Uggh. I've only clocked four and a half hours but it's taken over a week.
A three year old and work make it painfully sloooow.
Pics have descriptions attached.

I just wanted to get some shots up. I'll update build log and fill in the blanks as it progresses with lectrics.

With the exception of my original inspiration, Mr. AJ Woods first post here on RCG, I have tried very hard to not look at any build logs. Wanted to hit it with a clean head and voided of anybody else's influence.
There is not a ton of room so I'm sure many details will be shared throughout all of these speeder builds.
My main goal is to keep all electronics, gps and the battery inside...think I got it!...Continue Reading

I Love these cheapo cell monitors with built in low voltage alarms.
I plug one in all my planes and quads before I fly and even with flight controllers set to warn me with lights, I'm often alerted by the alarm first.

They are small and compact and built tough. The best part is they are very inexpensive if you don't mind waiting for the slow boat to deliver them.

My one gripe is the orientation of the LCD display. If you want the balance port in the "up" orientation, than the LCD reads upside down.

My first two attempts to flip the LCD failed and I bricked the boards.
Since then a couple tricks I learned from my failures have worked and I can now convert them pretty quick and without issue.

It's not difficult, there is no SMD removal or rework, so I consider this a 'basic' modification for someone who has even minimal soldering prowess.
just through hole desoldering and careful solder sucking.
It's a fun and rewarding project.

All you will need is a 40+Watt iron and a solder sucker or braid.
A small flat head screwdriver and some Teflon wire or magnet wire.

Pictorial review below. pics are hi-res so you can open and zoom if you like. Descriptions attached to each....Continue Reading

got one of these.
Did this.
Pulled the schim from this thread and most of my inspiration from T3chDad(Bob Tempelton) who built just an insane rig.

Mine: simple, clean and solid enough to slam around my bench.

Oh, got the Amp/Volt Meter here.
It comes with a huge Shunt which is used to disperse heat. I cut down the ends at the large bolt mounts and used a torch to tin the remaining portion of the blocks.
Then I just soldered directly to the blocks. This narrowed the width by a good two inches and allowed it to fit with plenty of room to spare.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a beta set of Brandon's newest design.
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=2321373
These are pretty cool and I could not wait to strip off my bench built aluminum mounts and strap these on.

Very clever, simple design is super strong and about as light as I think you could ever make a reliable bracket.

The main plate, it's clamp plate and the screws assemble in minutes without any disassembly, add virtually no weight and provide a strong, rock solid mount for your servoless retract assemblies.
They fit the F550 frames crescent shaped cut outs and bolt through the lower frame into the arm.

I have not figured out how to format a picture into the text body so Just open the pics for the descriptions....Continue Reading

I tried to build this with meticulous attention to detail as with all my neurotic builds.
I built this for myself but now have to sell it : (

It's built on a small, Snap folding frame w/ CF booms.

Keda(KDA) 2050s balanced cans and lathe shortened shafts.

Plush 12A, w/extended 20g silicone wire (Motor And Power).
Re-wrapped in clear w/orig sticker underneath. The only way you can tell that these are modified is that the wires are longer, the sticker is underneath the heat shrink, and the soldering is impeccable.

Wang Distro board mounted between decks and out of sight.
All wires are trimmed to length and tucked neat for easy service but cleanly and tight.

Black KK/5.5 rubber mounted level with top deck

Spektrum (CLONE)

Custom Dome. (See blog below this one).
PETG .030. Minor blems but webb-free and crystal clear. Super strong and will protect FC from even high speed upside down landings.
These are also easily paintable like lexan.
There are a few scratches on top but these are from the last quad is was used on.

Digital, Adjustable Low Voltage Alarm. These are on all my quads now.
Super easy to program, inexpensive and will save you from the dreaded suicide flips. Plug your balance plug into it and set it at 3.8V per cell and you will know when to land before voltage drops to dangerous levels.
you can set alarm to sound at any voltage and the two buzzers will scream.
(They are very loud). It will constantly rotate individual cell voltage and then total pack voltage....Continue Reading

I finally pulled out my janky scratch built vac table and started to play around a bit. Came up with a really simple Dome for a quad or camera.

