andy59
Well-known member
Thanks Cookee , I was thinking of using the phantom 2 to film the boat but one false move would obviously kill an £800 toy 
quadcopter for the impoverished
- Thread starter gjgm
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Cookee
New member
Thanks Cookee , I was thinking of using the phantom 2 to film the boat but one false move would obviously kill an £800 toy
Whilst even the watertight ones will have exposed motors they should last a while if you flush the salt off and keep them lubricated according to the forums, you just have to keep the internal temperatures down.
gjgm
Active member
Well, a few people do so, but not underway at any speed. One small niggle is that I think you stop the transmitter to send the 'copter back to base via its take off GPS location.. if you have moved the boat and lose the signal, it could be a race to get the boat back to that start point before the 'copter kindly lands in the sea !Thanks Cookee , I was thinking of using the phantom 2 to film the boat but one false move would obviously kill an £800 toy
If you are also using your phone for the FPV, you do get a speed readout of the 'copter, and on Youtube I have seen them moving at 20-30 mph, which seems passable if you are brave enough to try filming alongside underway.
I am not sure how many spare parts JFM might currenly have
I havent watched this yet...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELZrc7poHsc
Ok, this is very good....
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jfm
Well-known member
Thanks Cookee , I was thinking of using the phantom 2 to film the boat but one false move would obviously kill an £800 toy
Haha. I have quite a few spare parts - everything except circuit boards, funnily enough
Andy you could do this, but you gotta find time to invest HOURS AND HOURS learning to fly the thing. When you first fly it nothing apart from basics is intuitive, and your flying will be nothing like the skilled flying in that video above taken on Lake Austin, for example. You really do risk just sinking the £800 pretty fast, as to which I have evidence, ahem.
Much as it would be nice to fly it that well I'm not sure i'll ever find the time to practise enough. I think therefore I'll just hire a camera man to come out on the boat and do it. But yes it would be nice to develop even half the skill of that pilot and fly it yourself
As regards the aquacopter, the website suggests you have to assemble it but if you email them directly they will quote for a full ready to fly unit, that they actually test fly before shipping. I think it was around a thousand dollars. They could fit the gimbal for the camera too, then you'd attach a waterproof go-pro and the risk of a costly bad landing is much less. However, this doesn't have the nice app with FPV on your iPhone, and battery status %, etc, that the excellent DJI package now has
michaf
Member
And here is our latest trip with boat floating on air...
gjgm
Active member
Can I ask JFM, did the basic Phantom come with adequate flight instructions ? I see on Youtube that the newer one (at least on youtube) does have some pretty good pointers about orientation, which I would think is alot harder to judge, and therefore to fly the thing, without the FPV capability. Pretty good pointers about making sure the GPS and stabilisation is set up correctly before take off too. At least this model will/should just revert to a hover mode, surely, if you let go of all the controls, unlike a conventional rc aircraft where you really do have to fly it ?
I agree though, that the guys promoting the Phantom in these videos have obviously had plenty of practice (and free models !), and I dont think it is quite as easy as suggested.
I agree though, that the guys promoting the Phantom in these videos have obviously had plenty of practice (and free models !), and I dont think it is quite as easy as suggested.
Cookee
New member
For around that much money it would be possible to get all you wish for! This is probably one of the best controllers around and with a couple of add ons it will give full telemetry - http://www.ardupilot.co.uk/
RogerRat
New member
This links to an interesting read...
"The open source control software is constantly being updated with new and improved features by a team of about 30 core developers, supported by a community of over 10000 members."
I know this almost certainly a great bit of kit including hard, firm & software, but still it has the frightening association of looking like it was written by 'Microsoft' and the 10K members could be unknowing 'Beta' testers.
Can you imagine trying to fly a RC plane or 'copter under Windows 95? :ambivalence:
Just imagine the pile of spares you would have, if you could find them?
Cookee
New member
This links to an interesting read...
"The open source control software is constantly being updated with new and improved features by a team of about 30 core developers, supported by a community of over 10000 members."
I know this almost certainly a great bit of kit including hard, firm & software, but still it has the frightening association of looking like it was written by 'Microsoft' and the 10K members could be unknowing 'Beta' testers.
Can you imagine trying to fly a RC plane or 'copter under Windows 95? :ambivalence:
Just imagine the pile of spares you would have, if you could find them?
I think the issue is that it may be the way to go in order to get what you really want - there are some builders of quads who offer this system as standard as an alternative to the DJI controllers so it can't be that flaky!
michaf
Member
I'm just jumping and adding my 2 cent. Just some background first, I'm a software dev and own a software company. I had been flying Rc helis for years before starting with multis. So here's to anyone who would like to start with it.
1) get a sim get a sim get a sim, like pheonix, it's a good one. Practice practice practice, have fun with the fixed wings, helis and mulitcoters. At this stage get a spektrum remote to play with the sim, it will follow you thru all stages.
2) get a small multicopter, like an E-Flite Blade mQX BNF Quadcopter, you can use the same remote as steps 1. practice practice practice
3) now here's the big investments and here's where I would not go with a Phantom. Get a dji f450 instead. Why? Yes I have owned a phantom. Because you will outgrow it in no time. Because you need to learn how to put one together.
4) once you master your copter, get a gimbal, it's a must if you want decent footage. I'm using a dji gopro gimbal.
5) finally set it up for fpv. Not seeing what you are filming makes it nearly impossible to come up with something of quality. All the footage I posted were taken with fpv. I have only 8 minutes of flight time and I make the most out it.
