Quadrotors and Multirotors

A few days ago I finally figured out how to tune my quad (with a little help from the RC Groups forum).

Then something strange happened yesterday - we finally had a no rain, calm wind day on a day when i wasn't travelling.

I went out to the backyard after work for a quick test flight to do the final tuning:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w4aBunIAbtc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Since that was successful, I went out to the field by my house and opened it up for the first time (I know it's blurry, but am too excited not to share):

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NM7Q5HYIrBo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Amazing how stable the platform is! I flew with SL on and off - a big success.

Only have three batteries though - am ordering more today




Steady hover

Are you aware of this thread:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1622447

I bet they would love to see your video.

as FYI - to embed a video on that forum, just paste the url from the YouTube "Share" section - don't use the embed code. Don't know why it works that way, but it does...

I thiI think I did post in that thread! That thread is what made me want one of those Vtails! Actually, it was Warthox's flight demo that made me want it. Well worth the wait! I actually scored another frame off a runryder member for $65 shipped and in perfect condition. Now I have a parts frame ;D

I want one now. Dammit, Larry! I haven't flown my HT-FPV in quite a while. I may put it up for sale.

I'm finding I enjoy the build process as much or more than the flying. Just back from the field this evening - took a couple of major nose dives. This Hquad is holding up really well. And the ground is soft. For the whole series of flights, only damage was one zip tied motor coming off, and i had spare zips in pocket.

At one point I lost track of he orientation and it was far away. I landed, walked a quarter way there and "thought" I knew which way was front. Took off and promptly flew it over the barb wire fence into the cow field.

I walk over and with my stomach in the dirt I wiggle under the barb wire. Friendly cows - they all come over and say hello.

Can't find the quad in the tall grass. Hoping it didn't land in one of the many cow paddies... Still can't find it.

Have to squirm back under the barb wire, get the TX, squirm back under the wire again - (this is getting old). Turn on the TX, hear hte beeps, find the quad.

Called it a day. Good day out.

What makes the H Quad so much more difficult to fly than this one-

http://www.centuryheli.com/products/helikits/DJI/DJIPHNTM-Phantom/index.html?pageid=95

Is there a stabilizing giro in the Phantom? I really feel stupid asking these noob questions but what hell. I had the money in hand to order the phantom this week and couldn't pull the trigger. Just too much money for something that I'd be mostly using for work and not being compensated. I was really impressed at how stable it flies out of the box though. I do realize it has a built in gps which seems cool but not sure how much it's needed.

I turned my neighbor on to the H Quad build kit from Flite Test for his son's school project and his build went pretty well but I guess flying it has been a disaster. They purchased a very inexpensive controller and I wonder if that's an issue.

has the neighbor flown RC, especially helis or multirotors before? They're not easy to fly for the best of us.

None at all, he's just learning and from what his father has told me he's getting discouraged. I thought maybe a better quality transmitter might help. They bought a cheapy $99 unit.

There are no stupid questions! These things have a steep learning curve.

It's all about the controller, not the quad. The Phantom has auto-level on by default. Not sure if you can even turn it off, but probably. Depending on which controller your neighbor bought, it may or may not have auto-level. (The KK2 is an inexpensive controller, but has a very good auto-level that you can switch off & on in flight).

Auto-level turned on would definitely help a noob pilot, since the quad would return to a level hover by just letting go of the stick. I posted a demo video a few pages back. (Edit: Page 5, post 61)

While a TX with expo and dual rates would most assuredly help, what they need is someone to teach them how to fly. It's not instinctive and I get a little chuckle out of the teens that come to the flying field expecting that their 5 years of video game experience is going to help them fly an RC model. There are some naturals, but they're few and far between.

As Saget said, there is auto level and with a GPS board you can program in all kinds of holds like altitude and attitude, but an instructor is what they'll need most.

100% agreed. I can't tell you how many people I've met over the years that say "It's just a toy airplane/helicopter, how hard can it be??". Nearly every single one of those people have made ONE flight that ended in a pile of broken parts.

That will be me

I guess that's what appealed to me about the Phantom.

If that's the case, spend $50 on one of these: http://www.airsoftrc.com/ladybird-q...rc-helicopter-2-4ghz-gyro-4ch-rtf-yellow.html

...before spending $700 on the Phantom, until you & the neighbor know if it's for you. The Phantom is a very nice ship, but definitely overkill for a first time pilot. And the completely molded body won't crash well. You could spend a fortune on replacement parts before getting proficient.

The Ladybird is so small and light that you can fly it in your living room, and it will fly away from most mishaps without a scratch. And they fly surprisingly well. The skills you learn will transfer directly to the bigger quads.

Except don't get that one ^^

Get the original real Ladybird!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/USPS-Ship-M...adio_Control_Control_Line&hash=item3f1eeee303

It flies so much better than all the other little clones out there.. You won't be disappointed.

Seriously? I'm pretty sure I'd be in danger of losing my Man Card flying a ladybug

THe H quad is not hard to fly at all if you meet a few conditions:

- You need to practice with a toy to get a sense of the controls - I guess the Ladybug is good. I just had a toy helicopter (MCX2) and it was more than sufficient. Same is true for both my 13 year old daughter and 9 year old son - both of whom were quicker learners than I was.

- Make sure you are using the KK2 board on the quad, or some other board that has Self levelling. The KK2 board is only $20 and super easy to set up. However it is indefinitely on backorder and no one knows if it will become available again. (Supplier stopped making a critical component). Check Ebay - there are still some out there.

- Learning to fly without self level can be tough. The problem is that until you can tune the quad (P gains) it si really hard to fly, but you need to at least get close with SL off. This was the hardest part for me. Once I got in the ball park with my Pgains, I was able to control the craft with SL off, and able to fly it easily with SL. Same is true of my kids.

- I am using a very inexpensive TX - I doubt this has anything to do with the results you are getting.

Bottom line - if you practice on a toy, get an FC with SL, and get it tuned even close to ballpark, flying it will not be that difficult. I would not recommend getting into the hobby with an FC that does not have Self level. That can be hard.

I definitely would not throw more money at a Phantom until you really know whether you enjoy the hobby and have learned to fly. You will crash. Crashing an HQuad you built is OK - you know how to repair it, and it's easy to repair (for example I zip tie my motors to the arms. They come off during a bad crash and i can just do a field repair). Would hate to nose plant a Phantom... with an expensive machine you'd have to be so careful all the time - no fun in that. as soon as you get it up in the air, you are going to want to let it rip and try to fly it for real. That means pushing the envelope and eventually making a mistake - no way around it

I started flying with a little quad called a "Jump Jet" from the UK. Nothing about it is automated so it really teaches you how to fly these things. Fortunately its very crashable. Unfortunately, the controller is infra-red, so its for indoor use only. But, a lot of domestic transmission devices will interfere with it.

Sadly theses aren't made anymore, so I have been looking for something to replace it to keep the skills up. If this Ladybird fits the bill I will buy one post haste!

Great TED talk demonstrating the "athletic power of quadcopters"

http://www.ted.com/talks/raffaello_...m_medium=email&utm_content=button__2013-06-11

That's exactly how I imagined my first quad flight would go

Seriously though, that was impressive!

My new Blade nQX!





My collection of multi and single rotor machines