did 'YOU' fly today??

[Bad Raven]

Yesterday's session was started in colder but no wind conditions. Later on the sun came out, and the small but evident air temp gain and more so the direct solar gain to the packs sat on the pit table being warmed before use made a noticable difference to the flight duration.

Roughly a minute and a half gain on a 1800mAh 4S GNB.   

Going to have to do something to deliberately warm the packs at the field, got some old 5000mAh 6S heli batteries that might do for the power source, need to sort out the rest!

[ched]

Yesterday's session was started in colder but no wind conditions. Later on the sun came out, and the small but evident air temp gain and more so the direct solar gain to the packs sat on the pit table being warmed before use made a noticable difference to the flight duration.

Roughly a minute and a half gain on a 1800mAh 4S GNB.   

Going to have to do something to deliberately warm the packs at the field, got some old 5000mAh 6S heli batteries that might do for the power source, need to sort out the rest!

I wonder if a hot water bottle would work?

[Bad Raven]

I wonder if a hot water bottle would work?

Well, it might, but water near LiPo's might need some care in design and handling and without a fan to circulate the heat, could be too localised towards overheating or not at all?.

I have bailed out of trying an own design and have ordered a Mr Steele "Ethix" unit.  I'll inform once tested if it works or was a waste of money!! 

[badger1]

make up a male one  of these:



that should warm things up nicely.   

[daich]

on holidays beginning of this week, got to fly this on Monday, which just so happens to be my birthday

[Bad Raven]

Yes, I flew today, but I have a question.  There are eighty plus members in our club, most long term.

All year so far on really suitable nice warm days there's been me and my spotter/buddy. The most there's ever been have been two others.

And today, the first real frost of the year, and a pretty deep one, transitioning into sopping wet grass? 

TEN others!

           

[Bad Raven]

Well, nearer four than "tree"............. 

The last four minutes of a almost eight minute long flight on a pre-heated 1800mAh 4S GNB in sub 7C temperatures. The missing start includes several large power loops and reversals.

Slowly getting more confident with passing under foliage, its a shame in a way we do not have more tree "pylons" we can use, there are plenty of boundary trees but lots of associated scraggle and no visual clarity to know if dog walkers and other trespassers around. 

One other fight had an interesting "bug", as DJI was happily showing the Betaflight "DISARMED" indication when the quad was flying around. I landed, disarmed, armed and it was OK. 

[badger1]

seems like it's been lovely weather all week & now it's going to be crap for the weekend, & then nice again on Monday.     

[ched]

seems like it's been lovely weather all week & now it's going to be crap for the weekend, & then nice again on Monday.     

Don't believe the forecasts. It said on Wednesday that there was a 20% chance of a light shower at about 12pm. It started light rain at about 12:10 and then belted down for 20 mins, then light rain again for the next 2 hrs! Luckily I had worn my new waterproof trousers, so I just carried on working and was all nice and dry.
So don't trust the forecasts, look at the radar and cloud maps and make your own best guess.
Good luck.

[Bad Raven]

After doing Whoovers every week on a Thursday so far, with the whole Refectory area being cleared completely on Friday for a Saturday "let" every week till Christmas, the first opportunity to take the keenest five boys to do:-

1. FPV Trucks (my first stage towards quad FPV)
2. E010 Quad LOS flying

Its never predictable which way the boys will react and prefer, last time pre-COVID it was the Trucks, this time they quickly moved over to the Quads.

So, next Friday I will be taking in some of the quad course parts (LED lit hoops, floor LED ropes, etc, to get them to fly a simple course LOS.

Then the next stage is to use my four 7mm motored E011 with fitted FPV (and one height stabilised E016H for any boy who struggles to hold the right height initially). 

On yesterdays progress (and they were mostly first time flyers) it looks currently that we'll be reaching full FPV Quads before Christmas ends the clearance of the full area, and then with their better control the smaller area we need can be cleared of tables and chairs by them and replaced at the end.

