Have Transmitter...need the rest

[pixelPilot]

Hi all,

I am new to the hobby and know i will love it. I bought a Flsky Horus. It has just been shipped and i cant wait to get it so i can do some quality simtime. I live in Australia in a very hot region in the summer months. It is often 30C + and well into the 40C, i think thats over 100F. At this stage i want to get a race quad but will also like to do some longer range stuff with maybe gliders or similar. They do have an RC buggy club which looks like fun so will end up with a buggy of some description.

A guy i know of has said that it is too hot to run race drones in the summer here. If true what if anything can i do so i can run it more in hotter weather. Is it the batteries that are an issue or the motors (probably both hey)

I am thinking of getting a Alien build from droneproz, a dragonlink and mini reciever, Fatshark Hd3. iCharger 4010duo. Will need to buy or make power supply. Not sure which batteries...graphine or not..

Im pretty sure the charger is overkill (as is perhaps the drone) for now but would rather spent the money now..than more later. The charger can double as a handy house battery charger for the motorhome. I am a keen prospector and often head out bush for months at a time. Prospecting is also a reason for the long range interest in other things not racing drones. A good way to have a look around...

There is a local airial rc club here which i will join. Any input or advice, even if its "you should have asked before buying the Horus...and got a taranis", is appreciated

I have a gopro 3 black edition.

cheers

drone Alien ARF DYS MOTORS & Kiss FC

charger iCharger 4010 Duo 2000W 40A 10S Dual Port DC Lipo Battery Balance Charger

 

[theGreenOrange]

It gets hot here in New Orleans, regularly over 100F and I haven't had any problems. The motors should be ok with all the airflow. I would think the battery and VTX would be the main concerns, but probably not a problem generally.

That charger is crazy. Get one charger for your drones like an imax b6 for $50 and get a separate one for your RV. That one is too big of you want to bring your drones anywhere but in the RV.

That dragonfly might be good for your other vehicles, but is overkill for a racing drone. These things crash, do you want to walk 2km to go get it every time? And you will far exceed your video range anyways so no need for that IMO.

Happy flying!

 

[theGreenOrange]

Oh, I think I already mentioned droneproz is very very good but I will say it again. A friend has one of their BNF drones, it is great.

 

[Jtrjr]

Pixel,

Sounds like you're figuring things out on the race drone stuff, regarding, "I am a keen prospector and often head out bush for months at a time. Prospecting is also a reason for the long range interest in other things not racing drones.". If it were me, I'd be taking a serious look at a DJI Phantom 3 Pro (prices have dropped quite a bit and in my opinion, it's the best quad DJI has put out).

I live in the boonies and have used mine for checking fence lines, waterers, finding horses and cattle. I regularly do round trip runs of 6 miles or so, have done a few beyond that and did one run to test how far I could really go without the battery running down and crashing, made it just over 10 miles but wouldn't push it that far again. With a 3rd party app you can pre-plan your flights and run them over again anytime you choose.

Here's an example of a run that was just over 6 miles, about 13 minutes flight time, run at different times of the year and then sped up to about 3 minutes. Just a thought...

Jerry

 

[theGreenOrange]

Cool video Jerry!

One other thing I thought of, to mitigate heat on the vtx, you can add a heatsink and place it on top of the frame where it gets more airflow. The batteries will probably just have their life span reduced a bit, but it isn't anything to worry about IMO. Just let them cool before charging.

 

[pixelPilot]

That is a cool video indeed. Havent seen that sequence before, good result.

Thanks for the comments guys. Re the charger i want something that can give me the best chance at looking after batteries, and mitigate the risk of fire. I have had a computer fire cause us to have to relocate and waste time and money. Im not sure what my needs will be into the future also. I read a battery article someone linked to from this site and that was the authors favorite but he was into large RC's. If i was to get one specificaaly for racing drones and 4s batteries how much would one cost that can proper balance charge and give ir readings ect. Do mutiple batteries ect. I imagine that it would cost a couple hundred? I was advised to buy 10+batteries to take out when flying but am not really sure of what average needs are. I figure get a big charger and less batts for now that can also do my Tow coil detector battery(tow coil is a large metre long coil one drags behind a motorbike or quad searching for gold) which drains quickly and everything else.

The dragonlink is overkill for a racing drone so will get a different one for that but will still get the dragonlink for other drones or recon plane. The area i am in is vast to say the least. The cattle stations here are 1million acres and there are many. One one station i was on, the farm house was 80klms from where i was. Western Australia is half the size of the Australian continent and the combined size of Texas and Alaska. Most of the area is rich in minerals as it is some of the oldest land on the planet. No good for farming anything. I will get some good footage for you guys some day.

Some specific questions if i may

1. How many batteries does the average racing drone user have?
2. Do most people charge in the field?
3. How long does a 6a charger take to charge a 4s...from 80%
4. Will all chargers charge at a similar caped amp if charging from 80%
5. Is there a best brand of Battery i can get?
6. Is there a best simulator, can you wear fpv googles on sims and how many hours should i do before crashing the real thing into the ground?

I know, a lot of questions...feel free to anwser what you can or not, it's all good. (keep in mind i will prob ask a few more Lol.) I did use the search function a bit...

cheers

 

[theGreenOrange]

Hi, I can address some of the questions.

1. How many batteries does the average racing drone user have?

2-4 batteries is a good start

2. Do most people charge in the field?

Depends but I would probably say yes. I usually fly on the golf course behind my house but have charged in the field when flying other places.

