My Dilema. Help Needed!

[AlexEssex]

Hi All.

As many of you know I am a complete noob on here and received my new bit of junk yesterday (Hubsan x4). From the very beginning (under 24hrs ago). I have had the stock battery completely die on me. A crack on frame and really naff stabilisation, its awful. To be honest these little hubsans are a pain in the ass and im really jealous of the guys who have got a hubsan that works, I must of got one from the wrong batch. There';s only so much tweaking and recalibrating that you can do, and even if the motors do need replacing then they cost as much as the unit them selves 2nd hand! I really do like the ';idea'; of this hubsan, but its left a bad taste in my mouth because of the agro. Its just such a let down for me and I really dont want to spend anymore on it because this £30 hubsan could end up costing triple that, and for that Id rather put the money to something more robust!

So. The hubsan';s going back in the box with the crash kits and will contribute to my spares and repairs shelf in my garage or ';to do'; shelf lol.

Instead of forking out on the little bug. Id rather start building a more robust and beginner friendly quad.

I am not interested in FPV quads nor the bigger quads, I want a robust micro quad thats not made of plastic, uses proper motors and components and a proper tx and not be a let down.

At the moment I am really feeling let down by these micro quads and I dont want to give in just because of my hubsan, so I want to build something more durable, where I dont spend every second crashing and just trying to keep it alive.

So what can you guys recommend? I guess I need a modest frame to begin with! Something simple and durable yet easy to build.

Thanks for listening to my rant lol

Alex 

[Gaza07]

Chris (Teslahed) is your best bet for a small sporty quad 

[teslahed]

Hi Alex,

I have tried to build something along the lines you describe. I wanted a small quad for practicing stunt flying that would use ';proper'; rc components and not fly like a toy. I built the ';Teslaquad';;





Total flying weight is 360 grams including the battery. It uses small 5 inch props which make it about 3 times the size of a hubsan; you can fly one inside if you have a large living room or a sportshall handy - but they deal with wind much better outside and have a lot more power for flips, loops and rolls etc.

http://youtu.be/O4FB6csr6z4

I am currently trying to get a small batch made to sell as kits. I will get them cut from fibreglass and supply the nylon nuts and bolts that hold it all together along with a list of recommended hardware.

If you fly over long grass you will find the quadcopter quite hard to break. Because it';s so light unless you hit tarmac or stone you';ll probably escape from most crashes with just a bent prop or two. If you do come in really hard the nylon bolts are the weakest part and should shear before any of the more expensive stuff breaks so it should be quick, easy and cheap to repair.

Unfortunately it might be a week or two before i get the first batch in. I will post up in the build thread, and possibly start a new sales thread as well, when i get everything sorted.

I haven';t worked out what the prices will be yet. I';m hoping i can sell the frame kits for between £20 and £35, depending on the cost of the parts, and the various bits you';d need to get the thing in the air will set you back about £80 from hobbyking.

More details in the build thread here;

http://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php?topic=1327.0

[neagron]

    Alex if I where you I would wait for Chris';s frame,weve seen the video';s and it works,also the motor';s hes using are virtually bullet proof s ive used that type of motor my self.The other great thing is you will get all the support for it right here on the forum and in chat,hope this helps,Marty. :scotland:

[AlexEssex]

Hi, I will send you a PM mate. Thanks for getting back to me!

I will have one!

Cheers mate!

Alex

[fruitsalad]

heres a good place for a small quadcopter,hes based in turkey,shipping very quick..
http://www.bambucopter.com/

ive got a hobby king x copter 240mm quad i use for indoor..
crash it all over the house when first trying to fly a quad,can take some abuse..
only needed new props so far...
cost was about 70 for all the bits to build it..

[dp106]

If you do decide on getting another rtf quad I can recommend the walkera ladybird. So easy to fly and very durable.

[AM556]

I too chose the X4 as my first but didn';t respect/fully understand the laws of flight. After my first few "uncontrolled landings"  I didn';t realise that the odd bent prop, unseated motor or unclipped arm would have a massive effect on the flight. Having realised the error of my ways the hard way, I found it a very useful tool and step to my next craft. Enter the Blade MQX which, for me, was almost unmasterable. That was, until I bought my DX6i TX and dumbed down the controls. What a difference  I was hooked! Though that';s not to say I had mastered it nor found it very easy to fly.
I had to move to something bigger, which is a "Peter King" F450 quad with GPS and boy, that';s so easy and forgiving, it';s like chalk ';n'; cheese.

[Augerin]

I had a Hubsan for Xmas but had a flyaway. I flew it indoors but in my tiny bungalow could not wring it out. Took it outside in a bit of a wind. Selected high rates and it took off like a scalded cat! before I knew it the tiny quad was miles away in a field. Have still not found it! Lesson learnt. A small quad becomes very small very quickly.

Why have the prices dropped recently? Is there an influx of copies? Mine always had a tendency to drift to the right despite frequent re-calibration.

[AlexEssex]

All i know is thst hubsans cost £29.99 from kings lynn models and £25 delivered from banggood. Its supply and demand and demand is high. Most of hubsanx4 is plastic which is cheap, so in mass production terms its cheaper to produce by volume. Despite my hubsan breaking i am definitely buying another one to replace it......plus chris';s quad frame too.

