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Posted: 9/15/2023 9:10:49 AM EDT
I stumbled on this sudden new interest from a YouTube video suggestion. This one:
 FPV Drones – How to start in 2023? DJI O3 The hobby seems like a deep rabbit hole at first glance so I wanted to get some information from someone that's into it. I'm mostly interested in the "flying" in first person part of it, not making cinematic videos. The DJI O3 Air Unit seems to be the go to for high quality first person viewing and the guy in the video suggests this drone: GEPRC Cinebot30 HD O3 FPV From the minor research I've done this is a tinkerer's hobby that can get as complicated as you want to make it. I'd rather simplify it for my interest and see that I need the following: FPV Drone Controller O3 Air Unit(because I want the best quality first person video) Batteries Can anyone provide more information or suggest a website where I can do more research? |
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Posted: 9/15/2023 12:47:13 PM EDT
[Last Edit: TotalUnRecall]
[#1]
Originally Posted By Loonytik: I stumbled on this sudden new interest from a YouTube video suggestion. This one:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJsnMCcjSbAThe hobby seems like a deep rabbit hole at first glance so I wanted to get some information from someone that's into it. I'm mostly interested in the "flying" in first person part of it, not making cinematic videos. The DJI O3 Air Unit seems to be the go to for high quality first person viewing and the guy in the video suggests this drone: GEPRC Cinebot30 HD O3 FPV From the minor research I've done this is a tinkerer's hobby that can get as complicated as you want to make it. I'd rather simplify it for my interest and see that I need the following: FPV Drone Controller O3 Air Unit(because I want the best quality first person video) Batteries Can anyone provide more information or suggest a website where I can do more research? You, sir, are going down a rabbit hole no matter what way you look at it. I now have 7 FPV drones and an 8th one being built. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. First things first, get a controller and buy a sim. ELRS is the new hotness but I run TBS crossfire for its ease of use and ability to penetrate through obstacles. Find a TBS Tango 2 Pro. You won't need a module or anything plus it's not big and bulky. What are you looking to do with the drone exactly? You said just flying around and not cinematic. You wanna go crazy and do flips and all kinds of tricks? ETA: Have you flown a drone before? I had a couple DJI drones and I had to break bad habits. ONLY fly in Acro mode. Flying in angle mode will build bad habits. It will get a little frustrating but it'll eventually "click". That being said it's one of the coolest things I've done. It's kinda like being a bird if that makes sense.  GOD MODE Activated ? | FPV Freestyle |
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Posted: 9/15/2023 1:47:07 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Loonytik]
[#2]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Keith1980: You, sir, are going down a rabbit hole no matter what way you look at it. I now have 7 FPV drones and an 8th one being built. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. First things first, get a controller and buy a sim. ELRS is the new hotness but I run TBS crossfire for its ease of use and ability to penetrate through obstacles. Find a TBS Tango 2 Pro. You won't need a module or anything plus it's not big and bulky. What are you looking to do with the drone exactly? You said just flying around and not cinematic. You wanna go crazy and do flips and all kinds of tricks? ETA: Have you flown a drone before? I had a couple DJI drones and I had to break bad habits. ONLY fly in Acro mode. Flying in angle mode will build bad habits. It will get a little frustrating but it'll eventually "click". That being said it's one of the coolest things I've done. It's kinda like being a bird if that makes sense. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wat4SlyJSHsI want to be a bird.  Not really interested in tricks/flips/stunts etc. More interested in the sensation of flying like a bird and seeing it in first person. I'll probably record and may even put together videos but, that's not the first motivation. 1. Controller with SIM is first on my list - Which controller? Radiomaster TX16S? TBS Tango Pro 2? 2. The drone I posted says it's ELRS  3. How long is the flight time normally? I'm seeing 10 minutes for the drone I posted. Less than 6 minutes with an added GoPro. 4. Yes, I've flown before but, I only have the old DJI Spark. It's fairly fast in "Sport" mode. Thanks for the help. If it's easier to PM that's fine with me. ETA: This drone has the O3 Air Unit also: Explorer LR 4 HD  |
