(Part 3) Top products from r/Quadcopter

I got an Eachine 250 racer about a month ago. It has been a lot of fun, but there are a lot of details. My next racer will probably be a smaller/lighter 180 frame.

For FPV goggles I have three ideas. One, is get the status quo Fatshark goggles at whatever level you can afford. Two, get the HeadPlay HD goggles I got. Three, get the Avegant Glyph, which has the really nice feature of letting you pop them up and down without a band. I do really like my HeadPlay HDs, but they are big and bulky. I haven't perfected how to adjust the straps to get them to stay on my head well.

Arms, managed to break one without breaking a prop.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016Y5U1JO/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Capacitors, they pop off very easily. I lost a capacitor at the same time I broke an arm. Or a hot glue gun, I Highly recommend putting hot glue over the caps next to each arm to help avoid the loss in the first place. You want a low temperature hot glue gun to not melt any plastic or traces. I consider the capacitor issue a design defect, but you can work around it with hot glue. The original revision seems to have lacked the capacitors, from pictures I have seen online.

Capacitors for Eachine 250 racer:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00W8YYMZA/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Youtube video exampling how to solder them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLYVZUpL0K0

Get a Taranis X9D Plus. It is a great transmitter. Also get a X4R-SB receiver, and use SBUS. The D4R won't let you control the lights too, because it can't do PPM and PWM at the same time. You can control them with the X4R-SB, SBUS+PWM. SBUS has great latency, 5-10ms. I was recently talking to a sponsored racer who told me that PPM, which is supposed to be 27ms with the D4R, is really more like 100ms. It averages the four last frames together. This link includes a case and X8R, which I think will work as well as the X4R, but you should do the research. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B014IYSXL6/ref=mp_s_a_1_5

To do SBUS+PWM, requires a special bind procedure. You want channels 1-8 as SBUS, and 9+ as PWM. The most relevant part is "jump S1&S3: SBUS, 9, 10, 11 or jump S2&S3: SBUS, 9, 10, 11 (No telemetry)" Here is a link that talks about it.

http://www.frsky-rc.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6793

Small tie wraps like the ones already on the arms to hold the ESCs. You break an arm, and you will need to replace the tie wrap.

Soldering iron, solder, etc, because you have to desolder the ESC from the motor to replace an arm, and then resolder it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000BRC2XU/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Qtips and rubbing alcohol for cleaning. Mix the alcohol 50/50 with water. The flying field was muddy after lots of rain.

Carrying case of some kind. You don't want it banged around in transport, and same with the transmitter. It is best to get the X9D with the case, because people price gouge on the case stand alone.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ABQS7YI/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Batteries, you can burn through them very fast. But watch out for their height. I bought some of the new "Graphene" 4S batteries, and they are really too tall to fit. Some people remove the back LEDs to make battery installation easier.

Battery charging/carrying bags to help with uncontrolled fires started by batteries. I have two, one for charging, and one for carrying.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005HTH78W/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A battery charger if you want to use 4S batteries. The included charger is 2S/3S only. I have a Hi-tech X1 which will only charge one battery at a time. You can also get the X4 which will do four at once.

Battery charger for 4S batteries:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005LH3392/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

XT60 banana plug cable for charging with the above charger:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XBSBYCG/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A V shaped antenna mount to get the receiver antennas up in the air. When over head the carbon fiber body blocks the signal well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00WV04P62/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A voltage monitor so you know to land when your battery voltage is low. The video signal includes the battery voltage as part of the OSD, but I prefer LoS while learning to fly. It lets me keep an eye on where I am in relation to trees. On the other hand I have yet to find a good place to mount a voltage monitor. With the length of the balance cable on batteries you are likely going to need a balance cable extension for 3S and another for 4S.

Voltage monitor:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EXPPF80/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3S balance cable extension:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XP4IO88/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

4S balance cable extension:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00JBP1RGG/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Double sided tape to mount things on the top of the body, like the antenna mount and receiver.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009NP1JQC/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Small x-acto knife to help remove the double sided tape.

Electrical tape to tape down wires for lights and receiver.

Size 2.0 hex wrench for the frame screws. It will be needed to replace arms.

Scale that can measure grams. You want to knowing and control weight.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B010HKEDPK/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sunglasses to avoid problems seeing on sunny days. Lets say you are flying LoS, and look into the direction of the sun. You can't see the quad well enough to control it, because of glare from the sun.

