Flight Control Boards - Viewer Response

by FliteTest | June 24, 2013 | (23) Posted in News

 


Here's a full list of links to the items mentioned in today's episode:

Spitfire made by TLMARK
http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?4288-FT-Spitfire-Build/page9


Learn more about Frank Weaver's Nutball:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=836389

Learn more about The Pizza Box Flyer (PBF):
http://mypage.yhti.net/~dmcdnld/pizzabox.htm 

Learn more about The Smart Dart XS:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=599674 

Delta Dart and AMA Cub: 
http://customers.hbci.com/~bkuhl/history.htm  


Flight Control Boards mentioned in this episode:

The ArduPilot Mega 2.5 (APM 2.5)

KK2.0 Multi-rotor LCD Flight Control Board

DJI Naza

OpenPilot CopterControl 

COMMENTS

iLoveRC on June 24, 2013
Thank you all from bottom of my heart!!!
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connorardo on June 27, 2013
Yes god bless you flitetest cast and crew.:)
Thank you for all you do for the hobby.

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Winging It R/C on June 25, 2013
Nice Vid Although I do have a question for you guys. ARE YOU GOING TO DO A SWAPPABLE DLG GLIDER!!!!!!!!
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liveyourdreamsRC on June 25, 2013
That would be AWESOME!!!
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kraczekj on June 25, 2013
i think that a DLG would be awesome, i tried to make one myself out of foam board, but i ran into a few problems, mostly the foam board seems to stick to the air alot which slows it down considerably - next i will try covering the plane in clear tape and see if that helps, when i get it to where i like it ill post my version. - i really relate to Josh because my grandfather has a laser cutter and Corel Draw. so i am always designing things, cutting them out and seeing how they work.
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liveyourdreamsRC on June 25, 2013
One question, will you still shoot some episodes at the old field? It is kinda your trade mark in the show openings. Plus it will give more diversity to the areas you fly in. I would like to see a video on all the flight control boards against each other. Chad could fly naza, Bixler could fly APM, and Dave could fly the kk2 or what ever else there is out there. You should make it like the LRS shootout. Last thing I wanted to mention is about the bat bone. What are the electronics USED?! I gave my guess on them on the comments of the other video but, you haven't said a thing on it! Keep it up and looking forward to the tour of the new place.
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connorardo on June 25, 2013
wait, did they just move houses or did they completely leave the area?
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liveyourdreamsRC on June 25, 2013
No, they bought a whole new flying field. From what I've heard it will be public and people can go fly there. The old site was Chad's house. That is where I want them to shoot at least some of the episodes because it is kind of the essence of flitetest since the beggining of the show- the birthplace. It gives the show it's character. But from the looks of it, it has a very large indoor space!
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connorardo on June 27, 2013
thanks for answering. By the way, this place wouldnt happen to be near where i live in cincinnatti, would it?:)
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liveyourdreamsRC on June 27, 2013
A long time ago, it might have been the epo parkjet episode, someone said that it was a really cold day in northwest Ohio. So that leads me to believe that it is somewhere near there. OMG!! just found out where they are! I googled "hercules factory ohio" and found pics from the batbone episode. That means they are in Canton Ohio.
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BuckE67 on June 25, 2013
You guys are awesome! God bless you all.
How about a short video on the design process Bixler
goes through in designing a new plane?
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mattplaneflyer on June 25, 2013
I like that idea too.
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connorardo on June 27, 2013
Yeah, me 3.

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JasonEricAnderson on June 25, 2013
Great episode

Chad: "David what do you like?"
David: "Chocolate."

LOL
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mattplaneflyer on June 25, 2013
LOL
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Wizguber on June 25, 2013
Another great video guys. Love the show and what you're doing for the hobby !
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lracnolip on June 25, 2013
Another great show, looking forward to seeing the rest of the Flight Test headquarters.
So will this become a family destination spot? Where we can pack up the wife and kids drive for hours to meet the cast and crew and fly RC's? If so will you sell rootbeer and mountain dew?
God Bless Flight Test






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waldorf069 on June 25, 2013
Always enjoy your episodes. You mentioned in the video about the antislip prop washers on the camera-battery mount and only having 3. Perhaps you could cut some into the camera-battery plate to include some more. This would also lighten the plate and give more washers.
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connorardo on June 25, 2013
I asked a question on facebook a few months ago about if flitetest had any plans of making a swappable discus launch glider similar to the alula. I hope it actually happens. by the way, did anyone else notice the dlg hanging on the door? :)
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Cyberdactyl on June 25, 2013
Great video guys. I'm so excited your endeavor is kicking into high gear.