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Posted: 9/15/2023 2:27:34 PM EDT
[Last Edit: TotalUnRecall]
[#3]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: I want to be a bird. Not really interested in tricks/flips/stunts etc. More interested in the sensation of flying like a bird and seeing it in first person. I'll probably record and may even put together videos but, that's not the first motivation. 1. Controller with SIM is first on my list - Which controller? Radiomaster TX16S? TBS Tango Pro 2? 2. The drone I posted says it's ELRS https://geprc.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cinebot30-HD-O3-FPV-4-800x800.jpg 3. How long is the flight time normally? I'm seeing 10 minutes for the drone I posted. Less than 6 minutes with an added GoPro. 4. Yes, I've flown before but, I only have the old DJI Spark. It's fairly fast in "Sport" mode. Thanks for the help. If it's easier to PM that's fine with me. ETA: This drone has the O3 Air Unit also: Explorer LR 4 HD https://img-va.myshopline.com/image/store/2004172091/1673593876355/817cd98a2f828e8fc3df1db2bb8820c1_1944x.jpg?w=2000&h=2000 1. Go with the Tango 2 Pro. It just works. Crossfire will give you less of a headache than ELRS. 2. If you're only getting one just get a 5". It will give you room to grow and will do everything you want plus more. I recommend THIS if you don't feel like building. I have a Deadcat and the X version. Very good frame and can take a beating. 3. Flight time will depend on how hard you fly. Just cruising around you can get almost 10 min. If you start going hard on the throttle cut that time down to 5-6 min. 4. Forget everything you've learned on that. The plus side is at least you already know what the throttle/yaw and pitch/roll sticks do, kinda. There is no GPS and no leveling crutches to stand on. I haven't clocked mine but they will go over 100mph if I had to guess. Also, learn Betaflight. It seems a bit much at first but it will all make sense. I'll shoot you a PM with my direct email because you WILL have a lot more questions, and I don't mind answering them. I love talking about this stuff. ETA: You SAY you aren't interested in tricks and flips, but I bet money you'll change your mind once you start getting decent at flying around. Also, buy props, lots of them. They're cheap and you will break them. If you decide to go with that drone let me know and I can tell you what props have been the best for me. |
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Posted: 9/15/2023 3:04:49 PM EDT
[#4]
Right on.
Email sent. |
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Posted: 9/16/2023 5:58:38 AM EDT
[#5]
I've been out of the hobby for a minute, so I'm not educated on the latest and greatest.
I own the two radios you are looking at. Well, an older model of the Radiomaster TX16S with the 4in1 module. A great radio with a lot that you can program and setup, but I never needed more than 4 switches and maybe a pot knob. It's a large radio, so not the greatest to carry around in a backpack. I ended up putting it away because I wanted to try TBS Tracer link and also bought the TBS Mambo radio. The TBS Tango 2 Pro is my favorite radio. I had one that I wanted to use as a EDC-type use. Small size with foldable gimbles and antenna made it easy to pack away. For a starter quad, from my experience I would probably not go with a pusher cine-style quad. They fly and react different from other quads. Maybe I had a bad experience with my Beta95x, but it was enough for me to not buy another. Also, you didn't mention anything about goggles. With the O3 Air unit, your options are the DJI V2 googles and the Goggles 2? The only real thing I can say about DJI is that they are expensive. I have the V2 goggles and use them with Caddx Vista units. Gread video quality, but don't like the latency especially when flying longer distances and behind structures. Other than that, I fly an analog setup for most racing and couple freestyle quads. |
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Posted: 9/16/2023 6:25:07 AM EDT
[#6]
DJI V2, TBS Tango 2 Pro, and 5 inch 6S freestyle build.
