raptrc-blog

[raptrc-blog]

5 tips for novice drone pilots

You want to fly right away with your drone? Then read our handy tips before you fly!

The drone is a beautiful device that everyone can fly with, only if something goes wrong, many people do not know what to do. That is why we have put a number of tips on a list so that you learn to fly safely with your new drone.

Tip 1 Know your drone Do not fly before you have read the user manual. There are many useful tips in the manual, and what you have to do in certain situations. So what you have to take into account, but especially what your drone can and can not do, because your drone can not do everything.

Tip 2 Fly only in good weather Actually this speaks for itself: do not fly in strong wind or in rain. Your drone is probably not waterproof, so rain does not go well with all the electronics in your drone! Fog also falls under humid conditions. Mist is a cloud and a cloud is full of water, you go flying in, then you run the risk that your drone gets wet and there is a tight seal in your drone. For that matter, flying in strong winds is also not advisable at the beginning, in your manual it is up to which wind speed your drone can still fly. Keep in mind the wind speed that you might keep the drone in the air, but that countries can become very difficult. During the landing you run the risk that the drone can fall over, which can quickly cost you a propeller or an engine.

Tip 3 Fly in safe environments Do not find the danger, although a drone will not be able to damage it quickly, it can indirectly cause damage. A few points that you should stick to if you want to fly:

Do not fly above people and stay 150 meters horizontally with people from the neighborhood

Do not fly above buildings and stay 50 meters away from the neighborhood (of all buildings)

Do not fly into a CTR zone (see THIS page for more information on where these zones are)

Do not fly above motorways or roads where more than 60 km / h is driven

Fly no further than 500 meters away from your drone and do not lose sight of your drone

Do not fly commercially, if you want to do this you must be certified

Do not fly higher than 120 meters

Do not fly in the dark, the sun is below you can not fly anymore

Tip 4 Do not trust 100% on your GPS Almost every drone has the option to fly back to where it is taken, but the location must be correct. For example, if your location is set up in America, your drone will fly to America quietly and you will lose it. It can have many causes that your location is not correct, one of the most common is a fault in your GPS. This may be because, for example, there has been a zone explosion and your GPS has more trouble getting a good "GPS lock". If your GPS does not have a good "GPS Lock", the position can not be determined properly and it can be just that when your drone hits RTH (Return To Home) it does not fly back to you but flies to China!

Tip 5 Set your Return To Home (RTH) correctly Following our fourth tip, adjust RTH correctly! Imagine you are flying and suddenly you lose connection with your drone because it has landed behind an object. At that moment your drone automatically flies back to the point where you have allowed it to take off. However, the drone is not super smart and he can not see where he is flying. An example:

The return to home is set here at say 50 meters, but the object is 80 meters high, as you can see the drone flies against it. If the pilot had set his RTH to 100 meters, the drone would have gone up and flown over the object. A good tip: think what you want to do before you go into the air and adjust your RTH height accordingly!

Must Visit: https://raptrc.com

[raptrc-blog]

Raptrc

Rapt  RC is one of the best online RC hobby store which sells multirotors, planes,  cars and helicopters. Get same day shipping and Rapt Gold points with every  order in the world. For more information: https://raptrc.com/

[raptrc-blog]

Buying a drone: which drone should you choose?

Flying with a drone is becoming an increasingly popular hobby. This hobby is popular among both young people and the elderly. That is not surprising. A drone can be used for various purposes. For example, drones can be used to fly freely, but they are also extremely suitable for taking beautiful aerial photographs. But how do you know which drone to choose, how expensive are drones actually and how can you finance a drone?

Why drone flying is a hype

Drones used to be used only by the defense, but since 2006 drones have also become available to consumers. Most consumers who own a drone use these as 'toys'. They like to fly around with this, do tricks and possibly take some pictures and videos from their surroundings. But drones are also increasingly used by hobby photographers. They use a drone with a camera to shoot beautiful images from the air. Due to the versatility of the drone, flying with a drone is very popular.

What kind of drones are there?

There are different types of drones available on the market. This has to do with the fact that every type of drone has its own possibilities, depending on the wishes of the user. There are drones available with a camera, which photographers have a great interest in. In addition, stunt drones are also available that are ideal for performing stunts. The hexacopter, for example, is a very extensive drone equipped with no less than six propellers. The mini-drone is very suitable to start as a beginner and also the quadcopter is very popular among beginners. Because of the wide choice of drones, you can always find a drone that suits your preferences.

