Quadcopters aka Drones aka Toys

[receo]

I have a dji f450 with a kk2.0 flight controller. 250mw 5.8 video transmitter connected to a gopro hero2. I'm running a 3 cell 4000ma

battery and can blast through 400 feet way to fast! Currently building a aquacopter with a naza lite board. Great hobby, many useful applications.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Yeah, the 350qx takes off like a rocket straight up if you push the throttle out of safe mode. Stability mode takes you to heights where you can no longer see it in just seconds, faster with its agility mode that takes away all the 'safeties'. I won't be using that again for a long time.

My transmitter makes the bind button the same as the throttle kill switch - too easy to accidentally hit it - in fact that is what I believe happened in my crash because it came down so fast and throttling up did nothing to slow it down. Like a rock.

I'll also practice more with my Phoenix4 flight s/w - that is 80% as fun as the real thing.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Ok, I just watched the video.. Man do I want one.

 

[Navman]

HaHa, now you're motivating me Burt!

This is one of my multi-rotors that I use for aerial photography & video, also very addicting.

It has a stabilized gimbal built by my friend Andre (Askman) in woodburn

It's a one of a kind 800 class prototype that Inov8tive designs came up with a couple of years ago, so I can't wreck it.

I've built and rebuilt it to the point it has all the goodies on board that I need, transmits a live feed to a monitor on the ground so I can line up the shot, return to home, speed altitude, distance from pilot etc.

It weighs 12 lbs and will pick up it's own weight. There are other machines of carbon fiber that are lighter now.

 

[teflon6string]

I did a dumb stunt the other day with a 350qx quad. Didn't know that I shouldn't go above 400'.

Just punched up straight up and it took off like a rocket into the clear sky abyss above. Disappeared completely. Neighbor and I couldn't see it at all. My best guess is it was up there, somewhere, about 1000-1200' or so? A couple times taller than the Bank Tower on 5th Downtown hahahaha.

I looked at him and said 'well, damn, that was the fastest flush of $400 down the toilet ever.' I throttled down and nothing after a minute. Then I hit the 'return to home' switch and waited another 2-3 minutes - not a sign at all.

Actually, it was disappointing but kind of funny. I was concerned about the 2-3lb flyer crashing down somewhere - my luck it would crash atop someone's Mercedes, or worse yet, hit a kid somewhere.

Then after about another 9-10 minutes I could hear a distant buzzing sound. The damn thing was coming back from its moon shot! Landed within 5' of its takeoff place all by itself.

I won't be doing that again though.

Yeah, flying things is an addiction. I've watched my homemade rockets catch a breeze and parachute into other peoples' back yards for 3 decades. I'll share my Estes Phoenix vs. a-dozen-kids-trapped-like-rats-in-a-dugout story here sometime if I have a couple beers in me.

"Frisbee" golfers put a name and phone number on all their $15 discs. Most lost are returned when someone else stumbles over them and makes the courtesy call. With that in mind, I labeled my RC plane and helos in the same manner. Haven't lost a bird yet, but it might've helped my son at Ft. Lewis. His Champ was stuck 50' up a whispy tree near Madigan one day and gone the next.

Thus far, my aerocam experience is limited to taping an 808 keychain cam to budget birds. I'm in the process of balancing the blades on my mQX quad to minimize vibrations and cure that darn "jello effect." But now I'm ready to invest in something more substantial - exploring options. Will continue to read here and share anything I learn, though I suspect you guys have already been where I'm going.

Cool hobby.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Very good idea about the name and phone number! I'll do that.

Luckily my crash was at night and the flashing LEDs were not hard to find.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Burt..ya know there's an article, a news report and an online commentary about Amazon's new idea of Delivery By Drones? (using VERY similarly designed quad-rotor craft)..........I am inclined to think this is to normalize drones being in neighborhoods, not just for delivery but....

 

[Navman]

We're all hoping Amazon will have the political & financial means to buy enough people in DC to make this open to commercial use.

My Wife and I shoot real estate photos, I have done aerial photos of high end properties for the office she works for but can't charge a dime, all donated at this time as a hobby.

The office has tried to push me to supply more but why, every time I go up I have a few thousand $ at risk with no insurance, no thank you.

The AMA provides 2.5 million which we all have to have to fly in our club provided we stick with the rules which does not include flying for pay.