 Attached File7 inch 6S long-range build  Attached File3 inch 4S freestyle build.  Attached File |
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Posted: 9/16/2023 12:47:36 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WTFShane: DJI V2, TBS Tango 2 Pro, and 5 inch 6S freestyle build. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/283502/20230916_001144_jpg-2955559.JPG 7 inch 6S long-range build https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/283502/20230916_000855_jpg-2955560.JPG 3 inch 4S freestyle build. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/283502/20230916_001251_jpg-2955561.JPG Awesome! I need to do a 3” build. Also, not sure if you care but the CNC gimbals are worth the price of admission. 
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CA, USA
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Posted: 9/16/2023 12:59:12 PM EDT
[Last Edit: uglygun]
[#8]
If going 5inch and building it.
Consider a 1750kv build on a 6 inch frame. 1750kv with 6inch props on 4s is a nice gentle cruiser with decent flight times. Then if you want to rip you can slap on 5 inch props and run a 6s battery under a different PID profile meant for the 6 inch batteries. Flown everything FPV from small 2.5-3inch to X class 13in on 8s while designing and cutting my own frames while deigning my own 3D printing my own TPU parts. Have not flown much in past 2-3 years as went back to working on my project car. |
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Posted: 9/16/2023 1:43:44 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WTFShane: I've been out of the hobby for a minute, so I'm not educated on the latest and greatest. I own the two radios you are looking at. Well, an older model of the Radiomaster TX16S with the 4in1 module. A great radio with a lot that you can program and setup, but I never needed more than 4 switches and maybe a pot knob. It's a large radio, so not the greatest to carry around in a backpack. I ended up putting it away because I wanted to try TBS Tracer link and also bought the TBS Mambo radio. The TBS Tango 2 Pro is my favorite radio. I had one that I wanted to use as a EDC-type use. Small size with foldable gimbles and antenna made it easy to pack away. For a starter quad, from my experience I would probably not go with a pusher cine-style quad. They fly and react different from other quads. Maybe I had a bad experience with my Beta95x, but it was enough for me to not buy another. Also, you didn't mention anything about goggles. With the O3 Air unit, your options are the DJI V2 googles and the Goggles 2? The only real thing I can say about DJI is that they are expensive. I have the V2 goggles and use them with Caddx Vista units. Gread video quality, but don't like the latency especially when flying longer distances and behind structures. Other than that, I fly an analog setup for most racing and couple freestyle quads. Very cool quads! I'll probably use the Goggles 2 but, I plan to get a radio and fly sim for a while first. I'm more interested in having good video quality while I fly. |
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Posted: 9/16/2023 2:08:59 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: Very cool quads! I'll probably use the Goggles 2 but, I plan to get a radio and fly sim for a while first. I'm more interested in having good video quality while I fly. You can find the V2 goggles pretty cheap since they released the Goggles 2. The V2 actually has a bit less latency. I still run analog on a few quads, especially on my tiny whoops. I can sit in my recliner and terrorize the family. 
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Posted: 9/16/2023 2:54:03 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Keith1980: You can find the V2 goggles pretty cheap since they released the Goggles 2. The V2 actually has a bit less latency. I still run analog on a few quads, especially on my tiny whoops. I can sit in my recliner and terrorize the family. Also would like to add that the O3 Air unit can work with the V2 goggles, but the Goggles 2 are not backwards compatible with Air and Vista units. The O3 Air units are pricey. I have a 60lb pit mix and he is terrified when I fly the Tinyhawk indoors.
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Posted: 9/16/2023 2:58:34 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Keith1980: Awesome! I need to do a 3” build. Also, not sure if you care but the CNC gimbals are worth the price of admission. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/262514/IMG_2822-2955843.jpg I've been wanting to try them out for my Mambo, but heard of problems with the initial batch. The stock gimbals feel pretty decent and I'm not at a skilled enough level to really benefit from it. |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 9/16/2023 3:36:33 PM EDT
[#13]
I can tell you from experience that having Analog makes it easy to make a drone very low light capable.