How expensive is a drone?

Drones are available in all shapes and sizes and of course, there are also several prizes. Toy drones are already available for € 10. You already have professional drones for around € 100. Prices can go up to around € 1,000, but then you also have real professional drones with a very good camera. If you want to buy a professional drone, then you have to count on it that you have to pay some money. This is not only necessary for the purchase, but also for the maintenance of the appliance. Do not have the money to buy a drone and cannot wait? Then there is the possibility of a personal loan to close for the purchase of the drone. Of course, saving for a drone is always the most sensible option, because borrowing money costs money.

[raptrc-blog]

FPV Racing and Racing Frames

What is an FPV Racing and what is FPV droneracing? FPV drone racing is also seen as the F1 of the future.

Get more details: https://medium.com/@info.raptrc/fpv-racing-and-racing-frames-3a44a63ba6d8 

[raptrc-blog]

The Equipment of FPV Racing

Get more  details here: http://raptrc.strikingly.com/ 

[raptrc-blog]

Build your own drone

Building a drone is not difficult

Drones are now available in all shapes and sizes. Although there are undoubtedly very good models, you always have a problem: you pay (too) a lot of money, you do not know how the drone works and spare parts are difficult and / or expensive available. Building a drone yourself is not difficult! Then you can decide for yourself which characteristics he will get, you will understand the technology and if something breaks you can order a new part again.

In this building report a DJI F450 frame is used in combination with a flight controller. The report tells you how to put the drone together step by step and what you should pay attention to at every step. Hopefully you come to the same conclusion as many others: a drone is less complicated than it looks!

The drone as described in this article has already flown. He is also powerful enough to take a GoPro camera with FPV Accessories.

Look at around market accessories and transmitter (good and affordable). Do not use old transmitters with crystals, but make sure you use the 2.4Ghz signal. There is then no chance that your drone suddenly flies away because someone else is on the same signal.

Step 1 - Solder ESCs to the frame Solder the ESCs to the frame. Solder each time the red wire to the + (plus), the black wire to the - (minus). First, translate the wire from the ESC and the copper plate. Place the soldering iron in the middle of the plate and add the tin against the soldering iron tip. In this way, the tin flows from the center towards the sides of the copper plate. Make sure you have a nice bump of tin, the ESC should get stuck. If necessary, you can add extra tin to the copper plate when soldering the wire. We aim for a mountain of tin in which the end of the wire is not or barely visible. Keep the soldering iron in place for a while, you will see that the tin needs a few seconds to completely drain.

Step 2 - Mount motors Mount the motors on the ends of the arms. It is advisable to lubricate the bolts with locktide (not permanent!) To ensure that they do not vibrate while flying. For now this is not necessary, there is a chance that they still have to be released. Conduct the wires through a hole in the side so that they come out underneath.

Step 3 - Assemble the arms on the frame Then it is time to attach the arms to the frame. We start with the bottom of the frame (the side where the ESCs are soldered to). The top will come later, since we still have to be able to. You need two screws for each arm. Make sure that the two wires of the ESCs go through the gate in the arm. In this way they do not take up any unnecessary space later on. We can use that space for the LiPo battery charger. The signal cables of the ESCs may also pass through the gate and then through the hole in the top of the arm. There they eventually come together to be connected to the Flight Controller.

Step 4 - Soldering motors to ESCs To get some overview in the wiring, we will confirm the motors to the ESCs. Completely optional, but advisable, is to provide the connection of bullet connectors.

If you decide not to use bullet connectors between the ESC and the engine, wait until all other components are in place and skip this (and the next) step. The orientation of the cables is important for the direction in which the motors are running. With bullet connectors, the direction of rotation of the motors can be easily changed at any time.

Solder the bullet connectors to the cables. It is advisable to fill a bullet connector completely with tin at the place where the wiring is to come. You can use a pair of pliers to hold the bullet connector firmly. If you have a (hair) rubber band around the handle of the pliers, the pliers have enough grip on the connector. It also ensures that you have a hand free again, which is very desirable in soldering practices (one for the tin, the other for the soldering iron). If the bullet connector is filled to the brim with liquid tin you can slide it over the wire. Hold the soldering iron on the connector for another five seconds to distribute the tin well around the wire. Blow against the connector for as long as the soldering iron is removed, which speeds up the cooling process. Repeat this step for all wiring, that's a total of 12 female and 12 male connectors. 

