Posts: 218 Threads: 16 Likes Received: 85 in 56 posts Likes Given: 178 Joined: Jan 2022 Reputation: 4 I've been holed up inside for a few months but we're finally getting some half way nice weather. lol. This is the first pack of 2024 I've managed to fly all the way through without crashing. I predict a lot of repairs this year... Why does the Crux35 fly so well? It is by far the best feeling drone I own. Five minute flight on a 550mah 4S pack. The video is from a peanut cam run through gyroflow... http://www.drumgod.com/fpv/1080-clip14.mp4 Posts: 6,124 Threads: 172 Likes Received: 2,290 in 1,837 posts Likes Given: 4,741 Joined: Feb 2019 Reputation: 102 rotor response, power to weight, efficiency .... its an ultralight and 3.5" is a great size, partsweight become less important by increasing motor thrust. i believe 3.5" and 4" is the spot i like most. • Posts: 320 Threads: 26 Likes Received: 156 in 122 posts Likes Given: 99 Joined: May 2023 Reputation: 3 Just love that combination of open space and trees/obstacles you have to fly in... from the comfort of home! ...sigh... one day grasshopper... • Posts: 2,580 Threads: 77 Likes Received: 1,399 in 1,049 posts Likes Given: 823 Joined: Apr 2022 Reputation: 41 It isn't just the quad, at least half the equation is the pilot and you are a great pilot. You have great flow when you fly, but don't seem to be really obsessive about getting perfect lines like most people, so your flights come over as more fun than a 60 retakes to get that perfect trick that you see on a lot of videos. I haven't flown anything that big yet, so can't really comment on the size aspects. Try Not, Do or Do Not - Yoda • Posts: 218 Threads: 16 Likes Received: 85 in 56 posts Likes Given: 178 Joined: Jan 2022 Reputation: 4 Thanks guys. Gyroflow hides a multitude of sins! I was kinda' hoping the ronin mk2 4" I (finally) finished building would fly similarly to the 3.5" crux35, but it's way touchier. I think it needs to be flown at bit higher speed. I already broke the top plate on it. lol. Fortunately, while the frame itself seems to have been discontinued, there are still a few parts available. I should have it back up and running this weekend... I wonder how it would feel on bi-blades? • Posts: 2,580 Threads: 77 Likes Received: 1,399 in 1,049 posts Likes Given: 823 Joined: Apr 2022 Reputation: 41 I'd be careful with Ronin's frames, he didn't have many spares in his shop last time I looked. AFAIK, he isn't producing any more. So those frames are almost unicorn status in the grand scheme of things. When they're gone, they're gone. You should try different prop configs. See if you like bi or quad more than tri. I definitely prefer tri blade over bi or quad. Quad are bit too pully and a bit hard on the ESC. Bi are apparently the most efficient, but I don't find them overly smooth. I find the delivery very bouncy, but they would probably benefit from a throttle dampening in the mid range. I would probably only consider bi blades for long range type craft, although i do have a couple of whoops that run HQ bi blades. Try Not, Do or Do Not - Yoda • Posts: 320 Threads: 26 Likes Received: 156 in 122 posts Likes Given: 99 Joined: May 2023 Reputation: 3 Someone should contact Ronin and request for the files to be cut at say cncdrones.com if they are EOL?! Maybe he'll come back, who knows... • Posts: 21,391 Threads: 593 Likes Received: 9,027 in 6,681 posts Likes Given: 1,428 Joined: Jun 2018 Reputation: 794 Ronin hasn't logged onto this forum for nearly a year, so before you drop your credit card details or PayPal payment in his web shop I would advise that you try to contact him via his web shop first just to confirm that he is actually still around somewhere in the background and that he does still actually have the stock that is currently listed in his web shop. • Posts: 218 Threads: 16 Likes Received: 85 in 56 posts Likes Given: 178 Joined: Jan 2022 Reputation: 4 Yeah, I'm aware that the.ronin hasn't been around and he has seemingly moved on from the frame business. I figure there's no point in building it if I'm not going to fly it though. The RoninUAV store *is* apparently up and running. I placed an order for top plates and camera mounts which were shipped next day. Should be arriving today. I ordered a spare arm assembly (thought I was ordering two) back when I ordered the frame, so we'll see how long that lasts me. I did order a micro apex 4" frame and a couple spare arms. I plan to build it up with the 1507 motors I originally picked up on sale for the ronin frame. That will give me two 4" rigs to play with. I also grabbed a couple different 4" props to try out, including some gemfan 4" bi-blades... The majority of the my flying has been with 1-3S 3" toothpicks on bi-blades. They feel more "slidey" to me. Maybe they'll make the ronin feel a bit less skittish? • Posts: 6,124 Threads: 172 Likes Received: 2,290 in 1,837 posts Likes Given: 4,741 Joined: Feb 2019 Reputation: 102 07-Mar-2024, 06:49 PM (This post was last modified: 07-Mar-2024, 06:49 PM by hugnosed_bat.) biblades give better rotor response, needed if you have a small motor (like on ultralight 1-3s