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Thread: Brad's next purchase... (Just kidding!)

  1. #11
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    if one wanted to get started with these are there and relitivly cheaper ones that are more user friendly "or easer to fix"
    Remember Remember The 8th of November, When No One Stood, but Kneel, In Surrender
    In a popular government when the laws have ceased to be executed, as this can come only from the corruption of the republic, the state is already lost. Montesquieu

  2. #12
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    Bradfo69 is offline Pending BST Forum Purchases: $47,127,283.53
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    Absolutely. You can start getting into quads right now for as little as $16 for a bird and controller. (Cheerson's super tiny CX-10.) There are a couple of levels I see. First is the very affordable yet, perfectly capable things in the $50-$300 range that you can find on www.banggood.com. A PERFECT starter is this WLtoys model: http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-Ht...l-p-67794.html


    Moving on from that are the fully built units from places like Hobby King and they're going to probably start in the $100 plus range and go to several thousand. Many people who are really serious about it, buy the individual parts and build their own not unlike the person in the first video. Laserjock on here is big into that, as are a number of others.

  3. #13
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    Cheerson's super tiny CX-10
    A significant number of the big and little kids in my family got them in a variety of colours for Christmas presents

    Hint: buy the little plastic clip on frame accessory so you can bump them around to your hearts content, and do 'stick on the ceiling' type tricks.
    Frikkin Lasers
    http://www.frikkinlasers.co.uk

    You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?

    I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.

  4. #14
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    They're cool. I have three I think. And I did get a blade guard on my last order.

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Draco View Post
    if one wanted to get started with these are there and relitivly cheaper ones that are more user friendly "or easer to fix"
    In my opinion the best bang for your buck is this baby right here. It's the WL Toys V222 quadcopter from Banggood.com. You can also get them from Amazon and E-Bay, but BangGood has the best price. ($61 delivered!)

    The thing comes with a battery, the charger, the quadcopter, the radio, a camera that shoots video and still images, a 2 gig micro SD card for the camera, and a USB micro-SD card reader/adapter. It even comes with a spare set of props! Right out of the box you have everything you need to go flying and to shoot pictures and video. (Just need some AA batteries for the transmitter.)

    I've had mine for over a year, and despite multiple crashes I have yet to break a prop. It's damned near indestructible! I have handed the controls to people of all ages (including people who have NEVER flown before), and everyone has been able to figure it out in just a couple minutes without breaking anything. It is extremely forgiving, even when you drop it onto concrete! I've had people crash it into trees, onto roofs, and onto concrete and asphalt, all without harm.

    I've flown mine up to around 300 feet high. It has plenty of power to counter the wind, and the range on the transmitter is really good. (You will lose visual sight of the bird long before you fly it out of radio range!) You can take some amazing aerial footage with this thing. It is also very stable. As many people who were at SELEM last year can attest to: this bird will hover HANDS OFF THE STICKS. (I did this several times at SELEM, in the auditorium on stage behind the main curtain.) The built-in Gyro/Accelerometer they have in flight controller works extremely well.

    One thing though, and this is important! When you order it, make SURE you select the "MODE 2, LEFT HAND THROTTLE" option before you add it to your cart. If you forget to do this, your controls will be backwards, and you can't easily fix this once you get it in your hands.

    Also, you may want to purchase some extra batteries, since it takes about 30 minutes to charge 1 battery and your flight time is only about 7 minutes or so. (I bought a 5 pack of batteries and a 5-way "Y" cable for the charger when I got mine.)

    I also own several other quads, including one of the $17 micro units Brad linked to above. And while the small units are fun, they are actually much harder to fly, and they can only be used indoors. (The slightest breeze is a real problem for those small units.) The V222, on the other hand, can be flown indoors or outdoors. I've hovered my V222 in and around the kitchen, and also taken it way above the treeline in my backyard to get a nice view of the neighborhood.

    EDIT: To show you just how high it can go, have a look at this video (not mine) of the V222 from both the ground perspective and the on-board camera view.



