RipFree

So i got the draganflyer for christmas, and i'm a pretty good pilot as i have had experience with other rc helis. Now, i have the draganflyer 4's camera and i attached it to the new draganflyer. My problem starts with the fact that i cannot attach the camera to the new DF. I looked at rctoys.com for answers. I saw an item that claimed to [link=http://www.rctoys.com/rc-toys-and-parts/DF-EYE-POWERCON/RC-PARTS-WIRELESS-VIDEO-BATTERY-ACCESS.html]attach older cameras to new DFs[/link]. Now i swear that i have that exact same piece but my new DF doesn't have any 5 pin connections that fit it[:@]. It only has a 3 and a 7 (around) and i need to know weither i can actually get a connector for my new DF or i will be stuck with a 9-volt battery velcroed to the underside of the carbon baseplate which wastes a lot of the battery just lifting it. Help anyone?

My next question involves the rotors. The draganflyer team left out the decals for the rotors (It's not my first problem with them) and i have sent them an email. In the meanwhile, do any of you have any ideas on how to easily determine the orientation of the DF in daylight? LEDs prove to be rubbish in the daytime (as my friend found out ) and i can't apply paint to them because they are plastic. any suggestions? Thanks!

One more, i have to braces for the DF and the problem is that they keep coming out. I've put blu tac on them and it helps, but any other non permenant ways?

MANY THANKS!!!

jesolins

Hello,
Try using red or yellow or green 3 inch celophane tape that you can find in office stores. Simply cut a 6 inch strip and position it on the front arm or stabilizer cf rods if you have those, then center it and fold it over the cf rod and then to itself so it dangles down. BTW, you really can't see the colored props when flying high, and the decals eventually come off anyway.
Sometimes the stab cf rods come out when the main motor arms have come out of their mounts a bit. Try loosening the cf arm and motor screws at both ends and pushing the motor mount and the other end into the center mount as far as it will go for each motor. That will make the cf stab rods fit tighter and stay in better. You can also try using clear packing tape on the cf stab mount to help it stay in place. I mark the cf rods at the center mount and motor mount when full inserted with a silver sharpie inkpen so I can visually tell if there has been some slippage or movement.
I don't use that type of camera, so I can't help you there...
Cheers,
Jim

RipFree

Good idea about the cellophane tape, but i will have to do some research (most coloured tape i find is quite heavy). I belive have already pushed the cf tubes as far as i can into the base, but i will try to push the motors a bit further in.
Thanks Jim

geoffbrown

If you pushed the motors in as far as they will go and you
can still twist the motors or the support rods still move in
and out of their sockets, you might have a broken rod
or a broken corner connector. Inspect the corners very carefully
and take the rods out and see if you can bend or twist them
easily. The rods should barely move when you have everything
together right. I just had to replace a rod and the corner recently.
Now it stays together with almost no movement. The broken corner
was very hard to see. I took a small metal pick and picked at the
corners and one of the sides pulled away from the body.

The video board connects to the main board via a 3 pin connector.
That supplies the power. I don't see it on the RCToys website, but I bet if you call or email
they can send you one. You can also get the plugs w/o wires here.

http://www.spectrolutions.com/

Sky High

In addition to the motor mounts, another place to adjust the rods' length is in the center hub making sure the rods are seated as much as possible in that hub.

Sky High

In addition to the motor mounts, another place to adjust the rods' length is in the center hub making sure the rods are seated as much as possible in that hub.

FL_PI

You may have seen similar suggestions here in the forum, but here is a photo of my DF with my poor mans' way of seeing the orientation while in flight.

The orange on the side rods is surveyor's "tape" which is a VERY THIN plastic with NO ADHESIVE. I put a piece of scotch tape on the end, wrap it around the cf rod and secure the other end with another piece of tape. Weight is next to nothing.

Then, as you can see, I have flourescent fishing bobbers which are styrofoam and also weigh next to nothing. Total cost is something around two dollars for more materials than you need to do this job. Inexpensive AND visible!

Hmmm. Seems like the flash washed out the colors a bit. The styrofoam bobber on the front is flourescent ORANGE and the two on the sides are flourescent YELLOW.

