# FPV Flying, Where gamers go to die, reality.



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

*FPV (First Person View)* The pilot flies planes and drones immersively using VR goggles called *FPV goggles*

Here we cover and rant about the the modern RC (Radio Control) hobby and it's many modern offshoots. Since the introduction of digital technology and cell phone sized electronics, it has become incredibly cheap and extremely capable. From meticulously constructed RC models of actual aircraft to long range foam FPV platforms and racing wings, *to cheap EPO foam kits and planes,* the plane part of the hobby has exploded. Then there are drones, from the DJI type that you remote control to get great aerial video shot, to FPV (First Person View) drones and they come in different categories and sizes.

This hobby is very affordable today and once you have a control transmitter, *FPV goggles* and a battery charger you can use them with RC planes, FPV drones, boats and even cars.

First we will focus on *FPV racing drones or quads (quadcopter*) are constructed on a carbon fiber composite frame that is very strong and light. They are controlled by the pilot' s transmitter through a flight control computer, that can also provide information on the video screen for the pilot called and OSD, or on screen display. Some quads are configured for racing, some for freestyle, some for long range and some are called cinequads and made for smooth flight and carrying a gopro, or some other HD camera. The HD camera video is what you see most often, sometimes they will show a recording from the ground to show how good the range is etc.

Here are a couple of short videos that show what you can do with a cinequad with image stabilization in the camera or done post production for that dreamy look. For most guys it would take about a year or maybe two to get this good at flying, there is a lot of technical knowledge required too, but a lot of great source of information too. This is called cinematic because he uses image stabilization, varies the playback speed, adds sound effects and music.

This guy knows how to employ his girlfriend in his video. These shots were planned and rehearsed in some cases. With an FPV drone you immersively fly the thing with VR goggles and are unconscious of the controls in your hands, the only thing missing are the gee forces, the pucker factor remains, cause the drone costs cash!

*CINEMATIC DRONE INDONESIA 4K*





This was done in one take with no edits, he didn't just fly through random people's lives, this was rehearsed!
*RUSTIC PARADISE, Cinematic Flight*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

Or perhaps some mountains, much of this stuff is illegal today, or has recently been outlawed! Most FPV people who fly quads or long range planes don't fly from regular RC airfields, we prefer to take a drive out into the sticks or some other isolated location. People who race wings and quads do fly at regular RC fields though and if you want to learn or are just getting into it they are a great place to start, just don't mention long range flying and most clubs still don't like FPV much.
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*Ultimate Visual Long Range FPV*





In Canada where I live even this is illegal, which is why I won't be posting any of my drone or long range plane videos here. Other than the risk of killing a mountain goat there is not much risk other than forest fire, if you should crash and then burn. This guy is from Norway and he stopped posting new FPV videos about a year ago too, they have the same regulations in the EU too. It doesn't mean he doesn't do it, it just means he can't share it with other enthusiasts online and has to be careful about his posts, if he posts under another account, the video provides the evidence and complaint. Flying FPV is kinda like growing pot in a lot of places, ya keep it to yerself or among very close friends who are into it too and take security measures.

This is more my speed, out in the sticks away from people, if ya lose it here you will need to do more than the "walk of shame" to get your drone back! If it has GPS and you can locate it with in 6 feet in most cases, if, you can get to it!
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*FPV drone diving a 1400m mountain!*





*First day of long range, let`s dive mountains*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

Here is a young guy who went pro in drone racing and freestyle, a smart young fellow with a heart of gold. This is his show reel, a compilation of his various videos set to music. This is a great video and motivator to take up the hobby and its technical challenges, it requires brains and skill, any dummy can throw a football and many do! Johnny flies freestyle, kinda like dancing with a tune in the sky, these high performance drones have massive power to mass ratios and can rotate on any axis, pitch, yaw or roll at up to 1000 degrees a second.
*The sky is not the limit - Johnny FPV*





Another showreel from 2017, he was only flying for a year of two.
*The Ultimate Visual Experience - Drone Racing and FPV Freestyle (My Year 2017)*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

The great Nurk
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*NURK Showreel 2017 // Proximity*





I've been working on putting together a solid showreel from 2017, and here she is. Check it out. 
I think there's huge possibilities for miniquads and cinemetography -- I'm on the search this year to find ways to bring these beasts to the mainstream.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

Here is a video from france that shows the difference between DjI type photography drones that you remote control, from FPV drones that you fly, virtually through FPV goggles. The hobby/sport is rapidly evolving and only has been around to any degree since 2015, many of the pilots show in these videos only have a few years experience, most people who are into drones are young men, planes and racing wings attract an older crowd.
*The Cinematic Drone Revolution is Here : DJI VS FPV*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

How high can you go? This is from 7 years ago, it would be much easier today!
*Space Glider - FPV to Space and Back!*





This is my attempt to send a radio controlled airplane to the edge of space using a weather ballon, and then via a live video feed pilot it back down again.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

Here is a video from 2015, 5 years ago and progress in the hobby has been rapid, this plane was bought from a kit and modified with a FPV system with pan and tilt, they also made an animated pilot, some folks just got too much time on their hands! A classic tune to fly with too.
Doing this these days in not very expensive at all, most planes are electrically powered, many are made from though EPP foam, cheap and that removes a lot of the fuss and expense these days

Even if you total your foam plane (they are easily repaired with glue) You just collect up the electronic parts and others and use them in another cheap foam plane, most of the gear survives just fine.
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*P-51D Mustang, realistic cockpit Scale FPV HD*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

Another FPV hobbyist who doesn't post videos anymore, they won't bother you much if you don't, where this guy lives and flies it would be easy for some asshole to bust him from his posted videos. Regulation has killed the hobby as far as posting things under your own account goes, they still have to ID you and prove it though! This guy flies wings and foam FPV planes, these aren't models of bigger aircraft, but are designed for FPV with better forward views. 
*Z3 Midnight flight*





*Follow me!*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

How long would it take me to learn how to fly a quadcopter and do freestyle and racing to start off with? Well it took this forty something guy about 10 months. If you don't want to watch the whole video of his learning journey, just go to 9:50 in the video to see the result. He does a freestyle "sky dance" to a copyright free tune and left the motor sounds in from the gopro camera. He flys good enough to have a lot of fun.
*Learning FPV. 10 Months of progress.*





Learning to fly fpv and mini quads has been a epic journey and a life changing experience. I still learn every time I fly and try to push myself as much as i can. 2017 has been an awesome year.
If you are a beginner, just keep flying you will only get better and better much faster than you think!


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

Feel the need for speed? Perhaps racing is your thing, here is Stu from down under who runs the popular UAV futures YouTube channel. These boys race in close proximity and are more or less legal. In Canada you need a spotter to fly FPV legally and the drone must be in sight at all times (no binoculars), most of the time when I want to go fly in the sticks it's alone, not too many into the hobby in my area.

Here is how Stu learned starting back in 2015 when it was just getting going, until quite recently you built your quad from parts or a kit. Stu was an elementary school teacher but quit a couple of years ago to do drone YouTube product reviews full time with a focus on racing quads and freestyle flying.
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*3 years flying in 5 minutes LEARNING TO FLY FPV RACING DRONES*





3 years of flying fpv racing drones from a total NOVICE to CRAZY SPEEDS. It feels like you are flying a jet through the trees, starwars style. These DRL style drones have powerful motors, escs and send a vtx signal to a pair of fpv goggles to make the pilot feel like they are actually in the cockpit of the drone. A real life video game.

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Here is a product review by Stu and his buddies of a dirt cheap set of FPV goggles with a unique design. I ordered a pair of these goggles but they haven't arrived yet, I ordered them because of the great reviews and because they were so fucking cheap! I figure they would be great to fly planes with, I wear glasses and the mirror flips up for LOS launching etc. The only problem is they make you look like a dork in public, but I don't intend on being in public when I use them! By all reports they are the best cheap pair of Box style FPV goggles out there, best value for the money and a great pair for a beginner, you can use them as spares or guest goggles later after you upgrade, or just pull the screen out and use that.

*BEST CHEAP GOGGLES ON THE MARKET !!! $79 Hawkeye's are AMAZING*




The hawkeye little Pilot Vr goggles are a cheap fpv goggle that is amazing. anyone who wants to try fpv for cheap is going to LOVE these - http://bit.ly/HawkeyeVR
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*Hawkeye Little Pilot VR All-in-one 5 Inches True Diversity FPV Monitor 800x480 5.8G 48CH Dual Receiver Foldable Goggles for RC Drone*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

I bought one of these last winter it's a *Sonicmodell Mini AR Wing 600mm Wingspan EPP Racing FPV Flying* it's just $52. US add in a $20 dollar radio receiver and a $20 1300maH 3S Lipo battery and your flying. Add a *Matek Systems F405-WING (New) STM32F405 Flight Controller* for $50 US and get an OSD, auto pilot, level assist, a host of other features and add GPS for another $20. GPS will allow the plane to RTH Return To Home and orbit above you or even land automatically, it will also give you a RTH arrow, your GPS long/Lat in the osd and you always record that with your DVR. If the plane goes down, you can playback the last known location data on the DVR and go looking for your plane. If it is broken really badly you can often recycle the electronics and other parts into a new cheap bare bones plane or kit.

Here is what the experience of flying one of these small cheap wings is like, usually this kind of plane is flown low and fast and in racing. All the reviews raved about this little flying wing, so I threw $50. and bought one, I've yet to glue it together, but I recently ordered up some parts for it.
He uses an internal DVR on the plane for the main image and the instruments OSD is a DVR recording of his goggle view and you can see the OSD info in the smaller image (fills your field of view in the goggles).

Ya throw these planes to launch them and they land in the grass, or snow, or on the ice, no landing gear required, made for FPV. This guy is flying in manual mode without flight stabilization which would make for a smoother flight. In most places you are not allowed to fly above 400 feet and you fucking well wanna make sure yer not gonna run into any regular airplanes either! This plane would be like hitting a seagull, most jet engines would swallow it and spit it out, even if it hit a windshield, it's made of foam and would disintegrate while absorbing the impact of the battery.
*Mini Ar wing clouds surfing*


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## WintersBones (Jun 15, 2020)

Very cool stuff. I always wanted to become a pilot but it never worked out. I'd like to get into this one of these years when I have the funds.

The space glider vid was especially awesome. Thanks for sharing.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

WintersBones said:


> Very cool stuff. I always wanted to become a pilot but it never worked out. I'd like to get into this one of these years when I have the funds.
> 
> The space glider vid was especially awesome. Thanks for sharing.


I'm focusing on cheap ways for people to get into the hobby, like a $52 US plane and $79 goggles and a petty good cheap radio can be had for under $100 US these days. I'll be posting some sources of info and expert video reviews of products that tell you what to buy and what to avoid. This hobby used to be prohibitively expensive for most people and you needed a garage or basement workshop to build planes, now it is cheap and you can fly FPV planes and quads, even if you live in an apartment, your workshop can fit into a closet.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

WintersBones said:


> Very cool stuff. I always wanted to become a pilot but it never worked out. I'd like to get into this one of these years when I have the funds.
> 
> The space glider vid was especially awesome. Thanks for sharing.


To learn how to fly you can use a simulator and hook up your regular field transmitter to it, even goggles if you want, but most don't bother. I use Velocidrone a fully realistic drone flight sim, the programmer's are pilots and they even have a real test track and use data from flight control computers etc. Here is my sim and here is my flight instructor, an Englishman named Ashley Davis, he's a programmer and a racing pilot. This is a real nice tune and worth watching the video for alone, here is one of the places ya practice. You can buy a transmitter and the sim and have a go at flying quads for real cheap, in acro mode it's like balancing a broomstick on yer finger.
*VelociDrone Indoor GoKart Scene*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

Here is a typical review on the latest greatest radio and one I would buy one if I didn't have 2 Taranis QX7's transmitters already! There are other cheaper transmitters for less than $100 that perform pretty well, the cheaper version of this one in just $99.

Here is how you learn and learn what to buy and what to avoid, all the major reviewers agree on this radio, it works with all the receivers from other brands of radios (multi protocol) and is just $150.US. *RadioMaster TX16S Hall Sensor Gimbals 2.4G 16CH Multi-protocol RF System*
*RADIOMASTER TX16S - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

I'm planning on flying long range waypoint missions with a *nano talon* over water one day to photograph the shoreline and to fly over water at a local park. I can safely launch and land the plane and avoid flying over people by sitting in the park and flying over water, if the plane goes down it's foam and floats, the problem is retrieving it. I figure if I build this FPV rescue boat and site the video transmitter and control receiver on 1 meter high masts and mount the FPV camera as high up as I can on a cheap pan and tilt gimbal, I could go for miles off shore and have gps return to home too. I can also rig a system to raise and lower a ramp to hold the rescued plane out of the water.

I like this basic design and with a few modifications it would suit my needs, this fellow already did most of the work in design, testing and setup. I could build this pretty cheap and I might take it on as a winter project and be ready for some serious flying next summer. I live close to the water and it's the best place to fly, provided you have the means to recover the plan incase something screws up, foam planes and wings float, you can even spray coat much of the electronics with plastic insulation and waterproofing. I like this idea and I might build it, it looks like fun all on its own and a great way to play with way point GPS navigation. It would fit in the back of the car easily or even the trunk and I can stick the masts on quickly when I need to use it.
*Rc Rescue Boat build*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 15, 2020)

This Starlink internet connection is low latency and it sounds like you could mount the antenna or come up with an alternate design for a larger fpv plane. As more satellites go up the antenna requirements will be reduced, I assume it will get down to cell phone sized if there are enough satellites in orbit. You could fly an FPV plane anywhere and not even use a regular radio or transmitter, you would be untraceable and the latency is a mere 25ms. You would be able to sit at home at your computer and control a plane hundreds of miles way, provided you had the battery power. With a gas powered engine, small model aircraft have crossed the atlantic way back in 2003, illegal as Hell now thought, but other than building the plane, all the GPS navigation and autopilot stuff got way easier and much cheaper.
*The Saga of TAM-5*




On August 11, 2003, model aviation history was made by a team of volunteers led by model aviation legend Maynard Hill. "The Spirit of Butt's Farm," also known as TAM-5, became the first aeromodel to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, setting two world records in the process. These were Maynard's 24th and 25th records! Highlights of the "Trans-Atlantic Model" Project which set two world records in August, 2003 by flying an eleven pound airplane across the Atlantic Ocean. 
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SpaceX Starlink internet prepares for beta users


Thanks to its latest launch, SpaceX now has over 500 Starlink internet satellites in orbit. With this advance, the company is now inviting people to apply to become Starlink beta testers.




www.zdnet.com





*SpaceX Starlink internet prepares for beta users*
Thanks to its latest launch, SpaceX now has over 500 Starlink internet satellites in orbit. With this advance, the company is now inviting people to apply to become Starlink beta testers.
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Think doing undetectable unlimited range FPV via a low latency Starlink satellite internet connection is out there? Well you can FPV now using a 4G cell phone service and fly wherever there's service, and switch back to a regular radio if ya want. You don't need to buy this particular plane either, you can roll your own too, there are complete instructions and videos online. This hobby is very engineer heavy, progress is fast and there are new and improved products all the time, many of them form companies and sell to a limited market online.
*Parrot DISCO Unlimited Control Range! - 4G LTE Mod Flight Test In-Depth*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 16, 2020)

This is about as far as you can go using conventional radio equipment these days, if you're an expert amameteur. The further you go the higher you must fly, he most likely also mounted his transmitter module and FPV receiver on a high mast at his ground station too and controlled the plane from inside his home watching on the computer screen. Flying this high is illegal and a hazard to aircraft though, even though he had GPS and RTH incase he lost contact.

If he were using the new 4G cell system like above he could stay below 400 feet and go wherever there's service, virtually undetectable. A few years down the road when Starlink is fully deployed, he could go anywhere and fly with a low latency internet link, just like you would play a video game online, except for a video link.

Also in a few years battery capacity and longevity are expected to rise dramatically with a doubling or tripling of power capacity for the same mass and volume. That means an electrically powered aircraft can have 2 or 3 times the endurance than it does now.

This guy doesn't want you or the authorities to know where he lives, so he hid the GPS data in the OSD video. Like I said this hobby is a bit like the pot hobby used to be and still is, some are outlaws, out for the technical challenge and rush of success. This is a typical guy thing, man cave stuff, more time is spent in the shop building, repair and related projects, than flying, especially in winter
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*Record 269Km FPV long range flight (134.5Km out and back) - Highlights*




Full 5hr11min video coming up soon! This is just a highlights video showing the launch, plane reaching the 134.5Km point, and the landing. *** The bottom middle number shows the distance from home. *** Started flight at about ~3:30pm and landing around ~8:45pm just before sunset at 9:14pm. 
Furthest point out: 134.5Km 
Total flight distance: 275.2Km 
Total flight time: 5hr 11min. 
Total mAh reported (ET under-reported): 26,987mAh 
Total mAh actual (after recharging pack): 30,995mAh After recharging the pack, the actual mAh's used was 30,995mAh which is a difference of 4,008mAh. So, the updated average mAh/Km: 30,995mAh/275.2Km = 112.63mAh/Km.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 16, 2020)

Here is a typical longer range flight, for this you use a standard JR module that fits in the back of your radio and converts it from 2.4 Ghz to 930 Mhz and higher power. These modules come as a cheaper $100 Frsky version or a better TBS crossfire system $2-300 range. You can easily fly over 10 miles with either system, most drones have limited range and don't need anything more than this UHF radio system, it can easily out distance most 5.8 Ghz analog video links anyway at low altitude.

He has permission to do this early in the morning, notice the security guy in the pavilion as he's power looping it and the other vehicles in the video blocking access.
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*Long range powerloop*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 16, 2020)

New regulations mean that for aircraft that weigh less than 250 grams you don't need a drone pilot licence or have to register the drone. So needless to say there are an awful lot of sub 250 gram products starting to come out and folks experiment on their own. Here is Diego again, this time trying to fly a tiny sub 250 gram drone across the mouth of SF bay and recording it with an *on board mini HD camera system and DVR *that costs just $69 US now for an even better version.

Here he is using a separate 5.8 Ghz receiver on a tripod with two directional patch antennas to boost reception for very clear video, this is then plugged into his goggles for improved long range reception.
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*How to fly a cellphone-sized drone across the San Francisco Bay and back*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 17, 2020)

Another part of the RC hobby is to assemble planes from kits and upgrading them with FPV systems. Most FPV people prefer planes designed for it, planes like this have an obstructed view forward, though building classic warbirds is popular. Most of these planes are powered by EDFs (Electrically Driven Fans), these are much cheaper, less hassle than turbojets engines and still give amazing performance with a foam airframe. EDF jets are short range short duration flyers and are strictly for thrills and show, many fly at fields and fly LOS no FPV.

This is the cheaper end of the jet hobby.*FPV 90mm EDF Jet Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt II Super Scale *$600. US for the basic plane.
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*FPV 90mm EDF Jet Freewing A-10 Thunderbolt II Super Scale | RC Skunk Works ADP*





You assemble this kit, not really build it, that's the basic place, the FPV system is extra but you could have a real good camera and a cheap pan and tilt mount for less than $100. 
*Freewing A-10 1700mm Thunderbolt II Assembly Guide*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 17, 2020)

Here is one of the better expert reviewers and teaching Youtube channels, this guy will show you how to do all kinds of complicated stuff in setting things up. Here he reviews a sub 250 gram model that you don't need to register or have a license to fly, but if you kit it out with GPS and a flight control computer it will weigh in a bit more. This is a popular recent product.

*ZOHD Drift 877mm Wingspan FPV Glider AIO EPP RC Airplane KIT/PNP/FPV Version - FPV Version*
This is the complete version ($130 US) with a simple flight computer, GPS RTH and FPV system, the PNP version without the computer and FPV system is just $79US and the kit is a mere $49. US. This hobby is very affordable and cheap to try, or get your kids or grandkids into, very educational and good clean safe fun. Even if you are locked down you can still learn and build, even fly by yourself out in the sticks in most cases. When all this shit ends you'll have something new to share. If ya wanna spend quality time with a grandson, have something fun to do together, besides, you can sit in the lawn chair and have him run after the plane!

Considering what you get, a $100 transmitter, a $79 pair of FPV goggles, batteries, a charger and a pretty good ready to fly plane for under $100, most people can afford to give it a try these days, if you fly sub 250 planes and drones there are is no registration or licenses required. For $300 or $400 you can get off the ground with a pretty good plane that you can learn with and see if you'd like to get into it. If you like it, you can get licensed and register your craft online pretty cheap.

*ZOHD Drift: Build, maiden and review!*


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jun 18, 2020)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> How high can you go? This is from 7 years ago, it would be much easier today!
> *Space Glider - FPV to Space and Back!*
> 
> 
> ...


That guy was a great resource for a lot of people getting into fpv.



DIY-HP-LED said:


> New regulations mean that for aircraft that weigh less than 250 grams you don't need a drone pilot licence or have to register the drone. So needless to say there are an awful lot of sub 250 gram products starting to come out and folks experiment on their own. Here is Diego again, this time trying to fly a tiny sub 250 gram drone across the mouth of SF bay and recording it with an *on board mini HD camera system and DVR *that costs just $69 US now for an even better version.
> 
> Here he is using a separate 5.8 Ghz receiver on a tripod with two directional patch antennas to boost reception for very clear video, this is then plugged into his goggles for improved long range reception.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *How to fly a cellphone-sized drone across the San Francisco Bay and back*


250g limit is in effect, so many places. Alarming for some is the rise of rules and regulation regarding data aquisition and cameras. Remember seeing Rcmodel reviews mentioning stuff regarding this subject for people in EU. Pretty much shuts down the casual hobbyist from following some persuits. Imagine if you end up having to register camera carrying microdrones? 

Rise in innovation was fuelled by huge demand. I can remember when buying a wii controller was a prerequisite to building a quad. Still got loads of 2228's. No able to legally build and then fly anything with them without filling in forms and paying a fee, etc.

Soon they will be asking us to register our lungs and pay per breath.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 18, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> That guy was a great resource for a lot of people getting into fpv.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It's mainly a problem of technology empowering the individual, to have fun, or cause shit and down right evil. It would be very easy to build a cruise missile today, it might not be as capable as a real one, but you could use a swarm of them on a one way GPS and other satnav systems) waypoint mission could do in a target in from miles away. Using 4G cell service or even the new starlink internet service you could even FPV to the target on the terminal run. Something like a Drak or a 1 meter wing could easily carry a pound of plastic at high speed while twisting and turning to avoid ground fire before diving on its target. It can be made EMP proof, have inertial navigation that's good enough for the target run and dive, you could even rig a proximity fuse cheap as beans these days.

The problem is the parts are easily available from China as are the planes and if you were planning on doing anything stupid like above with the tech, you wouldn't bother to register of course! I just gets easier and cheaper for people to do amazing things these days and more so in the future. If ya fly out in the sticks and take reasonable precautions, nobody will bother you and even if they did, technology offers other solutions like starlink and 4G cell service.

Here is a Mini Drak in action (the full sized edition carries much more payload), it could easily carry a pound of plastic and a clever fellow might even make it part of the aircraft structure so it could carry even more bang. Many GPS systems these days use other satnav systems too and you can have a dozen sats giving you 2 meter accuracy.
*Flight test w/new Mini Drak Gopro Hero 7 mount w/2.5deg down tilt*


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jun 18, 2020)

In the community there might be few idiots or bad actors.

But just like handgun regulations. It does not stop bad elements determined to do something. Could argue that it keeps it out of the hands of people going off the rails and comitting some atrocity. Just feel like the responsible are getting punished.

I like that ZOHD Drift. Need to see more sub250 options coming out. Have a HK(?)clone micro Radian/Calypso kit collecting dust (bought around 2011/12). Or at least most of the parts. Cannot remember the original model name. Frustrating. Tail boom appears shorter than a micro Calypso. Wingtips pointier than Radian. Has a glued-in hook for launch. Need to figure out a way to untwist the tail end of fuse. Seems to be related to the glue they joined the shells together with. Maybe steam? Sure is nice weather for it.

Edit. Its a miniswift. Also got axn floater in box. One day.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 18, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> In the community there might be few idiots or bad actors.
> 
> But just like handgun regulations. It does not stop bad elements determined to do something. Could argue that it keeps it out of the hands of people going off the rails and comitting some atrocity. Just feel like the responsible are getting punished.
> 
> I like that ZOHD Drift. Need to see more sub250 options coming out. Have a HK(?)clone micro Radian/Calypso kit collecting dust (bought around 2011/12). Or at least most of the parts. Cannot remember the original model name. Frustrating. Tail boom appears shorter than a micro Calypso. Wingtips pointier than Radian. Has a glued-in hook for launch. Need to figure out a way to untwist the tail end of fuse. Seems to be related to the glue they joined the shells together with. Maybe steam? Sure is nice weather for it.


I'm not too familiar with that model, there were a lot of shitty ones out there, most folks watch a few reviews of new models to know what to buy and what to avoid. 2012 is when things really started to change in the RC business with the introduction of new digital 2.4 Ghz transmitters, FPV, flight controllers and foam builds both molded and DIY from cheap foam board and packing tape as laminate. In the past 8 years things have changed dramatically and the hobby has exploded from guys standing at a model field watching the thing fly, many want to fly the fucking thing from the inside!

I'd probably write off the old plane as a poor product, and look for a ZOHD drift or even nano drak sub 250 grams, order them with everything included, FPV and the flight controller, it will give you flight stability and RTH if your plane flies away or you get lost. With a Li on battery instead of the Lipo you can get 20 minutes flight time out of the drift! A decked out drift costs just $130 US and sub 250 gram drak is about the same or cheaper all decked out and goes like snot.

The radio master T16 (see review above) is the new radio of choice and you'll use it for a long time and with many models and quads, it's just $130, a radio of this quality and power would have cost over $500 US a few years ago. The cheap Hawkeye FPV goggles I posted a review of above cost around $75! I ordered a pair myself even though I have two sets of goggles already, all the reviews raved about them. So for $200 bucks today you can have the ground end of things covered and not with worthless shit either, but stuff that can be used for years. If a fellow could afford to put a couple of hundred bucks towards his hobby a month you could have a lot of shit and fun after a year and $2400, bucks these days that can buy a lot of stuff.

Here are the planes you can get these days, have a look at the amazing prices, stick to the youtube reviews and avoid the toys unless ya just wanna play or have a kid. Many of the ZOHD brand models you just snap it together at the field, or just throw it in the trunk, they come pre assembled ready to fly, no glue no fucking around and tons of help online with problems, setups, repairs, mods and upgrades.
There are other online suppliers including ebay and amazon, as well as the specialty hobbyist places.




__





Pickup latest RC Airplane with the best price on Banggood USA


Get RC Airplane as soon as today on Banggood Online Shopping Store. Low price every day.




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----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 18, 2020)

Here is a place to learn all about FPV systems

*THE GUIDE TO FPV FLYING | FIRST PERSON VIEW SYSTEM*








How to Get Started with FPV Drone - The Complete Beginner Guide - Oscar Liang


This beginner tutorial explains how to get started with FPV drone, the basics of buying, building and flying and racing a FPV drone and take videos.




oscarliang.com


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 18, 2020)

If ya wanna record your aerial adventures in HD 1080p in a sub 250 gram model, you can use this for a mere $75 to record on a micro SD card in the plane. This also will serve as your FPV camera and can hook up to your flight controller and then your video transmitter or straight to the transmitter if you don't use a FC.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*RunCam Split 3 Nano 1080P 60fps HD Recording WDR Low Latency 16:9/4:3 NTSC/PAL Switchable FPV Camera For RC Drone*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 18, 2020)

Well I ordered up some lipos and assembled the AR mini wing, I ordered a 2.4 ghz XM+ Frsky receiver and another 900 Mhz R9M receiver. I've got a nano talon setup and flown last year, I pulled the FPV system out to use in the AR wing. I'm gonna use the runcam 2 with an FPV feed to a 1000 mw vtx for both HD recording and FPV on the nano talon. I've got an 1800mAh 3S that fits, though it might be a bit too heavy and I can pull the receiver out of the nano talon to use in the AR mini wing to maiden it and set things up on the plane and transmitter. 

