Hunter850

My Feedback: (1)

Yves, excellent video and pics, keep up the good work.

Looking forward to pictures of your mounting system...........


My foam idea was a scrap. I will go back to the drawing board.

Which camera system are you using?

I have been looking at microwireless cameras and was thinking of maybe investing in one of their systems. I currently am using the standard camera that came with the DF.


Also, How do you post your vids? Do you just create them on your PC and do a file upload?

Hunter

yvesOttawa

Thanks for the compliments. It is alot of work but I think we're close to a final design.

Hunter, too bad about your idea. I know it is frustrating and we've had our share but keep up with it. I think we may be dealing with a combination of DF setups which may need several design options for a stable/noise dampening camera mount.

I have the Eyecam Extreme 460 LOR, patch antenna, MiniDV recorder (500 LOR recording). We also use the PVC stock blades since we come close to people, windows, cars, etc.. so CF is not an option for us at this time.

All we're doing is pulling the raw vid from the MiniDV as an .AVI and then rendering it as a windows .WMV (both 320x240 for the web and 720x480 for our DVD samplers we're creating (potential customers). We are using some software for doing titles, cuts, transitions and final rendering but not to stabilize. We would like to stay this way if we can since the anti-stabilizing software out there needs to chop the field of view to correct for movement. As shown on our couple of vids, full panoramic-like view is achieved. Plus the stills are acceptable as you could see with the roof shot. We got pretty close and almost hit the eavestrough in that one .

We also paid for a hosting service (where are vids and still are stored) since we will have a web site soon showing what we do.

I would appreciate a link to the microwireless cameras you are refering to. I Googled "microwireless cameras" but got tons of hits.

Keep trying new designs though...

Hunter850

My Feedback: (1)

Here is their website http://www.microwireless.net/

Thanks for all the info.

Keep up the great work.

yvesOttawa

Thanks Hunter. A few words of advice if you are considering buying new gear:

-As you probably know already, stay away from CMOS, only consider CCD
-Camera and transmitter should be SEPERATE and not as a single assembly...NOISE..NOISE..NOISE
-2.4Ghz frequency system minimum or preferably higher. Believe me, we're in the wireless business ourselves.
-Consider placing your video transmitter away from other electrical equipment such as the main DFTi board, power supply, camera and motors.

They do have some pretty cool stuff though. I like that small LCD/Receiver unit but wonder about it's effectiveness for that price.

Hunter850

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the info.

Here is another of other site I have visited worth checking out. Lots of good info on RC Video

http://www.rc-cam.com


You have given some interesting thoughts. I have been running my camera from the main board power supply. I will try it on its on battery supply to see if that makes a difference.

Also thinking of a better receiver system. (patch antenna)

poorjohn6

I am having trouble keeping the fuse from blowing during a semi hard landing, when the DF either flips or lands on it side. No problem with landing flat as I have a bubble cushion. Has anyone have the same problem, or a solution?

John

yvesOttawa

when you think you are about to crash, shut off the throttle completely. Even if you are a foot off the ground and think you will crash, shut them off. As soon as there is resistance on the motors, the load shoots up and blows the fuse. The fuse protects the MOSFETs and electronics on the board.

poorjohn6

Thanks, I will try. You input is most helpful.

It is not a question IF I am going to crash - that is a given.

John

yvesOttawa

Keep practicing John and don't give up. We've all been through the growing pains and still crash when we think we've finally mastered "the beast". It's the DF's way of telling us who the real boss is

BTW, which radio do you have? the Hitec Laser 6 one?

SgtBilko

Yes, IMHO that's DF rule #2
Rule #1 is "Takeoffs are optional."

Don't forget, part of our DF duty is also to support the the hungry families of all those people who make DF parts

poorjohn6

Unfortunately, it is the hitec 4 system. I didn't know that at the time I bought it, wish I had. To find out after the fact was a disappointment.

By pure chance, I also have the hitec 6 I bought for another purpose. I know that I can upgrade the circuit board to a 6. I am holding off until I have to send it in. I have not tried the TI yet as I am keeping to below 1 foot.

Scottslc mentioned my 'back yard' for flying in a recient post. At the time I didn't know how to upload an image, now I do, so here it is.

John

poorjohn6

Opps, wrong image.

yvesOttawa

Wow..that is an amazing view !!! look at all that space ! That must be a blast for you to fly in. You are one lucky son of a gun.

50 ft each side and I'm in my neighbors' yard and pray that the DF stays in the air so I don't have to knock at their doors to go fetch my DF. I had one guy just stand and watch from his patio while I flew above him at 80ft. He had a smile on him and probably prayed for the DF to crash land at his place so he can grab it.

Bilko's got it right on about rule #1

yvesOttawa

You could just get a crystal for the DF Vti board you have to one matching your Hitec 6. The reason asked was that the Laser 6 supports dual rate controls. Meaning if you toggle the top two switches just above each joystick in the down position, the joysticks will respond to the setting of the pots in the bottom left corner. The "AIL" and "ELEV" I think are the ones you adjust. Fully clockwise and they respond the same as you have them right now on your Hitec 4 which is full responsiveness. If you bring the pots down (counter-clockwise) a bit (maybe halfway) you will notice the DF is less touchy to control movements. This would be easier for you to learn on.

