Good flying today... 'til the crash.
- Thread starter Mike
- Start date
figgoat
Member
Oh F$%*....so sorry for you guys....posted earlier looking for a vid....just found it. Not what you wanted. Looks like you were getting it sorted. It is very fast. Guy I flew with on the weekend turned up with a brand new Disco and lost it into the trees 300m away within 90 secs of first flight. He was shattered. I feel for you. Do you have a definitive cause yet? Prop failure? I had a similar looking crash FPV.....it happens SOOOOOOOOO fast. I smashed a carbon arm and the vid tx......costly mistakes in a very expensive hobby, but we learn.
We don't know what went wrong. Based on responses on the OP board, we think it might be a cold solder joint or a broken prop. Not sure. Replacement parts are on the way, as are parts to build a second copter. With all the money we have into it, $90USD in replacement frame parts isn't too bad. We were ordering new motors and 10 inch props anyway.
It is expensive, but we're committed to it now. Can't let a crash get us down!
The guy you flew with is pretty unlucky! I wouldn't have the balls to fly a brand new build over trees the first time out!
It is expensive, but we're committed to it now. Can't let a crash get us down!
The guy you flew with is pretty unlucky! I wouldn't have the balls to fly a brand new build over trees the first time out!
We finally have just about everything to rebuild, and we're doing two copters. We're rebuilding with the QAV500 frame, 10 inch props, 4s, slow fly motors, etc. etc.
Then we're doing a more simple 450mm frame (DJI Flamewheel type), 1200kv motors, 8 inch props, 3s, etc. Pictures will be up soon. Everything is in for the QAV500 and it's being built now. Still waiting on some things from RC Timer for the smaller copter.
Both will use OP CC3D boards. We fought to get our hands on them before, but by the looks of things, they're now readily available on the OP site and the price is lower. Hopefully Revo stays in stock too once they get those produced!
Also grabbed replacement shafts and bearings for some of our crashed motors, so going to rebuild those guys and maybe build a cheap tricopter to mess around with if time permits.
Then we're doing a more simple 450mm frame (DJI Flamewheel type), 1200kv motors, 8 inch props, 3s, etc. Pictures will be up soon. Everything is in for the QAV500 and it's being built now. Still waiting on some things from RC Timer for the smaller copter.
Both will use OP CC3D boards. We fought to get our hands on them before, but by the looks of things, they're now readily available on the OP site and the price is lower. Hopefully Revo stays in stock too once they get those produced!
Also grabbed replacement shafts and bearings for some of our crashed motors, so going to rebuild those guys and maybe build a cheap tricopter to mess around with if time permits.
Long Range RC
Well-Known Member
I just crashed my Gaui 330X last night during a night flight. OOOPs, watch for things you can't see. I have to replace one of my arms on it and that is about it. I flew my H4 Hornet as well. It has 12 inch blades with 570 KV motors and a 14V 8000 Mha battery. That thing is so much more stable in flight and it is all because of the NAZA M-LITE. You guys should really try a Naza if you ever can. I have 3 Quads: 2 Gaui 330 X and 1 H4 Hornet. I also have 1 Century Hawk Pro Heli and a smaller 450 size chopper.
To date I have crashed 2 Raptor G4's, 2 Thunder Tiger Raptor 50's, and 1 Gaui. Man this hobby is expensive. LOL. This is the first forum I have ever joined about FPV so be kind if I am an idiot.
To date I have crashed 2 Raptor G4's, 2 Thunder Tiger Raptor 50's, and 1 Gaui. Man this hobby is expensive. LOL. This is the first forum I have ever joined about FPV so be kind if I am an idiot.
Long Range RC
Well-Known Member
If you guys want to see some of my flights visit my youtube page.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jasgad
They aren't the best but I have been trying. My berry patch one is sort of cool.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jasgad
They aren't the best but I have been trying. My berry patch one is sort of cool.
Haha... we're still kind of a small forum, so everyone should be kind for now =). This hobby is expensive - especially for you... that's a lot of equipment and a lot of crashes! I've had two crashes so far and rebuilt both. You're lucky with the broken arm! Although, be careful that there's not more that's wrong. Sometimes motors do funny things after crashes. When I slammed my copter into the ceiling in my house, it actually bent the housing of the motor that hit first. I didn't realize this until I got the thing rebuild. I figured the arm would have broken off before that much damage could be done. I guess not!
I've only flown with a kk board and OpenPilot. The OP boards have been amazing for the price, but they usually sell out in an hour when they release them. The kk boards are supposed to be good, but I think the two we got when I started flying with a buddy were either duds or maybe there were other issues with the build.
I hadn't flown with Naza yet because they've seemed way more expensive and the OP stuff was good for the price... but the m-lite looks like a good deal. I think that will be my next board. Does that thing do altitude hold and return to home?