My opinion is entirely based on my own experience which is one path with corrected mistakes. I'm sure there are many more possibilities, especially with suppliers, but that's what I'm using ( in Fact I'm using a f550 now ) and I'm very happy with it.
On the subject of cheaper and open source.
Yes of course, and I'm sure they can end up being perfectly viable. But from experience you will spend more time fiddling with them. So it's you call on this, trade $ with time.
There are of course hundreds of details I haven't mentioned and along the way you will have to search and learn a lot. But it's an incredibly rewarding experience.
1) get a sim get a sim get a sim, like pheonix, it's a good one. Practice practice practice, have fun with the fixed wings, helis and mulitcoters. At this stage get a spektrum remote to play with the sim, it will follow you thru all stages.
2) get a small multicopter, like an E-Flite Blade mQX BNF Quadcopter, you can use the same remote as steps 1. practice practice practice
3) now here's the big investments and here's where I would not go with a Phantom. Get a dji f450 instead. Why? Yes I have owned a phantom. Because you will outgrow it in no time. Because you need to learn how to put one together.
4) once you master your copter, get a gimbal, it's a must if you want decent footage. I'm using a dji gopro gimbal.
5) finally set it up for fpv. Not seeing what you are filming makes it nearly impossible to come up with something of quality. All the footage I posted were taken with fpv. I have only 8 minutes of flight time and I make the most out it.
My opinion is entirely based on my own experience which is one path with corrected mistakes. I'm sure there are many more possibilities, especially with suppliers, but that's what I'm using ( in Fact I'm using a f550 now ) and I'm very happy with it.
On the subject of cheaper and open source.
Yes of course, and I'm sure they can end up being perfectly viable. But from experience you will spend more time fiddling with them. So it's you call on this, trade $ with time.
There are of course hundreds of details I haven't mentioned and along the way you will have to search and learn a lot. But it's an incredibly rewarding experience.
Cookee
New member
Quite agree - I think the Ardupilot stuff is the Android of controllers in that you can fiddle with it and customise it but you need to really be into the technology and the DJI stuff is the Iphone of controllers in that it just works the way it does.
Maybe a lunchbox quad with the DJI standard controllers, GPS and FPV would be the way to film on water? Cheaper than the custom bodies, waterproof and a floater?
Maybe a lunchbox quad with the DJI standard controllers, GPS and FPV would be the way to film on water? Cheaper than the custom bodies, waterproof and a floater?
gjgm
Active member
Michaf, surely a go pro camera and the dji gimbal alone is going to cost you more than the vision 2, and you havent even got anything off the ground
I guess it depends just how into the hobby you want to get...
Not sure if eflite dropped out of quads alogether, but I dont think the one you mention is still produced
I guess it depends just how into the hobby you want to get...
Not sure if eflite dropped out of quads alogether, but I dont think the one you mention is still produced
scubaman
Well-known member
Ploughing wet snow in far too little daylight makes it too easy to forget just how beautiful the world can be. Stunning video, thanks for posting and brightening up the day!
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andy59
Well-known member
Nice one Michaf , even more inspiring than the last
Found this one as well .
Having spoken to the guys at Quadcopters.co.uk they advised that the phantom 2 with a zenmuse gimball will give a much smoother video than the dji vision but still has the easy to fly DJI set up with a 20 min flight time .
Found this one as well .
Having spoken to the guys at Quadcopters.co.uk they advised that the phantom 2 with a zenmuse gimball will give a much smoother video than the dji vision but still has the easy to fly DJI set up with a 20 min flight time .
michaf
Member
Yes I took this one in winter while whale watching on a friends boat. I'm in the cockpit with my fav googles on. It got I bit scary when the drone stopped and stayed put on its position. I told Pete at the helm he had 60 seconds to take the boat right under the drone for a recovery which we did. After a bit of research I understood that I would have had to just flick between atti and gps to regain control! :ambivalence:
Regarding the phantom and all, I guess it all depends how far you want to push, the vision hasn't got a gimbal, if you are just in for a couple of flights of your boat to get stills out of the footage it's fine. But if you want something that's going to do a decent job you just have to have a gimbal. What I like with the f450 and on is how you can evolve with it. Want to go from a f450 to a f550? Just get to new arms, board esc and motor.
There are also limitation with the wifi range with the phantom, non standard battery, single use rc. Don't get me wrong it's a sexy package, but for 1200 $ I would definitively start with an f450.
Regarding the phantom and all, I guess it all depends how far you want to push, the vision hasn't got a gimbal, if you are just in for a couple of flights of your boat to get stills out of the footage it's fine. But if you want something that's going to do a decent job you just have to have a gimbal. What I like with the f450 and on is how you can evolve with it. Want to go from a f450 to a f550? Just get to new arms, board esc and motor.
There are also limitation with the wifi range with the phantom, non standard battery, single use rc. Don't get me wrong it's a sexy package, but for 1200 $ I would definitively start with an f450.
michaf
Member
michaf
Member
Well I just saw e-flight has a gopro quad also with a spektrum rc for 500$.
http://www.bladehelis.com/350QX/
http://www.bladehelis.com/350QX/
gjgm
Active member
so if you add the camera and fpv you are heading towards 1100 instead of 835, arent you?.
But maybe that is what it costs to get stable video...getting even more out of range
But maybe that is what it costs to get stable video...getting even more out of range
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michaf
Member
so if you add the camera and fpv you are heading towards 1100 instead of 835, arent you?.
But maybe that is what it costs to get stable video...getting even more out of range
We'll a phantom vision is 1200$ and you don't even get a gimbal...
gjgm
Active member
sorry I was talking in GBP ! The phantom vision 2 is a bit over GBP 800.
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