I wanna do some more test flying on the nano talon before installing the autopilot with GPS RTH I ordered for it. I also ordered a cheap OSD board for the NANO talon as well, to show my battery voltage on the screen etc.

I've got some batteries on charge now for the long range quad and I'm gonna try out the runcam 2 HD recording & transmitter on that, I might go for a little quad flight tomorrow morning. I should have done this shit months ago, but figured with covid we might be locked down for the summer etc, but I can fly by myself and the batteries will be here in a week.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 19, 2020)

I got on the bench this morning and got the Runcam2 soldered up to the *Leaf vtx* I bought last year, they don't sell it anymore though. I tested it at 25mw, but I plan on running it @ 1000mw, so I have to be careful where I mount it so it doesn't interfere with the 2.4Ghz receiver and the GPS unit . This rig is going on a long range quad so space is tight, later I plan on using it on the nano talon.

The yellow camera is hooked up to a 600 mw transmitter, you can fly at night with this thing and it looks like daylight, its low light level performanceis that good! I'm decking the wing out with LED and might generate some UFO reports, it's legal to fly at night too as long as she's lit up and mine will be very bright. I've got a 30 watt LED I could put on it, but that would be overkill.



Now I have to figure out how I'm gonna dress up the dogs breakfast of wiring and where to mount the transmitter and antenna on the quad. If you want to fly quads or wings and planes, you'll need to learn how to solder, so go by a $10 cheap soldering iron too.


----------



## end_of_the_tunnel (Jun 19, 2020)

1 watt video tx. Lot of power. Following along.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 19, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> 1 watt video tx. Lot of power. Following along.


It's selectable power from pit mode and 25mw (that I have it set to for now), generally 5.8gHz vtx's run around $20, I got this one on sale. I left the wires long because I plan on using this HD recording system and FPV camera combo on the nano talon. I've got to figure out how to cram this shit on top of a quad, without blowing out my GPS . I might venture forth this evening for a look around for somewhere to play and test this out, I've got 3 batteries charged, just gotta spend some time sticking it aboard the quad.

This stuff is for testing a bunch of stuff and learning purposes, I'm thinking of getting another bigger plane this winter that I can stuff more shit into, is much more stable in the air and a better video platform. I'd like to get a dart XL or a mini drak like the guy in the video above, but they are sold out, perhaps something will come along this summer.

I'm finding myself drawn to planes lately and like the idea of sitting in a lawn chair, in the shade, next to a ground station, the plane miles out on a one hour flight.


----------



## end_of_the_tunnel (Jun 19, 2020)

Long range has appeal. Original reason I bought the axn floater/bixler clone. Back then Flytrons openLRS was my budget choice.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 19, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Long range has appeal. Original reason I bought the axn floater/bixler clone. Back then Flytrons openLRS was my budget choice.


You can go a long way on 5.8ghz and using a ground station with a pepperbox or a helical for a narrow high gain beam and receiver(s) (plugs into the goggles). Most diversity goggles use an omnidirectional circular polarized antenna and a circular polarized patch for quads and closer in. For long range 5.8 I'm thinking of a half or full wave vertical and horizontal masts on the receiver end and a vertical one one the plane, I don't plan on doing any violent maneuvers at range, just shoot video and this will give the most gain omnidirectionally if I bank the plane the horizontal antenna on the diversity receiver should cover me, though I think I'd be using something directional high gain on that end.

1.2 and 1.3 gHz systems are expensive and 2.4Ghz is unusable in most places, something I would only consider after I explored the limits of 5.8 gHz. I'm planning on flying GPS way point missions using *a good flight controller board and GPS module*, maybe even an airspeed tube, but that's for later. Right now I'm dipping my toe into the water and ordered this *simple as shit flight controller from ZOHD,* no computer required for setup etc, but it gives you GPS RTH and flight stabilization and is cheap, its going in the nano talon. I don't like the idea of losing sight of the plane and having it fly away or failsafe and crash, this will bring it home if it loses signal or you hit a switch and it will come back and orbit your location.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 19, 2020)

I got the new FPV system on the long range drone and I've got fresh batteries for it coming that should give me near 30 minutes flight time in this cruiser, she ain't fast but it goes a long way and stays in the air for a long time too. I made some transmitter mods and antenna mods on the drone for extra range. This thing swings long 7" props and they have to be well balanced or there's jello in the video, that's what the pieces of black tape on the props are for, balancing.

I mounted the Vtx on the side of the drone with thermal transfer tape and a wire tie, I used 2 Mcdonald's straws, one inside the other for an antenna boom and extended it past the rear of the craft. I used hot glue to hold it on and everything can be removed and transferred to another build. I tested it on 800 mw, but I didn't go far, I don't trust the setup yet, I think I'll set the drone up high somewhere and see how far the signal carries. This drone is kinda a cross between a racing quad and a photography drone, it has a pretty good built in 720p camera and DVR, but I don't use it, the Runcam 2 shoots 1080p 60fps and has shitty image stabilization that I don't use.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 19, 2020)

Here is a test video I shot last year using the above drone and the Runcam2 after balancing the props carefully on my new prop balancer. I assumed new props were balanced, nope! Once the prop vibration, issues were resolve, she makes a nice steady video platform, better than most planes. I was a bit disappointed in the quality of the FPV video from the runcam2 in my goggles, I'm gonna need to filter the input power to the camera or take power from the 5V camera supply on the transmitter and see if that helps. The image wasn't bad, but it could be better.

Here is a test of prop balancing, a few times around the war monument to check for jello, problem solved. This is my local channel and I had to take a lot of videos down from here, lest someone bust my ass! There's just some camera test footage here and a few awful flights where the fucking thing near shook to pieces. I don't post much here, just some testing and a few park flights. The new laws kicked in last summer and I had to get a drone pilots license and register some of my craft. The fines are crazy stupid as are the laws and regulations, your own video will bust your ass
*A Matter of Balance*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 19, 2020)

Here is one of the hazards of flying a drone with unbalanced long props, besides shitty video and control issues. Here I had the Runcam2 using it's internal battery so it kept recording, I suddenly lost video and didn't know what happened since the FPV system was powered by the drone battery, and the connection vibrated loose! I had to replace the bottom shell since she broke an arm, the part cost $10.

Here I slowed the 60fps down to 1/4 speed to get a good look at WTF happened.
*Allen Point Incident Slow Motion Analysis*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 19, 2020)

I'm looking for something fast, stable and big enough for long range, I was thinking of a Dart XL, but I'm not sure if they are still making them. I just ran across this and it seems to fit the bill, but there don't seem to be too many reviews yet, same guy designed this and he's with another company. I might buy one this fall after I see some more reviews, those I've seen so far seem positive, but almost the only guy who has reviews seems to be flying two different models and seems to be involved with the company.

*LTE Rambler RS EPP 1000mm Wingspan FPV RC Airplane Fixed Wing PNP*









LTE Rambler RS EPP 1000mm Wingspan FPV RC Airplane Sweepforward Wing PNP/KIT White


Only US$149.99, buy best lte rambler rs epp 1000mm wingspan fpv rc airplane sweepforward wing pnp/kit white sale online store at wholesale price.




www.banggood.com


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 20, 2020)

I've finally got around to starting a ground station build and I've assembled some stuff and I'm gonna setup for a bench test. Then I'll figure out how to mount it on something bigger and strain relief the cable, eventually it will be tripod mounted with proper antennas. I might also remotely mount my 930 Mhz Frsky transmitter module on it too, instead of putting it in the back of the radio, I can get it and it's antenna 2 or even 3 meters off the ground. I bought a couple of old portable DVD players with video inputs that I can take apart and use the screens later, but will use as is for the test.

Step one is to get the receiver up and running then test it's range and antenna combos on the bench. This one also works with a cell phone as well and I'll give it a shot through the USB port. Here are the details $24 US, the cable is from a good will store and cost a buck.

*Eachine ROTG02 UVC OTG 5.8G 150CH Diversity Audio FPV Receiver*


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jun 20, 2020)

Price and range of diversity in products has come so far. Pretty amazing. Wonder what affordable and recommended dvr devices are available nowdays. Always thought that would be a handy backup for reviewing flight data in case of mishaps, losing craft.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 20, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Price and range of diversity in products has come so far. Pretty amazing. Wonder what affordable and recommended dvr devices are available nowdays. Always thought that would be a handy backup for reviewing flight data in case of mishaps, losing craft.


I'm looking at a couple of cheap options for the ground station, I have a DVR in one pair goggles, but it's crap. I don't need a great image, just good enough to see where the craft went down and to see the last GPS data. There are other better DVRs that do HD 1080p in the $40 US range too. I expect to use a 1200 TVL camera on the planes, so it might be worthwhile to upgrade, but these are so cheap, I might as well try one and I can use it as a backup, if I upgrade.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Mini FPV DVR Module NTSC/PAL Switchable Built-in Battery Video Audio Recorder*

*HMDVR Mini DVR Video Audio Recorder*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 20, 2020)

I got the ground station partly completed, now I just need to get one of those old portable DVD player screens working or just output the AV to my goggles. Once I test it to make sure it's working, then I'll bench range test it a bit and if everything is ok, I'll see about mounting it on a tripod and bringing the rig to the field to see how it works with the drone transmitter. I'm using RH circular polarized antennas including the directional patch.

I built it on a leftover piece of dollar store foam board and hot glue and have everything except the cord mounted with velcro and plugged in. I reinforced the wire ties with pieces of an old bank card and plan on mounting on a foot long piece of PVC pipe with a tripod nut mounted in the bottom of one end using epoxy and wire tied onto the PVC pipe on the receiver end.



I've completed the receiver and antenna assembly and have it on the tripod now for some testing with the goggles, then I'll see if I can get one of those old DVD screens working


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 20, 2020)

I was poking around on Banggood and I ran across this interesting item, I didn't realize these were so cheap, I'd buy two and have diversity reception on the ground and 2 transmitters to use in long range planes. A pepperbox directional antenna could receive a good signal from this 10 miles out at least LOS. I would just need a diversity video switcher.

*Partom FPV 1.2G 1.3G 8CH 800mw Wireless AV Transmitter And Receiver For FPV RC Drone*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 20, 2020)

The ground station build had a setback, but it will get an upgrade! It seems the receiver doesn't want to work, so I figured I do some shopping for something better. I've got a couple of things in the cart and will hold off on the order for a couple of weeks until I have further look around. I want a 5.8 Ghz ground station for planes and an RC rescue boat for crashed plane retrieval and a ground station on a high point will give me plenty of range.
For now I've got 2 things in the cart that should improve it quite a bit, the first one is *a better quality receiver* and the second is *a big triple feed array directional patch antenna.* I figure this new setup will give be significantly more range and better quality video. 

I'm not in a big rush for a 5.8 Ghz ground station yet, I just put it together because I had all the parts. I have a nice case for a build to hold a screen and DVR in the lid with Bulkhead connectors on the side for video and external power etc. Might be a winter build, I think I'm gonna fly year round this year, don't like winter, but there are some nice days and with a remote 900 mhz transmitter module mounted on the roof of the car with a magnet and the ground station on a tripod a few feet away, I can sit in the warm car and fly a plane. I just need to launch it and put it in RTH so it orbits my location then get in the car and FPV via a screen or goggles. Any consideration of a ground station build will have to be car friendly and I'll want the screen on the steering wheel or dash, come to think about it the car is a good place to hid out from mosquitoes in summer too!


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 21, 2020)

Here is one of the pioneers of FPV and the guy who owns TBS that makes and sells quality gear like the popular crossfire UHF system. Here he was flying with Stu on a visit to Hong Kong, UAV futures has almost 200, 000 subscribers, mostly young guys who are interested in long range for quads and might be interested in wings and planes. This is great free advertising for him and a good subject for Stu. Stu understands the social nature of the hobby and the fact that many people are isolated in the hobby, his videos tend to be social events and help form part of an online community. He focuses on racing quads for the most part and stays nice and legal down under. Trappy is probably commercially licensed to fly and has a ham license etc
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*10km+ LONG RANGE with the GRANDDADDY OF FPV! TBS TRAPPY!!!*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 21, 2020)

Wing racing attracts an older crowd generally than quad racing and the wings are cheaply made from foam board to a standard design and there are videos that show you how to DIY your own. Wing racing is cheaper than quad racing and you can recycle most of the parts from a crashed aircraft into a fresh pre built airframe pretty quick. Wings are cheap and many show up at a weekend race with a half dozen or more ready to fly, all ya got to do is move the receiver to the new plane and your back in business. There are generally no legal issues with wing or quad racing and some folks are right into it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*This is Wing Racing*




FPVWRA hosts a FPV wing race at the annual CFLFPV Meet.

*Introduction to the FPVWRA*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 21, 2020)

*FPVWRA Spec wing V2 build*




Center of gravity: 7" back from the nose. Set CG by moving the motor forward (usually 2") 

*FPVWRA wing build*





*Foamboard spec wing tutorial and plans*





The plans can be downloaded from here: https://fpvwra.net/wp-content/uploads... This is the FPVWRA Spec legal foamboard airplane. This is 100% free to share and build or even produce if you want to make your own kit. I am giving this free of charge to the RC community to allow the foamboard builders to be able to race in the FPVWRA's most popular class: Spec wing. The DXF file is the one I used for my CNC laser. The motor mount can be made from 1/4" or 1/8" plywood.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 21, 2020)

More on the wing racing world and how to build a cheap wing launcher.
*How to Build a Portable FPV Wing Launcher*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 21, 2020)

Buying a wing kit is simple and makes a build much easier.
Here are some kits of approved spec wing kits sold by members of the FPVWRA


https://fpvwra.net/


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 21, 2020)

Ya know, I could even race my ar mini wing in this class.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*FPVWRA Sport wing class overview*





These guys are pragmatic too and are looking to get the younger racing quad crowd into wing racing too with various classes or races. This class is made for drone people and uses the same batteries and other components recycled from racing quads. This is a cheap hobby to get into, just a pair of FPV goggles and a transmitter, nothing special, everything is short range and legal, you can practice in an empty park or soccer field. You are free to experiment and innovate with in limits, these guys want to keep things cheap and affordable. IBcrazy the guy in the videos, owns VAS who make popular antennas for FPV and is a big wing racing fan.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*FPVWRA mini class overview*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 22, 2020)

Here is something I might try since it only costs a couple of sheets of dollar store foam board a few glue sticks and some packing tape for the air frame. Plans are in the Youtube description, kit is not available. Maybe there are some better designs though, but this looks neat and should hold a lot of stuff, wouldn't care too much if I destroyed it as long as I can get the parts back! I wonder if anybody else posted a build and test flight.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*FT Spear - BUILD | Flite Test*





The FT Spear is Flite Test’s newest wing aircraft! The Spear is designed to carry everything you need in a reinforced, lunchbox-like compartment.


----------



## end_of_the_tunnel (Jun 22, 2020)

Someone has. Found this.


----------



## DrKiz (Jun 22, 2020)

Thanks alot for sharing all that information and video!

I didn't realize the hobby had come so far in RC planes. This is a pretty wicked hobby man!

I've been looking for something new, you may have just planted a seed.

Thanks again!


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 22, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Someone has. Found this.


She looks smooth in stabilized mode, if he was using a Gopro7 black with image stabilization it would look steady as a rock. Pretty impressive for a couple of sheets of foam board, an example of how modern materials and electronics have made the hobby affordable to most people. Also buying direct from China has collapsed the old hobby wholesaler/retailer setup and made things much cheaper for many things. Electric propulsion helped lower the costs and simplify things too.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 22, 2020)

Bruce has been flying RC forever and runs a very popular youtube channel, a retired electronics engineer with long experience in the hobby, he also runs the xjet channel with is more about policy and regulation lately. The RC community is trying to fight back against excessive and stupid regulations, a flying cockroach has more right to the sky than us guys.

Bruce doesn't have affiliate links and gives straight up reviews. In this age of electric propulsion everybody needs a good battery charger and depending on what your flying a half dozen batteries can keep you going all day with one of these hooked up to your car battery. If your gonna drive 20 miles to fly, you might wanna pack a lunch and spend the day or go for a weekend road trip, with enough batteries this thing can keep you in the air with a pair at a time. Just $64 US
*ToolkitRC M6D 500W 15A DC Dual Channel MINI Smart Charger Discharger for 1-6S Lipo Battery - Black*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*ToolKitRC dual 500W pocket charger (Review)*


----------



## end_of_the_tunnel (Jun 22, 2020)

Enjoy his videos. Interesting history with his xjet channel. Pity anyone crashing when he is about.


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## DrKiz (Jun 22, 2020)

The videos are breathtaking. I imagine flying with VR goggles is a trip. 

Too bad much if it is illegal. Regulation ruins most fun things. 

Like building model rockets back in the day outta potassium nitrate and sugar. Illegal now.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 22, 2020)

DrKiz said:


> The videos are breathtaking. I imagine flying with VR goggles is a trip.
> 
> Too bad much if it is illegal. Regulation ruins most fun things.
> 
> Like building model rockets back in the day outta potassium nitrate and sugar. Illegal now.


Legality depends on what you want to do, if you want to race quads and wings, it's close proximity etc. General FPV and long range stuff has moved underground, nobody is looking unless someone complains and even then it's hard to find you and bust you. If you go to private locations and away people nobody will bother you. If you want to post, make another youtube account and take precautions. If you fly 250 gram craft or less you don't need a license and if I was flying really long range, I wouldn't register the plane. I don't anticipate too many problems and I'm hoping the law will change for the better, we have right to the sky too and there should be areas set aside for free use, restricted airspace for drones and RC planes, air parks. All the FAA types and those who make the regulations are or were pilots and figure drones have not right to the sky at all, nobody has ever been killed by a drone and I don't think an RC plane killed anybody either.

It's cheap to buy a set of goggles like those posted here, a $100 transmitter, a few other odds and ends and buy or build a small $50 racing wing. You can fly these things at empty parks and schools on the weekends, depending on where you live facebook could hook you up to others who race wings locally. If a fellow wanted to put a couple of hundred bucks a month towards his hobby, you could be pretty well equipped with everything you want for planes and maybe a racing quad or two, $2400/yr will buy a lot of stuff, it depends on what you want to do. It's a lot cheaper than cars or golf, and a great thing to get a kid into, very educational, safe and good clean fun.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 23, 2020)

*VIETNAM • 4K Cinematic FPV • FLog 120*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 23, 2020)

*Nano Talon mods*
I've been working on the *nano talon* this morning and getting it flight ready with some mods for better performance and adjustments. I've got a ZOHD flight controller on the way for it and I'm gonna pull the simple flight stabilizer board out of it and put in the flight controller that will give me GPS RTH. First I wanna get the airframe ready with some mods and test fly it like that to work out any physical bugs in manual mode. I have an older version of the Nano talon with dihedral in the wings, the *newer EVO edition is flat winged* and has a few other changes and improvements. I'm kinda hoping I can use the old nano talon flight stabilizer on the AR mini wing

The two biggest issues are with sloppiness in the controls, the elevons were too stiff causing the long thin servo wires to flex because of resistance, I applied Uncle Bruces (RC Model Reviews) fix and cut away some foam and I'm working the hinge line to soften it up. I've got some plastic pin hinges in my shopping cart for dirt cheap that should resolve the issue permanently. There is a bit of sloppiness in the ailerons from the linkage, but I don't think it will be an issue, the ailerons are well hinged and move very easily. I trimmed away a bit of foam from around them and I also removed the packing tape laminate from them to for better airflow. I laminated the foam with 2" heavy duty clear packing tape, there are moulding marks on the foam that should be sanded off first thought, lamination reduces drag and greatly strengthens the plane.

Next I did an antenna mount that didn't go so well, I need to use a small drinking straw for an antenna tube in the wing and a vertical mount for the diversity receiver. Perhaps I'll just buy a bunch of cheap antenna tubes online. Next I unplugged and relocated the ESC to the lower mapping camera bay at the rear and dresses up the wiring, I haven't bothered to fasten down the esc yet. Next mod might be a taped hinge on the front hatch to tilt it up for access, I might even use a plastic pin hinge or two for this when I get them.

I want to easily slide the side receiver antenna into it's tube when I clip on the wing and likewise when I put on the rear cover for the vertical mount.
I hacked a channel in the foam on the underside of the wing and hot glued in a couple pieces of shrink tube, Now I need to remove this and replace the tube with a piece of small drinking straw or some other small plastic tube. If you were going to laminate this model it would be advisable to remove the tiny moulding marks by sanding them off.


I moved the esc to the bottom bay dressed up the wires with some hot glue and left the esc loose for now. I have the video vtx on the front cover and want to hinge it at the front because I have wires going from the power supply and to the camera, with a hinge I just need to flip it forward and have no strain on the wiring. I added the heat sink to the vtx, You can order them on ebay with self adhesive thermally conductive adhesive cheap as beans for 10 or 20 lots, they will make Vtxs and escs last longer by running them cooler. There is still room to mount my runcam2 on the bracket, but there's too much roll in the video for my liking.




Here is what the one with the stock FPV system looks like, it has an OSD that tells you your flight time, battery voltage and what channel you are on.
This is a maiden flight of a recent purchase, so they might have made some improvements based on reviews.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*ZOHD Nano Talon Evo Maiden Flight*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 23, 2020)

*One Battery: 14 minutes with the TBS G2 - Fly more!*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 24, 2020)

Bruce did a review on the ZOHD brand AIO camera that comes with some of their FPV version models like the nano talon, dart and drift. This is why I always use a heat sink and I'm thinking about a small switch on the side of the craft to switch on the vtx at the last moment. I have a couple of similar kinds of camera transmitter combos, they are cheap ($20 US) and simple way to FPV anything. This camera comes as an option on some of ZOHD's planes, or you can use it on any model.

Many better quality FPV cameras today that run on a wide range of battery voltages will show the battery voltage in a built in OSD, That's the most important information if yer flying using electrons.
*Review: ZOHD VC400 FPV backpack*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 24, 2020)

Here is a smart young fellow from Poland, who happens to have a wonderful location for long range flying, this is from 2 years ago and it's probably gotten cheaper and easier to do this since then. He didn't even use a ground station either.

*Across Chimney and 2 Rivers - 6200m Long Range 7" drone FPV *


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jun 24, 2020)

Wonderful trip. So many points of interest. And the light on take off, clear. Only after the tall chimney did I see bits of low cloud. Return with sunset hues from the left. Wonder if his other flights came together as well.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 24, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Wonderful trip. So many points of interest. And the light on take off, clear. Only after the tall chimney did I see bits of low cloud. Return with sunset hues from the left. Wonder if his other flights came together as well.


Yep it was a nice flight from a quiet location, long range "exploration" flying is appealing to me, He would have had a much better FPV video signal at range with a ground station antenna and if he used Li on batteries ( high C types used for vaping) he could have doubled his flight time at a cost of performance.

Long range quads offer more freedom than planes for take offs and landings and are a better, more stable FPV and HD camera platform than planes, which tend to roll and are more affected by wind. That's why the fellow didn't stick around at the summit of the volcano, it was blowing a storm up there and he didn't wan't want to end up behind terrain. Since the Gopro 7 with image stabilization, plane and even wing flight footage looks much smoother. I'm waiting for the split style HD FPV cameras (not the fpv part!) cheap action cameras to have gyro based image stabilization too, it's kinda the gold standard for HD action cameras today and is driving Gopro's sales and recovery. They can record the gyro info along with the video too and provide software to do it in post like reel steady go does for their older cameras.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 24, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Wonderful trip. So many points of interest. And the light on take off, clear. Only after the tall chimney did I see bits of low cloud. Return with sunset hues from the left. Wonder if his other flights came together as well.


I have lots of places around here with high hills and cliffs overlooking a sheltered inland saltwater loch, (The Bras D'or Lakes), along with high spots along the harbors and coasts, hence my interest in an RC rescue boat! I'm liking the idea of putting the transmitter module on a 1 or 2 meter mast with a magnetic mount (I got a couple of microwave magnets that would be perfect). Then putting the FPV ground station on a tripod a few feet away and either sit in the car, or on a lawn chair under an umbrella, next to the car. I could even make a small bungee launcher and sit it in front of the car.

I figure an ethernet cable should carry the digital signal from the transmitter for at least 10 feet to the antenna mounted Frsky 900 mHz module and allow remote mounting. It's cold here much of the year and standing still outside flying FPV is not a pleasant experience for the most part and you don't want to FPV with goggles on a summer's evening when the air is still and yer surrounded by a fucking swarm of mosquitoes and blackflies! (Been there done that!).

I want "comfort" options! A remotely mounted transmitter module and a tripod ground station will give it to me! If I had such a setup I could fly my long range drone from my back deck and if I mounted shit on a high enough mast, sit inside the house. I'm looking for all the info I can find on remotely mounting transmitter modules, I figure it would be useful to me and others too, I've seen it done in videos, so I know it can be done.

Here is the Frsky R9M 900 Mhz transmitter module I want to the pole mount.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 24, 2020)

Here is a micro FPV camera review done today, this one will sell for around $10 US and weighs just 1.5 grams. I prefer better cameras with a higher quality image for planes and quads, but if you're looking at a sub 250 gram craft this will keep it light with a good quality image. *It's bigger brother, the Caddx ANT, goes for $20. US now *There are a few FPV camera experts on YouTube and this guy is one of them, he also seems to have Asian connections, check his Youtube description for deals, discount coupons and other related videos on this camera. This product is just being released.
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*Caddx ANT Lite FPV Camera Review*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 24, 2020)

*MINI QUAD LONG RANGE RC OPTIONS: TBS CROSSFIRE & FRSKY R9M*








Mini Quad Long Range RC Options: TBS Crossfire & FrSky R9M - Oscar Liang


For long range flying, RC links is just as important as your FPV video link. In this review we will have a look at some long range RC options: the Frsky R9M and TBS Crossfire. These are the two most popular TX modules compatible with the Taranis X9D and QX7 transmitters.




oscarliang.com





"For long range flying, RC link is just as important as your FPV video link. In this review we will have a look at some long range RC options: the Frsky R9M and TBS Crossfire. These are the two most popular TX modules compatible with the Taranis X9D transmitter. 


*TL;DR – R9M or Crossfire?*
*Update (Jan 2020): For now, I recommend the Crossfire over R9M, because it’s just so much more reliable, and easier to use. I was hoping the R9M could be a good contender, but Frsky’s recent development on the product, and lack of backward compatibility have been extremely disappointing.*

The Frsky’s R9M is so much cheaper, the receiver is only half the price as the Crossfire as well. The Crossfire was released in 2015, while the R9M was only released in 2017, so the Crossfire is leading in terms of feature and reliability.

For those interested in an affordable alternative to crossfire, the R9 system is an excellent choice."