Long Range RC
Well-Known Member
I have my naza set up so I have a switch for fail safe. You can tell the naza to either stop in place and land or stop, go to 100 foot altitude and return home then land. The return home and land is a good feature unless your flying under trees and accidently hit your fail safe. It will climb real fast to 100 feet and if your under a tree, well you get the idea.
I have another switch set to / manual flight, altitude hold, and GPS Lock and Altitude hold. It is my three position switch I did this with. Then I have my role knob set for regular flight at full right, coarse lock at center, and home lock at full left. Coarse lock is cool because I can go up 7 feet, then point the quad toward some trees I want to fly threw, then push the stick forward and let it return to center. The quad will maintain height, and move forward without me controlling it. Very cool for video.
If the quad is to far away or if my video goes out I can throw it into altitude hold, then home lock. It doesn't matter the orientation of the quad because when I pull back on the right stick, it will come back to where I am. It will come back even if it is pointing at me or sideways.
The GPS Lock is why I bought it in the first place. If we are getting ready to hit a house on a search warrant I can stop a half a mile down the road and put it 300 feet above the house we are going to hit. Lock the quad in place, point the video camera down so we have birds eye view of the property. I can see if someone runs or if someone is hiding from us.
I love it.
I have another switch set to / manual flight, altitude hold, and GPS Lock and Altitude hold. It is my three position switch I did this with. Then I have my role knob set for regular flight at full right, coarse lock at center, and home lock at full left. Coarse lock is cool because I can go up 7 feet, then point the quad toward some trees I want to fly threw, then push the stick forward and let it return to center. The quad will maintain height, and move forward without me controlling it. Very cool for video.
If the quad is to far away or if my video goes out I can throw it into altitude hold, then home lock. It doesn't matter the orientation of the quad because when I pull back on the right stick, it will come back to where I am. It will come back even if it is pointing at me or sideways.
The GPS Lock is why I bought it in the first place. If we are getting ready to hit a house on a search warrant I can stop a half a mile down the road and put it 300 feet above the house we are going to hit. Lock the quad in place, point the video camera down so we have birds eye view of the property. I can see if someone runs or if someone is hiding from us.
I love it.
The only failsafe I'm running is between my tx/rx because CC3D doesn't have an RTH feature. So if I hit failsafe, everything cuts off and my copter drops from the sky =) I think I'm going to buy the Naza for my next build, which is going to be very soon. I do most of my flying above or away from trees. I think you've sold me on the Naza. Definitely my next purchase. This is all with the M-Lite, right? I always stayed away from the Naza boards because they were several hundred dollars last time I checked (until you told me about the M-Lite).
Long Range RC
Well-Known Member
I am using the M-Lite. I will tell you this. It is very hard to lock it in and put the controller down the first time because of the money in the air. But it works and that is awesome. I locked it in gps lock mode over a whole in some trees and once it was locked I descended. I went straight down in a perfect line, right down into trees. No worries on the drifting.
Hi MM you was lucky mate, if it stayed up for another 20 seconds it would had been coming at you mate, you can see on video it was on a path to fly over you, the mud is a pain but may have taken some impact of the crash , i hope you find what the problem was .
Never found out what the issue was. That was a build I did with a friend. He ended up rebuilding that copter on his own and I built another from scratch. He wanted to go all out on the rebuild (pancake motors, high end props, etc) and I thought that was a bit too much risk, considering we didn't know why it crashed. Now that I have a lot more experience, I think it was a broken prop. Especially since I've had a couple of props fly right off before I could even get my copter off the ground since then. I think I was tightening them too tight in the beginning. I haven't had any issues since. I am, however considering using prop-savers in my next build so I don't have to worry about how much I tighten down the prop nut. Do you have any experience with prop-savers? Are they worth it?
And you're right, I never even realized that it was coming right for us! Wow. We got lucky that day!!
And you're right, I never even realized that it was coming right for us! Wow. We got lucky that day!!
Hi MM no never used them i dont know if you can fly very hard on them if you do acro i think props will lift off lol.... i have had plastic props get stress fractures on the under side of the blade had 3 snap all at the same time lucky for me i had just get the quad at low level when it happened , 20 seconds before it was about 60 feet up
That's what I figured - which is why I've yet to use them. We had the same issue with the QAV500 the week before this crash. It was about 2 feet of the ground and just dropped. No damage, but a prop was broken, so we assume it was that. We thought maybe it was a voltage issue, but we've run those batteries since just fine.
I cant up load any pics of the blades it keeps saying to large , but all 3 snapped at same point you could not tell very easy what prop was with what hub , number 4 blade was just starting to go , i do warn users that plastic blade snap , i fly very hard and in a turn the blades scream, only carbon firbe blades seem to be able to take the force so this is why i can only fly my heavy quad on them , wahtox flys acro i put in video on here in the( so you want a multirotor) but his acro quads are very light weight there rachel frame is £120 and weight is like a feather