First person multicopter flying

Height and distance are the same for it.

I am using the standard frSky module, so the range is 2.5 km.

If you get a DragonLink module, the range is 30 km.


Flight time depends on what you build... the motor speed, motor size, weight of the craft, and size of the propellers.

Larger the props, the more lift you get. It also means slower motors.

Faster motors means smaller props, you won't get the lift, but you will get agility, and you won't be bothered by wind as much.

More motors, the greater the lift, but also greater the battery usage.

Bigger the battery, the more it weighs, and that can impact flight time. For example, 2650 mah 4S battery can fly my quad for 12 minutes. Using a 5000mah (just about 2x the size) gets me 18 minutes. This is because the bigger battery adds an extra 300 grams weight to the craft.


Generally speaking, flight times will be anywhere from 6 minutes to 25 minutes. Just depends on the purpose of your craft and what you're doing with it.

If you made a very lightweight multicopter with large propellers and 500kv motors, I'm sure you could do 30 minutes. But then you wouldn't be lugging around a GoPro on it.

My quad (seen in the video) does 8-12 minutes.



Quads don't usually go much faster than around 45 mph. If you want speed, get a plane instead (You can use the same hardware too, just transfer your FC, TX, etc over).
 
You are almost a rocket surgeon...the rc stuff has become so affordable and cutting edge...the platform, gyros, and cameras make the hobby so easy and entertaining to cruise around...the one landing straps are so simple and save the airframe...cool stuff you have there. Do you use lipo batts?
 
Yes, they're lipo.

I use 4 cell. I have five 2650 mah and two 5000 mah. So I can be out flying for 1-2 hours no problem.
 
I have a few of the firebird xl...edf jets...and some nitros...the nitros are noisy and tedious...lipo cars / trucks / what you have are crazy fast and quiet...do you build your own cell packs / or rebuild the elec motor to make it as best as possible? another cool thing is how small the servos are...for that airframe the parts can almost be micro servos ....gws has some nice parts for a scratch built vehicle
 
I buy the batt packs off hobbyking.com

Trying to get the same sized batt from a US seller usually results in a price tag 2 to 3 times the cost.

What servos do you speak of?
 
love those things but i would for sure get myself into trouble with it.....ooopppssss did i see that? :)
 
Was trying out a looser camera mount, and it caused additional vibrations. Not great, but this is the first time I've felt comfortable flying it over water and areas I would be unable to fetch it if it fell.

 
I am building an octocopter now.

You might not be able to tell size from the photo, but the octo is the same width as a doorway, so I am having trouble lugging it around already, and this is without propellers. The body sits on the frame with rubber bobbins, so it's free floating (to get rid of jello). That's why there's a cross brace on the lower left side - to prevent the frame from folding up on itself.
 
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Still haven't started on the octo because the speed controllers are still en route (from hong kong). Meanwhile I had enough spare parts that I built the orange/black quad on the right:
 
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Started on the octo. It's already 1000g with just the frame and motors.

hXeOw6Ah.jpg



Size comparison:

tp4GX7ih.jpg
 
Ti and CF can be bought to save weight....the servos are GWS grand wing scale I believe....micro servos....piezo servo...how many grams do you have to push...baby ones on flea bay came up with 9grams 5 pcs for $13 + usd...
 
No servos on an octocopter. I have a bunch of carbon fiber rods in various sizes and shapes (circular and square) but the aluminum towel rods from home depot still end up being lighter and less prone to twisting.
 
I'm finally working on my octocopter. I can't finish it till I get two more speed controllers (I think they'll arrive Friday).

It's hard to work on this thing, it takes up my entire table. I also smashed it into the door when I tried to bring it inside. It will be 10" wider once propellers are on.
 
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Ok this getting way cool. Couple of newbie questions.

Other than the obvious of more lift and I imagine more stability in wind etc, is there a reason to have more blades. 8 is better than 6, is better than 4 is better than 2?
 
All my quads fly about the same. Some have more power, some are more agile, but they are all roughly the same thing in terms of stability and flight characteristics.

when I made my hexacopter, I immediately noticed the 50% gain in power. It was also much more stable.

I built the octo for heavy lift (I want gimbal + camera mounted on it), and I figured 2 more motors than the hex would make it even more stable and powerful.

So far, I haven't seen any benefit over the hex, but I only did one flight and it was crappy weather. I also still need to tune the octo, so it might end up being better... I just haven't seen it yet.

PS: If a motor or prop stopped working, you have a chance of recovery with an octo. The quad would instant crash. Hex... I don't think would survive either.
 
So do you also add more battery power , thus more weight? Is it proportional or do you get more advantage from needing less battery add for more performance at 8?
 
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