RE: Multi Rotor camera heli on a tether?
[quote]ORIGINAL: REFLEXX Here's why. Scenario #1. Our vehicle is doing sentry duty around an arifield, five miles from the nearest human. The remote tele-operator wants a better view than one at ground level. Perhaps there is a wall or structure in the way. He deploys the tethered heli and it looks around at any height (within reason). It can be left "on location" indefinitely. There's reason watchtowers are so tall.[/quote] Have you ever flown an RC aircraft? If not, it looks like you have alot more research to do. I'm not sure about the flying out of the roof of a truck but what you are describing is definitely possible and already in operation with large scale, long range RC helos. However, they are very complex and expensive. [quote]ORIGINAL: REFLEXX Scenario $#2. Now imagine a gun battle in an urban area. There;s a sniper keeping the good guy from advancing through an intersection. Our vehicle drives to below a window and the heli pops-up to take a peek inside. Or to the middle of the intersection to check out all the windows and rooftops.[/quote] It's not as cool as the helo but how about using a 55 ft pneumatic mast with a camera on top like the one on the news truck below. It's simple, safe and affordable. [quote]ORIGINAL: REFLEXX Sure this can be done from a RC heli, but would take an operator who's really good and if they are under fire, that would be extra difficult. In our case, all you control is height (via the cable) and rotation (via joystick). If the operator of our system drops the control pad, nothing happens. 60 ft of kevlar/powercord would be a few lbs. The heli could be upwards of 10 lbs. Allowing for more advanced (better) camera systems). [/quote] Isn't what you're talking about using an RC helo? As far as controlling it, it will drift and will need correction whether it's done manually or automated. The lighter the power tether, the more it will whip around in the downwash and the heavier it is, the more power you'll need to stay in the air. It just goes on and on. Keep us posted.
Posted on: 10/25/2008 2:08 AM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Multi Rotor Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8082706

RE: Multi Rotor camera heli on a tether?
Have you seen the latest advances with DFI's newest X6 or Old Man Mike's custom DF modifications? Other than constant power from a cord and those new advances allowing near autonomous flight, why fool with a tethered power line? Have you also considered how heavy a power cord at least 60 feet long would be when ounces count? Good luck and let us know how it works out with pictures and video.
Posted on: 10/25/2008 12:06 AM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Multi Rotor Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8082508

RE: Ducted Fan Helo
[quote]ORIGINAL: dacaur Promising in what way? . . .[/quote] I like any new design but I'm not an engineer and don't know all the specifics about aeronautics. I just assumed it would be an improvement.
Posted on: 8/31/2008 9:10 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Multi Rotor Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7906316

RE: More Rotors?
DFI's X Pro has three bladed rotors and I've seen someone on this board use their own custom three bladed CF rotors but not four yet. That would be interesting. I was told by DFI that another blade or two is not neccessarily more efficient and makes the motors work harder. So I guess everything is relative downstream if one thing changes several others do to. Give it a try and let us know how it works. Post some video of it flying if you can. Good luck.
Posted on: 8/21/2008 6:38 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7871296

RE: Building a DraganFlyer - need to mix speedcontrollers - HELP
Hello Gabe. All of you engineer folks totally amaze me. This whole thread is way over my head but I can understand video anytime. [:D] That was a very interesting demo video of the multiple helos negotiating obstacles although I didn't understand much of what was talked about. I remember seeing information mentioned somewhere in this thread about MIT working on using several quad rotor helos in a project called SWARM. They made multiple units fly in unison and track a moving object. You can see more about it at the links below. Good luck with your project. http://vertol.mit.edu http://vertol.mit.edu/videos.html
Posted on: 7/3/2008 1:01 AM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Multi Rotor Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7688436

RE: Most stable, largest platform available
[quote]ORIGINAL: kata01_hk Hello everybody, I want to buy a MD4-1000 Microdrone. Anyone know its price, please tell me Thanks in advance [/quote] Here is the Microdrones website. www.microdrones.com
Posted on: 6/20/2008 2:41 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Multi Rotor Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7641598

RE: Superb Camera footage from SAVS
to get a high quality digital still camera attached to a highly modified DF. You can read all
Posted on: 4/14/2008 4:59 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7372955

RE: NON-DRAGANFLYER / OFF TOPIC DISCUSSION
This looks promising but is kind of noisy. www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=821239
Posted on: 2/20/2008 2:41 AM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7105575

Ducted Fan Helo
This looks promising but is kind of noisy. www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=821239
Posted on: 2/20/2008 2:39 AM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Multi Rotor Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7105572