Quite rewarding to watch their faces as they realised how much fun it is and to see the sense of satisfaction they gained as they slowly started to improve through the session. Three have gone home to buy their own E010 or JJRC H36!

Five more model flyers join the community?!   

Just as well I took a chance over the summer break as to interest and got three more E010's to retain as Quads not initially to convert to Whoovers, so I will set them up this week so we can fly a max of eight at once.

[badger1]

good for you BR.  we have a few juniors at the club & they seem to pick it up so quickly.

did you ever figure out your binding problems at the school?

[Bad Raven]

did you ever figure out your binding problems at the school?

No, its happened once this school year, right at the end of one session, but no idea why. 

School IT Dept are not just unhelpful, they are downright obstructive, tried tell me that no part of school computer network uses 2.4GHz, and put the phone down on me (they have managed to get themselves into locked away only phone contact status "due to covid"!).

Not found an affordable 2.4GHz band scanner in the manner of the Eachine ROTG01/2.

[ched]

No, its happened once this school year, right at the end of one session, but no idea why. 

School IT Dept are not just unhelpful, they are downright obstructive, tried tell me that no part of school computer network uses 2.4GHz, and put the phone down on me (they have managed to get themselves into locked away only phone contact status "due to covid"!).

Not found an affordable 2.4GHz band scanner in the manner of the Eachine ROTG01/2.

No idea if it's any help/use but my FrSky TARANIS X-Lite S has a spectrum analyser built in? If you have one or can borrow one maybe that would help?

[Bad Raven]

Thanks for the thought.  In theory my Horus X12S on FrOS if updated should be able to have it, but only with ACCESS restrictions on an "upgrade", so a no go!

I do know someone with one, but not able to get it to school.

Just bought a really cheap and probably nasty Spectrum Analyser from Banggood, so cheap it might actualy work!! 

[Bad Raven]

Excellent school club sessions on Thursday and Friday p.m.   6 new members on Thurs, the new intake Year 7's are finally getting the message!

Again on Friday the Year 8/9 boys were preferring quad flying to FPV trucks, though happy to do both.

This week there were more signed up as attending, and so I took around half my gate hoops in and they formed a sensible LOS course themselves with no prompting and just got on with it.

Workshop session was identification of battery types, safety, capacities, duration, balancing, connections, inc need to check for leakage, black wire corrosion, etc.

They were amazed when I pulled the negative wire off a 6 cell NIMH with minimum effort and crumbled the conductor wires to dust!

While transferring from Workshop to Refectory to go flying, I overhead one boy saying to the others "I've learnt more in the last fifteen minutes than the whole day at school". Which of the subjects was more beneficial or important of course is arguable!    

Most of the group came up to me at the end to offer help clearing up, and all called thanks on leaving.  And this from traditionally stroppy "in-betweenies"

[badger1]

sounds like you're doing a great job BR - I wish there was something like that when I was at school.  I did used to make bits & piece for my models in the metalwork shop after school though.

do you get (m)any girls interested?

[Bad Raven]

do you get (m)any girls interested?

There are two separate academy schools, Girls, and Boys, on adjacent sites. The 6th Form is however mixed and in the Boys school.

The club was initiated to get boys from Year 7 (first year seniors) enthused about and involved with engineering principles to gain accelerated working once curriculum Design and Technology kicks in halfway through Year 8.  I was given a free hand by the then Head, now retired, to set it up however I wanted.  Year 7 are allowed to through flow if they assist, and that assistance extends in their workload each year.

It usually works out that there will be 6 plus 8's, 3 plus 9's, and maybe a couple right through to 6th Form and occasionally even Uni or College students come back to help. All boys though.

I have mentored a couple of 6th girls who were doing engineering related schools work, and the occasional few have "had a go" inside the club.  One helped with workshop sessions for a full year. There have been several instances at the start of a year when new entrant groups of girls have stopped and watched, even commenting "why did our school not have similar!", but there's only me, and 6th Form is too late to start. If it was a mixed school from Year 7 I have NO doubt that there would be interest and enthusiasm from the girls.

