The first even newbies book for quadcopters has been published - and it's available only on Amazon! The book is available at the link below: The book is written for those ...
Ready, Set....GO! The Droneflyers.com great giveaway is underway with great prizes as well as great information and community for beginners in this hobby! Starting on June 1st, we will be giving away ...
Although we have an existing section for beginners, I thought it would be nice to have an even easier and shorter guide to getting started in this hobby and pursuit. ...
The first even newbies book for quadcopters has been published – and it's available only on Amazon! The book is available at the link below: The book is written for those starting out in this hobby. Beginners are likely to save a LOT of time, money and frustration by digesting the material presented. Here is a guide to the subjects [ Read More ]
HiSky is made by Chinese R/C helicopter company Chiyuan ELectronics and is sold in two forms which appear to be identical other than the color. One version is the HiSky FF120 and the other is the Hobbyking (HK) Micro Q-Bot. We will use the term “Micro Q-bot” throughout this review to avoid confusion. Appeal to users: Advanced Beginners UP who [ Read More ]
In many ways, the Parrot AR Drone, released in 2010, foresaw the current boom in consumer quadcopters. Although there had been an active geek culture building and programming quads prior to that date (2005 on), the AR Drone fired up the fancy of many and was well covered in the press. Brookstone was the initial primary vendor and it was [ Read More ]
Your first foray into quadcopters may be with a mini or micro – most of which use a single cell LiPo battery and come standard with a USB or plug-in charger. However, once you step up in size to larger and heavier drones, you will find that most of them use batteries which are MUCH larger in size, weight and [ Read More ]
HiSky is made by Chinese R/C helicopter company Chiyuan ELectronics and is sold in two forms which appear to be identical other than the color. One version is the HiSky FF120 and the other is the Hobbyking (HK) Micro Q-Bot. We will use the term “Micro Q-bot” throughout this review to avoid confusion. Appeal to users: Advanced Beginners UP who [ Read More ]
In many ways, the Parrot AR Drone, released in 2010, foresaw the current boom in consumer quadcopters. Although there had been an active geek culture building and programming quads prior to that date (2005 on), the AR Drone fired up the fancy of many and was well covered in the press. Brookstone was the initial primary vendor and it was [ Read More ]
HiSky is made by Chinese R/C helicopter company Chiyuan ELectronics and is sold in two forms which appear to be identical other than the color. One version is the HiSky FF120 and the other is the Hobbyking (HK) Micro Q-Bot. We will use the term “Micro Q-bot” throughout this review to avoid confusion. Appeal to users: Advanced Beginners UP who [ Read More ]
Your first foray into quadcopters may be with a mini or micro – most of which use a single cell LiPo battery and come standard with a USB or plug-in charger. However, once you step up in size to larger and heavier drones, you will find that most of them use batteries which are MUCH larger in size, weight and [ Read More ]
This is a smart drone which uses various sensors to find it's way around. While most quadcopters allow you to fly them into walls and windows, this platform features sensors for avoiding obstacles Last year we reviewed a fine quadcopter from Walkera, the medium sized MX400 In the time since, Walkera has come out with a number of additional multicopters, [ Read More ]
If you are interested in flying or learning about quadcopters AND if you have a small outside area to fly around in (or a large open basement or garage), the Syma X1 may be the best way to get started Instead of breaking expensive machines and parts, your total investment is less than $40. If you crash it or don't [ Read More ]
A recent NOVA special entitled Rise of the Drones was quite informative on the emerging technology, although much more focused on the Military and surveillance angle. The program can be watched online or on your favorite PBS station. However, there is another revolution in these aircraft occurring right now! They go by many names – Quadcopters, Multirotors, UAV's and even [ Read More ]
When out flying at the local field quite a few people ask about the durability of a quadcopter. After all, if there is any kind of failure, a quad is going to drop from the sky like a lead balloon. An airplane can glide to a landing, a helicopter can auto-rotate, but there is no backup on a quad is [ Read More ]
Walkera has posted about a new quadrotor craft that should be hitting the shelves soon is now available, the QR Ladybird. This tiny little quad, only 4″ across, is pretty loaded with features including some telemetry functions. Flight time should be about 10 minutes per charge. Specifications Telemetry function Motor: 0720RN57A-9M-130NL52 Receiver: RX2634H-D Battery: 3.7V 350Mah Height: 1.2″ For more [ Read More ]
Midland Radio, known to many of us from our older CB Radio days, has launched a new wearable sports camera and we got our grubby hands on one this week and started putting it through it's paces. There will be a full review as we try out more of the different options and modes so this is just a quick [ Read More ]
Quadcopter 101 and Multirotor 101 I was asked to write an article or ebook about the basics of quadcopters so I am kicking off a series of “getting started” articles to see if I can help people new to the hobby. Please also read for some other helpful articles. Let me start with saying that flying model aircraft is exceptionally [ Read More ]