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 24, 2020)

Here is something I ran across in my research on a ground station. Just $18 US! I dunno much about this kind of tracker, but I'll bone up and see what the full costs are, but this is stupid cheap and one is going in my shopping cart for now
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*AFPV SN-AAT FPV Ground Station For RC Airplane Fixed-Wing Model - GPS Module*


AAT - Auto Antenna Tracker.
SN-AAT uses an efficient video signal superposition algorithm,SN-L(Airborne module) superimposes information such as GPS onto video,then transmits the video to AAT through the video transmitter,completes information encoding-transmission decoding; AAT aligns the antenna with the aircraft in real time based on the acquired aircraft position information,and outputs its information according to mavlink protocol or screen output.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 24, 2020)

This article got me thinking, if I could make something like this with a $20 2.4 Ghz Sbus receiver and my 900 Mhz R9M transmitter module. If this were possible I could put the module almost anywhere high up with no wires to worry about. I'm gonna look into repeaters, maybe there's something commercial


*FPVlongrange.com 433 Mhz FPV Repeater System*
*Ground station separation and multi-transmitter control.*
Article By Matt Gunn | Sep 11, 2013, 06:53 AM




*Get some separation between your video antenna and LRS transmitter*

The FPV Repeater System from FPVlongrange.com is unique-to-the-hobby device that allows you to remotely mount your 433Mhz LRS and get some distance between it and the video receiver/antenna in the process.
The idea is simple: use the native control-frequency from your transmitter (35/72Mhz and 2.4 GHz), plug the FPV Repeater's input into your transmitter's receiver, and the output to your 433Mhz transmitter of choice. It's known in the hobby that most long-range systems can interfere with video frequencies, effectively reducing overall range. Add in the fact that you are probably not holding your 433Mhz antenna vertically all the time, and now your limiting your control range as well. But with the FPV Repeater, you can now distance yourself, your ground station, and video receiver up to a whopping 3000 feet away (if you felt so inclined). Place the repeater up high and clear of obstacles for increased transmission distance, or outside your house while you fly from inside. The repeater system is well tested with Dragonlink & TLRS & EzUHF systems.
Another great feature is the use of two separate controllers. The FPV Repeater can accept receivers from multiple rc transmitters, allowing you to use one for aircraft control and another for gimbal/camera control.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 24, 2020)

Here is how to do it for a 450 Mhz long range dragon link system (expensive), shouldn't be much different for my module.
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*FrSky to Dragonlink Repeater*





I wanted to relieve the stress on my neck from carrying the Taranis with the Dragonlink on the back to I built this FrSky to Dragonlink repeater. It uses PPM to take my control signal via the FrSky protocol to my FrSky receiver and down to the Dragonlink. The whole system is standalone and is powered by a 3s lipo. I used a stepdown voltage regulator to take 3s voltage to 5v for the FrSky receiver. Here are the parts I used: DIY FrSky Receiver - http://goo.gl/s4wEvR Mini Step Down Voltage Regulator Module - http://goo.gl/dFY002


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 25, 2020)

Fly by night or at sun up or sunset? Using the right camera you can fly in very low light levels and get an excellent picture during the day too. I have a Caddx Ratel and if there is ambient light like in an urban area or even a full moon, you can fly by night, provided your craft has lights and an LED strip can take care of that. If you do fly by night, a landing beacon and a powerful flashlight are recommended as a FPV navagation guide, incase you become lost.

Don't expect to shoot any HD footage though, your camera will see mostly black. Here is a good comparison of low light level performance of popular FPV cameras.
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*Foxeer CAT 2 Micro Starlight camera - low light test vs Caddx Ratel, Baby Ratel, RunCam Nano 2, 3*





In this video I tested the new Foxeer CAT 2 Micro Starlight FPV camera against the Caddx Ratel, Caddx Baby Ratel, RunCam Nano 2 and RunCam nano 3 camera in low light. 

The CAT 2 is an amazing new camera which almost deserves the name starlight camera. It performs really good in low light. I expected more from the Caddx Ratel and Baby Ratel. The CAT 2 plays in another league.

The RunCam Nano 2 and 3 are great overall light weight cameras and the Nano 3 is my favorite Tinyhawk cam. Very light weight (about a gramm), excellent and sharp picture and acceptable low light qualities


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 25, 2020)

*One Battery: The Antuco Challenge - 7.8km+ with a TBS G2*





Can I summit the Antuco Volcano in Parque Nacional Laguna de Laja? Does the G2 have enough battery to get me there and back? Will 5.8ghz video hold out until I get there? Find out now in today's exciting episode of the One Battery series!


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 25, 2020)

Here is something under 100 grams AUW with a flight controller, the one in the video even has GPS! Batteries would be cheap as dirt and ya could probably run it on a 2S Li on for double the endurance. Comes almost complete for $81 US and it's small enough to fly at a local park or soccer field.

*KINGKONG/LDARC TINY WING 450X 431mm Wingspan EPP FPV RC Airplane Flying Wing Delta-Wing PNP With Flight Control*

*Only 99g ! inav KINGKONG/LDARC Tiny Wing 450X*






*INAV LDARC 450X -- How far can it fly with 200mW VTX ?*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 25, 2020)

I got 4x 1300 mAh batteries delivered today for the racing quad and I've decided to put the micro form factor Caddx Ratel into the frame, but I need to use an adapter to fit it into a full sized FPV camera slot, it's quite a bit smaller. Finding 1.5 mm screws in my junk box was a pain in the ass and took the most time! Now I've just got to solder up some camera wires and put it back together again. The camera I had in the thing was shit with a narrow FOV, the Ratel has far superior image quality. I figure more appropriate batteries and perhaps some better props should do the trick. I'm gonna take it out to the park for a test flight in the morning.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 25, 2020)

I got the racing quad together and bench tested, batteries are on charge and the weather is looking good in the morning for a test flight. I've got 2 x 3S and 2 x 4S 1.3 amp batteries, first up the 3S packs cause I'm rusty. I got 4 charged for the long range rig too so I'll take that along too.

I took a picture of the new configuration ready to fly with a runcam2, I'm not gonna put the runcam2 on until I have a few test flights first though.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 26, 2020)

One of the things that was introduced last year was a quality digital FPV and HD recording system for drones and aircraft by DJI. There were other efforts at digital FPV, but most had issues, byte shark is another recent digital system that has been just introduced. These systems produce much better image quality and FPV experience, but are expensive when compared to existing 5.8 GHz analog systems and have some drawbacks for very long range people. If ya got the bucks and enjoy the FPV experience then this might be an option, but it is also lowering the price of good analog 1200 TVL cameras and transmitters, if you are just starting out go traditional analog and then upgrade, if you find you like it.

A good set of analog goggles can be had for as little as $85 US and a basic AIO camera/transmitter only costs $20 and can FPV anything, a good quality camera and video transmitter only cost about 50 or 60 bucks.

Here is a review by someone who has used the system for a year and has extensive experience with traditional FPV systems. DIgital systems are primarily aimed at the quad market or closer in plane flyers for now.

*1 year later w/ DJI HD FPV System*





We take a look at how DJI's system has changed a year after it's release.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 26, 2020)

*SAFETY:*
If you use Lipo batteries there are fire hazards and *batteries have been know to catch fire and burn houses down. *If you burn your house down, you wife will be pissed! Follow all relevant safety precautions and if you are not using batteries for awhile put a storage charge into them and charge fully before use. Here are some basics.

Also buy a *cheap lipo battery tester * I have several of these, one for the flight bag and a couple on the bench, you can use it as a low battery alarm or even drone finder.
*RC Beginner Series - Lipo Battery Safety / Basics*






Here is how I deal with batteries, though I'm looking for a better metal box, for most beginners a metal cake box should so do. I bought this metal cash box for a buck at a good will store for lipo storage and bought a cheap Lipo Bag on ebay.
The charger is a cheapo from ebay and it does everything I need for now. I use a separate cheapo charger to charge the fpv goggle batteries through the balance leads. Fully charged Lipos can be dangerous, they hold a lot of stored energy, don't forget fire safety, you can even turn a disused fireplace into a charging station if you're creative.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 27, 2020)

Another popular FPV expert, this guy focuses on drones, but is a great source of information on cameras etc. FPV drones are all about proximity flying so the video image is important, both for flying and especially for HD video. Here is a cheap quality HD camera for those starting out or anybody who is on a budget, high quality video doesn't cost much.
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*Runcam 5 Orange EIS is a legit GoPro alternative*





The Runcam 5 Orange is the first entry from Runcam that I would consider to be a legit GoPro alternative. Is it as good as GoPro? No. But it's at least 1/2 the price of a GoPro, and it finally produces a natural-looking image that GoPro fans may be able to tolerate, instead of the hyper-saturated wide-dynamic-range image of previous RunCam HD cams.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 28, 2020)

A new product review, $38 US, mostly for beginner drone or wing pilots.
*SINGLE BEST PRODUCT I HAVE REVIEWED IN 5 YEARS - betafpv Lite Radio 2 review.*





The LiteRadio 2 from betafpv is the ultimate beginner radio for drone racing. It feels great, binds to d8 and d16 modes, has usb charging, comes with a 2s battery, decent range AND IS ONLY $39 link - https://bit.ly/Betafpvradio2 

And before people get all upset that it's not better performance wise vs a tango 2/ radio master etc. yes I agree. This is the best radio I have seen at getting people to try fpv at an affordable price point. My number one goal at uavfutures is to get people flying and I couldn't be happier to see a product like this exist for people to get in, have fun and start flying.


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jun 28, 2020)

Similar console controller format to the Turnigy evo and Taranis x-lite. Bought an evo, trying to settle on basic entry tx/rx combinations. Bit out of the loop on what makes money sense now days.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 28, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Similar console controller format to the Turnigy evo and Taranis x-lite. Bought an evo, trying to settle on basic entry tx/rx combinations. Bit out of the loop on what makes money sense now days.


Taranis is a fucking mess right now and all the experts are disgusted with them, it's a dogs fucking breakfast, you are not alone in confusion! Most are recommending the radio master T16 or now the T18 these days for a full sized radio, they are multi protocol so you can use a variety of receivers. I believe the small radio he reviewed is multiprotocol too and is suited for beginners who will be flying close in and flying drones or wings for the most part. $85 goggles, a $40 dollar radio, a $80 wing, some batteries and a charger will put you in in the air with FPV, a couple of hundred bucks and change.

Building a pretty good racing quad ain't much more expensive these days either, this guy shows you how with a detailed build video, just to give folks an idea of what's out there for instructions (there are several other ones on this kit) and how much it costs these days.

*Beginner Guide $120 FPV Drone How To Build - Part 1 - Assembly*





I'm going to show you every single step of how to build this $120 FPV Drone. This is my complete beginner guide, with all the steps, and all the background information you need to know. Don't think of this as just a how-to guide. I want it to be a complete introductory course to teach you the things you need to know to build FPV drones.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 28, 2020)

Here is the the racing quad mentioned above $122 US, its a good all round choice, can be configured for long range, has GPS RTH! Or you can race or do freestyle, it can carry a gopro or any other had action camera. From what I've seen, this appears to be a good economical choice, but there are many cheap options out there today, but if you want a cheap all round beginners quad, this might be worth looking at. There are build and flight videos on the vendors page, if you wanna have a look.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Eachine Tyro119 250mm F4 OSD 6 Inch 3-6S DIY FPV Racing Drone PNP w/ Caddx Turbo F2 1200TVL Camera*

This is what ya get


And this is what ya build


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 28, 2020)

What can you do with a racing quad like above? Let Steele Davis, aka Mr Steele show you, he is a talented young guy with a popular youtube channel that entertains and instructs in freestyle. He also has other build and freestyle videos set to music, races, sells products and the other things most professionals in the field do. His builds are top end and very expensive and you can built the equivalent thing for a couple of hundred bucks today. This guy is known for his "aggressive" flying style and he makes entertaining videos aimed at young men, the primary market for this stuff. 

Those of us who want cheap thrills!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*GOD MODE Activated  | FPV Freestyle*





Rolling up on an old spot that is going through some serious changes. This was one of the most fun sessions I've had in years, No pressure just pure fun with great people. Not even the rain could put a damper on this session.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jun 30, 2020)

This husband and wife team review a lot of toys and such, but they have a big Youtube following. Here they fly a $300 US EDF jet that runs off of a 6S battery, looks nice, though I'd have an FPV camera in place of the dummy pilot real quick!
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*FAST! F-16 Thunderbirds RC Fighter Jet - INCREDIBLY PERFECT Warbird! - TheRcSaylors*





*F-16 Thunderbirds 70mm EDF BNF Basic with AS3X and SAFE Select, 815mm*





*Key Features*

The easiest to fly high-performance F-16 EDF (Electric Ducted Fan) jet model yet!
Scale replica of the iconic aircraft flown by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team
12-blade 70mm fan delivers excellent top speed and vertical performance plus turbine-like sound
Factory-installed high-power 6S compatible brushless inrunner motor and 70-amp ESC
Fast and precise factory-installed digital, metal-geared servos with ball-link equipped linkages
Steerable nose wheel and electric retracts with shock-absorbing struts for operation from a variety of surfaces including grass
Spektrum™ 6-channel receiver with industry-leading DSMX® technology
Easy to fly with optional-use SAFE® Select flight envelope protection
The unmatched stability and precision of AS3X® technology
Includes a decal sheet to choose and apply the Thunderbird number designation of your choice
Easy final assembly with removable wings and a magnetically-secured nose cone
Convenient top hatch with clear canopy, cockpit detail and a pilot figure
Durable yet lightweight, composite reinforced EPO airframe
*Needed to Complete*

Full-range 6+ Channel transmitter with DSMX®/DSM2® technology
3200–4000mAh 6S 22.2V LiPo flight battery with EC5™ connector
Suitable LiPo battery charger


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 1, 2020)

If you are into 3D printing, you can literally print your own plane, in parts that you super glue together. The files cost $20 for a variety of planes that you can print as many copies or parts of as you wish, the plastic filament costs about $10 US per plane.
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*$17 MAKE IT YOURSELF!! 150km - 3D printed plane*





Long range Tony spent over 40 hours 3D printing a mustang from 3D lab print - https://3dlabprint.com and OMG does it look, fly and sound great.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 1, 2020)

*3D Printed Airplane - P 38 Lightning | Flite Test*





Can a 3D printed plane fly? 3D Lab Print sent us this amazing 3D printed P-38 Lightning. 
Wanna know more? Click here! https://goo.gl/y9n9YC 
Check out 3D Lab Print: https://goo.gl/un4sc1 
Get started in the hobby by building foam airplanes: https://goo.gl/4XxOrC


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 1, 2020)

Some guys like RC helicopters, here is a world champion RC helicopter stunt pilot, this guy could give ya a haircut with a little off on the sides.
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*TAREQ ALSAADI GOBLIN KRAKEN 3D RC HELICOPTER SWISS HELI CHALLENGE 2019*





Swiss Heli challenge 2019 Airport Dübendorf Switzerland biggest Outdoor RC Helicopter Event. Tareq Alsaadi from Dubai World Champion in 3D Helicopter flying. @the Swiss Heli Challenge 2019 with a Goblin Kraken 3D RC model Helicopter, enjoy this X-TREME 3D flight.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 1, 2020)

This plane weighs just 20 grams all up and this guy figured out how to put a AIO FPV camera on it and have it fly properly. I costs $63 US and comes with a controller, all you would need is a set of cheap FPV goggles and an AIO FPV camera to try FPV. You don't' need a 3D printer for the mount either, some scrap plastic and glue should do just fine. A cheap way to try FPV or just playing with planes.
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*Volantex V761-1 Firstar Mini 2.4G 3CH 6 Axis Gyro Micro RC Airplane RTF*
*$100 FPV for beginners - Volantex Mini Trainstar*





Volantex Mini Trainstar: http://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/brt96vYG
Volantex Mini Trainstar (Amazon): https://amzn.to/2E3HJMn

*SUCCESS! *
After gathering information from different sources and running some ideas back and forth with people, I did print out a rather simplistic looking camera mount for the Mini Trainstar, but it did work rather well in the end! I only wish I had done this in the first place, so I wouldn't have to cut into the plane as much as I did before, because removing that double sided tape was not a pleasant or sparing job (for the plane) at all! Anyway... with the new mount glued in and the camera installed, things were looking and feeling TONS better in the air! Also... quite the awesome range on that stock, cheap looking radio!!! The Mini Trainstar definitely can make for an entry level beginner FPV setup on a budget! Quite the awesome little plane!


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 1, 2020)




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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 2, 2020)

Here is something that will be very useful and just came out from the folks at the Betaflight open source project! Anything that uses betaflight on the FC can be used with this, a lot easier and quicker than lugging your notebook PC to the field. This is one of several configurator programs that can change the parameters and settings on the flight control computer of a quadcopter or plane, it can also update the firmware in the flight control computer's memory among other tasks.
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*Betaflight Configurator Phone APP*





A review of the NEW Betaflight Configurator phone APP. How it works and how to download for your Android phone.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 2, 2020)

Went up to the dollar store and bought 3 pieces of foam board, some hot glue sticks a craft knife and a cutting mat. Think I'll look for a nice simple beginners video and set of plans for a foam board plane. Gonna buy some balsa plywood online and perhaps a few other items to get it in the air.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 3, 2020)

Just got one of these in the mail today, put it together in 5 minutes and it works fine on my servo tester. I forgot to plug the 5v bec between the 2s battery and my servo tester on the last test and burned the fucking servo tester out! $2 gone, time to order a couple more and leave it hooked up to that spare fucking BEC, permanently.

I'm thinking this might be good for the RC rescue boat to use with the FPV camera. I picked up a couple of bright orange pool noodles yesterday for floats too, they are hard to find in winter!
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*Pan Tilt 2 Axis Camera FPV Gimbal Mount Bracket W/2 Servos*


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jul 4, 2020)

Always admired those pan-tilt mounts that were controlled by head tracker. Just adds to the experience, can imagine yourself up there.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 4, 2020)

A pan and tilt is nice on the right airplane and good to use with models of human aircraft, most people remove the clear part of the canopy for best results. Having the ability to look around naturally is important, especially if you're flying a model of something made for people, though using a ground station would be advisable if you're at any range! With drones and FPV planes like wings and others designed for it, they don't seem to be too important, a HD camera roll gimbal would be better for most FPV planes.

Pan and tilt would be great with a runcam split 4 in something like this, the plane cost $560 US, an amazing price for the performance. If a fellow had the bucks and was into jets I could see this happening, finding places to fly might be a challenge though. EDFs are regulation free, real jets you can only fly LOS from a certified field and have a special license to do it in many places.

*Freewing F-14 Tomcat Twin 80mm EDF Jet - PNP*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 5, 2020)

Here is a guy flying a nano talon similar to the one I have using the new 4G/LTE cell phone network and a Huawei *e3372h-510* data dongle on Verizon. There is a bit of latency, but for a plane with a FC and backup systems it's not bad and he can switch between cell phone control and regular control when he's in range. You can go for miles undetected at low altitude, wherever there is 4G service, latency is the only issue I can see, and I figure that will improve greatly in coming months and years. The description and comments provide a lot more information on how to do this and find out more information. With a nano talon running on a Li on battery you can go for a very long way, this guy only did a fraction of what is possible.
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*ZOHD Nano Talon Black OP - 4G/LTE Cruise*





A nice relaxing cruise with the ZOHD Nano Talon Black OP. I flew out past 7mi distance easily and was not even trying for maximum distance. Video feed was pretty stable for this flight. I did have a couple disconnects and GCS failsafe worked flawlessly and initiated a RTL. 
The only cam on-board was the pi-cam. Did not add another camera for this flight. 

https://docs.uavmatrix.com/


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 5, 2020)

I'm thinking about a snap on float plane version of the nano talon, it's AUW is 560 grams with a 1300 4s and I figure it will be around 600 grams fully configured with a 1.8am p battery, FC and GPS. I' thinking of making a couple of floats out of 8" sections of pool noodle and some wooden dowels, I might do a little experiment in the bathtub to see how much buoyancy a piece of pool noodle has. If it or even a half section has enough buoyancy I might build the plane floats and test how much weight they can take and how high out of the water they will sit. I bought some foam balls used for crafts and I'll slice one or two in half for the front and rear of the pontoons, I might even scoop out some foam from the inside of the hemispheres to make them lighter. 

I'm still thinking over the design, it would reduce the speed and range, but it would be cool and convenient to be able to snap on the float pontoons rig with a couple of elastic bands and make her an amphibian as required. It might even make a good Youtube video too.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 5, 2020)

*The AMAZING World of Drone Racing and FPV Freestyle*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 5, 2020)

Perhaps racing is your style, you'll need very fast reactions, flying skill and technical knowledge for this challenge. You can download the DRL simulator, race and even qualify online. All the drones are the same and it's all skill, a lot of top freestyle and racing pilots you see on youtube are in this video, there is big prize money involved. If you're a star wars fan you'll like drone racing, it's a combination of pod racing and a space battle!

There are many different amateur drone racing leagues and organisations all over the world, drone racing is popular and so fast it's hard to watch. Other drone sims like velocidrone allow you to race with others online too, but sims are just practice for the real thing and a good sim must behave like the real thing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Top Close Finishes of 2019*





Watch the pilots from the 2019 DRL Allianz World Championship grind it out to the very end.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 5, 2020)

From back 4 years ago in 2016, people were only flying these kinds of drones for a few years starting back in 2012 or so, many then were experimenting with wooden tricopters and such. It shows you have fast technology progresses with millions of enthusiasts experimenters providing a market for product, information and entertainment. It's an offshoot of the RC plane hobby that has attracted a lot of young people and most young guys who fly drones will eventually buy a foam plane and fpv it, they are cheap as beans so why not.

This shows you how international the the RC hobby and drone racing have become and how big the prize money was in 2016.
*Go Inside the World's First $1 Million Drone Race*





March 21 -- The World Drone Prix in Dubai was the first million dollar drone race, with the winning team taking home a cool $250,000. We meet the tech-loving thrill-seekers behind the sport who want to turn it into the next big thing.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 6, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> That guy was a great resource for a lot of people getting into fpv.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Something to think about, there are orders of magnitude more RC and drone pilots than regular civil and commercial ones combined and we have rights to the sky too. People are organizing, in some cases outside the regular RC organisations, but increasingly taking them over from the old gassers who generally hated FPV. There are those who like to fly and those who like to control and admire their creations from the ground LOS, but FPV is seductive to them as well. Also the people involved in this hobby generally aren't dummies, the technical requirements are too high, such people know how to get the attention of political power once organised with a voice, such a voice is now starting to be raised.

They have 250 gram class and after that it goes up to 24 KG in most places, how about a 1 and 2 Kg class? I don't mind getting a license, but it should come with increased rights to the sky and we are entitled to have restricted airspace and airparks too. Most of these organisations who came up with these rules are populated by pilots who view drones and RC planes as a nuisance and their contemp shone through in the regulations. Stomping on hobbyists will come to an end with empowerment, it's just a case of bullying the powerless, that comes to an end when we organise and fight back, it's killing an industry as well as a hobby. As far as I know and RC plane or drone hasn't killed anybody and in many places gun owners have more rights. Most of these foam planes would be like hitting a seagull or a crow for a regular plane, certainly no worse than hitting a Canada goose!

Like I said before, the regulations seemed to be more about bring awareness, there is no real enforcement, other than for those posting Youtube videos. The 5.8 Ghz video link is pretty short range and blocked by terrain unless you are at altitude and have a powerful transmitter, if the plane is on an autonomous waypoint mission with the transmitter turned off, it and you would be undetectable. 4G cell phone service is another way to do undetected FPV especially low level and the starlink satellite network promises 25ms latency (lower than many recording split cameras) and cellphone sized service in the near future.

With batteries that might soon offer 3 to 5 times the capacity in the not too distant future and all these cheap empowering technologies at our fingertips I can see why some would be paranoid about camera carrying drones. Too bad, they sell them online from china or if they could ban that, you can take apart a cellphone or just use the circuit board. They are in a losing battle with technology and human nature, people are curious, want challenges and above all else fun.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 6, 2020)

Guys like Nurk don't just race and do freestyle videos, they are also video producers and instructors too. Reelsteady allows you to use an older and cheaper GoPro camera and do the gyro based image stabilization on a computer later in post. Image stabilization makes for a much more enjoyable video experience and a smoother almost dream like ride for the viewer.
*All about ReelSteadyGo - Things you Should Know*





ReelSteady Go was just released today and it's incredible, but there are several things that you should know about it, what and why it is before you spend $100 and get angry about it online.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 6, 2020)

I figure on spending at least a couple hundred bucks a month on this hobby and operating off water fascinates me, aside from being a convenience for myself in particular. There is a nearby park that I like to fly drones from, but it's not suited to fly planes from, unless you do it from and over the water, hence the interest in an RC recovery boat and operating the transmitter on 930 MHZ. The park I fly from is historic in terms of seaplanes, there is a large model of a PBY catalina (RCAF Canso) on a high pedestal there that I've flown around and over many times with drones. It used to be a joint Canadian & American seaplane NAS in WWI and was reactivated by the RCAF in WWII as a anti submarine seaplane base protecting Atlantic convoys. Anyway, I've got my eye out for a Catalina that I can paint up in RCAF livery like the one on the memorial and operate from its original base! A cat would be good to FPV, it has an unobstructed cockpit view and a small pan and tilt inside the cockpit would be nice. I've been casting about for a cat to build and ran across this, they have a good reputation for good flight characteristics with their other aircraft. If you paint them dark colors in hot climates they can melt in the sun however! No worries about that where I live though and the RCAF colors were light anyway.

It's not too expensive and the rest of the parts required to get it in the air are cheap, a couple of motors and escs, some servos etc for a basic flyer. If I like it, an FC with GPS, though I wouldn't go far with this bird. There might be room for a camera in the back looking out the side where the blister windows are though and that might be nice with a pitch gimbal for taking shoreline shots at right angles. $120 US ain't a lot to throw for the airframe though and if it doesn't work out I can use the parts for something else. One concern is flooding with this thing, if the hull is broken or punctured, down she goes! I could partly fill it with low density styrofoam pellets and bits though,for not too much weight penalty. When you get one of these things they are so beautifully printed and interesting to look at, that you are loath to paint them.

This model has a wingspan of almost 6 feet, so if the wing unit doesn't break down easily for transport forget it, I have a small car and ya got to get it to where you are gonna fly it, or out the house door for that matter. Operating an aircraft this size from the location I want to use could be problematic too, but as long as I'm on the water I should be fine. Something this big would attract a lot of attention too and I don't really want any, cause what I'm doing might not be strictly legal, at times! Perhaps something in a smaller format made of foam, but I'm tempted...

*PBY Catalina (67") Custom Color 3D Printed RC Plane 3dLab Gang Airplane Kit*

Here is an assembly video that should hep, you can hear the 3D printer in the background, it should answer some of my questions
*Catalina PBY videoguide 1*





This is Part one of the 3D-printed Catalina PBY video guide. Glueing of the Fuselage.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 6, 2020)

The slow boat from China arrived today and I got my ZHOD flight controller and FPV AIO system along with a courier from California with a couple of cheap 1300mah 4S Lipos from ebay, interestingly they were cheap and there was no customs duty charged on it either... The ZOHD stuff came with flyers for sonic model planes too, they are the same company and both make excellent products.

Guess I'll have to watch a video or two on installation etc, it's raining today so why not.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 6, 2020)

I looked over the printed catalina build video and figured it's not what I want, I don't like the interior arrangements or the complexity of the build. I was poking around about free plans and ran across this great site, for those who would like to try traditional building techniques. It looks interesting, but not for me at this point, a great resource that I haven't looked through completely. I'm thinking a foam board seaplane design, I don't have waterproof foam board, but with spray on plastic or laminating I can make it that way, inside and out.

The plan is to get some free plans online, print them out tiled onto legal or regular sized paper, glue the pieces together, then cut out the parts and stick them on the foam board for tracing and cutting. Foam board is cheap, easy to work with and makes great planes if you do it right.

Over 23,000 plans!




__





Download *PBY Catalina* at AeroFred


Download *PBY Catalina* plans at AeroFred Model Airplanes Plans.



aerofred.com









__





AeroFred.com - Download and Share Free Model Airplane and Boat Plans.