That's what I did anyway and it really helped me hovering.

Give it a try. You can probably order the crystals from Mike at Spectrolutions. Tell him what you have in your Hitec 6 and he can surely match the frequency.

yvesOttawa

Just thought of something. Why not just take the crystal in your Hitec 4 and install it in the Hitec 6. It should work plus now you'll have the ability to adjust the controls sensitivity.

poorjohn6

WOW! I had no idea of the adjustments you mention on the 6 vs the 4. Looking forward to getting the 6 circuit board. And yes, I had planned to switch cystrals from the 4 to the 6.

Lots of space yes, in fact when I learn, I plan just to sit on my deck and fly from there. That will be in 4 or 5 years.

John

yvesOttawa

You probably don't need to wait for the new circuit board unless you want to remotely turn Ti on/off. Just flip the crystal from the Hitec 4 to the Hitec 6 and you should be able to fly with it (and benefit from the adjustments to sensitivity.


You'd be surprised on how fast you will pick it up once you've got the hovering down. Practice like you are doing at low alts. As you go higher, the hovering is easier with less ground effect.

poorjohn6

I shall before my next attempt at lift off. Thanks again for your suggestion.

Also, the tree in the foreground, just left of center in the 'backyard picture', has been removed, giving even more room. It had a habit of reaching out and grabbing my electric planes as they went by. This now give me a clear space of about 60 yards by 120 yards before having to move out of the reaches of any other trees.

John

RCFUN!

Hey how long did it take from the time you ordered your Draganflyer till you got it???


Also do you guys fly your Draganflyers year round?? (Winter)???

poorjohn6

I bought mine from a member of this forum, so got it in 2 days. When I learn to fly, I intend to fly in the winter as we get very little snow here in SE Idaho.

John

SgtBilko

Hi RCFUN, yes a lot of us fly year around. Here in Iowa there are often snow/wind winter concerns, but if it's calm and the sky is fairly clear I don't hesitate to go out in my back yard for awhile. Snow also can make for a nicer landing medium than concrete. Winter air can be different, less dense, and the cold seems to make the motors on mine run better, and longer flights sometimes. When it's too miserable outside I still like to hover in my basement, just for the fun of it, try to fly to a certain place, turn around, etc. Anyway I think you will be amazed how much fun these are. RCToys shipping system basically sucks, partly as origin is Canada and partly (IMHO) because often they send DHL (even when you specify extra bucks for UPS or whatever) which seems to add many days to delivery times. Occasionally something will zip right through, get to me in 5 or 6 days, but usually not. I've had DHL "lose" boxes that were sent to me, only to "find" them two weeks later, last time somehow went to Seattle. Good luck, keep us posted!

roxyboby

hi I have just acquired my very first rc controlled flying machine (VTi pro) and now am very nervous to fly it. When I tried to fly it indoors it moves to the left and I really don't know how to take off vertically. Tried trimming it a little bit but looks like it's a big learing curve ahed of me. Am scared of breaking the rotor blades. Any advice for this poor beginnner ????

yvesOttawa

Hey Roxy, glad you could join our group. We've all went through the learning curves and yes, you can expect to break blades, many of them. It's just part of getting the hang of it.

The best advice I can give is practice where you have a lot of room to move around and be able to trim it properly in all three axis, left right pitch, front-back pitch and yaw. Also, I glue my blades back together using Loktite Plastic Glue. They usually break clean off so they are easy to glue back together again and sand smooth.

Keep it up.

scottslc

When I first purchased my df, I had never flown an rc before. I found that a smooth gym floor was a great place to practice low level hovering and learning control of my df. As I got braver, I hovered higher setting down on tables and such that I had placed on the floor. The first time you actually take off, it'll scare the hell out of you. The second time, it's pure fun. One of the nice things about the flyer is the design. Just realize anything you break, can be easily replaced. My advice is to preorder a small supply of parts (blades, vert. risers, motor mounts and a few cf tubes) so you can keep on flying rather than wait for the parts to be shipped. As your flying skills advance, you will break fewer parts. (but then you start to try braver stunts that once again result in breaking more parts, but thats another story)

Here's a tip for replacing the cf tubes: Take a piece of fishing line and thread it through the new tube. Next tie a slip knot around the motor wire ends and pull them back through the tube with the fishing line rather than twisting them and trying to push them through. Makes replacement a snap.

Best of luck, keep us posted on your new adventure...
Scott

poorjohn6

Roxy, I too am a newbee, having mine for about 2 weeks. Of course I have broken blades in trying to learn. Like Polaroid, it is the main way the DF people make their money.

The only suggestion I can pass along is one I use all the time. That is to pad underneath the DF with bubble wrap. Based on the landings (read that crashes) I have, it is a lifesaver. Take some small bubble wrap and make a pad about 1 inch or so thick, 4-5 inches square and use rubber bands to attach it under the DF. The pad takes most of the force of the crash and the extra height even saves some blade breakage.

Also, there was a tip a few pages back that I also use when flying from grass. That is to use a large piece of cardboard, carpet or heavy duty plastic as a take-off pad. It keeps the blades from hitting the grass and twigs, which could cause breakage.

I have not reached the level of 'beginner' yet, still at the 'crash' level.

John