FPV Flying, Where gamers go to die, reality.

DIY-HP-LED said:

I converted this Seaplane to FPV

I've had this plane for almost a year now, and I haven't had a good opportunity to convert it to the seaplane mode with the pontoons. I love how this thing flies over land, so I'm really excited to try it over sea. Moreover, I decided to modify it with the DJI digital FPV system so that I could also fly it via FPV, cause it was tricky in the evening sun to be able to fly it line of sight.

Click to expand...

The insta360 cameras are not so affordable. But that seaplane flys beautifully.

Random video youtube served up. Magically put together.

DIY-HP-LED said:

You will most likely see solid state battery technology in things like phones and they might even hit the RC market earlier too. The RC market would be a perfect interim step for these companies as they develop and test the technology on a much smaller scale with a lot of early adopters in a tech savvy market. These kinds of batteries would offer many advantages over Lipo's like increased energy density, longevity, safety and the ability to charge off a car battery in a few minutes. Instead of packing a half a dozen Lipo packs, you might just need one or two to fly all day and not be too concerned about abusing them either. Solid state batteries will most likely be in phones, computers and RC aircraft before they power cars, that is a market several orders of magnitude over the one for the cellphone and RC world. For smaller companies with limited production and still developing products, it could be a foot in the door, the RC world is used to experimentation and can provide a good market for a small tech company to continue development of its products.

The truth about solid state batteries - how close are they?

Click to expand...

Seems we have a while to wait yet.

end_of_the_tunnel said:

The insta360 cameras are not so affordable. But that seaplane flys beautifully.

Random video youtube served up. Magically put together.

Click to expand...

There is a lot of crossover between the FPV drone world and the RC plane world, much of the equipment can be used, as well as escs, motors and props, both demand time on the workbench. The excitement of accurate high speed proximity FPV flying and racing is a big draw among young people, especially those who like to play video games and while they might be drawn to drones, foam FPV wings and planes can be built or bought very cheaply. There is a lot of room to grow in this hobby a lot of areas to explore and much can be done economically these days and with an economic downturn caused by covid, many might be looking for a cheap hobby. Propulsion systems are only $20, as are AIO FPV systems, foam board is cheap and the internet is full of free plans, a couple power of pods, a tractor and a pusher, could be transferred to many models, as can the electronics, servos can stay since they only cost less than $2 each.

I think racing quads add lot's of new blood to the RC hobby and I figure most people who fly FPV racing drones will end up buying a foam wing at least. As I said before a couple of hundred bucks can buy a lot these days and if a fellow was doing that for a couple of years he would have everything he might need for equipment, planes and racing quads with lots of spare stuff lying about. If you just stuck to planes you could buy a lot of FPV foamies and if you built foam board planes you would have an air forces worth.

Mind you if you went for DJI for digital goggles and transmitters, your experience would be nicer, but your wallet much thinner and racing quads cost more than foam FPV platforms. It depends on what you want to do, HD cameras like the runcam2 are cheap, but there are several expensive stabilised options now. People who are into photography and video often spend thousands on camera equipment alone and for some this hobby is an extension of that, either with a DJI drone or a racing quad and a gopro.

FrSKY R9 / RXSR Pilot F765 FC

FrSKY R9 / RXSR Pilot F765 FC with stacked R9 or RXSR ACCESS receiver,
...
SPECS:
Supports FrSky F.Port 2.0 Protocol
12 Servo/Motor Outputs & Multiple Serial Ports (6 UARTs, I²C, SPI)
Powerful STM32F765 Based Flight Controller is capable Running on INAV / Ardupilot / Betaflight Firmware
Built-in Graphic FrSky OSD
Supports FrSky S.Port Sensors
Built-in Multiple Sensors
Max 150A Capable Hall-effect Current Sensor
Built-in 3-axis Gyroscope & 3-axis Accelerometer Sensor (ICM20602IMU, ±2000dps, ±16g)
Supports ICM20601/ICM20602/MPU6000 IMU as external gyroscope module with vibration insulated box
Built-in Barometer sensor(SPL06-001)
Adjustable Voltage Output through integrated BEC function
Supports Black Box Data Record Function(via SD card)
Compatible Receiver
Standard FPC Interface on-board receiver with a perfect fit protection box (RXSR-FC/R9MM-FC-OTA, etc.)
All F.Port 2.0 Capable Receivers (Archer and Tandem Series Receivers, etc.)
SBUS Receivers and Some Others with Serial Ports

