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ELEV-8 v3 - Basic - from Scratch — Parallax Forums

ELEV-8 v3 - Basic - from Scratch

WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
edited 2016-04-27 15:59 in Robotics
Okay - Nikos and Carol have been a bad influence...

For a start into the ELEV-8 v3 world, what all do you really need (remember I would be starting from scratch) Is the minimum required the following?

One (1) - ELEV-8 v3 Quadcopter Kit - https://www.parallax.com/product/80300 - $500
One (1) - USB A to Micro B Cable (about the only thing I do have, I think) - https://www.parallax.com/product/805-00016 - $3.99
One (1) - 3300 mAh LiPo Battery with E3 connector - https://www.parallax.com/product/752-00010 - $39.99
or One (1) - Gens Ace 5300 mAh LiPo Battery with E3 connector - https://www.parallax.com/product/752-00017 - $59.99
One (1) - Spektrum DX7 Transmitter & Receiver - https://www.parallax.com/product/730-80300 - $349.99
and One (1) - Tenergy TB68 Balance Charger - https://www.parallax.com/product/752-00009 - $89.99

Is that everything to get started?

That means a budget of $983.96 to 1003.96 (plus shipping). Is that about right - I know there are lots of other fun toys too. I am just thinking to get started...

EDIT - Okay! I am dumb as a stick - just saw the ELEV-8 Complete Quadcopter System - https://www.parallax.com/product/80330 - $995 - Looks like this is where to start! Duh!

Comments

  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    Just thought - what kinds of spares are really basic needs too? For example - is is dumb not to have replacement Propellers, other Battery packs, etc?
  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    The LiPo monitor and alarm - https://www.parallax.com/product/752-00014

    Worth every penny :)
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2016-03-31 16:16
    xanadu wrote: »
    The LiPo monitor and alarm - https://www.parallax.com/product/752-00014

    Worth every penny :)

    And not many pennies, either! Thanks xanadu!

  • Courtney JacobsCourtney Jacobs Posts: 903
    Whit,

    At your estimated budget, you could get the ELEV-8 v3 Complete Kit (https://www.parallax.com/product/80330) and not have to worry about ordering parts separately.

    This assumes, of course, that you want the standard battery/receiver/transmitter/etc that we provide rather than substituting one of your own choosing. It even comes with a crash pack.
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    Courtney Jacobs wrote: »
    Whit,

    At your estimated budget, you could get the ELEV-8 v3 Complete Kit (https://www.parallax.com/product/80330) and not have to worry about ordering parts separately.

    This assumes, of course, that you want the standard battery/receiver/transmitter/etc that we provide rather than substituting one of your own choosing. It even comes with a crash pack.

    Yea Courtney - see edit above - just figured that out!

    And the "Crash Pack" is really the answer to my second post - I guess! Thanks!

  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2016-03-31 16:28
    Looks like the LiPo Battery Bag - https://www.parallax.com/product/752-00015 - would be a good idea too.

    Edit - Ah - I see that the bag is in the Complete System too! Okay - that is looking like the smart choice...
  • Courtney JacobsCourtney Jacobs Posts: 903
    That item is included in the Complete Kit, as well.
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    Who wouldn't want to do this too? https://www.parallax.com/product/ed-ev-051916
  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    Do you plan on getting a camera and gimbal for it?

    If you want to manually control a camera gimbal (pan and tilt) go with the DX-7 in your list. I suppose there is the option to use XBee radios instead of RC channels, and some other workarounds but if you're flying around a camera I'd consider more than 6 channels a good thing. Also the DX-7 has a knob (potentiometer) which is another really nice thing to have.


  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    xanadu wrote: »
    Do you plan on getting a camera and gimbal for it?

    If you want to manually control a camera gimbal (pan and tilt) go with the DX-7 in your list. I suppose there is the option to use XBee radios instead of RC channels, and some other workarounds but if you're flying around a camera I'd consider more than 6 channels a good thing. Also the DX-7 has a knob (potentiometer) which is another really nice thing to have.


    xanadu - probably just get flying first, but the camera would certainly be one of the future options - so it would be better to just get the DX-7 from the start. Thanks again for the tips!


  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    Whit wrote: »
    Who wouldn't want to do this too? https://www.parallax.com/product/ed-ev-051916

    Whit, I'll get my VW bus in order, and we will do a road trip. :) Erco's Corvair is broke.


  • JasonDorieJasonDorie Posts: 1,930
    I think your numbers are spot on. You could save some money by going with a cheaper transmitter, but the Spektrum is solid. The transmitter and battery charger are easy to use with other R/C models as well, so their cost may be amortized a little over time. If you've never flown before, and it's feasible for you, the educator course is a stellar idea. Having someone help you with the setup and first flight is huge if you've never flown one of these before.
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    Whit wrote: »
    Courtney Jacobs wrote: »
    Whit,

    At your estimated budget, you could get the ELEV-8 v3 Complete Kit (https://www.parallax.com/product/80330) and not have to worry about ordering parts separately.

    This assumes, of course, that you want the standard battery/receiver/transmitter/etc that we provide rather than substituting one of your own choosing. It even comes with a crash pack.

    Yea Courtney - see edit above - just figured that out!

    And the "Crash Pack" is really the answer to my second post - I guess! Thanks!

    And if you could do a road trip, even cheaper:

    https://www.parallax.com/product/ed-ev-051916

    And you get to spend a couple of days with Ken and the crew!


  • MattMatzMattMatz Posts: 87
    Good morning all!
    I hate to be the bearer of bad-ish news, the Educator's Course is about full and the last two slots are most likely going to be filled by a school district I spoke to yesterday...
    That being said, I would encourage a road trip anyway - just stop by :) We may not be able to do a full "course" on the spot, but we are always happy to help out, even in person! I wish we could have opened it up to more slots and a broader audience right off the bat, but insurance capped us at 20 participants, and for the first course we restricted to educators employed in a public, charter, or private K-12 or university institution. Nothing is on the books yet, but I know we all want to make this (and other Parallax Courses) a regular thing, so keep checking, and always feel free to get in touch with us!
    Thanks,
    Matt
  • Kyle M.Kyle M. Posts: 112
    Whit, I concur that you'll get the best value with the complete kit. It's designed for your exact situation - people entering the world of sUAVs that want equipment that will last for a long time and will "grow" with them (you won't have to be as constantly "upgrading" your equipment compared to starting with lower quality gear). You know that everything in the kit is officially supported by Parallax, and that's not trivial! As mentioned by others, I also recommend you get the battery monitor/buzzer - it makes it easy to check battery voltage and if used consistently during flight, will prolong the life of your batteries by helping you avoid over-discharging them. While the ELEV-8 Flight Controller does have voltage monitoring, the buzzer is unfortunately sometimes hard to hear over the noise of the propellers (we're working on a better solution), so for a few dollars the voltage monitor is cheap insurance!
  • JasonDorieJasonDorie Posts: 1,930
    I do flash the status light orange when the battery is low as well. If you have an extra WS2812 plugged in and mounted to the bottom of a boom it's really easy to see. I agree a louder buzzer would be great though.
  • max72max72 Posts: 1,155
    With quadcopters a spare set of propellers is a nice thing.
    Depending on your budget consider to add battery packs...
    Massimo
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    Thanks for all the great suggestions - All!
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