Since 2007 there has been only interest shown in what the boy is doing from TWO Fathers and ONE Uncle, which I find appalling. I do get contact via EMail and Text and occasional visit from Mothers, and the general feedback has always been extremely positive.

With doing all the prep, battery charging, etc, I lose two full working days to the club each week in term time, and one day a week average in better weather holidays when I take selected boys for quad and plane flying sessions at my club flying field.

Ending on a note I found quite amusing, over the years a few Year 9/10 boys have (with my permission) brought their girlfriends (from the other school) along, and in one case a sister, but the club being over-subscribed always limits this to occasional sessions when I'm convinced it could be much more common IF there were available places.

The disruption of COVID protocols over the last two years and government insistence on closure of after school activity for most of last year has severely limited all of this though.

Bottom Line on your question:-  There WOULD be interest from girls if the infrastructure and training time existed.

[Bad Raven]

Session today had me flying the Nazgul Evoque.

I do not follow the extensive hype and super status reviews this quad has received.

Yes, its competent, yes, its quite well set up as delivered, and iFlight do a LOT to make the set up process easy. Its VERY well put together.

BUT.................................

Quick Comparison of iFlight Nazgul Evoque HD (Polar camera) versus EMax Hawk5 modded to Caddx Vista (Nebula Pro).

The Evoque is HEAVY, and that translates to reduced duration and having to be "forced" into moves like Power Loops that takes it out of the pack. Sure a 1800mAh will fly it for around seven minutes cruising, or barely five minutes hard acro, but the Hawk5 adds at least a minute to those times, feeling lighter in moves but still with decent inertia for flings.

It most notices going from the Evoque or the Hawk5 to the Babyhawk II HD, where Evoque to BH seems like another world, where the **** (heck) has all the inertia gone, its like it has brakes! FAR less difference in feel Hawk5 to BH.

I can see why some say the Analogue version, being lighter, feels better.

[Bad Raven]

School Club Session today and the BBC are in doing Question Time tonight. Lorries everywhere.

Five BBC engineers came to ask what I was setting up, and came back later to watch a race.

During the racing two 6th form girls I'd not seen before came to ask if they could have a go, and I said can't do that now, but come at the end of the race meeting 4:30 if still around. 

At 4:25 they came back!!!

They had a go for 30 minutes till we had to clear the area for the BBC, professed they didn't think it would be that difficult, but had really enjoyed it and could they come for a full race session next week!!!   As the leader of the two said "I'm up for a challenge, and this is a good one!"  (as the second nodded furiously, sweeping the floor with her false eyelashes     )

Never ceaases to surprise.........................

[badger1]

I finally flew today for the first time in 4-5 weeks, what with a lousy run of weekend weather lately.  bizarrely I was the only one at the field for most of the day - the feckless, unemployed (or "retired" as they seem to prefer  ) mid-week contingent obviously having had enough flying lately that a slightly gloomy day didn't cut the mustard for them.

I re-maidened the newly FC-ified Ranger - in manual iNav mode - & got it somewhere close to mechanically trimmed so I can start tinkering with  some of the FC cleverness next time out. 

[Bad Raven]

OK, it was a little on the chilly side, 3C, but two of us had a great time flying at the field today, me quads, buddy scale bodied helicopters (no accounting for taste!    ) in NO wind AT ALL, not the slightest puff, and mostly in sunshine.

Rest of the feckless unemployed?  Who knows..................

[Bad Raven]

This week have flown FPV Tuesday and Wednesday.

Yesterday the Hawk 5 went in hard (the noise echoed off the trees!!).  I was throwing it around pretty violently so could have been me, but my recollection was that in the final three/four seconds the video image was not movong as the stick commands should have moved it.

It went in BACKWARDS, too. 

Spotter said he saw smoke come up as it hit, but my thought was it was more likely to be wet sprayed off the outer field grass by the props. I disarmed it as it hit.

Muddy gritty clay rammed into one motor and the rear of the frame, inc into the CADDX Vista connections/PCBs. rear of FC and ESC board.