I *was* gonna post this earlier on BB_DF's query for "bling" but I chickened out.... Hehe!

Oh, yeah.... one more thing, my DF V TI came without decals for the blades too. No big deal IMHO.

Good luck!
Ed[8D]

RipFree

Hey FL_PL,

Your way of keeping orientation is a great idea, but your just a bit late as just yesterday i was looking over mike's brushless conversion slideshow and i saw that he had put bits of coloured paper which was essentially the same idea. Anyway, i've now coloured my two bracing tubes and ordered a crash kit with one coloured blade for the front. I have also ordered a 3 pin connector for my camera, so thanks to geoff also!

Old Man Mike

Actually that is colored duct tape. And I'll have to say that I really like FL_PL's idea since it adds some width to the visual color profile and is probably not any heavier or maybe lighter than the tape. The only disadvantage is that it is in the down air flow and could result in some small reduction in lift/efficiency. Still, I am tempted to try it.

Mike

RipFree

Oh yes, sorry FL_PL, I replied before you put up the picture, or maybe my computer didn't load it in time. That is an excellent idea, but i agree with mike, they will get blown around a bit. Here's another idea: how about fitting some styro around the front carbon tube? That would be almost as visible as the bobbers and would not affect the efficiency of the downthrust.

FL_PI

Well, *I* can not see any problems with movement or lift using the bobbers, but then, *I* have an OLD MAN's eyes....
Not that *I* am going to make the change, but now in retrospect, the bobbers do come as you probably know, with the locking wire running through the center.
I suppose a hard core fella could snip the wire and remove the locking mechanism and then disassemble the df and run the cf rods through the heart of the bobbers, but that is entirely more work than *I* wish to involve myself in.
If you look closely, perhaps you can see that I have used fishing swivels to attach the bobbers, and that at the motor ends I have fastened the swivels one on each of the side rods on each side of the motor and then fastened together, which as far as *I* can tell, keeps the end from moving around too much and pretty well keeps it below the rods. And only one swivel of course, at the pc board end toward the center of the craft to hang that end.
In *my* imagination, the downward flow of air theoretically is pretty uniform on movement, and *I* never notice any hazardous movement of the bobbers in the air flow. Lastly, the shape of the bobbers and the smooth surface probably allow free movement of air around them. Just *MY* guess. It works for me.[&:]

I just offered it as a inexpensive possibility.

And not that it matters, but the last letter in my nick is an "I".

May I wish everyone a SAFE and HAPPY New Year!

Ed[8D]

FL_PI

With a bit more cogitation, I suppose that if one were handy with a razor knife such as an x-acto blade, one might snip the locking mechanism and pull it out, then make an incision longitudinally and then gently hold the slit apart just enough to slide it over the CF rod and then close the incision with scotch tape and then tape the end to hold it in place on the rod.

But still... even THAT is more than *I* wish to do.

Ed[8D]

RipFree

Or you could forget about this and go down to the pub for a beer .

Old Man Mike

Sorry, FL_PL/PI the poll is now closed and the votes have been tallied:

Total references in this thread as FL_PI = 3

Total references in this thread as FL_PL = 4

The *I*'s don't have it so it *L*ooks like you will have to change your name.

Sorry,

O*L*D Man Mike

FL_PI

LOL! You guys are TOO much!

I was out flying for real this evening, and in dusk daylight too! Had it up about fifty feet, and maybe 100 feet away, and could see my poor man's orientation markers just fine...

Maybe I'll hang with this until I get like Mike... O*L*Der

Seriously, it does work for me and I never see any movement problem(s) with the markers and they don't SEEM to affect lift or control in ANY way that *I* can detect. But I don't have the experience that Master Mike does! *I* have only had my DF since May of this year and don't get the flight times that many more seem to! BUT I AM WORKING on it!

Tonite's flight was great and a real mile marker for me. I actually had the Coby hooked up to view and record video. It worked GREAT for viewing, but I apparently missed something in the destructions because when I was done, there was no video to view. Back to the books![:@]

Happy New Year again!

Ed[8D]