Zathrus~SPARTA~ Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) This guy got creative... although why he couldn't ask the neighbor to go get his drone off the roof is another question..... Caption with this Vid: Two Months ago my roommate drunkenly lost my small drone on a neighbors roof. Two months later after upgrading to a larger drone I attempted a rescue of the smaller drone using hooks I made from coat hangers. Here is the result. Edited July 25, 2015 by Zathrus~SPARTA~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) VERY cool, and if that was an iPad he had strapped to the controller so he could guide it in, I am getting one of those things, the HD was really good!!Anyone know what tech he was using? Wow, the guy puts up one video and 2 days later it was over 1 million views.... AMAZING. Edited July 25, 2015 by Rocky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
custard~SPARTA~ Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Stunned at the quality of the video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halli~SPARTA~ Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 It was like watching a professional documentary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathrus~SPARTA~ Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) I believe he is using the GoPro cameras. In addition, most of the quad copter drones now have an interface for a tablet or smartphone. *Correction... most of the decent ones have a software interface for a smartphone or tablet. My son-in-law builds his own. His cameras are hooked up to a pair of video glasses. he can put them on and pretend he is in the drone... very cool. Edited July 25, 2015 by Zathrus~SPARTA~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathrus~SPARTA~ Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) If you are technically inclined, I strongly recommend building your own. It will save you significant money, although to build a decent one is still very expensive. But it a lot of fun to design and build them. My son-in-law (an engineer also) gave me this advice after building three... I think he is currently working on building a fourth. As for off the shelf, ready to fly systems, there are PLENTY for a reasonable price. I usually try and find domestic suppliers to buy from when i can but hobbyking.com has warehouse's in the US that make shipping much much faster although selection isn't the best. Quanum_Nova_FPV_GPS_Waypoint_QuadCopter_Mode_2_Ready_to_Fly Quanum_Q_2D_Brushless_GoPro_3_Gimbal_suitable_for_Nova_Phantom_QR_X350_and_others Mind you, this above combo lacks a GoPro HD camera so factor that cost in separately. 3S batteries for that Quanum are 10 to 20 bucks per. 10-15 Min flight time for 2700 Mah battery. You can use a larger battery however, you should know that impacts other flight characteristics such as CoG and maneuverability if that is needed. If you look at flight times, power system configurations will help determine what is achievable. The above out of the box unit is more than accepting of different components but its advised that if you do decided more flight time is needed, scratch building with a custom setup is preferred as the frames available will better suite a wider range of components. Sort of like a computer build. You can achieve great results out of the box but upgrading might be difficult because of the case it comes in for example. My scratch built rule of thumb: Required Thrust per motor = ( Weight x 2 ) / 4 Most motor manufactures will give you a thrust table to give you an idea of what they are capable of in your application. Take note of the Volt section, 11.1V = 3s batt and 14.8V = 4s batt. and the prop combinations that can be had, 8X2.7, 9X3, 11X3.7 ect. Props are length in inches by pitch in degrees. The KV number associated with the motor itself is related to the rpm of the motor per volt with no load. A motor with a higher kV will have more top end speed, but not as much acceleration/torque. A motor with a lower kV will not be as fast, but will accelerate faster. Lower KV, longer prop length and shallower pitch should result in nice long efficient flight times. High KV, short prop length, and aggressive pitch results in a very nimble craft but less efficient flight time. Once your in the air, piloting style is the next preference you have. LOS or line of sight VS FPV or first person view. LOS is virtually expense free but range of craft is limited to your own vision capabilities FPV is like the revolution of the RC industry in the last 2-4 years. This is what got me hooked and dropping made cash on video goggles lol. Don't be fooled by fancy HD videos shown on youtube of FPV flights. Most if not all FPV is an analog RF signal so resolution is mediocre at best. DJI Global has come up with something they call "lightbridge" which is an FPV transmitter/receiver combo that consists of a 2.4G full high-definition digital video transmission system, the maximum transmission 1920 * 1080p @ 30fps full HD video data, measured the effective transmission distance up to 1.7km. $$$$$ This system alone I believe is 1K $$$$$$$ but can you imagine that resolution with lets say Oculus Rift! Some HD goodness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70pusNNunMA http://vimeo.com/111659741 Actual standard definition FPV footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Hk27eOESAXE So, it can be quite interesting and fun to build these. I have been tinkering with the design of one with extended range and flight time, but I am waiting on some super capacitors that I believe will be much lighter than equivalent batteries to become somewhat reasonably priced and readily available. He also recommended these tutorials http://blog.oscarliang.net/build-a-quadcopter-beginners-tutorial-1/ http://www.instructables.com/id/Basic-Quads-Systems-My-Easy-Quad-Build/ BTW the two racing videos in his message to me are hilariously fun to watch. They are first person in the drones like my son-in-law uses. Edited July 25, 2015 by Zathrus~SPARTA~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathrus~SPARTA~ Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) If you do not want to build your own, What research I have done indicates the drones below are about the best bang for the buck. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P309MZ6?tag=top10bestpro-20 http://www.amazon.com/DJI-Phantom-Advanced-Quadcopter-Camera/dp/B00VSIT5UE/ref=dp_ob_title_ce ***<---- This one is on sale for $999 which is a pretty amazing price considering what they have been selling for over the last couple of years. Here is a review one of the DJI Phantoms. In general they have been considered one of the best, but very expensive. that seems to be changing. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/review/digital-home/dji-phantom-2-vision-plus-v30-review-3601232/ They have started getting these ones carrying cameras flight time up to an acceptable length (20 to 30 minutes) I am going to try and design one that can fly for almost an hour. I want to use it to explore the large wash behind me which is full of animals hard to photograph from the ground. But unless I can find light super capacitors with more storage capacity than the batteries they are using, it is going to be a large craft to be able to fly that long... which defeats the purpose since the larger it is, the noisier it is, and the harder it will be to sneak up on something in the desert. Hence... I have been waiting. Super capacitors are coming along.... but they are not there yet. Edited July 25, 2015 by Zathrus~SPARTA~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I found one for half the price with a fish eye lense that was really cool - I might get one, eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathrus~SPARTA~ Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 yes just remember if you want the smooth hi def video the camera must be on a gimble mount. The ones on the DJI Phantoms are anti vibration isolation gimble mounts. With the gopro camera mounted to the gimble, you have high def video recording. But the FPV I believe is still 720p unless the latest one boosts that to 1080p, I didn't look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athlon64~SPARTA~ Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 (edited) There fun to fly, Me being a 12 year R/C pilot, But I heard on the news that a fella in Kentucky shot one down for hovering around in his back yard, and there hampering firefighting operations air drops in California, So poindexter, keep your dam drone away from important stuff and in your own yard, or lose it. When I fly at the R/C club, we must adhear to strict safety regulations or have my AMA card yanked buy the R/C club safety officer. Edited July 31, 2015 by Athlon64~SPARTA~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathrus~SPARTA~ Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 yes there are many people who do not understand the FAA regulations regarding RC aircraft. Lately several new laws were added to specifically deal with drones. dont fly within 5 miles of an airport Dont fly over 500 feet in altitude. Dont fly beyond line of sight Don't fly in known flight paths of other aircraft (ie fires) Those are four that were added for drones in that last 3 years. People need to start paying attention to these laws, they are now gunning to make some examples. They shall as soon as someone gets caught. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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