end_of_the_tunnel said:

Seems we have a while to wait yet.

Click to expand...

It appears Volkswagen is moving ahead fairly quickly, I think the racing quad market would give a real good test of safety and durability! A torture test if you will, if you see them in cars, you most likely will see them in the RC world too.

FrSKY R9 / RXSR Pilot F765 flights

FrSKY R9 / RXSR Pilot F765 FC, available with stacked R9 or RXSR ACCESS receiver and Graphical OSD.
https://www.frsky-rc.com/product/r9rx...
SBUS XM+ receiver used in this flight on a Volantex Ascent
Requires INAV 2.6, FrSKY OSD App V2.02 and OS 10.15 Catalina if you're using Mac.

SPECS:
Supports FrSky F.Port 2.0 Protocol
12 Servo/Motor Outputs & Multiple Serial Ports (6 UARTs, I²C, SPI)
Powerful STM32F765 Based Flight Controller is capable Running on INAV / Ardupilot / Betaflight Firmware
Built-in Graphic FrSky OSD
Supports FrSky S.Port Sensors
Built-in Multiple Sensors
Max 150A Capable Hall-effect Current Sensor
Built-in 3-axis Gyroscope & 3-axis Accelerometer Sensor (ICM20602IMU, ±2000dps, ±16g)
Supports ICM20601/ICM20602/MPU6000 IMU as external gyroscope module with vibration insulated box
Built-in Barometer sensor(SPL06-001)
Adjustable Voltage Output through integrated BEC function
Supports Black Box Data Record Function(via SD card)
Compatible Receiver
Standard FPC Interface on-board receiver with a perfect fit protection box (RXSR-FC/R9MM-FC-OTA, etc.)
All F.Port 2.0 Capable Receivers (Archer and Tandem Series Receivers, etc.)
SBUS Receivers and Some Others with Serial Ports

US$69.99 for the R9M version, but it will work with any receiver that supports it's functions.

Red Cat to Acquire Fat Shark Expands Presence in the First-Person View (FPV) Drone Business


DRL Champion and Rotor Riot pilot Alex Vanover wears Fat Shark Goggles.

Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (RCAT:OTC) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Fat Shark Holdings, the market leader in FPV headsets. The transaction, subject to customary conditions, is expected to close on or before November 1, 2020.

Founded in 2007, Fat Shark is the leading provider of headsets and goggles for professional racers and drone pilots with an estimated market share of 85%. Fat Shark is presently generating approximately $7 million (unaudited) in annual revenues which will significantly increase the revenue base of the combined companies. This transaction follows the Company’s acquisition in January 2020 of Rotor Riot, a leading provider of FPV and drone racing hardware.

“Our expected acquisition of Fat Shark strengthens our position by providing direct access to premier FPV technology favored by professional racers and drone enthusiasts alike. The combination not only provides a fully-integrated supply chain but adds design and development capabilities as well as international manufacturing and distribution. Greg French and Allan Evans bring world-renowned skills and decades of experience to our team. Fat Shark’s existing digital platform and innovation also provides a valuable road map to fuel our future growth and our expansion into the enterprise drone market” stated Jeff Thompson, CEO of Red Cat. “Importantly, it positions us to continue to develop and introduce innovative products and solutions as commercial applications of drone technology expand in the coming years.”