I used an air filled bounce ball and a lid for some car wax. I think it turned out pretty sharp for a five minute fix.

Ok so here is an abbreviated how to.
THIS MOD COVERS THE ACTION HD AND AHD PRO MODELS ONLY!!!
striking similarities between other models exist so many steps will work with other cameras as well. For example the A/V inputs etc etc.

This will remove the heavy cumbersome case and create a plug and play, FPV ready, Live out feeding, True HD camera, that is every bit as advanced and capable as a Go Pro, but only half the weight and much more streamlined!
If along the way you need more detail or explanation please feel free to post a comment with your question and I will modify the thread.

For now I will explain the basics which will get you well under way. I will go into much more detail with advanced techniques for really stripping down the camera and knocking off about another 15g! in just a few days as time permits.
Good Luck!!!


All the pictures are labeled with basic instructions and the picture descriptions go into a little more detail. Please read both carefully
If you do not own a LEAD FREE soldering station I would Highly recommend getting one. All the Solder on EVERY Aiptek is lead free. Adversly you should only be replacing/using a blend of leaded solder For all the steps below. I use and recommend 60/40 rosin core. Radio shack still carries this and its the best for strength and ease of use..032 is a great size for all your RC needs from .050 needle work up to 8gauge battery wire!

here is where I got IMO the best station money can buy at a price...Continue Reading

my new ground station....Continue Reading

Here is an inexpensive ($40) way I use my PC's monitor as a stand alone, wireless, portable fpv monitor without making any internal mods.
The process is straight forward, requires only minor soldering and can be completed in about 1hr. Best part, you can switch it back for desktop use in about 10 seconds.

1) Find a monitor.
Most, if not all of you have a flat screen monitor by now, and if you still have a 40lb box taking up valuable desk real estate, then now is a really good time and a great excuse to go update your fifteen year old dinosaur to a sweet new flatty.
These can be had at insane prices at geeks.com, frys, Newegg.com etc etc.
here is a prime example.
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?inv...560V-R&cat=MON
Look around a bit, this was the first link I clicked.

All Flat screen LCD monitors run off 12-16V D/C and most use A/C wall adapters. This is great news!
Disconnect the monitor's cord from the wall and the monitor and cut the cable about 12" from the plug that goes into the back of the monitor. There will be two wires, either color or stripe coded for +/- and if you are not sure you can plug the socket into the wall and carefully test the bare leads with your volt meter. Wire a male Deans to the the monitor side and a Female plug on the wall end. Now you can still use the wall adapter when you want to use the monitor indoors as you would before the conversion.
Plug a 3S LiPo into the monitor's new plug and press the power button. You should...Continue Reading

I love the removable tail on my FpVz Star and thought it would be a fun conversion for the Fun Cub.

Here is how I went about it.


Perhaps the most important thing to remember is NOT to glue the tail wheel mount "plug"/"insert" into the fuse tail. This can be pressure fitted just fine and if glued will render the removable tail useless as you will not be able to remove it....Continue Reading

AHD+/PRO models
1). Plug the Video (Yellow) servo connector into your video display device (i.e. Video Transmitter, OSD or adapted A/V cables provided with your camera). Take note of the wire color. Black is ground and White is video signal wire. Please make sure they match the receiving plug. Installing these backward will damage your camera and void warranty.

2). Plug the Audio (black, female housing) connector into your Audio receiving device (i.e.video transmitter or adapted A/V cable provided with your camera). Take note of the wire color. Red is Ground and White is Audio signal wire.

3).Plug the Red Power Plug into your power source (i.e. on board receiver or any 4.8V source (5VMax).

4).instal the loose "control knob" microchip into the main camera housing if it is not already installed, so it is centered on the housing.

5). Depress the small button on the end of the black twisted wires. If this is wrapped inside of heatshrink tubing, pinch with fingers until a small click is felt. At this point two Blue LED indicator lights on the small removable "control knob" chip should be lit up solid.
Pro models will have one blue led lit.


6)*. (See 6.1 below for Pro models)
Access "A/V Out" function and "ready" your camera (A-HD+ models) by pressing the control knob "Down Once", then press "In Once".
If your camera is attached to an A/...Continue Reading