In /rcg/ we discuss anything & everything remote controlled - multirotors, fixed wing, cars, rovers, helis, boats, submarines, battlebots, lawnmowers, etc.

>How do I get started with racing drones?
https://oscarliang.com/mini-quad-racing-guide/
https://www.fpvknowitall.com/ultimate-fpv-shopping-list/

> How to build a racing drone (16 part video series from Joshua Bardwell)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDb7WF6c8mWARrcxtX_G6yytK7QFHID

>What about planes?
https://www.flitetest.com/

>What about aerial photography, is DIY viable?
Buy a DJI if what you actually want is to take good photos/videos, go DIY if what you actually want is a fun project.

>I want a cheap RC training plane that is turnkey.
XK Beaver
Eachine Wing Dragon
OMPHobby T720
Hobbyzone Champ (used only)

>I want a good FPV fixed wing platform.
ZOHD Drift
Sonicmodell AR Wing
Finwing Albabird

>I want a basher fixed wing model for doing crazy shit that is easily repairable.
RCFactory, Hacker and other similar profile models

>I want a dirt cheap drone to fly around my yard/garden
Syma X5C

>I want a dirt cheap drone to fly inside my house
Eachine E010/Hubsan X4

>What are some good YouTube channels for learning or fun?
Joshua Bardwell - https://www.youtube.com/@JoshuaBardwell
Painless360 - https://www.youtube.com/@Painless360
Flite Test - https://www.youtube.com/@FliteTest
Peter Sripol - https://www.youtube.com/@PeterSripol
RCModelReviews - https://www.youtube.com/@RCModelReviews
Andrew Newton - https://www.youtube.com/@AndrewNewton
RCGutt - https://www.youtube.com/@rcgutt
RC Test Flight - https://www.youtube.com/@rctestflight
Think Flight - https://www.youtube.com/@thinkflight
Tail Heavy Productions - https://www.youtube.com/@TailHeavyProductions

Previous: >>2865516

anyone have any sub 250g freestyle bnf recommendations?
I'm paralyzed by all the choices.

I want to build something that is quiet as possible and also can carry a ~30g RunCam Thumb plus a GPS.
Any recommendations?
2S? 4S? 3 inch? 4 inch?
Somehow I feel like a 2S toothpick with 4 inch props ought to be pretty quiet... but that's just speculation.
Though I have lots of 4S 850mah batteries lying around but think they might be too heavy for quiet flight.
Something I can fly near people as easily as you can a 1S micro without worrying or bothering them.

>>2900316
Generally, bigger and lighter are your keys to noise reduction. Don't look at the cell count as a factor in noise production, and instead look at pack weight. Choose the cell count after deciding on motors and weight target. One major thing about 2S is it's a bitch to find flight controllers that support 2S while not browning out at 6.6V. Might be better to do 3S or 4S. Try to keep your kv lower than normal if you want more efficiency. One last thing. The best way to make a GPS suck at its job is to place it near the flight stack. 2 inches of separation minimum. The more you can get, the happier it will be. Good luck making that happen on a 2 inch quad.

>>2900415
thanks
I did not figure that bigger would be better

>>2900664
There was actually some team that took that concept to the extreme. They made a massive man-powered quadcopter, and it actually worked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syJq10EQkog

>>2900726

Do any of you fly helicopters?

I am looking at getting an OMP M1 Evo and a Bell 206 scale body, but I do not know what is involved in modifying the mechanics for the body for such a helicopter. I know some tail boom changes will need to be made, which will affect the ETRM, but how do I calculate the power needed for said ETRM once in its new position.

>>2901169
I would, but I'm honestly scared shitless by them, and there isn't a hell of a lot that actually scares me.

>>2901272
I have been flying some for a while (micro FP and coax) never had a problem in 17 years.

>>2901169
big helos are the one RC thing that will actually kill you if you make a mistake while operating it.

>>2901679
Yep, which is why I am looking at a micro class.

>>2898878 (OP)
beginner flyer here. so i got a mavic mini that's kinda ass at flying indoors because its VPS somehow can't detect my floor and struggles to maintain position. flying atti is basically also impossible because of the latency in the feed. the only way I've been having any success is by literally walking behind it and making micro adjustments as soon as it starts veering into a wall
so right now i'm thinking of getting one of those AIO cams and FPV goggles (because apparently they have way lower latency), tape it on top of the drone, and steer it that way. would that be a good solution or am i retarded?

>>2902413
the Mavic is a flying camera, it's not meant to be flown like a racecar. If you're going to get goggles and a camera, just get a tinywhoop and a transmitter as well instead of half assing it.

>>2902480
>it's not meant to be flown like a racecar
but i don't want to fly it like a racecar, i just wanna fly it more reliably indoors

>>2902480
Hey, you got a Flik! Looks like they just went out of stock, but how is it? I was looking for a cheap fixed wing park flyer.

>>2902413
>>2902666
The Mavic Mini series fundamentally isn’t designed or intended to be flown indoors. Adding additional parts isn’t going to change that fact.

>>2902684
Haven't flown it yet since the weather is shit here. Check out something like this if you want to build one or a ZOHD dart or nano talon.
https://youtu.be/0WCq_jTgcCk

>>2902723
You know, I think I will just treat myself to a Dart 250g as my first fixed wing. Am I reading right that I can order it completely PNP for FPV or do I need an ELRS receiver too? How badly am I likely to want a flight controller and GPS package?

>>2903427
Where are you ordering from? You'll need a receiver either way. The PNP version I'm looking at doesn't come with the FPV camera, so you'll need that as well. Getting a flight controller depends on where you fly and how long you want to go out. I mostly fly in a park without an FC, but I'm putting one in the Flik.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/zohd-dart-250g-pnf-fpv-flying-wing-rc-airplane-570mm-epp.html

>>2903488
>Where are you ordering from?
GetFPV seems to have the most stuff in stock so they win. You're right that their kit doesn't seem to list a camera, the reviews made it sound like it did and I looked over that.
>Getting a flight controller depends on where you fly and how long you want to go out.
Park flying for now, everyone seems to be sold out of the Kopilot so I'll try flying without it and see how I like that.

Anyway, right now my shopping list looks like
>Dart 250g
>VC400 (backordered, I'll have to poke around for a suitable AIO equivalent or another supplier later)
>HM EP1 RX
>Xilo Axii antenna
>Maybe a flight controller later

I also need batteries and a charger but ol' Oscar should be able to help me well enough with that.

>>2903525
Also, I hear people swapping the connector in the plane from XT30 to XT60 for battery compatibility. Is that actually worth doing? I only have 1S now so I might want to keep my batteries maximally compatible as I start a new collection, but it also looks like I'd have to replace the battery connectors as well for the couple of 2S packs I intend to grab.

I'm now eyeing the Caddx Baby Ratel 2 and HGLRC Zeus Nano for my video needs. Am I doing anything retarded?

>>2903577
For small, 2S stuff like that, just keep the XT30. I use adapter dongles to plug XT30 packs into XT60 charger sockets. You can get those adapters for a couple bucks each.

As somebody who hasn't been doing wing stuff for long, prepare to crash on your first launch or two. It's okay though. Just get a high temp glue gun and some of that Surebonder Tough Stik. As long as you find the missing pieces, it will heal all wounds in 15 minutes.

>>2903596
>You can get those adapters for a couple bucks each.
if anon is gonna swap the connector on a couple packs (be careful, seriously) it's probably worth getting everything to make them.
doesn't hurt to have wire and connectors around.

>>2903715
Agreed. The number of amps a LiPo can crank out is more than enough to weld metal and blow up the pack. A lack of care is a short path to a housefire.

>>2903715
>>2903763
The idea was to mod the plane to take XT60 and only buy XT60 packs. Unfortunately, those don't seem to be a thing for 2S. Changing battery connectors does sound sketchy so I'll just run it as XT30 for now and if I want to change up later I'll reevaluate.

What jobs or careers can you get out of Drones ? Are there careers for repairing them ?

>>2903789
>does sound sketchy
yeah. I've changed connectors on 8 packs so far for my surface stuff, always get nervous once I get to the second side even with heat shrink and electrical tape.

Does this look about right?
I've built RC cars before driven by bluetooth/wifi but drones seems to have a bunch of domain specific language so I'm not sure if all this crap is compatible, I already have a camera and TS832 transmitter.

>>2903801
Looks mostly good, but I can't read all of it. The batteries seem a bit on the big side. Around twice as big as you'd probably want. The motors are a bit oversized as well.

>>2903804
The ESC says 3-6S so I'm going for the higher one to reduce the amps and heat, the KV rating on chinese motors is meaningless but they do seem to be for a 7" drone and I'm building a 5" one, nice catch.

>>2903805
I'm not talking about the battery cell count exclusively. I'm talking about the fact that it has a capacity of 3300mAh. It's going to be so heavy that it'll hurt both your flight performance and flight duration.

>>2903810
> heavy hurts flight performance
Is there a graph of these available somewhere?
I mean, I heard passenger helicopters and airplanes will probably never go lipo.
But a bigger battery should, in theory, yield longer flight times. Up to a point?

>>2903789
>>2903797
>Changing battery connectors does sound sketchy
what's life like without a little excitement and the occasional pop and melted tweezers?!

>>2903826
If you intend to gently cruise or just hover for a long time, you'd be better off with Li-Ion packs instead. Less weight for the same capacity, but also less current capability. As Bruce Simpson says, "There are no free lunches." meaning everything has a tradeoff. If you need a good source of data, eCalc is well known to have very good estimates for these sorts of things. Otherwise, you can take my word for it after doing this stuff for over four years.

>>2903801
The transmitter and receiver just need to be the same protocol. They're both ELRS 2.4 GHz, right? Are you cutting your own frame? You should buy a bunch of hardware like M2, M2.5, M3 nuts and bolts. Also a pick up a battery charging bag.

>>2903810
I went with a 4200mah 3S battery, should be 36% lighter and smaller RS2205 motors
>>2903983
I found a cheaper remote called LiteRadio 2 SE that comes bundled with a receiver so it should just work, got plenty of hardware and I'm planning on using foam wrapped on carbon fiber for the frame
>battery charging bag
are they that bad? I've only dealt with 18650 Li-Ion and lifepo4.

>>2903989
3S on what kv?

>>2904010
2300KV on these https://aliexpress.com/item/1005006839198656.html
I'm guessing, or rather hoping the current can be limited on the FC firmware because the ESC can do 60A but the battery and the motors can do only 40A.

>>2903989
>are they that bad?
They're a risk and battery bags (or, better, a metal can) are cheap insurance. People really don't handle lithium batteries with enough respect to begin with, so advice like that isn't as extreme as it sounds compared to the norm of just tossing them around.

>>2904012
I put all of my large surface LiPo's in a 50cal ammo tin with some of the gasket cut out.
bat-safe is always a good option but they're kinda small.

>>2904011
Yeah, that's why people tend to keep the cell count high and the overall capacity lower. I have a rather spicy 4 inch build that's running 6S 1350mAh packs on 2203.5 2850kv motors. It screams to high heaven, does 110MPH, and eats a battery in 2:30. Think it consumes about 2kW at full throttle.

>>2904010
There are a lot of variations for this

>>2903884
> take my word for it
I will. I always wondered why most RC gravitates to lipo instead of li-ion.
I assumed that it was because, if it fell out of the sky or hit something, and punctured the li-ion, it wouldn’t burst into flames and destroy the whole rig or blow up the plane it hit and ignite the fuel in the wing.

>>2904121
>I assumed that it was because, if it fell out of the sky or hit something, and punctured the li-ion, it wouldn’t burst into flames and destroy the whole rig
Lipo batteries are also really good (bad) at blowing up. In the example you posted the battery just wasn't punctured by some miracle, IIRC. I think Bardwell has done a video or two on Li-ion batteries in quads if you want more than Anon's word.

>>2904121
They'll both fail catastrophically if holes get stabbed in them. While they have different construction, the main materials are the same. It's just a trade in what sort of performance you're after. LiPos have tremendous current output, and Li-Ions hold more total power per gram. My 7 inch cruiser holds two 6S packs made of Molicel P42a cells for 8400mAh. It would cost another 200-400g to achieve that on LiPos. Doesn't sound like much until you consider that it has to constantly expend energy to hold it up.