Download and Share free model airplane and boat plans. Featuring thousands of radio control, control line, free flight, 3views and general aviation blueprints, Aerofred is a community of modellers, builders, makers and enthusiasts sharing and restoring old model airplane and boat plans.




aerofred.com


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jul 7, 2020)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> Something to think about, there are orders of magnitude more RC and drone pilots than regular civil and commercial ones combined and we have rights to the sky too. People are organizing, in some cases outside the regular RC organisations, but increasingly taking them over from the old gassers who generally hated FPV. There are those who like to fly and those who like to control and admire their creations from the ground LOS, but FPV is seductive to them as well. Also the people involved in this hobby generally aren't dummies, the technical requirements are too high, such people know how to get the attention of political power once organised with a voice, such a voice is now starting to be raised.
> 
> They have 250 gram class and after that it goes up to 24 KG in most places, how about a 1 and 2 Kg class? I don't mind getting a license, but it should come with increased rights to the sky and we are entitled to have restricted airspace and airparks too. Most of these organisations who came up with these rules are populated by pilots who view drones and RC planes as a nuisance and their contemp shone through in the regulations. Stomping on hobbyists will come to an end with empowerment, it's just a case of bullying the powerless, that comes to an end when we organise and fight back, it's killing an industry as well as a hobby. As far as I know and RC plane or drone hasn't killed anybody and in many places gun owners have more rights. Most of these foam planes would be like hitting a seagull or a crow for a regular plane, certainly no worse than hitting a Canada goose!
> 
> ...


I might be mistaken, but feel earnings and livelihood and protection of those, are playing a large part in influencing the direction of official groups in UK. Some stand to gain a lot from regulation, and probably play off the sentiments of the old guard towards the fpv upstarts. Getting into local clubs can be a nightmare. Its the commercial activities that need regulation and control. Instead they seem intent on destroying the hobby and past time.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 8, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> I might be mistaken, but feel earnings and livelihood and protection of those, are playing a large part in influencing the direction of official groups in UK. Some stand to gain a lot from regulation, and probably play off the sentiments of the old guard towards the fpv upstarts. Getting into local clubs can be a nightmare. Its the commercial activities that need regulation and control. Instead they seem intent on destroying the hobby and past time.


Technology drives social change, we cannot be controlled by the imagined fears and prejudices of others, policy must be driven by data and facts. The facts are, there are either no, or are very few fatalities from RC planes or drones and few injuries too. Put things into context and consider the risk profiles of other activities, golf probably kills and injures more people every year than RC aircraft and drones have in 10 years There are millions of RC and drone pilots and increasingly RC plane pilots are going FPV, at least some of the time. Many of the existing organisations were dominated by LOS pilots who flew from club fields, not so much any more, the internet has empowered others, these national and international organisations have elections online now and a greatly increased membership. Flying is cheap nowadays, that means much wider access and technology like FPV drone and wing racing appeal to a generation that grew up on Starwars and video games, then there are the DJI drone video people...


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 8, 2020)

Image stabilization offers many benefits to plane flyers especially, drones are generally more stable platforms. One you deal with jello caused by vibration issues, by say an unbalanced motor or prop the results are generally good. The more stable the aircraft the better the results will be and the less image cropping the stabilization software will have to do. Still, even for something like a racing wing in wind, it does an amazing job on video footage, gives your videos a dream like quality and they are much easier to watch. This guy demonstrates using a DJI OSMO action camera with rock steady image stabilization, an older, cheaper gopro will do the same thing with post production software (reelsteady go) that uses gyro info or the new Gopro hero 7 & 8 hypersooth will do it in the camera.

Here is a short 2:30 video that demonstrates this.
*AR 900 FPV Wing - How RockSteady Stabilisation makes HD Footage Watchable!*





DJI Osmo Action (RockSteady Stabilisation on) ► http://tiny.cc/DJIosmoAction
Runcam 2 (No Stabilisation) ► http://tiny.cc/k4cv0y


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 8, 2020)

I've been educating myself about *ardupilot flight controllers* and Ardurover firmware used to control autonomous vehicles like rovers and boats with GPS waypoints and RTH. The kits are pretty cheap for the *ArduPilot Mega 2.8 APM kits*. I think I'll pick one without the radio links and buy a separate 450 MHZ 500 mw pair (more research required) for data uplink. I'll want a FPV OSD too, so the version I choose should have it, but I can get by on the data link, it should out distance the FPV. I will want to manually control the rescue boat with a 930 Mhz control signal so I don't want any interference issues. All transmitters and receivers will be over a meter off the water on removable masts for max range under control and FPV. I need to plan and order stuff in advance because it takes over a month to get shit from China.

Here is the boat I'm planning on building with some additions and modifications for radio masts etc. I plan on using it in salt water and it might be a bit choppy so I need to take extra water proofing precautions. He just has the basic radio controlled boat here and he also has a couple of build and radio setup videos for it, I want to add an Ardupilot running ardurover for waypoint missions and of course RTH. This will allow me to learn all about GPS waypoint missions and RTH using this cheap autopilot system on a boat, it kinda looks like fun all on it's own. First build the boat and get it working as a simple RC vehicle with FPV. I bought a couple of *motor, esc, prop kits* on Bango and they and other shit are on the way.
*RC Seaplane Rescue boat mods*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 9, 2020)




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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jul 9, 2020)

What a beautiful collection of scenes and flights. Well put together.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 9, 2020)

I wanted to test how much wire length an FPV camera signal can travel before there are issues, I cut the USB cord off an old mouse and used the shielded 4 conductors plus ground wire. It's almost 2 meters long and there were no issues with the video quality at all. Good quality USB cable is shielded and has enough conductors for many RC applications. The maximum length of a USB cables is 4 meters and I wouldn't want to push 5 V much further through it, if it was carrying any current load at all.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 10, 2020)

I went out for a bit of test flying last evening at a local high school, I wanted to use the soccer field, but some fucking moron locked the gate (just big enough for a person to get through) to the chain link fence surrounding it. All such fields are surrounded by chain link fences and some are divided up with them! Kids on quads and dirt bikes ripping the shit out of the turf are the main rational. I had to use the fucking parking lot, the grass and other vegetation in untended fields here gets 3 or 4 feet high and makes finding a downed quad impossible, a plane is not much different, dense forest surrounds much of my area here in Nova Scotia. I need to find a pasture or farm where I can ask permission to fly regularly and recover downed aircraft, somewhere close, because I'm always testing new and different stuff out too.

Even in relatively short turf, finding a quad can be difficult if you are flying FPV even closeby, I'm not that great a quad pilot and I'm still learning, but need somewhere to fly safely. I had to practice in the high school parking lot and gave a couple of batteries a hard time with hard landings. I need to make some mods to the racing quad to protect the batteries more and find a better place to practice. I'm gonna order a couple of loud model finders for now and put brightly colored tape on the racing quad where I can to help with finding it after a crash. I think the nano talon should get the same treatment if I wanna fly in winter, fluorescent orange shows up well against the snow.

The test flights revealed a few issues that I have to try and resolve, the FPV transmitter on the quad appears to have packed it in, I was setting up for a flight when I couldn't get a signal, lights are on it etc. The 3000ma battery I tried for the long range quad didn't work out that well and the issue lies with the proprietary FC it uses that senses current and voltage and initiates a low battery warning and finally an automatic RTH when the battery (1800 Ma) gets to a certain level of either low volts or after a certain amount of metered current is used. I'm either gonna leave it as is, or use the parts on a carbon cruising frame with a new FC that I can adjust the parameters of using BetaFlight. I could use the motors, props (got tons of spares), escs, compass and GPS unit and even LEDs from this drone, but I might just buy motors and matching escs with the same specs and build a new long range cruiser that will also use a 930 MHZ long range uhf radio. I'd kinda like to keep this drone as it is, it could be useful for finding and even recovering downed or treed drones. Getting treed is also a concern and I keep a very long shock cord sectioned tent pole in the trunk of the car for such occasions.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 10, 2020)

More on the possible future of FPV using 4G cellular networks for hard to detect long range low level flying, I would expect latency and connection issues to resolved in the near future, this technology is just being rolled out.
*4G LTE Raspberry Pi Internet Drone. Unlimited Range.*





XBStation is a software solution for live streaming video and control UAV via 4G LTE.
It includes: open hardware on UAV (PX4 and ArduPilot) and software on ground. we try to make it as easy as possible with 4 steps.

+ Live Streaming video
+ Record video
+ Control drone via 4G
+ Rasp Pi 3, 3 B+ / Odroid-XU4
+ Low Latency
+ XBStation Mission Planner/QGroundControl ground control station

How to setup and free account: https://docs.xbstation.com/

If you are interested in this, do not hesitate to contact us for testing


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 11, 2020)

In trying to find a place to practice flying a quad I've been casting about for solutions and I might have one for myself and others too, particularly those who want to stay below the 250 gram legal limit. Something small can operate in a smaller space and can operate in places like your back yard or a local park. In learning to fly a quad finding your quad when you crash and you will, is the most important consideration, they are though and survive most crashes quite well, if you are upright, in many cases you can just fly away. Also smaller lighter quads are less prone to damage or cause harm, because there is so little mass and energy involved. I looked at lighter smaller quads before, but went for a smaller full sized version that could carry and action camera.

I have a couple of cheap brushed tiny whoops that are really small, but I don't have a big house to fly inside and I find the little fuckers near impossible to control. A regular quad that is in the right size range might be best for learning and practicing quad moves in smaller locations, the skills scale up well enough. So I'm thinking a small frame, something like this that can fly in more confined locations yet deliver the performance of a larger quad. I might post some stuff on smaller scale quads as I do my research. Here is what flying a drone is like in a typical backyard, it's a DVR recording and they are often not as good as the image in the goggles. Today these small drones can be cheaply fitted with a mini spit FPV camera to record HD video on board and that also makes them worth looking into. Also the batteries for these drones are cheap as dirt.

This is just for the carbon frame, the rest is extra, though I might post some complete drones if I find some good reviews. You should always watch or read reviews on these things, so you know what to avoid and what is a good deal.

He needs to adjust his FC, cause he says he's using a 3s battery, but is only showing a 1s in the OSD, also if he was using a 1s and the voltage was being reported correctly by the FC, he should think about landing the drone at 3.66 volts on a LIpo battery. You can adjust all these things in the FC using betaflight or some other configurator, I guess he never got around to it yet. He could also just be monitoring a single cell in a 3s and using it as a guide.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Dragon Frog 3 Inch 139mm Wheelbase Carbon Fiber FPV Racing Frame Kit compaitble for DJI CADDX VISTA*

*Dragon Frog 3, Caddx Ant test, backyard track*





Testing a few things: Iflight Xing 1404 4500kv: https://bit.ly/38dmQgf
Dragon Frog 3" frame: https://bit.ly/2YFTlR9 Caddx Ant (16:9, 1.8 here): https://bit.ly/3eHNlwL
iflight micro VTX (on 25mw, with poorly positioned linear antenna): https://bit.ly/2YDtut3
3s GNB 450mah: https://bit.ly/2YFCJJd
ldarc 2840 props: https://bit.ly/3i4MB7b


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 11, 2020)

I was wondering why this plane was unavailable for awhile, now I know, they were upgrading it and making it better, listening to the reviewers and customers and incorporating changes in the design. This one might be a contender! I'll watch the reviews when they come out.

This guy from the UK is a popular reviewer and RC model teacher, he will show you how to do all kinds of complicated stuff by walking you through the steps. This video was released today
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*ZOHD Dart XL 'Enhanced' - New Version!*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 11, 2020)

In Canada where I live this thing costs more in CDN currency plus $65 US shipping, Americans get free shipping because I assume they warehouse it there. I'm looking at about $340 Canadian for this little wonder, plus all the other shit like an FPV system 930 mhz receiver, a good FC and GPS and possibly a 450 mhz data transmitter. Losing something like that would hurt and that doesn't count the HD camera that might cost me $400 CDN! I could have to eat a grand if I couldn't recover this thing, so yeah GPS info from the OSD recorded on multiple DVRs and a GPS data downlink transmitter sending out the GPS location on 450 mhz as insurance would be good too, as would GPS RTH. A working RC rescue boat would be useful too, this thing floats and the electronics can be mostly water proofed, even Gopros are waterproof to a pont, much can be salvaged from a timely rescue and rinsed in fresh and then distilled or RO water. If the plane lost power before hitting the water, most of the electronics can be saved, if not, some or even none.

*ZOHD DART XL Enhanced Version 1000mm Wingspan BEPP FPV Aircraft RC Airplane PNP*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 11, 2020)

Matt is a guy from the UK who does review and other RC videos with his mates at a local farm field, another guy who recognises the need for providing a sense of community to many isolated hobbyist. I'd like to get a few folks involved locally and might even try and start a local club, when all the covid shit is over, it would follow all the rules of course and teach young people and send out invites to them etc, But it's also a good way to meet others who might also have a private ambitions, maybe I could corrupt dad...  Matt shows you that it's even more fun to fly with others, set up a table and a tent shelter with a few lawn chairs etc.

Here they fly the sonic model Binary and it has serious issues and would not be a good purchase, Matt does straight up entertaining reviews. Youtube entertainment for the FPV and RC plane crowd.

*"Making Friends with the Locals" - Bin-ary Maiden & Austin's new chat up line*





Josh can't get his up, Austin can't get his down. Andy eats bush and I can't throw for toffee. Over to the farm for the Bin-ary maiden and the usual McFookeria. Covid hugs all-round. Enjoy! Matt


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 11, 2020)

An interesting video for the experimenters out there, those who want to try and learn about new things in doing so.
Samm died in a motorcycle accident a while back, his dad made his last post on Youtube.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Engineered Mini Flying Wing*





This video is about the time when I ventured into the dangerous waters of engineering. It was pretty neat I guess. Endurance Record Flight: https:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhEL0...


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 12, 2020)

The stupid legal constraints and lack of options for responsible people in this hobby really pisses me off. This is art for many on multiple fronts from aircraft design and construction to the beautiful cinematography they enable, we should have artistic freedom too. If you were to visit Canada as a drone or FPV tourist you can't fly legally, you couldn't even hire me, a licensed RC pilot to be your guide, your are not allowed to fly and that cuts off a whole tourism industry. I could never post this video under my own account and I don't know how this guy can either, we must take security precautions and being part of an online community is important to the hobby for many. You can't even legally advertise an outdoor RC flying event, a blatant attempt to just kill a hobby and an industry for no good purpose other than some official covering their arse at our expense.

FUCK them, I'll FPV and I'll post under a secret account and take what precautions I need to and use whatever technology is at hand and available. I'll also join organisations that will lobby and empower me and those like me and there are many and I'm trying to add more to the pile. One of the reasons for this thread cannabis users and growers are used to bending and breaking a few truly stupid laws. I'm not out to kill anybody, just have some fun, as a long term mindfulness meditation practitioner and teacher I know a bit about morals and ethics, others first and you can pitch the rule book with in reason, just be clear about your intentions. That means the safety of others above all else, harassing wildlife is illegal and I agree with that one.

Most FPV pilots don't fly from formal clubs, like Matt in the UK and this guy, they usually fly with a few friends, though for FPV videos I believe you need a spotter, like in Canada and the aircraft must be in sight etc. It's like the old days of automobiles when you had to have someone walk in front of you with a fucking flag, lest you scare the Goddamn horses!

Football and rugby teams in the UK have more deaths and injuries a year than decades of RC flying, and that does not even count the deaths and injuries of the fans who are fucking savages! 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Skyhunter FPV - Frosty Mountain Sunrise*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 12, 2020)

More Matt with a review on the ZOHD nono drift
*ZOHD Drift Maiden + Post Maiden Tips & Suggestions*





Another video from Matt
*"Rip the Sky a New One" - Meet the Phat Drak*





EDIT screwed up the post FIFY


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 12, 2020)

An ad from ZOHD. They embed LEDs into the wings of this model, but you can do the same with any plane. Not too much use if you are FPVing at night with a good low light FPV camera, but it sure does look cool, a great way to show off and generate UFO reports! They can also make locating a crashed model more easy at night sometimes, than during the day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*ZOHD Orbit NEON: Presentation video*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 12, 2020)

More on DIY seaplanes. This looks nice for a first build, the problem is getting 5 mm depron foam where I live for a reasonable price, but I'm thinking I might be able to use dollar store foam board with spray on waterproofing, but I fear it might add too much weight. A twin is good for a seaplane, you have a backup motor and an unobstructed forward view. It's also small enough not to attract too much attention or appear as a threat, the larger the plane the more attention it receives, that's ok if you want it.

One good thing about this plane is you can use small quad motors, escs and props, both clockwise and counterclockwise for real cheap, like $25 to $30, for motors, props, escs and even servos cheap. Except for the receiver, you wouldn't shed too many tears over losing this thing LOS, something to take chances with and a practice target for the rescue boat. One more thing about this plane, it should take off and land in the snow too and that happens a bit where I live!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*How to make Grumman Flying Boat RC water plane DIY*





How to make Grumman Flying Boat RC twin-engine seaplane DIY build video step by step tutorial
Wingspan: 1,5m (59")
Flying Weight: 480g (17 oz)
Flight Time: 15-20 min
Materials: XPS foam 5mm / Depron
Electric brushless motors: AEO MF1905 2400KV (18g) x2 Propellers:
GWS 7035 Receiver: FlySky FS-iA6 (7g)
ESC: VGood 12A (13g) x2
Servos: 5g x6
LiPo battery: 1500 mah 2S 7.4V (77g)
Download Grumman Goose/Albatross free plans: https://drive.google.com/drive/folder... Homemade Water slow flyer RC airplane out of foam for beginners.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 13, 2020)

I was thinking and might have come up with a solution, some experimentation is required with some scraps of foam in the bathtub, playtime! Actually a plastic dishpan which I will use to soak the sections of foam board and use a plastic scrub brush to remove the paper from the foam. I heard that fabric softener is good for removing wall paper and a detergent should help too. I could easily double or triple the foam layers with adhesive and form curves before gluing layers more easily. Also I would leave the paper on until all the parts were laid out and cut, then soak and scrub it off, once the plane was assembled or even during, I could laminate it inside and out, for extra strength and durability with less of a weight penalty. I guess I need to try some experiments with some scraps and see what happens, answers are data driven and that involves getting my hands wet.

A google search wouldn't hurt either!


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 13, 2020)

D'oh!  



View all


Start by running the *foam board* under water. Make sure that it has enough time and water to soak through entirely, and cover every bit of *paper* that you want to peel off. After the *paper* has been thoroughly soaked through, start to gently peel off the *paper*. Keep the *foam* under the flow of water as you do so.May 17, 2015


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 13, 2020)

Or... I guess the experiment has taken a new turn as new information is acquired! Best method wins with my particular board.
*Remove The Paper From Any Foam Board - 4 Ways*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 13, 2020)

This looks exactly like the foam board I'm using from the dollar store, looks like I have a date with the bathtub and shower after all. This fellow appears to be from Canada, a quick and dirty solution is at hand, he appears to have experience driven expertise, the best kind. It looks like this material might be just what I'm looking for, I might have to double it, but that is not an issue. Heat forming it is also possible to a degree.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*How to strip paper from Foam Board EASY*





This is my method of stripping the paper off the foam board found at most hobby stores and dollar stores in Canada and the USA. This is the best solution to mega cheap super light builds I have found, and contrary to common belief, its quite easy.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 14, 2020)

An example of innovation from Matt, since the current draw is so low on a drift, you might even get away with using cell phone batteries! Do some research and testing though, or she might catch fire mid flight and ya'd burn screaming all the way to the ground, ending up in a flaming heap of foam!


RagTheNutsOff2 hours ago
These are how I'm going to get 3S into the drift a D a load of flight time too. 26350 2000mAh li-on cells! PS. On 4 more on the way from AliExpress, next week, , fingers crossed.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 14, 2020)

Where's the wings? Looks "seaplaneable" from the fuse design and motor prop mounting, the nose could be problematic, but I'm thinking of using gorilla glass, thin glass similar to the double surface tensioned brand name stuff and used for cell phone screen protectors (dollar store), I should be able to cut this stuff easily and it flexes for simple curves. It is also very transparent and can be laminated into thicker sheets if required. Perfect for filling in the camera bay in the nose, better than foaming it over. I'm also thinking of using it on the simple sea plane foam build I'm gonna try, make the cockpit windows from it and FPV from inside, perhaps with a panning mount (camera mounted on a 9 gram servo), captains side if I can!

Guess I'll keep an eye out for this thing and look at the reviews, expert opinions, etc, no rush, just something on the radar.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paweł Spychalski4 hours ago
Something new... And I hope it will be better than Nano Talon...


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 14, 2020)

Most people would like to shoot good video of their FPV adventures and some even post it on youtube. Nurk is into this area of the RC hobby and is a professional "gun" for hire and has a company in the business of getting unique aerial shots. He races, does freestyle videos, educational and entertainment youtube videos. Here he teaches quad pilots how to do cinematic stuff well with a small sized drone, these are often called Whoops and get into places nothing else can.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Cinewhoop Masterclass - 6 Tips to make Amazing Cinewhoop Videos*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 14, 2020)

This guy is an expert on all things quadcopter and FPV, he was in the above video along with others who post youtube videos. If you want to know more about ciniquads and what to buy, have a look. With photography gone to cell phones, this is where the challenges are and the fresh ground to till is, the sky.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Best Cinewhoop FINAL JUDGMENT Taycan Bumblebee Squirt Kopis*





Which is the best Cinewhoop? The original Shendrones Squirt? The Holybro Kopis? The Diatone Taycan? The iFlight Bumblbebee? That's what we're going to figure out this week.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 14, 2020)

Well flying might be out of the picture for a spell! Spilled hot grease from a frying pan on my foot, ouch! Did the dance and rapid first aid, then spayed it down with and antiseptic topical analgesic and slathered it in moisturizing medicated hand cream and hope for the best, it's not a big burn, but big enough to perhaps keep a sandal or shoe off and me fucking housebound, shit happens and I need groceries! It's throbbing merrily away, it hurts, but I need not suffer, learn and move on.

Perhaps that foam plane might get built sooner than I thought, at least a first crack at the airframe and the bench projects are piling up too. Guess I might as well go through the Lipos and discharge them to storage levels. If you are not gonna fly for a spell, keep your Lipos at a storage voltage of around 3.75 volts per cell and your charger should have this function, Lipos last longer when treated well. I can hobble around the house and I won't starve for a long time, too long.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 14, 2020)

A little more on cinewhoops from Nurk, an overview.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Cinewhoop // Everything You Ever Wanted to Know // Shendrones Squirt*





All of this information is written out on my blog here: http://paulnurkkala.com/cinewhoop-the... 

See my showreel from this machine here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C30JW...


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 15, 2020)

For those who race and build quads and aren't engineers, or math whizzes, here is a useful resource. Probably many lazy engineer hobbyist use it too, no need to reinvent the wheel. This is but an example of the online resources and calculators used by professionals and amateurs in this hobby.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Drone Motor Calculator*








Drone Motor Calculator


Choose the perfect motor and get your drone flying with this drone motor calculator.




www.omnicalculator.com


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 15, 2020)

How long will it be before yer able to ride a housefly like a horse (virtually of course)? The fucking thing can even pan!

The FPV cockroach!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------








Miniature robotic camera backpack shows how beetles see the world


After creating tiny sensor backpacks for bees, researchers from the University of Washington have built a more advanced model for beetles. Dubbed “a GoPro for beetles,” the robotic backpacks carry a tiny steerable camera that can stream video at 1 to 5 fps and pivot up to 60 degrees.




www.engadget.com





*Miniature robotic camera backpack shows how beetles see the world*
*It has a robotic arm that simulates how insects turn their heads.*







Mark Stone/University of Washington
After creating tiny sensor backpacks for bees, researchers from the University of Washington have built a more advanced model for beetles. Dubbed “a GoPro for beetles,” the robotic backpacks carry a tiny steerable camera that can stream video at 1 to 5 fps and pivot up to 60 degrees. On top of getting an interesting bugs-eye view of the world, the devices could power future biological studies and allow us to “explore novel environments,” according to the team.

The backpack was designed to be carried by two species: A “death-feigning” beetle and Pinacate beetle. Both of those have been observed carrying up to half a gram at a time. As such, the camera rig they created weighs just a quarter gram.

To hit that goal, the team took a lesson from the insect world they’re trying to explore. “Flies are using 10 to 20 percent of their resting energy just to power their brains, most of which is devoted to visual processing,” said the study’s co-author Sawyer Fuller. “To help cut the cost, some flies have a small, high-resolution region of their compound eyes. They turn their heads to steer where they want to see with extra clarity, such as for chasing prey or a mate. This saves power over having high resolution over their entire visual field.”

_Don't believe it? watch the video._
*more...*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 15, 2020)

I got a bunch of cheap 9 gm servos yesterday and a new servo tester, it has three channels so I hooked up the pan tilt I bought to 2 of them. I also put a cross horn on another servo and mounted another camera with double sided gel tape on it for some testing. I wanted to get an idea of how much space they required inside a model and the range of motion (90 degrees total, 45 deg to either side). The pan camera doesn't take up too much space and all you'd need for a cockpit camera for many planes. You just need to mount the camera on the server horn with hot glue, tape or a wire tie etc and hook it up to a spare receiver channel configured to a nob or slider on your transmitter.

This time I just used a 1S battery to test with, no need for a BEC, servo testers run at 5 volts, usually no more or you'll fry them. If you are gonna fly planes and build them, then buy a couple, they only cost a couple of bucks each and can produce an variable PWM signal that can drive escs to test motors as well as servos.

A bit bigger than the cockroach cam above, but I'm flying a plane not a bug, yet!


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 15, 2020)

Here are servos similar to the ones I bought, they are cheap low quality, but good enough for experimenting with foam board builds, but you can get get better quality metal gear servos by the lot for not much more. In this case they sell 10 pcs for $14 US, a buck forty a sevo, less than 3 bucks for a flying wing which needs two, an example of affordability.

*10PCS SG90 Mini Analog Gear Micro Servo 9g for RC Airplane Helicopter Car Boat Models*

Similar to these


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 15, 2020)

Here is something else I have on the way, they come in different combinations of motors, escs, props and with or without servos. This could be the propulsion and control system components for a flying wing, swinging an 8" diameter prop, though you might need to buy a reverse pitch prop for a pusher configuration. The motor is a 3 phase brushless type that runs on PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) current from the ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) and is controlled via a signal wire to the receiver (or FC) for throttle. You can reverse the direction of the motor by switching any of the three wires to the esc. The esc also has a built in BEC (Battery Eliminator Circuit) for powering receivers and servos. This particular combo cost just $19, US affordable for many.

*XXD 2217 KV1250 Brushless Motor+8060 Propeller Blade*2++9g Servo*2+40A ESC RC Power System Combo For RC Airplane Racing Drone*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 16, 2020)

FPV is my hobby and many who do FPV are kinda fanatical in promoting it and one of the things I do here is promote views for those people I consider to be artists, like the two videos at the top of the thread. Also FPV is a bit outlaw (but can be quite legal too for the most part) and so are pot users who also tend to be young males, though it's pretty much a cross section of the population these days. I also want to get away from politics here, now that Trump is going down, my grow lights are all built and my garden is growing, this citizen is legal in that regard anyway! So this is the home of the FPV rebels for now, kinda fits IMHO! BTW I don't make anything off the product links I post, they are often just things I'm running across in pursuit of my hobby and I'm using them as examples of affordability and to familiarise those who might have an interest, or even of their existence. That goes for the many educational resources I'm posting too, it gives those with an interest a place to learn from experts.

Mr. Steele instructs. He does quite well financially these days with over 300K in youtube subscribers and other multiple source of income. It shows you that even in the world of hobby RC drones there are professionals and in the case of racing quads there are many! This indicates a fast growing market, first for the consumption of content (golfers watch golf on TV) and products, the regular RC plane hobby doesn't have this many professionals who make their living directly from the hobby like quad racers have in just 3 years.