“Red Cat has emerged as a leader in the FPV sector of the drone industry and we are excited to join their growing team of business professionals” noted Greg French, founder and CTO of Fat Shark. Added Allan Evans, CEO of Fat Shark “We are excited to partner and integrate feedback from the top pilots at Rotor Riot as we develop and expand our digital video systems. Rotor Riot is especially well situated to help us build better FPV products as well as expand into enterprise training and field solutions.”


“With the addition of Fat Shark to Red Cat’s portfolio we have paired a quality hardware base with Rotor Riot, a robust educational/entertainment brand” stated Chad Kapper CEO of Rotor Riot. “Fat Shark’s new line of digital headsets with their “out of the box” functionality meshes perfectly with our popular “Ready To Fly” (RTF) packages. We are excited to promote their functionality on our YouTube channel and our digital store at www.rotorriot.com as well as leverage the strong brand recognition Rotor Riot enjoys. We believe the addition also allows us to continue expansion into the emerging gaming and augmented reality (AR) markets with future innovative products.”

About Red Cat Holdings, Inc.

Red Cat is developing a fully-integrated drone supply chain with secure blockchain-based distributed storage, analytics and SaaS solutions for adoption in the drone industry. Red Cat supports education, training and sales of drone products through its Rotor Riot platform and is developing the means to accurately track, report and review flight data that will be useful for insurance and regulatory requirements. Red Cat maintains a commitment to deliver unrivalled innovation to make drones aviators and products accountable and the sky a safer place.

An FPV Beginner's Guide: What I Learned When Getting Started

When getting started with FPV drones, it's tough to know exactly what equipment you need, the best equipment to buy, and what information is actually important for a beginner to know. This is the first in a series of videos that I'm hoping are able to cut away the excess and make things simple for any beginners trying to make their first purchase and get started in the hobby.

Here's AN IMPORTANT UPDATE: Since I posted this video SO MANY NEW PRODUCTS have been released and many of them could be more worth your money than the things I talk about here. With digital bind-and-fly drones being more accessible as well as new controllers, goggles, and accessories, make sure to do some research before you buy something right away! That being said...

FIRST LOOK: New FPV wing from SonicModell - the AR Wing PRO!

Link to it on Banggood: https://bit.ly/2HeWdi3 also now listed on other SonicModell resellers too..

Li Metal SSB Innovation Promises To Cut Battery Pack Mass In Half


An “anode-less” approach from University of Michigan researchers may make them work.
Lithium metal batteries have double the theoretical energy capacity of lithium-ion cells. Anyone that makes them work will immediately cut the battery pack mass in half or double the current range any electric car offers. The problem is getting there, but researchers from the University of Michigan may be getting close with an “anode-less” approach.
The video above shows what they have achieved, but that also deserves a written explanation.
Lithium metal batteries with liquid electrolytes face dendrite formation as its major problem, leading them quickly to thermal runaway. To solve that, Jeff Sakamoto and his team applied a solid electrolyte to their battery: Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO). But that is just part of what they accomplished.
One of the challenges to produce a lithium metal solid-state battery is integrating metallic lithium with the chosen solid electrolyte. What if that can happen after the battery is already assembled, through an electrochemical process? This is what the researchers managed to do.
Instead of getting a battery with the cathode, the electrolyte, and the anode, they have eliminated the anode, which was replaced by a metallic foil made of copper, but other metals would probably also work.

This metal foil helps create the anode when lithium starts to plate there through a process developed by the researchers. It seems to be a charging method to plate lithium. We have contacted Jeff Sakamoto to confirm that and will update this article as soon as we hear from him.

DIY-HP-LED said:

I'm planning on flying long range waypoint missions with a nano talon over water one day to photograph the shoreline and to fly over water at a local park. I can safely launch and land the plane and avoid flying over people by sitting in the park and flying over water, if the plane goes down it's foam and floats, the problem is retrieving it. I figure if I build this FPV rescue boat and site the video transmitter and control receiver on 1 meter high masts and mount the FPV camera as high up as I can on a cheap pan and tilt gimbal, I could go for miles off shore and have gps return to home too. I can also rig a system to raise and lower a ramp to hold the rescued plane out of the water.

