft.

Overall impressions 9.8/10 , Losing 0.2 points because A. no batteries for remote included and B. Its so damn hard to un-plug the battery from the X4 I get scared I'll rip the wires out the battery.

Comparison shots between an S107G and an EV.04 excuse the shoddy camera:

d_brennen · 21 Dec 2013 at 14:24

One day, we'll have X4 sized quads with 30min + flight time and HD FPV built in at throw away money. Damn you, physics, damn you to hell. Wake me up in ten years

Guest2 · 21 Dec 2013 at 15:57

Well, I have literally been all around Leeds city centre today looking for an RC hobbies type shop and there are none. I'm sure there used to be at least 2 but not any more

I want to buy a spare battery for the x4 and the prop guard. I know I can get them online but will have to wait until new year now. Anyone thought about a piece of polystyrene cut to shape over the props? (another item that doesn't exist on the high street)

murah · 21 Dec 2013 at 16:08

Guest2 said:
Well, I have literally been all around Leeds city centre today looking for an RC hobbies type shop and there are none. I'm sure there used to be at least 2 but not any more

I want to buy a spare battery for the x4 and the prop guard. I know I can get them online but will have to wait until new year now. Anyone thought about a piece of polystyrene cut to shape over the props? (another item that doesn't exist on the high street)

Might impede it a bit too much who knows, christmas is full of poly just cut some and find out

As for the battery's there is a pack of 5 upgraded (higher mAH) on the rainforest along with chargers.

Bigpops · 21 Dec 2013 at 19:09

Guest2 said:
Well, I have literally been all around Leeds city centre today looking for an RC hobbies type shop and there are none. I'm sure there used to be at least 2 but not any more

I want to buy a spare battery for the x4 and the prop guard. I know I can get them online but will have to wait until new year now. Anyone thought about a piece of polystyrene cut to shape over the props? (another item that doesn't exist on the high street)

Leeds has one of the best RC model shops in the country, but it's not in the town centre.

http://www.modelshopleeds.co.uk/

They stock spares for the Hubsans too.

Buffman · 21 Dec 2013 at 19:39

How much time and money does a small self build take?

Quite interested and hopefully will have a knack for it (Engineering student)

I'm assuming the programming is already there for the controller? (Don't think I could be bothered with that!)

murah · 21 Dec 2013 at 20:38

The Craig said:
How much time and money does a small self build take?

Quite interested and hopefully will have a knack for it (Engineering student)

I'm assuming the programming is already there for the controller? (Don't think I could be bothered with that!)

yeah most controllers are pre-program jobs

Update:
More flights with my Hubsan x4 and many crashes later starting to get a feel for it, when rotating on hover it likes to move forward a little you end up doing little drifts in the air hence my "Flying hovercraft" thought. really nippy little thing, tried to do some flips but my room isn't big enough

Guest2 · 21 Dec 2013 at 20:47

murah said:
Update:
More flights with my Hubsan x4 and many crashes later starting to get a feel for it, when rotating on hover it likes to move forward a little you end up doing little drifts in the air hence my "Flying hovercraft" thought. really nippy little thing, tried to do some flips but my room isn't big enough

Re-calibrate it with a sheet of paper or 2 under the side that it drifts. Thats should sort it

To do flips you have to enter export mode with 2 beeps.

Good luck using expert mode indoors, i tried it and its well twitchy! Fun doing quick rotations but very easy to land on the blades just from moving left and right - will wait until I get better and get a prop cover in the new year before even attempting flips.

Just trying to keep it at constant head height and move it around by rotating at the moment

murah · 21 Dec 2013 at 21:29

Well I'm hooked now, another hobby the misses will regret

already started looking at some bigger models, reminds me to get my honeybee FP fixed!

englishpremier · 21 Dec 2013 at 22:03

Can you get one of these things to fly autopilot and follow you around somehow?

Guest2 · 21 Dec 2013 at 22:09

englishpremier said:
Can you get one of these things to fly autopilot and follow you around somehow?

yes (and a lot more) using gps -

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=25525026&postcount=968

Skeeter · 21 Dec 2013 at 22:31

d_brennen said:
One day, we'll have X4 sized quads with 30min + flight time and HD FPV built in at throw away money. Damn you, physics, damn you to hell. Wake me up in ten years

Have you seen any Marvels Agents of Shield? The fleet of micro quad copters in that contains so much want!