Quad racing and freestyle appeal to people who like to race cars and such, but is much cheaper than maintaining a muscle car! A few generations back and guys like Steele here would have been flying fighters over europe or the Pacific in WW2 or jets in the cold war. For a generation that grew up playing video games, for some it's the next logical step, but it involves dealing with reality, and that can be difficult at times, like when yer up to yer ass in thorns trying to find your crashed quad! There are consequences to crashing, both physical (ya go for a walk of shame) and financial, if ya break something or lose it, therefore the pucker factor remains, people go to casinos for a reason. Also yer ass is in the thing, virtually at least, and like yer ego is on the line here sometimes, there is a visceral reaction, a beginner squirms in the chair to avoid obstacles for instance. The more on the line, the bigger the rush, just don't put your actual life on the line for one though, losing cash is enough to stimulate and motivate, so is winning it in a race one day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Always Check Your Gear*





Went out flying to make sure everything was in working order before this shoot. I like to not only fly the gear at home before I leave, but I also like to fly on location before hand. The elevation changes and relative humidity have an effect on which props I will choose.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Analog or Digital Video ‍ (How to FPV 2020) Part 5*





In this video we talk about the choice of picking analog or digital for your FPV video system. There are many pros and cons to both but at the end of the day you have to make a choice on which goggles and systems fit your personal needs.


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jul 16, 2020)

Always some pucker factor with Mr Steele videos. Interesting to see the march of progress with digital fpv systems.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 16, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Always some pucker factor with Mr Steele videos. Interesting to see the march of progress with digital fpv systems.


Last night I was on Bango poking around and did a search for FPV AIO, here are the results, note some of the prices! Affordable for sure. It will be a long time until I bother with digital, I mean if I won the lottery or something then maybe... If I was younger I might be more fanatical and buy such things, but I'm just looking for thrills, challenges and fun, something I can do until something major gives out, or I have the big one and croak! Also I'm looking to promote future social stuff locally when this covid shit is over and try and form an informal club like Matt has in the UK. Get a half dozen or so people together and split the cost of renting a corner of a pasture to fly from regularly. It shouldn't cost much at all and other than a place to park the cars has no impact on the land or livestock, cows ignore things that fly, no threat. Stay informal too, the government need not know you exist and other locations to fly can be found more easily by a group, everybody has connections. There is no benefit whatsoever of being a member of a formal club, if people regulate this stuff, that's where they would be, youtube and the internet can provide whatever resources you need.

Have a look at some of these FPV system prices a good camera and transmitter combo are not too expensive either, the AIO camera/xmiters that can FPV anything are ridiculously cheap.




__





fpv aio - Buy fpv aio with free shipping | Banggood Shopping


Buy the best and latest fpv aio on banggood.com offer the quality fpv aio on sale with worldwide free shipping. | Shopping




www.banggood.com


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 16, 2020)

I was thinking about a cnc foam cutting machine design, you can get small kits that drive a head on and x,y axis pretty well and come without an expensive lazer. I was thinking if a fellow was to mount a brushless RC motor of whatever type was best for rpm and torque in place of the laser cutter head (as long as the mass was about right) use a dremel chuck on the motor shaft and make a router out of it. The only issue I can foresee is the gyroscopic effect of the motor might have to be compensated for in the control software. This would make the project much cheaper, lasers are expensive, have to be heat sinked and so are the switching power supplies that support them. I could run my quad motor cnc foam board cutter off a 2 amp wall wart power supply (the motor might draw a lot of amps, but I can use a lipo for it), if it works on a small frame, it will work on something a meter wide. Something to think about, I don't really need it, but it might make a nice winter project and content for a youtube channel about the build.

Most likely somebody thought of this before and I have yet to do the usual google and youtube searches, if someone else invented the wheel why should I, copy when ya can! First step would be to hook up a motor to an esc and servo tester, put my dremel chuck on it and try and hand cut some foam board and see what happens, foam is best melted not cut.

Perhaps a hot ridgid shaft like a foam cutting wand might work better and can run on AC current too, the cutting speed would have to be reduced probably. For most foam projects a simple hot wire foam cutter works best, but is difficult to automate. I will most likely go this route myself and have several old ATX computer power supplies sitting around looking for a use and I've got a roll of nichrome wire and a PWM motor controller on the way, along with a small wire foam cutter.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 16, 2020)

This industry can provide economic opportunity to the technically minded, people 3d print planes, parts and mods for RC planes and Quads, as well as other RC vehicles I imagine too, business is done online and by mail. The same goes for laser cut kits from balsa wood or foam boards sold to enthusiast online. These automated computer controlled robots allow small scale manufacturing and custom work to be done from a basement or garage. The internet provides the market and YouTube often provides the marketing. Others sell plans and files for 3d printing or simply give them away on *thingiverse* or github or some other site devoted to this stuff.

People into the RC hobby are also into things like 3D printing and you will run across it quite a bit, if you are into building or modding commercial RC planes, TPU printed HD camera mounts are standard issue in the Quad world. Roll your own, download a file, or buy from those who sell.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 16, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Always some pucker factor with Mr Steele videos. Interesting to see the march of progress with digital fpv systems.


Ya know, if I were in the UK an interesting place to look into flying from for a small group (facebook helps assemble it) is a remote corner of some estate, a grand house with surrounding property. These places are always looking for sources of revenue and there might be times after supper or early in the morning where it could be done. Rent a corner of the place and offer some aerial video to them for promotion. Also promote them online in your videos for tourism etc, promote them in the comments, it could be a win, win. Some of these places are quite scenic and buzzing grand houses and old nobility living in apartments there might be fun, they might even wave! Tourist arrive and leave during business hours, in the summer only most of the time and a small group of friends could help pay their power bill every month.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 16, 2020)

Another guy regulated out of existence, his last post was a year ago and he made some beautiful videos, mostly FPV planes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Where to land?*





A flight over the fishing village Henningsvær. 
I knew the landing was going to be hard, but the cross winds did not help either. 
Flown with CrashTestHobby Hecules XL Pusher 71" 
Camera: Foxeer Legend 3 (2 pcs) 
Used a tad of warp stabilizer on the forward shots except the landing attempts.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 16, 2020)

more of the above
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Strix Goblin & DragonLink OSD*





Fast and fun with the Goblin 
My buddy is flying a Ritewing Mini Drak https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYiG...


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 16, 2020)

For that jet feel when you have some experience, this might be an economical option at $180 US. The fuse is made from tough blown molded plastic and is hard to glue to they say. This was made 3 years ago and the cameras have improved and dropped in price a lot, today you could record HD video on board the plane onto a memory card using the FPV camera, for $80 US for the camera and DVR, shoots 1080p or even better, weights a few grams. Here is a bit more information on the Strix Goblin above starting with a detailed expert review and test flight, he shows you what you get and how it flies. This is an advanced plane though and should be used with a UHF radio, a regular 2.4ghz transmitter has a one, or a mile and a half range and this thing can go out of range in less than 30 seconds if you got it wide open in a dive. A GPS return to home and flight control computer are recommended too! I sure as shit would! You can also change the motor prop combo to make it go even faster.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*ReadyMadeRC STRIX Goblin - RCGroups FPV Review*





There are also forums like this one devoted to RC models too and a great source of info, like here for pot. Here is a review of the above by the guy above. This was from 2017 and they still sell the plane, now for less money than when this was written, everything has gotten cheaper and better.





__





ReadyMadeRC STRIX Goblin - RCGroups Video Review - RC Groups


Review ReadyMadeRC STRIX Goblin - RCGroups Video Review FPV Talk




www.rcgroups.com






The STRIX Goblin from ReadyMadeRC - there's a 1.2GHz antenna, Vector with GPS, and Dragonlink LRS hidden in there!

I've flown my fair share of fixed-wing FPV; from long-duration airframes, to racers, and everything in between. On the high-performance end of the spectrum, there's only a handful of airframes that check off all of the desires that many FPV pilots want: performance, durability, flight longevity, and of course, ease of launch. The STRIX Goblin is the poster-child in all of those categories. This little hotrod is a plank-style airplane with a ballistic 2300kv brushless motor hanging off the rear in a pusher configuration. Coupled with a 4S pack and a very streamlined airframe, the Goblin is easily capable of speeds over 100mph.


_Product page, Price is $180.US now, prices have dropped, not for the newbie or faint of heart though, something to work towards if ya feel the need for speed._
*STRIX Goblin - High Performance FPV Plank - PNP*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 16, 2020)

Here you can find discussion forums on every RC topic imaginable, this is a great learning and social resource, many fanatics!




__





RCGroups: Remote Control, Radio Control Planes, Drones, Cars and Boats


RC Groups - the most active Radio Control model community: electric and fuel rc airplanes,rc helis,rc boats and rc cars. Features discussion forums, blogs, videos and classifieds.




www.rcgroups.com


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 16, 2020)

How much power does something like a goblin have in terms of mechanical horsepower?
Well
1HP = 745.7 Watts and say the Gobin's was using say 16 volts X 20 Amps = 320 Watts almost 1/2 HP, in theory that is, there are inefficiencies in the ESC and motor to account, for but say the AUW is just a kilogram, that's not too bad in terms of power to weight. You can also measure the thrust of the motor prop with a digital scale and there are videos to show you how. You might want to quantify the different levels of thrust with different prop and motor combos and try and get it to go like snot. You could also run it with a 6S battery and different motor or esc and even a 8 S battery with much less capacity and endurance, but maybe fast enough to pull the wings off. You have to apply a lot more power to go fast, the faster you go, if you double the power you will fall well short of doubling the speed, wind resistance and 100 MPH and above is a bitch. There are online calculators for this too, if yer inclined to theory and if you want to be good at going fast you should be.

There is probably someone online who has a speed record to beat for this plane and the gauntlet has already been cast cast down and the duel was on.


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jul 17, 2020)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> This industry can provide economic opportunity to the technically minded, people 3d print planes, parts and mods for RC planes and Quads, as well as other RC vehicles I imagine too, business is done online and by mail. The same goes for laser cut kits from balsa wood or foam boards sold to enthusiast online. These automated computer controlled robots allow small scale manufacturing and custom work to be done from a basement or garage. The internet provides the market and YouTube often provides the marketing. Others sell plans and files for 3d printing or simply give them away on *thingiverse* or github or some other site devoted to this stuff.
> 
> People into the RC hobby are also into things like 3D printing and you will run across it quite a bit, if you are into building or modding commercial RC planes, TPU printed HD camera mounts are standard issue in the Quad world. Roll your own, download a file, or buy from those who sell.


Adoption and adaptation of entry level 3D printer software and hardware makes all sorts of machines and manufacturing methods accessable that were once too expensive for the average man to own.

But you can still build and fly low tech way. Foamboard construction always seemed like an easy entry to building for flying rc. No new model construction videos in user account below, but still a valuable resource for construction tips and ideas.









Experimental Airlines


These days...whatever I feel like and have time for. May contain one or more of the following ingredients: RC aviation, drones, pellet gun shooting, science,...




www.youtube.com


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 17, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Adoption and adaptation of entry level 3D printer software and hardware makes all sorts of machines and manufacturing methods accessable that were once too expensive for the average man to own.
> 
> But you can still build and fly low tech way. Foamboard construction always seemed like an easy entry to building for flying rc. No new model construction videos in user account below, but still a valuable resource for construction tips and ideas.
> 
> ...


They are very useful in the hobby world and a lot of things are tested and developed here, there is a big crossover between the types of people into 3D printing and the RC hobby A lot of engineers are into the hobby, both RC and things like 3D printing and it has a big impact on the speed of progress. I've got more on my plate than I can handle and curiosity did kill the cat! I'd order up some 3D printed parts if I couldn't come up with a solution using traditional methods of innovation. They are perfect for someone who wants to run a little online business out of their basement or are into making things seriously, they will end up being like a table saw in many workshops. Most people won't struggle with CAD software though, they will download free files for things designed by others or pay for the file.

In the scale of the RC world you can make anything fly if you apply enough power and tape a flight control computer to it. Even pigs could fly with enough thrust coming out of their arses, though they would have to be pitched near vertical! You could even wiggle their ears for canard control surfaces, if you could get em moving fast enough! 
*When (RC) pigs FLY....*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 17, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Adoption and adaptation of entry level 3D printer software and hardware makes all sorts of machines and manufacturing methods accessable that were once too expensive for the average man to own.
> 
> But you can still build and fly low tech way. Foamboard construction always seemed like an easy entry to building for flying rc. No new model construction videos in user account below, but still a valuable resource for construction tips and ideas.
> 
> ...


I'd like to make the thread resource rich for those who stumble across it and take an interest in one of its many areas of interest these days. It has broadened and deepened considerably and is breaking down into specialites, even the quad racing world has racing, freestyle, cinematic, mini quad and whoop classes and planes have gone the same way. There is more than gas engines, balsa wood and guys standing around a field watching the thing fly at a club, that is a big traditional part of it, but a rapidly diminishing one compared to other things people are doing in the hobby world with new materials and technology.

The RC groups cover all of these topics in depth, this is just a motivator and place for pot users and FPV rebels to chat and recruit! I still spend time here in the politics section at least until Trump is safely in prison with is minions squealing as they run for cover. I'll probably move on to the RC groups because talking and doing tech is more fun than politics and with more pleasant and humorous conversation. Trump is a threat to my country the NATO alliance and he and his supporters are traitors to their nation and enemies of humanity. It was the technology of modern LED grow lights that originally brought me here, legalization, medical cannabis and finally Trump and Trumpism kept me here. I'm at war with these cocksuckers and it shows in the politics section, I'm at war and I conduct myself as such there. Nothing personal, I have an agenda and an objective and I make it obvious to all, it is a national security threat to my country, the biggest one since Hitler.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 17, 2020)

I'm not exactly drawn to the sound of gun fire, it's just that it's right next door and in my face. Also I'm outraged and heart broken at the tragic stupidity unfolding before our eyes, perhaps 300,000 dead before Trump is done, with many times more than that maimed for life, the statistics are horrifying and appaling. America will be dystopia until Trump is gone and in prison, the base will be dealt with by the usual means in the coming years and it won't be pretty, too many have died in Civil War II, almost as many as CWI.

I expect Boris might pay the price for his fuck up on covid too, though he was smart enough to draw back before disaster, catching it himself I'm sure helped with empathy. We are covid free in NS where I live, for now, but you never know with this stealthy disease, I'm free to go about and don't live in fear, though I take precautions and many business types are still limited or closed. I expect normal in about a year from now, it will take longer in America.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 17, 2020)

I was working on a little project to try and use a 2600 mah Li-on cell phone battery that was purchased by mistake last year and collecting dust, it doesn't fit any devices I own. I looked up it's *spec sheet *and found it's max discharge rate was 2C and it would be nice to drain it at less than half of that. I need to do something with it because it has to at least be brought up to storage charge levels, though this is not as important than as with Lipos. So I'm soldering on a JST lead so I can hook it up to a cheap USB charger that should charge it at a good rate. I might be able to use this thing wherever I need a 1s that is 2600mah, might be useful for something. You can't use batteries like this to power an aircraft, the maximum discharge current is only 2C, you might be able to power a micro wing with it that took a 1s battery and drew around an amp in flight and 2 amps on take off and climb out. If you over draw on these batteries they will heat up and might catch fire, also the capacity will drop below 80% and the cell will be damaged, you would be asking for trouble.

One possible use for it might be as an FPV backpack camera /xmitter that would function for a long time, I'd just stick and AIO camera on it with the double sided tape shown in the picture and velcro it to whatever needed it. It might even end up as a DIY LED flashlight, or even a landing and navigation beacon for night flying.

Here I have the cell phone Li on and a USB charger, the other two Li on batteries of different sizes and were salvaged from old notebook computers, I have three of the green 2200mah ones in my transmitter, you can leave them charged no problem. You can also use a cheap USB charger to charge them or your regular charger, most have a function for them. These batteries have a much higher C rating than the cell phone cell and can be used for model aircraft propulsion, though high C types used for vaping are often used for higher loads and long range quadcopters.

The red tape is transparent gel tape bought at the dollar store, it's the stickiest double sided, thick mounting tape I've ever used, very strong bond.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 18, 2020)

*ZOHD Drift One HOUR in the Sky Setup Inc iNav Settings*





Howdy, this is the full overview to the updated version of my ZoHd Drift that has now been fully flight tested and flights over one hour are now easily possible. FULL Setup details below, press SHOW MORE to see them. The model can be bought here https://bit.ly/3cVDylf 

IMPORTANT:
All items shown have been BOUGHT out of MY OWN money for my own abuses. They are NOT a "freebies for review". As such my opinions of these items and anything else shown here may differ from other reviews because I've actually "bought it".


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 18, 2020)

If ya screwed up and thundered into the ground at 500 Kph, you wouldn't need to bother with collecting anything to use again, there wouldn't be much left and you'd need a shovel to find somethings.

*EXTREM STUNNING !!! RC SPEED APP. 500KMH 308MPH BIG MONSTER FROM HJK SPEEDWINGS FLIGHT DEMONSTRATION*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 18, 2020)

If I wanted to FPV this thing from inside the cockpit, I could use a much smaller servo for panning and a micro FPV camera, Thin glass cell phone screen protectors sections for cockpit windows. First build one following the plans and fly it LOS,if required, build a second better one and make the mods on that airframe, I can use the parts from the first try.

Free plans and a video on how to build this plane are above in the thread, the motors, escs, props and servos for it cost around $20US and are available from banggood or other places online.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Grumman Goose foam RC water plane*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

This video is from 2016 and an eagle tree vector is still an expensive but reliable FC system. Here Matt describes the information on the OSD or (On Screen Display) similar to a HUD in a jet fighter and modeled after it. Most modern flight control computers give you an OSD these days and you can pick and choose what is on it by hooking it up to your computer and configuring it with a betaflight, INAV or others, most are open source projects.

Matt is from the UK and has certain critical information obscured in the OSD video like altitude, distance from home or other info that could get him into shit, his GPS is hidden for this reason and that fact he doesn't want any yobs showing up at his location and littering or causing other shit. I think your average hobbyist in the UK should be ok, just don't piss anybody off or injure them and make good on any damages.
*Eagle Tree Vector OSD Walk Through in the Phantom FX-61 Flying Wing*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

I was wondering WTF Matt was talking about here, so I did a search and found something interesting, Aluminum, but how much does it weigh, I figure it should be bright if it's for ceilings.
Check this out! Yep, I have one of the MudLED boards on the way!










__





mud in led channel - Google Search






www.google.com





*MUD LEDs might even be useful for growing*

*Mud*-In 6214
This *channel* allows you to incorporate *LED* lighting into a wall or ceiling with no parts of the *channel* visible. The *Mud*-In 6214 *channel* is available in Silver, Black & White and can be paired with a Clear, Soft & Solid Lens


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jul 19, 2020)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> This video is from 2016 and an eagle tree vector is still an expensive but reliable FC system. Here Matt describes the information on the OSD or (On Screen Display) similar to a HUD in a jet fighter and modeled after it. Most modern flight control computers give you an OSD these days and you can pick and choose what is on it by hooking it up to your computer and configuring it with a betaflight, INAV or others, most are open source projects.
> 
> Matt is from the UK and has certain critical information obscured in the OSD video like altitude, distance from home or other info that could get him into shit, his GPS is hidden for this reason and that fact he doesn't want any yobs showing up at his location and littering or causing other shit. I think your average hobbyist in the UK should be ok, just don't piss anybody off or injure them and make good on any damages.
> *Eagle Tree Vector OSD Walk Through in the Phantom FX-61 Flying Wing*


Lots of flight controllers offer built in OSD now, it seems. Remember long threads back on rcgroups, covering diy OSD's.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

*StarlandLed 5-Pack 6.6FT/2 Meter Plaster-in Recessed Slim LED Aluminum Channel with Flange for LED Strip, Aluminium LED Profile with Clip-in Diffuser and End Caps*
Had a look at the Mud LEDs, they might be bright, but so are tape LEDs that you can cut to length every 3 LEDs and you can make a shallow channel for them in foam by dragging a hot screwdriver across it and come in 5V and 12V any color RGB flavors. You can also buy meter length stips of tape for cheap, but rolls don't cost much either. I've got lots of LEDs around and have some small strips and others on the way.

I've also got a 30 watt COB and matching 12VDC driver for it kicking around, I've got two I believe, maybe three. I might get put it on the RC rescue boat as a forward facing flood light in a waterproof housing. I'll need to get creative about the housing and will cruise the local junkyard for something appropriate and cool! I would also need to run it off another battery and not the propulsion system one either, it draws an amp if I remember, so length of operation depends on battery capacity.

I used to give the boys at the scrap yard, a bag of really good pot every friday and chat em up, even had milk bones for the junkyard dogs. Many tongues were hanging out when they saw me coming and not all of them were dogs... I usually get what I want pretty quick and things are set aside for the next visit, I pay as usual by the pound for scrap at the office. I got a lot of heat sinks there for LED grow lights and other assorted electrical and electronic equipment of an unusual nature. Including 30 LED streetlights, for free, after I salvaged the electronics and returned the 20 lb aluminum caracas. About 80% worked fine and had zero hours, I didn't even need to fix any drivers, though I've got a few that need it in a box. These quality 5000K led panels made excellent veg lights that I'm currently using, I mount them on 3"x1" rectangular aluminum tubes and blow air through the tubes with a 3" computer fan, works great and free too, except for the tubing and that was a couple of bucks a foot.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

The benefits of junkyard cruising, a bag or two of pot and a friendly chat...
I got lots of other quality things too from these street lights, aside from LED panels and drivers, stainless steel screws and waterproof bulkhead connectors were among the haul. It took about 20 minutes to strip each light using a power screwdriver and after I set up a procedure. At first I bought a couple of lamps then returned the carcasses for slightly more than I paid for them, a talk with the manager led to a deposit and then just take them. They were difficult for them to strip and were only interested in the cleaned aluminum housings, I wasn't, win, win.

Nostalgia, past adventures and an illustration of cost saving, applies to all shop projects, use junk when you can. You can 3D print an air scooping cooling duct for your model plane, or you can just cut a plastic spoon in half and glue the fucking thing on!

*A Bountiful Harvest of Parts*
I finished stripping the street lamps and cleaned up a bit. Here are a few pictures of some of the parts I acquired from 11 scrap 50 & 100Watt LED street lamps. The haul of things included 5000K LED arrays on 1.5 mm aluminum panels, drivers, pounds of very useful screws, electrical connectors and components like surge suppressors. A couple of the large LED panels have damaged LEDs, one has 1 with a chip out of it and the other has a couple of fairly mashed ones. I'll play with the one with the damaged chips to see how hard the LEDs are to remove. One 100 watt driver is OK and one 50 watt driver caught fire and I figure it's a write off, lots of good components on it though. I'll have to have a look at the other drivers and see if I can repair some of them.

   

Below was the later result, along with lights given away to my circle of friends. Here are a couple of veg light designs, the tube type works best and is most flexible in application. Check your junk yard, problematic street lights are pitched in the rubbish by the pole monkeys, new or used, there appears to be no provision to repair them.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

The results, 2 different designs of veg lights using 3"x1" rectangular aluminum cooling tubes with fans. I use water cooled cob arrays in the veg room, mostly made of junk, I could buy first class, but think of less fortunate people, besides I'm a tight ass! The drain table is an old door with cushion flooring on it and strapping on the sides. The light on the tripod was built with leftovers and a heavy piece of aluminum structural channel and covered with custom bent aluminum flashing from the building supplier


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

Back to flying
*FPV DRONE vs ROLLERCOASTER - CINEMATIC*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

*MENGA - My Year - Cinematic FPV Racing Drone*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

*FPV Drone Dances With RC Airplane || Cinematic FPV*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

Where the rubber meets the road, many events like this use professional drone pilots to capture unique perspectives that are live streamed to TVs around the world. Here is Johnny FPV filming drift racing cars.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

If you were to do things like fly around manned hot air balloons in Canada with an FPV drone, they would crucify you and you would not get special permission either! Johnny can't fly in Canada, so don't expect any Canadian videos unless he does a smash and grab across the border! A licensed pilot could not even legally stand beside him and "guide" him, some beaurocrat doesn't like drones and wants to cover their ass at the expense of others. Some people are trying to change this, but until then, same rules as pot apply, fuck em, but don't get stupid and don't be dangerous to others.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Johnny FPV x Beautiful Destinations - Turkey*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

This looks like fun as well as being overwhelmingly beautiful.
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*Switzerland with an FPV Drone | Ultimate Long Range 2*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

With a handle like snowman, where do you think this guy spends his time? A bit of high speed vibration coming down the mountain in slow mo, this is unstabilized footage.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Long Range FPV heaven in the Swiss Alps - Crossfire and TrueRC Power




*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 19, 2020)

Wanna make videos like above? Here is the aircraft you will need, with a Gopro 7 or above there is image stabilization in the camera, for some older Gopros, there is reelsteadygo post production software that uses gyro info stored on the video recording media. Image stabilization is a must for most cinematic work. This is just big enough to carry a gopro and can get into tight spots, so if you are into videography learn to fly, first. Before you put an expensive gopro on it, get good enough to shoot something worthwhile and not destroy an expensive camera. You can also use a simulator to get reasonably good and it is recommended and cheaper than the school of hard knocks. Velocidrone is around $20 or $30 to download (free version too)and a transmitter or even a cheap USB controller of the same 2 stick style can be used, but they are almost as expensive as real transmitters. Also get extra props and ducts!

Here is how to build a cinequad on the cheap, a typical build video, parts are in the Youtube description.
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*How to build a GoPro Cinewhoop for $175*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 20, 2020)

Got another 6, better quality 9 gm servos in the mail today from Bango along with a couple of servo testers that cost a couple of bucks each. I'm preparing for winter and future projects and builds using foam board this winter and the slow boat from china takes time, so ya gotta plan ahead and even buy extra for spares. It's not like I can nip down to the hobby store and pay through the nose, that option doesn't exist, though Amazon does for a lot of things you might want in a rush. If you want to build planes an quads, it pays to have spares and such kicking around, its that or wait more than a month in some cases. Prices are generally pretty cheap on the lower end of the spectrum at least and even quality stuff can be stupid cheap compared to the prices of things a few years ago. 6 quality servos and two testers only cost around $20 CDN and complete propulsion systems, motor, esc, and props are around $20 too. Foam board and hot glue sticks, color tape, adhesives and other useful items are sold at the local dollar store.

Right now I got two huge burst blisters on my right foot that makes getting footwear on problematic (spilled hot grease on bare foot) and it will keep me grounded for awhile too. If you lose a plane or quad you must search for it and retrieve it, or it gets expensive and litters too. Right now I'm hobbling around the house only and have a neighbor running essential errands for me. I need to get a retriever, maybe someone should breed and sell quad dogs, labs would be a good starting point, he'd watch it like a hawk, then on command go get where ever it was! Obviously this is a failure of imagination on my part, but I do have 2 cats already and they ain't much use for finding quads, but I love em nonetheless. Maybe I could pay a kid...


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jul 20, 2020)

Sorry to hear about the burn and blisters. 

Can never go wrong grabbing affordable consumables from China, in advance for future projects. Can be frustrating having to wait for things to arrive, and paying extra for locally sourced items can be hard on the budget.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 20, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Sorry to hear about the burn and blisters.
> 
> Can never go wrong grabbing affordable consumables from China, in advance for future projects. Can be frustrating having to wait for things to arrive, and paying extra for locally sourced items can be hard on the budget.


Yep, if ya see something you like online, make a list and shop early, buy spares too. Things are pretty cheap, so stocking spares is not too painful for many things. I'm really just getting into planes and still learning much about the many challenges and I like the idea of building foam board builds too. It's a cheap interesting thing to do with your hands and brain. I emphasize the low cost of the components for this reason, this is an interesting thing to do for those into crafts, or DIY stuff and ya test fly the result. If the foam I chose can do the job even with with weight saving doubling reinforcement ( I would make cutouts to save weight on the inside sheet of foam for the fuse for example) I can get away real cheap for the airframe. Sometimes it might be cheaper to buy a plane these days, if ya can't make it from dollar store foam board, bare kits are dirt cheap too.

