thedroneracingengineer

PRELIMINARY Fatshark Module Test Results

Read the video description.

Clearview, Commander, and Attitude v4 are missing because I don't have enough cables to hook them up. This was just a shake-down of the setup before the real test. 

PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS outside of Patrons because I don't want to release results like this without the proper full context.

FPV Module test rig is nearing completion!

Just need a couple more cables to come in the mail. Should be Thursday, although I think it's going to rain on Thursday.

SCIENCE is impending...

What is your favorite F4 FC?

I am thinking about doing a video about F4 flight controllers. What are some great ones that I don't know about? Ones currently on my list include:

CL_Racing F4

Matek F405 + PDB

Kiwi + PDB 

DYS F4 Pro AIO (with ESC built in)

Asgard

Fortini

I thought there was another one with a ribbon cable for an associated 4-in-1 ESC too but I can't remember it. Also, what is that new one that is like $28 and is being touted as a BFF3-killer?

Early look at my Aomway Commander Review

Hi folks. I've reviewed the Aomway Commander. The video will release on the 12th, but Patrons get an early look. The goggles are currently not available to order. I think that they are revamping the line and the v2 of the goggle will have built in head tracker, so that's nice.

I wrote a manual!

Holybro hired me to write the manual for their new FC. I'm really proud of the work! And I'm really pleased that Holybro is committed enough to having good product documentation that they were willing to actually pay somebody to do it. 

Check the manual out here: http://www.holybro.com/manual/Holybro_Kakute_F4_AIO_Manual_v1.4.pdf

LDPower 2305/2600kv Test Flight Raw Video

VIDEO LINK: https://1drv.ms/v/s!Al4b3QGPtgasl-kiEAAS8EXqvxLGZw

I got a set of LDPower 2305/2600kv motors recently. I'm still sort of on the fence as to whether the new round of 23XX motors are superior to a good quality 2206, when you take into account their weight and efficiency. But I can tell you this: they sure as hell perform better than the 2205 motors that I typically spec.

2017-05-17 16:55:25 +0000 UTC View Post

Q&A Submissions Wanted

Hello!

I'd like to do a series of Q&A videos, where I get on Skype or Google Hangouts or whatever with a person and help them through an issue or answer a question for them. These would be collected together into videos for the channel. Ideally I would do it live, but I think there might be too many technical issues, and at least at first, I want to take the pressure off by doing it offline first.

If you have a question or problem that you think would be appropriate for this, please...

Adjacent Channel Rejection Test

Today I did a test of the ability of True-D and LaForge to reject signal from an adjacent channel. I set both modules on 5740 MHz, then I set a copter transmitting at 5740 MHz down, 200' away. Then I powered up a copter transmitting at 5760 MHz, and I walked towards the receivers to find the distance where interference became visible. As I walked closer, interference got worse, and I was able to compare which module handled the interference better.

This is raw video from the test. Here is a wr...

Sneak Preview of the Ultimate Laforge v. True-D Testing

I built a new test rig that will let me compare diversity modules without the distortion of the DVR. Here's a sneak preview of the test data.

Train Bridge Freestyle

Preview of this video. Sorry for the messed up link sent about an hour ago.

In case the embedded video doesn't work for you, here is a direct link: https://1drv.ms/v/s!Al4b3QGPtgasl-FoEMqggDrJ2boiTw

A Warning r.e. the Taranis Antenna Mod

This video will go live in a few days but Patrons get a sneak preview.

Make your field charging lipo a little safer

Added an automotive blade fuse.

Edgewood, KY

Anybody near Edgewood? I will be in Edgewood next week, the 16h, over the following weekend, and into early the week after. I will be working, but if anybody is nearby maybe we can find time to get together.

Best GoPro Resolution for FPV

Dear Patrons,

In tomorrow's video (about 9 hours from now), I will show that 2k resolution from the GoPro is clearly superior to 1080 or 4k, when the subject is fast motion like FPV video. The reason for this is that the GoPro Hero 5 Session uses 60 Mbps bitrate for both 2k and 4k resolution, so (duh) video quality is significantly worse at 4k when the scene contains enough fast motion to stress the bit-rate, which FPV video does.

I'm curious what your thoughts are about this.

PS:...

TS100 Heads Up

I'm going to release a positive review of the TS100 soldering iron soon. If you guys want to order it before it sells out, go for it.

If you use this link, it will be helpful. This isn't an affiliate link, but it is a link that lets Banggood know the traffic came from me.

 https://goo.gl/xsEBpn 

Thanks as always for your support.

