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Thread: Quadcopter build

  1. #21
    Administrator Kyle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fred View Post
    That video is absolutely amazing.
    So lemme get this straight. With the right transmitter, these things can broadcast live feed to a pc/tablet with an interface like the Occulus?
    I might have to dig my electronics textbooks out...
    Yes and no. Yes, some really expensive rigs like the lightbridge from DJI can beam HD. These FPV quads typically have 2 cameras on them. The one on top in the pic above is a HD Mobius camera (Ebay). There's a second camera beneath it inside the frame (A sony security camera). They beam ~640x480ish video over 5.8Ghz to either a monitor, or goggles like these:



    If you're using 5.8Ghz to beam video at > 25mw you'll need your technicians license (as mentioned previously).

    The quality of the FPV feed is not usually great, but the range can be pretty awesome (think kilometers).


  2. #22
    Administrator Kyle's Avatar
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    How friggin fun does this look?



    Or this!


  3. #23
    Hey guys, little late to the party here, but if you guys need any assistance I work for www.troybuiltmodels.com

    Most of you hopefully remember me from AO, I recognize a lot of faces here, and its great to see everyone.

    Anyways, TBM was a long standing RC company, and we have been transitioning to a sUAS company since I started working here in 2011. Our bread and butter currently is the DJI line up, but thats only because its the most popular and market viable product at the moment, our real focus is professional solutions for all forms of UAS operations. Agriculture is our next venture and where we see the next rapid expansion to occur, followed by mapping and surveying and inspection purposes.

    We are in the process of completing our transition, moving to a new site, and re-branding from TroyBuiltModels to TBM. If you guys have any questions, please let me know, I am happy to assist and I have subscribed to this thread for notifications.

    For the OP and simon, you guys would probably enjoy working with Ardupuilot or the refined version, the Pix Hawk from 3dRobotics for a flight controller. Ardupilot is an adruino controller and all open source. 3DR packaged it nicely and set it up with usable parameters for the masses.

    We are working with pix hawk in our agricultural platform, and its a very powerful tool. Some of my professional clients are not too happy with pixhawk performance on multi rotors, citing the DJI equipment is further refined, but pix hawk in multirotors is still a newer concept, and the dev teams have not refined it as much as their fixedwing counterparts.

  4. #24
    Hey Bill, Welcome to the forums!

    Sounds like a cool job you have there. I want a quad but can't justify it right now with everything else we have going on.

  5. #25
    Honestly, someone in your position and with such a strong technical understanding such as yourself could EASILY produce your own airframe, heck you could even code your own flight controller if you were so inclined. Its honestly not rocket science, its all pretty straight forward, but like most RC driven industries, the tilt has shifted from build your own, to give me the least amount of work and most functionality for my dollar. We have cemented our position with the consumer grade equipment simply because we build them for cheap ( it takes my guys like 3hrs from beginning to end to build an S1000 and test it for reference) and because we know how to trouble shoot the product. We work with more advanced units (UAV Factory Penguin B, Roboflight RF-70) and others but the bread and butter at the moment are the aerial cinematography systems, and I have a feeling this new DJI Inspire 1 will be a big seller as well.

    At the moment the FAA isnt too keen on these things, so the larger birds are tough to operate autonomously without drawing the ire of many, but we work closely with the FAA and the MFGs to push this technology to market. Currently we are working on a really cool project for an agricultural institution interested in using LIDAR for observation of permanent agriculture (citrus and olives), this will be about a .5mil project ($250,000 of which is just the lidar suite) that we are really excited to undertake.

    So in the grand scheme of things, these multirotors are more of a stop gap, something to keep the doors open until the market expands and the FAA deliniates the pathways for drone pilots and mfgs to go through certification.

    Additionally, it has given a lot of my graduating class positions within the aviation industry. When I and my cohorts graduated in 2008/2009 right into the depressed economy the outlook was bleak. Luckily the technology for UAV's has caught up and come down in price, allowing many of us who were looking for more traditional employment within the aviation industry an outlet for gainful employment.

  6. #26
    Are the air frames all carbon fiber?

    I really need to get up to Kyle's and check out his toys

  7. #27
    The high dollar ones are typically carbon, but I've seen them in plastic, aluminum, even mini balsa ones. You could glue 2 axe handles together and probably fashion one. If you're ever in Sarasota let me know I'll give you the agd tour

    A lot are being 3d printed now too.

  8. #28
    Administrator Kyle's Avatar
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    Speaking of which, here's a sneak peek at my latest build. I'll post up some pics when it's 100% done. It's still missing the mobius cam for the top deck, and I've got to wire in a voltage sensor so my transmitter receives telemetry data properly.



    I finally got it off the ground on Friday after a snafu with my flight controller, but it's been too cold and rainy to really fly.

  9. #29
    Insider PBSteve's Avatar
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    The PBN admins will be watching you. From outside your window.
    Ever so many citizens of this republic think they ought to believe that the Universe is a monarchy, and therefore they are always at odds with the republic. -Alan Watts

    I work for the company building the Paragon

  10. #30
    Insider Davros's Avatar
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    magman007: Are there flying R/C vehicles I could buy or make that could carry some weight? Say 2kg or so?

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