Really great comments on FC boards.

I have one technical comment on your use of the HexTronik DT750s and the wood washer.

Chad puts the wood washer straight on the shaft with no nut under the washer. Without a nut under the prop and one above, clamping the prop and the wood washer, you put a high amount of shear on the inset grub screw locking the shaft to the bell. There's then a high probability the shaft slips and stresses the bearings.

This is how I suspect most people ruin the bearings of this particular threaded shaft design, AND most of the complaints about the DT750s having bad bearings.

Also, use Loctite (blue) on the upper nut or use a lock nut. Treat the two grub screws with Loctite on the base mount as well as the screw I refer to on the bell.

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dero on June 24, 2013
I really enjoyed this one.
Respect
Admiration
Appreciation
Anticipation
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Jimmy the Heater on June 25, 2013
Another excellent vid guys. I thought you had always given ample credit to those who designed the original Nutball and Blu Dart, but thank you for pointing it out again.

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Furiou5 on June 25, 2013
A heads up for Bixler: They have released ArduCopter 3.0 for wider release.
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sebass162 on September 2, 2013
Could you do something that focuses more thoroughly on the DJI Naza M and Naza M v2

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mdanemann on February 5, 2015
HKPilot vs. Naza Lite vs. KK2
I've tried them all now. I know these aren't all of the choices but in my research they are the most popular. The KK2 was first and it was a great introduction into flight control boards. If you are new to this, I highly recommend you invest the $30 in a KK2. The education is priceless and will prepare you for the next step – LEARN HOW TO FLY IN MANUAL MODE WITH THE KK2 (just like Flite Test says! And they have a great show on this.)

The Naza Lite was next for me and it was quite a step up! The GPS feature which enables RTL (return to launch or – COME BACK!) was very cool. The software is very simple and the documentation was great. I loved that the application ran on a Mac. Sadly I lost that Hexcopter (I built a 550 Flamewheel knock-off) to a fly-away that was my fault entirely. It is out there somewhere and I still hope to find it. As I was learning about the Naza I started to become curious about the APM board (the HKPilot is Hobby King’s version). I read a bit and it sounded really interesting. I was on the verge of purchasing when I lost my Hex so I went for it and built another just like the last but with the APM.

The APM (HK’s version is the HKPilot) is in a whole ‘nother league on all levels. The board itself is amazingly flexible and will move your copter to a true drone (defined as autonomous flight). What I needed most with my last Hex was some telemetry so I could locate it when it crashed. The Naza Lite didn't have that but whoa daddy, the APM rocks an amazing telemetry package including the ability to create and fly totally autonomous missions (another fun show on this)!

The APM is very feature-rich (AKA – complicated) and has a long learning curve but the videos available and the documentation will totally get you THERE. Remember – learning is fun! With the APM system, "THERE" is pretty limitless. This is an open source platform and the “community” is amazing. I have nothing but respect and awe for the people that work on this and continuously improve the software.

At the tail of this glowing review I have to add a few negatives for the HK Pilot version: The GPS mast (other than the carbon pole) is worthless. My base broke on a hard landing in which the Hex DIDN'T invert! Also, I ended up with a 433Mhz telemetry package when I should have had the 915Mhz (433 is not legal in the US without a Ham license) and I would have loved for there to be SOMETHING on the product page about that.

I’m a geek but I’m not a programmer geek. I can learn hard systems and understand the basics of electronics so this was just plain fun for me and it continues to be. I read the manual at night to learn about new features or to all of a sudden, understand what a feature is really about. So far the system is rock-solid with no unexpected behavior. There are a ton of cool flight modes to try like Loiter, Drift (which lets you fly a copter like a plane, primarily using roll and pitch), Sport, Altitude Hold (or “let your friend fly your copter” mode) and an amazingly solid ACRO mode. One totally cool thing is Auto Trim in which you turn over the unit to itself and it pitches and rolls until it comes up with a rock solid trim. Really amazing.

In summary: If you are new, get a KK2. When you are ready to expand, get an HK Pilot. Understand that there is a learning curve to all of this stuff. Learn how to fly in ACRO mode with the KK2 on an inexpensive Quad setup and THEN go to a Hex or an Octo. Knowing how to really fly a copter in Manual mode is key to everything else. Don’t get in a hurry and enjoy the journey!

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david5310 on February 13, 2016
What program?
Corel draw?
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Flight Control Boards - Viewer Response