Runcam Night Eagle or Night Owl and you can basically rip under moon light with some street lights. Throw some IR LEDs into the mix powered off a 5v regulator you can fly around in a space so dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face.  DJI may have the multipathing issue licked for giving HD flying experience but Analog still has some tricks up it's sleeve that DJI wont really give you. Also, fuck the FAA and airborne ID bullshit. |
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Posted: 9/16/2023 11:11:11 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WTFShane: I've been wanting to try them out for my Mambo, but heard of problems with the initial batch. The stock gimbals feel pretty decent and I'm not at a skilled enough level to really benefit from it. I have the second batch. It was a magnet issue for the sensor which they fixed. I've only been flying for about a couple months but let me tell you, these gimbals are the tits. I'm not the best but here's about where I'm at now. I actually learned a bit more after this video. I was getting on the throttle way too early when pitching up after the Split S. Also, FWIW, I'm a thumber.  FPV practice (Boring same park) 2 months flying |
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Posted: 9/16/2023 11:16:36 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By uglygun: I can tell you from experience that having Analog makes it easy to make a drone very low light capable. Runcam Night Eagle or Night Owl and you can basically rip under moon light with some street lights. Throw some IR LEDs into the mix powered off a 5v regulator you can fly around in a space so dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face. https://i.imgur.com/7Yckt59.jpeg DJI may have the multipathing issue licked for giving HD flying experience but Analog still has some tricks up it's sleeve that DJI wont really give you. Also, fuck the FAA and airborne ID bullshit. Yup. Fuck the FAA. I run analog on my tinywhoops and a Cinelog25 and Cinelog35 Performance. I think my next build might be a freestyle 5" with analog. There's just something about analog that I like. Reminds me of watching Saturday morning cartoons on a tube TV in the 80's. |
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Posted: 9/17/2023 11:20:31 AM EDT
[#16]
How do the FAA regs factor into FPV drones? I had to get a number assigned to my Spark a while ago and sometimes have to "unlock" a zone before it will allow takeoff.
Are FPV's the same? Locked by GPS geolocation? Also, considering this radio since you can attach modules for any standard(and it's not $300): Radiomaster Zorro 
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Posted: 9/17/2023 12:39:05 PM EDT
[Last Edit: TotalUnRecall]
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: How do the FAA regs factor into FPV drones? I had to get a number assigned to my Spark a while ago and sometimes have to "unlock" a zone before it will allow takeoff. Are FPV's the same? Locked by GPS geolocation? Also, considering this radio since you can attach modules for any standard(and it's not $300): Radiomaster Zorro https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51mClnd-vIL._AC_SL1000_.jpg Nope. No geo-locking these drones, even if you do run a GPS module. Plug the battery in and just fly. The FAA only cares about weight. Anything 250 grams or heavier is supposed to have an ID module. All my quads identify as sub 250. I wouldn't get the Zorro. The gimbals are actually "mini" and not full sized. Gives you less resolution with the stick movements. And you can add a module to the Tango 2 if you decide to run ELRS down the road.ETA: The Tango can output 1 watt with the built in module, which is awesome. I usually just run 200mw (250mw? can't remember) or even 500mw. |
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Posted: 9/18/2023 6:30:18 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Loonytik]
[#18]
I ordered a Tango 2 Pro. Next step is a SIM when it gets here.
Any websites yall recommend for ordering? I bought the Tango 2 from Helidirect. I figure my next purchase will be the goggles. ETA: I'm leaning toward the Goggles 2 since they have a higher resolution than the V2. The V2's are much cheaper but, I'll probably wait until the Black Friday sales time frame to buy goggles anyway and cross my fingers on finding a sale. |
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Posted: 9/18/2023 8:27:51 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: I ordered a Tango 2 Pro. Next step is a SIM when it gets here. Any websites yall recommend for ordering? I bought the Tango 2 from Helidirect. I figure my next purchase will be the goggles. ETA: I'm leaning toward the Goggles 2 since they have a higher resolution than the V2. The V2's are much cheaper but, I'll probably wait until the Black Friday sales time frame to buy goggles anyway and cross my fingers on finding a sale. Pyrodrone, RaceDayQuads, and GetFPV. |
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Posted: 9/21/2023 9:13:26 AM EDT
[#20]
TBS Tango 2 Pro came in yesterday. Got it charged up and downloaded two SIMS to try:
Liftoff and Tryp FPV First person drone journey starts today. 