[Augerin]

Me too!!!

[guest325]

I had a Hubsan for Xmas but had a flyaway. I flew it indoors but in my tiny bungalow could not wring it out. Took it outside in a bit of a wind. Selected high rates and it took off like a scalded cat! before I knew it the tiny quad was miles away in a field. Have still not found it! Lesson learnt. A small quad becomes very small very quickly.

Why have the prices dropped recently? Is there an influx of copies? Mine always had a tendency to drift to the right despite frequent re-calibration.

If I were you I';d take a look at the Twister, I think it is better than the Hubsan in many ways - also not much more to buy.
Have a look at my thread "Twister bling" I poster a vid of me flying it in our 12'; x 16'; lounge - when the weather improves I';ll post an outdoor flight - all I can say is it';s the best 40 odd quid I';ve spent in a long long while!

[Royston]

Hi
I know this doesn';t help but I have 9 of these little begars and have an after school club with 8 year olds flying them. Only hovering but I';ve never  had any major issues with them.
To help with hard landings I glued 3cm polystyrene balls under each motor. I painted them black and a different colour at front to help with orientation.
Works a treat.
Sorry about your problems but as you say probably a bad one.
Regards
Roy

[AlexEssex]

I think that I just had a bad one too! Lets see if Hubsan no.2 will work!

[shaktar]

This is a nice little frame all carbon fiber too.

http://www.pitchpump.de/?p=1075

rOsewhite Leora Mini-Quad from r0sewhite on Vimeo.</p>

and the makers thread http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1823226

[guest325]

This is a nice little frame all carbon fiber too.

http://www.pitchpump.de/?p=1075

rOsewhite Leora Mini-Quad from r0sewhite on Vimeo.</p>

and the makers thread http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1823226

Oo that';s nice, very nice.....hmm how could I get that past her indoors??

[dp106]

My top tip would be to get plenty of practice inside before you even consider taking it outside. I made sure I was confident in being able to hover tail in nose in and facing left and right first.

I gave the same advice to my brother but he was impatient and went outside too soon. He got too near a tree over corrected and watched the quad sail off into the distance never to be seen again!

[AlexEssex]

Ive got the Hubsan landing set on order, and going to do all the mods possible to protect the little bug!

Thanks for the advice!

Alex

[guest325]

I would second the learning to hover before you go any further - it is the hardest and most frustrating part but if you bypass it your skills will suffer.
I was learning to hover for nearly 6 months with my first cp heli - then I got fed up and went onto Planes, flying well on simulator even doing some passable aerobatics BUT after more or less writing off my first two planes I realized it was not that easy and needed patience. 18 months on I am nearly ready to take my Fixed wing A test, it';s been a long learning curve for me - partly my age, partly not getting enough practice (personal commitments).
Be patient and set yourself realistic achievable goals and you will be OK,
Good luck
Darrell

[AM556]

Talking of age, I was shown up good style by my 8 year old niece on boxing day. I took my X4 to show the folks and let her have a go. Having never opperated any RC, within 15 mins she could hover, pirouette, circle and do banked turns indoors!
I guess I';ll put it down to my great tuition 

[guest325]

Not the best day to have a go in my tiny back garden - quite windy, plus wrong mode for me!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDlelotzu2Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Hope this helps Alex to see that they are ok!
 

[AlexEssex]

Hi Darrell. I am just at work at the moment as we speak so will pm you tomorrow sometime and get the ball rolling cheers Darrell. Alex

[Augerin]

Cripes! That gets a move on!

That';s an amazing little quad.

[guest325]

Cripes! That gets a move on!

That';s an amazing little quad.

That was in easy mode, when you put it in expert mode it';s a bl@@dy sight faster - they';ve been clocked at 25mph - there';s a You tube vid of the test. If you look at that in scale speed terms it';s crazy fast!!!
This gives you some idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJAKC4jwx6A&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[guest325]

Bit of indoor flying in a 10'; x 16'; room.

http://youtu.be/mrnD0He9w2k

Flying in this sort of area needs good control - me flying mode 1 and this is mode 2 makes it difficult, I still enjoy the challenge though  ::)  ::)  ::)

[Gaza07]

These little copters really do look like fun 

[dp106]

These little copters really do look like fun 

Trouble is they get you hooked and you end up having to buy something bigger and more expensive :-D

[fruitsalad]

Trouble is they get you hooked and you end up having to buy something bigger and more expensive :-D

soooooo true

[Gaza07]

Well I';ve got some bigger ones but not a tiny one but there is always room for more of any size   

[Ssscrudddy]

Similar story here. I saw a vid of a quadcopter going over my house. Looked & found the Hubsan X4. Arrived at this forum & bought a Twister.
It';s not even been a month & now I want something better, & I I';ve decided to go for the build by Teslahead mentioned in this thread, with 1 of his frames. He';s been very helpful. Roll on payday

I too had a flyaway, I gave up looking after 4 hours. My GF found it on some wasteland after we';d been to the pub!