Thanks for the link! I guess I misunderstood what was going on with these videos. Somehow, I thought the video was being streamed back in realtime. I guess it's just being recorded and played back later. In any case, I'd love to know which model Ken and Jason were using? Is it the $199 "Naked" model?
Well of course! Oh, yea, there was the $500 of accessories.......
Here are the files converted to Adobe Illustrator format, with all the text and other info stripped away.
Note that the plate that covers the HoverFly board is not included - because it was not part of the archive downloaded from the product page.
I have redrawn the motor mounts using the provided dimensions. The original drawings have the top and bottom arcs not tangent to the side lines. Also, the slots are not fully dimensioned so their placement is approximate. I do not think their location is critical.
Also note that the lines are cut lines. In other words, after the laser takes away the material during the cutting process, the parts will be the correct size.
Check out www.woot.com right now (12/16/2011 at 10:00pm Pacific is when it started, should go into tomorrow) for a great deal on a GoPro HD Helmet Hero Camera for $129.99 ($134.99 delivered)!
Cheapest I could find anywhere else online was $199 delivered. It's not the new version 2 model, but it's still a great camera for recording video from the ELEV-8 (like Ken does).
Check out www.woot.com right now (12/16/2011 at 10:00pm Pacific is when it started, should go into tomorrow) for a great deal on a GoPro HD Helmet Hero Camera for $129.99 ($134.99 delivered)!
Cheapest I could find anywhere else online was $199 delivered. It's not the new version 2 model, but it's still a great camera for recording video from the ELEV-8 (like Ken does).
Since the GoPro HD2 camera came out, GoPro dropped the bottom out of the price for the HD catching many retailers by suprise I suspect. Costco is still selling the GoPro 960 for around $135. I do not think they have a clue as to what the pricing should be.
Regards,
TCIII
I am kind of interested in the camara Jason linked in post#30. It's 1280x720p 30fps HD takes a usd card and has a usb connection. It only weighs around an ounce for only $37.18
I've laid out the parts for cutting onto sheets. I selected 24"x24" for the 1/8" Delrin, which is enough to make 4 full frames plus some extra motor mounts. I selected 12"x12" for the 1/4" Delrin, which is enough to make 68 landing gear pieces.
I wasn't able to remove overlapping lines (using Inkscape on Linux) in any efficient way. If I figure out something I'll add a _merged format of each file suitable for sending to a laser cutter.
For those interested in the HD camera I posted about earlier (Post #30), I received it, and the unit works reasonably well with a couple major caveats:
1) The images are stored in MJPEG format, which is much less efficient than MPEG4, so the sizes get big pretty quickly. Roughly 8 minutes of video on the "fine" image setting took 1Gb of storage. Not a big deal for short shots - I have an 8Gb card, so I could shoot about hour of video.
2) The camera has a relatively slow rolling shutter, which is a standard issue with CMOS cameras. This causes a weird "jello" effect in the video when the camera is subject to vibration. If you can keep the vibration away from the camera it -might- be ok, but for me the video isn't really usable.
The results from the GoPro are MUCH better, so I guess it's true that you get what you pay for.
I'm just starting to dig through my ELEV-8 kit getting ready to start assembly and have a couple of (probably dumb!) questions.
1) Step 1 in the assembly guide says that the motor leads should be 13" long. Does that 13" include the pigtails that are attached to the motors and the ESCs or should I cut 13" pieces of red wire?
2) On the ESC the connections to the motors are labeled A, B, and C. How do I know which motor leads are A, B, and C?
I'm just starting to dig through my ELEV-8 kit getting ready to start assembly and have a couple of (probably dumb!) questions.
1) Step 1 in the assembly guide says that the motor leads should be 13" long. Does that 13" include the pigtails that are attached to the motors and the ESCs or should I cut 13" pieces of red wire?
2) On the ESC the connections to the motors are labeled A, B, and C. How do I know which motor leads are A, B, and C?
I cut 13" wire lengths and it worked well. Regarding the A/B/C motor leads, you don't know, which is why you use the bullet connectors. That way when you get the motors connected, you can run a test to see which way they spin. To reverse the direction, just swap any two wires.
A buddy of mine just showed me his $150 quadrotor (hobby shop grade)... AMAZING. 3 gyros, very stable. I'll have to get the manufacturer & details from him.
A buddy of mine just showed me his $150 quadrotor (hobby shop grade)... AMAZING. 3 gyros, very stable. I'll have to get the manufacturer & details from him.
erco,
It might be a Blade MQX which ranges in price from ~$140 to $170.
Regards,
TCIII
erco,
It might be a Blade MQX which ranges in price from ~$140 to $170.
Regards,
TCIII
It is. I just took delivery of one of these from another forum member (Tiger) and it's a great little quadrotor. It can't carry much and you wouldn't want to fly it very far away, but it's a fantastic trainer for an ELEV-8. Plus it's also Bind-n-Fly with the Spektrum radio (I think the Futaba FAST system will also interface) so you can buy it without their cheapie radio. It's the best $150 R/C flyer I've ever seen.