I’m thinking about a “budget” analog fpv whoop set up to fly around parks and in the backyard with a skyzone cobra sd, radiomaster pocket, and a betafpv air 75. And I have no one to talk about it with

>>2904865
You're talking about it with someone now. On the topic though, I recently found a club pretty close to my house I'll probably want to check out some day. I fly FPV and I'm still on babby's first vehicles (a Mobula 7 and Dart 250 I'm still getting components for) and I worry I'll run into the usual Boomer superiority, plus I think registered clubs like this one kind of supported the bullshit regulations we deal with now.

>>2904865
If you've got questions, feel free to ask them. It's the best way to save piles of headache.

>>2904918
I haven't even considered a club due to all the stories of bitchy old farts who only do things the old way. Fuck them for sucking FAA dick.

>>2904918
>>2905018
I think some reverence for the old tech and the history of the hobby is warranted. But if you can’t acknowledge the advancements digital transmissions has made recently then you are literally insane. I’m still interested in an analog set-up because of its open source nature, interesting tech, and unrivaled minimal weight, but I’m new and primarily going to be flying with the DJI goggles3, my avata2 (which was my entry point to the hobby), and a meteor75 with the o4 air unit if I ever build up the nerve to buy one.

>>2905234
Oh I have no issue with old tech. I actually love using analog for several reasons, and use it as my primary video source despite having digital stuff. My issue is their attitude. They often hate anything that doesn't look like a scale replica, and God forbid anyone fly FPV.

Unrelated bit of info. Don't buy Gemfan 6030 floppy props. Their design is too weak and had two catastrophically fail at the same time, blasting a hole in my Penguin.

>>2905256
My nearest model flying club prohibits any automated flight on safety grounds.

They fly big gas/glow models which will crash & catch fire when their ancient radios failsafe. But they think having a drone that can fly automatically on GPS back to the take off position & land using cameras/sensors is unsafe.

>>2906198
That's funny. There's only two incidents I've ever had with autonomous nav modes. One was when my quad with no baro didn't know its altitude and never went to final descent speed, so it came down exactly where it took off with a good thump. The other was when my VTX was jamming my GPS, and position hold started drifting rapidly. One was funny, and the other was entirely my fault for trying to use a nav mode on barely 5 sats.

What do they think of auto launches? Got a Penguin that takes off so effortlessly that I can almost limp wrist throw it. It's absolutely beautiful how easy it is.

>>2898878 (OP)
Is the radiomaster gx12 is the best radio so far? was thinking of the tx16s mk2 but the gx12 does it all, also color screen for configs is just useless

I got myself some parts to build a 1S 75mm tiny whoop with a few 450mAh batteries but I'm wondering if I should also get a couple of bigger batteries in the ~800mAh range since I will probably benefit more from longer flight times while learning despite the weight increase. Thoughts? What about a 2S with a throttle limit?
Also I read that LiPos should be charged at 1C because more current might degrade the battery faster, are there any numbers on this? Say if I charge at 2C will I cut my battery life in half?
Finally, are there any USB antennas I can use to get telemetry and my video feed on my (Linux) laptop?

>>2906483
I can stay in the air almost indefinitely charging my 550mah 1s packs on my whoopstor3 @ 1.3A. I don't notice any difference in flight time when I charge them at 0.5A or 0.6A compared to 1.3A.
I only sort of start to notice a slightly shorter run time on my much larger >5200mah surface packs when I charge them at like ~3C (16A).
don't be afraid to run smaller packs for a whoop, it'll ingrain battery management into you along with landing practice and short breaks.
>degrade the battery faster
yeah it will, I only charge my packs >1C at the track/field or if I'm in a rush.
>my video feed
if you have HDMI out on your goggles you could get a capture card and use OBS to record.

>>2906679
Thanks! I ended up ordering a whole bunch of different 1S on sale and got a huge discount on a 4 ports charger, I already ordered a 6 port so I should be able to cycle batteries all day long if I want.
I also looked into using high current 18650 batteries which seem to work pretty well on sub-250g small frames, so I'm already planning a chill long range build.
>if you have HDMI out on your goggles
No, I bought the cheapest box goggles my local shop had in stock so they're pretty barebones. I'll get something more expensive once I'm comfortable flying around.

I have a tinywhoop that took a whack too many and now one prop twitches. What can have failed?

Hey guys

I'm new to this and I need an RC set up controlling just servos. I'm running steam powered train models and they won't require an ESC, what I want to know is do receivers treat an ESC like a servo, and would a servo work in an ESC port?

All of the controls are actuated by small levers and valves in the cabs of the models.

What kind of RC transmitter and receiver would you recommend for this? I'd ideally like something that could potentially handle up to 4 servos, for power, direction, gas control, and a whistle valve. Ali Express seem to be having a really good sale at the moment, so I'd like to be able to take advantage of that if possible.

Changing the direction is handled by a short throw lever in the cab, and I'd like to be able to put this on a 3 way toggle switch ideally, or at least a channel that keeps the direction of throw for the duration of the run. I'm aware I'll have to do some programming of the whole thing, so something simple would be very helpful indeed.

Attached is a video of what these will be going into. Space is limited, however most of the controls don't require much force to operate at all. I do apologise for the stupid questions, but I'm quite keen to not fuck this up.

Cheers!

>>2907007
Here's a little video of it running too, so you get an idea of what sort of thing I'm working with here.

>>2907007
something like this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006794354437.html can drive up to 7 servos directly, I would personally use an ESP32 and drive it through my laptop with an USB controller but that takes a lot of programing.

>>2907075
When you say a USB controller and driving with your laptop, are you suggesting driving the physical model itself with a laptop when it's running each time, or something different? I do apologise for the stupid question.

>>2906928
Never had a drone but the first thing I would do is connect a working motor to the same ESC as the failing one. If it works then your original motor is toast, if it has the same problem then your ESC or FC is broken.

>>2907196
ESP32 has wifi and bluetooth and is powerful enough to run a webserver so any laptop can connect to it and send commands with a web browser which have APIs for game controllers now, but is a lot of programing as in coding a full stack embedded application.

Im a complete new retard when it comes to drones, I just like the ''build it yourself'' part of it and im thinking of jumping into the hobby.
How retarded would it be to make the frame out of aluminium?
I'd machine the thing myself on a 5axis. Would the weight be a huge problem? from what I've gathered, the carbon fibre ones are easy to shatter

>>2906897
If you're planning on long range, I hope your cheap goggles allow for antenna swapping. A high gain patch or helical makes a world of difference. On omni antennas, you might make it a mile out. A good 13dbi directional antenna will amplify signal by 20x, but you need to aim it well. It's like looking through a telescope.

>>2907007
Many modern ESCs support a range of input methods, and as far as I know, PWM is the most widely supported. You should be able to plug the signal line into any of that stuff as long as they share a ground. Be sure to look into calibrating them to understand the input range of your transmitter. Digital methods don't need that, but tend to need a computer of some sort on board.

>>2906928
Potential failures can include popped MOSFET, cracked PCB, bent motor shaft, cooked motor windings, and ripped motor wire. If a fresh motor doesn't solve your problem, your ESC's MOSFET probably blew.

>>2907376
too heavy. If you don't have any experience with RC, then buy a kit or follow a build guide and learn how to fly first. After that you'll have a better understanding of what a frame needs and why they're shaped the way they are and you can design your own.

>>2907376
It can work, but we use carbon for a reason. Lighter, stiffer, and more durable. Rigidity is very important to minimize vibrations. If your copter resonates, say goodbye to any form of stability. It'll garble all your gyro data and create false movements.

>Finally get all the parts in for my new toy
>Increasing chance of rain for the next week

Does anyone here use a FS-i6x? Which mods would you recommend? Is OpenTX necessary? Apparently it's even possible to add support for ELRS and CRSF TX modules with a bit of soldering, which does sound more tempting (and fun) than buying an expensive new radio.

Okay, I think I'm a few mishaps away from fumbling this thing into the air but I've got questions. With the help of Painless360 and some googling, I've gathered that I should probably cut off the XT30 connector my ESC shipped with and solder it straight to the F405 Wing Mini I'm using. Since I have an FC handling most other functions, I don't need that two prong power lead for anything. I think the three prong connector needs to be kept for PWM, but I can (have to?) disconnect the middle red wire because I don't need that 5V feeding back into my board. If my motor runs backwards I can swap any two wires leading to the motor to fix that. Do I have everything right? I don't like the idea of cutting that extra red wire, is there a good way to unclip it from the connector or something?

>>2908148
You're pretty much bang on. The red wire can be easily released by lifting the plastic over the crimped pin at the end of your connector, but cutting it is totally fine too. Use something sharp like fine tweezers or a needle to get under the plastic clip, then press it back down after releasing your wire.

my camera breaks up from vibration a lot. I assume some solder point has a fracture causing intermittent open circuit. not flyable due to the intermittent video interruption.

I have a soldering iron with an internal thermostat. Thoughts on attempting the repair with some hot pokes?

>>2907376
>>2907522
>>2907524
Aluminium isn't ideal, but it's certainly an option. Especially if you want to prototype things quickly/cheaply it's hard to beat wood/aluminium.

That said, it's not hard to get your own designs milled in CFRP if you can't do it yourself.

>>2908148
That 16AWG wire on top of the FC looks like it's barely attached. That's not a solder joint I would trust to hold up in the air.

>>2908197
It can't hurt to try it, I'm not a huge RC expert, I'm lurking to learn, but if you haven't got too many cables that could be the issue? It'd be my go to. A dry joint isn't out of the question.

I bought the cheapest chinesium flight controller and it's not in the list of boards on inav, what should i select and can i do any damage by flashing random things?
I read the bootloader is read only so should be fine.
On banggood the board is called TEARCKEP F405 F4 V3S PLUS

>>2908372
If all else fails, you might have to build from source.

>>2908375
I think it came with betaflight. Should have just checked what it identifies as instead of immediately fucking it up

>>2908393
I re-read your comment with more sleep. There's a very good chance that there is no premade target for iNav. Sometimes the same goes for Betaflight. It's easily the biggest reason I avoid random, barely known flight controllers. It's just a pain in the ass to manually map them out and build firmware for them.

>>2908618
Thank you. I solved it.
At least I found that OmnibusF4V3 on INAV and OmnibusF4SD on Betaflight can successfully read the Accel, Gyro and Barometer and command the motors.
I saw that similar looking boards used mpu6500 which narrowed down the targets to try.
Now I have another question, so I plan to strap an OrangePi dev board to the bottom of it for image processing and stuff but that means I need legs to keep that off the ground.
I don't have a 3d printer right now.
I suppose could stick something in those holes, is that what they are meant for?
Is there something specific you can or should buy for legs or anything I need to know?
It's a 7 inch frame.

>>2908637
>OrangePi dev board to the bottom of it for image processing
What are you cooking? there is a new breed of boards that fit between an SBC like the OrangePI and microcontrollers like ESP32 or RPI Pico, mainly the Luckfox Pico and MilkV duo, they can handle some basic video processing including AI vision, I tried running an OrangePI on an RC car before but it couldn't handle the power draw.

>>2908648
I'm trying to see if I can get it to go around obstacles and localize itself with vision.
Yeah probably could have used something lighter/cheaper but have it already.
It says BEC 5V3A so power should be fine hopefully off the flight controller 5V.
Gonna buy legs and some other stuff I'm missing and report back when I get it flying / have crashed it

>>2908637
Well done! I always like to see the ingenuity that people employ without a 3D printer. Sometimes it's really good!

Would most ANT Protocol receivers work with most ANT transmitters?

Decided to give the ST8 from Flysky a try on the basis that it seems easy to use and has in hand-set set up.

I must confess to being an utter retard though, and bought 360 servos, rather than positional not realising (Stupidly) they were a thing and different.

Please form an orderly queue to call me a retard. (I think I have use for them at least)

Need a receiver that's very small indeed and has maybe a couple of channels for a solely electric model train. If not I can just use the Bluetooth handsets I have laying around, but I liked the idea of running it all of one controller.

Cheers!

I never thought a blown motor would smell so bad.

>>2909506
>Would most ANT Protocol receivers work with most ANT transmitters?
https://www.flysky-cn.com/rxtx-form

>>2909539
Thanks for the help. Sorry, when I say I'm new to this I wasn't joking.

