(08-Aug-2020, 06:08 AM)kaitylynn Wrote: I did!  Super smooth and an efficient build

Did the antenna get pulled off in a tumble?

Hi Katy, 

Given the issues that the.ronin and wllmlutz had with their Katana builds (and the fact that I blew out a 5v BEC with the capacitor incident) , I was really holding my breath on this one. To my surprise, I was impressed with how it handled and getting 10 minutes on a "test" flight. The tune is stock, just how it came   . I always start here just to see what we got. 

Nothing got broken nor tore off; of course it wasn't very high off the ground. The VTX antenna is super resilient and extremely strong. Also, notice that it has a bend; this bend will hold and not get bent in a crash. I borrowed a technic from JJRotorGeek on how to keep  your antenna in position (hot glue and heat shrink). I doubt that anyone noticed, but I also put an extension on the U.FL connector (found on Amazon) so the antenna can sit higher. The original antenna stops about where it is zip tied to the standoff mast. 

The GPS also survived. I mounted a piece of clear plastic to protect the GPS. I was reading about small nicks in the GPS antenna is how they "tune" the antenna at the factory.  So...if nicks change the tune, I wanted to protect it when the thing hits the ground upside down. Yeah, that seems to be how I land 

I might be eccentric or just "half a bubble off"  

I need to do some flights with the Phantom-X in its current configuration; then it gets an upgrade to the JHEMCU AIO FC.

This guy is a riot. In my opinion, he has one of the most interesting (real life) soldering videos on you tube; he is down to earth and real; no BS, just how to get it done. Anyway, below is his antenna "trick" that I borrowed, I just used it on the whole antenna lead (but not on the extension since I need that to be flexible).

JJRotoGeek VTX antenna tech tip:

LOL, this is required if you are flying the VTX-03 with the stock antenna. The first VTX's that I used in my builds were these and after shredding a few antenna in the props, this became a standard mod.

I just found two of my VTX-03's in my "spares" box with the antenna in green shrink. I think the last one I used was from like three years ago. These little VTX's are rugged and I have like 5 of them, but I have not used them in a long while.

I am keeping a {sort of} Journal of my FPV experiences.

{2020-08-22}
The Phantom-X got a flight in today. The 1303 5000kv motors are spinning the 4 inch HQProp props rather well. Today's run with a 3S 1100 mAh GNB battery {AUW = 176 grams} had a Fly Time of 17:22     
WOW, was I happy about that. I was really excited to see it cross the 17 minute mark 

I think this rig could do long range.     Yeah, with some upgrades, of course. Sooooo....UPGRADE TIME     Since I have a new flight controller for the Katana-LR4, think I will transplant her original electronics into the Phantom-X

(22-Aug-2020, 08:50 PM)iFly4rotors Wrote: {2020-08-22}
The Phantom-X got a flight in today. The 1303 5000kv motors are spinning the 4 inch HQProp props rather well. Today's run with a 3S 1100 mAh GNB battery {AUW = 176 grams} had a Fly Time of 17:22     
WOW, was I happy about that. I was really excited to see it cross the 17 minute mark 

I think this rig could do long range.     Yeah, with some upgrades, of course. Sooooo....UPGRADE TIME     Since I have a new flight controller for the Katana-LR4, think I will transplant her original electronics into the Phantom-X

Damn man! 17+ minutes is pretty impressive for that battery. You got the magic touch for flight times man! Nice work!

With 17 minutes of flight, long range is assured in terms of time. Even with 2.4ghz control, you should be able to get out to a kilometer. If your current setup is proven good, why change it?

Yeah, I wasn't expecting to get 17 minutes. BUT NOW.... we are going for the gold 

I have just added the 2s 18650 battery holder {that's right "holder"; NOT "pack"} 

Notice that the holder mounts sideways and installs with two (2) long bolts through the whoop mount holes in the bottom frame plate. The mounting is secure and solid. See detail in picture #3.

Also, I didn't like the props in the video so I remounted the camera on columns above the top frame plate. Refer to the "close up" detail picture showing the new camera mount; picture #4

The new "dry" weight is 134 grams. The AUW with 2 18650 3000 mAh batteries is 226 grams ...
{yeah running 4 inch props} 

Yeah ... I know... the bolt blocks the USB port, but hey, I can deal with that if I need to change something. 

(23-Aug-2020, 12:50 AM)kaitylynn Wrote: With 17 minutes of flight, long range is assured in terms of time. Even with 2.4ghz control, you should be able to get out to a kilometer. If your current setup is proven good, why change it?

Well, I really want to go for a 5k badge so I need the R9MM in there.  If I get the video issues worked out, I might just swap out the receiver and pump the VTX to 200 mw (the max) and see where we go. The video issue does not seem to be in the quad, but may be in the DVR in the goggles, but  am not sure yet.

The Katana-LR4 electronics seem to run ok, and the VTX is a 450 mw. Since I am going to upgrade that one anyway, why not use the gear in the Phantom-X     Also, the Phantom-X can better handle the weight of the extra 5v BEC.

Oh yeah, then there is the GPS issue. I have not found documentation on where to connect it on the GEPRC 16x16 stack. It is already installed on the JHEMCU board in the Katana-LR4. 