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Posted: 9/21/2023 4:07:47 PM EDT
[Last Edit: TotalUnRecall]
[#21]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: TBS Tango 2 Pro came in yesterday. Got it charged up and downloaded two SIMS to try: Liftoff and Tryp FPV First person drone journey starts today. Good stuff!! Also look into Velocidrone. That and Liftoff seem to be the main two sims. ETA: Do you thumb or pinch the sticks? If you thumb I’ll recommend some stick ends. I went through a bunch until I found some that just feel right. |
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Posted: 9/21/2023 8:57:22 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Keith1980: Good stuff!! Also look into Velocidrone. That and Liftoff seem to be the main two sims. ETA: Do you thumb or pinch the sticks? If you thumb I’ll recommend some stick ends. I went through a bunch until I found some that just feel right. I "thumb" the sticks. I spent about 1.5 hours this afternoon flying around in the SIM and crashed A LOT. I was running through the tutorials and then just decided to free fly to get the hang of the movement without being so close to the ground. That worked better. All I did was calibrate the controller. I haven't changed any settings so far. |
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Posted: 9/21/2023 9:02:58 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: I "thumb" the sticks. I spent about 1.5 hours this afternoon flying around in the SIM and crashed A LOT. I was running through the tutorials and then just decided to free fly to get the hang of the movement without being so close to the ground. That worked better. All I did was calibrate the controller. I haven't changed any settings so far. Check THESE out. Your thumb has a perfect indentation to rest in and I really just fly better with them. It's all subjective but they're cheap. |
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Posted: 9/22/2023 1:40:41 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Keith1980: Check THESE out. Your thumb has a perfect indentation to rest in and I really just fly better with them. It's all subjective but they're cheap. Ordered some similar, thanks! |
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Posted: 9/22/2023 8:55:14 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: Ordered some similar, thanks! Which one’s? Got a link? I’m curious if I have them. |
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Posted: 9/24/2023 5:24:37 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Keith1980: Which one’s? Got a link? I’m curious if I have them. I bought the "umbrella" style. These: Amazon link - Apex RC Unbrella Gimbal Sticks I'm not sure if it was the hours or the sticks that made a difference but, at about 3 hours the SIM drone mechanics seemed to "click" and I started to have a lot more control over what was happening. Still a long way to go but, that was a big confidence boost. 4 hours of SIM time now. |
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Posted: 9/24/2023 5:31:35 PM EDT
[Last Edit: TotalUnRecall]
[#27]
I haven’t tried those yet actually. Maybe I will just because. And yea, things will just “click” like that. Practice a lot of figure 8’s if you aren’t already. I messed myself up at first because my thumbs seemed to do a lot better turning left so I kept practicing turning right. Practiced so much now I’m better at turning right but better at left roll and yaw moves. Every time I go fly I make a point to practice everything both ways. I also fly a tiny whoop inside every day and it helps, especially with reaction time.
ETA: Since you have the same Tx would you mind posting a pic of them installed? Trying to see how big they actually are. |
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Posted: 9/28/2023 7:03:38 AM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Keith1980: I haven’t tried those yet actually. Maybe I will just because. And yea, things will just “click” like that. Practice a lot of figure 8’s if you aren’t already. I messed myself up at first because my thumbs seemed to do a lot better turning left so I kept practicing turning right. Practiced so much now I’m better at turning right but better at left roll and yaw moves. Every time I go fly I make a point to practice everything both ways. I also fly a tiny whoop inside every day and it helps, especially with reaction time. ETA: Since you have the same Tx would you mind posting a pic of them installed? Trying to see how big they actually are. Big. Stock stick in the middle for reference.  |
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Posted: 9/28/2023 8:21:24 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: Big. Stock stick in the middle for reference. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53219209636_786c59f782_b.jpg How do they look folded? |
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Posted: 9/28/2023 5:34:24 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WTFShane: How do they look folded? 
