Remote controlled flying things-Quads, Hex, Octo or anything

[Marschy]

Just took a total of my shopping list so far

Quad Kit - $171.55 US
Undercarriage - $4.09 US (spent more than this but didn't need to)
Radio and receiver - $85.65 US
Servo cable Male to Male x 15 - $22.73 US (didn't need these, a perfectly suitable cable comes in the kit). Do need another cable for stabilised mode tho, and will need additional male to male cables down the track.
KK2.1 Flight Control board - $33.98 US
Propeller balancer - $16.30 US (don't really need to buy this)
1450mAh 3S transmitter lipoly x 2 - $15.16 US (don't really need to do this, but would have to buy batteries or ni-cads either way for transmitter)
2 on board lipoly low voltage alarms - $3.98 US
Fatshark Teleporter headset with camera and 5.8G TX - $235.74.99 US
16 x replacement props - $20.66 US
Atmel Atmega Socket Firmware Flashing Tool - $23.98 US (don't need to buy this)

Shopping list total so far $633.82 US (well over the $700 AUD mark)

So I guess people may ask if a kit is worth it. I still have flight batteries I have to buy, possibly 4 or 5 more, otherwise I'll be flying for 10 minutes and recharging for 3 hours with one battery.

My train of thought is, would I be able to say to my missus "can I spend $700 now on something completely self indulgant?" and she would say "No", but I can do this by buying the bits and pieces I need over time. This list is certainly not complete, and to a degree I am probably hiding the true cost from myself, but conservatively I don't expect much change out of $1000 once I get the camera gimbal I am after for in-flight recording.

I haven't compared my shopping list with a complete kit like a DJI or sawed-off's quad (not even sure how 'complete' these kits are), but I'd be curious to see which is cheaper, a complete kit, or a piecemeal kit and buying the bits and pieces required to do simple FPV.

[Marschy]

I've finished making the molds for a couple of different canopies



I should be able to get the first canopy knocked out this weekend. Got a bit carried away with the hardener for the dome shaped one. The resin got so hot it melted my ABS plastic camera dome that I was using as a pattern.

The one on the left was made from the tupperware container on the right (sorry Mrs Marschy, sacrificed for the cause). It was such a good fit, the pcb I made earlier only has about a 1-2mm clearance inside the tupperware container, so should make a perfect canopy. It's about twice as high as the dome shaped mold, so if I need to, I can stack more electronics under the canopy, like telemetry for an APM, and possibly the GPS antenna on top.

[Sawed-Off]

Marschy, the quad I have ordered is basically an amusing toy. Yours is a fairly serious bit of kit in comparison.

Andrew_C and others, there's a comprehensive thread on HK that explains a lot of what you are getting into with building from a kit. It should help with some of the basic understanding so you can make some better informed decisions on what you are looking at and what's what.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38561

[Marschy]

Lots still to do, now designing a simple tilt gimbal for the FPV camera. Should hopefully have a working example before the weekend is done.

[Sawed-Off]

Got home from work and a package was waiting for me. That lead to the discovery that I've poorly planned the whole thing, as I don't have any batteries for the transmitter (Devo 7E). I haven't flown an RC model in over 30 years (my dad's slope soaring glider), so I'll try and keep my patience and aim for a weekend flight when I won't feel rushed and can concentrate on not re-kitting the model. I'm lucky enough to have a small park out my back gate, so I won't try and fly it into things inside the house. I went with a Mode 2 radio, primarily because it's what a large part of the Internet flies. The Devo radios can easily be changed between modes, so if it feels too weird for me, I can switch a couple of springs and be Mode 1 in minutes. Once I get enough confidence in my flying abilities, I'll also have a go at flashing the Deviation firmware into the radio, which makes it compatible with other protocols. It's all very exciting! Thanks, guys, for giving me the gumption to have a go at this! 

[Marschy]

I went mode 1, its what I'm used to. I have mode 2 on my UFO quad radio. Its like skate boarding goofy footed when your used to the other way, it feels strange

[Crisp Image]

Here are a couple of photos of the CASA Approved Metropolitan Fire Brigades (MFB) quad.
It has a thermal image camera and also visual camera. The screen they use fits in the pelican case very nicely.


Their radio control gear is a little more industrial than mine
.
I cant post any of the imagery from the cameras of the fires cause it is against policy of the company.
The guys flying the quad did a flight over the stoke house in St Kilda when it burnt down.

Regards
Crispy

[Crisp Image]

Got my flash tool and flashed the KK to an aftermarket FW. Then went out to the back yard to have a test flight. Started in self level mode and it was OK. still lots to learn about flying. I think the balance is a little off but some tweekeing should get it right.
I switched into normal or manual mode and promptly flew it in the brick wall on the side of the house. Not much damage done a few cable ties and a couple of scratches on the props.
All good now. I need to go to the sports fields to have a good shot at it.
I also shortened the arms a bit to make it a little more compact.
How is your build going Marshy?
Regards
Crispy

[Marschy]

My last ESC refuses to flash so I have ordered 4 SS30A from hobby king, express this time, should be here next week, then flash and solder the last one in. Should be in the air next weekend. I'll post some pictures soon

[WilSurf]

Can you guys please stop with this?
Now I am looking at these toys too.......