This applies to my planes and drones, I have lots of spare props for instance and backup cheap battery & servo testes, 9 gm servos are pretty standard for my builds and all the planes I have use them, so ya can't go wrong with having a few extra. TIP Try to make all your models or as many as you can use the same capacity and cell count as you can, receivers and batteries move from model to craft and sometimes to quads too.

Components are cheap and receivers can be plugged in with dupont connectors and transferred from model to model. I prefer the term craft though for planes, as in FPV plane, these are not models of scaled down human aircraft, they are designed for scale and FPV, they are a new technology with a new attitude. This is seat of your pants flying like in the pioneer days of aviation when people flew low and slow, there is not much point in going high altitude with FPV, not much to see and no sense of speed. Under 400 feet is where the action is, as long as you can get a signal at range and 4 G and starlink might address this. Proximity flying gives that sense of speed, the lower the faster and blowing through gaps and other challenges is is something everybody does with FPV.

5 years down the road your FPV plane could be miles away at treetop level powered by much higher capacity batteries, controlled via starlink, or 4G service and the low latency FPV digital video image would be 1080p or better, steamed onto your computer monitor, your cellphone, or into your DJI digital FPV goggles, that might be bluetoothed from your phone to the goggles, your controller might be hooked up to the phone too via USB. 

Shit happens and things change, technology evolves, people want to have fun and challenges, the struggle continues...


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## end_of_the_tunnel (Jul 20, 2020)

That experimental airlines fellow on youtube has a lot of good ideas for foamboard construction. The concept of interchangeable or reuseable elements like wings appeals to me. Think he runs through 3 fuselage options/configurations for his Synapse wing. Also go through ideas for folding or two part wings suitable for take down for storage or travel.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 20, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> That experimental airlines fellow on youtube has a lot of good ideas for foamboard construction. The concept of interchangeable or reuseable elements like wings appeals to me. Think he runs through 3 fuselage options/configurations for his Synapse wing. Also go through ideas for folding or two part wings suitable for take down for storage or travel.


I've seen some of his videos in the past, he is on my list and I will most definitely check him out. I like to watch several different styles of building and absorb good and appropriate ideas from each. I'm gonna build a hot wire cutter and figure that might be a way of cutting parts well, like a jigsaw, but a sharp hobby knife and a little developed skill works well too for foam board at least. If figure I can have a lot of fun with foam board and I've seen some cheap classic laser cut balsa kits online that might be nice to try too someday, a biplane or something covered in mylar perhaps. A motor/prop, an esc, a few servos and I'm in business as usual, though I may cry when I smash it into a million pieces!


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 20, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> That experimental airlines fellow on youtube has a lot of good ideas for foamboard construction. The concept of interchangeable or reuseable elements like wings appeals to me. Think he runs through 3 fuselage options/configurations for his Synapse wing. Also go through ideas for folding or two part wings suitable for take down for storage or travel.


The foam board I'm using is Elmer's brand from the dollar store, is 5 mm with the paper and adhesive, so I'll lose a fraction of a millimeter when I take it off, shouldn't be a concern. I should get it in the tub and see about taking the paper off at least one sheet though and playing around with its physical properties to get an idea of what I'm dealing with and can get away with structurally. I notice in the seaplane build he made no effort to cut out circles and lighten the interior bulkheads, the edges of those openings can be reinforced with gel foam safe CA glue too, etc I got the foam board (I hope) and parts on the way or arrived and I'm, laid up and housebound, got a big tube of glue too. Might be time to get wet in the tub and have some fun, I've got to organise my office/ model shop upstairs, I have another regular workshop in the basement. I often nip over and make comments on RIU from the other desk and there is a computer there too, used mostly for things like betaflight etc.

I've also got a cheap set of digital calipers on the way, but I don't expect to be sending them to the quality department for annual calibration checks, I'm not ISO9000 at home and my needs are not great or even very small.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 20, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> That experimental airlines fellow on youtube has a lot of good ideas for foamboard construction. The concept of interchangeable or reuseable elements like wings appeals to me. Think he runs through 3 fuselage options/configurations for his Synapse wing. Also go through ideas for folding or two part wings suitable for take down for storage or travel.


There are so many entertainment, build and instruction videos these days it makes it easy to learn at home and cheap stuff from China helps too. In the old days you had to join a club, suck someone's arse and sit at the masters knee. Everything has changed these days, broadened and deepened some like Matt can teach you a lot and give you a lot of laughs doing it, better than most telly IMHO. I tend to favor the brits, aussies and new zealanders, asians too for plane stuff, mostly American quad pilots with swiss and norwegians too. Build videos are where ya find them. For plane stuff, educational stuff, painless360, Sir Andrew Newton (would be a good choice), Uncle Bruce and a few others. I like the straight up reviews, Matt can have affiliate links, but he buys his own shit and give the straight shit.

You don't need to join a formal club, small informal ones are best and seem to be the way to go, you can harness the power of a group to find spots and get permission or rent semi permanent places, that's my plan, that and flying off and over water too. Flying with others is fun and people always trade or sell unused stuff for a bargain including planes, keep it small tight and as informal as you can, it might even have a legal "front" club for the education of youth and members children and as a place to recruit new members of both clubs, but such matters as long range are not discussed there. A classic conspiracy if there ever was one!  I'm pretty sure this is how things are operating right now in the UK and here too, guess I'll have to get on facebook or facefuck or whatever.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 20, 2020)

For those who want to geek out and have a deeper understanding of things like flight control computers and such that started out as arduinos and raspberry Pi micro computers, here is a learning channel that some might find interesting. You don't need to know any of this to enjoy FPV though, just for the geeks and those pushing the edge of the possible.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Raspberry Pi Cameras - The BIG Picture*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 20, 2020)

Cricket, one of the great American pilots with a creative style, he's an artist of the air. Most pilots would rather lose a drone than a Gopro!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*LONGEST REVERSE DIVE EVER (FPV FREESTYLE)*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 20, 2020)

Freestyle quad pilots who make exceptional videos and push the boundaries crash a lot, you often don't see it in the videos, crash and repair is a constant feature of the hobby/profession. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*MOON GOAT FRAME RIPPPPPPPPP (FPV FREESTYLE)*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 21, 2020)

Even old farts like me can have fun.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*ZOHD Drift FPV Fixed Wing Maiden Flight - INAV 2.5.1*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 21, 2020)

Here is another flying boat design from the same guy as the seaplane build video posted earlier, it's from 9 months ago and it looks like he perfected his technique and design since then with the latest iteration, the Grumman Goose. I see he bought his foam at a building supply store and I believe they use XPS foam as underlay for flooring of some kind, this foam is blue. I think I might take a drive to the big box building supplier, have a look and ask some questions. I'll look for the ugliest old fart I can find, the one with experience and who knows shit.  Maybe show him the first minute of the video where he picks up the material etc on my cell phone. I'd like to locate the best material I can find foam similar to this and if I can get a package similar to the one he got, it shouldn't cost too much and would be good for many future projects.

It was interesting to see his design and build technique evolve, but I think I'll go with the better plane born of the experence with this one. Some interesting building methods and was interested in sourcing the material or an equivalent locally, but I figure foam board should work too and that's the plan for now. Ya never know what is available until you look and with covid and retail restrictions in place I haven't had the chance to look, perhaps online might be a good start, the local chain stores have websites too.

In the first video he test flys it with different prop and motor combos, the second video is the build video and the plans can be downloaded in the Youtube description.
*How to make a Flying Boat RC plane DIY*





The build video


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 21, 2020)

There's practical advice too and the covid crises has forced many FPV pros to focus on the basics, most work from home anyway and all the usual things they do to make ends meet are pretty well dried up, though some can make freestyle videos depending on where they live, those in America will be hit hard for a long time. Joshua here has a nice location and Bardwell's place is even in a drone flight sim, so you can fly his farm too, here he goes over all the ways you can retrieve a treed quad or plane. I keep a long shock corded tent pole in the truck for it, trees are an issue more for quad pilots, planes have fewer things to snag up and fall out more easily, especially with wind.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*17 best ways how to get a quad out of a tree (and 2 terrible ones)*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 21, 2020)

*Joshua Bardwell's House Is Coming To Liftoff Simulator*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 23, 2020)

One of the great things about the modern RC hobby is that it makes many day like Christmas and mysterious packages arrive that were ordered weeks ago or even months! I just got this lot from Bango and a lot of it was described in the earlier posts with links to products. This is what a typical haul looks like, the electric propulsion system kits are in the $20US range, for motors, mounts, props and escs.

Here is a typical RC hobbyist haul from Bango, they are pretty quick on delivery too, much faster and cheaper than ebay and cheaper than Amazon.
There are 4 propulsion system kits here, spare quad motors and plane props. I also got a bunch of balsa plywood for future projects and that what some of the stuff is sitting on. I also bought one of them thar new fangled smart watches, in my continuing effort to force my poor old ass through space and time... Some might make a spreadsheet of their lives with this gizmo, I just need to know I'm still alive sometimes!


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 24, 2020)




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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 24, 2020)




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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 24, 2020)




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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 24, 2020)




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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 24, 2020)

Got my dork goggles in the mail today, so I guess I'll try them out, but not in the field just yet. I'm leery about getting a bad burn on my foot infected by wearing footwear. If you lose yer shit ya gotta find and retrieve it and that might involve cross country, be prepared and dress accordingly, or have clothing in the trunk. See earlier in the thread for complete info on these economical goggles, I'll tell ya how good I think they are after I test them with an AIO and a better camera.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 25, 2020)

This was from 4 years ago, an interesting video to watch, educational...

*Meet the dazzling flying machines of the future | Raffaello D'Andrea*





When you hear the word "drone," you probably think of something either very useful or very scary. But could they have aesthetic value? Autonomous systems expert Raffaello D'Andrea develops flying machines, and his latest projects are pushing the boundaries of autonomous flight — from a flying wing that can hover and recover from disturbance to an eight-propeller craft that's ambivalent to orientation ... to a swarm of tiny coordinated micro-quadcopters. Prepare to be dazzled by a dreamy, swirling array of flying machines as they dance like fireflies above the TED stage.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 25, 2020)

and for my next trick... From 7 years ago.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The astounding athletic power of quadcopters | Raffaello D'Andrea*





In a robot lab at TEDGlobal, Raffaello D'Andrea demos his flying quadcopters: robots that think like athletes, solving physical problems with algorithms that help them learn. In a series of nifty demos, D'Andrea show drones that play catch, balance and make decisions together -- and watch out for an I-want-this-now demo of Kinect-controlled quads.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 25, 2020)

More potentially useful drone technology, it's not FPV, but that can lead some young fellows to this stuff and pursue their interests professionally.
*FPV and RC planes are STEM educational activities, Science, Technology, Engineering, Materials.* Good things to turn young minds to, good clean fun too. Physics of flight, radio technology and computers, making it fly and fly right, carbon fiber frames, foam, composites and other advanced materials, I think ya get the idea that this is rich ground for science projects, even challenging engineering student projects and competitions. It's a good way to get the ring in the nose of an adventurous and curious young man who seeks stimulation! Warning though it can be addicting and many have fallen under its spell, even old farts, so the young are especially vulnerable. 
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*The Future of Flying Robots | Vijay Kumar | TED Talks*





At his lab at the University of Pennsylvania, Vijay Kumar and his team have created autonomous aerial robots inspired by honeybees. Their latest breakthrough: Precision Farming, in which swarms of robots map, reconstruct and analyze every plant and piece of fruit in an orchard, providing vital information to farmers that can help improve yields and make water management smarter.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 26, 2020)

British history...


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 26, 2020)

For those who had to fly, from those who like to.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 26, 2020)




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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 27, 2020)

For those interested in these subjects there is plenty of instruction, these people who make videos, sometimes make instructional ones too. Everybody is doing distance learning these days, so why not. This is but a taste of the learning resources available free of charge, there are videos courses on how to use video editing software too. 

*Cinematic FPV - 10 CRUCIAL TIPS for Beginners!*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 28, 2020)

The rotor riot crew did this with drones in partnership with these guys and they have a video on making it posted below.
*Drone Star Wars*





The drone shoot
*Star Wars Drone Chase*





The CGI
*Re-Creating Star Wars with Drones!*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 29, 2020)

*Finwing Albabird Build Overview - Twin Motor FPV Aircraft, Pan, Tilt & HD*





This is the build overview to my Finwing Albabird I recently bought here https://bit.ly/32Bnmnu (not affiliated). besides one tweak, the setup you see here is the same that I have ended up using for the maiden & beyond. FULL setup details below, PRESS SHOW MORE to see them. Matt


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 30, 2020)

I had a brief go at the dork goggles, the receiver works but no signal coming through, but I'm not done yet! I expect to resolve this issue, it appears to be working ok, just no signal coming through with a quick test, if not... There is no DVR and the power cable is a foot long with a small barrel connector, it will reach around the back. I have a small old dollar store flip phone case with a belt clip, it will hold up to a large 4S battery and will clip right on the strap, putting the battery at the back of your head. You can also use an old style cell phone charger cord (thrift store yard sales) using the same size barrel connector and make a longer spare cord by soldering on and XT60 connector after removing the wall wart, you won't need the ferrite filter, if the goggles are the only thing on the battery and a 1 or 2 meter cord will allow the battery to be in a variety of places off your head. These are cheap goggles, though the quality overall was good and they look durable and well designed. Video input and output are by switching the wires of a RCA, dupont 2 wire adapter plug on a 3 pin terminal, a pain, but it allows an external DVR and use by a ground station. A few DIY mods and upgrades and they should be just fine, as soon as I get something on the screen other than menus and static! But I was fumbling around without reading the fucking chinglish manual either.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 30, 2020)

*Diving the Tallest Building in the World - Burj Khalifa FPV*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 31, 2020)

*Hawkeye FPV goggles /visor X $79. US *

More on goggles, or should I say moron on goggles! D'Oh 

I just realized why I wasn't getting a video signal from the drone to the goggles, I recently put a runcam 2 on the drone for both FPV and HD video recording. I plugged in the drone powered up the vtx and forgot to switch on the fucking runcam2 camera!

So much for quick peeks! Time for a more serious look, I've got a bunch of stuff from the mail to catch up on though, but will get the goggles working and some DIY upgrades for them, including a battery cable extension, video input and outputs and adding a *DVR perhaps internally* (there is a slot in the case) or *an external one* using the video out pins. I expect good quality and a bright screen that can be viewed outdoors in sunlight, this is what several reviewers reported, they also reported that the diversity receivers in the goggles were of good quality and had good range. You should be able to use these things until you upgrade and then as a backup, the removable screen is particularly useful. At around $79. US, they are very good value for money, provide an excellent experience and can be used for years in one form or another. These are not worthless shit, their deficiencies can be easily amended with a little cheap DIY, I'm sure there are mod & upgrade videos for them on youtube or will be.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 31, 2020)

A review of the above product, always watch or read reviews before you buy something online, watch more than one and independent ones if you can.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Hawkeye little pilot VR*





Don't judge a product before you try it. I was so expecting these to be total trash but instead they are my best budget FPV boxish goggle option that i can think of!


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 31, 2020)

Here is another reason or two why I think these Hawkeye goggles are worth having, especially for the beginner or casual hobbyist.

These goggles were originally designed and made for VR or watching movies in a relaxed posture, their design avoids eye strain for long term viewing too, they were originally designed to allow you to watch movies on your phone and can also be used for this by replacing the FPV screen with a cell phone. For instance my Samsung Galaxy A8 phone fits there perfectly and I can watch movies with this gizmo, I can also use it to connect via 4G networks, since the phone is 4G and works on 5.8 Ghz wireless too as well as 2.4 Ghz standard wireless. 

This means I can use it to FPV via 4G networks at some future date, perhaps even plug my transmitter into the USB port for manual control. I just need to buy a data dongle for the plane and rent a sim card by the hour when I need the time, like a pay as you use cell phone service. Also many cheap drones need a 4G phone to directly pick up their transmitted high latency video feeds, I have a drone like this, it transmits a digital video signal on 5.8 ghz, but your analog FPV receiver will not pick it up, a cellphone using a custom app will though and record it too. So you can use these goggles with your phone to FPV cheap toy drones at short range, but latency is high and the experience is not great with these systems that are made for framing aerial shots, not FPV.

Note the picture on the box they came in and product name, they cleverly adapted their product's periscopic optical system by simply buying a 5" FPV screen and receiver Supplying it with a basic battery connector and cheap oddball antennas, a linear whip and an omni directional circular polarized clover leaf in a plastic case of indeterminate polarization. I guess I'll have to crack open the lollipop and see what direction it's polarized left or right. 

Circular polarized antennas are used on drones and planes too and the receivers antennas direction of polarization must match the video transmitters antenna polarization. Circular polarized antennas are used when you are doing complex maneuvers in different orientations and want to avoid loss of signal strength due to cross polarization. Airplanes often sometimes use linear polarized video antennas, but not too often, tiny short range drones use them though. If linear antennas become cross polarized by 90 degrees you will lose almost all reception as the radio energy absorbed by the antenna goes out of alignment with its orientation. 

You might want to buy a good quality circular polarized clover leaf and a circular polarized triple feed patch and antenna for directional coverage at range. You will need two antennas, one omnidirectional and the other directional for the diversity receivers on the goggles. Make sure everything is either left hand or right hand polarized and the antenna connectors on the goggles are the male SMA type with a center wire exposed, you will need female types of antenna connectors on the antennas without the center signal wire, but a socket for it instead.



The screen is removable and the phone I took this picture with fits right into the optical system. Inside the goggles are the battery connector and various accessories, You can also use the very bright FPV screen as a monitor. They come with a lineir (useless) and circular polarized lollipop antennas, though there in no indication if the clover leaf inside the case is R or L hand polarized, Jesus! The manual is also in Chinglish, but the price is right and the quality good as is their utility, they also fold up into a compact size for packing. The average RC and drone hobbyist is equipped and resourceful enough to deal with their shortcomings using mods and upgrades, if not, consider not getting into the hobby, it's not for you.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 31, 2020)

Another FPV hobbyist mail bag, if you like and want to explore various aspects of this hobby this is what your mailbox will look like as you accumulate things for current and future projects. You should also keep and keep track of specifications and online instructions, things arrive weeks later, unnamed and without documentation of any kind, so a bit of organising is required too. Refer to your previous orders on vendors pages and make a bookmark for folder for this in your browser. Download and keep pdf files in a special folder too for future reference, mystery electronics are a bitch!

Below is an multi color RGB LED kit for drones or airplanes with a control board (no instructions or specs), an LED headlight (again no specs included) I write voltages and currents on the bag with a sharpie for this stuff. Also there is a Frsky 2.4 ghz diversity receiver on the BL with a spec sheet for controlling planes and drones, a cheapo set of digital calipers and some fiber reinforced packing tape for use in high stress areas of foam planes.

Today I got a PWM motor controller to regulate the power on a foam wire cutter I'm going to build, I will innovate on the frame and table using junk, while using an old ATX power supply. I'm waiting on a roll of nichrome wire, but it is a winter project and I'm in no rush. Also got a cheapo small battery powered foam cutter to play around with, used for crafts and hobbies.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 31, 2020)

The Hawkeye goggles were tested earlier, they work fine and the picture is great, though I didn't bother to remove the peel off plastic protectors on the mirrors and lenses. I even tried out using an old small flip phone belt clip case I had for a battery holder and clipped it on the back strap, works great and the supplied cord with and xt60 connector works great too! An old flip phone charger will probably supply a spare long cord too, if it has a barrel connector of the same size, just cut off the wall wart and solder on an XT60 battery connector.

I don't see any serious issues with these goggles and deficiencies can be corrected cheaply and easily, including adding a cheap DVR. Use an old flip phone case for the battery and clip it on the back if the head strap. Speaking of head straps, it has a good three point one that adjusts for very large heads, my noggin is not small and I had to take up lots of slack, so unless yer head is as big as a pumpkin there should be no size issue. They can also be used with a ground station by switching RCA connector wire with the 2 wire Dupont plug on the input, output pins of the 3 pin connector on the goggles. You should be able to use a standard 3 wire dupont servo connector on it too and have 2 rca connectors with a common ground in the center, one RCA connector for video output to a DVR and another RCA connector to a ground station. Playback of video would be made by disconnecting the ground station and using it's input to feed the DVR signal to the goggles, maybe I'll try to think up a switcher or someone else has.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 31, 2020)

*New MenaceRC Antennas and this one is a something very new...*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 1, 2020)

I have one of these cameras and the low light level performance is better than your eyes, at dusk and dawn, you are surprised when you take your goggles off at how dark it is. Dusk and dawn are often the best times to fly, the air is still and sometimes the lighting is great, but your HD camera won't perform as well in low light as this one and this is the one you fly with, flying blind is a bad idea.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Caddx Ratel FULL Review - DAY / DAWN / DUSK / NIGHT US$29.64 *





*Caddx Ratel 1/1.8'' Starlight HDR OSD 1200TVL NTSC/PAL 16:9/4:3 Switchable 1.66mm/2.1mm Lens FPV camera For RC Drone - Red 2.1mm + ND Filter*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 2, 2020)

Expensive large scale model RC aircraft, a factory tour.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Besuch bei Top Rc*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 2, 2020)

I have no idea what these things cost, but they look a mite expensive and are used mostly for LOS acrobatics at RC fields. These planes might be at or near the legal RC weight limit in Canada of 25Kg, they have some serious hardware aboard.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 2, 2020)

Got another hair brained scheme in mind!I want to build an RC plane rescue boat this winter, but I was thinking I could have some fun with some parts and components that I've got already. Something cheap and made from junk and dollar store stuff, innovation and fun is the game, the greater purpose is to gain experience on the water and configure the control system which with the exception of the computer and GPS will be the same as on the RC rescue boat. Here I want to play with materials and dynamic forces, mount the runcam 2 and play it back at slow mo to look for flexing and other issues, gain experience with the components and configuring the transmitter.

I'm settling on a four 2L pop bottle catamaran pontoon design with a hardwood ($ store garden stake frame) using coroplast and a tupperware container as a structure and diagonally braced' It will be an air boat powered by 2 electric motors and props with a couple of pounds of thrust. For pusher props it is easy measure this using a digital scale, for tractors it involves a bit of fucking around. It doesn't matter much though cause everything is tested against reality in the end, Likewise I don't need to do buoyancy calculations either, with 8 liters of air volume supporting a kilogram of weight, I expect she will float real high on the bottles at 8:1!

I'll make retaining notches in the wood frame and strap the 2 liter bottles to the frame using 2 long heavy nylon wire ties and perhaps use some adhesive too. The raised control and propulsion system platform will be at the center of buoyancy, high enough to keep the spray off the motors, but keep the center of gravity low by recessing the tupperware container in the platform. I also have some cheap 3.3 volt LED tape that can be cut into 3 LED sections I could put a 6" self adhesive tape stips of bright LEDs inside each green plastic 7up bottle and I have salvaged waterproof bulkhead connectors for the bottle caps too! I also have several 30 watt very bright COBs kicking around with matching 12v DC drivers that should run off a 3S or even 4S Lipo.

I figure she should go like snot, can be easily FPV ed and should be like one of those bugs that walks on water without breaking the surface tension. Gonna buy some more 90CM hardwood garden stakes for the frame and long heavy wire ties at the dollar store. The frame will be wood glued and held with machine screws and washers and also diagonally wrapped in 2 wire ties for emergency backup at critical joints and to get the wreck ashore! Even a light buoyant structure has a lot of dynamic forces on it if yer skimming the waves tops at 30 or 40 miles an hour, there's a lot of pounding and vibration. Ya get serious when ya go to sea, if don't wanna swim fur the fucking thing!

Here is what I've got including a couple more bottles, I need a couple more packs of hardwood stakes, some large wireties a tupperware container and other assorted shit and I'm good to go, a small can of polyethylene varnish should protect the frame good enough. This is not something that will be around for a long time, just extending the life and utility of some junk and having fun with a cheapo short term project to try out some stuff.

The genesis of "The Junk Strapped Boat"! Strapped on junk for pontoons with wire ties and made from shit laying around, the name is appropriate.
Note my four beauties in the backyard under the pines, legal to grow 4 here and I do.



One thing I might try to do is vary the thrust pitch angle of the two propulsion units by 10 degrees from horizontal to pitched up 10 degrees. I only have 9 gram 90 degree servos but could use 2 for 18 grams total I could leverage the 90 degrees to 10 degrees gaining a 9: 1 ratio, or 18 gm x 9= 162 gm of rotational force on the shaft rotating it approx 10 degrees. However I will be directing a kilogram of thrust by rotating the shaft and the motor and thus thrust line will be centered on the shaft in balance with the load minimizing the force required. I can rig an experiment rotating one motor/prop with a levered servo under full thrust though and see how it goes at 9:1, I'll be using tractor propulsion for the props. If I can angle the pitch of the thrust upward slightly, the front pontoons should rise up slightly with an improved angle of attack perhaps and make it skim the water better. Dollar store tomorrow with a small list I think and start constructing the frame, no need for plans for a one off like this, nothing too complicated and no need to communicate the design, things are pretty obvious, it's built from what is at hand or cheaply acquired. If someone wanted to build one they can just look at the pics and description and use what materials they had on hand.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 2, 2020)

A little correction on cell phones and FPV frequencies, cell phones do not pick up 5,8 GHZ signals, you can buy a $20 receiver and plug it into the usb port on your 4 G phone and get fairly good analog FPV on the cell phone and use that in a set of cheap goggle frames like visor X

Here is a bit of text from google on cell phone frequencies:
_There are two common *frequency* bands that all *cell phone* carriers *use*. The *Cellular* band commonly referred to as 1900 *uses* the *frequencies* 1850-1990. The other band is PCS which is the 800 MHz band *uses frequencies* in the 824-894 range. Most of our *cellular phone* signal products work on one or the other. _
The newer higher bands in the GHZ range make FPV possible using this new cell phone network, you need a low latency video signal to have an enjoyable experience and if it can stream a movie to your phone... My drone most likely transmits a digital video signal at 2.3 or 2.6 Ghz, my old phone 2.4 Ghz wireless receiver couldn't work with it, a 4 G was required. It still means you can FPV via a 4G phone and use it with a cheap drone, but the latency is high and the video will freeze and lock up.

*Finding my mobile frequency on my Iphone or Android phone (fieldtest mode)*









Finding My Mobile Frequency | iPhone or Android | Stella Doradus


Read this article to determine what mobile frequency your Iphone or Android phone is connected to - field test mode. Read more




www.stelladoradus.com





_It will be one of these 5 frequencies_

_*800Mhz (Band 20)*_
_*900Mhz (Band 8 )*_
_*1800Mhz (Band 3)*_
_*2100Mhz (Band 1)*_
_*2600Mhz (Band 7)*_
_(Band numbers are just easy to read labels )_

*3G*_ will either be at frequency *900Mhz* or *2100Mhz*._

_*900Mhz (Band 8 )*_
_*2100Mhz (Band 1 )*_
_*4G or LTE * _

_*BAND 3 = 1800Mhz.*_
_*BAND 7 = 2600Mhz*_
_*BAND 20 = 800Mhz*_
_*BAND 1 = 2100Mhz*_
_*BAND 8 = 900Mhz*_


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 3, 2020)

How ya learn about this stuff and what to buy. Here is "Sir" Andrew Newton and RC plane expert and gentleman, he can teach you many things.
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*Which RC Radio - Transmitter comparison*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 3, 2020)

Bought some stuff for "The Junk Strap Boat" at the dollar store 47"! heavy nylon wire tie straps for the pontoons. A good thing I got another 3 packs of hardwood stakes too, they were cleaning out the isle. I picked some smaller sized ties for general use on the project and some color vinyl tape for visibility and to gussy her up. I also got a plastic food container with a silicone seal in the lid for the battery and some electronics, the water proofed receiver and antennas will be mounted on a nifty 4' long orange plastic rod that is very ridged, they sell them at the dollar store too. It will slide into a piece of tubing mounted on the frame and the SBUS cable of the receiver will use a shielded old mouse cable to run the 6' to a *16 channel PWM break out SBUS converter* for servos and throttles and I've got a couple of those kicking around too. The receiver is a *2.4 Ghz Frsky diversity XM with 2 antennas *(see photo above in thread) that should be at right angles to each other in a Y configuration on top of a 4' mast inside a small waterproof plastic pill bottle. Water absorbs radio energy and ya wanna be as far from it as you can get for maximum range and to maintain LOS, hence the removable masts and sbus extension. I expect to pop the mast on and the receiver/antenna module on top if it with a 6' extension shielded signal and power wires, it runs on 5v and sips a few milliwatts.