SO, back home I dismantled it and found the impact (or the reason for the impact if not me) was NOT wiring, it was all still in place despite the top of the frame shattering and moving around.

The CADDX Vista unit was rammed with gritty fast drying out mud over the connections and in between the PCBs and heatsinks, which might actually have saved its wiring from being severed.

It took ages to clear the mud/damp clay from everywhere at the rear (it did go in very hard backwards, very odd!), wash its residue away, and leave on a radiator overnight to ensure it was dry.

One motor was crudded up and would hardly turn. I tried to take it apart but it was the "screw into shaft underside", not a circlip, and as soon as I showed it an allen driver it stripped the hexagon hole, so I gave it a good wash, spun it dry and again it was left overnight with the frame electronics on said radiator.

The VISIBLE physical damage therefore seemed to be limited to a shattered top of frame (part carbon, part 3D print), and two bent metal posts.

This morning I carefully rebuilt it  using a spare print done at the original build time.

This was delayed by the tiny metal CADDX Vista aerial connection restraint being missing when needed.   Found after ten minutes, it had attached itself perfectly aligned to the underside of a magnetic screwdriver shaft on the bench!

Bench test without props (of course!!), and it gave good video, the motors ran as expected, LEDs etc all worked as normal. 

Final check and props on, then flew it slowly and then not so slowly round the garden, went OK.

Parked now till next field visit.   

[Bad Raven]

OH, and I forgot on Monday I belatedly while flying several packs on it worked out what was wrong NOW with my original Babyhawk II HD. (The one that arrived in March with one motor not working, faulty AIO, and took until August to get another board supplied.

This would occasionally, as much as maybe 10 or so seconds apart, give one or two tiny shudders, otherwise be quite OK.

AND............... (not so big reveal!) ............ I'd missed that one motor had a bent shaft.  DOH!

Replacement (+ spare) arrived a few mins ago so its my job later after the final school club of 2021.

 Edit:...........................................................................

EXCEPT just as leaving home fully prepped, all batteries charged, and car loaded, got a call to say school closing 14:00 due COVID outbreak affecting lots of pupils and too many teachers affected to continue!

SIGH, but at least I didn't have to walk into the middle of it!

[ched]

EXCEPT just as leaving home fully prepped, all batteries charged, and car loaded, got a call to say school closing 14:00 due COVID outbreak affecting lots of pupils and too many teachers affected to continue!

SIGH, but at least I didn't have to walk into the middle of it!

Now you have the fun of flying lots of stuff to discharge all the batteries 

[Bad Raven]

Babyhawk II HD motor changed.

Whoever changed the faulty AIO board soldered the motor wires through the PCB holes with a heavy fillet both sides.  I HATE that, as there's too much heatsink into the board to unsolder safely, so I had to splice the wiring part way down the arm.

Anyway, flew it round garden, again OK as far as I could explore its performance keeping below fence line.

AND........... Ched, me fly 200 plus batteries to discharge?  I think not!

On the subject of battery life, the 3"  Babyhawk Race (Analogue) had not flown in a while. Flew it tail end last week, I have 6 of 650mAh 4S for it. The two HK Nano-Tech were trashed - good voltage, 20 seconds run time, ridiculously high impedance levels, whereas the four ACEHE were all perfect.

In that sense its rather a good thing HK UK Warehouse has closed!!

 

[Bad Raven]

Last before Christmas adult Indoor club I run last night. Great fun in an otherwise near deserted sports centre.

My lookalike scratch build of the classic Avicraft Panic shape but small 22" span and EPP flew well till the front cabane support gave way. Asking a lot of a small 15mm x 6mm section EPP strut with no carbon support strengthener, at least it survived a few years. Carbon tube insert and it'll be fine again, though it might break the 150g it was originally.

Gave my "Trashy 75" a good session on FPV. Its a Trashcan 75 frame but with 0802 brushless rather than 0803 and concentrated weight saving to make it more suitable for indoor use. Flies on a 450-650mAh 1S (house) or 300mah 2S (Sports Hall). Really pleased with how that turned out, can run rings round "normal" spec 75's due lighter weight and better throttle response. Got remarks how fast it was!