[HoMErMY12]

Can you guys please stop with this?
Now I am looking at these toys too.......

I know exactly what you mean.....
pity the bank account doesn't allow it, just makes me depressed 

[edz]

Thought you might like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOXoEj8x26Y

[WilSurf]

Stop it EDZ......

That looks real good.

[Crisp Image]

Crashed it again! This is the home made quad that we have been playing with. Broke one arm. So it is back out to the shed and cut another pine arm. So cheep to repair I can afford to crash this one.
If you are not crashing you are not trying new things.
Regards
Crispy

[WilSurf]

What is a great cheapy to learn and see if you like it before you go and get the bigger for a camera?

[Sawed-Off]

What is a great cheapy to learn and see if you like it before you go and get the bigger for a camera?

Depends how cheap you want to go. You can pick up some ultra micro quads with a TX for under a hundred. The one I bought is a Walkera QR W100S that can transmit pictures to (and be flown with) an iphone or android device. They come in a couple of configs - one that comes with a normal RC transmitter, and one without (which is what I got). I also bought a better transmitter than the stock one in the other kit. A couple of the entry level brands in ready to go kits to look for are Walkera and Hubsan.

Anyway, I got a couple of flights in on mine last weekend. It was blowing a gale outside, so flew it in my living room. Let's just say I have some learning to do..

[Marschy]

I reckon the way I went and Sawed-off went is the way to go to get into this. Buy a ready to fly (RTF) cheapy, see if it's for you, then progress from there. Hobbyking have some ripper RTF models and I'm sure Sawed-off will most likely if he already hasn't, provide a link to where he bought his walkera from.

[Marschy]

Crashed it again! This is the home made quad that we have been playing with. Broke one arm. So it is back out to the shed and cut another pine arm. So cheep to repair I can afford to crash this one.
If you are not crashing you are not trying new things.
Regards
Crispy

Are you flying this rig by line of sight or FPV?

All my flight batteries turned up in the mail yesterday, so now I have 5 x 2200mAh batteries and 3 x Camera/VTx 1500mAh batteries. Now just waiting on the pesky ESC's to arrive. The consignment from Hobbyking has an AU tracking number (yippee) so should/could be here today, or if my friendly parcel contractor comes through again, tomorrow (Saturday). I've only got a couple of hours of building left, then I'll be airborne. Getting there slowly, getting anxious as well. I want to get this thing in the air.

I'm going to set it up completely for FPV, but I'll be flying line of sight while I'm setting up the FC board. Thinking about knocking one of those knuckle h-quads up myself, they look nifty.

[Crisp Image]

Are you flying this rig by line of sight or FPV?

LOS at the moment. The Boy wants to go FPV but the way we I crash it that would not be good. I have a VTx and camera to go on it when we I learn to fly it.
Regards
Crispy

[WilSurf]

What is the difference in flying a quad copter or a coaxial chopper?

[Marschy]

What is the difference in flying a quad copter or a coaxial chopper?

For me, the one biggy is the weight of the blade you are swinging on a coaxial, and along with the weight, the inherent danger should the blade become loose. Not so dangerous with a ten inch prop blade (5 inches each side of hub) made of plastic on a quad compared to 10+ inches of blade each side of the 'hub' made of fibre glass or carbon fibre (don't know what the hub on a coaxial heli is called). One can be simply dangerous after precautions are taken, the other can still be lethal even if precautions are taken.

As for flight characteristics, wouldn't have a bloody clue.

[WilSurf]

After a lot of reading I like the Parrot AR Drone.
Easy to fly as well if you can only use one hand/arm.
Mmmmm, now to convince the other half that it is good for something......

[Sawed-Off]

They look the goods, Wilsurf.

This is the one I bought. Note, no transmitter included. They do sell a kit with a transmitter if you look for it. http://www.banggood.com/Walkera-QR-W100S-FPV-WIFI-Remote-Control-RC-Quadcopter-p-74715.html

This is the transmitter I bought. I have some thoughts of buying a couple of receivers and throwing them into some cheap foamies for some park flying fun, so wanted something slightly more capable than the basic TX that comes with the full kit. The "wholesale" in the title means it doesn't come in a retail box, but you do get the trainer and usb cables. http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-Walkera-Devo-7E-7CH-Transmitter-p-48117.html

And because I want to take my quad on the road (off the road?) on camping trips, I couldn't pass up the aluminium case. It's great. Worth the $20. Now I need something like it for the transmitter. http://www.banggood.com/Aluminum-Case-For-Walkera-W100S-RC-Quadcopter-p-80298.html

[Marschy]

Catching up on a couple of things i've completed.

The FPV Camera tlilt mount just requires some holes drilled in the aluminium angle then fitting on the front of the quad.



It will be driven by a hitec servo off my 6th channel on the transmitter.



The earplugs isolate the camera from vibration caused by the motors.  And I've made a start on a flight box with spares for when at the field.



and along with this Road Ready RRUC case that I've had for about 10 years for my transmitter, I'm just waiting on some final parts, but I'm all setup, ready to go.

[Sawed-Off]

Road Ready RRUC case

Cool case. Just the thing I'm looking for. You're a bad man, Marschy. First getting me interested in quads, and now pointing me at a music store. I really need a road case for my power amp.