I like this basic design and with a few modifications it would suit my needs, this fellow already did most of the work in design, testing and setup. I could build this pretty cheap and I might take it on as a winter project and be ready for some serious flying next summer. I live close to the water and it's the best place to fly, provided you have the means to recover the plan incase something screws up, foam planes and wings float, you can even spray coat much of the electronics with plastic insulation and waterproofing. I like this idea and I might build it, it looks like fun all on its own and a great way to play with way point GPS navigation. It would fit in the back of the car easily or even the trunk and I can stick the masts on quickly when I need to use it.
Rc Rescue Boat build

Click to expand...

I want to fly over my beaches and swamps

mysunnyboy said:

I want to fly over my beaches and swamps

Click to expand...

Swamps are a bitch if ya screw up! Always be prepared to go cross country for a "walk of shame"!

This

mysunnyboy said:

This

Click to expand...

A DJI drone, one you remote control, great for stunning areal views you see in 4k on TV. The choice of perverts who peek in widows and give drones a bad name!

Here is the difference, from France! Viv La differance!

I used to like to corrupt kids too!
The Cinematic Drone Revolution is Here : DJI VS FPV

SIYI FT24 and FM30 Long Range 2.4GHz

SIYI specs say 15km range from this budget priced radio and 30km with the FM30 module. PC only firmware updates but great potential from this system. Accepts R9M and other external modules. SIYI say OpenTX firmware is in development. FR and FR mini receivers.
SIYI product page - http://en.siyi.biz/en/ft24/overview/
SIYI FT24 Banggood - https://bit.ly/3gxYSAE
SIYI FM30 Banggood - https://bit.ly/37RF4Eu

I just built a fpv 250 racer drone. Armattan rooster. I bought some used fpv sky zone 01. I won’t fly again until I get oled goggles. But my first flight was amazing. Almost lost it because I couldn’t recognize my surroundings at first. Shit looks different from above.

Sleez said:

I just built a fpv 250 racer drone. Armattan rooster. I bought some used fpv sky zone 01. I won’t fly again until I get oled goggles. But my first flight was amazing. Almost lost it because I couldn’t recognize my surroundings at first. Shit looks different from above.

Click to expand...

Fly a good sim for a spell, it's cheaper! Also there are some good ski type goggles for a real good price these days, look through the thread, there is a great pair of goggles for $79 that make you look like a dork, but you can pull out the screen for bench work etc and you can put your phone in them for 4GLTE long range FPV.

BTW foam FPV planes are cheap as dirt and you can use all your gear with them including batteries. Flying from the inside makes all the difference they hand launch and land on the grass.

Lose it here and the "walk of shame" will be the least of your concerns! Full screen and crank it.

8km From Home w/ TBS CROSSFIRE - Uncut 2.7k Long Range FPV Flight With DVR - Long Range Freedom II

A 17.8 km Long Range FPV flight that uses powerful li-ion cells to reach 8 km out for epic views from the peak of a 2200 meter mountain. I built a 7" long range quad with TBS CROSSFIRE to take my GoPro on a flight that turned out to be quite amazing, in both range and beauty. There's a glacier, waterfalls, a river, outstanding views and more! Long Range Freedom II

I leave my low battery warning set quite high, don't worry, I make it home. I've changed the speed for parts of the flight to keep it interesting. The current playback speed will be indicated in the bottom left corner. There's a full time DVR in the bottom right corner that is synced with the GoPro footage.

I'm using the V1 Micro TX and the diversity nano Rx with 1 vertical and 1 horizontal antenna. As well there is little to no RF interference at this location. Your results will vary depending on the amount of RF interference at your location as well as several other factors.