Tip: Check before your tin in the connector stops if the cable fits properly into the connector. If it is already difficult to slide in, you can make the cable a bit smaller. With a pair of pliers and soldering iron in your hand, it is only harder to get the connector around the cable. Close this step with some insulation tape or heat shrink around each bullet connector (male and female). In this way, there can never be a short circuit between the different connections. Close this step with some insulation tape or shrink tube around each bullet connector (male and female). In this way, there can never be a short circuit between the different connections. Close this step with some insulation tape or shrink tube around each bullet connector (male and female). In this way, there can never be a short circuit between the different connections.

Step 5 - Attach the ESCs to the arms Now attach the ESCs to the arms with a tiewrap. To ensure that any vibrations are reduced you can put a piece of foam (about 4cm thick) between them. Tighten the pipe wrap firmly without damaging the ESC and then cut off the protruding part. Make sure that the wiring of the ESC to the motor is not tight when using bullet connectors. You are more likely to loose these at times when you can not use it.

Step 6 - The battery connection Cut any connections from the 4mm banana connector, so that you have two cables with the same connection as on the LiPo battery. Solder this connection cable for the battery to the frame. Use a lot of tin as with the ESC frame connection. Leave the soldering iron on the cable for a while so that all the tin is well distributed. Check that the red and black cables match those of the battery when the plugs are assembled. If this is not the case, no man is overboard, make sure that the black cable is on the + and the red on the -. If you want to do it neatly, you can turn the plug, which can be a difficult job.

Batteries usually get a cable of about 12 cm. In order to ensure that it is not under too much tension, it is advisable to also choose a length of about 10 cm for the connection cable.

Step 7 - Attaching the battery to the frame This can be done in different ways, but make sure that the battery can be removed at any time. Do not stick the battery permanently with tape or glue.

My personal favorite is Velcro (Velcro). Use double-sided foam tape to stick the velcro onto the battery and the bottom of the frame. Foam tape sticks very well, dampens vibrations and absorbs any unevennesses in the surface. Before you cover the battery, first look at the side of the connection cable (step 6) and also lay the wiring of the battery on that side. Try to cover as large a surface of the battery as possible, but do not let any pieces of velcro stick out. Please note that the center of gravity of the battery is in the middle for a good weight distribution. That in turn can make a difference.

Step 8 - Confirm the Flight Controller Stick the flight controller on the top frame with foam tape. For the exact orientation of the flight controller, always consult   the manual, the buttons should point backwards. I have chosen to move the red arms forward, according to the X layout. You can also choose the + layout, then one arm forms the front. In that case the flight controller has to be turned 45 degrees. At the back of the flight controller there are some spots here and there. With the double-sided foam tape that should not be a problem. Attach the controller as exactly as possible to the frame and press it firmly.

Step 9 - Confirm the receiver Just like the battery, the receiver can also be attached to the bottom plate with velcro. It is advisable to put the servo cables in the receiver and to provide them with a small label on the other side. At the receiver, the documentation indicates which channel has which property (for example "ELE" of elevator, or "THR" of throttle). Specify this on the cables so that they can be plugged directly into the flight controller. Also put the channel number on it, so that the cables can easily be plugged into the receiver if they have to be removed.

Because the cables are already in the receiver you can already take into account the extra space that that takes. Bend the cables over the receiver, through a hole in the top plate of the frame. Stick the velcro on the spot where the receiver comes.

Important: The antenna of the receiver should not be too close to places where there is a lot of current due to interference.

Step 10 - Attaching the top plate Now screw the top plate onto the frame. Ensure that all cables (from the ESCs and from the receiver) come up through the correct holes. Tighten the screws firmly, but do not overdo it.

Then plug the servo cables into the flight controller using the labels you have attached to them and the documentation of the flight controller.

Finish by attaching the ESCs to the flight controller. Do not do this randomly, but keep the engine layout as indicated in the flight controller documentation. In the case of  kk2.0, the engine layout is as shown in the image below. The top four contact points on the right are for the first four motors.

Step 11 - Clean up Knot all the wires together and use small tiewraps to tie them into small bundles. Keep the various types of cables preferably together and do not attach them to other wiring. In the case of maintenance, not all tiewraps need to be cut through. Check that there is nothing that can get into the propellers. If so, tie it even closer together.

Get more details Here