I’d kinda like to start recording my flights. But to do so would require either
I think if I can get something that does both option 1 & 2, i’ll be happiest
So I’ve been debating scratch-building a new microquad or just upgrading mine.
The more I think on it, I’m going to upgrade mine to the point I effectively have a “spare” in terms of parts. I’m digging this (infinitely) more durable frame from Rakon Heli. And I love the style (pictured above) using a more low-profile canopy (another $8-$10).
The screen & camera uses the FatShark RaceBand Channels. Specifically it looks like it uses VTX Bands A (Band 1), E (Band 3), Fatshark (Band 4) and Racetrack (Band 5).
This is a bit of good chart for other info
Skills Update
Today was more flight oriented, as well as landing. For those who don’t know – the Inductrix likes to bounce. A lot.
So today for the first battery I flew straight lines with 180 turns at the end of each line (near a wall on one end, a door on the other). On the second return pass, I would navigate to a counter to land.
I was quite surprised to see I did really well at this.
Second battery was more free-flight. Several laps around the office, over co-workers empty desks, through some minor obstacles. A few scary moments, and trouble staying level but I was adapting well.
Ham Update
No progress. My “free” time yesterday at work was spent researching stuff for upgrades, and the evening was spent trick-or-treating
Skills Update
Per the previous post, I’ve gotten a lot of familiarity with the hardware. I’ve also been noticing some differences in flying with the different batteries. I think I’m going to simply go for a bunch of ONE battery type and use that as my main battery so I can just tune the remote and call it a day.
Hovering I’m getting better. I’ve noticed that this thing likes to bounce, like a lot. It’s really hard to get it to hold position on the Z axis, but I’m getting better at at least holding steady along X & Y.
Today I also did some practice flying between two points, doing a 180 between. Getting descent there. I’m also working more on flying with elevation, and landing at specific points. I have to say I did REALLY well on these bits, compared to a week ago.
Also: Looks like two more batteries and that will cover my full 30 minute break, so 5 is the goal.
Ham Update
I’ve been busy this weekend and haven’t had a chance to do much. Currently sitting at 24% proficiency on the flash cards. Probably will buy the book this week
On the Inductrix, especially for a novice flyer link myself, the most common damage piece is apparently the main frame which houses pretty much everything. Now, thankfully for about $8 you can get a replacement part (and my local hobby shop stocks them).
The downside? The damn thing is the main frame. Everything – and I do mean everything – is attached to it.
Lesson 1: The Screwdriver & Work Space
So I got lucky here, as I’d just replaced my son’s Nintendo 2DS screen, and happened to have a precision screwdriver here. For reference, that guide recommends a #000 Phillips screwdriver, and while I have no eartlhy clue if mine was the right one or not, I will say that likely the #000 is the one you want for this thing.
The next thing I will say you’ll need if tearing down the Inductrix is of course a good work area. Honestly, until you get the board off I thing you’d do well to have a bit of white cloth to catch the tiny black screws. And I do mean Tiny. I also had foresight (and a six year old “helping”) so I ensured to use the plastic the thing came in, as well as a magnet to hold the screws.
Lesson 2: The Board
Now I’m regretting not taking pictures here, but I know in the course of learning about drones I’ve learned a bit about the parts. The thing about microdrones is that they’re a LOT lighter on parts than their counterparts. It’s just four props, four motors, the main frame, the board, the camera, and the canopy. That’s IT.
However – looking at the board, you can see some stuff. I get the feel of the motor controls, I can see the antenna. It’s a good feeling.
Lesson 3: Reassembling & Rotation
Well… this one was a hard lesson. I knew the motors and props had to be an a specific orientation, and THOUGHT I did a good job of making notes, but… six year old helping. Anyway. I did not. What I ended up with was a drone that would only flip over.
A few quick googles and I found this image:
The above image shows the position of the clockwise & counter-clockwise motors. Sure enough, I’d set a clockwise motor in the wrong position.
Conclusion
The more I muck with this thing, I’m convinced that this really IS a great “off the shelf” FPV unit for indoor flights, aside from frame durability (more on that later). It’s also a solid confidence builder, and I’m chomping at the bit to do more.
So I know right now I’m mostly limited by my transmitter (TX). In fact, I’m pretty sure that after a drone or two more that’s compatible with my current TX, that’s what I’m going to be buying, and I know that it’s probably going to be one of my most long-term decision points.
Turnigy 9XR-Pro
So I’ll start out with throwing down this one. It’s kinda where I expect to land (Actually, that’d be the Turnigy 9X – 8 channels, whole kit for $70), but not entirely my preference.
I dig the 9XR-Pro because it’s modular and can do up to 24 channels. It’s about $100 MSRP (yeah, I can find it for about $70). After that it’s modules & receivers (about $50-70) and about $15 each for the batteries, so about $200.
FrSky Taranis
The FrSky Taranis is more “locked in” than the 9XR-Pro, but honestly from my reading I can’t tell if that’s a bad thing or not so far. FrSky has a more “open” approach from what I’m seeing, and their modules seem more common among a lot of the blogs & sources I’ve been reading. Biggest upside here is not only simplicity in purchasing (about $210, off the shelf and ready to go – just need a charger, maybe a spare battery). It also is still modular, so I can add more in.
FrSky Horus X12S
We’ll just call this one the yeah no. I love it in theory, but it’s $500 MSRP, but assuming I don’t break the damn thing I really don’t need to add a whole lot more. On the upside, it also includes a case lol. Honestly though, it’s a lot of money and I worry it’s too much machine for me.
In the end
I’m probably going to hit the Taranis. $200 isn’t horrible for something that is still semi-modular, and hopefully will last me a while. This way I’ve got almost everything I need right there, and ready to go. And maybe at some point the X12S will make more sense for me.
Whenever I get to practice, I’m going to try and log it. We’ll see how well that does.
Flight Skill work
So the drone itself isn’t the most stable, especially considering I’ve cracked three different motor supports. Heh. My office lends itself well to “control” practice (as opposed to FPV flights, which the house is great for).
Once I remembered my TX defaults to agility mode and switched over to stability, I did a lot better. I need to adjust the elevator trim next time, as that was my biggest issue.
Ham Study
I’m also studying for my Ham, and I figure when I log practice I may as well update it here. I’ve been doing the flashcards on hamstudy.org and I’m currently at 19% overall aptitude.
The thing I like most about drones is that they lend themselves really well to DIY and hobby stuff. As such, I’ve found this project from the super-helpful Oscar Liang.
The thing I like about this is I can, for a small investment, just swap around what I have, or just buy some spare parts from my local shop (which, let’s be honest, I’m going to need eventually anyway) and have a second kit ready to fly. It works with my TX (mostly) and can just be a cool second drone to fly around.