ESC flashing adapters to change/upgrade the firmware. I am not sure these are the right ones for the ESCs on the Eachine. I think they are, but I haven't tried it yet.

Atmel socket flashing tool:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00V2W467I/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Atmel USB programmer:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0051SRZWC/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

USB cable to use with transmitters and simulators. It is best to learn the basics in a sim, instead of replacing lots of parts.

USB cable for simulators:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DFDTU9G/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Old post of mine on learning in a simulator:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Multicopter/comments/3zr8o0/cheap_fpv_acro_simulator_with_real_transmitters/

Be sure to set a fail-safe, which is very easy with the Taranis. I had a fly away with my first Eachine, because of a defective Spektrum DX6 and lack of fail-safe. After that I switched to the Taranis, which doesn't cost much more and has way more capacity.

I rock the E010 frame and really dig it. it is a little heavier but the bits that connect the fan duct to the motor mount are much larger and stronger. The Rakon I've seen but never used. The problem with that frame is that the metal will bend over time but people seem to really like it. Some CA glue can fix broken frames like a charm as well. I use it on the stock frame and it is able to reconnect completely separated motor mounts with great strength.

The flight time conundrum is similar to rockets and fuel. Increases in flight time disproportionally increases weight, making any gained battery capacity negligible, if not detrimental.

tl;dr battery technology sucks, 7 minutes is honestly a good flight time for a craft not spinning 15" props.

I am fairly certain your current batteries are 380mah, so you could probably get a minute or two extra with these 500mah versions: http://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Battery-Hubsan-Quadcopter-Helicopter/dp/B00FFXBCV8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1419638724&sr=8-3&keywords=500mah+hubsan

Sorry for being a buzzkill, have fun with your awesome gift!

I really like this comment, and you seem both knowledgeable and kind, so if I might impose on you with two questions, I would be quite grateful.

• Do you (personally) have any recommendations for transmitters? You mention 6 - 9 channel in you post, but it looks like even those run the gamut from cheap to expensive. As someone who isn't made of money, I would prefer not to make a $100 mistake.
  
• Is there simulator software that I can get to give me more "stick time" even while batteries are charging? Bonus points on the transmitter question if it also hooks into a computer to give me more hands on experience.
  
  Thanks for making the internet a nicer place to live!

If you are looking for a cheap option that can record HDMI best option is to look for something designed for video game capture like this. https://www.amazon.com/AVerMedia-Portable-Recording-Definition-Streaming/dp/B00B2IZ3B0 This will work as a capture card or standalone recorder. Once you leave the hardware made for gamers the prices go up. The best HDMI capture cards I've used are the Epiphan AV.io USB capture cards. They only work to get HDMI/SDI video into a computer and don't do any recording on there own. Unlike the cheaper capture cards they don't require any device specific software or even drivers to work on a Mac or Windows Machine. There more stable and won't cause bluescreen and crashing like the cheaper capture cards can. You can also use more than one at the same time unlike the cheaper ones. https://www.amazon.com/AV-io-HD-video-capture-1080p/dp/B00ZH7HRKW is the cheapest one that will handle 1080p. They have a 4K version as will as a SDI version.

Check out the latrax alias. It was my next step after the hubsan. It is an amazing quad. And there is a camera available (sold separately) the quad is 150. Worth every penny.
Good luck!


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GJBLMCE/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_FlUSub08X734X

A gopro is liftable, but borderline too heavy. Some youtube videos show it's possible to takeoff with a 6oz payload, but the Syma veers around a bit. Longer legs will likely weigh more. You might want to consider getting a cheapish 720p spy keychain recorder thing. You lose pretty much every feature the gopro has, but the video quality is pretty good.

I spent two weekends fiddling with FPV. Seems most everyone gets it working fine, I had to do a workaround.

Here's what I did:

I bought a Lilliput screen w/ receiver: www.amazon.com/Lilliput-664-1280x800-Receiver-Photography/dp/B00F2O3PY2 It's a nice unit, all self-contained. It takes Canon 5D batteries with a little adapter. I've tried the goggles and I really like being able to look around.

Also bought an iOSD mini: www.amazon.com/DJI-Screen-Display-Autopilot-System/dp/B00FKZZQQS It's $60 and really helps when flying.

I also bought a Fatshark transmitter: www.amazon.com/Quality-ImmersionRC-5-8GHz-Transmitter-FatShark/dp/B00M36XKHE Some heavy-duty double sided tape holds it under the bottom just in front of the battery opening. I also zip-tied the antenna to the rear leg. It's sturdy.