3. How long does a 6a charger take to charge a 4s...from 80%

Most batteries are rated to charge at 1C which takes about an hour (starting at 3V/cell, which is the lowest you should ever discharge to). 1C for 1300mAh is 1.3A, for 1500mAh it is 1.5A, etc. Some are rated for 2C which takes about a half hour, just double the current. Some people charge at 2C even if the battery isn't rated for it. If you do this, charge in a lipo safe bag on concrete on case of fire. It also may reduce the life span.

4. Will all chargers charge at a similar caped amp if charging from 80%

The chargers cap Voltage at 4.2V/cell, not amps. You set amps manually according to the above.

5. Is there a best brand of Battery i can get?

Tattu is very popular right now. Graphene is the newest battery tech. Batteries have a discharge C rating. Anything around 35C or higher should be good enough, although they go as high as 75C.

6. Is there a best simulator, can you wear fpv googles on sims and how many hours should i do before crashing the real thing into the ground?

I didn't use a sim, but if your goggles have a video in, you can use them. If not doing a sim, don't fly too high or fast at first and you won't break much during a crash on grass except some props. Freerider seems to be a very popular sim.

A good balance charger like the imax b6 will cost about $50 or $60. You charge multiple batteries with it using a charging board. You hook the board to the charger, then hook identical spec batteries to the board (up to 6 with one board). Add up the amperage needed for each battery (2 1300mAh would need 2.6A to charge at 1C).

 

[PhoenixFord]

The Imax b6 AC is a very good and versatile charger. It has the capabilities of charging using AC (at home) or DC (form the car battery). But it does have some limitations (probably not to be a problem with a novice pilot). I can charge a 3C 3S 1350mAh battery in about 20 minutes @ 2C charge rate. But I'm usually starting @ Storage Charge.

 

[pixelPilot]

Thanks for the comments guys, all very helpful and appreciated. I haven't been around as my macbook was stolen so had to make a new PW. Bloody thieves....
Have to go to work...cheers

 

[pixelPilot]

Cool video Jerry!

One other thing I thought of, to mitigate heat on the vtx, you can add a heatsink and place it on top of the frame where it gets more airflow. The batteries will probably just have their life span reduced a bit, but it isn't anything to worry about IMO. Just let them cool before charging.

Thanks for that. Are the heatsinks a part that is available or do I need to use one from another source? Any ideas on a compound that can both stick and has good thermal properties? I will look after my batts with a little cooler

 

[QuadCopter102]

Pixel,

Sounds like you're figuring things out on the race drone stuff, regarding, "I am a keen prospector and often head out bush for months at a time. Prospecting is also a reason for the long range interest in other things not racing drones.". If it were me, I'd be taking a serious look at a DJI Phantom 3 Pro (prices have dropped quite a bit and in my opinion, it's the best quad DJI has put out).

I live in the boonies and have used mine for checking fence lines, waterers, finding horses and cattle. I regularly do round trip runs of 6 miles or so, have done a few beyond that and did one run to test how far I could really go without the battery running down and crashing, made it just over 10 miles but wouldn't push it that far again. With a 3rd party app you can pre-plan your flights and run them over again anytime you choose.

Here's an example of a run that was just over 6 miles, about 13 minutes flight time, run at different times of the year and then sped up to about 3 minutes. Just a thought...

Jerry

Litchi should pay you!! Your video is a perfect advert for the capabilities of the app.

Hi all,

I am new to the hobby and know i will love it. I bought a Flsky Horus. It has just been shipped and i cant wait to get it so i can do some quality simtime. I live in Australia in a very hot region in the summer months. It is often 30C + and well into the 40C, i think thats over 100F. At this stage i want to get a race quad but will also like to do some longer range stuff with maybe gliders or similar. They do have an RC buggy club which looks like fun so will end up with a buggy of some description.

A guy i know of has said that it is too hot to run race drones in the summer here. If true what if anything can i do so i can run it more in hotter weather. Is it the batteries that are an issue or the motors (probably both hey)

I am thinking of getting a Alien build from droneproz, a dragonlink and mini reciever, Fatshark Hd3. iCharger 4010duo. Will need to buy or make power supply. Not sure which batteries...graphine or not..

Im pretty sure the charger is overkill (as is perhaps the drone) for now but would rather spent the money now..than more later. The charger can double as a handy house battery charger for the motorhome. I am a keen prospector and often head out bush for months at a time. Prospecting is also a reason for the long range interest in other things not racing drones. A good way to have a look around...

There is a local airial rc club here which i will join. Any input or advice, even if its "you should have asked before buying the Horus...and got a taranis", is appreciated

I have a gopro 3 black edition.

cheers

drone Alien ARF DYS MOTORS & Kiss FC

charger iCharger 4010 Duo 2000W 40A 10S Dual Port DC Lipo Battery Balance Charger

IF you look for a B6 charger - be warned - its one of the most "cloned" you will find on eBay and other online stores. The genuine item should have a serial number and a halograph sticker. I have the B6 AC Pro and it does a good job, although Hobbyking sell a Turnigy at circa $35 which I think is better and if HK ever get one in the AU store I will have it...but I object to paying highly inflated shipping fees from "Global" store.
To keep your lipo's balanced you are eventually going to find you will want wattmeters, cell meters and various other gizmo's - lipo batteries only stay "balanced" if you nurse them along. you also MUST HAVE a few of the small voltmeters - keep it on during flight - if you are not too far from your quad - when the voltage drops it will beep...giving you time to land it without over discharging your lipo.