RE: Bought another DF so.........I'm back!
Hey l8braker. Did you get another new DF? There seems to be issues with the newer flight boards. Did you ever try using FMA Co-pilot hardware like BB_DF does with his larger helos? [link=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=806655]Here[/link] is a great video using a larger helo but I believe I detected some slight correction with stabilization software. I hope the DF can fly that smooth some day!
Posted on: 1/23/2008 8:33 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6958921

RE: DF Doctor in the house ?
[b][size=2]Small Adapter Specifications:[/size][/b] Input: 100 - 240v ~ 50/60Hz Max 0.78A Output: 13.5v - - - 2.2A [b][size=2]Large Adapter Specifications:[/size][/b] Input: 100 - 240v - 0.7A 47 - 63Hz Output: 15v - - - 1.67A
Posted on: 1/23/2008 2:19 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6956781

RE: DF Doctor in the house ?
If the Tx is not at a minimum operating voltage the DF would probably experience erratic behavior because of broken commands and then a possible loss of signal which you do not want to happen. I would get DFI to either send you a Futaba charger like I had to do with the HiTech Tx or an updated DFI charger with the larger wall unit. Did your DFI charger ever charge your Tx correctly or has it not worked since you got it? If it hasn't ever worked, I think they should replace it with one that does.
Posted on: 1/22/2008 1:29 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6950325

RE: DF Doctor in the house ?
Here is a comparison of the two. The one on the right is the only one that will charge my Futaba sufficiently.
Posted on: 1/22/2008 12:41 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6950143

RE: DF Doctor in the house ?
[quote]ORIGINAL: AOW Lusetti ... The charger with respect to the ac trminals is about 1.5inches not 3 inches.... [/quote] Could you post a picture of your wall adapter? It sounds like you're experiencing the issue I described with the smaller wall unit not allowing the DFI charger to charge the Futaba Tx battery sufficiently. The DF itself should not be affected if the flight pack is charged but I would think there would be communication issues if the Tx was not sufficiently charged.
Posted on: 1/21/2008 3:41 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6945248

RE: DF Doctor in the house ?
[quote]ORIGINAL: AOW Lusetti ... My transmitter battery never charges all the way the Yellow led on the charger never goes out I left it charge over night and the voltage starts out at 11.5 but only after a couple min the voltage drops to 10v and lower. Any suggestions .[/quote] Okay, I can't believe I didn't catch that. The LED on the yellow DFI charger doesn't go out when the Tx battery is charged like it does when a LiPo is fully charged so that's normal. Is your wall adapter for the DFI charger about 3 inches thick or only about 1.5 inches thick? Like I said, I have two DFI chargers that are thin and one that's thick and only the thick one will charge the Futaba Tx battery correctly for some reason.
Posted on: 1/20/2008 10:53 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6941882

RE: DF Doctor in the house ?
Why don't you just use the yellow DFI charger? Try that for 24 hours and see what happens.
Posted on: 1/20/2008 5:36 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6940188

RE: DF Doctor in the house ?
What kind of Tx do you have? Are you using the yellow DFI charger? My first Tx was the HiTech Laser 6 and it was discovered that DFI's yellow charger would not charge it sufficiently. So, they sent me the HiTech charger and that fixed the problem. I have three yellow DFI chargers with one having a larger wall transformer. I also have a Futaba Tx and have discovered that only the DFI charger with the larger wall transformer will fully charge the Futaba's battery.
Posted on: 1/20/2008 2:47 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6939333

RE: Cheap home made SAVS alternative.
[quote]ORIGINAL: RipFree ... There will be clear improvements to your flight videos if all goes to plan. Some pictures should be here soon (no video unfortunately, sorry, but i still use VCRs [god forbid!] and i have no hardware or software to convert the analogue signal to digital). [/quote] What are you comparing the video quality to? The camera you are showing only has 240 lines of resolution which is VHS quality whereas the SAVS camera has 480 lines of resolution which is more like DV quality. [quote]ORIGINAL: RipFree Some pictures should be here soon (no video unfortunately, sorry, but i still use VCRs [god forbid!] and i have no hardware or software to convert the analogue signal to digital).[/quote] The signal coming from the Eyecam and the SAVS receivers is analog so you should easily be able to record into a VCR or anything that accepts RCA IN. [quote]ORIGINAL: RipFree ... The video quality is a fair bit better than with the normal mount, the edges of the picture don't come in and out erratically, although the improvements are slight, remember that this is the prototype. ...[/quote] Are you talking about the Eyecam mount which is the little 1.5" arm that connects to the flight board or the SAVS camera arm?
Posted on: 1/13/2008 11:19 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6903581

