Preface:
I fly both KISS and BF hardware. While i like how reliable KISS is I can't say the same for how reliable flashing a new firmware version is, if anything it's reliably frustrating ... at least for me. This is of course if you flash both KISS and BF firmware.
I've flashed my KISS 1.03 board a handful of times, and EVERY.SINGLE.TIME i have issues. Yet, i tell myself "OH YEAH! I GOTTA DO THAT!" thinking i'll remember.. well i don't because i'm an idiot . SO i'm writing this blog for any others who've run into all supposed "fixes" and has come up empty handed, so this'll just be another fix added to the list

If there was ONE fix that comes close to resolving my issue it would have to be This troubleshooting guide. However, it still didn't resolve my issue as I've done that song and dance previously. BUT it did lead me to fixing the issue.

• DO NOT use the Zadig driver
• DO NOT use the ImpulseRC driver fixer
• Ensure the proper driver's installed (and for my forgetful mind it's the VCP_V1.4.0_Setup.exe file i have.. which is already installed)

THE FIX
Since the STM32 driver has already been installed I need to tell Windows to use it VS what IT wants to use.

• Hold the boot button down and plug in the USB cable.. let go of button.
• Just to be sure open DFUSE DEMO.. if STM Device in DFU mode is displayed in the dropdown, NOTHING ELSE TO DO, it's working.. flash accordingly. otherwise proceed.
• Go to Device manager (windows10 press windowkey+X and select

...Continue Reading

It's nearing the end of winter and getting closer to those daily flight sessions. With the ever increasing number of new pilots I'd like to take this time to discuss my gear bag... or the more basic term.. backpack.

I've seen far too many people think that they absolutely without a doubt need a "tactical" backpack. Let's face it, yeah they are cool , and do offer A LOT of features, but how many EXTRA features is someone getting when compared to the backpack they already have and have been using. Some will justify the purchase, others can just simply dish out the money without batting an eye, and others simply can't or won't.

I am in NO WAY downing tactical backpacks, and i'd probably own one if I didn't re-purpose things as i do. I see a fair amount of people wanting to buy/build the most affordable multicopter/kwad, and in that respect can't see themselves spending $80+ dollars on a backpack .

I'm writing this to demonstrate that caring gear in a bag that is most likely already owned is plausible .

The backpack i own and use is a Targus i picked up several years ago on a black friday deal, originally meant and used for college. The one i linked appears to be very similar, but not exact. As you will see my bag allows me to carry the following items:

• Taranis X9D+ w/ lanyard
• Fatshark Dom V3s w/ 18650 batteries and case, circular & patch antennas
• Tools/Accessories bag w/ pliers, ratchet nut driver, multi hex tool, wire snips, flashflight, exacto knife, USB

...Continue Reading

BACK AGAIN for yet another mind numbing BLOG! Sit back, read up, take a few notes. ENJOY!

This blog is a result of constantly seeing posts on Reddit about what tools, accessories, extras should someone get when starting the hobby. While I'm sure there are PLENTY of blogs, recommendations, videos that go into detail(especially Oscarliang, UAVFutures, RCModelReviews, Bardwell) about this stuff I want to put down in writing (or 1's and 0's) what tools and accessories I HAVE come to aquire, and their application. This is NOT an end all be all list, but I hope to get someone started in understanding the whoa's of building and flying multicopters. I have attempted to link the actual products I have, however not all are exact but close to what I have.

• Soldering Iron
• Soldering Tips of Various Size - soldering 26/30 awg signal wire VS soldering 12awg battery lead.
• solder - From my old computer repair days, doesn't have to be silver bearing.
• solder wick
• safety goggles - I wear glasses, but I've had a few solder balls flick randomly
• 4S Balance Cable - when your lipo balance lead is two inches long, and you don't want to have to put stress on the wires, i'd actually recommend several (4x) of these for parallel charging.
• battery checker
• DECENT set of tools for BENCH (while this entire list consists of tools, the following list will be used HEAVILY and most frequently when changing props or disassembling and fixing.
  • Hex Drivers
  • Nut Driver
  • Wire cutters - comes with Hakko combo

...Continue Reading

To continue with the IronMan theme what better than to mod my FPV goggles. (note this was done back in January 2017).

Materials:

• FatShark Dominator V3's
• Duplicolor Wheel Coating Gold
• Duplicolor Toreador Red Metallic (BFM0344)
• Krylon Clear Sealer
• 0000 Steel Wool
• petroleum jelly
• green frog masking tape
• frisket
• basically same things as my remote project

Prior to disassmbling I wore the goggles and took "selfies" to determine where the best place for the eyes would go. Once i determined a relative good location (without looking cross eyed or too wide) i drew eyes on with marker, and took more selfies. This also allowed me to determine if my Furious True-D mold would overlap one of the eyes, it would and so i opted to cut out a notch accordingly. I placed a piece of paper over the eyes and traced them, then transfered this to frisket paper.

Disassembling: remove faceplate by removing ONE screw and lifting UP on the inner portion to unhinge the clips. Not wanting to just RIP the shell apart i carefully pried my blackstick between the top and bottom shell. doing this allowed me to see THREE clips holding it together on the front, and ONE center clip in the back. Two ways you can pull apart the shell;

1. unhinge the right or left clip, place object (screwdriver) to hold shell apart, then unhinge center clip, then unhinge opposite clip. Unhinging can be achieved by pressing the BOTTOM portion directly under the clip. Unhinge back clip, pull

...Continue Reading

The Strix AWK210 comes with a limited lifetime warranty on the bottom plate, which lead me to choose this frame over others i was interested in.
The TRUE X form factor results in not needing to do custom motor mix, and as my first True-X I am very interested in how it handles over my other non-X frames. Before proceeding with the build, the first thing i did was file the bottom plate edges, focusing on the arms and rear where the pigtail will be. Once filed I coated the edges with industrial grade 3M CA glue. When doing a dry run of my components I really wish the rear standoffs were just a tad bit more spread apart, more on this later.

