Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
ELEV-8 Quadcopter Kit - what is range and flying time? — Parallax Forums

ELEV-8 Quadcopter Kit - what is range and flying time?

jigasquidjigasquid Posts: 1
edited 2013-03-08 02:16 in General Discussion
Those are two of the first things I like to know when exploring brands and designs, and I'm also curious why this info is often either hidden or non-existent?

Thanks.

Comments

  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2013-03-07 23:32
    When I buy a new dirt bike, I too like to know the range and flying time.

    And just like a dirt bike, YMMV. It depends on the battery you choose, how you fly it, and many other factors. You can get a good minimum by calculating the maxim current per motor, then dividing the battery capacity by 4 times that number. You'll probably fly longer, but at least that will be the minimum.
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2013-03-07 23:34
    The ELEV-8 does not come with a radio system so the range will be dependent upon which one you select. Just about any good quality radio will have enough range so that you will lose sight of it before it loses signal - providing it is properly installed and you are operating in a clear area.

    The flying time will depend upon the battery you choose, the weight of the craft, altitude, temperature and your flying style. I don't know how long it can fly on a 4500mAh battery but I tend to limit flights to about eight minutes. The batteries will last a lot longer if they are not fully depleted. I try to use no more than 80% of a pack's capacity.
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2013-03-08 02:16
    I had my ELEV-8 flying for 15 minutes with a 5Ah pack. I use a battery alarm but I rarely wait till the alarm sounds before landing. On the 15 minute flight I purposely waited until the alarm sounded. To conserve power, I didn't do much more than hover during the 15 minutes.

    As Rich said, you'll likely loose sight of the ELEV-8 before you fly it out of range. I don't think you'll want to fly it more than a few hundred feet away since you really need to be able to tell which way it's pointing in order to fly it. RC airplanes are much easier to fly a longer distances since many of them fly nice and level without any user input. The ELEV-8 requires constant minor corrections to order to keep it where you want it in the air. There are some autopilots that are supposed to be able to keep a quadcopter stable but I haven't used one myself.

    I've collected some ELEV-8 links in post #10 of my index.

    Here's a video I took using my ELEV-8. It was only a four minute flight, but IMO time slows down when flying a quadcopter. A five minute flight seems like a long time.
Sign In or Register to comment.