Walkera has made a huge name for themselves in the helicopter segment so a lot of people couldn't wait to see how their quads would play out. Early versions were pretty good and they have continued to evolve the product with versions such as the MX400. The MX400 is one of the very few quadcopters to come standard with [ Read More ]
The LotusRC T380 QuadCopter (sold by RotorConcepts as the HPQ-1) is probably one of the most affordable ARF quadcopters in its size (1lb payload capacity). The ARF model (no radio, receiver, or battery) can often be found on eBay for under $250 and complete systems, like the HPQ-1, selling for $350-$400 range. The closest name brand model in the same [ Read More ]
While you may feel nice and comfortable taking your copter or drone out to your local park or school for some afternoon flying, you should do yourself a favor and check your local laws and make sure you aren't risking some serious fines by flying where you are not supposed to. The reality is that most cities have very strict [ Read More ]
Probably one of the easiest things to do and yet one of the least done tasks is to balance the props on your heli or quad. If your rotors are not balanced, one blade will be heavier than the other which will cause an excessive amount of vibration. This vibration will cause extra wear on motors and bearings, make sensors [ Read More ]
The AR Drone is very simple to fly but does not fly like anything else on the market. If you are going to move up to bigger or more advanced quadcopters you are going to need a different set of flying skills. In this article we are going to start learning how to fly them and help you get your [ Read More ]
YouTube user KrumbiOriginal has posted a video of his AR Drone on a test flight when doing an altitude test for shooting some aerial footage. As the AR Drone reached the maximum WiFi distance it was still climbing and when it lost signal completely, it just continued to climb up and away. What makes this video unique is that a [ Read More ]
I have been doing plenty of practicing my flying with the HPQ-1 lately and today I finally decided to slap a GoPro on it and see how it handles. By the time I got things going, the wind had kicked up and was pretty strong at about 20′ so I didn't get to get it going as high as I [ Read More ]
Now that I have had some good experience with flying the HPQ-1 I felt it was a good time to do a good comparison between the AR Drone and the HPQ-1. For the sake of this comparison, please keep in mind that I am going to use a stock AR Drone for the comparison. At the end, I will discuss [ Read More ]
The Rotor Concept HPQ-1 is a big step up from the AR Drone in that it has a lifting capacity of a full pound. With a GoPro camera weighing only 3.3oz and even larger camcorders weighing in around between 9-14oz, the HPQ-1 can be used to lift a wide variety of small size gear. Their larger HPQ-2 can loft up [ Read More ]
I got a chance to sit down with the folks from Parrot at CES and ask them about the AR Drone 2.0. Unfortunately, for existing AR Drone users, there isn't a whole lot of good news to report. Virtually everything on the AR Drone 2.0 is brand new and is NOT, I repeat NOT compatible for the original AR Drone. [ Read More ]
Parrot has already announced the AR Drone 2.0 but has taken it to a whole new level with a completer website dedicated to the AR Drone 2.0. The new website features videos, photos, and more in-depth information on some of the new changes. AR Drone 2.0 Website: http://ardrone2.parrot.com/
With the official announcement of the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 there is more information starting to flow out as well as some videos that are available. Here is some of the info and videos we have managed to find so far. Camera: 720p Barometer to aid in higher altitude flight Compass mode for intuitive flight Better position holding to resist [ Read More ]
Flying an AR Drone indoors is more challenging than flying outdoors. In this article I am going to give you some pointers to help make your indoor flights more enjoyable. Be sure to read the summary at the end – you may not want to even attempt indoor flight with this machine! 1. Soft materials will absorb the ultrasonic pulses [ Read More ]
Hang out in any AR Drone forum long enough and you will hear people asking why their drone doesn't doesn't fly as smooth as the YouTube videos they have seen. Videos show fast forward flight with smooth transitions to full stop or other smooth maneuvers. However, when you fly your fast forward flights end almost in a backflip and sometimes [ Read More ]
The sad truth is that some people have experienced their AR Drone seemingly having a mind of its own, turning all SkyNet on its owners, and heading off into the wild blue yonder to, most likely, hook up with other rouge AR Drones to create a Borg-like conscience so that they can return and make us their slaves. All kidding [ Read More ]
Probably the most common repair you will need to do is to replace your propellers, shafts, and gears. The good folks over at www.dronetuner.com have done up a nice video on how to replace these parts and offer up all of the replacement parts on their website as well. Be sure and check it out and make sure to give [ Read More ]
The AR Drone uses a Lithium Polymer battery cell that is actually an excellent choice for system like the AR Drone. Lithium Polymers have a high discharge rate and a high energy storage/weight ratio. The downside is that they can cause you all kinds of grief if you don't take care of them properly. The charger that comes with the [ Read More ]
If you are interested in flying or learning about quadcopters ...
The sad truth is that some people have experienced their ...
Flying an AR Drone indoors is more challenging than flying ...
Probably one of the easiest things to do and yet ...
Parrot has already announced the AR Drone 2.0 but has ...
