Multirotor, multicopter and quadcopter discussion - The Drone thread

I'm quite interested in getting into gyrocopters but fancied giving something simple a go first!

I went to the caravan show yesterday and saw someone demo'ing an "Aviator 6-axis gyrocopter" that seemed very lightweight and pretty stable - I think it was around £60 and had a basic camera included! (it was about the size of a dinner plate I think and had "barriers" around the rotors)

Does anyone know if this would be a decent beginners copter to start with??
 
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StevieP said:
I'm quite interested in getting into gyrocopters but fancied giving something simple a go first!

I went to the caravan show yesterday and saw someone demo'ing an "Aviator 6-axis gyrocopter" that seemed very lightweight and pretty stable - I think it was around £60 and had a basic camera included! (it was about the size of a dinner plate I think and had "barriers" around the rotors)

Does anyone know if this would be a decent beginners copter to start with??
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It's probably ok, technology has come a long way in the last couple of years but...... it depends on things like aftersales support and availability of spares. Most, if not all, of the beginners quads have brushed motors (some of them, like this one are geared too) and these do have a tendency to be relatively short lived. The battery life probably won't be great either but you can swap the battery out, so you should be able to get spares.

Usual advice on here is to get a Hubsan x4. They are tiny, spares are plentiful and it will do a good job of enabling you to learn the principles of flying. It's not indestructible though.

I've just bought one of these and to be honest, it's so easy to fly, it's amazing. It's also a bit quieter than a normal quad, so less annoying to other family members. Spares are available.
 
Thanks for the reply!

I've been doing a bit of reading on the Hubsan X4 since my post this morning and it does seem very well regarded for noobs!

I assume the H107C is the one with the camera (denoted by the "C" in the model number??) - the thing I find a little weird is that the prices seem to vary wildly from circa £32 p/m to almost double that for the same thing!?!? (also some seem to indicate a 0.3MP camera and others say it's a 2MP camera!?!?)

I'm probably leaning towards an X4, a "crash pack" as well as 4 or 5 extra batteries.
 
StevieP said:
Thanks for the reply!

I've been doing a bit of reading on the Hubsan X4 since my post this morning and it does seem very well regarded for noobs!

I assume the H107C is the one with the camera (denoted by the "C" in the model number??) - the thing I find a little weird is that the prices seem to vary wildly from circa £32 p/m to almost double that for the same thing!?!? (also some seem to indicate a 0.3MP camera and others say it's a 2MP camera!?!?)

I'm probably leaning towards an X4, a "crash pack" as well as 4 or 5 extra batteries.
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There's and HD and SD version of the hubsan C - hence the price/MP differences. I've never seen any footage from them but I suspect it will be disappointing. It's also a record only camera, no First Person View, so you will still be limited to line of sight flying.
 
gandhi said:
There's and HD and SD version of the hubsan C - hence the price/MP differences. I've never seen any footage from them but I suspect it will be disappointing. It's also a record only camera, no First Person View, so you will still be limited to line of sight flying.
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Line of sight will be fine - in reality I've never even tried to fly one of these things before so I think it will be a while until I'm tempted to go for something a bit better!

Looking at the following to get me up and running:

Hubsan X4 H107C 2.4G 4CH RC Quadcopter With HD 2 MP Camera RTF - Black/Red

The Hubsan X4 H107C Quadcopter Black/Red Crash Pack

UUMART 6PCS 3.7V 500mAh Battery With Charger For Hubsan X4 H107C

Do these look about right for a "beginners" kit??
 
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StevieP said:
Line of sight will be fine - in reality I've never even tried to fly one of these things before so I think it will be a while until I'm tempted to go for something a bit better!

Looking at the following to get me up and running:

Hubsan X4 H107C 2.4G 4CH RC Quadcopter With HD 2 MP Camera RTF - Black/Red

The Hubsan X4 H107C Quadcopter Black/Red Crash Pack

UUMART 6PCS 3.7V 500mAh Battery With Charger For Hubsan X4 H107C

Do these look about right for a "beginners" kit??
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In theory, should be grand. They are all suppliers based in China though, so you might have to wait a while.

In all seriousness, have a look at the inductrix. It's a bit more expensive but it is miles better than the hubsan.

