I've been doing some research about Quadcopters lately and I would like to ask some questions I didn't find answers to:
1- Is it possible to add a gopro with a stabilizer to a 250 racer drone? (I want a racer drone but I would also like to be able to set it up to have good videos when I feel like doing that) Do I need stronger motors/propelers to do so?
2-Assuming a setup in which a gopro is fixed (rigid) to the frame, I saw a video in which they were using the gopro as FPV (by plugging it to an emiter and not the wifi which is too laggy). Is that an acceptable setup? Pros and Cons?
3- Are we allowed to bring the Lipo in a plane to travel?
4- I hate the idea of having a "flip" button on my remote. With a standard 250 racer Quadcopter, I would be in total control while flipping right (instead of having it all programmed)?
Thank you for your help
Replies
I can answer one question for you, I;m new to UAV;s to, flying a Phantom 3 advanced about a month now, I did start off with a Syma X5C just to learn to fly & would recommend this little droid to anyone who wishes to learn to fly, the X5C can take a crash in stride & believe me I crashed it often!
Anyway, I took my Phantom & 3 batteries across Canada with me & I had one security guy who decided to put me through the ringer. He was very concerned with where I was going to fly, in Edmonton, & insisted I don't fly in traffic.
I;m still not sure what he meant by "no flying in traffic but I agreed & that was it
3 other security personel, at other airports were just curious & asked many questions i.e- how high will it go
can you zoom in on people, Can it carry stuff.
Not one person asked about my 3 lipo's.
- I asked one Head security person - What is the protocol on flying with Lipo's?(Vancouver airport)
His answer was- As long as the terminals are covered/secured
There's more to life than GoPro :)
On a 250 drone (which I admit I don't have experience with), I'd worry a lot about the weight. It will fly, but at the cost of much flight time.
How about the smaller, lighter, much cheaper, and still pretty good Mobius Action Cam? Or similar. Perhaps especially for us beginners (who are known to crash and break things).
Lipos are allowed on airplanes. But check the details provided by your airline carefully. Really big lipos are not allowed, and all lipos should be carried in your carry-on bags, not checked bags (so crew can deal with potential problems in flight).
Drain them before you fly (not fully - that's dangerous. To 20% or so). Carefully cover the power leads so nothing can cause a short circuit during flight. Put each one in a 'lipo-safe' fire bag.
A Mobius will plug directly into a video transmitter, no wi-fi (the necessary cables are usually included).
(I love beginner questions, because they're the only ones I can answer!)
George
Haha,
Thank you for the replies. The reason for the Gopro is that I was planning on purchasing one anyways because I want a cam that goes underwater. Can the options you gave me also go underwater?
The Mobius camera is not water proof, so do not put it in water. You will need some water-tight case, like the GoPro one. The Mobius offers great picture quality, weighs less and I've used it for FPV before.
One thing I want to mention with Lipo batteries, is DO NOT over discharge them, or you will run the risk of damaging it. When storing them away, you should use a proper lipo charger that has 'Storage Mode" built into it. It will ensure, the cells are not too discharged or overcharged, which will help prolong its life.