All points considered, I will likely just swap the electronics and give it a shot. Isn't is interesting that this little guy is really coming along...who knew 

nice decibel test :-)

about number of blades and speed, its the opposide; to get the max speed out of a motor, a prop as big as the provided trust will be able to spin and -biblades- would be the fastest. as biblades are less heavy, they will climb higher rpms and speed.. (as long as the motor will be forced to provide the whole performence)

(23-Aug-2020, 01:24 AM)hugnosed_bat Wrote: nice decibel test :-)

about number of blades and speed, its the opposide; to get the max speed out of a motor, a prop as big as the provided trust will be able to spin and -biblades- would be the fastest. as biblades are less heavy, they will climb higher rpms and speed.. (as long as the motor will be forced to provide the whole performence)

Hi hugnosed, 

Yeah, that is pretty much what I thought....the more propeller surface area, the more thrust would be provided (would be faster). In fact, that is one reason that I switched from tri-blades to bi-blades early on. {{to tone down the acceleration...at least that was my thought}}.

Sound, however, seems to be a little different. First, my testing is not nearly a definitive work {and is on-going}. Oddly enough, I am not sure the number of blades makes as much difference as the design, shape, pitch, etc. I say, this because the 4 inch bi-blades are actually quieter {overall} than any of the 2.5 or 3 inch blades. But, keep in mind we are only talking a few decibels difference. Also, these tests are "loosely" controlled hover tests inside a house. {so very low throttle and absolutely NO acceleration}. 

  Duh, it just hit me. One reason the 4 inch might have quieter in the house is because it takes less throttle to maintain a 4-6 foot altitude inside the house with the 4 inch, so...it was likely spinning at a slower RPM than the 2.5 and 3 inch quads. 

In field testing {actual flight}, there is essentially no noticeable difference in the sound level of ANY of my quads regardless of size or the installed props. Once airborne and a little distance away {hard to actually tell how far}, you can't  hear them. First, none of my rigs is much louder than the ambient outside noise level {and that differs depending where you are and the day it is}. Next, I generally fly between 30 and 80 meters high which is clearly out of sound range for these guys.  I can only hear them on a close "fly by" and then barely a buzz.  

Just a note; one day a couple of guys had a 5 inch at the field where I fly and that thing was LOUD...you almost needed ear protection. Just firing that thing up was extremely loud...and...when in flight it was so loud, you could hear it a long way off. He also kept the altitude low; lower than the top of the light poles which is about 15 meters, 45-50 feet, (maybe).  That is one reason that I was surprised with my 4 inch quads; how quiet they are      

One thing I will say, after the quad is launched and attains altitude; the throttle is rarely above 50 percent...more like 20-30 percent.

In some of my past research, it seems that the "design" of the prop has a profound affect on the sound. Even in the same size and type of prop (say 5 inch, bi-blade), the actual shape of the blades makes a big difference. Some company {don't remember the name} makes quieter props for the DJI Mavic quads. There are "stealthy" type props out there, just not much interest...YET... IMHO. Besides that, there are trade offs to everything. I can't say, but if the quieter props have less performance then that might be a consideration.

Anyone reading this post:  
Do you know ...  Why the "Fly Time" display in my OSD FLASHES  when the "Fly Time" is over 10 minutes 

(23-Aug-2020, 01:28 PM)iFly4rotors Wrote: Anyone reading this post:  
Do you know ...  Why the "Fly Time" display in my OSD FLASHES  when the "Fly Time" is over 10 minutes 

Mine do it too. I am sure there is a setting in the CLI commands that can be altered, but I have not found it.

(23-Aug-2020, 01:28 PM)iFly4rotors Wrote: Anyone reading this post:  
Do you know ...  Why the "Fly Time" display in my OSD FLASHES  when the "Fly Time" is over 10 minutes 

That is the timer alarm that you can set this to warn you how many minutes to elapse before it should start flashing to warn you of something, maybe when it is time for a tea break  If you go to the OSD tab in Betaflight Configurator, on the right you will see a "Timers" section. The "Alarm" value under each timer is in minutes and that is the number of minutes after which the timer in the OSD will then start to flash. Just set it to a more realistic value for your needs, or to something really high if you never want the timer value to flash at all.

(23-Aug-2020, 03:27 PM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: That is the timer alarm that you can set this to warn you how many minutes to elapse before it should start flashing to warn you of something, maybe when it is time for a tea break  If you go to the OSD tab in Betaflight Configurator, on the right you will see a "Timers" section. The "Alarm" value under each timer is in minutes and that is the number of minutes after which the timer in the OSD will then start to flash. Just set it to a more realistic value for your needs, or to something really high if you never want the timer value to flash at all.

Hi Snow, Thank YOU Very much.  Yeah, have a tea on me 

{2020-08-28}
Today I took the Phantom-X to the soccer field. I swapped out the SD card and the video is pretty good now. For this flight, I used 2 3000mAh 18650 batteries {AUW = 224 grams} and got Fly Time over 21 minutes.  Not too bad I guess, but I was expecting more. I did notice that the craft was a little more wabbly than usual; but I won't mess with tune because I am getting ready to make some changes, but I will fly it another time or two just to get an average before the upgrades.

In its present configuration,  my Phantom-X is clocking over 17 minutes on the 3s 1100mAh GNB battery and over 21 minutes on a 2 3000mAh 18650 batteries. {these are in a holder; NOT soldered together as seems to be the practice}.

On the other hand, I guess this isn't too bad , since the Flywoo Explorer is getting 28-30 minutes with a 4s 18650 pack.