For now an *AIO FPV (got a couple) camera (Here is an $18 US example, plenty to choose from)* stuck into the top of the plastic box, *a pan tilt camera* on a short wooden mast later using 2 radio channels. One channel for throttle, one for differential steering thrust (mixed on radio) and one channel throttle for the reverse motor prop, normally not used in forward motion except to brake or reverse out of tight spots. One channel main thrust for pitch trim (if I want it) 2 channels for pan and tilt, that's 6 channels, one for arming and one left to switch on the 30 watt flood light (separate battery), I've got 8 more channels left. The LED tape strips inside the pontoons will light upon start up, even if the propulsion system is disarmed.

I should have 3mm screws, nuts and washers, so it might be time to spend a little quality time in the basement shop building up the cross braced frame If I had small turnbuckles and wire I might even cross stress the raised structure like a WWI airplane, but that would be extreme for this application. Build the frame and wood glue and screw it together, then cover the wood in water proof varnish till the little can is gone or ya figure she had enough.

Might even take the phone along for pics and videos, might make a nice Youtube build video. I was looking for a good airplane design too using plastic pop bottles, there are several using a pop bottle and cardboard.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 4, 2020)

It's hot and humid here today and the basement shop won't be too pleasant, but never fear where I live more comfortable days are never scarce. Time for some more shopping, even though covid is low here, we still recently instituted masks for stores etc, there is high compliance now and I feel safer shopping, masks are good for business.

Today's shopping list includes some more super adhesive double sided gel tape, stickiest and strongest stuff I've run across. A couple of those meter plus plastic rods I'm gonna use for antennas too, they look like glass fiber reinforced plastic extrusions, are ridged and appear to be quite strong. I'll also need 30mm x 3mm machine screws, nuts and washers or the SAE equivalent whatever is cheaper, the hardwood is 13mm x 13mm, or approx 1/2"x1/2" and the screws are to hold the joints tight and reinforce quality wood glue that will keep the frame ridged and square, along with diagonal bracing. A small can of varnish too after talking to some old fart at the hardware store who knows his shit!

After I get what I need, I'll proceed to construct the 80 x 80 cm double barred "H" shaped frame, then later a foot high frame in the center of buoyancy at the middle of the boat. The rear of the platform will be supported by the vertical motor mounts at the rear about 8" above the platform, but I'm not sure. I want to keep the props clear of the water, but I don't want the thrust line too far above the center of mass, or the nose will dive when throttle is applied. I might need to pitch the thrust angle upward by a few degrees to avoid this, but it costs in terms of efficiency, a couple of degrees won't hurt much. It would be wise to make the thrust pitch manually adjustable and experiment with different thrust pitch angles until the best one is found.

I'm also thinking about a better pop bottle mounting system that will keep the pontoon in place better and provide some vibration dampening too. I'm gonna cut up a standard 2L pop bottle to a bit shorter than the center cylindrical section, next I'll slice that into quarters (might use half sections too) and then use super tape and tacks to hold them onto the fame. Super tape between the DIY plastic bottle holder and the pop bottle and 2 super heavy plastic long ties strapping everything onto the frame, it should be overkill. I'm wondering how hot wire would be for working pop bottles, but a sharp utility knife works pretty good too, as does a simple jig.

I'm also thinking about not putting LED strips inside the 2 L pop bottle pontoons. I might want to pressurize them to a PSI or two. The simple way would be to put a little something like baking soda and a tablespoon of vinegar in the bottle and screw on the cap, the more complicated way is to install schrader valves (sniffler valve). Pressurizing the bottle tensions and strengthens it load carrying capacity, like the do with some liquid fueled rockets, that would collapse when fueled without being pressurized. A full pop can is stronger than an empty one and air works as well as liquid for the job. If I could get this thing skimming the wave tops at 40 or 50 mph, everytime the pontoon hit a wave top the point of impact might deform a bit, if unpressurized. It might be a factor in improving the thing, I can find other ways to mount led strips and will try it unpressurized and perhaps pressurized, it depends on how fast it goes, the faster the greater the forces. It might be a good subject for the runcam 2 slow mo features at lower resolutions and higher frame rates, maybe I can record the effect if any.

I also weighted a 4 pk of 1/2"x1/2" hardwood garden stakes and I'll use a package for the base double H frame, 219 gm, but I'm cutting off 10cm on one end so say 200 gm and I'll probably use close to 3 packages on the frame plus hardware 600 grams for wood plus hardware. A 2 L pop bottle weights 50 gm x 4 = 200 grams. Looks like the pontoons and structure will come in around a kilogram.

I'm tracking the weight because it might end up as a ground effect vehicle one day with wings for and aft between the pontoons, at the rear a elevator for pitch control and the rear of the long chord front wing is split for aeoleons and roll control, yaw control would be with differential thrust as usual. I'd remap the reverse engine throttle to a knob on the transmitter though! I need to get up of the water a foot or two and stay there at cruise speed while maintaining control. Banking might not be used for directional control that close in, might be best to just put in a cheap FC and let the PID mediated gyro control do the job of roll axis stability and then keep it in level mode.

Future questions might be how much foam board wing area 80 cm long and the best profile for the job, I figure if the front and rear wings are of equal area she would fly level with out too much trim or pitched up angle of attack.

For now I've got everything I need and will be cutting the 1/2" square hardwood to length using a hand saw and fastening it together with 1and 1/4" long SAE machine screws, washers and nuts. I'm not gonna use wood glue, but use either gorilla glue or plastic epoxy, probably plastic epoxy, it would be water resistant and very strong, I also bought two 6.5mm dia solid plastic "driveway marker" rods 1.5 meters long for antenna masts.
I'll need about a foot of plastic tubing with an ID of around 6.5 mm for a mount and a friction fit for the removable mast would be nice for retention purposes. I even bought a small Canadian flag for the "vessel", also useful for seeing which way the wind is blowing and how strong it is through the FPV camera and she might even have a magnetic compass in view of the camera too. I might put the ZOHD AIO FPV camera on the pan and tilt right from the get go, cause it will give me battery voltages in the osd and runs directly off the battery power. So the flag will give me wind speed and direction, a magnetic compass will give me navigation and the battery voltage will be in the FPV OSD. Got the basics covered, if I travel out of sight in a straight line, a reciprocal course on the compass takes me home ( I hope) , allowing for currents and wind.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 4, 2020)

*EXCLUSIVE: SOHD Micro Talon -  Top Secret Development Model*





In a RTNO exclusive, we have the very first unofficial SOHD "Micro Talon" developed by Skankworks enginerd Andy B. Join in for this world exclusive on this brand new model made from ZE-BRA foam. Available for purchase from all major RC retailers shortly.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 4, 2020)

I think I'll rename the project from the Junk Strapped Boat, to the Junk Strapped Bug, cause the plan is to eventually make it fly as a ground effect vehicle, eventually off snow this winter and then off the water next summer. For the remainder of this summer and fall she will be a watercraft, but built with this consideration in mind. I'll need to take this into consideration when I design how the frame is put together, the main H section is the most critical part of the structure and I'm thinking of using Balsa plywood gussets in the four internal corners of the double cross braces and I've got a small aluminum turnbuckle and some picture frame wire to tension it together for additional strength. I could use metal corner brackets but the are steel, plastic or aluminum corner brackets would be nice if I can find or make some. I need to keep the weight as low as I can and the motor mounting system and battery container platform might be where to save weight. I need to know a few things before I can make it fly with the available components and thrust. I could make it fly if I threw money at it, but the point is to be creative with junk, low cost components and materials, many of the components will be recycled into other future projects. A boat first and then a ground effect vehicle to get above the waves instead of skimming them. I figure small scale hydrofoils would be a bad idea if there are any waves at all and I plan on using this thing in the harbor and there are wave there most of the time. She is broad in the beam and should be very stable, float high in the water and I'm trying to keep the CG as low as I can., I expect wind will blow it around a bit.

I'm gonna document the build with pics and video, later I might overlay audio in the video editor and make a Youtube video on it. RC boats aren't regulated, but if it flies I'll have to register it, as what though?


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 5, 2020)

Junk Strap Bug or the JSB
I put together the base double barred H frame plastic epoxy glued and fastened with a wood screw at each joint after drilling holes for them. I also bought some coroplast and I laminated a piece of balsa plywood to it with plastic epoxy then varnish the wood. I'm gonna cut 4 gussets out of it to brace the outside corners to stiffen and greatly strengthen the base frame. I'll glue and bolt 4 vertical risers onto the inside corners of the H frame, 2 short for the front and 2 long in the back for motor mounts and to support the platform. All motors and props are tractor for now, but the center reverse motor might be a pusher. I'm waiting for the varnish to dry before working on the platform. I need to bring the motors and props down to have a look at mounting and placement options. I'm thinking a dowel or a hinged cross bar cause I want to be able to adjust the thrust pitch angle by a few degrees to see what works best, then locking it down after testing.

My 9 gm servos will produce a stall torque of 2.5 Kg/cm over 60 degrees and I can lever it down to 10 degrees or so, so one servo should do to adjust the pitch angle if desired


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 6, 2020)

Didn't do too much on the JSB today, it's hot and humid here.
I was thinking of pressurising the 4 x 2 liter pop bottle pontoons for increased strength and resistance to potential deformation from high speeds. Increasing the pressure will also increase the weight slightly, both in gas pressure and in the residual vinegar, let's say a 2 liter pop bottle can withstand 150 PSI (when new!) before bursting, most pop is at 40 or 50 psi in the bottle, 100 in the sun. I figure I might need approx 7 PSI max to do the job in this case and should make the bottle quite rigid and difficult to squeeze. I would need twice as much vinegar as baking soda, perhaps less liquid with a stronger acid, like muriatic acid to produce CO2 for pressurization. If I put X amount of mixture in a 2 liter bottle then quickly put a ballon on it to capture the gas, then tied off the ballon. Next I'd immerse the balloon in water and measure how much water it displaced. If it displaced 2 liters of water it would be around 15 psi (atmospheric 14.7-1 liter it would be approx 7-8 PSI. I need to determine how much baking soda and muriatic acid it takes to generate a liter of CO2, pour that amount on each pontoon and screw on the cap tight.

Here is one way to cyper it out I found online, the bottom line is if I can react 3 grams of sodium bicarbonate with enough strong acid or vinegar it should do the job. Vinegar contains around 5% acetic acid, muriatic acid is dilute hydrochloric acid and the heat from the reaction could be an issue with it in a plastic bottle. But I do have an infrared thermometer and can test it in vitro.


General Chemistry Online: FAQ: Gases: How much gas is produced when baking soda react with excess vinegar?


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 7, 2020)

True freestyle is one take without playing with the video speed and such, image stabilization with the HD camera, used to be also frowned upon by purist, but is a staple today for freestyle videos. Music is allowed and ya can leave in the sound of the quad motors or not, videos are shared on Youtube mostly among enthusiast and hobbyist. People often use freestyle to develop other skills used for racing and mountain diving, as well as a path to professional statues. If you fly hard, it can be very hard on quads and spare parts, many practice "moves" in simulators first, then the real world, its cheaper.

Some videos serve several purposes, entertainment, education and product review for instance. Empty schools are a great place to practice or make videos, no one around, ya go where they ain't. Sometimes it might be helpful to take a curious cop along for the ride with the guest goggles, they tend to leave you alone if they know what you are doing and can understand why it might be innocent fun, many of them like thrills too.

*Savage Pack with PROTOTYPE GEAR! | FPV Freestyle | NEW LOCATION!*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 7, 2020)

Radicalism arises! The fight for freedom!

*BetaFPV X-Knight 5 is the sub-250g FPV quad for a dystopian future*





The BetaFPV XKnight 5 might be the best 5" quad under 250g. Or it might not be. Either way I'm kind of mad that it even has to exist. Because 250g is a stupid and arbitrary limit for quadcopter size. And you give up a lot when you try to get a 5" quad that light. So let's give the BetaFPV XKnight 5 a fair chance to impress us. But no matter how good it is, I'll always know it could have been better if it was allowed to weigh more.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 7, 2020)

Here is a pretty good example of a forty something's 8 month experience with FPV, I don't have the bug as bad as many, but I can empathise and if I were younger... 
With what this Hobby costs these days it is accessible to people globally from many different cultures, it is in many ways an international multi cultural community of hobbyist, enthusiasts and professionals. Many vacations are arranged with friends online in distant lands, you've got connections there and a guide(s) already. They've seen your videos and you've seen theirs, chatted online etc. Many of these people are stimulating FPV tourism (pre covid) where westerners with restriction and regulations can make cool videos and support the local economy, some enterprising souls in some exotic locations have made a bit of a business of it. They get international community support and referrals, win, win.

Type FPV and a country name in Youtube search and see what pops up.
Here is what 8 months of experience and some equipment gets ya, a couple of hundred bucks a month for a year buys a lot of gear these days. If you are focused on quads and racing, it could mean several quads, cheap goggles, then good goggles, a good transmitter, batteries, a charger and other assorted gear, including an HD camera, all for $2400 spent over a year, If you applied yourself and practiced on a sim and for real, you could be pretty good after a year, even if you are older. It's one of those riding a bike skills, a physical kind of learning you don't forget, but it needs a bit of conditioning for a spell, an intense training period works well for younger folks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*My FPV Journey So Far | CINEMATIC FPV*





These are some of favourite clips from flying FPV drones so far. I have been flying for 8 months and am highly addicted to this amazing hobby. All footage was taken by me in Indonesia, Malaysia and the UK. 
Follow me: instagram.com/travelwithpatrick 
vimeo.com/travelwithpatrick


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 7, 2020)

A drone is on the way to Mars.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*First Flight on Another Planet!*





The Mars Helicopter aims to make the first powered flight on another planet when it takes off on Mars as part of the Mars 2020 mission. I learned a lot getting to visit the drone right before it was mounted on the rover.

How do you fly in 1% of Earth's atmosphere:
Have large rotors (they are 1.2m in diameter) and spin them very fast, around 2500 RPM (5x the speed of a helicopter on Earth).

Plus the aircraft has to be light:
The Mars helicopter weighs in at 1.8kg or around the same as a laptop. Every piece had to be stripped down for weight. Instead of using aerogel for insulation, the craft makes use of CO2 gaps between components. Even aerogel was too heavy!

One of the major challenges is surviving the Martian night:
Temperatures plunge to -80C to -100C so two thirds of the craft's power is actually used to keep its electronics warm. Only one third is used for flying. The estimated flight time is 90 seconds.

The craft can't be driven remotely, it will have to fly autonomously, using its own sensor suite to determine how to fly. The round trip 20 minute delay with Earth means steering the craft from mission control would be impossible.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 9, 2020)

Gab707 is a professional Swiss FPV pilot who races, makes videos, sells products for the industry, is a "gun for hire" and does video shots for film makers. He makes his living flying quadcopters, not many people transitioned from hobbists to professional statues in the RC plane world, almost none. Plenty of young men are making a living out of flying quadcopters and making videos, their talent gets recognized and they are offered opportunities. Gab doesn't have much American international competition these days, business must be good, for those free to pursue it.

*Night Rider*





Since becoming a full time fpv pilot, the opportunities I get to just go out and fly for fun become very rare. This was one of those though. I met up with Swiss local Doc (Docl8 or Doclate on social) and we set out on a little snowshoeing mission to get up close and personal with the mountains. What we envisioned as a 45 stroll turned into a 2 hour mission through deep snow, and we ended up bailing to a secondary takeoff spot. Time only allowed for just a couple of flights with the darkness setting in and the descent still ahead of us, but it was enough to let the creativity flow. What a fun little mission! This was shot with a Gopro hero 6, and stabilized using Reelsteady GO. If you're interested in getting the software, you can use the code 'GabRSGO5!' to get 5$ off. http://www.reelsteady.com?p=S1pTQbBT4


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 11, 2020)

Bruce does a straight up review, check other reviews of these goggles too, make sure they are independant warts and all like this one. Having watched another review with a better version of the product that still had serious shortcomings. I'd pass on these goggles, perhaps they might have a version 2 in the future and will work out the bugs based on reviews, it they are smart they will. Goggles can be expensive and it's always a good idea to try a friend's pair as well as look at the several product reviews before purchasing stuff from China. Bruce obviously got a bad pair, but if you did too, you might be screwed with a useless product that is difficult to return. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*XFLIP FPV Goggles reviewed (no mid-roll ads)*





If you fly an RC plane or drone using FPV, a decent set of goggles is very important. I was so disappointed with the XFLIP goggles because they promised so much but failed to deliver.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 12, 2020)

*Skyzone Sky03O Full Review | Beats HDO. Cheaper than HDO2. Perfect goggle for you?*





The Skyzone Sky03O is the best looking FPV goggle you can buy today. It looks even better than the Fat Shark HDO. But there's one big reason why you might not want to switch to it: RF performance? Is it good enough for you? One way to find out. 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Expensive at $430 US

*Skyzone SKY03O Oled /SKY03S 5.8GHz 48CH Diversity FPV Goggles Support OSD DVR HDMI With Head Tracker Fan LED For RC Racing Drone - SKY03O White*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 12, 2020)

Many people like ski type goggles with two screens and lenses, especially for quads, box type goggles seem more popular with plane flyers and for long range/time missions, a video screen is often used. You can buy a good cheap set of goggles like mentioned earlier in the thread for $79 US to start off with (you get a 5" removeable video screen with them) and see if you would like to get into the hobby in a more serious way, or you could try one of these more economical ski goggles. Watch multiple reviews before you buy and if you wear glasses you might also need diopter inserts for the goggles.

There are new digital systems recently introduced, these ones shown here are analog goggles, they should have true diversity 5.8 ghz receivers and a DVR is desirable too. These are the budget models and links to products and other info is on his Youtube page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Best FPV Goggle Around $300 | Attitude V5 vs. Sky02X vs. EV200D vs. Commander V1S*






What's the best FPV goggle around $300? Fat Shark Attitude V5 vs. Skyzone Sky02X vs. Eachine EV200D vs. Aomway Commander V1S? Don't watch four different reviews. I've boiled it down to one video that will tell you which of these four goggles is best FOR YOU.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 12, 2020)

Here is a 1.2/1.3 Ghz video transmitter, used for long range FPV and mostly on planes. Usually racing quads and many planes use shorter range 5.8 Ghz video equipment that has many channels available, but does not penetrate foliage as well. For the same power a lower frequency carries further, with fewer channels and is more tolerant of terrain LOS blockage, though antennas are much larger and more expensive.
*Matek 1.2 / 1.3GHz FPV Video Transmitter Overview - VTX*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 15, 2020)

Inav is a configurator program that you can use on flight control computers, mostly for plane, it is an open source sister project to Betaflight, which tends to focus on quads, but does planes too. Inav has better way point navigation features and specializes more in planes.

Here Matt shows you how to use Bing satellite maps in Inav with a brief video, this is how most people learn stuff in the hobby these days from videos like this and online instruction manuals.

*Usable Maps for iNav Missions - How to Use Bing Maps (also works for Betaflight)*





Go here, sign in and create your own API key to get pretty maps within iNav https://www.bingmapsportal.com/Applic... 

Matt #INAV #RC #Waypoints


SHOW LESS


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 17, 2020)

Here is a review of a drone that interests me, it's even less than 250gm, so you don't need to register it or or have a drone pilot's licence. This is a long range exploration drone and can be equipped with a HD digital FPV and recording option or an analog configuration and with a variety of receivers too. It come pre built and tuned and can get 18 minutes of flight time with a 1000 Mah Lipo and a bit longer an a 1300Mah 3S or 4S, like the ones my racing quad uses, so no new batteries.

With a R9M, or crossfire receiver it could easily out distance the 5.8 Ghz FPV video signal, but it has GPS RTH and a drone finder, so you are more comfortable on the edge of range This is an exploration rig, configured for long range and HD video recording on board and FPV if you have the very expensive goggles. If you could put a high C 4S 1800mah or even a 2200Mah Li-on pack in it you might get an hour's worth of flight time out of the thing, though it might weigh a bit more than 250 grams!

With a R9M or crossfire UHF radio system and situated on a high point you could control this drone fairly close to the ground 10 miles way LOS. A good enough ground station and antenna directional antenna will could probably allow you to FPV at that range too. An hours worth of flight time on a 4S 2200Mah Li -on @30 MPH means your range could be up to 15 miles out and back, or 10 miles out with some exploration time before heading back home. A ground station and a UHF receiver would help you get the most out of this drone, you can only reliably go about a mile to a mile and a half with a 2.4 GHZ receiver.
*Explorer LR HD 4'' Micro Long Range FPV Ultralight Quad w/ Caddx Vista HD System*
Around $300 USD depending on the options chosen.

*This is the BEST FPV Long Range Drone Under 250 grams - Explorer LR - Review*





In this episode I take a look at the amazing Explorer LR. This drone is under 250 grams and is a long range FPV drone that can fly for up to 18 minutes. The version I showed in this video is the Digital version, but you can also purchase the Analog version.
The links to both are here:
USE DISCOUNT CODE TO SAVE 5%: EXPLORER0507 - FLYWOO EXPLORER LR: https://flywoo.net/collections/explor... -
INSTA360 GO Camera (USA): https://amzn.to/2FtDiyN -
INSTA360 GO Camera (CANADA): https://amzn.to/2Y57pDf -
DJI FPV Goggles: https://click.dji.com/AIy9WnYbq9PFxsc... -
RADIOMASTER TX16S: https://amzn.to/2PYoGJQ


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 17, 2020)

Another review by Nurk

*This BNF 4" Long Range Drone Flies for 18 minutes!*





The Flywoo Explorer LR is an insane little 4" drone that flies for 18 minutes on a single charge. I was really skeptical that it would be able to pull this off, but it did and I'm blown away!


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 17, 2020)

The advantages of 1.3 Ghz FPV over 5.8 Ghz for long range and exploration.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*200mW 1.3Ghz vs. 350mW 5.8Ghz over rocky ridge*





On the left is VTX 200mW 1.3Ghz cloverleaf antenna on a Nighthawk 285 VRX Racewood with Mad Mushroom CP omni I may have to re-shoot this. I think my 5.8Ghz Rx is sub-par. 
Going to try with an FR632 diversity Rx. 
On the right 350mW VTX with Cloverleaf antenna on IRC Vortex 250 Pro VRX Boscam RC832 with 10dB Crosshair antenna pointed toward the middle of the ridge. 
Generally speaking when you see static on the 1.3Ghz side, it's because I'm literally flying it out of LoS, behind solid rock. 5.8Ghz side has clear LoS (other than a couple trees) all the time.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 17, 2020)

*5.8GHz Vs. 1300MHz FPV Penetrating Power Test - RCTESTFLIGHT -*





A quick test comparing these two FPV frequencies. Recently I got a 1300mhz vtx to fly through the woods, but it didn't seem to have much more penetrating power than 2.4 or 5.8. I did this test to compare the two. Sorry about the lack of videos recently. Both transmitters are 400mW


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 18, 2020)

It seems Oscar Liang tried a 4S 3400Mah Li Ion battery pack with the Flywoo Explorer and got 28 minutes flight time. so I was off by half! 
*28 minutes Flight Time at 50Km/h - Flywoo Explorer LR 4" Quad*





Here is the battery he used

*BUILDING 4S 18650 LI-ION BATTERY PACK FOR LONG RANGE FLYING*

As Li-Ion cells have higher energy density than LiPo (more capacity mAh at the same weight), they make great battery for long range flying, in this post I will show you how I built a 4S 18650 Li-Ion battery.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 20, 2020)

*Holidays House Cinematic FPV Drone (4K)*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 20, 2020)

*LEE - THIS IS FPV*





6 months ago I got into FPV, it has been a steep of learning curve to build & fly it. Most importantly I was having lots of fun with process so I decided to documented it into a short film about the experience. Feel free to subscribe & drop a like & stay tuned for more FPV vlogs !


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 20, 2020)

*CANADA FPV - 2020*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 21, 2020)

*I converted this Seaplane to FPV*





I've had this plane for almost a year now, and I haven't had a good opportunity to convert it to the seaplane mode with the pontoons. I love how this thing flies over land, so I'm really excited to try it over sea. Moreover, I decided to modify it with the DJI digital FPV system so that I could also fly it via FPV, cause it was tricky in the evening sun to be able to fly it line of sight.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 26, 2020)

You will most likely see solid state battery technology in things like phones and they might even hit the RC market earlier too. The RC market would be a perfect interim step for these companies as they develop and test the technology on a much smaller scale with a lot of early adopters in a tech savvy market. These kinds of batteries would offer many advantages over Lipo's like increased energy density, longevity, safety and the ability to charge off a car battery in a few minutes. Instead of packing a half a dozen Lipo packs, you might just need one or two to fly all day and not be too concerned about abusing them either. Solid state batteries will most likely be in phones, computers and RC aircraft before they power cars, that is a market several orders of magnitude over the one for the cellphone and RC world. For smaller companies with limited production and still developing products, it could be a foot in the door, the RC world is used to experimentation and can provide a good market for a small tech company to continue development of its products.

*The truth about solid state batteries - how close are they?*


----------



## end_of_the_tunnel (Aug 27, 2020)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> *I converted this Seaplane to FPV*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The insta360 cameras are not so affordable. But that seaplane flys beautifully.

Random video youtube served up. Magically put together.


----------



## end_of_the_tunnel (Aug 27, 2020)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> You will most likely see solid state battery technology in things like phones and they might even hit the RC market earlier too. The RC market would be a perfect interim step for these companies as they develop and test the technology on a much smaller scale with a lot of early adopters in a tech savvy market. These kinds of batteries would offer many advantages over Lipo's like increased energy density, longevity, safety and the ability to charge off a car battery in a few minutes. Instead of packing a half a dozen Lipo packs, you might just need one or two to fly all day and not be too concerned about abusing them either. Solid state batteries will most likely be in phones, computers and RC aircraft before they power cars, that is a market several orders of magnitude over the one for the cellphone and RC world. For smaller companies with limited production and still developing products, it could be a foot in the door, the RC world is used to experimentation and can provide a good market for a small tech company to continue development of its products.
> 
> *The truth about solid state batteries - how close are they?*


Seems we have a while to wait yet.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Aug 27, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> The insta360 cameras are not so affordable. But that seaplane flys beautifully.
> 
> Random video youtube served up. Magically put together.


There is a lot of crossover between the FPV drone world and the RC plane world, much of the equipment can be used, as well as escs, motors and props, both demand time on the workbench. The excitement of accurate high speed proximity FPV flying and racing is a big draw among young people, especially those who like to play video games and while they might be drawn to drones, foam FPV wings and planes can be built or bought very cheaply. There is a lot of room to grow in this hobby a lot of areas to explore and much can be done economically these days and with an economic downturn caused by covid, many might be looking for a cheap hobby. Propulsion systems are only $20, as are AIO FPV systems, foam board is cheap and the internet is full of free plans, a couple power of pods, a tractor and a pusher, could be transferred to many models, as can the electronics, servos can stay since they only cost less than $2 each.

