Some of the fixed wings I've flown. Lots missing, but these are some of the more memorable ones....Continue Reading

Just released on www.defiancerc.com
New Graphene LiPo battery packs in 4s and 5s configurations. Currently, they only come in 1300mAh 75C versions. Perfect for mini multirotors. They pack a serious punch and should have a much longer life than oridinary LiPos. These can be charged at 8c. Give them a try!

4S:

https://www.defiancerc.com/products/...4s-1300mah-75c

5S:

https://www.defiancerc.com/collectio...5s-1300mah-75c

These 5s packs are amazingly powerful. Just make sure your motors/esc can handle it

After much effort I've rebuilt my Defiance quad with many of the 3d printed parts that have been shared by Liftbag and Rtryder. These additions make a fantastic frame that much better. Liftbag's camera raiser allows the Defiance to accept quite a few more batteries, including many popular 2200mah 4s brands. His tilted motor mounts allow this quad to fly forward without losing sight of the horizon. I also opted for his led holder, which this post is about. RTRyder's xt-60 holder is a fantastic option, and works perfectly.

I recently purchased some strips from Pololu (WS2812B, I suggest the more densely packed strips) which feature addressable RGB leds which can be individually controlled. Recent updates of Cleanflight also turns the Naze32 into a fully featured led controller.

Cleanflight allows many customization options. You can configure the LEDs by color, direction, and many options. You can have the leds change color depending on throttle, as well as make blinkers which correspond with your control sticks. The leds of course can be made to reflect arm modes or warnings, as well as simply flashing in various patterns.

With that in mind, here are the results. I unfortunately only purchased the 60 leds per meter strip. Pololu also sells a 144 led / meter strip. I was able to get only 4 leds on the small led bar that was printed. However, with the power drain, I dont' think I really need too many leds, as these things are so much fun I'd go crazy and put way too many on the Defiance.

Defiance with WS2812B led strips (1 min 24 sec)

Was tasked with doing a build log of the latest flying wing from Chris at Ritewing. Had some delays due to parts trickling in, but am pretty much done so I am going to go ahead and publish this. This log isn't going to go into too much detail of the build as most of it has already been described, and in better details than I could anyways. Instead, I will focus on some points I'd like to emphasize and to also show this bird I'm building as I am very happy with it. I will update this post as I finish and hopefully show the maiden flight.

Here is what comes in the package Chris sends you. I opted to get his 1300kv motor as well as the new ToughH3Z3 box for the fpv cam and gopro up front.



Here is my gear list:

Zephyr III 47"
Eagletree Vector OSD/AP
Ritewing 1300KV Motor
Turnigy DLX 100amp ESC ( would prefer something smaller but was all I had )
Ritewing Metal Gear Servos ( they are medium size servos, not full )
Ritewing Linkages ( very nice touch, thanks Chris )
ToughH3Z3 FPV/Gopro Camera Box
Turnigy 5v Bec
Dragonlink
ImmersionRC 2.4ghz 700mW Video Transmitter
Sony Effio-V Fpv Cam
LED Lights ( Blue and white )
Turnigy Remote Switch to turn led lights on and off
2x Zippy 3000mah 4s or 1x ReadymadeRC 8000mah 4s batteries

Here is the finished product:



...Continue Reading

The last few months have really been a whirlwind of craziness with all these mini multi-rotors popping up everywhere. I've gone full steam into this trend and have come out more excited than I have ever been with rc and fpv. These mini multis are so much fun to fly and build that I've already done 10+ of them and there's many more already on the horizon. With the big boys now stepping up to the plate to contest with the likes of Blackout and Lumenier, it'll be very interesting to see how everything plays out. Team-Blacksheep and ImmersionRC will most likely change the market landscape of mini multi-rotors once they announce their products.

I have personally never had so much fun with rc and fpv in general. These minis allow me to simply fly and not worry so much about damaging the vehicle or breaking everything in a crash. I've taken my minis to places I would never even thought of flying before. It has really re-awoken my love of this hobby.