builds loke the toothpick...) on big torqy motors, plenty of power like 4" on 1507, wont gain benefits, they might give much much more tuning work. i believe biblades will make it skittish overreacting, faster than usable. i would suggest the common use; 1507 on triblades that does match very well. choose between skinny blades or much rotorsuface. small motors for 4inch would be; 1404, 1306... does can gain benefits bi biblades in some cases, ultralight quads i would suggest this one for a 1507; https://www.gemfanhobby.com/show.aspx?id=167&cid=46 • Posts: 218 Threads: 16 Likes Received: 85 in 56 posts Likes Given: 178 Joined: Jan 2022 Reputation: 4 Thanks hugnosed. lol. It sounds like the bi-blades aren't the direction I'm looking to go with the ronin. I do have a couple sets of the windancer props you linked coming at the same time. The RoninUAV order arrived. I order three top-plates and 2 sets of camera braces but only received one of each. Not sure if that was a shortage or an oversight. He did however throw in some swag, a few battery straps I would have actually ordered, had I thought of it, and a prototype shinobi mk2 frame. Good enough. I have the plate I need to repair the ronin and a LR style frame to put the bi-blades on... Now I need to keep an eye out for some suitable 1404 motors on sale. lol. • Posts: 1,967 Threads: 65 Likes Received: 1,100 in 798 posts Likes Given: 103 Joined: Jan 2023 Reputation: 57 (06-Mar-2024, 03:21 AM)drumgod Wrote: Why does the Crux35 fly so well? It is by far the best feeling drone I own. Five minute flight on a 550mah 4S pack. The video is from a peanut cam run through gyroflow... Nice flight, I will have to agree, of all my quads the Crux35 hands down remains my favorite to fly. So much more agility, control, good flight times... too bad about it couldn't do a little better in durability. I was thinking to get a spare (another), but just saw prices have jumped from sub $120 to over $150 for the analog BNF. And on top of that, there used to be dozens of stores on Ali that sold them, but now just a handful. It seems stock is dwindling and maybe HM are not replenishing this model... so if you don't have a spare, now maybe time to pick one up before they all go... • Posts: 1,414 Threads: 122 Likes Received: 1,426 in 740 posts Likes Given: 1,127 Joined: Jun 2019 Reputation: 42 Hey Drum, I've been looking at crux35 threads on the forums as I recently got a frame off aliexpress. I'm keen to know what motors you used in your build mate? That video is great, so smooth and you fly very well. I think I spotted you sitting down out the back of your place, lol.. • Posts: 218 Threads: 16 Likes Received: 85 in 56 posts Likes Given: 178 Joined: Jan 2022 Reputation: 4 (30-May-2024, 02:43 AM)ph2t Wrote: Hey Drum, I've been looking at crux35 threads on the forums as I recently got a frame off aliexpress. I'm keen to know what motors you used in your build mate? That video is great, so smooth and you fly very well. I think I spotted you sitting down out the back of your place, lol.. Thank you sir. Gyroflow works magic with gyro/video from the Peanut cam. Yup. That's me sitting on the back step. I've been meaning to build a small deck out there for... a decade or so. lol. That Crux35 is more-or-less a stock, V2 analog version, rebuilt from a V1. It came with Happymodel's EX1404 3500kv motors. They can be a little hit-or-miss. Some have more vibes than others. The last set I put on seem to be holding up though. • Posts: 218 Threads: 16 Likes Received: 85 in 56 posts Likes Given: 178 Joined: Jan 2022 Reputation: 4 I was taking other pics so... Here's my main Crux35. More-or-less stock except for beefed up tpu mounts, a tpu battery tie-off point and peanut cam+adapter: The smaller motors work well because, as hugnosed pointed out, it's light. I just checked... The AUW with a 850mah pack is 230.1g, 650mah is 212.4g and 550mah, right at 197g. That's ready to go with the camera, power adapter and an in-line bec. I can feel things getting ass-heavy with the 850. It shudders a bit under heavy throttle and it feels like the battery is pulling you butt-first when you slow down or turn. Here's another vid from earlier. lol. It's an 850mah r-line and I spend the first bit trying out how the battery weight throws around... It ends in a "lucky" crash. I line up to miss the pine tree, garden trailer, pile of flagstone, lawn chairs... then fly almost full throttle into a weed tree. I couldn't see in my googles at all. Lucky, because I only lost a prop. http://www.drumgod.com/fpv/1080-clip13.mp4 I'd like to build up one of the recursion labs 3.5" frames to see if I can get the same feel with a more durability. It seems the BH 1504.5 is popular... I haven't done a deep-dive yet, but I'm not sure that frame and motor combo auw would still be sub250, if, say, all other components were to remain the same... Would it fly the same? My two 4" builds definitely don't. I need to get back to tuning the Micro Apex 4" build at some point. Are there any motors your looking at specifically? I believe @mtsc has built several light 3.5" craft. I suspect he may have some insight. |