https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=2574494

The XR230 and XR260!

Check out my review of the new RCTimer BeeRotor 160 frame -

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=2549793

Really diggin this little guy, and the RCTimer OZE32 All-In-One FC/PDB/OSD!

I have started a thread on the RCTimer MicroX 160, as I will be reviewing it very soon. https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=2523069

I have been in discussions over the last couple of days about last minute modifications/improvements, so stay tuned to that thread for information!

Wow, so, I've seen a million and a half posts/threads about the ubiquitous ZMR/Blackout clones by now, and because I'm designing my own racing drone, I decided to order my own cloneout, and build it with same or very similar gear as my prototype to have something to compare it to. I thought using THE most popular frame was probably the best way to gauge if mine was better, and if so, by how much. I figure, if I can't make mine better, then the project is a bust.

It's now basically built and while waiting for the weather to break, I thought I may as well post a buildlog of it. You'll notice that the build is quite generic - albeit with good components, all popular in racing. That is, either the same components, or clones of those components. Almost everything is from aliexpress.com, and the rest is from banggood.com, with the exception of the custom lipos that I'll be using for the comparison tests. Those are OEMs with my branding on them, and are 1300 and 1500mAh 4S 60C.
It should be scary fast (for me).

Note that I would normally work harder to make it as clean as possible, but in this case, it's function over form. You'll notice I put pin headers and am using servo plugs for the ESCs. Normally I would not, I'd wire them up directly - all wires as short as possible. But since I'll be messing with everything a lot (like ESCs in BLHeliSuite), things like this make it quicker/easier.

Frame: ZMR/QAV250 clone http://goo.gl/WwTqyL
PDB: similar to most...Continue Reading

I'm a bit late in getting a blog post up for this, but don't let that fool you, this thing has a special place in my heart. It's fast, nimble, and flexible. Yeah, flexible. You CAN twist it a little - not so rigid, as it's made entirely of PCB material. But that has no negative impact on flight that I can tell. It is also, and more importantly, flexible with respect to how you build it. Similar to the TL250A concept. Although beyond that, they have little in common.

So here is a link to where I bought the frame: http://goo.gl/GuOxcy

And here is my current build list (not how it started its life):
Motors: RCTimer 1806 2300kv (http://goo.gl/07wKTq)
ESCs: ZTW Spider Opto 18a Lites (http://goo.gl/1svp2v) (KISS clone)
FC: CC3D Atom (http://goo.gl/xiKX9u) running OpenPilot

I use a FlySky FSi6 TX, so am using the iA6B (ppm) RX, which I like.

I'll add captions later!...Continue Reading

Boy, this has to be one of the most rebuilt quads on the planet. Not just me, but it seems so many who have it. It's such an odd design that allows for so many create and different ways to build it out.

So this time, on my 4th build, I put the Flip32+ FC on it, and that thing is officially a POS and is getting round filed (thrown in the trash). Never again. I'm putting a CC3D on it again. I had a request to show some build photos of it, and this is a great opportunity to just open it up and do a build log of it as I put in the new FC.

The build list:
RCTimer Indy 250 frame (duh), which is a clone of the Tarot TL250A
XRotor 20a ESCs flashed with blheli 14, oneshot, damped light
Generic 2204 2300kv motors (see my post on these: http://goo.gl/GG5bSc)
CC3D flight controller
BEC/Voltage regulator: http://goo.gl/NNf4Df

Total flying weight is 467g. As far as I'm concerned, anything under 500 is good. My goal was 450, and I'm pretty sure there are a couple things I can do to bring that down. I'm using a 1600mah battery, and I could reduce that to 1300. That's a quick fix, but I like my flight times, and I'm already down from 2200mAh. LOL I'm just not going to worry about it because if you look around, most FPV Racers with full gear are at least that heavy, most over 500 - especially the ones with GoPros. Unless I do like Essaux, with his custom 3D printed mobius mount (I'd have to buy a Mobius first), I don't see myself putting an action/hd cam on it.

The rest...Continue Reading

Forgot to add a blog post pointing to my review of this awesome quad. I do mean awesome! Just add RX and battery and you're fpv'ing like a pro.
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=2445668

Hey guys, I got the RCTimer Indy 250 Plus and created a thread to build and review it. Awesome PNF kit! You can the thread, and a link to the kit here: http://goo.gl/OMvRTB

I think this is the coolest thing I've seen since I started RC.

http://en.ztwoem.com/news_detail/newsId=74.html

Someone try it! LOL

In years past I've dabbled into RC aircraft - rotorwings. I started with a RTF "400" 4ch heli. It was utter junk, but it gave me the bug. I ordered a T-Rex 450 clone kit, and built it myself. It flew, and was pretty stable, but I had a really hard time getting good with it, and ultimately sold it. About a year latter I missed flying somthing, so I bought a little 3ch rtf dual rotor - what I should have started with the first time. It was quite fun and I mastered it pretty well, doing figure eights in the back yard until it broke and I didn't feel like fixing it (again). Instead, I had been seeing stuff about quads, and decided to give a toy quad a try (learned my lesson). I bought a Syma X1 for myself. Oh boy, what a blast that thing was (still is)! My daughter, 10, who also got a little 3ch heli a little after I did, also wanted a quad, so I bought her one at the same time as mine. Hers was a Hero RC H1306, which is 6 axis, but has (had) a cage around it with a feature to make it roll around, climb walls, stick to ceilings, etc., instead of doing flips. Pretty damn fun, and totally indestructible. Later we took the cage off to make it lighter and wow, it was fast. It's power to weight ration is higher than the X1, but the yaw rate kind of sucks by comparison.

Which ultimately brings me to my current project. Now that I can fly the X1 pretty much anyway I want, whizzing around trees and whatnot (proximity w/o the FPV), I figure it's time to move up....Continue Reading