RE: HD Possible???
Wireless HD does exist but not affordably and not small enough and compatible for the DF. I think DFI tried wireless HD with 802.11 but never released it because like GeoffBrown said, the data stream was just too demanding. Any wireless signal is going to be susceptible to RF hits so on board recording with an HD camera is the best way to retain HD quality while using a live video feed as a framing guide.
Posted on: 1/13/2008 10:43 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6903374

RE: Trying to decide on a RC Helicopter
If you're not already aware, [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_228/tt.htm]Here[/link] is the main helo directory and [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_129/tt.htm]here[/link] is the general helo forum. These are where more users of the types of helos that you described hang out.
Posted on: 1/13/2008 10:09 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6903146

RE: earial video plaform
[quote]ORIGINAL: RipFree ... BTW, i've flown my DF in 30 mph winds, so you don't have to worry, it can take the wind if you can. ...[/quote] Are you sure it was 30 mph winds? Did you actually measure the wind speed with an anonometer? I don't think a one pound helo could stand that much wind, especially at altitude.
Posted on: 12/31/2007 5:10 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6832809

RE: A few draganflyer 5 questions...
In addition to the motor mounts, another place to adjust the rods' length is in the center hub making sure the rods are seated as much as possible in that hub.
Posted on: 12/28/2007 5:30 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6817549

Peyelot Video Helmet
This is a video helmet by Peyelot. [link=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showatt.php?attachmentid=1614471]Here[/link] are some specifications. [link=http://security-id.com/upload/cms/user/SwissCopter_AG.pdf]Here[/link] is some more info.
Posted on: 12/18/2007 12:52 AM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Aerial Photography and Video"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6762323

RE: DF lighting systems
[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3675950/tm.htm]Here[/link] is an extensive nav light thread. There are probably others throughout all of the DFI pages.
Posted on: 12/18/2007 12:41 AM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6771815

RE: Draganflyer Video Hardware: Cameras, Recorders, Monitors, Converters, etc.
[quote]ORIGINAL: 13BRV3 ... Any idea how much it costs?[/quote] I didn't see any pricing information. [link=http://security-id.com/upload/cms/user/SwissCopter_AG.pdf]Here[/link] is more info.
Posted on: 12/15/2007 9:38 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6762308

Video Hardware: Cameras, Recorders, Monitors, Converters, etc.
[b][size=1]Media Conversion for Analog Devices <-> Digital Devices[/size][/b] [color=#3300FF]This device is for cameras where S-Video and composite video RCA jacks are outputs only. Some of the newer DV cameras do allow you to input through the S-Video and composite RCA jacks though. I had, the need to convert analog video from the Eyecam receiver to a digital signal for input via Firewire to a digital camcorder. Here is a very affordable solution. It is called the ADS Tech Pyro A/V Link. It is a mutlimedia converter that is bidirectional allowing conversion from analog<->digital as well as both of those to and from component RGB signals if needed. It is even switchable to PAL. You will have to have power available to use this device. I just plug it into an inverter in my truck when I have to go portable and it works fine. You can get this item from the best and most reliable A/V source anywhere, B&H in New York.[/color] [b]ADS Tech Pyro A/V Link[/b] www.adstech.com/products/API-555/intro/api555_intro.asp?pid=API-555 [b]B&H Photo[/b] www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=363177&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
Posted on: 12/14/2007 6:22 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3679069

RE: Draganflyer Video Hardware: Cameras, Recorders, Monitors, Converters, etc.
This is a video helmet by Peyelot. [link=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showatt.php?attachmentid=1614471]Here[/link] are some specifications.
Posted on: 12/14/2007 6:21 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6757712

RE: NON-DRAGANFLYER / OFF TOPIC DISCUSSION
I saw this video on Mythbusters and said it's about time! [8|] They showed what happens when a large car, a school bus and a small plane pass behind a large jet with it's engines at full throttle. [X(][:D] [image]http://www.jefcommunications.com/images/camera/camera-small.gif[/image] [link=http://www.jefcommunications.com/asx/helo/rcu/DFI/off.topic/MYTHBUSTERS-JETWASH.asx][b]Mythbusters Jetwash Trials[/b][/link]
Posted on: 12/14/2007 2:25 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6660139

RE: Cool new blades for DF
He specifically said [i]in the air[/i]. [8|][:)]
Posted on: 11/17/2007 8:16 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6638086

RE: Cool new blades for DF
[quote]ORIGINAL: FL_PI I know that I am still a newbie too, Sky, but what if he had put the A blades where the B blades go and vice versa?[&:][/quote] If that was the case, he wouldn't even get off the ground because there wouldn't be any lift.
Posted on: 11/17/2007 8:00 PM by Author "Sky High" in the forum "Draganfly Innovations Products"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6638034