Robert Godlewski's Posts

My Raven RQ-11 - Almost Complete

Posted by Robert Godlewski on January 15, 2011 at 6:30pm

A few weeks ago I was looking for a topic with pictures of the Project RQ-11 Raven in its entirety along with some close up shots of the fuselage but couldn't find one. To help you guys out, especially anyone here thinking of buying this model, I've decided to post some pictures of my almost finished Raven.

A few comments about it:

+ there is barely enough wire provided so when you build, don't use more of it than you actually need (after using every single bit of it I ended up with only about 3 inches left over)

+ when you install the wires to the servos and the back, make them as tight as you can because if they're loose, you'll lose the ability to do some precise movements

+ the back pieces look like they might slide out, but they won't as long as you use a decent amount of epoxy on each side (not too much either because the wires will rub against it)

+ the two black screws holding the wing attached to the fuselage aren't enough, you might want to add a bit of epoxy under the wing (sure you lose the ability to detach the wing but there is no other way to reinforce the wing's attachment)

+ be careful when putting screws through the fuselage because it can crack if you put too much pressure when making the hole (I have a small 1 inch crack near the cover for the servos on the bottom)

+ this thing looks really nice and is quite strong, I think it can go through a rough landing without breaking or cracking

+ there is no paint job like others have commented, it's just a very light plastic film over the entire body and wings that is very delicate and is easy to peel off accidentally

+ there is a ton of room inside (measurements are 19 inches long, 5.5 inches wide, 3 inches height) and it is just empty space for the most part (I have a 4000mAh 3S battery, I think I can fit 4 of them inside easily along with all the other required parts)

Showing the entire plane (the bottle of water is there just for the size comparison):

Showing the propeller attached to the motor (it doesn't work as I'd like it to so I'll be changing it a bit):

Showing the amount of space in the front:

Showing the amount of space in the back:

Showing the servos installed:

Lipo Batteries Exploding - has anyone ever experienced this? (+ what do you recommend)

Posted by Robert Godlewski on December 28, 2010 at 8:00pm

Hey guys -

As I'm waiting for my first real model airplane to arrive, the ProJet RQ-11 Raven from NitroPlanes, I can't help but ask, has anyone ever experienced a Lipo battery explode?

Here's a video of one doing just that:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3690260570423705609#

From what I read so far, it's pretty easy to overcharge/overdischarge Lipo batteries and they are very quick to explode if handled the wrong way. But what does this mean exactly? How can you "overdischarge" a battery? I thought that if you fly the plane and it suddenly turns off, wouldn't that shut off prevent it from discharging any more battery?

Also, as I'm a newbie, how do you guys charge your batteries? Do you use one of those chargers with the screen and buttons for controlling the charge or do you just simply connect it to an AC adaptor? Sorry if I'm being too much of a noob but I thought that these airplane batteries are charged just like the Lipos in iPhones, am I wrong?

Thanks in advance!

UAV flying in/around New York City?

Posted by Robert Godlewski on March 15, 2010 at 7:51pm

Hey guys, this is my first post here on DIYDrones (I've been reading this site for a few months now, just not posting anything until now).

I'm in New York City (Brooklyn to be exact) and I'm really interested in building and flying a UAV. However, I'm wondering whether it's a good idea, or rather if it's even possible to fly an RC plane here. Obviously I'm not planning on flying around skyscrapers or anything, I just want to fly something and take a few camera shots or videos.

As an alternative, I can always take the train out to Long Island and fly there, but that would seem to be a big hassle getting a plane hidden on a train and keeping it all unbroken at the same time.

What do you guys think? Is there anyone here from New York City or some other largely populated city? Where do you fly, how, and when?