Last winter when a hiker was lost on Mt Hood, a friend I fly with went to the camp and offered to put a bird in the air with a downlink for free to comb the moutain, met with a flat "no" until the winds were too high for helicopters, "now you can go", seriously with a winged airplane?

Our government can't get out of it's own way!

 

[Navman]

Do let us know how how it goes with the aquacopter receo, would love to have one of those, I freak out at the idea of flying over water.

There's a foot bridge in Oregon City, one of the guys I fly with thought it would make for good video to fly down it.

Lifted to early and hit an overhead beam on the bridge and into the drink it went.

We were going to dive for it when the water went down in the summer, but the naza, electronic speed controller etc would be toast.

But the GoPro hero would have taken some great video of the fish as it went to the bottom

It's still there, a nice 650mm quad rotor.

Post up some photos of your build!

 

[simon99]

I'm hoping more of my neighbors and civilians get a drone, I need the target practice for when DHS starts flying them over during daily neighbor safety inspections and weapons confiscations.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Burt..ya know there's an article, a news report and an online commentary about Amazon's new idea of Delivery By Drones? (using VERY similarly designed quad-rotor craft)..........I am inclined to think this is to normalize drones being in neighborhoods, not just for delivery but....

That was just a publicity stunt by Amazon. I don't see how that could ever be a practical mass-delivery method at all.

Quadcopters that are often called 'Drones' are a far cry from what the military call a drone. Yes, I guess police could use one to fly near your house and take video but they are far from being silent killers far above in the sky like a Drone. Like comparing a bottle rocket to the space shuttle.

If someone ever uses a Quadcopter to fly up to your bedroom window to have a peek by all means blast away lol. There are toys, meant for hobby enjoyment only.

 

[RicInOR]

What You Need to Conquer to be a Drone Journalist in Texas: An Airman's Test, Privacy Laws and Gravity

The first time I activate the drone's automatic takeoff, the speed of its four rotors and the animal-like way it leaps from the ground surprise me. The little aircraft, a DJI Phantom 3 Standard, has unexpected spunk.

It rises to 4 feet and halts, lights blinking expectantly. I experiment with the controls, a few hesitant nudges of the thumb controllers. The drone responds instantly and then starts to drift. I didn't take time to let the drone get a GPS fix that allows it to automatically stay over a single point. The machine is smart, but only as smart as its operator.

The aircraft veers straight for a gaggle of gaping in-laws. Their laughter turns into shrieks. The drone hits a brick wall and falls to the ground, the impact of the still-spinning rotors on the home's foundation now making a noise like a wounded insect.


"My Christmas flight violated federal law."

 

[Roger65]

Turbine, Baby! Turn up the sound!

 

[SparksFly]

Check out some of the Yuneec drones.

 

[BillGabby1]

ive looked into them but didnt invest in it because of the cost vs flight time. its something along the lines of 10-15 minutes of flight for about $500-$600 and it doesnt increase with cost. the standard helicopter type R/Cs will get a bit more time but can be a bit more difficult to fly and can be a bit cheaper.

still they look like they would be a lot of fun.

You buy extra batteries, to extend flight time.

 

[Diamondback]

You guys are gonna laugh... but Walbarf has a quad made to look like a Star Wars Star Destroyer, and I'm tempted to pick it up since I collect model SD's. It's probably little more than a cheap toy next to you guys's birds...

Then again, every time I get close I have visions of unwillingly reenacting Executor's destruction at Endor with it... and I put the box back on the shelf and walk away.

 

[EPS]

I got for my nephew bout two years ago at Big 5 sporting goods $160 lasted all of 2min into the second flight landed in brush that was wet short out one of the motors check into getting it fixed LOL NO GO have to contact maker in China lol I'm still waiting to hear back from them it's still sitting on top of my safe I gave up on trying to contact them

 

[BillGabby1]

I got for my nephew bout two years ago at Big 5 sporting goods $160 lasted all of 2min into the second flight landed in brush that was wet short out one of the motors check into getting it fixed LOL NO GO have to contact maker in China lol I'm still waiting to hear back from them it's still sitting on top of my safe I gave up on trying to contact them

They no speeky ingrish!
You go now we mak lotsa tois an dollas!
Gabby

 

[BillGabby1]

Then again, every time I get close I have visions of unwillingly reenacting Executor's destruction at Endor with it... and I put the box back on the shelf and walk away.



Click wheeze, click wheeze, give in to the dark side you know you want to, click wheeze urk!

Gabby