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Re: Drones, quadcopters, and FPV flight

Posted: Tue May 22, 2018 10:02 am
by 5chn3ll
...and the dog-shaming courtesy of Mrs. Schnell after an unprovoked attack by Pee Pee Eye...

The camera he ate the lens off of was a decent self-contained camera/transmitter unit...which became an excuse to upgrade. :D
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Re: Drones, quadcopters, and FPV flight

Posted: Tue May 22, 2018 10:29 am
by 5chn3ll
If you don't need a gimbal, one of the smaller cameras with a separate wired transmitter would work without adding too much bulk/mass to your RC vehicle. If you can, build a roll cage around the camera so it doesn't get torn off.

I have a couple of these; all you need is DC power (and a headset)...you can mount everything except the camera safely inside the car. If your vehicle has shock towers, you may find that the camera is small enough to mount between the shock towers, which would be a pretty safe location for rollovers...

This camera and tranmitter combo is a whopping $27. Seriously. This is a great time in history to be an electronics geek.
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gnat wrote: Tue May 22, 2018 9:29 am Damn you people! Beyond a vague "it would be cool if" I've never put enough effort to even know there was such a thing as "FPV" for RC cars.

Now you have me wondering how I could best mount a camera on my 1/8th scale beastie. The trick, however, is that it tends to spend a good amount of time upside down so the roof mountings I've been seeing in videos just aren't gonna work. High speed collisions with curbs and trees kinda rules out the front bumper too...

Re: Drones, quadcopters, and FPV flight

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 9:38 am
by 32wildbilly
5chn3ll wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 5:00 pm Mrs. Schnell is very tolerant of my hobbies (technology addictions?). I'm a lucky man...

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TOP STORY
"Lincoln, Lancaster County agencies have six drones, at a cost of $90,000"

Let's see $90k/6= $15,000 average each. DAMN!!! Those are expensive toys! Either that or the government is stupid. I think I know the correct answer to that question.

Re: Drones, quadcopters, and FPV flight

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 9:52 am
by 5chn3ll
Some of the drones being used in agriculture to treat smaller fields with pesticides/herbicides are BIG (several feet across); many are gas powered so they can stay airborne for much longer (gasoline has ~100 times the energy density of lithium ion batteries) , and they have a much greater payload for dropping supplies as well as greater capacity for equipment like spotlights, etc.

They have better toys than I do.

This is what $15K of DJI drone looks like. It's fitted to carry 2.5 gallons of product, which works out a payload of approx. 20 lbs.

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The problem with batteries and drones: If you want your electric drone to fly longer, add more battery. This makes the drone heavier, so you have to add more motors or more aggressive props...which use more power, so you have to add bigger batteries, which adds more weight. And repeat. Even considering the difference in efficiency between electric motors (>90%) and internal combustion (40-45%ish), burning gas makes sense for staying aloft longer (an empty battery weighs the same as a charged battery; a gas-powered drone gets lighter the longer it stays airborne).

Re: Drones, quadcopters, and FPV flight

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 9:58 am
by 32wildbilly
5chn3ll wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 9:52 am Some of the drones being used in agriculture to treat smaller fields with pesticides/herbicides are BIG (several feet across); many are gas powered so they can stay airborne for much longer (gasoline has ~100 times the energy density of lithium ion batteries) , and they have a much greater payload for dropping supplies as well as greater capacity for equipment like spotlights, etc.

They have better toys than I do.

This is what $15K of DJI drone looks like:

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Hopefully this isn't one of the $15k ones. Looks like a toy to me...
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Re: Drones, quadcopters, and FPV flight

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 10:27 am
by 5chn3ll
Heh - that's EXACTLY what it is - the $15K DJI drone. Not necessarily what I would have bought, but...

Re: Drones, quadcopters, and FPV flight

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:38 am
by 32wildbilly
5chn3ll wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 10:27 am Heh - that's EXACTLY what it is - the $15K DJI drone. Not necessarily what I would have bought, but...
You are joking right?...Right?

Re: Drones, quadcopters, and FPV flight

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 2:52 pm
by 5chn3ll
Nope, dead serious - it's oriented such that you can only see one set of landing legs, but I'd bet a dollar that's the DJI "agricultural" model.

I'll wager one further dollar that some DJI engineer - or some cop - looked at that and said, "shit, I bet you could fill that bitch with pepper spray instead of dandelion killer."

It's probably (well, hopefully) hardened more than consumer models to prevent the craft (or the video feed(s)) from being hijacked...

Re: Drones, quadcopters, and FPV flight

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:32 pm
by 32wildbilly
5chn3ll wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 2:52 pm Nope, dead serious - it's oriented such that you can only see one set of landing legs, but I'd bet a dollar that's the DJI "agricultural" model.

I'll wager one further dollar that some DJI engineer - or some cop - looked at that and said, "shit, I bet you could fill that bitch with pepper spray instead of dandelion killer."

It's probably (well, hopefully) hardened more than consumer models to prevent the craft (or the video feed(s)) from being hijacked...
Knowing the NE government folks it probably uses Morse Code to feed information. Like to be able to say I'm shocked, but I just can't.

Re: Drones, quadcopters, and FPV flight

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:46 pm
by 5chn3ll
The Parks and Recreation Department bought a drone in April, at a cost of $17,203. They have used it for photographing vegetation to help in developing land management plans and for flying around Ascent, the glass sculpture in Tower Square, to document the condition of glass panels.

The sheriff’s department recently bought its drone, a DJI Matrice M210, which cost about $22,000, including accessories. Funding came from the department’s forfeiture funds, money and other property forfeited by those convicted of crimes, Wagner said.

The two drones purchased by Lincoln Fire and Rescue include a DJI Matrice 210 quadcopter with cases, cameras and special lenses, costing $29,378, and a less expensive $2,500 model.

The department's primary drone can fly in rain, snow and windy conditions and has a thermal imaging camera that can see through smoke, said Batallion Chief Eric Jones.