E.T.s Stingy X5 Quad Build.

English Turbines · June 26, 2018, 09:10:17 PM

Having recently discovered the delight of Quad flying with goggles, it was hard to resist building another one. This frame is a clone from E-Bay and it has had a few mods on it so I can hopefully fly it out a bit further and lower than 5.8G might let me. Today saw it wired up, the UHF RX set up, Flight Controller and ESC flashed and every motor reversed.
I still need to fit a Camera, the VTX and onboard DVR plus a plate of some kind so I can strap a variety of Lipos under it.
Yes, I have used tape to fix my receiver in place...it works rather well...:)
I had to split the upper deck plate to make more room for the PDB / BEC.

ched · June 26, 2018, 10:27:51 PM

Looks good.
If it were mine I am sure after my first crash the front end would be snapped off :D
Is there an easy way to add a bit of strength from the chopped top plate, i.e. a sort of 'S' shaped support to connect top deck to top of camera pod?

No problems with tape, any people use it for esc so why not rx?

Judging by your previous posts you are not someone who crashes a lot so you should be fine with it way it is.

What are you going to use for fpv tx as you are going long range?

English Turbines · June 27, 2018, 07:10:21 AM

Quote from: ched on June 26, 2018, 10:27:51 PM
Looks good.
If it were mine I am sure after my first crash the front end would be snapped off :D
Is there an easy way to add a bit of strength from the chopped top plate, i.e. a sort of 'S' shaped support to connect top deck to top of camera pod?

No problems with tape, any people use it for esc so why not rx?

Judging by your previous posts you are not someone who crashes a lot so you should be fine with it way it is.

What are you going to use for fpv tx as you are going long range?

Hi Ched,
I have made another vertical spacer post right behind the FPV Camera to strengthen it some. TBH, its pretty strong anyway and the floor around the Camera is doubled up on the baseplate. It's only vulnerable if I hit a tree or something while gap flying which is something outside of my skill set as yet.
I just enjoy cruising around at the moment and Im hoping to get a Mobius on my Martian next time out.
My VTX will be a small 200mw 1.2G type which maxes out using 12v which is why the Matek PDB is in the stack....It also provides 5v for the onboard DVR.
Not figured out exactly how I will mount the VTX but I have some ideas hatching. Im hoping to use a channel tuned Dipole mounted at the rear of the copter to give me some separation. Even the RD will work just fine, but the Dipole should also be possible. The 1.2G link isn't particularly for long range, more image security at lower altitudes.

My new Viper Goggles provide a fantastic image, but the weakness is in the antenna diversity and its single receiver. Using the Vipers with my 1.2 / 5.8 relay should get around that problem. I also plan on trying them with my old Immersionrc UNO Video receiver too. The Vipers do work, but its annoying when it decides to try swapping antennas for no good reason as it causes breakup which sometimes makes the goggle DVR have a fit.... :o
Ill post some more pics as it progresses anyway...:)
:vulture:

ched · June 27, 2018, 05:22:47 PM

Didn't realise the bottom plate was doubled up. That should be OK for what you want.
Not used anything other than 5.8Ghz so no knowledge of 1.2G other than it should travel further and be more resilient. It will be interesting to see how you get on. I've only had very limited experience of quads.

English Turbines · June 29, 2018, 01:24:00 PM

Progress Update:....29/6/2018.

The mount to enable an underslung Lipo is now made from some thin plywood. I made some 2mm spacers for it to provide clearance from the bolt heads and for the Lipo Strap.
Works well and now I can mount pretty much any Lipo within reason. Today I did a short Hover test and all seems well with just some adjustment of the throttle curve required. These Gemfans have quite a bit of pitch so I need a flatter curve.
Hovers about 25% throttle....all good so far.
Next up...install of the 1.2G vtx, Camera and onboard Micro DVR.