I think racing quads add lot's of new blood to the RC hobby and I figure most people who fly FPV racing drones will end up buying a foam wing at least. As I said before a couple of hundred bucks can buy a lot these days and if a fellow was doing that for a couple of years he would have everything he might need for equipment, planes and racing quads with lots of spare stuff lying about. If you just stuck to planes you could buy a lot of FPV foamies and if you built foam board planes you would have an air forces worth. 

Mind you if you went for DJI for digital goggles and transmitters, your experience would be nicer, but your wallet much thinner and racing quads cost more than foam FPV platforms. It depends on what you want to do, HD cameras like the runcam2 are cheap, but there are several expensive stabilised options now. People who are into photography and video often spend thousands on camera equipment alone and for some this hobby is an extension of that, either with a DJI drone or a racing quad and a gopro.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Sep 4, 2020)

*FrSKY R9 / RXSR Pilot F765 FC*





FrSKY R9 / RXSR Pilot F765 FC with stacked R9 or RXSR ACCESS receiver, 








FrSky RXSR R9 Pilot Flight Controller


The FrSky Pilot series flight controller is an All-in-One module that supports comprehensive flight control functions with pre-installed powerful INAV...




www.frsky-rc.com




...
SPECS:
Supports FrSky F.Port 2.0 Protocol
12 Servo/Motor Outputs & Multiple Serial Ports (6 UARTs, I²C, SPI)
Powerful STM32F765 Based Flight Controller is capable Running on INAV / Ardupilot / Betaflight Firmware
Built-in Graphic FrSky OSD
Supports FrSky S.Port Sensors
Built-in Multiple Sensors
Max 150A Capable Hall-effect Current Sensor
Built-in 3-axis Gyroscope & 3-axis Accelerometer Sensor (ICM20602IMU, ±2000dps, ±16g)
Supports ICM20601/ICM20602/MPU6000 IMU as external gyroscope module with vibration insulated box
Built-in Barometer sensor(SPL06-001)
Adjustable Voltage Output through integrated BEC function
Supports Black Box Data Record Function(via SD card)
Compatible Receiver
Standard FPC Interface on-board receiver with a perfect fit protection box (RXSR-FC/R9MM-FC-OTA, etc.)
All F.Port 2.0 Capable Receivers (Archer and Tandem Series Receivers, etc.)
SBUS Receivers and Some Others with Serial Ports


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Sep 19, 2020)

end_of_the_tunnel said:


> Seems we have a while to wait yet.


It appears Volkswagen is moving ahead fairly quickly, I think the racing quad market would give a real good test of safety and durability! A torture test if you will, if you see them in cars, you most likely will see them in the RC world too.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Sep 23, 2020)

*FrSKY R9 / RXSR Pilot F765 flights*





FrSKY R9 / RXSR Pilot F765 FC, available with stacked R9 or RXSR ACCESS receiver and Graphical OSD.
https://www.frsky-rc.com/product/r9rx...
SBUS XM+ receiver used in this flight on a Volantex Ascent
Requires INAV 2.6, FrSKY OSD App V2.02 and OS 10.15 Catalina if you're using Mac.

SPECS:
Supports FrSky F.Port 2.0 Protocol
12 Servo/Motor Outputs & Multiple Serial Ports (6 UARTs, I²C, SPI)
Powerful STM32F765 Based Flight Controller is capable Running on INAV / Ardupilot / Betaflight Firmware
Built-in Graphic FrSky OSD
Supports FrSky S.Port Sensors
Built-in Multiple Sensors
Max 150A Capable Hall-effect Current Sensor
Built-in 3-axis Gyroscope & 3-axis Accelerometer Sensor (ICM20602IMU, ±2000dps, ±16g)
Supports ICM20601/ICM20602/MPU6000 IMU as external gyroscope module with vibration insulated box
Built-in Barometer sensor(SPL06-001)
Adjustable Voltage Output through integrated BEC function
Supports Black Box Data Record Function(via SD card)
Compatible Receiver
Standard FPC Interface on-board receiver with a perfect fit protection box (RXSR-FC/R9MM-FC-OTA, etc.)
All F.Port 2.0 Capable Receivers (Archer and Tandem Series Receivers, etc.)
SBUS Receivers and Some Others with Serial Ports

US$69.99 for the R9M version, but it will work with any receiver that supports it's functions. 








30.5*30.5mm Frsky R9-Pilot Series R9MM-FC-OTA F7 Flight Controller w/Frsky OSD Baro for FPV Racing RC Drone


Only US$76.99, buy best 30.5*30.5mm frsky r9-pilot series r9mm-fc-ota f7 flight controller w/frsky osd baro for fpv racing rc drone sale online store at wholesale price.




www.banggood.com


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Oct 5, 2020)

Red Cat to Acquire Fat Shark Expands Presence in the First-Person View (FPV) Drone Business


Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (RCAT:OTC) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Fat Shark Holdings, the market leader in FPV headsets. The transaction, subject to customary…



www.suasnews.com





*Red Cat to Acquire Fat Shark Expands Presence in the First-Person View (FPV) Drone Business*






DRL Champion and Rotor Riot pilot Alex Vanover wears Fat Shark Goggles.

Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (RCAT:OTC) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Fat Shark Holdings, the market leader in FPV headsets. The transaction, subject to customary conditions, is expected to close on or before November 1, 2020.

Founded in 2007, Fat Shark is the leading provider of headsets and goggles for professional racers and drone pilots with an estimated market share of 85%. Fat Shark is presently generating approximately $7 million (unaudited) in annual revenues which will significantly increase the revenue base of the combined companies. This transaction follows the Company’s acquisition in January 2020 of Rotor Riot, a leading provider of FPV and drone racing hardware.

“Our expected acquisition of Fat Shark strengthens our position by providing direct access to premier FPV technology favored by professional racers and drone enthusiasts alike. The combination not only provides a fully-integrated supply chain but adds design and development capabilities as well as international manufacturing and distribution. Greg French and Allan Evans bring world-renowned skills and decades of experience to our team. Fat Shark’s existing digital platform and innovation also provides a valuable road map to fuel our future growth and our expansion into the enterprise drone market” stated Jeff Thompson, CEO of Red Cat. “Importantly, it positions us to continue to develop and introduce innovative products and solutions as commercial applications of drone technology expand in the coming years.”

“Red Cat has emerged as a leader in the FPV sector of the drone industry and we are excited to join their growing team of business professionals” noted Greg French, founder and CTO of Fat Shark. Added Allan Evans, CEO of Fat Shark “We are excited to partner and integrate feedback from the top pilots at Rotor Riot as we develop and expand our digital video systems. Rotor Riot is especially well situated to help us build better FPV products as well as expand into enterprise training and field solutions.”


“With the addition of Fat Shark to Red Cat’s portfolio we have paired a quality hardware base with Rotor Riot, a robust educational/entertainment brand” stated Chad Kapper CEO of Rotor Riot. “Fat Shark’s new line of digital headsets with their “out of the box” functionality meshes perfectly with our popular “Ready To Fly” (RTF) packages. We are excited to promote their functionality on our YouTube channel and our digital store at www.rotorriot.com as well as leverage the strong brand recognition Rotor Riot enjoys. We believe the addition also allows us to continue expansion into the emerging gaming and augmented reality (AR) markets with future innovative products.”

*About Red Cat Holdings, Inc.*

Red Cat is developing a fully-integrated drone supply chain with secure blockchain-based distributed storage, analytics and SaaS solutions for adoption in the drone industry. Red Cat supports education, training and sales of drone products through its Rotor Riot platform and is developing the means to accurately track, report and review flight data that will be useful for insurance and regulatory requirements. Red Cat maintains a commitment to deliver unrivalled innovation to make drones aviators and products accountable and the sky a safer place.


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Oct 15, 2020)




----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Oct 18, 2020)




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## DIY-HP-LED (Oct 19, 2020)

*An FPV Beginner's Guide: What I Learned When Getting Started*





When getting started with FPV drones, it's tough to know exactly what equipment you need, the best equipment to buy, and what information is actually important for a beginner to know. This is the first in a series of videos that I'm hoping are able to cut away the excess and make things simple for any beginners trying to make their first purchase and get started in the hobby.

Here's AN IMPORTANT UPDATE: Since I posted this video SO MANY NEW PRODUCTS have been released and many of them could be more worth your money than the things I talk about here. With digital bind-and-fly drones being more accessible as well as new controllers, goggles, and accessories, make sure to do some research before you buy something right away! That being said...


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## DIY-HP-LED (Oct 21, 2020)

*FIRST LOOK: New FPV wing from SonicModell - the AR Wing PRO!*





Link to it on Banggood: https://bit.ly/2HeWdi3 also now listed on other SonicModell resellers too..


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Nov 18, 2020)

*Li Metal SSB Innovation Promises To Cut Battery Pack Mass In Half*









Li Metal SSB Innovation Promises To Cut Battery Pack Mass In Half


University of Michigan researchers used an “anode-less” approach to make lithium metal solid-state batteries work and cut the battery pack mass in half.




insideevs.com





*An “anode-less” approach from University of Michigan researchers may make them work.*
Lithium metal batteries have double the theoretical energy capacity of lithium-ion cells. Anyone that makes them work will immediately cut the battery pack mass in half or double the current range any electric car offers. The problem is getting there, but researchers from the University of Michigan may be getting close with an “anode-less” approach.
The video above shows what they have achieved, but that also deserves a written explanation. 
Lithium metal batteries with liquid electrolytes face dendrite formation as its major problem, leading them quickly to thermal runaway. To solve that, Jeff Sakamoto and his team applied a solid electrolyte to their battery: Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO). But that is just part of what they accomplished.
One of the challenges to produce a lithium metal solid-state battery is integrating metallic lithium with the chosen solid electrolyte. What if that can happen after the battery is already assembled, through an electrochemical process? This is what the researchers managed to do.
Instead of getting a battery with the cathode, the electrolyte, and the anode, they have eliminated the anode, which was replaced by a metallic foil made of copper, but other metals would probably also work.

This metal foil helps create the anode when lithium starts to plate there through a process developed by the researchers. It seems to be a charging method to plate lithium. We have contacted Jeff Sakamoto to confirm that and will update this article as soon as we hear from him.


----------



## mysunnyboy (Nov 21, 2020)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> I'm planning on flying long range waypoint missions with a *nano talon* over water one day to photograph the shoreline and to fly over water at a local park. I can safely launch and land the plane and avoid flying over people by sitting in the park and flying over water, if the plane goes down it's foam and floats, the problem is retrieving it. I figure if I build this FPV rescue boat and site the video transmitter and control receiver on 1 meter high masts and mount the FPV camera as high up as I can on a cheap pan and tilt gimbal, I could go for miles off shore and have gps return to home too. I can also rig a system to raise and lower a ramp to hold the rescued plane out of the water.
> 
> I like this basic design and with a few modifications it would suit my needs, this fellow already did most of the work in design, testing and setup. I could build this pretty cheap and I might take it on as a winter project and be ready for some serious flying next summer. I live close to the water and it's the best place to fly, provided you have the means to recover the plan incase something screws up, foam planes and wings float, you can even spray coat much of the electronics with plastic insulation and waterproofing. I like this idea and I might build it, it looks like fun all on its own and a great way to play with way point GPS navigation. It would fit in the back of the car easily or even the trunk and I can stick the masts on quickly when I need to use it.
> *Rc Rescue Boat build*


I want to fly over my beaches and swamps


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## DIY-HP-LED (Nov 21, 2020)

mysunnyboy said:


> I want to fly over my beaches and swamps


Swamps are a bitch if ya screw up! Always be prepared to go cross country for a "walk of shame"!


----------



## mysunnyboy (Nov 22, 2020)

This


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Nov 22, 2020)

mysunnyboy said:


> This


A DJI drone, one you remote control, great for stunning areal views you see in 4k on TV. The choice of perverts who peek in widows and give drones a bad name!

Here is the difference, from France! Viv La differance!

I used to like to corrupt kids too!  
*The Cinematic Drone Revolution is Here : DJI VS FPV*


----------



## DIY-HP-LED (Dec 14, 2020)

*SIYI FT24 and FM30 Long Range 2.4GHz*





SIYI specs say 15km range from this budget priced radio and 30km with the FM30 module. PC only firmware updates but great potential from this system. Accepts R9M and other external modules. SIYI say OpenTX firmware is in development. FR and FR mini receivers. 
SIYI product page - http://en.siyi.biz/en/ft24/overview/ 
SIYI FT24 Banggood - https://bit.ly/3gxYSAE 
SIYI FM30 Banggood - https://bit.ly/37RF4Eu


----------



## Sleez (Dec 14, 2020)

I just built a fpv 250 racer drone. Armattan rooster. I bought some used fpv sky zone 01. I won’t fly again until I get oled goggles. But my first flight was amazing. Almost lost it because I couldn’t recognize my surroundings at first. Shit looks different from above.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Dec 14, 2020)

Sleez said:


> I just built a fpv 250 racer drone. Armattan rooster. I bought some used fpv sky zone 01. I won’t fly again until I get oled goggles. But my first flight was amazing. Almost lost it because I couldn’t recognize my surroundings at first. Shit looks different from above.


Fly a good sim for a spell, it's cheaper! Also there are some good ski type goggles for a real good price these days, look through the thread, there is a great pair of goggles for $79 that make you look like a dork, but you can pull out the screen for bench work etc and you can put your phone in them for 4GLTE long range FPV.

BTW foam FPV planes are cheap as dirt and you can use all your gear with them including batteries. Flying from the inside makes all the difference they hand launch and land on the grass.

Lose it here and the "walk of shame" will be the least of your concerns! Full screen and crank it.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jan 10, 2021)

*8km From Home w/ TBS CROSSFIRE - Uncut 2.7k Long Range FPV Flight With DVR - Long Range Freedom II*





A 17.8 km Long Range FPV flight that uses powerful li-ion cells to reach 8 km out for epic views from the peak of a 2200 meter mountain. I built a 7" long range quad with TBS CROSSFIRE to take my GoPro on a flight that turned out to be quite amazing, in both range and beauty. There's a glacier, waterfalls, a river, outstanding views and more! Long Range Freedom II

I leave my low battery warning set quite high, don't worry, I make it home. I've changed the speed for parts of the flight to keep it interesting. The current playback speed will be indicated in the bottom left corner. There's a full time DVR in the bottom right corner that is synced with the GoPro footage.

I'm using the V1 Micro TX and the diversity nano Rx with 1 vertical and 1 horizontal antenna. As well there is little to no RF interference at this location. Your results will vary depending on the amount of RF interference at your location as well as several other factors.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jan 22, 2021)

World's fastest RC aircraft hits a stunning 548 mph – without a motor (newatlas.com)

*World's fastest RC aircraft hits a stunning 548 mph – without a motor*
By Loz Blain
January 21, 2021






Spencer Lisenby with the massive DSKinetic 130-inch Transonic DP RC glider
DSKinetic
VIEW 5 IMAGES

No props, no jets, no rockets – California's Spencer Lisenby just broke the world speed record for remote controlled aircraft, taking an unpowered RC glider transonic at 548 mph (882 km/h) using nothing but the wind. Well, that and an incredible degree of skill in a highly dangerous technique called dynamic soaring. And while it's more or less an extreme hobby at the moment, he's got some very interesting plans for the technique and the technology behind it.

Wind accelerates like mad when it goes up a hill, and since the 1960s, "slope soaring" radio-controlled glider pilots have used that reliable source of energy to keep their aircraft flying pretty much indefinitely – as long as they take care to avoid the wild, plane-eating turbulence of the "shear layer" on the leeward side behind the hill where that fast-moving air begins interacting with the much slower air shielded behind the ridge.

But in the last 20 years, a group of intrepid RC glider fanatics has been experimenting and perfecting the art of plunging through that shear layer in a loop, using the extreme push of high winds to accelerate the gliders on the way down, and the still air under the shear layer as a way of returning most of the way upward without losing energy flying into a crazy headwind. The aircraft gains roughly the speed of the tailwind every time it goes down, and loses much less on the way back up, picking up energy and speed on every loop.

Not that these hobbyists invented the technique; the black-footed albatross has been using exactly this flight pattern for millennia, harnessing the wind speed differentials created by ocean swells to traverse long distances, in any direction, without expending any energy.

"I've even read that they can perform this maneuver in their sleep," Lisenby told an audience at the TNG Technology Tech Day back in 2017, "with their wing tip mere centimeters from moving water. We all aspire to the skills of the albatross. But they're usually trying to go somewhere. We're going for speed."

Dynamic soaring, or DS, might sound innocent enough as a title, but these extraordinary pilots are now taking unpowered gliders up to transonic speeds, perilously close to the ground. Continue tuning and optimizing that tilted loop between the high and low air speeds, and the glider gets faster and faster, until either the pilot messes up the loop, the aircraft disintegrates spectacularly under extreme G-loading or flutter stresses, or you reach an airspeed where drag finally limits your ability to go faster.


_Lisenby is a hopeless dynamic soaring addict, a passionate pilot and expert specialist airframe designer
DSKinetic_

Lisenby is not just your average hobby flyer. He's absolutely obsessed with DS, and in addition to holding a swag of world records as a pilot, he's also a pioneering glider designer. Indeed, as a prototype designer at DSKinetic, he designs and develops all the huge gliders he flies, in conjunction with a local team, German aerodynamics experts and the University of Stuttgart.

Nothing off the shelf could come close to handling the constant 60-80 G-loadings these things experience, with spikes as high as 120 g as they whip around in their impossibly fast oval loops through turbulent air. For context, Formula One cars develop up to 6 g in the corners, and people tend to start passing out at around 8-9 g as the acceleration literally drains the blood from their brains.

The glider that just set the record is a 130-inch (3.3-m) DSKinetic Transonic DP, a taper-winged, heavily reinforced carbon beast with a design honed over many years to fly as fast as possible in dynamic soaring patterns without introducing the weird flight dynamics of swept wings. Theoretically, Lisenby says it should be capable of reaching 580 mph (933 km/h) in its current form.
*more...*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Feb 28, 2021)

*Dynamic Soaring - 882 kph 548 mph World Record eye witness pov | Record RC Airplane Speed transonic*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Feb 28, 2021)

Pulling up to 120 G's a fellow would have to get pretty serious about structural design!
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*BTD10: The 835kph Sailplane and Dynamic Soaring*





Speaker: Spencer Lisenby - prototype developer at DSKinetic

Abstract:
Most people wouldn't imagine that the world's fastest radio controlled airplane has no propeller, jet, or any source of propulsion on board. Dynamic Soaring is a unique method of soaring which has enabled radio controlled gliders to achieve speeds in excess of 835kph. We will explore the fundamentals and progress of dynamic soaring and examine the challenges associated with designing, building, and flying an un-powered model airplane at speeds comparable to modern passenger jets. We will also give some thought to practical applications of dynamic soaring and discuss where it could be applied in the future. 

Spencer Lisenby graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and currently resides and chases wind in Southern California. He has set the world speed record for radio controlled gliders 14 different times and holds the current record of 519mph (835kph) with his 130" Kinetic DP (www.DSKinetic.com).

Recorded at the Big Techday 10 of TNG Technology Consulting GmbH / http://www.tngtech.com on June 2nd, 2017 in Munich / Germany


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## DIY-HP-LED (Mar 11, 2021)

*Right Up Our Alley*


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## MICHI-CAN (Mar 11, 2021)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> *Right Up Our Alley*


These and custom built autonomous drones were my thing of late. Had them all in video. Check out 3d flying. Drones can't hang. Inverted and moderate tricks are the best in my tricks level.


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## MICHI-CAN (Mar 12, 2021)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> *Right Up Our Alley*


Here's a decent video of a monster heli indoors. Still 2 sizes from largest. And micro CP's you can't follow with your eyes.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Mar 14, 2021)

FAA's final drone rules start taking effect April 21st | Engadget 

*FAA's final drone rules start taking effect April 21st*
*You won't see everything fall into place until 2023, however.*

The FAA just set dates for when its tightened drone rules will take effect, and some measures will kick in sooner than others. The regulator has revealed that Remote ID and Operations Over People rules will start taking effect as of April 21st, 2021. From then on, you'll have to list the serial number of any Remote ID drone or add-on module in your registration. You can fly small (under 0.55lbs) drones over people if they have protected blades, but you can't conduct sustained flight over open-air assemblies unless you comply with Remote ID.

Other, heavier drones have stricter operational and performance requirements, such as limits on the amount of force they'd deliver in a crash. Category 3 drones (those that deliver no more than 25 foot-pounds of energy) can't fly over assemblies regardless of Remote ID, and can't fly over people unless they're in a restricted area and know about possible drone flights. Category 4 drones above that limit need airworthiness certificates, maintenance and inspections.

There is some breathing room, however. Drone makers have to comply with Remote ID requirements starting September 16th, 2022, while all pilots will have to meet Remote ID requirements (or fly within limitations) a year later on September 16th, 2023. These windows are six months shorter than originally planned, but give time for both operators and drone producers time to adapt.

The final rules won't please everyone. Alphabet's drone delivery company Wing has worried about privacy, noting that broadcast Remote IDs could let people infer sensitive data like home addresses. Wing also worried the broadcasts could make it hard to establish drone traffic control systems. Still, the changes are coming — and the dates at least help everyone plan their next steps.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Apr 14, 2021)

Don't blink.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*376 kph miniquad flyby*


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## MICHI-CAN (Apr 14, 2021)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> Don't blink.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *376 kph miniquad flyby*


And hence the terror of the perps in power. LOL. Set it and forget it at 234mph. LMAO. And I build them for fun with scraps. 

Best wishes. Glad you are well. Peace. And I'm flying my egg crates and hamburger trays in protest of oppressive ludicrous rules.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Apr 18, 2021)




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## DIY-HP-LED (Apr 19, 2021)

Not FPV, the latency would be a real bitch! Drones on mars.
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Nasa successfully flies small helicopter on Mars - BBC News 

*Nasa successfully flies small helicopter on Mars*

*The American space agency has successfully flown a small helicopter on Mars.*

The drone, called Ingenuity, was airborne for less than a minute, but Nasa is celebrating what represents the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft on another world.

Confirmation came via a satellite at Mars which relayed the chopper's data back to Earth.
The space agency is promising more adventurous flights in the days ahead.

The rotocraft was carried to Mars in the belly of Nasa's Perseverance Rover, which touched down in Jezero Crater on the Red Planet in February.

Ingenuity will be commanded to fly higher and further as engineers seek to test the limits of the technology.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Apr 20, 2021)

They could hit the market at a smaller scale sooner, in laptops, tablets, phones, RC planes and drones. It would be a good way to test the technology in the real world with fewer risks and costs. Batteries for EV's are a whole different issue in terms of scale, risk and cost.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Exploring When Solid State Batteries Will Arrive*


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## DIY-HP-LED (Apr 22, 2021)

New rules allowing small drones to fly over people in U.S. take effect | Reuters
*New rules allowing small drones to fly over people in U.S. take effect*
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that final rules announced in December took effect on Wednesday allowing for small drones to fly over people and at night, a significant step toward their eventual use for widespread commercial deliveries.

The effective date was delayed about a month during the change in administration. The FAA said its long-awaited rules for the drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, will address security concerns by requiring remote identification technology in most cases to enable their identification from the ground.

Previously, small drone operations over people were limited to operations over people who were directly participating in the operation, located under a covered structure, or inside a stationary vehicle - unless operators had obtained a waiver from the FAA.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday the rules "are an important first step in safely and securely managing the growing use of drones in our airspace, though more work remains on the journey to full integration" of drones.

Drone manufacturers have 18 months to begin producing drones with Remote ID, and operators will have an additional year to provide Remote ID.

Companies have been racing to create drone fleets to speed deliveries. As of December, the United States had over 1.7 million drone registrations and 203,000 FAA-certificated remote pilots.

For at-night operations, the FAA said drones must be equipped with anti-collision lights. The final rules allow operations over moving vehicles in some circumstances.

The new rules eliminate requirements that drones be connected to the internet to transmit location data but do require that they broadcast remote ID messages via radio frequency broadcast.

One change, since the rules were first proposed in 2019, requires that small drones not have any exposed rotating parts that would lacerate human skin.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Apr 25, 2021)

If you fly hard and break your DJI FPV drone, you cannot repair it yourself, but must ship it to DJI and they will fix it for you, for a price. You can get the digital camera system and goggles to use with regular FPV drones and planes however, so the high quality experience remains the same. This has become the high end of the FPV world now a days and will cause the price of good analog systems and components to drop. Many professional FPV pilots have switched to digital systems since the image quality in their goggles is very important for racing and freestyle, as well as cinematic work.

I view this drone with some skepticism and would use the digital video system only. In FPV freestyle drone flying, if you ain't breaking shit you ain't flying and constant repair is the order of the day. Some guys break a half dozen drones a session trying to get the right footage, but they don't like it at all when they break a GoPro camera!
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*The New DJI FPV Drone has a MOTION CONTROLLER! | FULL REVIEW*





The long awaited (but not a surprise) DJI FPV Drone is finally here. My full review after months of use.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Apr 25, 2021)

*Perseverance Rover's Mastcam-Z Captures Ingenuity's Third Flight*


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## DIY-HP-LED (May 1, 2021)




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## MICHI-CAN (May 10, 2021)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> View attachment 4891925


When is Kroger going blame them in Ohio. And have you seen Amacon's Blimp of an aircraft carrier? I'm getting worried. As my flying stick of butter is threat to humanity and airspace. LOL.


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## DIY-HP-LED (May 11, 2021)

MICHI-CAN said:


> When is Kroger going blame them in Ohio. And have you seen Amacon's Blimp of an aircraft carrier? I'm getting worried. As my flying stick of butter is threat to humanity and airspace. LOL.


I'd systems are coming, anybody can point a camera at your plane or drone and bust you, the laws are so overbearing you can always be busted for something too. It's hard to fly now with breaking the law FPV can only legally be done in Canada in pairs, with one person as a spotter and the plane or drone must be in sight at all times. Sub 250 grams are popular and can now do almost everything a larger plane or drone can do. 

Then there is 4G cell service and nobody can track you using that. Of course the new starlink internet service can turn any large RC plane into a military grade drone with a low latency satellite connection, just like the one Uncle Sam uses to blow people away half way around the world. No one will register that one and you don't even need an RC radio receiver or video transmitter. Unlike a regular RC plane it's very hard to jam too, which is why Uncle Same uses them on drones.


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## XtraGood (May 11, 2021)

DIY-HP-LED said:


> Sub 250 grams are popular and can now do almost everything a larger plane or drone can do.


I was learning about those the other day, the cinewhoops make some nice looking videos.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 12, 2021)

*FPV Drone Flight into the Iceland Volcano*





FPV Drone flight over Fagradalsfjall Volcano in Iceland. I fly right over the lava flows and then into the crater filled with a massive lava lake. The drone was piloted from the ridge on the eastern side about a mile away from the crater. Shot with the DJI FPV Drone with a GoPro 8 mounted on top. The footage was then stabilized in reelsteadygo. Overall an amazing experience. I hope you enjoy the footage! 
Follow me on Instagram @jturner0 for more footage 

The volcano is larger and more powerful than the smaller craters that were erupting earlier this year and it was definitely tricky to fly so close. The wind was helpful in pushing the hot air and gases to the right allowing me to fly more safely to the left of the crater. The trickiest part was dealing with the turbulent air and gases coming out of the volcano and some of the lava flows. I nearly lost control on my second pass into the crater due to all of the air turbulence and just made it out with full throttle. As of this time (end of June 2021) it was no longer possible to get as close to the volcano requiring me to fly from just over a mile away. The DJI FPV drone performed amazingly well and I had almost no signal breakups as long as I stayed in front of the volcano.


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## DIY-HP-LED (Jul 25, 2021)

They would crucify you for making this video in Canada!


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