180CFX was its usual self, as was my scratch own design circular wing 3D'er, now likely into its fiftenth year at least.  I balance that so far rearwards that I have to hold in down elevator to fly around but then it prop hangs like a Heli!!

[Bad Raven]

Field today a bit later than usual due to drizzle.  Grass so wet it looked like snow.

Day of issues:-

Buddy's new 3" which tested OK at home was tripping out runaway or trying to turn over in any random direction.  Do a few abortive boots and it then works OK. Reboot and it might work or might go back to trip on light throttle up or try and turn over. (not as violent as a flip).

My Sport Hawk decided to fall out of the sky. No damage as such but a mud/grit crudded motor that needed a wash out and lubricate before running again (done now back home).

Babyhawk II HD No2 decided to boot without video (DJI) several times and then worked. Found the top of the CADDX antenna housing the array loose on tube (its only a push fit as the co-ax wire inside is a separate unit, but wiring seemed OK and then it started working with no known reason for a recovery. Not to be trusted so that out (replaced with spare at home). Can't get it apart so far to see more out of interest.

Incidentally Banggood price £13.65 each.  Drone Authority (UK) £8.40 each plus postage. Bought two and with 24 Hr postage still a decent amount cheaper from UK than two from Banggood and duty risk.

The days of buying from China direct being cheap are definitely fading away.

[Morganan]

Wish a Happy New Year to all drone lovers. 2022 stars on First Quadcopter with the Ovonic battery review. We will have a closer look at two of their green 1300 mAh 100C LIPO packs (4S and 6S).

Testing LIPO packs is quite a time-consuming process. Firstly I go through a break-in procedure consisting of five charging cycles (discharge to 3.6V and charger back at 1C). Many experts say that this operation is important to get out the best performance from your drone battery and also to ensure a long lifespan. After the break-in steps, I proceed to test the real-charging capacity of the batteries. Lastly, I put them on a drone and have a couple of test flights. Remember, since these batteries contain lithium-ion, which is prone to catching fire and causing blasts, I suggest you store and charge them in dedicated fireproof bags.

[Bad Raven]

Been gradually working through the latest estate items inherited.

mCPX Heli - dirty servo pots and failed tail motor - found spares from a previous buddy's collection of bits, repaired it, set up on my DX9, flies well.

Blade 300X Heli - Canopy spray painted yellow very badly, all paint removed and back to normal. Set up on DX9 and flying well.

Blade 330S - Set up and flies OK, some canopy damage, a canopy is £75!!!!!!!!!!     They can poke that!

UMX Carbon Cub - very tatty, almost as much Blenderm as foam, flies well though!

Tony Nijhuis "F4 Phantom" - Never flown, two crash launches. Prepping to fly, found receiver was a parkfly Orange useless thing with a DSM2 Satellite labelled "U/S?" Elevator set wrongly, Aileron throws restricted by lack of chamfer. On way but not yet flyable.

160 Diatone ET - on Spektrum "clone" SBus- ready to fly again.

[ched]

Been gradually working through the latest estate items inherited.

mCPX Heli - dirty servo pots and failed tail motor - found spares from a previous buddy's collection of bits, repaired it, set up on my DX9, flies well.

Blade 300X Heli - Canopy spray painted yellow very badly, all paint removed and back to normal. Set up on DX9 and flying well.

Blade 330S - Set up and flies OK, some canopy damage, a canopy is £75!!!!!!!!!!     They can poke that!

UMX Carbon Cub - very tatty, almost as much Blenderm as foam, flies well though!

Tony Nijhuis "F4 Phantom" - Never flown, two crash launches. Prepping to fly, found receiver was a parkfly Orange useless thing with a DSM2 Satellite labelled "U/S?" Elevator set wrongly, Aileron throws restricted by lack of chamfer. On way but not yet flyable.

160 Diatone ET - on Spektrum "clone" SBus- ready to fly again.

You have been busy!!!!