Resisting the urge to purchase a Runcam Split....:)

:vulture:

ched · June 29, 2018, 01:44:48 PM

Looking good.
I have a RunCam Split v1 that I bought for my MartianIII. I had issues with the ribbon cable I think so it's still sitting in it's box. I must order a new ribbon cable some time. I do have a Session 5 (Argos £120) which is my birthday present. I have fitted that to the MartianIII and it does a good job at HD but is heavier than the Split and more vulnerable. I believe the Split V2 fixed some of the V1 issues.
One good thing for me is the Session actually lifts 2 props of the grass if I crash and land upside down. Which helps turtle mode quite nicely. :D

Loopdreams · June 29, 2018, 02:41:38 PM

I have turtle mode set up in case I should crash somewhere inaccessible but I never use it just to save a walk. I prefer to see the quad after a crash before flying it again. First a badly bent prop or one with a blade missing can wreck a motor and also I once took off after a crash not realising that my gopro had actually come off. And it took me ages to find it so I'm not doing that again.

ched · June 29, 2018, 03:04:52 PM

Quote from: Loopdreams on June 29, 2018, 02:41:38 PM
I have turtle mode set up in case I should crash somewhere inaccessible but I never use it just to save a walk. I prefer to see the quad after a crash before flying it again. First a badly bent prop or one with a blade missing can wreck a motor and also I once took off after a crash not realising that my gopro had actually come off. And it took me ages to find it so I'm not doing that again.

You are very correct Turtle mode is risky. I had not thought about losing GoPro!!! My flying site is only the size of a football field and regularly mown. I did use it a few times as I am new to Acro flying well fairly new to flying full stop. So I was crashing a lot and walking miles even just on the small field :D.
I am very slowly getting better so hopefully I wont need it and will certainly think twice about using it. Cheers.

English Turbines · July 03, 2018, 06:08:15 PM

Update:

The Stingy is finished and test hovered...The onboard DVR was very noisy, the 5v supply from the Matek PDB was not good at all. The 12 v supply for the video system seems okay though and the live feed is reasonable, so i will use that for the time being.

Hopefully a proper test on Thursday this week. Im hoping for an improvement in my live feed with the Vipers getting their feed locally from the 1.2G Relay GS.

Specs:

Stingy X5 Clone frame.
Racerstar 4 in 1 35amp ESC with DSHOT 600.
Racerstar 2205 2300kv motors.
Omnibus F3 FC with SD card and Baro.
Matek PDB with 12v & 5V BECS.
EZUHF receiver.
200mw 1.2G vtx with standard Duck antenna.
Runcam Swift with 2.1mm Lense upgrade.
1500mah 4 S Eachine Lipo... (Trial with 2200mah 4S to follow)

:vulture:

ched · July 03, 2018, 07:19:41 PM

Looks good in stealthy black.
Is there much of a weight difference between your 2 quads? Be interesting to see which one performs better.

English Turbines · July 05, 2018, 10:20:53 AM

Quote from: ched on July 03, 2018, 07:19:41 PM
Looks good in stealthy black.
Is there much of a weight difference between your 2 quads? Be interesting to see which one performs better.

Hi m8,

I guess the Stingy X5 is a little heavier than the Martian 2, but the flight times are very similar using the same 4S Lipos..

The Gemfans on the Stingy have more pitch, and it definitely seems to fly a bit smoother to me. Im guessing thats because its a slightly stretched X Frame.
Not surprising, they have the same motors and ESC setup.
Im going to try ACRO Mode today with the Martian...lol...not sure it will be very responsive, I have it dialled back to 360 degrees per second..

I won't be putting any tunnels or hoops on the grass strip either Big T....That would be as popular as a fart in a spacesuit..lol.
I may try some gap flying though on those hedges..

:vulture:

BigT · July 05, 2018, 08:15:39 PM

At one club I put my gates off the patch, at another club they have a few permanent gates off the patch and are planning a full course for the future.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

ched · July 05, 2018, 09:47:15 PM

Quote from: English Turbines on July 05, 2018, 10:20:53 AM
Hi m8,

Im going to try ACRO Mode today with the Martian...lol...not sure it will be very responsive, I have it dialled back to 360 degrees per second..

Did you give acro mode a go today? I find it very difficult but I'm getting there.