>Buy plane
>buy parts
>Beat the gremlins* out of the VTX
>Beat the gremlins* out of the FC
>Fully assemble plane
>Beat the gremlins* out of my radio
>Attempt to launch plane
>Crash
>Crash
>Crash
>Beat the gremlin out of my hardware
>Crash
>The front falls off
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF- Well, at least it's down to a skill issue now. I guess I really need to chuck the thing to get it airborne because the motor isn't enough at low speed. I may also need to try the three-bladed propeller. Switching to mode 3 like a normal human is probably also a good idea so I can control roll and pitch one-handed right after launch.

>>2903596
>Surebonder Tough Stik
Sounds like I'll be making a new friend. Should I stick some carbon rods or toothpicks or something in when I piece this bad boy back together? This is going to take a beating.
*Read: my own ignorance

>>2909759
Mode 2 puts roll and pitch on your right stick which is generally easier, you should have a second or two to get your hand back on your sticks. Or just throw it with your left hand. What motor and prop and battery voltage are you using? What's the all up weight?

For gluing it back together, yes carbon fiber rods are helpful, but not completely necessary. I'd use e6000 or Goop for gluing the EPP foam. If this is babby's first plane, i'd really recommend flying it without the FC and FPV camera.

>>2909765
It's a Zohd Dart 250g kit I dropped a Wing Mini and FPV camera into. It's configured for 2S with the two blade prop, 215g with the stock 2600KV motor. This is baby's first fixed wing but while the FC is staying I plan to do some flying in manual and without the FPV, not least of which because I need time to get back on the sticks and orient myself without messing with other gear.

For the last couple of throws I did figure out that pinning the throttle and tossing with my left hand hand was my best bet, but I normally fly mode 4 with my quad and had my radio set up the same for this, so no roll control on the right stick and yaw doesn't exist because delta wing. I thought horizon mode would at least help me with launch, but it didn't level the plane after throwing like I thought it would, maybe because I didn't have the airspeed for control authority.

>>2909759
I'm the one who recommended the hot glue. Haven't done anything extra and my plane has stuck together quite well, even in excessive wind and bumpier landings. The reason I prefer it to E6000 (nothing against the stuff, it's great in terms of performance) is the fact that it doesn't produce nasty fumes and it's done as soon as it cools. Managed to decapitate my Dolphin, and it was back in the air in 20 minutes.

>>2909788
Are you against auto launch mode? That shit is absolutely glorious! I can throw my Penguin like I'm pretending to be gay and it rips up into the sky perfectly every time. Little harder with pushers, but as long as your throw matches your chosen launch angle, those tend to go beautifully as well.

Are there any options for American made drones? Or at least non-Chinese ones? I just want a flying camera that doesn't spy on me.

New cam, what do you think?
Akaso 7 le, $100, 33g including case. I should probably redo the case in TPU, when I get some.
It powers off of the drone battery->5v bec->usb pins, with automatic recording on startup. The USB C port is still entact for powering off-drone use/testing.
Keeping the mic & buttons only costed ~2g, and it would probably survive without the heatsink for a gram or so savings.
You can change settings over wifi, or plug in the rear touch screen with a ribbon cable.
The build was pretty straightforward, simple disassembly, with a lightweight case. I could make a full case for an extra 5 grams, but my experience is that they do next to nothing in a crash, and I'm not worried about weather.
The only tricky part was soldering the back of the usb c port, as the auto-record-on-power feature is on usb only. An easier solution would be to use a usb c plug breakout board, and connect power from there.
Anyways, it's nowhere near a gopro in image quality, but at least it gets the damn video instead of stopping randomly/overheating/glitching out mid flight!!

>>2910837
How the hell is something with no cell connection supposed to spy on you? Do you plan on saving the footage and uploading all of it to China afterwards?

>>2910837
The only way a chinese drone will spy on you is if you install the dodgy chinese named WIFI app they ask you to install in the manual.

Came across some fpv stuff on youtube and think its really cool. Was doing research on where you could fly one though. I live right outside a military base and my home falls into the "Get approval" area. Does this mean it'd be illegal to fly a tiny drone in my backyard?
Still thinking of getting a cheap controller and headset to try out one of the fpv games so open to recommendations on those as well.

>>2911087
Odds are, they wouldn't make a stink if it was just a tinywhoop under the treeline. Do be careful though. Might go a long way to call and ask them if they actually care. If all else fails, the FAA can't do shit if you fly indoors. I ignore half the rules, but I do all my flying in the middle of nowhere. No Karens or cops out there, and it doesn't matter because there's nobody to hurt or bother.

>>2911040
All of my research shows that Chinese drones are only legal in the US because of a deal with the US government in which flight data is sent to the US and Chinese governments. And there is no workaround for it while they are controlled digitally

>>2911190
List source.

I forgot to buy a canopy so I had to improvise.
28g (without battery) but I can probably easily get to 20 or under. Ain't she a beauty?
First flight was fun and pretty uneventful, I'm still using the acro training wheels.

>>2910895
Looks neat

>>2912088
You might try constructing one of those g-string canopies with acrylic and some heat. I use them all the time, but I have a 3D printer and lots of TPU filament.

>>2912112
I wanted to design one and print it but I only have a resin printer so the prints are too brittle. I think it's possible to buy resin that stays flexible after curing now so I'll try that one of these days.
Thanks for the picture, I'll see if I can replicate that with an aluminum can for the time being.

>>2912088
Oh yeah I also made this if you're using Bluejay
Surprise:o=4,b=125,d=8: 4c,4d#,8f, 8d#, 8f, 8f, 8f, 8a#, 8g#, 16g, 8f, 8g, 8p, 4g, 4a#, 8c5, 8f, 8d#, 8a#, 8a#, 8g, 8a#, 8a#, 8a#, 8c5

>>2912114
Be careful of creating shorts. Even a 1S battery can spot weld for a very short time.

oh look, sites back.

>>2898878 (OP)

I want to make a survey drone so it can photo my crop. I have 10 acres and I need it to fly up and down the rows of corn taking photos of ever square foot then i'm gonna stitch the photos together to make a composite image. I want the drone to be 7 feet off the ground, I'm asking has somebody done this were you put the corners in some software as gps locations and say survey the parcel?

>>2912297
nice innit?

>>2912187
Yeah I wrapped the whole thing in a double layer of tape, should be good.
I broke the wiring to the base of one of my motors today, although I think the windings are fine.
Any tips on soldering tiny enameled copper wires (0802 motor)? Next time I'll buy motors with a PCB and solder pads.
Also people in yurop, where do you buy your stuff? All of my local shops are constantly out of stock for what I need.

>>2912300
People usually use Ardupilot for photogrammetry/mapping stuff. Check this out to get started, although for 10 acres it might be more efficient to build a flying wing.
Check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ArriXbrR0
And rctestflight also has a ton of autonomous builds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXjGto5-AvA

>>2912304
>People usually use Ardupilot for photogrammetry/mapping stuff. Check this out to get started, although for 10 acres it might be more efficient to build a flying wing.
>Check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ArriXbrR0 [Embed]
>And rctestflight also has a ton of autonomous builds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXjGto5-AvA [Embed]

Thank you.

Hey, lads, thanks for the help with RC stuff a while ago. Anyway, I went ahead and fitted the RC gear to the steam engine, I've now done 2 conversions. This was it's first time running properly on RC, including my hastily made tiller arm for the regulator that I made an hour before the video, worked reasonably well though. Totally new model with the RC kit though!

Appreciate the help.

I ended up using a Flysky FS-ST8 handset and SR8 receiver, works rather well, but I need to calibrate the servos on the reversing valve, but it's going well, I'm really enjoying the addition of the RC on the models!

did you anons actually get out and fly while 4chan was down

>>2912337
I did surface stuff, got receivers for my nb4+ because tariff worries, swapped electronics to a different chassis, upgrades/maintenance, blew a motor rotor earlier today just like this >>2909539.

I did get some practice in liftoff tho

>>2912337
Actually got out with a buddy for about 5 hours and we flew and bullshitted. Even got an excuse to climb a tree. Was a great day!

>>2912337
Didn't fly, I don't have anything that can fly yet.

I did get to run my trains though. Completed this one's conversion to RC and ran it last night.

I am considering getting this though.

>>2912337
weather is still shit. Had to move some antennas on the Flik to get the GPS to work reliably. Ready for maiden now, but it's raining again.

>>2912304
>I broke the wiring to the base of one of my motors today, although I think the windings are fine.
Found the culprit, not sure I can fix this.

>>2912322
>>2912429
Noice

I have a question about ESCs, I'm looking to convert some of the RC kits out of models I've previously build, I bought a pre-assembled RC kit, the first kit I got was great, the other 2 though? They're a Bluetooth based set up, and they constantly disconnect from the handset. tl'dr - they fucking suck. Proprietary system too, go figure.

Do ESCs put out a target predetermined voltage, or do they work based on reducing the total input voltage, with max being 1:1 battery to motor voltage?

Again, I appreciate this might be a stupid question, but I really am just starting out with RC systems.

Can you also recommend one that can handle up to 12V that's as small as you can get it? 800mA should be fine for my needs.

It's really frustrating putting a model together only to have disconnection issues with a system I previously thought to be very good indeed.

>>2912470
Generally that isn't fixable because there isn't enough wire protruding to get a connection that will last.

>>2912478
Brushed ESCs are PWM of battery voltage on one wire and ground on the other, brushless ESCs are fancy PWM with 3 phases that switch and back EMF. I can't recommend one for you, I'd just search hobby websites, banggood, etc.

>>2912530
I did manage to rewind the coils, 10 turns with the intact wires and 8 with the damaged one (my fingers hurt), but these tiny wires are fucking impossible to solder, I think I need a spot welder or something. I did manage to get the bell spinning a bit but no better than before.
I though about dismantling some old headphones or desktop speakers to get more wire, but I think it's hopeless. I just wanted to fly tomorrow goddamit

new to building drones. Are there any frames that would allow a camera gimbal to sit on the front of the frame like pic related? I can't find any that have this style. I'm trying to build a "DJI style" compact instead of having to use bigass landing legs to house a gimbal mounted on the bottom

>>2912678
You could just cut a piece of sturdy plastic or find someone cutting carbon fiber in your area and screw that to the front of the main frame.

>>2912678
Make your own extended plate. Buy a frame that you like, CAD up a new top plate for it, have it cut from thicker CF by sendcutsend or some other service, and bolt it on with longer screws.

>>2912535
Sand all of the enamel coating off of the winding wire, leave it longer than it needs to be, wrap it around a tinned stranded wire you're using to connect to the ESC, and solder it on.

Looking for RC boat recommendations for the 11 year old nephew.
Any guidance appreciated.

My nano/micro/smallquad fleet is growing uncontrollably.
Which motors/props do you think would work best with a 2p 18650 (8000mAh, 30A peak discharge) battery setup for more relaxed cruising and long range? Or should I go for 2s?

>>2913410
That kind of advice would require more info. Stuff like target weight, number of cells in series, and blade length.

Anons, has anyone found a ghetto way to use a pair of goggles that have no HDMI input with a PC?
I have a pair of DJI V2s with an analog adapter unit, and I was curious about how difficult it would be to rig up a VTX to my computer so I could just broadcast a video signal to the goggles.
I can solder reasonably well but I have no idea how one could go about doing this, although I'm sure there's a way.
Anyone got any guides or a rough idea of the process?

>>2914712
Get an HDMI to composite video adapter, chop a composite video cable, solder VTX input to core of wire. Outside of that, probably use a fan and DC supply from the wall.

>>2913410
>fleet
I've never done anything of the sort but now I'm curious if there's readily available software/tools for actually controlling fleets of drones in a swarm or formation

Apology if this is a retarded question.
I'm kind of interested in learning to fly drones for fun, but I'm not willing to commit a bunch of time and money to a new hobby right now. I also live in a city so don't have a lot of convenient areas for flying nearby, the nearest park is full of crackheads and some proper fields are a little ways away.

So since all I want is just have fun learning to fly, rather than anything practical like photography or racing, I'm thinking learning in a simulator would probably be perfectly fine for entertaining myself and learning flight. Is this true - are the simulators around good enough that I could learn transferrable skills for if I find it interesting enough and decide to buy a real drone after all?
And in the meantime, what would I need? I'm guessing a midrange controller probably (are there cheapo copies made for PC use rather than robus radio transmitters)? I'm guessing I need an FPV display too. Can a normal VR HMD serve this purpose and could it also be reused for actual flying, or are FPV drone displays special and I should get an authentic one?

