14
votes
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Storing drones during the winter
I can't speak for your specific drone, but I have experience with electronics and cold weather.
I would definitely store the batteries in the warm, and check the manufacturer's guidelines for the ...
- 5,956
11
votes
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How can I configure a servo in Betaflight?
There are multiple ways to enable servos in BetaFlight, but since you need only one servo it is recommended to use SERVO_TILT.
For servo to work you need a free ...
- 550
11
votes
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Flying a UAV with a banner?
It should be possible so long as the aircraft has enough spare thrust and lift to counteract the drag and weight. Many model aircraft have good power-to-weight compared to their full size equivalent.
...
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11
votes
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Beginner looking to try a DIY plane, any suggestions on a kit?
Probably the easiest way to get started building planes these days is with foam board models, such as those popularised by FliteTest. Foam board is a 5mm thick non-beaded polystyrene foam sheet with a ...
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10
votes
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What are good specifications for a intermediate medium priced quadcopter?
Okay, as someone who has just recently passed through this stage, here's my take on it. Almost all of the considerations below stem from the maxim that the best drone for you is one that you will fly ...
- 2,957
10
votes
What should I look for when choosing an FPV camera?
When choosing an FPV camera, there are several things that you need to look out for:
Sensor Technology
Most modern FPV cameras use a CMOS sensor. These are digital sensors that generally tend to have ...
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9
votes
What should I look for when buying FPV goggles?
There are several factors that are important for what FPV goggles are right for you:
Type
The first thing you’ll notice is that there are two main types of FPV goggles: slimline and box.
Slimline ...
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9
votes
Flying a UAV with a banner?
It is definitely possible to attach a banner to an RC plane. There are many people who have done it and It should be relatively simple. Some things to consider are:
Use a very lightweight material ...
- 5,642
9
votes
What do the numbers mean on a brushless DC motor?
A four-digit number (e.g. 2212)
This number describes the dimensions of the stator inside the motor. The first two digits are the diameter (in mm) and the second two digits are the height (again, in ...
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8
votes
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How fragile are the SMA connectors used in FPV equipment?
According to electronics-notes.com, the mating cycle rating for the SMA/RP-SMA connector is 500 cycles. However, it is important to note that this rating assumes that the connection and disconnection ...
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7
votes
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What should I keep in mind when picking my first drone?
An important first step to take when getting into drones is learning to fly them. The very first drone I would recommend to someone is a cheap drone that can be used to learn to fly. It can be ...
- 5,642
7
votes
Why is an MPU6000 more well suited for drones than an ICM IMU?
It's not superior, it's just good enough, cheap enough and may be more noise resistant than ICM20602.
There's a bunch of flight controllers with dual IMUs onboard. For example, Lumenier Lux F7 has ...
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6
votes
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What affects the total flight time for a drone?
I'd watch out for several factors:
1. Weight
Drop any additional weight that you don't absolutely need for functioning. This may mean downsizing to smaller motors, which obviously means that you have ...
- 1,033
6
votes
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Differences between brushed and brushless motors - advantanges and disadvantages of each
They are very different.
Brushed motors
Brushed motors are good for toy grade drones for a couple of reasons: they are cheaper and don’t require ESCs, which would add extra cost and complexity.
...
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6
votes
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One motor on quadcopter broken
So this method will vary based on whether they are brushed or brushless motors.
For brushed:
Spin the propeller with your fingers - is anything actively resisting the motion?
If yes, remove the ...
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6
votes
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Difference between a 3 and 6 axis gyro
There is actually no such thing as a 6-axis gyro; the correct term for this is "IMU", which stands for "Inertial Measurement Unit". An IMU is a device that combines several inertial sensors that ...
- 2,957
6
votes
Why is an MPU6000 more well suited for drones than an ICM IMU?
There has been a good deal of discussion on this topic, and it has been no small source of conflict between several of the main firmware players in the high-performance DIY drone flight controller ...
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6
votes
Is there a method to wire a brushless motor to an ESC so it spins in the required direction first time?
Without disassembling the motor, and figuring out how the ESC is designed, there is no other way then simply testing it.
From my experience, the motors spinning clockwise has usually been the ones ...
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6
votes
Beginner looking to try a DIY plane, any suggestions on a kit?
I recently started flying myself (Approximately once a week over the past few months) and can recommend a flying wing made out of foam (Expanded Polystyrene (EPP)) with an electric pusher prop and a ...
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6
votes
Accepted
How to keep my prop from flying off my motor?
It looks like you are missing a piece of the prop adapter.
There should be three pieces, the nut, the central shaft with a thread for the nut on one end and a taper on the other, and a collar that ...
- 6,840
5
votes
Accepted
What is a ground loop and how does a common ground reduce video noise?
If enough current flows and two ground pads are far enough apart, there might be a voltage difference between them because of the resistance in the PCB:s traces. That's called a ground loop.
As for ...
- 2,644
5
votes
How to restore LiPo-powered aircraft that have not been flown for years?
You may need new batteries.
When a LiPo battery fully discharges, thin whiskers of lithium metal form between the plates of the battery. Attempting to recharge the battery will cause these whiskers ...
- 686
5
votes
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How do I pick my gear when getting started with FPV multirotors?
There are quite a few aspects of FPV, so a I’ll give a summary here. I’ll try to be concise so if any extra info is required or wanted, please let me know.
The first thing to look at when you’re ...
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5
votes
Accepted
What propellers should I get for my drone?
The first step to getting the right propellers is to figure out what size propellers will fit your drone. What you can do is measure the distance from the center of the motor to the closest thing (...
- 5,642
5
votes
When I power up my flight controller and ESC's, I hear a series of beeps. What do all of the beeps mean?
The normal blheli startup tones are similar to beep beep beep... boop. boop
The first 3 beeps are the ESC's powering on and initializing then there's a pause followed by two more beeps which means ...
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5
votes
Accepted
How to build a buddy box cable for FlySky FS-i6X RC transmitters?
Yes, on both counts! That is an S-video (aka. Mini-DIN-4) connector, and you can use it to make a buddy box cable. The port carries a 4-channel CPPM signal that can be used by cheap USB adapters as a ...
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5
votes
How to determine the lowest safe ESC current rating for a drone build?
I think most people just copy other builds, and step up a size if they burn out any ESCs.
If you want to be more scientific you could test one motor with a watt-meter to measure the current draw. ...
- 6,840
5
votes
Accepted
What can I do with a LiPo whose balance lead has been destroyed?
If you're up for it, the fix you're looking for is to repair the connector with a new housing and new crimps (if the current ones are broken). Joshua Bardwell has an excellent YouTube video ...
- 5,898
5
votes
Could using a 2.4GHz controller frequency interfere with an onboard computer trying to access 2.4GHz WiFi networks?
The control radio will probably only interfere with the WiFi adapter when it's within a meter or two. Once the drone is flying the signal will be weaker and the error handling should be good enough to ...
- 6,840
4
votes
How to tell if you have a brushed or brushless motor?
Good question.
Brushed motors are generally thin silver cylinders with a shaft that look like this:
Photo source: https://oscarliang.com/fpv-micro-quad-beef-board/
Brushless motors, however, will ...
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