Multirotor, multicopter and quadcopter discussion - The Drone thread

Back in mode 2 and think I have the problem found, the sticks weren't going all the way into the corners properly, a little extra pressure on one and it sort of clicked into the corner fully. Think I may have to open it up and make sure they are correctly seated. Glad to discover i'm not going mad though :)
 
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Gotta be quite a few now! Need to see if I can build a full size quad in time for a meet if one does happen mind. Been reading up on parts and it looks quicker and easier than I actually realised at first.
Just need to decide how much to spend on the Transmitter/Receiver combo, find some guides on connecting the receiver to the KK2.0 properly and I think I'm pretty comfortable. I'll probably roughly mirror another build if I find a decent build log somewhere for the size I'm going with. Only thing I'm not sure on at the moment is what to do about a frame :)
 
Christchurch Bay this morning..

christchurch_bay_small.jpg
 
Lovely picture Flukester.
Are you using a FPV setup? If so, what components?

My new gimbal turned up yesterday. It's one of the ones from China but the build quality is superb. All laser-cut carbon fibre. I got it rigged up on the F550 and tested. I shall be doing some test flights tomorrow.

I also finished setting up my video switch. I have a small camera hard-mounted to the nose of the F550 for FPV flight and a reciever controlled video switch so I can switch my view to the GoPro for aligning shots or making sure I'm in position.
You may ask, why don't I just FPV with the GoPro? Well, FPVing when the camera is on a stabilised gimbal is dangerous as you can't see the angle of the copter.
 
Wish I hadn't seen this thread.... so how much would all the parts cost me to make a cheapo quadcopter? Is there a guide anyone can recommend for me to see. P.S. I can't solder :(
 
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People are recomending the husby 4x for a starter quad as it's only £35 for the v2 and will get you ready for a proper one, theres some parts listed out in some posts if you read through.

I'm in the same boat as you and will be ordering my x4 in a couple of days :)
 
The Husban's look a bit toyish to me, I want to get a DIY one that comes with all the parts and you assemble it yourself. It can then be upgraded at a alter date. Does such a thing exist?
 
Yeh the hubsan is very toy ish in looks. But it goes like stink and is really fun to fly. Great thing to learn with, cheap so don't mind breaking it and I've got my head around how quadcoptors work and now want to make my own.

Found this epic thread over on Hobbyking. Nice parts list and explanations behind everything.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38561

Think I'm likely to be following that as a baseline build, just need to decide on transmitter/receiver I reckon!
 
PinkFloyd said:
Yeh the hubsan is very toy ish in looks. But it goes like stink and is really fun to fly. Great thing to learn with, cheap so don't mind breaking it and I've got my head around how quadcoptors work and now want to make my own.

Found this epic thread over on Hobbyking. Nice parts list and explanations behind everything.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38561

Think I'm likely to be following that as a baseline build, just need to decide on transmitter/receiver I reckon!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, gonna read through it and decide if I'm going to give this a go
 
Rilot said:
Lovely picture Flukester.
Are you using a FPV setup? If so, what components?

My new gimbal turned up yesterday. It's one of the ones from China but the build quality is superb. All laser-cut carbon fibre. I got it rigged up on the F550 and tested. I shall be doing some test flights tomorrow.

I also finished setting up my video switch. I have a small camera hard-mounted to the nose of the F550 for FPV flight and a reciever controlled video switch so I can switch my view to the GoPro for aligning shots or making sure I'm in position.
You may ask, why don't I just FPV with the GoPro? Well, FPVing when the camera is on a stabilised gimbal is dangerous as you can't see the angle of the copter.
Click to expand...

Thanks :). Still learning the art of getting a good photo in the air. I'm using Fatshark Predators v2 with stock 250mW TX and the Skew Planar antennas. Taking video feed from the little CMOS camera that comes with kit but have mounted it in such a way as it gives a close picture to what the Gopro is seeing (at least I think it does). I think without FPV taking good footage is impossible.

2013-08-30%2013.37.01.jpg


I think in this photo I overdid the processing in CS6, and at one point the stitch didn't quite line up if you look really close.

Looking forward to seeing how your gimbal works out, which one is it ?. I'm not going to add one to the Phantom as it's getting overweight already.

Love the idea of video switch, gives you the best of both worlds. I really need a F550, and hopefully will treat myself come xmas
 
elrasho said:
Wish I hadn't seen this thread.... so how much would all the parts cost me to make a cheapo quadcopter? Is there a guide anyone can recommend for me to see. P.S. I can't solder :(
Click to expand...

Best to start really cheap to see if you like it.. so a Hubsan X4, then once mastered and if you want ready to fly maybe a Phantom which is pre-assembled. If you can fly a Hubsan x4 perfectly you could handle one easily.

Problem is you will always want more... So far the Phantom has cost me-

£500 - Phantom
£260 - Gopro Black
£250 - Fatshark FPV setup
£25 - Antennas
£35 - Battery's
£25 - Altimeter
£20 - Stabilizer mount

Now I find myself wanting to build a F550 like Rilots, it's a money pit, but very rewarding as long as you don't lose the thing (which by all accounts can happen through pure bad luck and stupid mistakes)
 
Yup, and once you have the F550 you think "Hmm, how can I lift a DSLR?" and you'll be wanting a Droidworx heavy lift or a S800 EVO.

Sheesh, I'm going to spend so much money.

To build the F550 by the way:

F550 Kit - £220 **
Naza Lite + GPS - £140 **
Gimbal - £90
LED lights - £20
Landing legs - £40
Graupner 10x5 props x 6 - £36
AR8000 receiver - £80 **
TM1000 telemetry unit - £50
Video switch - £30
Various cables and connectors - £50 **
Mini video camera - £30
200mW 5.8GHz transmitter and reciever - £90
Turnigy Nanotech 5000mah 4S batteries x 4 - £180 **
Planar antenna - £40

Not specific to the F550

Spektrum DX8 - £160 second hand **
7" TFT screen - £40
Bracket to mount screen to DX8 - £30
Turnigy Accucel 6X charger - £40 **
Turnigy Watt meter - £35
GoPro Hero 3 Black - £330

Then you realise that you need better tools to build it properly

Temperature controller soldering iron - £100
Helping hands - £20
Good set of precision hex drivers - £40

The parts I've marked with ** are things that you NEED to get up in the air. The rest is just stuff to do the photography. You don't have to use the items I've bought either. Lots of people are using the Turnigy 9x transmitter rather than the much more expensive DX8 or T8J. I went with the Spektrum as I know it and trust it.
Before the Naza Lite + GPS came out I would have recommended the Ardupilot Mega as a cheap but good flight control system. It has features the same or better than the top end Naza and Wookong systems but for a fraction of the price. However, it's using a slow CPU and from what I've seen, isn't as stable in GPS hold mode as the Naza which just works first time straight out of the box.
 
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