I Have a Drone: DFD Takes Flight

[dubshow]

We dont really have much int he way of hobby threads, maybe a catch all area? Anyway. I've been impressed with how far quads have come for tech/$.

Last weekend after a good bit of research I picked up both a 5" typ race quad with FPV (first person view camera) and a DJI Phantom 3 standard for some photography and mapping.

Both are incredibly different. The DJI is one of the best support and OTS drone options but the DIY homebrew stuff is getting super fast/cool. The DJI is more a tool to do things and not "fun" to fly but takes great photos and vids. The arris x220 is WAY faster than my skills.

Anyway, just curious if anyone else is home brewing RC stuff. Pretty well supported online. Initial buy in with controller, LiPo batteries and charger is a bit steep ~$180. The drone itself isnt too bad at ~$150. can be built for under $100 with cheap stuff. They carry a universal chassis structure and motor mounts.

I had about 20 seconds of flight time and I accidentally did a flip, which led to a small crash and a slightly toasted motor/prop. The small quad doesnt hover nearly as well as the DJI. It just wants to go, and VERY FAST. Im also going to get a sim to run with my controller to get better flight skills.

[dubshow]

The used DJI I picked up for $350 with case


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[dubshow]

[Acid666]

Well the puppers likes it, so it's money well spent. Lol

[Johnny_P]

[Apex]

In4 crashingdronesintowalls

[KYGTIGuy]

[razr390]

I had a drone thread first but I guess I was the Native American to Dubshow’s Christopher Columbus.

[dubshow]

I had a drone thread first but I guess I was the Native American to Dubshow’s Christopher Columbus.

Links? I know you have one. But I couldn't find it. Share away in here. I'm catalogingy bullshit of the diy stuff here.

[razr390]

I had a drone thread first but I guess I was the Native American to Dubshow’s Christopher Columbus.

Links? I know you have one. But I couldn't find it. Share away in here. I'm catalogingy bullshit of the diy stuff here.

I think mine was in the Art/Photography section doe. So

[dubshow]

The dog ate the race drone charger, cables and 1 battery.

[Tar]

The dog ate the race drone charger, cables and 1 battery.

that was short lived. Well, thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed the thread.

[razr390]

/closethread

[dubshow]

The dog ate the race drone charger, cables and 1 battery.

that was short lived. Well, thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed the thread.

ordered replacement battery. Will rewire charger cables. Im also waiting on a replacement motor. One got hit too hard and its slightly out of wack in tolerance.

[KYGTIGuy]

The dog ate the race drone charger, cables and 1 battery.

Dang.

[razr390]

The dog ate the race drone charger, cables and 1 battery.

Good

The dog was doing what it was told! Dat gubment surveillance

[dubshow]

The dog ate the race drone charger, cables and 1 battery.

Good

Dog is locked in kennel now

[Tar]

Good

Dog is locked in kennel now

They get kisses we get kicks...

[goIftdibrad]

/closethread

[dubshow]

All parts arrived. Thanks prime on sunday! I soldered the new motor in. Installed new props and replaced a lost screw on camera mount. Its 100% again for race drone.

I need to read more into proper ESC "electronic speed controllers" theory for motor control. The drone guys throw all this crazy lingo and abbreviations around like I just know what it all means.

Basically for ESC, you have 2 options. 4 indivual ones mounted inline between the motor and controller hub. Or you have an all in 1 unit and the motor solders directly to the 1 board. For motor replacement, I can see the value of the inline unit mounted on the arm. Much easier spot to solder/replace than taking the center hub apart to access the small board.

singles:




all in one:

[dubshow]

There are advantages and disadvantages to both. If you opt for the 4in1 ESC, you don’t have to deal with soldering/wiring any power distribution boards, and you can just install the ESC with no fuss. Job done in 2 minutes. 4 in 1 ESC’s are also usualy cheaper than buying four individual ESC’s. However, the main disadvantage is that if one of the ESC fail in this module you will need to replace the entire unit which is a bit costly and annoying. This is obviously not the case with four separate ESCs. If one fails, you can simply replace this one ESC and get flying again.

Tip: In my experience, I have almost always used four separate ESCs and a PDB. I do not find that the soldering of the ESCs onto the PDB is that tiresome and I prefer the flexibility four separate ESCs offer. However, the 4in1 could save you money and they rarely fail; the choice is really up to you!

so there you go. i found my answer.

[KYGTIGuy]

If one fails during flight could you limp it back to you, like if it was over some water? In other words, can it fly with only 3 rotors working?

[dubshow]

If one fails during flight could you limp it back to you, like if it was over some water? In other words, can it fly with only 3 rotors working?

its pretty much a spectacular failure. I had a motor that was failing after my crash. it would randomly stop and you lose nearly all control instantly. The others over compensate and it will flip over quickly.

[dubshow]

Holy hell this thing goes. Got a video I think. The camera was out of adjustment. I think it's good now. Will have to refly. The chassis flexed out of clearance. Has 2 minor crashes. Broke 1 prop.

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[dubshow]

Some how I fried the rc receiver. Saw smoke. Unsure. Replaced parts and It lives.


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