>>2914899
yeah you can learn/train on sims. grab a radiomaster pocket ELRS and a sim.
> I'm guessing I need an FPV display too.
i do all my sim practice on my monitor, it's fine.

>>2914899
Like the other anon said, you just need a controller and a sim to play. I have a radiomaster too. The charging cable will let you use it as a controller on your PC.
Velocidrone is my favorite sim and it just werks out of the box with my controller.

>>2914909
>>2914952
Oh neat.
Is an FPV display still better for translating to real practice in the hypothetical future or is it whatever?

>>2914965
I wouldn't say it matters all that much. Goggles are a bit different but it's not important for learning really.
You'll want to choose your goggles once you're sure you want to invest the money, and you know if you want to go digital or analog and what system you want.

>>2914965
I don't think it's necessary or anything, I started with just liftoff and a radiomaster boxer.

>>2914979
Got it.
>>2915009
Before I pull the trigger, why boxer over pocket? I'm probably not spending double the money either way, but at first glance I just don't see what would make it cost much more.

Also probably extremely dumb question, but if I'm in the UK I should get the LBT version, right?

>>2915062
>why boxer over pocket?
I picked it because I have huge hands and wanted 1W elrs for some amount of future proofing should I build something long range. I still don't need 1W.
some have said the gimbals feel better between the two but, I haven't tried both.

> LBT version
I can't answer that sorry, I'm in usa. seems like and EU thing so you should look into it.

>>2915062
I know that at least in the UK, they require Listen-Before-Talk. They also have a limit of like 25mW. There's technically nothing stopping that hardware from operating outside of those limits aside from the law, but if you wanna avoid getting burned, stick to requirements.

>>2914772
This sounds like it might work, and I think I have one of those adapters buried somewhere. Thanks, anon.

>>2915321
It should. All of that analog gear is using exactly the same technology that analog television ran on. The video pin on an FPV camera is using exactly the same method that we used to plug in VCRs and game consoles. (The yellow plug.) I've actually tried rigging it up to my own television once before out of curiosity, and it worked perfectly.

I'm looking to get my own custom frame cut for the first time. What clearances should I use for the motor screw holes? Is there anything else I need to be aware of when getting something like this cut? And anyone have a recommendation for a cutting service in the UK?

It will be an ultralite 3 inch deadcat toothpick. There exist some ultralite toothpick frames but I haven't seen any deadcat. I want to extend the lower front so there is an area for a camera mount in line with the frame rather than on top of the stack.

>>2900316
This is it so far. My first own build. I am using the AOS T3 frame but I find it a little heavy, also the Runcam Thumb has to be mounted rather high to not get props in view.

>>2915560
>What clearances should I use for the motor screw holes?

I use 3.2mm diameter for M3 hardware & 4.2mm for M4 hardware. Seems to work fine but ymmv with smaller hardware.

>Is there anything else I need to be aware of when getting something like this cut?

If you have access to a 3D printer, use it to print mockups so you can check clearances, etc. There's a lot of things you won't realise from your CAD software but which will become obvious when you actually assemble a mockup.

>And anyone have a recommendation for a cutting service in the UK?

Don't bother. I contacted half a dozen UK companies, all of whom claimed they did small batch/one off jobs, some specifically mentioning drones/FPV. Only one even responded, their quote was very expensive & they ghosted me when I told them I wanted to proceed & asked them for an invoice.

I used a Chinese factory I found on IG for a bunch of stuff, until they screwed up one order (sent it to the wrong address, didn't try to make it right), then most recently I used cncmadness & they were actually a similar price... *before* shipping.

>>2915614
Yeah, cncmadness is who almost everyone eventually ends up going to when they want interesting frames. They've got a good rep.

Is there an off-the-shelf camera-equipped RC unit that can fly high enough so as not to be visually detectable without magnification from the ground?
What would be your choice for surveiling surface mining operations?

>>2915614
Thanks that's a great idea to 3D print a test version first.
Shame if there's no good local service. What was the shipping from cncmadness?

>>2915788
literally any DJI drone?

>>2915887
>DJI drone
Wtf?

>>2915887
>>2915560
You could try to check if there's a hackerspace/makerspace in your area, as long as you buy the raw materials they are usually happy to lend some time on their equipment.

>>2915887
Canada Post $40USD, DHL/UPS $50USD.

I was paying $10USD for China Post from Shenzhen/Guangzhou.

>>2915788
Fuck off. Not helping with your gay ass wars.

>>2915970
>gay ass wars
It's about making money, retard, not some fucking video game.

>>2916017
Yeah, business involves worrying if people can see you watching them.

>>2916024
>assuming making money means going into business
YWNMI

>>2916042
Okay buddy. Keep acting like hot shit when you can't even figure out basic things without coming here first.

>buy arrma fury
>ESC dies second day out

>>2916045
>thinks mining is a video game
>thinks he's got it all figured out
>never leaves the basement

>>2916085
Please continue. I'm greatly amused by you.

Any programmers here? Does anyone know if it's possible to emulate EdgeTX on PC for development purposes?

>>2916259
Ignore this post, apparently this is included in edgetx companion and I should learn to read.

Which should I get??

>BetaFPV LAVA 550mAh 1S 75C
>GNB 550mAh 1S 100C LiHV

Everyone says the folded cells are great but the GNB advertise higher C rating

>>2916436
all C ratings are lies, there's no standard test.

>>2916506
Can confirm on multiple occasions. C ratings are bullshit. Best to learn who makes a good battery and buy from them. Not saying I know everything, but I've had a good time with BetaFPV lava, Tattu, and LiperiAir. CNHL is okay, but their performance didn't impress me. They get warm even on light loads. RDQ batteries seemed to wear out kinda fast.

>>2916436
I own a 450mAh LiHV GNB battery which performs quite well even with a shitty PH2.0 connector, back in the days it was one of the most recommended brands IIRC.
Just get a couple of each, it's not like you're going to break the bank anyway.

How can I improve my analog video range?
Built a 7" drone, I want to fly it far but I'm losing my video signal in less than 1 km. My VTX is rush tank solo 48CH, goes up to 1W. I got some knockoff EV800D goggles so that might be the low range problem too, I don't really know.

>>2916675
patch antenna on the goggles.

>>2916533
>>2916517
I bought the lavas for a change and wew. 800+ mah when they are rated as 550mah. Still got to test on some other quads though in case it was a fluke.

>>2916675
Try flying from the top of a hill. Something something fresnel zone.

>>2916675
High gain is your friend when you know which direction to point the antenna. There's patches like the other anon said, or you can cook up a helical if you're even slightly handy and are on a budget. Another thing you can do is directional antennas on an antenna tracker.

>>2916739
Probably a good idea to see if your current scale is correct. Those things are constantly set wrong, or the manufacturer has the flight controller faking it. I've got a BetaFPV flight controller that does just that, and it drove me nuts trying to figure out why it was never accurate.

is analog good for you

>>2916743
I personally still love analog. It's cheap, durable, and supports audio. Sure, the picture is prettier on digital stuff, but it can also be a pain in the rear. Digital systems run hot, need special cables, cost far more, weigh more, and have a bunch of firmware to constantly update. Plus there's the boot time. Analog works in 1 second flat. Most digital receivers and goggles take 10-20 seconds.

I want one
https://youtu.be/dcd0Zyz8Xy4?si=LoBRk-YGzDNthdiM

How the hell do I buy RC cars without the guts? I especially don't want a receiver and transmitter, as I have my own stuff I wanna use. That's just extra cost for shit I'd tear out. Is it simply a matter of learning to build them from scratch?

>>2916950
used or get a kit/roller. I know rlaarlo and hobao sells a few models as rollers, even then it's hard to beat RTR prices unless you have spare electronics + whatever else, or a setup in mind. a bunch of companies sell unassembled kits too, AE, tamiya, tekno, etc.
you can always sell the stock RX/TX too, a bunch of my cars were RTRs that I put an AFHDS3 RX into

https://www.amainhobbies.com/rc-car-trucks-kits/c44?fk=26_183&lg=fk26 dig around anon

>>2916958
I'm actually finding that eBay might be the solution here. Getting the impression that Spektrum came in and twisted the arms of all the storefronts in around 2022. Spektrum is one of those brands that has the vibe of ripping off hobby boomers for decades, and now they're clinging for dear life because other stuff does it cheaper and better now. Got a perfectly good 5 channel receiver that runs ELRS. No reason to deal with Spektrum.

>>2916986
I've liked all the arrma's I've driven or owned but, yeah I agree that their radio and battery/charger solutions are stupidly overpriced for what they are.
their RTR surface radios are decent tho, they work fine and aren't complete ewaste when you replace it.

>>2916997
Was actually seriously looking at one of those. Who knows? Maybe I'll still source one from eBay. I just wanna romp in the fields without getting bogged down, and I'm sick of the fucking FAA thinking they need to regulate the holy hell out of everything I do. All these companies wanna sell me a full kit, complete with transmitter, batteries, and charger. The hell would I want all that for when all I need is the car? Aircraft got it right ages ago, but cars need to catch up a few decades.

>>2916742
>Probably a good idea to see if your current scale is correct
Yea it was wrong... i tried in another quad and was closer to 550.
Think my old batteries were just so tired that these fresh ones impressed me with double the flight time.

>>2916056
How did you do that? inb4 driving flat out for 20 minutes with a 20t pinion again

>>2916950
You buy roller kits if you want to just add the electronics or buy a Tekno kit if you want to build the thing from the ground up.

>>2917039
dunno, I hadn't changed anything with it at that point. hit the brakes to spin around and it stopped responding. hh responded to my warranty claim, it's backordered. I guess I'm going to have my old traxxas bl2s system in it for awhile. sadly it feels nearly identical to the stock brushed system.
>20t pinion again
lol the typhon esc fire from last year was mine too, glad this one failed without a smoke show.

>>2917052
Spektrum strikes again, just slap a Max10 in it if you aren't going to go over 4s.

>>2917065
I run 6s quite a bit so a max8 would fit me better. I did recently move my max10 g2 140a into my 4x4 rustler, it's so good on 2s/3s with the 3200kv 3665 can.
I'd like to try out a castle system someday, the autismo levels of data logging and tuning interest me.

>>2917085
>Castle Cremations
It's your money but every time I see people use them on youtube they catch fire, makes no sense considering how much more they cost than a HW

>>2917044
Roller kits are getting rare these days. Lots of discontinued models.

>>2917134
Are you talking about Arrma specifically? Seems like here's no shortage of Hobao or Losi rollers if racing buggies are your thing.

>>2917092
every time I've seen that happen they're running the motor over its rated spec.
>high kv 3s rated motor
>fire on 6s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2BUdTSpD7M 7:23

I saw a gimballed 2 axis drone camera on Ali for $20 and bought it on a whim.
Anyone got something similar that they've messed with? I saw a video a while back of a guy who had made a similar setup himself and slaved it to his goggles for head tracking so I wanna do something like that.

>buy 18650s from amazon
>they're not actually 18650 and don't fit
CHANG!!!!!!

>>2917233
Flashlightfags have this problem as well. Could it be it's not supposed to take the ones with the nipple? I ran into this problem with my goggles and the flat top ones fit. I think some also have a protection that makes them a hair longer as well.

>>2917141
Nope, I want a big ass vehicle that won't get hung up in medium grass (<3 ft) and can throw gravel on a road. There isn't much street or parking lot here to work with.

>>2917293
>less than 3ft of grass
>medium
Just get an RC mower then

>>2917288
Yeah, I'm buying flat top ones now. Thing is radiomaster's own store tries to sell you 18650s and those clearly have nipples on the photo, and I did a little bit of research and allegedly flat top ones are designed to be built into cells while nipples are normally for using with traditional battery compartments (AA-style just bigger), and an 18650 is an 18650 right? I thought to myself.
>I think some also have a protection that makes them a hair longer as well.
That's astounding, in what world is a battery of standard size which is oversized for the standard size EVER useful at all? I'm baffled as to how this is even a thing.

Weird place to ask but is anyone selling analog goggles with good receiver module (Rapidfire, TBS Fusion, SpeedyBee etc.)?

>>2917336
I'm not personally selling but I snagged a TBS fusion off Ebay for a really good price a while ago. Checking used listings there can net you some good stuff if you're lucky.

