LISAMRC ML180 Carbon Fiber Frame Kit – Review
Today we are doing a review of the LISAMRC ML1800 Carbon Fiber Frame Kit. Not sure what LISAMRC stands for, so I suppose it's a 'cool' factor thing. Overall, I'm pretty impressed with this micro-sized quad frame kit. It's well crafted and light. There are some minor issues, but no show stoppers and nothing you can't fix with some spare bits. The following is an unboxing review and observations putting the base kit together. Sometime in…
DIY & Hobby Projects: Parts, Components & Tools Must Have’s
Most people who visit to this site are either DIY'ers, Makers, Hackers, or Robotics / RC enthusiast. For the most part, we all do the same thing - we build or mod stuff for our projects or hobbies. Over the years, experience and repetition has given we wisdom as to what works, what doesn't, and key components that I want to have on hand. I wanted to share a list of parts/components I have found useful for…
250 Carbon Fibre Quad Build
I recently downsized from my 450 quad to a ZMR 250 unit. The purpose of this post is not so much of a step-by-step but rather a collection of tips, suggestions and lesson's learned to help should you go down a similar avenue to build your own quad. There are plenty of video's and how-to's out there once you know what set-up you want to go with. I will reference mine as well as…
Micro MinimOSD – Gray Screen – A Fix
Symptom Summary: With the camera plugged in, the OSD would not display the telemetry overlay and only show the camera view. Then, when the camera is disconnected (power), the OSD would show telemtry, but no camera view. This is a repeatable activity. I also verified that my RX<>TX were connected correctly (was able to see the OSD change when moving the quad so I knew this was working). Solution: Fix: Although this may have less…
Quadcopter: 3D Printed Leveling Workstand
I often mess around with my quad configuration. Sometimes I re-flash the firmware which requires the re-calibration of the accelerometer and magnetometer. To calibrating the accelerometer, the quad has to be on a level surface. I have a 4-in-1 Quattro ESC mounted to the bottom, which makes an excellent platform to mount to. After tinkering on TinkerCAD (see what I did there?) for a few minutes, a base was born. I also had…
In-Flight Rate Profile Changes – Cleanflight
As I gain more experience flying, I want to have the ability to swap rate profiles while in flight. Some days I want easy flying, while others I want things a little more aggressive so I can do flips etc. Cleanflight has the ability to set profiles in the PID Tuning tab. You can set different PID values as well as RC Rate etc and save them to 1 of 3 profiles. Values on…
Configuring Lost Model Alarm – Flip 32 and Cleanflight
Earlier, I created an enhanced lost model alarm using an ATTiny85 and some Arduino code. I wanted to have different alarm modes that could be triggered depending on the position of the pitch trim pot. I've since ditched that config for simplicity. The hardware and Arduino Sketch are still valid, so you can use those if you want to build one. These instructions will show how to connect the hardware to a Flip32+ and…
How To: Install FrSky DHT 8CH DIY Kit into Turnigy 9x
Given the help provided by others, I thought I' pay it forward with my spin on the installation of the FRSky DHT 8Ch DIY transmitter in my Turnigy 9x Transmitter. Before getting into the details, I'd like to credit RCModelReviews for Bruce's how-to video as well as for details on how to update the firmware of the D4R-II (to solve the PPM framerate issue). Although this is primarily about the DHT DIY module install, it…
Prop Storage Using LEGO Technic Axles
I have a variety of 5040 and 5030 spare props. The need for both CW and CCW props, makes for a mess when trying to find a replacement when you crash and need a new prop. Given I break at least 1 prop per flight (I'm learning flips these days!), I wanted a quick way to access either size or direction of prop. Look no further to your LEGO Technic collection for axles (or…
Quad Landing Gear Meets LEGO Shocks
After a few hard landings, the carbon fibre landing gear that came with the ZMR250 frame were done. After researching different solutions, I gave the zip tie concept a try. The solution entailed creating 'loops' out of zip ties and mounting them to the quad legs. However, they sagged under the weight of the quad only a day or so after mounting them. This caused the quad to be out of level - not a good thing for…