I bought one at my local Hobby Shop the other day. I got the BNF (Bind-n-Fly) model since I already have the Spektrum DX8 radio. I'm REALLY GLAD I bought this as a trainer for when I get my ELEV-8. It's been about 5 years since I flew anything RC and I think this is going to save me some crashes when I get the ELEV-8 built.
So far I've only had time to get it hovering a couple of inches off the floor in my Man Cave,but I'm going to take it outside as soon as I get my radio figured out. I think I need to tone down the rudder, elevator and aileron sticks a little bit. I've never had one of these fancy radios so the learning curve on the radio is the hardest thing for me so far...
Comments
I think Ken want's to to an FPV, but I don't think he has it or posted videos if he does. Somthing like tis:
http://fpvpilot.com/default.aspx
Well of course! Oh, yea, there was the $500 of accessories.......
Of course, anybody can make their own. Anybody can try to make it for less cost, too. The files are here for that purpose with unrestricted access.
The real cost (in the "accessories" is the transmitter, battery and charger. If you want to try an autonomous design, start with the ELEV-8 Kit.
http://www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/txtSearch/elev-8/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/799/Default.aspx
How to mount the batteries?
See Post #2. No specific battery brand is recommended.
Any piece of velcro can hold the battery securely.
Since you are in Malaysia it might be easier to take delivery of the Hobby King orders - we seem to wait forever for them to ship this directly.
Note that the plate that covers the HoverFly board is not included - because it was not part of the archive downloaded from the product page.
I have redrawn the motor mounts using the provided dimensions. The original drawings have the top and bottom arcs not tangent to the side lines. Also, the slots are not fully dimensioned so their placement is approximate. I do not think their location is critical.
Also note that the lines are cut lines. In other words, after the laser takes away the material during the cutting process, the parts will be the correct size.
ELEV-8 parts.ai.zip
Cheapest I could find anywhere else online was $199 delivered. It's not the new version 2 model, but it's still a great camera for recording video from the ELEV-8 (like Ken does).
Since the GoPro HD2 camera came out, GoPro dropped the bottom out of the price for the HD catching many retailers by suprise I suspect. Costco is still selling the GoPro 960 for around $135. I do not think they have a clue as to what the pricing should be.
Regards,
TCIII
I wasn't able to remove overlapping lines (using Inkscape on Linux) in any efficient way. If I figure out something I'll add a _merged format of each file suitable for sending to a laser cutter.
elev8_laser_cut_template.zip
Ken Gracey
1) The images are stored in MJPEG format, which is much less efficient than MPEG4, so the sizes get big pretty quickly. Roughly 8 minutes of video on the "fine" image setting took 1Gb of storage. Not a big deal for short shots - I have an 8Gb card, so I could shoot about hour of video.
2) The camera has a relatively slow rolling shutter, which is a standard issue with CMOS cameras. This causes a weird "jello" effect in the video when the camera is subject to vibration. If you can keep the vibration away from the camera it -might- be ok, but for me the video isn't really usable.
The results from the GoPro are MUCH better, so I guess it's true that you get what you pay for.
1) Step 1 in the assembly guide says that the motor leads should be 13" long. Does that 13" include the pigtails that are attached to the motors and the ESCs or should I cut 13" pieces of red wire?
2) On the ESC the connections to the motors are labeled A, B, and C. How do I know which motor leads are A, B, and C?
David,
You might get more response on the Builder's Forum for this project: http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?133372-Ken-Cluso99-W9GFO-JasonD-s-QuadCopter-Build-Log-(updated-info-ELEV-8-availability)
Regards,
TCIII
J
By the way, can you program the on-board Prop yourself, or will I have to replace its brain with one of my own?
Thanks
http://www.parallax.com/tabid/755/ProductID/799/Default.aspx
Cheers, Jen J.
It might be a Blade MQX which ranges in price from ~$140 to $170.
Regards,
TCIII
It is. I just took delivery of one of these from another forum member (Tiger) and it's a great little quadrotor. It can't carry much and you wouldn't want to fly it very far away, but it's a fantastic trainer for an ELEV-8. Plus it's also Bind-n-Fly with the Spektrum radio (I think the Futaba FAST system will also interface) so you can buy it without their cheapie radio. It's the best $150 R/C flyer I've ever seen.
Ken Gracey
So far I've only had time to get it hovering a couple of inches off the floor in my Man Cave,but I'm going to take it outside as soon as I get my radio figured out. I think I need to tone down the rudder, elevator and aileron sticks a little bit. I've never had one of these fancy radios so the learning curve on the radio is the hardest thing for me so far...
Checkout this wooden quad: http://www.diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/a-quad-with-everything-for-less-than-100
Just think, the sound of splintering wood as the quad impacts the ground! LOL
Regards,
TCIII
I received the ELEV-8 Quadcopter via FedEx and this looks fun! I will share more as I go.