>>2917311
>I'm baffled as to how this is even a thing.
I can imagine a plausible pathway. This just sounds like natural progression fucking with the standard and the standard not being changed because ew.
>"Hey, it seems like over/undercurrent protection would be useful for this style of battery."
>"So do it?"
>"We'd either have to decrease the battery capacity or increase the length to make it work."
>"Eh, just make the battery a bit longer, it should still be compatible with most (some) stuff."
>"Shouldn't we label the battery under a new standard since--"
>"That would mess with recognizability and market penetration, just send it and let the world figure it out, Wang."
Voila.

>>2917459
Yes but
a) you can make the actual chemical insides shorter if you really need to, and
b) it's literally false advertising is it not? I mean at some point some standards become relaxed enough that nobody cares, or there's leeway to bullshit enough to fool consumers without materially affecting things. Like "cat6e ethernet cables" being sold (cat5 had a cat5e version, cat6 does not have one, it is not an actual standard). Those cables generally meet the cat6 standard and people who buy ethernet cables off amazon likely aren't coming close to maxing out the 10G rated speeds for cat6 anyway.

But this is literally a standardised form factor that will completely not fit if not followed, rendering the battery unusable. The size is even in the NAME. It should not be possible to buy a battery of a fixed size specification that does not fit into that size.

Eh whatever, I'll just return them but still.

>>2917467
>a) you can make the actual chemical insides shorter if you really need to
Can you without decreasing storage or increasing cost? I'm not knowledgeable.
>b) it's literally false advertising is it not?
I think you're overestimating the number of fucks being given by battery manufacturers. At this point they've gotten away with it so why change? Everything else is just a gulf forming between the ideal world and the actual world.

>>2917474
>Can you without decreasing storage or increasing cost?
Probably not but these already range from advertising like 2400mAh to 3600mAh or something. Yeah you probably wouldn't be able to have top capacity and also fit the protection chip or at least not without pricing them particularly premium but, fuck, it's better than making a battery that can deliver 0mAh because it cannot be placed inside the device
>I think you're overestimating the number of fucks being given by battery manufacturers
Manufacturers will obviously do what they can get away with, I think what I overestimated was the number of fucks given by amazon.
18650s have surprisingly little choice on there anyway with surprisingly few reviews, so it's kind of a complete chinkshit tier wild west I'm guessing with no oversight. Which is gay, but where else am I supposed to buy them then if I want just some normal batteries at a western premium? As it stands I might as well order from ali, but at least on amazon I do get 2-3 days shipping rather than 3-4 weeks.

>>2917486
https://www.18650batterystore.com/
or you could call or go to a local vape shop, they normally have some.

>>2917456
Thanks. Checked all the internet, Ebay didn't have a good offer this time. Found a swedish ad in FB marketplace and got Fatshark HDO2 with TBS Fusion and antennaes for 300 bucks. Sweet.

>>2917493
This is where I always go. Never had a knockoff cell from there, and they have some stuff to help build packs.

Hi, I'm an vg/simg tourist. And I'd like to start an RC project. Pic rel. I don't want to invest a lot of money yet on an RC plane with high range or with fpv camera. So i did my research and right now i can do it with a budget of 230-240 USD. Is this the right way, because I have some doubts, specially modifying the control so i can increase reach.
Thanks in advance

>>2917556
It'll probably work, but don't expect to go very far. I have minimal faith in that receiver, and the control link will probably cut the moment you break LoS or get any significant range. Also, expect latency with that rig. You might be better off with a $50 box goggle.

>>2917556
if that was my goal and I had nothing but what (little) I know now I'd grab https://store.flitetest.com/ft-mighty-mini-arrow-mkr2/ + the electronics, radiomaster pocket elrs, and some cheap box goggles with a DVR + a patch antenna if needed.
probably over your budget by like $100 but, it gives you better electronics that you can continue to use for years with new builds.

I've taken my meteor 75 about 650ft out on the 500mW VTX, with my radiomaster boxer set to 100mW @ 333hz, without any video issue as long as I had a good line of sight using this POS with the stock antenna https://www.racedayquads.com/products/fatshark-echo-fpv-goggles?variant=40780073926769

>>2917627
This is the kind of advice I like to give. So many get stuff that they can't use for anything else, so when they decide RC is cool, they have to go and buy a whole mess of stuff that they could've started with. I got a TX12 and Sky04X like 5 years ago, and I'm still using them both today. Every year, that investment gets better because I'm not blowing cash on upgrades.

Anyone have any ideas for improving this canopy? To make it lighter ideally, or even just less ugly. Although it is acceptable as is.
I need the camera mount raised to keep props out of view.
The box is for the self powered buzzer.
It's in TPU. I'm considering trying PLA instead as perhaps with something harder I can make it thinner and lighter.
I could probably make the supports a bit thinner with TPU but it's got a bit of flex already.
>>2915560

>>2917794
Camera and GPS assembly

>>2917794
I've never built my own drone but is using TPU normal? Why would you want a wobbly, bendy frame?
Just from my cursory knowledge on 3D printing, I'd expect shit like the carbon fiber infused PLA or memes like PEEK to be the best filaments, or otherwise PETG, and finally normal PLA as a cheap and easy to print one. But not flexible filaments for a frame you expect to be rigid.

>>2917822
TPU is extremely common. There is actually a surprising amount of rigidity when done right, yet it's bendy enough that some parts are near indestructible. I've had exactly one TPU part break in years of flying, and it was because the layers were done in a stupid way. It's my favorite printing material for a reason. The rigid stuff just explodes when crashed.

>>2917831
Fascinating. Given that carbon fiber frames are common, I'd have assumed that rigid high-strength filament would've been the next best thing when printing. That's neat.

>>2917835
Yeah, the printed stuff isn't nearly as durable as carbon fiber, so flexibility is the only way to avoid destruction in a crash. I've handed big strips of TPU support material to fit men and they usually couldn't break it.

this thread reminds me I should get my tinywhoop up and running, it literally just needs a new fc but they're so expensive (GOOD whoop AIOs - my builds gotta stay light) and i might as well design my own fc. Problem is, I don't feel like designing an fc right now...

I got an OpenIPC board from a company I work at and it's honestly surprisingly good, I might make an ultralight FC+ESC+openIPC board to rebuild my whoop. Picrel would be an idea on how to make such a compact board possible

>>2917896
The one I use is a mere $59 after tariffs. That's not so bad for a flight controller plus 4X ESC. It used to be like $40, but it's still well worth the fun.

Can you guys advise me for a drone that can carry my phone for aerial video ?

My phone already short in raw I’m not interested in investing in a drone with a drone with a same camera capabilities (it would likely cost an arm)

I just want something that can lift my camera for 5 to 10 minutes, with a maximum of 500m range and 200m altitude

I have a 200€ budget Any tips ?

>>2917822
>>2917831
>>2917835
>>2917848
You don’t make the *frame* itself out of TPU, but you do make things like camera mounts, electronics mounts, canopies, etc. out of TPU.

>>2918017
Good aerial video depends upon being able to properly control the camera from the ground. It doesn’t matter how good your phone camera or DSLR is, if you just strap it to a cheap DIY drone you simply don’t have enough live control to get decent footage. Buy an older used DJI drone.

>>2918043
Oh yeah, I missed this detail. The frame itself absolutely should be ultra rigid, with mounting parts and guards being made of TPU. An all TPU frame would suck ass.

>>2917896
>and i might as well design my own fc. Problem is, I don't feel like designing an fc right now...
It's a shame that there is basically zero community efforts to create a fully open AIO FC, with basically everything else in the hobby being open source you'd think there would be a lot of open hardware available.
Does anyone know why? Is it because some required chips like VTX are proprietary or something?

>>2917896
Never seen that kind of PCB before, now I wonder if a mix of a ultralight flex PCB for the FC with an aluminum PCB for the ESC would be possible.

>>2919077
My bet would be that it's mostly down to cost. Buying all the SMDs and MCUs in bulk helps cut the price down a lot, plus people would need the PCB layout and a reflow plate/oven. That said, it would be good to see more homebrew in that field with the government officials trying to get such parts taxed into oblivion. (Not even talking about the recent tariffs.)

>>2919160
I don't think flexible PCBs would be durable enough since the slightest bend would send your SMDs flying, plus you'd still need rigidity for your Gyro.

>>2919254
Manufacturing PCBs and having a PnP do the hard work for you is pretty affordable these days, especially if you order a big panel. I'm curious what the BOM for a good FC looks like.

>>2916743
>is analog good for you
I've done a LOT of acid in my life, so I find the psychedelic colors of analog enjoyable.

>>2919863
Are you running NTSC? PAL never gives me crazy colors unless my signal is nearly gone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3KC8TtBros

>>2920017
that's cool, surfing a tornado must be wild.
>OTUS has an FAA-approved waiver to fly drones in tornadoes.
ofc there's some FAA bureaucracy for this.

>>2920032
My thought exactly. The hell do we need their permission for? Soon, they're going to demand permission be asked to draw breath from their airspace. A tornado doesn't become more dangerous with that aircraft in it, and it doesn't endanger the pilot. The only reason is because they said so. Laws are supposed to be about the safety of fools, and deterrent of abuse. The FAA can lick my batwing.

>>2920125
>doesn't become more dangerous with that aircraft in it
one could argue a battery fire could make it worse, still it's dumb.

>>2920274
Considering the fact that tornadoes have been known to drive bits of straw into wood, I think the difference is marginal. It's like adding a firecracker to a pile of dynamite.

>>2920334
My favourite example of this is from Jarrell

>>2920355
Fuck me! That's just nuts!

>>2920363
>Fuck me!
Bend over, I've got a rock hard cock and I would love to pierce your virgin asshole. Holy fuck, I can't wait to squeeze your plump asscheeks in my hands as I empty my balls in your shitter

>>2920684
Hey buddy, I think you took a wrong turn.
>>>/lgbt/ is over there.
At the very least, you should follow the spirit of the board and build your own asshole to fuck.

After 3 full weekends and a lot of screwups, I finally built my first 5 inch drone. Spent like 30 hours in the sim, went flying in the park for 5 mins then gave it to my girlfriend to try and she fully sent it, panicked, removed the goggles and gave me the controller. I tried to LOS pilot it with 0 LOS experience but I could not tell which way the drone was facing as it was a speck in the sky so I sent it even further. I know the general direction of where it might have landed but I lost radio signal and it looked around a km away, maybe more. We spent like 2 hours searching for it but nothing came out of it. I went there the day after and I still couldn't find it. It's a park with heavy vegetation. What do I do? I ordered new parts to build another one. How do I search for the old one? What are the chances it survived a ~300m fall and it is fixable?

Also, is it a good idea to just strap an airtag to the other one so this doesn't happen again?

>>2920728
>What do I do?
Don't hand noobs the controls to a 5 inch quad. Should've bought a tinywhoop if you wanted to let the inexperienced try.
>How do I search for the old one?
Use your DVR footage if you have it.
>airtag
Those aren't particularly useful unless other devices are near to help pick it up. Otherwise it will only help within a very short range. Try a self-powered beeper instead.
>chances it survived
The guts are probably still good, but you've probably smashed an arm or two.

>>2920728
>Spent like 30 hours in the sim

But what about your girlfriend? If the answer is ‘none’ then wtf were you expecting?

>>2920728
Protip, set a switch to toggle angle mode in case you lose control, this way you can let go of your right stick to level off and gently lower the throttle, this should give you enough time to figure out where you are, put your goggles back on and come back.
If you crash you can keep your goggles close to the ground and scan from left to right, the signal strength should give you a general idea of where your drone is. Then once you feel you're close enough you can enable turtle mode and give some quick stick movements and maybe you'll hear it. Or use a buzzer and set up GPS telemetry. Obviously this wouldn't work if your FC broke or if the battery was unplugged. You can lower the chance of the battery disconnecting with good cable management and two good straps.

Is running an LED directly off a receiver safe? Like if I wanted to plug in an LED into one of the channels would that be fine or would it blow the LED? I've not yet put a multimeter on the channels to figure it out.

>>2921802
Odds are, you're going to get either 5 or 6 volts. On rare occasion you'll get over 8. What is your receiver controlling, a plane?

>>2921906
Model trains, but it's a Flysky receiver.

>>2922024
As long as your LEDs are made for 5V, you'll probably get normal operation. Every PWM receiver I've seen is pretty much a little bus bar that makes electrical wiggles on one pin. I run a whole video system on one of mine.

>>2922108
Fan-as-structural-component is a nice idea.