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Posted: 9/28/2023 8:45:57 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: Big. Stock stick in the middle for reference. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53219209636_786c59f782_b.jpg Damn those are chonky!! I may try them just because I'm curious, but they might be too much. |
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Posted: 9/28/2023 10:49:19 PM EDT
[#32]
I ordered the Frysky stick ends, similar to those. I also did the FCC hack on my goggles. Easy to do and gives me more channels (I'm sure of that) and supposedly more power, although I have no actually way to test that. I have some equipment being a HAM but not that kind of shit.
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Posted: 9/29/2023 8:15:58 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Keith1980: I ordered the Frysky stick ends, similar to those. I also did the FCC hack on my goggles. Easy to do and gives me more channels (I'm sure of that) and supposedly more power, although I have no actually way to test that. I have some equipment being a HAM but not that kind of shit. What's the FCC Hack? I think I"m to the point of messing with my rates inside the SIM for more control. Been flying with everything default so far but, I don't have much control in tight spaces yet. |
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Posted: 9/29/2023 8:21:28 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: What's the FCC Hack? I think I"m to the point of messing with my rates inside the SIM for more control. Been flying with everything default so far but, I don't have much control in tight spaces yet. You put an empty .txt file with a certain name on the SD card and just turn them on. Done. And yea, you’ll be messing with the rates as you go. I have my yaw rate waaaay faster than the rest so I don’t have to move it away from center as much. That helped me a lot. |
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Posted: 10/3/2023 9:47:12 PM EDT
[#35]
Do the online drone retailers run Black Friday sales like the rest of the free world?
I should have enough hours on the sim at that point that I'll be ready to make a goggle and drone purchase. Might as well save some cash. |
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Posted: 10/4/2023 8:50:26 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: Do the online drone retailers run Black Friday sales like the rest of the free world? I should have enough hours on the sim at that point that I'll be ready to make a goggle and drone purchase. Might as well save some cash. Good question. I'm too impatient to wait so I wouldn't know. |
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Posted: 10/5/2023 12:05:01 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: Do the online drone retailers run Black Friday sales like the rest of the free world? I should have enough hours on the sim at that point that I'll be ready to make a goggle and drone purchase. Might as well save some cash. Yes. Some of the bigger ones do, but we will have to see how this year goes. www.racedayquads.com runs deals all the time. |
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Posted: 10/5/2023 1:15:29 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By broken_reticle: Yes. Some of the bigger ones do, but we will have to see how this year goes. www.racedayquads.com runs deals all the time. Good point. The supply has been a little lower so the deals may not be there. Ukraine is buying up all the shit I guess. |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 10/14/2023 2:12:33 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WTFShane: Pyrodrone, RaceDayQuads, and GetFPV. GetFPV is on my lower end of the spectrum to by from. Mostly because the price hike across the board with the Trump tariffs while other companies only raised prices on effected items. Pyrodrone RaceDay ReadyMadeRC ReadyMade used to have amazing black friday/cyber monday deals where stuff would drop by 1% every 5 minutes until somebody bought it. Would be a weird contest of people staying up super late to see if they could save 20-25% on fatsharks while not getting sniped by somebody content with 19-24%. |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 10/14/2023 2:21:42 AM EDT
[#40]
For the new guy...