So far I've worked on the DRQ250, MXP230, Blackout Mini H, Blackout Mini Hex, BAH Mini, QAV250, and a couple home frames. Currently I'm working on the new Nemesis frame. It is really killer!

Here are some pictures of the minis I've built and flown so far. I built a few for clients, but mostly for myself. If you are in need of a RTF/ARF mini, please contact me as I really enjoy building these things and you will be happy with my work....Continue Reading

Well, this is probably about my 10th Ritewing Zii build. This one is actually for myself as I haven't had a Zii to fly in almost a year since my last one died horribly =) This one was a quick build, taking a lot less time than I usually take and the results are actually pretty damn good. I did not use any films, and simply painted the foam. It turned out great for the most part. I did end up using the new Ritewing Toughbox and Toughbay. It really makes the center of the wing solid, like a brick. This thing is stiff and has no flex at all. I am very happy with this and will maiden her soon.

Specs:

Ritewing Zephyr II
Hyperion ZS 3025 - 8 Turn 970 KV motor
2x Turnigy Slim Wing digital servos - metal geared
Ritewing 65a ESC
Ritewing Toughbay
Ritewing Toughbox
Ebay step down regulator
Homemade LC Filter
ReadymadeRC 5v Bec
Surveilzone CC1333-B IR Blocked FPV Cam
ReadymadeRC 2.4ghz Video Transmitter
iBCrazy 2.4ghz Cloverleaf - side feed
EzUHF 8Ch Diversity Rx
Rangevideo OSD/AP
Gopro 3 Black Edition

And thats about it. This build turned out great and I hope will last me more than just one season of flying =) Although, the way I fly I'm not sure that will happen.

Here is my latest Ritewing build. It is an EPP Zephyr 60" quadsparred flying wing Chris at RitewingRC cut for me. It isn't molded like the ZIIs, but is tough as nails and very solid with the sparring system in it. Here is what I got in it:

Hyperion ZS3025 970KV
85a Turnigy ESC
2x MG Servos
Skylark Dianmu OSD
2x 4000mah 4s Zippy Lipos
11x7 Apc E Prop
SC2K PZ0420 FPV Cam
GoPro
2.3ghz 700mW video transmitter
TBS Core
Dragonlink Receiver

For the covering I did a combination of painting and black carbon fiber vinyl. It came out pretty nice. The laminate Chris included was thick, I think 5mm and makes the wing really solid. I highly recommend getting one of these if Chris is still cutting them.

The maiden video was lost as my gopro froze up 1 minute into the flight. Not much happened anyways. This is my 2nd flight. In it I took the plane out 5 miles and then turned around and climbed to 10,000 ft. It was a personal altitude record. This plane is a lot of fun and flies so nicely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=4PRm_atp8xg

Here are some pictures:

Here is my latest completed Ritewing Zephyr II. I enjoyed building this one a lot, but had hoped it would have turned out better. The Vinyl I used was not the 3M stuff, I just bought some of the cheaper stuff on eBay and that was a mistake. They were more difficult to work with and I ended up with quite a few lines, bubbles, and wrinkles. Towards the end I also realized I would not have enough to cover the whole plane, so I ended up piecing together the scrap to finish the thing, which left all the lines and imperfections. I dont think I will ever do another carbon vinyl build again, it took me longer to cover the plane than it did to build the thing. Anyways, here are some pictures and the equipment list.

Ritewing RC Zephyr II
OS Motor OMA 3820 1200kv
Turnigy Plush 80a ESC
Ritewing OEM Servos
Dragonlink V2 UHF LRS
RMRC 1.3ghz 400mW TX
2x Nano-Tech 3300 4s
TBS Battery Bay
Uthere.com Ruby ( Waiting still for the OSD )
Shielded Cat6 Wiring

I've also added vertilons and vortilons to the wing per discussion on the ZII thread. They help the plane fly more smoothly. I can notice the difference when flying, however the thing I like the most is the way they look =)...Continue Reading