Either that or just get a plain entry level X4 from a UK supplier for about £30.
 
Well after reading through multiple pages of this thread and having no experience what so ever of quad copters I have just ordered a Hubsan x4 h107 to begin my journey.
 
antc said:
Well after reading through multiple pages of this thread and having no experience what so ever of quad copters I have just ordered a Hubsan x4 h107 to begin my journey.
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Mind if I ask where you have ordered from? I'm tempted with one myself but am also considering the Blade Inductrix mentioned by gandhi!
 
gandhi said:
In all seriousness, have a look at the inductrix. It's a bit more expensive but it is miles better than the hubsan.
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Can I ask what exactly you feel is better about the Blade than the Hubsan? I do like to look of it but how easy is it to get hold of spare parts and, more importantly, additional batteries??
 
StevieP said:
Can I ask what exactly you feel is better about the Blade than the Hubsan? I do like to look of it but how easy is it to get hold of spare parts and, more importantly, additional batteries??
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It's much more stable than the hubsan, I found, and hence easier to fly. It's also quieter which is great for me as the hubsan used to annoy the cat/missus. It also worked really well out of the box. With the Hubsan, I had to **** about trimming it by doing gyro calibrations with bits of paper jammed under motors and all sorts.

It has protected motors as standard so you don't have to fit prop guards.

I've found it pretty crash resilient so far. The main frame is made from a plastic with an amount of give in it. I cracked the hubsan frame within about 20 minutes of having it in a not very hard impact with a wood floor.

It is a lot more expensive than the hubsan - the batteries are about £7 each. I bought some of these and they give longer flight times although they are a tight fit in the battery holder, they do go in.

Spares are readily available but really, at the most you might need a frame or a motor. All brushed motors have a limited lifespan of a few hours runtime. Some last longer, some less. Cheaper replacements are available too.

The coloured cover is just flimsy plastic so I doubt it will break and the boards are pretty resilient provided to don't plug the battery in the wrong way (very difficult)

If you can find a shop nearby that sells them, you might be able to try one out? I can't name the retailer I'm thinking of as I suspect they are a competitor.
 
The Blade certainly flies better than the Hubsan. I have both.
The great thing about the Blade is that there is a good modding community. I have transferred all the electronics from mine in to a different frame with bigger motors and a bigger battery. I get nearly 10 minutes of flight time with full FPV.
Downsides with the Blade are that the stock tiny 6mm motors burn out very quickly and it's expensive. I also don't like the way it just auto-lands when it hits low voltage protection on the battery. It's very hard to tell when it's running low on juice whereas the Hubsan starts flashing it's lights like a Christmas tree.
 
Rilot said:
I also don't like the way it just auto-lands when it hits low voltage protection on the battery. It's very hard to tell when it's running low on juice whereas the Hubsan starts flashing it's lights like a Christmas tree.
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I'd forgotten about that bit, sorry! Yeah, that is a touch annoying.
 
Rilot said:
The great thing about the Blade is that there is a good modding community. I have transferred all the electronics from mine in to a different frame with bigger motors and a bigger battery. I get nearly 10 minutes of flight time with full FPV.
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I'm tempted to buy a spare flight board now, and see what I can fit it into! What are you using with it chap?
 
Base board is the Blade Nano QX FPV version
I'm using the 7mm fast motors from Micro Motor Warehouse
Frame is the Rakon 7mm frame
Running a 500mAh battery from an H107D
Changed battery connector for the same ones as the Hubsan
Modified H107 propguards
Walkera Ladybird props (Hubsan props in the pics though)
Controlling it with a Devo 7e

Pics:

SaePxqE.jpg


lrUdcP5.jpg
 
Brilliant. Looks like just the thing for a bit of indoor mayhem over the winter. Is that the Spektrum VA1100 or a homebrew vtx job?
 
It's the VA1100. Works like a charm although is a little annoying in that it's NTSC and there's no way to switch it to PAL. It means I need to keep switching my goggles over as all my other FPV gear is PAL.
 
I hope I'm allowed to link here (I've had a quick look and can't see any conflicts with OCUK) but has anyone ever bought from www.wirelessmadness.com?

UK based from the looks of things and very competitive price-wise!
 
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