Start looking at your curves for the control rates. People usually refer to it as "expo". But basically you want a low slope near origin of your Pitch/roll axis. Then as you move the stick towards it's limits it will ramp up quickly. This lets you numb the flight behavior when wanting to be smooth with minor corrections but yet still have quick response/twitch movements to make major corrections quickly. I used to be up around 1000 deg/second but I think I turned my rates down to around 800-850. Have not opened betaflight in forever to say what my expo is. Different quads kinda get different rates. But consider this. Know that whole saying about beware the man that only owns one gun? Quads are similar, muscle memory will be a thing. It will take awhile to find what style of quad you like and power envelope, for a year I was buying parts to build a quad a month while exploring all kinds of shit. But dudes like Mr Steele found a combo theg liked and they stuck to it and learned it inside and out. They do not make huge changes until it is an absolute necessity then they stick to it. |
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Posted: 10/14/2023 1:03:58 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By uglygun: It will take awhile to find what style of quad you like and power envelope, for a year I was buying parts to build a quad a month while exploring all kinds of shit. I'd add props to that as well. I have a bunch of props I'll probably never use now. I thought I liked higher pitch props so I have a bunch of the HQ 5x4.3x5's. Ended up loving lower pitch so I mainly run the Ethix Watermelons and PBJ's. I have a Deadcat that's a little heavier so I run the Ethix S4's on that. I like the lower throttle control better and can hit gaps a lot easier. |
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Posted: 10/16/2023 9:52:25 AM EDT
[#42]
I've got about 13 hours in the SIM now and am able to control the quad fairly easy. I'm still missing gates when I "race" but it's getting better with each session. I've built the quads inside the SIM to match as closely as possible to the ones I'm considering buying(based on weight, size, props, etc). I also switched my sticks back to the stock ones on the Tango 2 pro and seem to have better control.
I've tweaked the rates inside the SIM but, they aren't the same as Betaflight. You don't have as many options in the SIM and unless I'm missing something...you need an actual quad to hook up to Betaflight. |
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Posted: 10/16/2023 3:31:00 PM EDT
[#43]
You using "Actual" rates in the SIM?
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Posted: 10/16/2023 6:10:20 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TotalUnRecall: You using "Actual" rates in the SIM? Yes, using actual rates. |
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Posted: 10/16/2023 11:03:54 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: Yes, using actual rates. Well the physics are off in SIMS, so it'll never be perfect. Most of the stuff that's not in the SIM is just handled by the, "AI". Liftoff is definitely more "floaty" than the real thing. I found Velocidrone to have the best physics but I still like Liftoff better. What are you looking for that's not there? |
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Posted: 10/16/2023 11:28:06 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: I've got about 13 hours in the SIM now and am able to control the quad fairly easy. I'm still missing gates when I "race" but it's getting better with each session. I've built the quads inside the SIM to match as closely as possible to the ones I'm considering buying(based on weight, size, props, etc). I also switched my sticks back to the stock ones on the Tango 2 pro and seem to have better control. I've tweaked the rates inside the SIM but, they aren't the same as Betaflight. You don't have as many options in the SIM and unless I'm missing something...you need an actual quad to hook up to Betaflight. Just the FC. |
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Posted: 10/17/2023 12:09:30 AM EDT
[Last Edit: slappomatt]
[#47]
DJI is the standard. DJI sucks. I fly walksnail which is a smaller Chinese company who used to be a dji distributor who picked up the slack of DJI poor to non existent customer service and is mostly giving people what they want. its a bit cheaper, and they have more options, and much faster development, but they have less than half the market share of DJI. and the image quality is a bit less. still very good mind you. but not up to 03.