I assembled everything pretty much according to the directions in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL8pqtEDuos

Now that said, you might or might not get video through the iOSD and gimbal. I tried for a few hours in every combo I could think of, and could get either GoPro or iOSD, never both. Took every to the local RC hobby shop. We spent about two hours. We swapped out iOSDs. We swapped wires, gimbals, GoPro, everything you can think of. No dice.

So I added a second camera, this one: http://www.fatshark.com/product/1746.html

The wiring isn't bad once you know what to do. Give the regular set up a try first and I'll write up how mine is wired if you get stuck with no video like I did.

Another option if you have no luck is to get one of these: http://www.dpcav.com/xcart/Video-Cable-DJI-iOSD-Mini-ImmersionRC-FatShark-vTx-GoPro-Hero3.html

I bought one recently and plan on adding a little DPDT switch in the side of the P2 so that I can use either camera (tiny FPV cam is already mounted, figured why the hell not). So I can't vouch for how it works, though I read good things.

This is a cheap one that works well: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KT314AS

You'll also need: http://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Male-Coupler-Connector-Adapter/dp/B007PQ0K1G/

You'll need to make something to connect the goggles and receiver to the battery (you'll want a 3s 11v) or two of these should do the trick: http://www.hobbyking.com/mobile/viewproduct.asp?idproduct=18869

If you have an Android device and really want to save money and don't mind some latency you could do this instead of goggles, but goggles will be a much better experience: http://copterwars.com/blog/?p=64

Any old iron will work. I used this $9 iron to fix my Hubsan many times.

I have a Hako now and it is MUCH nicer and easier to use but a pencil iron will get the job done for small projects like the Hubsan. If you plan on doing scratch builds or other projects that require soldering I highly suggest getting a variable temperature iron with integrated thermostat.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FYL2INM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00


This thing is awesome!

I definitely wouldn’t attempt to charge it in my house. Not for the first few times, at least. If it’s cool enough tomorrow, I might string an extension cord out to the middle of the concrete patio and try charging it in the shade.

When I checked it earlier with this little guy, it read 4.13v and 4.14v. I just checked it again and it reads the same. So it hasn’t dropped

I'm not that good at making videos, but I'm learning.

The clips with waviness are when I was using the stock camera.

All of the better quality vids are filmed with the mini 808 cam linked below:

http://www.amazon.com/808-Lens-Camera-Pocket-Camcorder/dp/B00CTO0Y06

Battery Charger Recommendation

• Turnigy Accucel-6 50W 6A Balancer Charger LiPo LiFe NiMh NiCd JST-XH = $39.90
  
  
• T-Power Ac Dc adapter for Turnigy Accucel 6 Lipo A123 NiMH NiCd Replacement switching power supply cord charger = $13.99
  
  
  or search the web for better pricing.
  
  
  Making lipos safe and dealing with failures
  
  
  
  Hobby King also caries them.
  
  
  
  Battery Charging System Overview

The Naze32 was my first FC, and I had basically no prior experience with soldering. With a little reading or watching of YouTube tutorials, the soldering involved isn't very difficult. You could also pick up some cheap bits of circuit board to practice. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00FXHXT80/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1479110310&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=circuit+board&dpPl=1&dpID=51sjhgnpTGL&ref=plSrch

Wouldn't recommend the Naze32 now though. You can get so much more for barely any more money.

If you are set on the style that uses pads, I'd go for KISS above Lux. I've seen too many people have issues with the 6500 gyro.

I found this:

[2.4ghz Camera + Reciever]
(http://www.ebay.com/itm/DIY-2-4GHz-Surveillance-Kit-w-Wireless-Receiver-Mini-Wireless-Color-Camera/181631967103?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D777000%26algo%3DABA.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28791%26meid%3D10419a63f2824ff2a16d7c1b76b7187c%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D191431277417)

if you are driving to a place to fly, grab this inverter to power the receiver.

Video to USB adapter

Simplest solution is the male to male adapter you linked.

​

The type of connector you need is available if you look hard enough. I think this one would work but unfortunately the mmcx is 90 degrees. https://www.amazon.com/DHT-Electronics-coaxial-cable-assembly/dp/B00CPEKQ1W/

​

You can also swap the sma connector or crimp your own cable. I wouldn't jump anything with metal pieces, especially if you want it to carry a video signal.