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$100 Turnigy Mini Quadcopter — Parallax Forums

$100 Turnigy Mini Quadcopter

ercoerco Posts: 20,259
edited 2012-08-03 21:29 in General Discussion
Just add water, makes its own sauce! No, really add batteries & receiver. Just saw this new video at http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__22780__Turnigy_Integrated_PCB_Plug_and_Play_Micr o_Quad_PNP_.html

Comments

  • Duane C. JohnsonDuane C. Johnson Posts: 955
    edited 2012-06-28 03:46
    Hi erco;

    Can this copter hover over a stationary target autonomously?

    How much weight can it lift?

    Duane J
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2012-06-28 05:11
    In the vid it pulls an impressive rate of climb so I guess it could lift its own weight. But what is that?
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-06-28 08:38
    Sorry, but I don't know anything about it, just sharing my latest finds. But in that scale, it's safe to say that its payload capacity is not its strong suit. A keychain camera? Sure. A can of beer? Get it yourself! :)
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2012-06-28 09:49
    Every hobby seems to have its own flavor, and I've dabbled in a few.

    For some reason I can't put my finger on, R/C building and flying seems like the cleanest or purest. Just seeing the name "Turnigy" in the title caused a visceral delight to course through me. (Gee, if that ain't awkward!)

    btw, erco, I already owe you a buck for the $29 e-reader. I may owe you another before the day is up. Stop it.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-06-28 10:04
    User Name wrote: »
    btw, erco, I already owe you a buck for the $29 e-reader. I may owe you another before the day is up. Stop it.

    It ain't for me, it's for the twins! :)
    cuties.jpg
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  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2012-06-28 10:20
    Total cost of ownership is more like $200, or even more depending on the quality of the Tx/Rx and battery charger. You might be able to go cheap and get these for $50-60 total, but that's scraping things down pretty far.

    Not bad for a micro hover. I was more impressed with the AVR ISP programmer for five bucks, *with* ribbon cable and 6- and 10-pin connectors.

    -- Gordon
  • Mark_TMark_T Posts: 1,981
    edited 2012-06-28 16:40
    erco wrote: »
    Sorry, but I don't know anything about it, just sharing my latest finds. But in that scale, it's safe to say that its payload capacity is not its strong suit. A keychain camera? Sure. A can of beer? Get it yourself! :)

    Without knowing the specs of the motors, props, battery and ESCs and the overall weight of the craft you're guessing. Its not impossible each motor could pull 400g and the craft weighs 300g... Unlikely but not impossible.
  • Mark_TMark_T Posts: 1,981
    edited 2012-06-28 16:48
    A little looking up of the specs reveals motors are a bit wimpy, but 165g thrust v. 12g weight, so about 600g should be available to the whole craft and payload. An RC forum somewhere claims the flying weight is 190g, so 400g abs max payload - not quite a can of beer (but if you up the battery to 3S from 2S, who knows(!)
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2012-07-29 21:01
    My $100 quadcopter arrived a few days ago.

    It turns out with a Spektrum radio system all but the throttle channels needs to be reversed.

    I found a lot of useful information kkmulticopter on how to set up the quadcopter.

    I added a small switch to the top of the quadcopter to make it easier to turn on and off.

    Here's a video of a short test flight.

    [video=youtube_share;c8LGVW8G-Uo]

    Pretty darn cool way of spending a hundred bucks if you ask me.

    I was trying (unsuccessfully) to hover near the ground near the end of the video. While this quadcopter is pretty easy to control, I think my Trex 600 is easier to fly. Of course I've had more practice flying the Trex than this quadcopter so it's not really a fair comparison.

    I'm very pleased with this little aircraft.

    I used an 800mAh 2-cell LiPo pack. While the flight in the video was only about a minute, I had two other flights of a couple of minutes on the same charge. When I charged the pack it was only about half empty. I'd guess an 800mAh pack should be able to fly this quadcopter for about eight to ten minutes.

    One of the small cameras I had it lift weighed 63g. It didn't have much trouble lifting the 63g camera.

    The quadcopter with battery and camera weighed a total of 292.80g.

    Did I mention this thing is pretty cool?

    Thanks erco!
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2012-08-02 14:08
    What happens if you have a couple of hard landings and don't check your wiring before flying again?

    This: (Edit: Warning the sound from the props is loud. You might want to turn down the volume before watching. The clip is only 16 seconds long.)

    [video=youtube_share;L78BMbu155k]

    Ouch!

    attachment.php?attachmentid=94685&d=1343941183

    Right after the quadcopter arrived, I had ordered a spare frame (and some spare props) from HobbyKing so it should be here in a couple of weeks. I'll likely try to repair this frame even though I have a new one on its way.

    I also just purchased Bryan's ELEV-8 so I'll have a larger quadcopter to play with soon.
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  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-08-02 14:23
    Ouch. I have an ELEV-8, but I'm not sure when I'll even get around to opening the box!

    Note to others: Don't wait until you're 50 to have twins. They take lots of time & energy, but they're worth every bit. :)
  • idbruceidbruce Posts: 6,197
    edited 2012-08-02 14:33
    @erco

    Very nice photo.

    I see you finally got around to doing something with that woman you have been carrying around with you in your avitar :)

    Seriously, those two look like very lovely daughters. Enjoy your fifties.

    Bruce
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2012-08-02 14:42
    I just noticed these quadcopters are back in stock.

    I still think these are a great deal for $100.

    The speed controllers on these are still out of stock though.

    Besides the frame and extra props, I also ordered a couple of extra motors in case I busted one of these. I had planned to add a spare ESC to my last order but they were out of the 6 Amp Turnigy ESCs used with this copter.

    I've noticed it's easier to lose track of which way is the front of the aircraft with a quadcopter when compared to a helicopter. I'll probably added some color coded LEDs to my quadcopters so I can tell which way it's pointed in the air.
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2012-08-03 21:29
    I fixed my $100 quadcopter. I used a 1 1/2" piece of 3mm carbon fiber tubing to strengthen the cracked arms.

    QuadFix120803b.jpg
    QuadFix120803a.jpg


    I strapped a small video camera back on the bottom and made another video without crashing this time.

    QuadCam120803a.jpg


    Here's the video. (The audio is loud again, sorry.)

    [video=youtube_share;Mte3f67HQkM]

    You can think of this as "spy" video since I'm using the quadcopter and camera to see into the backyard of our next door neighbor. Or not.

    It was pretty windy when I filmed this. It was hard to control the quadcopter with extra weight and a strong wind.

    I'm going to add colored LEDs to the quadcopter to make it easier to tell which direction it's pointed. I've had a couple of crashes after loosing track of which side is the front of the aircraft.
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    QuadFix120803b.jpg
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