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Posted: 10/18/2023 4:46:49 PM EDT
[#48]
Originally Posted By TotalUnRecall: Well the physics are off in SIMS, so it'll never be perfect. Most of the stuff that's not in the SIM is just handled by the, "AI". Liftoff is definitely more "floaty" than the real thing. I found Velocidrone to have the best physics but I still like Liftoff better. What are you looking for that's not there? I find the quad in Liftoff floats off course sometimes, especially when I'm making hard turns through gates. I'll float right past the gate entrance by a large amount. I'm not really looking for anything in particular that's not there. I just wish I could match the SIM quad exactly to the quads I'm looking at buying with the recommended rates. It would be nice if it worked with goggles easily as well. Overall, it's just a game and I'm using it to get the basics down. If anyone sees a deal on the Goggles 2 please let me know. I'm going to pick those up next. |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 10/18/2023 5:09:29 PM EDT
[Last Edit: uglygun]
[#49]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Loonytik: I find the quad in Liftoff floats off course sometimes, especially when I'm making hard turns through gates. I'll float right past the gate entrance by a large amount. I'm not really looking for anything in particular that's not there. I just wish I could match the SIM quad exactly to the quads I'm looking at buying with the recommended rates. It would be nice if it worked with goggles easily as well. Overall, it's just a game and I'm using it to get the basics down. If anyone sees a deal on the Goggles 2 please let me know. I'm going to pick those up next. What is the simulated camera uptilt? Racing drones use anywhere from 40-60 degrees uptilt and as you throw uptilt into the quad your roll axis acts more as yaw while your yaw becomes more of inverted roll. But the effect od the uptilt is that the quad pulls itself through the turns better. No uptilt to 20 degrees makes the thing like a hockey puck on an air hockey table. If you are yawing before trying to throw roll then thatbis likely why you are over shooting. Had a friend doing that, he would yaw then have to use pitch. Rather than roll and mix in some yaw. He was smacking into things due to yawing first, get the roll into the mix and the thrust vector will help in flying the quad through the gates better for low tilt. The sims never really get this correct and the mass of the quad in real life really helps you feel the change when you can experiment in real life. Doing a dive with low uptilt and pulling out/flaring is relatively easy and natural because your thrust vector tracks logically to how your brain sees the horizon. On a high uptilt quad when you view the horizon you are vectoring a small fraction of thrust against gravity plus the speed you are carrying, unless you have muscle memory to basically flare to look directly at the sky doing a high speed dive with high uptilt is sketch 9000. High uptilt will make your flight times around 50% shorter than that of a low tilt setup of 20deg or less. That is why MultiGP races are like barely 2 minutes, their batteries just wont last because they need the throttle to stay in the air. I built a quad with adjustable 0-60+ degree uptilt on a servo mechanism that I could adjust while flying(actually 2 cameras on servos with one inverted for inverted flight). Thing was a trip to adjust to high tilt mode after flying it in low tilt. The last quad I built and semi-designed |
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Posted: 10/18/2023 5:51:16 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By uglygun: What is the simulated camera uptilt? Racing drones use anywhere from 40-60 degrees uptilt and as you throw uptilt into the quad your roll axis acts more as yaw while your yaw becomes more of inverted roll. But the effect od the uptilt is that the quad pulls itself through the turns better. No uptilt to 20 degrees makes the thing like a hockey puck on an air hockey table. If you are yawing before trying to throw roll then thatbis likely why you are over shooting. Had a friend doing that, he would yaw then have to use pitch. Rather than roll and mix in some yaw. He was smacking into things due to yawing first, get the roll into the mix and the thrust vector will help in flying the quad through the gates better for low tilt. The sims never really get this correct and the mass of the quad in real life really helps you feel the change when you can experiment in real life. Doing a dive with low uptilt and pulling out/flaring is relatively easy and natural because your thrust vector tracks logically to how your brain sees the horizon. On a high uptilt quad when you view the horizon you are vectoring a small fraction of thrust against gravity plus the speed you are carrying, unless you have muscle memory to basically flare to look directly at the sky doing a high speed dive with high uptilt is sketch 9000. High uptilt will make your flight times around 50% shorter than that of a low tilt setup of 20deg or less. That is why MultiGP races are like barely 2 minutes, their batteries just wont last because they need the throttle to stay in the air. I built a quad with adjustable 0-60+ degree uptilt on a servo mechanism that I could adjust while flying(actually 2 cameras on servos with one inverted for inverted flight). Thing was a trip to adjust to high tilt mode after flying it in low tilt. The last quad I built and semi-designed You can adjust the camera angle/uptilt on the fly. I've never flown over 35 in the SIM. I'm only flying the "races" to get better at flying and hitting specific points. I'm not currently interested in racing. I'm probably adding in more Yaw before roll when floating by. I'll try to remember to do more of a roll and adjust with Yaw and see if that fixes my fly by issues. It makes sense. Puck on an air hockey table is the best analogy I've heard for what is happening. |
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