>>2922172
Yeah, the whole thing glues up into the roof of this printed tank I found on Thingiverse. I did custom herringbone gears because the original ones kept trying to slip apart. The cats enjoy a game of chase with it. Unfortunately, it has horrible clearance so even small sticks and rocks can stop it.

Betaflight is starting to support the Pico/RP235x, is the era of cheap FCs finally upon us?

>>2923066
Elaborate. I don't know what those are.

>>2923066
We already have <$30 FCs.

Idk where to ask and Im going fucking insane.
I am trying to make a pendulum with a EDF propeller on the end. SO far I have broken three(3!!!) of those fucking things. The first time the whole thing fell of, and some of the wires went into the edf and the blades broke.The second time, maybe I overtightened my 3d printed holder or something but the shaft just broke. And now the third time again the shaft just broke. It was nowhere near max speed, it was hovering at an angle, I have tested it like this 50 times before and it suddenly just decided to snap. Idk am I fucking the PWM signal or what. What can be something really stupid that I am overlooking? I have spare ones, but I am scared of using them now.
I have an Arduino wired to the 20A ESC, all is powered by a 14.8 V battery. The control loop every 50ms, 20 Hz, 1050 to 2000 microsec is the PWM output range. I have a function where the value of PWM is gradually written +1 in each loop so it doesnt just go from 0-60. Any ideas at all?

>>2916675
Build a circular polarized helical antenna. They're what I use when I'm flying. I have one omni and one helical on my goggles and I track where my quad is with my head and if it's behind things and signal gets weak a quick scan back and forth is often enough to pick up a good path/reflection.

>>2915788
I can see it and I will take it down. I've already kamikazed one of my FPV quads into a consumer drone that was over my property and your DJI will not get away.

>>2923892
A pendulum? What do you mean, EDF propeller? you took the fan out of an EDF and are running it bare ass in the wind? Without a datalog the specs of a control loop are not useful. You control loop could be diverging, you could be making a mistake in assembling it, it could be precessing or off balance to break the shaft. I honestly don't even know what you are saying you've built here.

Taking the dip into avionics. Why does this module suck ass? Literally testing it out flat on the bench and the altitude data randomly fluctuates like tens of meters.

>>2924247
Are there sudden sources of pressure changes where you're testing? Stuff like an exterior door opening and closing could do it for sure. They tend to be quite accurate unless the environment screws with them too much.

>>2924247
Noise on your power supply? Filtering disabled and you're just reading instantaneous pressure? Just poor chinese quality control? Take your pick.

Got my kid an rc powerwheels for his birthday but the rc remote sucks, nothing is analog so it's whiplash city when steering, letting off the gas brakes too abruptly, there is no 4wd toggle on the remote, among plenty of other complaints. I'm good with electronics but know nothing about popular rc systems and hardware, so what would be a good controller and remote (even a cheap pistol style one would be good, provided it has analog throttle and steering control) for something like this? Preferably budget friendly while having good range, reliability and programmability (like ramp rates and physical switches and such)? Also it's 24v and has all brushed motors.

>>2924265
Literally just on the table in my room. If I quickly blow on it the altitude rises and stays there for a minute.

>>2924268
I'll probably have to filter the data or calibrate it someway.

>>2924449
Done right, it should be rock solid. Even without any foam, my copter won't deviate more than an inch in position hold.

I'm just gonna be a leech and leave this here >>2924578
not particularly interested in quadcopter drones

I did my first long range flight today, I turned back when my radio started screaming at me because of low RSSI and then I got surprised by a head wind and my battery started to get critically low, I barely made it back. It really got my adrenaline pumping. I want to do that again but I'll build a cheap quad for it.

>>2924747
Yeah, even a mild wind can rapidly cut your efficiency down to a small fraction of what it could be. Long range is probably better on a foam plane. I've got a quad I built expressly for that, and almost never get to use it because the wind has to be nearly dead to get serious range. My planes could beat its range on less than half the battery capacity.

>>2924747
Long range flying rule of thumb is allow enough battery life for 1.5x the flight out on the way back. Like reserve fuel in real aircraft. I typically turn back at 70% if there's any wind at all. Check the wind before you head out.

Anyone else in here a surveyor or use drones for RTK/lidar? I'm trying to build a drone (as DIY as possible) so that my boss won't make me do topos in 90+ degree heat anymore, would love some advice or perspective

Test using 3D printed toroidal propellers

Thinking of building something like this 45mm whoop. I custom built a 65mm a year ago and it was really fun to fly, but I think I can do better on hardware than this guy.

The plan is: Design a full AIO flight controller in the form of an SOM (f411 + elrs + esc + VTX), only 15x15 to 20x20mm. The frame would be a plate of 1.0mm FR4 (normal PCB material just a bit thinner), with a place to solder the SOM onto. Motors would be screwed into the frame with the cables cut to a couple mm and soldered directly to pads on the frame which would lead to the solder connections on the SOM. It'll fly like shit, but it'll be fun and repairable (desolder the SOM, put it on a new board)

What yall think

>>2926879
What battery capacity you planning on? Surely it can't do over 2 minutes due to low efficiency.

>>2898878 (OP)
Why are RC blimps not more common?
Logically they'd be better than normal drones as they can operate for longer (only need to use power for changing altitude/moving), and unlike regular blimps they don't need to account for variable load (humans).
Yet I don't think I ever seen one, why is that?

>>2928126
They're slow and highly subject to the wind.

>>2928127
Regarding the wind, aren't normal drones also vulnerable to it? Sure the blimp has a larger cross section, but I imagine even when using power to compensate for wind, it'd still be more energy efficient than a drone

>>2928131
Even small hobby quads have an almost miraculous level of stability in the wind. I can freestyle mine even at 30mph. There are also researchers now flying them through tornadoes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGD2e741Riw

>>2928126
In addition to what’s already been said, helium is also now incredibly expensive.

>>2928126
My guess is wind. Due to the square-cube law, big blimps are very heavy and have huge engines, and are made to cruise at relatively fast speeds too. So while counteracting wind will reduce their efficiency, it's manageable.
Meanwhile a small RC blimp will have a much worse surface-to-weight ratio, much smaller and less efficient rotors, and will operate generally much slower. If a strong gust has the potential to be faster than your maximum operating speed, you won't have much control.

Maybe it would be viable on calm days, though. But also a lot less exciting mind you. It'd basically only be good for relatively slow aerial photography; not racing, not stunts, probably not most for-fun flying (much more boring than quads and helis), and not even any aerial shots that require any sort of fast transit to pan around.

Plus helium price yeah.

>>2928172
why not just go with hydrogen? sure its flammable but shouldn't matter at such a small scale
you can also make it yourself

>>2928172
What about RC hot air balloon?

>>2928197
Doesn't that just fly away?

>>2928271
Usually they are tethered.
>>2928197
Rip-stop nylon is extremely expensive, to the point that an RC hot air balloon costs hundreds or even thousands of dollars to make.

>>2928126
>Logically

Innocent ignorance is not logic, it is absence. Blimps are mostly shit, blown about at the whims of the wind. No amount of new children with blimpy dreams changes their inherent, severe faults.

>>2928383
That just sounds like a kite with extra steps.

>>2928409
It pretty much is, yeah.

>>2928385
You aren't supposed to be flying these during storms anon. Gentle to medium wind blimps can deal with, especially if you have two axis thrust vectoring.

i tried to make a souped-up outdoor tinywhoop to imitate my old 4s 3inch, but even with 40000kv motors, the punch is just nowhere near the same. I love the idea of having the size be as small as possible, but also want to absolutely rip. whats the best balance between these 2? could a 2inch get up to 50mph?

>>2928447
Yeah man, do 2S on some 1103 motors at 11000kv. Mine is using a Happymodel X12 AIO and it screams!

>>2898878 (OP)
I recently diy a 7inch drone but even in angle mode it’s not easy to fly, angle mode improved horizontal stability but vertically it’s still a nightmare, it either shoot’s up in the sky or crash heavily on the floor with the slight move of the throttle

I built this drone for Ariel shots not accro

>>2928602
Add some throttle expo or do a scaled throttle limit to improve control.

Alright, mildly odd question here and it crosses over with.../k/, /out/ and /sci/ at least, and maybe a little /x/. But is there anything in the hobbyist space about using drones with magnetometers/magnetic anomaly detectors? Not for the bullshit they're always doing on that fucking Skinwalker Ranch show, but like the airborne mineral surveying or anti-submarine warfare kind of searching...actually ASW is the perfect example.

I've done a very cursory search on the topic and found professional-grade models built for magnetic surveying, but those fuckers cost as much as a car. Has anyone in the hobbyist space played around with the idea at all? Or is magnetic detection equipment one of those things you can't really get a useful result out of on a hobby drone scale (or without a coordinated swarm)?

>>2928815
A lot of the issue is that a hobby UAV is going to produce several rapidly fluctuating magnetic fields by both permanent magnets and electromagnets. It's already a little tricky to make a magnetometer serve as a compass, and so using anything to find weaker fields would be a bitch.

>>2928933
Ah, dick, never thought about that. Bunch of electric motors would probably cause trouble. Welp, there goes that mostly-not-serious idea.

>>2928981
Hell, I even managed to throw mine off by having the battery lead too close. It caused rapid rotation of the compass. It's probably possible to do what you want if you get creative, like lowering an independent sensor with a tether, or maybe a very rigid arm that holds it at a distance. This hobby finds huge leaps by thinking outside the box.

>>2929095
Yeah, I don't know shit about drones, I was wondering about an off-the-shelf solution (that doesn't cost as much as a car). I also have no idea how to actually interpret a magnetometer reading/area scan, I was basically spitballing ideas for a...thing.

Suspending it underneath is an interesting thought, that IS how I've seen helicopters use mineral-surveying sensors. Come to think of it, airborne might not even be necessary...

>>2929204
The majority of what I've heard of is putting the sensor on a small trailer or cart and dragging it behind an ATV. Of course, this requires terrain that isn't too challenging.

>>2929253
Well, that works on land. The thing I'm tossing around ideas about is not on land.
It's a U-boat. Allegedly. Maybe. Buried in silt at the bottom of the Churchill River/Lake Melville in Labrador.

So the story is about ten years ago, a couple guys celebrating graduation went over a nearby waterfall in a non-survivable fashion. A crew came in using sidescan sonar to look for their bodies and detected an anomaly in the image that they thought looked like a submarine. Now it could very well just be misreading the sonar output, but both the federal government and the German embassy both released statements saying that if it IS a U-boat, it'd be treated as a war grave and left alone. Skip ahead to 2017 or so, a local crank posted what he claims to be a bunch of emails between provincial government offices talking about this supposed find, and some guy who had a History Channel show allegedly spent time diving on the site, but nothing ever came of it. Without going off into a lecture on local politics, the provincial government WOULD have a pretty good reason to want nothing to be there, because it's just downstream from a hydro dam project that's been a complete boondoggle. Ever since I heard about it a few months back I've had the idea of trying to investigate it personally bouncing half-seriously around.

>>2929290
That's honestly a really cool story. Have you ever heard of CPSdrone on YouTube? They've got a pretty decent guide on how to build an RC submarine. Perhaps that would serve your goals better.

>>2925514
You need a good photogrammetry program, something I haven't looked at for a while, but it's the most important part.
Then any DJI 4k drone and an app like drone deploy taking your photos with all the different angles required should do the trick.
You'll just need to make sure you do a good set up, enough 'X's tied in with accurate GPS coordinates for your control and reference x-y-z data for the photogrammetry program to be able to do its point cloud accurately.
And then probably cross reference with an actual topo to see how out to lunch you are.

Has anyone ever looked at upgrading the magic pro gimbal and camera?
I have my pro setup prefect, jailbroken and able to fly for 40 minutes+.
But I crashed (using litchi and completely forgot about the auto land feature, idiot) and the gimbal is shot.
I can get a new-to-me gimbal from China, but I'm just wondering if anyone figured out a way to use a different camera, thermal, etc?
I don't need HD, or stability even. Just something I can tie in to the existing broadcast specs so I can see where I'm going. I've become very cheap in my old age, and spending $160 for a fix, when I can spend $500 for something new and improved just hurts. Plus I have no idea how easy/impossible it is to jailbreak a dji these days.

>>2929290
Hang the sensor payload off the side of a boat. A submersible is the wrong approach here.

>>2929353
Photogrammetry != lidar.