Make Betaflight Fly Beterrer?

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=37279531&postcount=47305

Do this. Post below your results.

Baltimore

Who's in Baltimore?

Betaflight F3 Inaccurate Current Sensor / mAh Readout

Some people are reporting that their Betaflight F3 boards are reading really low mAh and amps. I did some testing tonight and found that my older BFF3 that's in the Coyote seems to read close to correct with the default current scale of 400. But two boards that just arrived this week read way off. I calibrated them and found that a current scale of 260 for one board and 275 for the other gave correct readings. No change to the default offset of zero was needed.

If your BFF3 is reading way off,...

Lighter Props vs. Heavier Props

This video is me trying out KingKong 5x4x3 props on the Coyote. I originally expected that the 2400 kv motors would be best suited to heavier props. I used the Strix Talon 5x4.2x3 (similar to Racekraft 5051 "crane" props). But my meeting with Bulbufet made me reconsider. He flies high-kv motors (2600kv or thereabouts) with two-blade 5045 props. And his copter made the Coyote look like it was standing still in a flat out drag race. 

Actually, my freaking QAV-R made the Coyote look like it ...

New York, I am in you!

Betaflight F3 In Stock Now

https://allcarbonrc.com/epages/8af819d3-77c0-427d-a207-a91eaafc267f.sf/en_US/?ObjectPath=/Shops/8af819d3-77c0-427d-a207-a91eaafc267f/Products/BFF3FC

Broken USB Port FTDI Adapter Betaflight 3.1 Won't Connect Workaround

If you have a broken USB port and have been using an FTDI adapter to connect to your flight controller, Betaflight 3.1 won't work, because they disabled MSP on UART1 by default. Here is a directory of custom builds of 3.1.6, with MSP enabled on UART1.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0ByGP1-R-32UgUDZhSDJkVWZJdk0?usp=sharing

Nvidia Graphics Card Giveway Recipient: Troy Lonie

Thanks to everyone who entered, and congratulations to Troy. Troy, please message me privately with your mailing address to arrange delivery.

Joshua

Giveaway: Nvidia GTX645 Graphics Card

Okay, this is a bit of an odd giveaway, and not at all a "test/feedback" situation. The giveaway is open to all Patrons at any level.

Recent versions of Premiere have stopped supporting the graphics card that I've had forever, so I've been forced to upgrade. Thanks in large part to you, Patrons, for making it easy to do.

I hate to see serviceable hardware go to the junk heap so I'm offering up the older card to you, if you're interested. It's used but functional; the only reason I'...

Thanks, Patrons!

I've been struggling with how to backup my YT channel for a while now. Google Takeout produces 600 GB archives, which I really have nowhere safe to put. I have a 1 TB RAID array at home, but it's mostly full of hard drive images. I bought 1 TB of Google Drive storage a while back, but that only holds a single backup at a time, which means that in order to make a new backup, I have to delete the current one. Not good practice!

So today, I spent about $400 upgrading my backup system so that...

Re-visiting Infinity Batteries

In my Group Three battery testing, the Infinity 1500 really stood out. Costing under $25, it delivered a 28 second longest burst at 60 amps discharge rate--an exceptional result. So I was really excited when Banggood agreed to send five more of the packs, several months later, for a followup.

The full results will be in my Group Five battery testing, releasing some time in the next few weeks, but the short version is that the very same batteries, ordered a few months later, didn't perform as w...

FPVLife Livestream March 5

Vek has invited me to attend his FPVLife Livestream with Boris B. on March 5. Check the link above to find your local time.

Hoverbot Nano First Flight and "Durability Testing"

Patrons,

This video is unlisted, but it's not exactly secret and you can share it if you want. It will go public eventually.

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Goodbye forever, brushed micro copters. The Hoverbot Nano is the first brushless micro that I've flown, and it's everything I hoped a brushless micro would be. 

 would say that 1103 brushless motors are too much for an indoor track. DAMN THEM! I'm still getting used to the Nano's handling characteristics, and I think some tuning could make...

Battery Break-In: Yes Or No

I'm beginning work on a long-term test of whether battery break in matters. Some of you will recall that I did a brief test where I demonstrated that break-in had no effect on IR. Since I just received a batch of 5x Infinity Graphene 1500 mAh and 5x Infinity Graphene 1300 mAh Race Spec batteries, I figured this was the perfect opportunity for a more long-term test.

What I'm going to do is, break in half the batteries and not break in the other half. Then I'll fly them as usual for about t...