    Adam
    Last edited by buffo; 04-30-2015 at 06:50.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    Damn! And I thought that quad that Chris had at SELEM was fast. This thing is unreal!
    Adam
    All I can say is UN-FRIEKING-BELIEVABLE!
    I've seen some fast quadcopters but that is the king. I love that sound it makes.
    I have no idea how he keeps orientation without lights or different colored props. I would never be able to fly that far out without a reference of some sort.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bradfo69 View Post
    Uh.... I love the fact that Youtube now creates it's own playlist based on what you've watched. THIS came up next! And I love having a 27" monitor and sound system with sub on my desk.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxU4GdlTHDg
    Another awesome machine! I love FPV flying!

    Quote Originally Posted by Bradfo69 View Post
    Just for shits and giggles, I've been researching and pricing out the parts. This is by no means an expensive bird. I'm not about to build one but, curiosity had me wondering.
    Brad,
    I can send you that same list I sent Adam if you want

    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    For some more comedic value, here's another video I found that shows what can go wrong when people fly beyond their ability. Admittedly though, this pilot was galactically stupid. (Flying in traffic and near power lines!) Note: The guy who posted the video is not the pilot - he's just the guy who ended up picking up the crashed quad:



    Adam
    The smirk he gives at 56 seconds is priceless!

    I had one of my Hispanic friends interpret for me.
    He called his girlfriend to tell her what happened. He said he saw it get run over several times then it got caught under his car. He didn't know what it was at first and described it as a big white plastic spider. Then he realized it was a drone with a camera and that the camera was on. He started talking to the camera saying that he would do everything he could to return it but doesn't know what to do. He thought that maybe the operator could still see him and left his email address.

    This is a very generous guy in my opinion. He could have easily kept it. The GoPro alone is worth several hundred dollars. Posting it on YouTube was smart. It is likely that the owner will contact him along with 1000 others claiming to be the owner.

    Quote Originally Posted by norty303 View Post
    A friend if mine is an engineer working with a lot of carbon fibre and has scratch built a fully carbon laminate oct-rotator - 4 limbs with over and under slung props.
    I'll see if i can get some pics of it off his FB feed, its pretty f*ckin' epic!
    Yes please!

    Quote Originally Posted by Draco View Post
    if one wanted to get started with these are there and relitivly cheaper ones that are more user friendly "or easer to fix"
    I agree with what has already been said. Start small see if you like it then move on the more expensive equipment.

    Chris
    Quadcopter junkie

  7. #17
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    Hey Chris;

    We will have several quad-copter enthusiasts at SELEM this year. (Might have to change the name to SELAQCEM... South Eastern Laser And Quad Copter Enthusiast's Meeting.?.)

    With this in mind, would you be willing to put on a short presentation of your experience in the RC hobby (sort of a pared-down version of what you did for Maker's Faire)? I'm thinking lots of people would enjoy it. Also, I can bring my simulator and laptop so we would have a couple set up for people to play with...

    Speaking of simulators, if you guys are looking for one and you're on a budget, check out this one for just $39 delivered. I have had it for almost a year now, and I really like it. You can download lots of extra flying areas, new models, and other add-ons. It's a ton of fun.

    Adam

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    Hey Chris;

    We will have several quad-copter enthusiasts at SELEM this year. (Might have to change the name to SELAQCEM... South Eastern Laser And Quad Copter Enthusiast's Meeting.?.)
    Lol! What have we done?

    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    With this in mind, would you be willing to put on a short presentation of your experience in the RC hobby (sort of a pared-down version of what you did for Maker's Faire)? I'm thinking lots of people would enjoy it. Also, I can bring my simulator and laptop so we would have a couple set up for people to play with...

    Adam
    Absolutely! If you think there will be enough interest.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lazerjock View Post
    Lol! What have we done?
    Merely supplanting one addiction with another!

    Re: Presentation on RC...
    Absolutely! If you think there will be enough interest.
    I'm sure there will be. I'll plan on bringing my sim as well then, and we can have them both set up on stage behind the curtain.

    Adam

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lazerjock View Post
    ...

    Brad,
    I can send you that same list I sent Adam if you want
    ...
    Cool -
    Me too, please!!

    Our local (Huntsville) RC heli club is talking about starting a 250-class quad FPV league.
    I would be interested in checking out some "proven" packages before deciding about taking the plunge.

    Not that I "need" another RC project to add to the hangar...
    RR

    Metrologic HeNe 3.3mw Modulated laser, 2 Radio Shack motors, and a broken mirror.
    1979.
    Sweet.....

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