Hello everyone! This is my first post to the site though I've been following for over a year. I'm finally to the point where I would like to begin purchasing equipment for my first Easy Star Drone.
Background: I have successfully built and flew my Blimpduido kit. I've also been flying around for a a couple months the Hobby Zone Champ (RTF). This has been the extent of my RC/Drone background though I have been playing around with Arduino on other projects for over a year.
I would like to purchase the Easy Star Kit and buy all the components separately due to my lack of knowledge in RC plane hardware. This is where I would like to get suggestions for mid-range servos, controlers, recievers/transmitters, batteries, motors, etc... I'm not familiar enough with rc brands or quality.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with the Easy Star due to the overwhelming positive reviews I've been seeing over the past couple months, however, any and all suggestions for the actual plane kit are welcome. I'm mostly interested in areal photography and possibly video.
As this is going to be my first UAV/Drone other than my Blimpduino I will happily take suggestions for the best way to approach the build, rc hardware, photo/video hardware, etc... I plan on purchasing the plane first and getting familiar with it then after about two weeks (aka payday) I'm planning on purchasing the "drone" hardware.
Thanks for your suggestions and I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks!
Stan
Comments
Hi Thomas,
Could you please provide pictures of your reinforcing of the cockpit area? My EasyStar seems to crack every time it touches the ground and it is driving me nuts. Maybe it's because I used double sided tape instead of CA..
*thinks*
I would say just go ahead buy the ez* take a day or two if needed to put it together, it's not a huge project, you will always find support here with any questions, plus when you have the parts in front of you the correlation of parts and any information will fall into place so much quicker. I too like research, but every once and a while it's time to jump on in there!
Regards
Martin
Hi all,
I have built eight, yes eight, EZ*s over the last year and a half. I crashed four of them before getting the hang of flying without crashing.
In the process of building eight EZ*s I found that Gorilla Glue works better than CA and that if you want your EZ* to survive rough landings it is best to reinforce the fuse with CF rods/tubes. I use 6 mm dia CF tubes in the tail boom and around the cockpit/motor area of the fuse. I also use 8 mm dia CF tubes in the wings in place of the plastic fiber tubes and insert a 6 mm dia solid CF rod between the two wing tubes. I have also made the wing tube channel longer in each wing to keep the end of the wing from snapping off in a high speed dive.
I have also developed a Big EZ* that has Pro Glider wings installed on it (Chris A did not like the way his performed).
You should enlarge the rudder if you install a brushless motor in the fuse. I have used both inrunners (Multiplex) and outrunners (BP Hobbies). You might want to consider the readymaderc.com EZ* FPV pod to hold your Ardupilot and protect it in a crash. The FPV pod is easy to modify to hold the Ardupilot/IR sensors and even the ArduIMU.
I just completed a Bormatec Maja (Jordi has one, but I do not know whatever became of it) complete with landing gear, but do not recommend this model as to the lack of interest from the RC community. I think that the Multiplex Twinstar II is a good heavy lift plane once you get the hang of flying the EZ*. I have built two of them, one with landing gear.I am also considering the new Polish URSUS for UAV/FPV work.
Regards,
TCIII
@Kamu: Roger that. I was just reading about the RTF components and am now back to the ARF kit. Thanks for the clarification and update!
Sorry Stan, I made a mistake. I am using the stock BRUSHED motor. I think the ARF kit is a more fun way to go, where you get to select the parts you want to buy and get it shipped etc.
The problem with RTF kits is that you get a lacklustre RC tx&rx and battery charger, which is only going to be junked when you move onto better stuff being so limited by it.
@Ron: Being a first time ES/RC builder, and if price wasn't an option, do you think you would opt for a RTF version if you had to do it over again?
I ask because I am interested in putting one together myself, I have both the time and interest however, having looked at the link of photos you posted I'm concerned about (a) being a first timer myself and not wanting to glue a part incorrectly or 'twist' the frame so it doesn't fly straight or correct and (b) if I commit an error described in (a) my limited programming skills would be tested if the ArduPilot software couldn't easily correct my error when in flight. Due to these concerns and also because I don't have an on-site R/C mentor I'm beginning to consider an RTF version of the Easy Star. Thoughts?
Thanks for the link. The poster has excellent photos!
@Martint: You've unintentionally found my weakness! I've visited rcgroups.com before but must have missed the link you posted during my visits. I've now signed up for an account due to all the great information. However, my weakness is both a virtue and curse (so my gf likes to say)...I love research! I think the link(s) you provided just added another two weeks to my purchase date due to me not knowing enough about R/C planes and wanting to read everything I can before I purchase. I know ultimately that I just need to purchase and test different parts myself but I feel I must have a small grasp on the subject before diving in.
Also, I mentioned before that this is my first RC build what are your thoughts on RTF versions vs Kits for first timers. In full disclosure I'm not necessarily an R/C plane fanatic as much as I am a fanatic with the idea/possibilities of what I can now do and equip an R/C plane with so I don't feel 'guilty' if I were to purchase a RTF. With that being said I am getting excited with the idea of experimenting with parts to see how long I can make an Easy Star stay airborne!
Thanks for the link. Any and all comments/suggestions welcome.
@Kamu: Thanks for the parts suggestion. When you purchased your Easy Star did you get the 'stock' Multiplex Power Pack? I'm personally thinking of getting a RTF or a 'stock' Power Pack (power pack link: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXPVF5&P=M ) as I plan on flying the plane without any ArduPilot equipment for at least a couple weeks or a month before I start adding new parts/ArduPilot so I'm thinking a RTF might be a good fit for me right now as I get used to the plane. I can then continue researching individual parts and testing to see which need to be replaced.
@All: Though my response times will very I will appreciate and reply to as many comments as I can. I appreciate your insights and welcome any new information you would like to share, either personal comments or links. Thanks again for you help and suggestions.
I purchased a Turnigy 9X 2.4ghz Tx/Rx. As you may be aware, there is open source firmware available for the controller. I aim to replace the modules with the OpenLRS project kit (also open source ;) ).
I purchased HXT900 servos for this job, which I have been told are more than competent for the job.
For batteries I have two Turnigy 2200mAh 2S LiPo batteries (only 1 is going to be in the plane at anyone time). You will likely have a larger 'S' if you choose a more powerful brushless motor rather than using the stock brushless like I am.
Check out hobbyking.com for parts.
Hi there,
I assembled my Easy Star just yesterday (excluding the placing and balancing of the components in the cockpit). I pretty much followed the manual except I placed the rudder linkage connector on the underside of the control horn (l have read that the rudder linkages should just be replaced with Z-bends anyway, which I will most likely do at a later stage).
I also did not glue the fuselage together. I used double sided tape. This is so I will be able to easily open the fuse to replace the stock motor when that time comes, mount some antennas on the tail section of the fuse, mount components in the abundance of space that is in there.
I built my ez* over a few hours, I did not find any part of the build to difficult. The most time spent was with the kit laid out in front of me, judging where all the parts were going to fit! The room in the "cockpit" soon disappears when you put a lipo in there! I would say that it was a very easy build compared to some planes I have built. The most involved part was the use of a set square on the tail fins. I found no issue using ca glue, I did a dry run with each part to check the correct position before the cap even came off the glue. I have added a link to a very comprehensive list of ez* modifications. I'm sure you will have a few tips and tricks in your arsenal when you come to putting your new project together.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=350408
Regards
Martin.
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