I searched this forum and could not find this question asked. (could have missed it).
NOOB, where to start. NO RC experience.
Today I ordered a UDI U818A, at $66.75 including controller I figured it would be a good starter unit. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D3IN11Q/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_T1
The link should not be considered an endorsement as I do not have it yet.
I backed Hexo+ so I will be getting a 'real' multi-rotor in May (KS=expect delays).
Learning on cheap equipment will do one of two things. A: teach me the basics and if I crash and burn I am not out much cash. B: teach me wrong. It can be harder to unlearn bad habits than it was to learn them in the first place.
Was my <70 bucks a good investment or will I learn bad habits trying to fly it? It comes with a 1S 3.7 volt lipo, there are other topics on parallel batteries, even links to fairly cheap Y connectors for this purpose. Would an extra battery be too much weight for this baby quad? Would it add more flight time? What is the highest cap 1S battery? It comes with a 500, there are 600 available... Are their bigger that would work for longer flight times? Thanks, Bob
Replies
heres a pic of my 818. I chopped off the camera & camera mount. I could have just chopped off the camera & now i need to use the elastics to hold the battery. The training wheels are gone also. It sure snaps & is a lot faster.
I replaced another arm assembly. The grass and ground aren't as soft as in the summer, thats for sure! I replaced the one arm in 15 minutes. I made a lot of cheat marks with a bottle of white out & that really helps speed things up. My batteries are wearing out. I have had 5 of them & now I am down to 2. I sure do enjoy night flying the 818's. Banggoods got the 817's for $49.95 shipping included right now. for the amount of flight time i'm getting for the money, i'm happy.
I have gotten to the point I can keep it in my back yard. Still struggling with control. Hover in one spot nope. This is my first RC. I have ordered a 5 pack of 680 mha batteries. I had to use one of the included replacement props. Need to be careful to match the letter and not just the color. I replaced one of the black props but did not pick the correct one. The effect was it could not get off the ground and wanted to flip over. When I checked the one I removed it was A1 and I put the B1 in its place. Corrected and works like it supposed to.
Thanks again for all your support and information.
Bob
I've owned 2 u818's for over a month now. My first quadcopter. it sure is a great trainer. A couple days ago I cut off the training wheels and the camera from the main frame. Wow does the 818 fly snappy now! I have also replaced a broken arm assembly, that went pretty smooth. Flying them at night is really a kick. Extra batteries and chargers are a must.
Hello Bob,
You cant go wrong with the U818A. Ive been flying about 2 years now and that's what I started off with. You can fly it indoors and outdoors, which makes it very convenient to fly at any time and in any weather condition. It will also teach you the hand-eye coordination you will need (spend a lot of time flying towards youself). Because of it's size (weight), its hard to break them.
I still fly mine around my office when I need a break. I've had to get new batteries, but I'm still on the original props. I've put a little micro camera on mine, so you may be able to get two batteries on there...If you flies well with two batteries, you may want to look into getting a bigger size.
Good luck and have fun
Chad
Hi Bob,
You will find the UDI818A an excellent starter quad copter, if you learn how to fly it well, you will have a very good basis for an Arducopter or any other multicopter you choose.
On my Quadcopters Are Fun web site I actively promote the UDI818A as an excellent starter quadcopter:
http://quadcoptersarefun.com/ADroneOfYourOwn.html
Please look through this site I am sure it will give you a lot to think about.
I would generally stay with Quadcopters as opposed to tricopters which are not as common or as widely supported as Quadcopters at this time and tricopters are actually more not less complicated.
If you want to take another jump before you get a true UAV type Arducopter, get a Blade 200QX, it can teach you to pilot like an expert, they are very high performance and they are a blast to fly.
By the time you get done with that you will be pretty well qualified to fly any multicopter and you will have a lot better idea of what you want to do.
Best Of Luck and Welcome,
Gary
Thank you very much. I found your site quite educational. I like training wheels on bikes until one depends on them. The direction for UAVs is better training wheels. 6 axis gyro, return to home, tilt limits, obstacle avoidance, etc.. (drone)I will not crash into the building, three strikes, you are an idiot I am going home.
I am really looking forward to my Hexo+, it does have a manual override.
Many of the options I was looking at started at 1K+, I may get those... would rather crash a 70 buck drone first.
Bob
It won't be anything like what other people fly with. I learned to fly on gyro's only, which are rotation velocity controllers.
Here's david's new machine:
http://rcexplorer.se/blog/2014/08/the-tricopter-v3-coming-soon/
That's the frame only, so you still need to figure out what motors, props, controller board, ESC and transmitter+receiver and batteries to get, but then you can start to fly LOS and in the beginning that's already a big challenge. Compared to a Disco Pro that isn't that much, especially if you start with a KK2.0 board or something. Still, it's likely going to drive you over 250.
So, I should start with a tri-copter? There are micro-quads for under 50 bucks. some forums recommend starting with those. Amazon has the MSRP for this drone at $499. so I am either getting a very good deal or a snow job. That was part of my question to all YOU experts. I have spent <70 bucks. Can I use the experience from this drone to more powerful/advanced drones? It has a six axis gyro (told this was important). I do not understand your comment. Or is your comment to learn without any gyros and control the beast? Bob