>>2929354
Impossible without reverse engineering the obfuscated proprietary software, interface protocols, etc.

>>2929374
Boat does seem like a sensible approach, the only problem is I'm not sure how restricted (or safe) the search area would potentially be, because it's just downstream from a major hydro dam - see pic.

>>2929374
Lidar=/ photogrammetry.
Lidar uses a Lazer for distance.
A LIDAR survey uses laser to calculate distance, and the Lidar machine doesn't move.
Photogrammetry for us poor retards uses triangulation via different perspectives from a camera, us much less accurate, but can work
Hence the X's tied in with GPS to tie the whole point cloud generated from using AI to match up different angles of the same point the software identifies, using 100's of 2D images of the same thing to create a 3D image. I use my mavic pro to do it once, and it worked, but not very well because it was too large of a flat area with the X's spread too far apart.
Hence why it's so hardware intensive for computers and needs good GPU to be done.
With Lidar the point cloud exists before you even entire it into the computer.
The computer just matches the X's to the cloud and charges their xyz coordinate to match real world geoid.

>>2929383
Fuch I hate phone fagging. Hoping you get the geist.

>>2929383
>the Lidar machine doesn't moved

Except when it does, like when it’s attached to a drone or a car.

I know full well what LiDAR & photogrammetry are, I’ve worked commercially with them both. Presumably that other anon asked about LiDAR because they need LiDAR.

>>2929581
You said lidar=photogrammetry.
That's wrong.
Photogrammetry uses AI to analyze 2D photos to approximate what lidar does WITH LASERS.
He's looking for a cheap DIY method to do a topo to get out of slogging over terrain.
Photogrammetry is the cheap way to do that, and I've seen it used very effectively for large quantity surveys in the Canadian strip mine oil fields.
If he could afford a lidar drone, he wouldn't be asking for a cheap DIY method.

>>2929586
> You said lidar=photogrammetry.
> That's wrong.

Except it’s not wrong.

There is certainly overlap in the applications & the outputs of the two techniques, however that doesn’t make them the same. Especially if you are working with vegetation cover, they are *completely* different.

> Photogrammetry uses AI

No it fucking doesn’t lol. Not every neat piece of software is ‘AI’. Stitching 2D images into a 3D model is basic projective geometry.

> I've seen it used very effectively for large quantity surveys

Yes, I’ve literally done exactly that.

You jumped to assumptions about what the anon actually wanted & started explaining/arguing photogrammetry vs LiDAR to somebody who has much more experience in both than you do.

What's the bare minimum in hardware required for an autonomous waypoint flying UAV?
Let's say I already have a flying RC airplane, what more do I need?

>>2929776
You said, and I quote,

'Photogrammetry != lidar'

And then you said they're different? Which is it, dip shit?

You can use any drone in the market to do photogrammetry, because all photogrammetry does is use 2D images to create a 3D point cloud, using a VERY computer intensive program which you're right, isn't AI, but for the hours it takes a GTX1080 to process even a simple survey, might as well be.
You need accurate, easily identifiable ground shots (think big white x), usually a half dozen, but more is better, that you then highlight for the program as being that coordinate so it can then tie in the point cloud as it runs through its process
.
You need a LIDAR drone to do LIDAR survey. It uses lasers to create that 3D image, giving accurate distance measurements to every point it stores in board the unit in a real time 3D point cloud, and each point is stored in an accurate GPS geoid coordinate system because you've set your rover on topwhile the Lidar is running.
Fucking retard pretends he's been doing this forever but can't even admit he's wrong about the principles behind each technology.
T- someone who was doing both in 2017.
Before getting the Fuck out of the oilsands.
Fuck I hate arrogant elitist douchebags.

To the original question from the surveyor: just use litchi or drone deploy to fly a pattern over a test area (preferably over an area you're already done a topo on so you can see how good the results are) with your run of the mill dji to shoot a bunch of photos, then run them through a program like Pix4Dmapper and see if it gives you good enough results.

>>2929894
It just needs accurate on board GPS, your controller/phone the same, and then a program like drone deploy or litchi to plan the route.

>>2929984
And I assumed he wanted a simple way to do a topo survey so he wouldn't have to walk the fucking thing himself.
If his company was willing to invest in lidar drones or had any clue about photogrammetry, he wouldn't be here. They'd already have put $30000 into a setup last time they upgraded to R12's.

my dumb third world country is retarded and gay and has laws that requires identification and permissions to purchase and fly drones. Is there cheap way to build something with materials that we can find in a local hardware store? Im interested in FPVs, but i guess for training purposes i can use a regular one.

>>2930111
multirotor or fixed wing? You can make flite test style planes out of craft foam like depron or carve it from insulation foam. You should be able to buy the electronics and assemble it yourself without the authorities getting in the way.

>>2930130
multirotor, im afraid fixed wing would attract too much undesired atention, although those are cool and would like to test them at some point eventually.

>>2930134
>multirotor
>being less noticable than a wing

>>2930137
Yes, i know about the sound it makes, but even so i can quickly pick it over and scram rather than spend time landing the fixed wing and running to pick it up to then scram.

>>2930111
>training purposes
simulator.

is it for any UAVs? could fly around a toothpick or tinywhoop if there's no restrictions under a certain weight.

>>2930140
I havent read much about that dumb law, but AFAIK there's a restriction on how high UAVs can fly. Somewhere between 100-150m. I just plan to use it to fly around my local park or ocassional sidegigs to get some extra cash.
As for the simulator thing, i've been using it for a while, but i expect the change from simulator to the real thing to be quite different, specially if im building it myself.

Any jobs involving flying drones or repairing them ? I looked into Flight Attendants and you need FAA License

>>2930197
If you're operating them in any way that isn't for fun, the FAA expects you to get a loicense because fuck you for making money in THEIR AIR without their HOLY permission. Just be glad they let you breathe.

>>2901169
I have a SAB 280 with qube lynx triple head and tail setup and also a omp m1 that is also 3 blades. I fly them both with a mikado vcontrol. Personally I would not even think about putting a scale body on an omp1, you barely have ANY flight time to start with due to battery situations, id just fly it as is. Even throwing the triple blade on the omp1 was just for looks. Anyways here is my flying the omp m1, and some simulator video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPnpP0aYxg4

>>2930647
NICE. Its funny how drone "pilots" like to flex with their flying skills but that ain't nothing compared to that. The controls are constantly moving against your brain as you fly. I'm sure flying drones would be trivial for you.

>>2930666
No shade to drone bros, but it’s just not my jam. FPV looks sick, sure, who wouldn’t want to fly like a damn eagle on crack? Just never got around to it. Heli life already bleeds the wallet dry. My TX alone was $1300, and that’s before you even slap on the flybarless unit, another $300 in gear and firmware. Yeah, I could fly a drone easily. That’s kind of the problem. There's no fight in it. Flying an RC heli is like juggling chainsaws mid air. The thing wants to die every second and you're the only thing keeping it alive. That’s the rush.

>>2930669
The fact that it can kill me or itself if I fuck up just a little are what keeps me out. I crash all the time, and I'm pretty sure I've plateaued. The people who can handle LoS orientation proficiently are wizards in my simpleton eyes.

>>2930677
Its not wizardry. That youtube video I posted of me flying on the omp m1 was my 20th time flying any rc helicopter, actually it was more like less than 20. This is all simulator time. After you crash 6,000 times on the simulator your brain gets used to it and you stop crashing. I can fall asleep in my head now just flying an rc helicopter, it brings me peace. I can almost close my eyes and keep the helicopter up at this point. You should try it, buy a cheap tx and something like a rx2sim usb huge and heli-x simulator, after a few years of doing that it becomes like second nature. There is no magic in it, its just picking yourself up after you crash, and its rewarding. Drone bros should try it, don't fuck with a real rc helicopter, fly in the sim, its what I did for years and then bought a rc helicopter and thats what you see in the video. shoutout to mikado vcontrol facebook and helifreaks.

>>2930677
I forgot to say, if you are scared of the heli killing you, you are too close. Its better to be high up in the air and learn than close to you and dangerous. A OMP m1 can hurt you but it would take rare scenario for it to kill you. Still, the higher you get from there the more dangerous it gets but the more easier it gets to fly, and also more expensive. I would have no problem with a 700 size heli because they are easier to control. If you want to learn, go high up and far away from you and you dont have to worry about it a whole lot.

>>2930679
>>2930685
Eh, I still think it's not for me. My spacial awareness tends to be pretty good until I have to control something remotely. FPV removes that limitation entirely.

>>2929984
>'Photogrammetry != lidar'
>And then you said they're different? Which is it, dip shit?

You do realise that != means *not* equal to, right?

Maybe work on your basic reading comprehension before you start mansplaining stuff to people who didn't ask & don't care. This isn't reddit.

can some smartass tell me what elrs module my piece of shit controller is using so i can flash it to the latest elrs and finally get telemetry?

>>2930912
turn it on, hit sys, elrs, wifi, enable wifi.
it'll show the firmware version on the webpage and you can update it through that same page.
10.0.0.1 is the page, or just go to any, it should redirect you

>>2930971
I forgot to mention, connect to its' wifi network. kinda important.

>>2930679
know of any good micro 1S 3dcp helis that come with elrs out of the box? or come without rx

>>2930772
>uses programming language in an entirely English conversation
>pretends it's normal syntax

Yeah, sure, please, do go on about how the poor surveyor wanting a cheap fix for slogging through topos should just use lidar.
If you've never done a topo, and can't help beyond being your typical out of touch with the physical social world and the people doing the actual work in it, maybe stfu?

>>2930971
it doesn't have wifi, it doesn't have edgetx either

its a jumper smart controller, while it works and i can control my drone i'm not getting any telemetry

>>2931010
>>pretends it's normal syntax
NTA but it being abnormal doesn't mean it should be interpreted as the opposite of what it means
If you didn't know what it was, you could've asked, acted confused, or looked it up. I still don't see why you would just randomly assume the meaning, knowing there's a 50/50 chance you pick the wrong one, and then build your entire argument on that without even bothering to check if you got it right or wrong

>>2931010
m1, s1

>>2930647
Thanks, just remembered my post. I still have not bought anything yet, but I am looking at either an M2 or a Goosky E2 minus the GPS. If I get an M2 it will be flown stock until I get comfortable, then I might look into a scale body, but even then I would need advice on doing such a thing.

If I do anything, I am thinking along the lines of a Bo-105 now (the body is made of 0.3mm plastic, so weight should not be much of an issue). as I have been practicing a lot with four blade heads in my sim. I am up to the point where I can comfortably do standard maneuvers, plus basic aerobatics and inverted hovering. I need to get more comfortable with two blade units first before I get something.

>>2931030
my mistake, it looked like a radiomaster pocket.

>>2931036
I built my entire argument on you not helping the surveyor asking for help and you pretending you didn't try and correct me with pretentious douche baggery isn't helping.
What, a person is supposed to assume a fucking retard NOT HELPING is also incapable of making a typo?

Did you, Mr. 'I've done more work with lidar and photogrammetry than you'll ever know' offer any assistant to the guy asking the question about what he could do as far as using a regular drone to do a topo?
No?
Then please, stfu.

>>2931036
This you?
Oh, I get it, you're just a gaslighting kike, incapable of honesty or an admission of fault.
Never mind then.

I wish both of these faggots would 41% and leave us to talk about hobby stuff.

>>2931286
Apologies.
Anyone have a line on a cheap mavic pro gimbal assembly?

What is your opinion about open IPC? More specifically the runcam wifilink2 ?

my diff decided it wanted to become a mill.

So I'm looking at cameras and video systems for an underwater ROV. I want a camera that's compact, high resolution, and if possible(low light). I really want to use a fiberoptic cable for control and fiberoptic analog video + UART multiplexor + fiberoptic cables longer than the titanic is deep are cheap enough to be disposable. So if I can get decent resolution over analog video I'd like to know. Or are there other digital video standards I should consider? Many fiberoptic multiplexors are made for combat drones, so they probably use the same stuff consumer FPV uses. Pic related, DEEPI, a raspberry pi camera potted in epoxy that can go down to about 5 km deep

>>2931327
No. Kill yourself, DJItroon.

>>2931743
Ha, yeah, I'll get right on that you fucking retard. Because I was asking you, and only you, Sean.
Kek. I'm guessing you don't have to be 18 to post here.