As I do with all my builds I dry fitted most components prior to making a final decision. I spend somewhere along the lines of 3-4 hours prepping all the wires and figuring out where things will go. This might seem a bit excessive, however it ends up making for a solid build IMO. Prepping involves dry fitting motors & ESCs then clipping wires to proper length. Dry fitting FC and clipping ESC signal wires, Cam wires, Vtx wires, and Rx wires. Once all wires and components are "prepped", I tin ALL wires and pads (minus pads with holes where wires will need to go through). Then from there it's simply putting everything together.

Choosing my components was a bit of an on going process. I originally wanted to run RMRC Rifles, w/ Emax bullets, and RMRC Cricket. After much deliberation and reading over miniquadtestbench I went...Continue Reading

OpenTx - Lipo Log

Lipo log is a lua based script for opentx software that logs data when available: Labeled Lipo Pack, flight time, Fuel (mah), VFAS, & Cels.
My goal is to analyze lipo packs and determine how long a brands pack lasts for the users style of flying, outside of blackbox logging. It stores logs by model name, and stores lipos globally. You can only view logs pertaining to a given model while THAT model is selected. Lipo Packs are global and thus can be seen and selected by ALL models, when a lipo pack is deleted it's deleted from available options from ALL models.

LipoLog comes with no warranty, and is a use at your own risk application, I take no responsibility on any effects it may have. I can only test the script with my current setups, and cannot know any conflicts with other setups without user/community input.

Remote: Taranis X9D Plus - OpenTx 2.1.8
MultiRotor1: KISS FC, KISS 24a Esc's, Frsky XSR
MultiRotor2: Naze32Rev5, RotorGeeks 20a Esc's, Frsky D4R-ii

I will continue to develop the script along with any user input/recommendations.

FOR UP TO DATE INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE VISIT THE WIKI ON GITHUB

LipoLog : https://github.com/sekthree/LipoLog
Wiki: https://github.com/sekthree/LipoLog/wiki/LipoLog:-Setup

ChangeLog:

• v1.0 - Initial release
• v1.1 - Layout change
• v1.2 - Combobox changed to popup, Full String name input added

Enhancements Goals:

• Pop up window for lipo pack selection
• Change Letter input to word input
• Sort lipo packs

...Continue Reading

I wanted to give my Taranis some personality, and I've been seeing a LOT of cool hydro Dipped shells that made me want to do it even more. Since I have yet to see an Iron Man themed paint job, I decided to do mine as so... but with a twist. Not your basic good old two tone paint job, I wanted a battle damaged iron man.. and so I did. The technique I used is performed with Pepakura. Sit back, relax, and read up on how I got'r done.

Materials:

• petroleum jelly
• Frisket
• Duplicolor Wheel Coating Gold
• Duplicolor Toreador Red Metallic (BFM0344)
• Hobby model paint marker metallic blue
• Krylon Clear Sealer
• 180 Grit sandpaper
• 0000 Steel Wool
• Rubber gloves
• mask (Serious, I'm painting with car paint)
• screwdriver, plyers, tools..
• Exacto Knife
• marker
• paper towels
• Q-tips
• tooth pic

Before I started any painting I wanted to know how my color scheme would look. I found a basic black and white photo of the Taranis online. Copied and duplicated in MS Paint, and printed two pages with 10 pictures total. I used two markers (red and yellow) and painted several options of what it could look like (colorScheme.jpg). I made my choice.

I disassembled the Taranis, and took a picture of the wires before I did any unplugging as a reference (innerds.jpg). I noticed there were several inner pcb's that were identical, and so with a sharpie, I drew an arrow indicating which side the pcb belonged to (properDirection.jpg). When removing the switches and pots, I also wrote with a sharpie which switch/pot...Continue Reading

Mark 30 - Armattan Armadillo 5" Build Log

Specs:

• Armattan Armadillo w/ PDB V2
• KISS FC
• KISS 24a ESCs
• Lumenier RB2204-13 2500Kv Skitzo Edition Motors
• TBS Unify Pro Race 5Ghz
• Furious FPV mini Antenna
• FrSky XSR
• Runcam Eagle

This frame is incredibly small. I knew going in this would pose a challenge compared to anything else I've done, which so far has only been a zmr250. Despite it being small it was sturdy, which I would hope considering it has the infamous Armattan lifetime warranty. I had performed a build video, unfortunately my hdd died and all my videos went with it. After performing this build and flying I later altered things slightly, here i'll post my original build log (minus vtx) and notate with brackets [1] of something that was changed, then WAY BELOW I'll post what I changed.

I started off by doing my prep work, this includes doing a dry build of the frame, and attaching camera to mounts[1]. I mock up where each ESC will go and cut 18awg silicon wire to the lengths they need to be to reach the PDB. I do the same for the motor wires to ESC. I then cut wires rough lengths for ESC to FC. Here is where i should have prepared more for, or altered my logic. Unfortunately I used the 22awg wire which caused a VERY tight fit through the frame gaps/slots, I should've took the time to order 26/28 awg wire. Due to the tight fit I decided that I WASN'T going to add ESC telemetry (which I regret now). With my FC in place I dry fit my RTX and cut wires to length, along...Continue Reading