Sup folks.
Looking to buy a long-range recon drone so that I can film migrants crossing our borders.
Thinking of something with a LOS range of 5 km and back with some decent loiter time.

Any good off the shelf drone like this available. All that I've ever seen so far are the DJI drones they sell at electronics stores, so my experience is very limited. I know you can build your own but I don't want to solder and buy dozens of separate parts.

>>2931801
>Thinking of something with a LOS range of 5 km and back with some decent loiter time.
I'd recommend a General Atomics MQ-1 Predator Drone.

>>2931803
>I'd recommend a General Atomics MQ-1 Predator Drone.

Really?
So drones are basically still just toys that can fly a few hundred metres? I thought all the hype meant at least some decent performance.

So you're saying it's still better to go with a gas-powered remote controlled plane or helicopter?

>>2931812
retard here (and nta) but what makes a plane not a drone

>>2931812
Helicopters (including quadcopters) are vastly less efficient than fixed wing aircraft at staying airborne. But, just like real-world helicopters, you can a ton of maneuvrability and flexibility. So quad drones are for when you want to fly aerobatics, hover in place, and basically not be limited by airplane flight dynamics; but they're not the best solution for when you want to fly very far away for a very long time.

And combustion engines are similar in that the energy storage is far more dense than batteries, but they come at a convenience penalty because they're more finicky to start, run and refuel; and importantly, scale down way worse - there's only so far you can miniaturise one. So again, an electric quad is great for charging anywhere, messing about with anywhere, being able to cut and start power in a fraction of a second, etc. But once you scale up enough that the battery weight becomes a major factor and if your flight is long and steady enough that you can just start a combustion engine and go, then it starts to make sense to use one.

>>2931743
Honestly, I find DJI users to either be idiots, women, or the slightly above average crowd. Very few normies or enthusiasts go for them. Troons, while disgusting, are also disproportionately autistic and surprisingly smart. Truth be told, if they'd latch onto the fact that they're quite capable instead of their broken emotions, we wouldn't have so many tech enthusiasts killing themselves because the mirror hurts them.

>>2931801
While I'm no DJI fan, I acknowledge that they're quite good as a flying camera. Many offer optical zoom, long flight time, and both gimbal and software stabilization. If you're not looking to do any cool tricks, they'll probably serve you best in the role you've described.

>>2931834
I'm thinking the requirement for a landing strip makes planes a much less 'dangerous' instrument for carnage, at least compared to the drone you can launch and land from inside your car with a decent size sun roof.
Or just out the window if you're not interested in getting it back.

>>2931896
and how is dangerousness a metric for droneness

>>2931846
They're simple, plug and play, work complete.

As much as going down the wormhole and learning everything there is to learn about building your own drone 'from scratch', the simple fact is, your skill set is no more involved than the 'nerds' that learn everything they can about computers so they can plug the perfect parts together to make the fastest hardware (they can afford, that will be relevant technology wise for about 6 months, then you need to start over) and call themselves creaters.
You're not creating shit. Someone else is manufacturing everything you're using, you're just piecing them together.
Maybe you do a bunch of software work and that raises you above the crowd, but the simple fact is, for most people drones are a toy or a tool.
You investing every ounce of time you have into a hobby?
There's a word for that.

>>2931898
The licensing seems to indicate 'someone' thinks so. What was the original question again?

>>2931900
the question is what makes a plane not a drone, because the other anon above was complaining that "drones dont have decent performance" and so he's considering a plane instead
i thought drone just meant unmanned aircraft so an rc plane would be as much of a drone as an rc quadcopter, and a gas one just as much as an electric one

>>2931903
It is confusing due to hobbyist versus legal definitions, but essentially if it is a multirotor, then it is a drone in addition any fixed wing designed for FPV would fall into that category, though legally any unmanned aircraft is a drone, at least in the Anglophone world and the EU and Japistan. The communities between model and drones are two separate groups despite doing similar activities.

>>2931899
You've made a lot of assumptions there. I never claimed to be some kind of genius or master of RC. I'm typically saying that the only reason that other people can't do the things I do because they're lacking in confidence and don't try. I'm just a humble Jack of all trades who loves objectivity.

>>2931946
>Honestly, I find DJI users to either be idiots, women, or the slightly above average crowd. Very few normies or enthusiasts go for them.

This is what you said, and yet you're telling me I've made assumptions.
I'm a jack of all trades myself, built my own house, fix my own cars, computers, guns, play every musical instrument i can get my hand on. $1000 gets me a drone that does everything I want and more with zero extra effort. If I need it to do A LOT MORE, I can jailbreak it, and still be ahead of most people building their drone from scratch without wasting 1000 hours of my life improving on what the $1000 got me.
Everyone gets into reloading to save money, and spends more than they ever would have if they'd just stuck with factory ammo.
I'm guessing drones are the exact same situation.
Drones are a great hobby, but pretending you being avidly interested in it makes you more intelligent than the person that just wants plug and play is a very boring kind of retarded. And I'm guessing really young.

>>2932057
Good grief, so this whole text wall is because you took my observation personally? I was not making a statement about myself, but those who I most frequently see in ownership of specific products. Holy hell, dude...

>>2932080
>I'm typically saying that the only reason that other people can't do the things I do because they're lacking in confidence and don't try. I'm just a humble Jack of all trades who loves objectivity.

This you?
Please, do go on about how you build a better product than dji, and that if someone doesn't try and built a drone, instead of just buying a great consumer product WITH WARRANTY, it's because they objectively lack the confidence to try.
Do you apply that same amazing logic to cars and fleshlights?

>>2931010
You are responding to at least 3 different people & all of us think you're a moron.

>>2931236
There was no argument until you decided to arrogantly assume that the OP wanted to be lectured to about photogrammetry, despite them asking about LiDAR.

>>2931327
AliExpress is a good source of 'original' parts.

>>2932107
Holy balls, and you're doing brand loyalty...
I don't assemble my own stuff because I do it all better. I do it to give myself something interesting to do. Why are you so defensive?

>nooo you cannot buy tools to accomplish some task, you have to turn everything you touch into a hobby and hand-craft everything yourself!
>nooo you cannot have hobbies, if you build something yourself when a commercial version exists you're obssessed!
what is this battle of autisms
DJI/commercial drones fulfil one usecase and DIY drones fulfil another

>>2932114
>Anyone else in here a surveyor or use drones for RTK/lidar? I'm trying to build a drone (as DIY as possible) so that my boss won't make me do topos in 90+ degree heat anymore, would love some advice or perspective

This is the question I was answering, where I suggested he use a regular cheap drone to do photogrammetry, something they seemed unfamiliar with, as a quick and dirty topo to get the results he wants.
You responded to this with lidar=photogrammetry, which I said they're completely different, which you then defended as saying they're very similar (quote from you:
>Except it’s not wrong. There is certainly overlap in the applications & the outputs of the two techniques
to which i responded they're COMPLETELY FUCKING DIFFERENT!!

I know THAT conversation is the one I've been having with you (even though there's no user ID here for me as I'm phone fagging) because you're vernacular is exactly like a pompous CAD snob that's never held a survey rod in his shitty worthless life).
And for the record, buying your drone parts off aliexpress doesn't make you a builder, it makes you someone who thinks lego is building from scratch, instead of just plugging specific parts together.

>>2932128
I'm not doing brand loyalty, I'm doing simplicity. You want an obsession. Something you can deep dive because you're a boring piece of shit that needs to follow everything that interests them as intensely as they can until they know every aspect of, to help fill the emptiness they feel inside? Good for you.

MOST PEOPLE who buy a drone just want a drone because they just want a drone, and you thinking that makes them stupid or a woman, is completely retarded. As in you have a mental illness, and I'm guessing are medicated for schizophrenic behaviors.
It's much more likely the lacking is in you, not everyone else.
I'm guessing you show the same anal retentive passion about EVERYTHING you are interested in.

Tldr: get fucked, retards.

>>2932057
a DJI is a flying camera, it's very different than an FPV drone or plane and I'd argue it's not part of the hobby. If you want a flying camera, that's fine, you won't find a better one for the price.

>>2932224
Have you used a dji? Used it in FPV mode, used the goggles, jailbroke it, got it flying twice as fast, as high as flying conditions let you, wherever you want, put an aftermarket battery on it?
A drone is a tool, and like everything else, it depends on the users willingness to not worry about the warranty to get as much out of that tool as they can.
You can build your own, but I think buying something from the factory will give you a taste before going all in on that endeavor.

>>2932143
>You responded to this with lidar=photogrammetry,

You didn't understand what != meant so you launched into an argument against somebody for no reason.

>And for the record, buying your drone parts off aliexpress doesn't make you a builder,

That anon literally asked for where they could buy a fucking Mavic gimbal.


You really need to put your phone down once in a while. You clearly spend your free time intentionally trying to instigate arguments, even where there is nothing to argue about. It's sad.

>>2932282
NTA but aren't DJI drones expensive as shit? Whereas building your own drone seems feasible for $100 for a smaller one. I don't think buying an expensive consumer device upfront and spending a while jailbreaking it and voiding the warranty is a better way to "get a taste" than building a DIY machine on the cheap and playing around with it and slowly ramping up the hobby.

Unless money is not a concern in which case sure you can start with a DJI drone that lets you fly immediately and then "ramp up" in terms of time spent rather than money spent, but I'd wager that that's the minority of people, since the cost of a multi-hundred-dollar drone must be absolutely insignificant for this logic to apply.

>>2932143
I'm not replying to you anymore. You have the worst reading comprehension and ability to understand people. Truly a poorly managed case of autism.

>>2932330
Oh my fucking god, why do I feel like I'm talking to one of (((them))) on pol?
I!!! ASKED if anyone had a line on where i could buy a mavic gimbal you fucking retard. And I am in no way a builder.
And here's a question for you: why would you post photogrammetry =/= lidar, and then say they're the same? Unless you're a retard?
Because you're a retard, yes.
And if I'm here only to instigate arguments, why on the Fuck do you keep bringing this shit up? I apologized, and then asked if anyone had a line on said gimbal, only to be insulted by one retard for using dji, and then to have you come back with this retarded bullshit.
Hypocrites deserve the rope.

>>2932347
If you have a build that would equal the dji you can get on Amazon right now for $400 (dji mini 3 with rc controller) for $100 (never mind the DAYS of research and trial and error required to get to whare the dji offers) I'm all ears.
The reason I'm asking about the gimbal is specifically related to that point: why would I spend $150 delivered for a gimbal for my jailbroken mavic pro, when I can spend $400 on a mini? Because I don't want to have to start over as far as the jailbreak goes, which can absolutely brick your device if you miss a point of context such as build number, firmware number, etc.

>>2932380
Thank the fucking lord.

>>2932347
not angery anon, DJI is very different than an FPV freestyle drone. One is a flying camera, the other is a flying machine that you operate with a camera. They appear similar, but they are very different experiences. Having a camera on your phone is not the same as hobby photography with a camera.

>>2932397
Wait, so you asked where to buy a Mavic gimbal and somebody correctly responded that you can buy them on Ali… and now you’re throwing a fit & calling them a retard?

Literally wat.

You should see a doctor, you’re a fucking schizo.

>>2932611
I asked if a friendly group of tinkerers had any idea of a good price for one, you know, because I naively thought people here might know somewhere NOT OBVIOUS to look?
Thanks for proving that, like everywhere else on the web, this place is mostly full of parasites and narcissists pretending to know what they really actually don't.
Why the Fuck are you here anyway, except douche baggery?

>>2932975
What an unhappy little bastard. He's mad that compete strangers tried to help him.

>>2898878 (OP)
I'm looking to build my first drone. My father wants to try his hand at it too.

I have seen the 100$ and 230$ build.
>https://oscarliang.com/mini-quad-racing-guide/

The range on the 150$ drone, looks interesting but the camera quality doesn't look as good.
>https://oscarliang.com/150-dollar-7inch-fpv-drone/

Any recommandations since the links are almost a year old now ? We live in the middle of nowhere so range and quality are a priority, not speed.

>>2932975
>Why the Fuck are you here anyway

Morbid curiosity. Your posts are like watching a car crash.

>>2933080
replace the video transmitter with a digital system, that's an analog one. And change the receiver to ELRS.

>>2933101
NTA, but analog does still have a few perks. Stuff like camera switching, affordable night/thermal, higher max output, and live audio. It's also dead simple and really cheap. Recently got a bunch for planes and ground vehicles.