Atomrc Dolphin

[@bonafidepirate]

BTW, I think I forgot to mention it in the video, but the root cause of the glitches in the radio link was the 2.4GHz relay I had set up on the Dragonlink. I've had problems with that in the past with other planes too, so it was nice to finally pin that down. I took the relay out and set it up "normally", directly on the radio, and all the glitches are gone now.

[@Sibi-4711]

Could please share your ardupilot params file. I would like to compare it with mine. You can post it in RC-Groups on in the Dolphin thread. I'm _Sibi_ there... Thanks :) Great Vid btw

[@CarlosChavez-gs1ld]

Your flying video, telemetry data quality/resolution, font appearance, etc., are ALL above average. Very comfortable to look, and lots of good info on the display. Well done.

[@FrancisDrake-q3j]

Such a clean, thought out and meticulous build. Kudos, sir. I greatly enjoy the content you create.

[@bonafidepirate]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@jaysonrees738]

Your info about tuning it is going to be extremely helpful to me. It's my first plane, and I don't really have a good frame of reference since almost all of my exposure to RC aircraft is multirotors. Have glued mine together multiple times because I got the roll axis backwards, cooked my motor with overly aggressive auto launches, and haven't even bothered trying to tune the PIDs yet. Every bit of experience you share is going to be put to good use!

[@scottyh72]

Learn to fly without the FC. You will be happy you did later on.

[@jaysonrees738]

@@scottyh72 Maybe some day. For now I don't have the budget to be setting up new planes, and my receiver requires the flight controller to actually do anything.

[@scottyh72]

@@jaysonrees738 Good luck.

[@punkrawk89]

I love the "jet fighter" feel of this plane. That's how I always describe it to people. Nice job!

[@StuntDoubleFPV]

Nice clean installation there. It's a good idea to have that walksnail vtx externally mounted in the airflow because they get incredibly hot. I've seen people using small 5V cooling fans with them too.

[@raul-ortega]

Good flight, and good job!!! I'm looking for a 270 degrees servo pan, and I wonder which servo are you using in your Dolphin. Thanks so much.

[@MrWeusi]

Love the low level flying!! And looking back over tail as you do so.. cool!!

[@j6077xxd]

Fantastic! Do you have a full list of items to create this? Incl FPV, controls etc?. Man I want to make one of these after watching this!!

[@northernfpv9562]

I don’t have my Dolphin set up for long range, but it’s one of my favourite planes to just chuck up and fly. It feels great.

[@bonafidepirate]

Yep, it's definitely a fun one to fly. I flew mine yesterday and still liking it... lol

[@smackfpv]

Well done with the review and description. Have had mine for awhile now, really good plane is a bit beat up now but still fun to fly.

[@pavelgurenchuk2225]

Hello, What type front you are used on this setup? It is very beautifull.

[@FlyingWired]

Hi, just wondering what camera settings you're using for the v2. And what firmware? I seem to get some grainy image on the v2 in the daytime.

[@bonafidepirate]

I use the camera in night mode, with sharpness on 2 or 3, noise reduction on auto, and white balance fixed at 5500. It's the latest beta firmware, 34.40.15

[@wattage2007]

Great video and excellent low flying. Just maidened mine today and I love it! Couldn't help but notice your crosshair is little off-centre there though 😜

[@kenchen704]

Is the HD video with OSD you are getting from the DVR? It looks insanely good despite the distance and various flying.

[@Thiago_TS_BR]

Nice advices. I am a fan of this drone.

[@dgfpv1988]

Finished mine one day ago just waiting for my v3 WS nano Vtx :). My Vtx will be mounted in the bridge inside underneath the air intake

[@AlphaCharlyX]

Can you offer the printfile for the pan-servo-mount please. This looks very useful. Thx

[@afterburnerrc6333]

Hey BP, great video! I really like the manual pan setup, might have to try this on mine. I literally just finished my build but having a difficult time finding aileron/elevon throws. I looked in the manual and asked on FB but no response. Can you share what you used?

[@EnglishTurbines]

Perfect timing, great overview, mines on build right now. Amazed you didn't get sent one by Atom RC in fact ages ago. It's a great, well designed plane IMO. The FC sitting level speaks volumes. I'm guessing the elevons are sitting level too..?...I'm putting a Sunnysky motor in mine to help the CG problem. What prop did you use...?...🤔😳😏🇬🇧

[@bonafidepirate]

Yep, elevons centered with no extra reflex or anything, minimal trim after flying with servo autotrim enabled. I used the stock prop that came with the PNP, it's a Gemfan Flash 7042

[@EnglishTurbines]

@@bonafidepirate Thanks for that, I think an 8 X 6 on the Ssky motor would be more appropriate though... Surprised you needed tail weight, Imagine if you had a GoPro up front...🤔😳😮😮

[@AerialWaviator]

Nice build. The yellow on the wings using packing tap looks great. Did you prep the foam before applying the tap? (to remove mold release, or to stick better) Interesting issue you worked out with the control linkage. This might have been avoidable if recommended control throws where provided in the manual, something manufactures seem to overlook more often than not.

[@bonafidepirate]

I did clean the foam with alcohol wipes before sticking the tape down. I find most new kits these days come with mold release on them and nothing likes to stick well without cleaning them first. lol I totally agree on the info in the manual too. I remember when EVERY kit provided that info, it was considered critical to have... lol It was nice having a good starting point for the first flights, then fine tune to your liking from there.

[@jimmcewen8446]

Great video! I bought a Dolphin, but still haven't flown it. What camera gear do you recommend? This is my first FPV attempt.

[@STEDDiEFPV]

Hey Keith, are you running this on a 6” or 7” prop? I know on the swordfish you think 7” is over propped, is it the same case here? Thank you!

[@bonafidepirate]

I'm using the stock 7" prop on this one, seems a good match for the motor. It's a great balance if power and efficiency.

[@mccolld11]

Nice plane. Do you have any video about how to setup a head tracker? If like to add one to my inav / DJI based plane.

[@bonafidepirate]

I'm not using a head tracker, I always have manual control of my pan and tilt. I usually use the rudder stick on a plane like this where I don't have yaw control, or a slider if the rudder stick is used for yaw. Tilt is always on the other slider.

[@vinhquangpham8602]

Thank for share video about your Dolphin. May you share pid tune, sir?

[@greekzozobra]

Great video, thanks! Can you please share the parts that you used to mount the vtx, camera? I would like to do the same Thanks!

[@bonafidepirate]

Yes, I just added a link below the video to them on Thingiverse, here it is again - www.thingiverse.com/thing:6243646

[@greekzozobra]

​​@@bonafidepiratethanks! Can you please also elaborate Re the servo connected to the camera?

[@bonafidepirate]

@@greekzozobra It's the typical metal mounting bracket for 19mm FPV cameras, like these - team-legit.com/19mm-brackets-for-mounting-micro-fpv-cameras.html I had a few that came with various analog cameras. I mount them to the servo arm using M2 screws and nuts.

[@greekzozobra]

​@@bonafidepiratethanks!

[@user-otzlixr]

Any suggestions on prop install. The hardware I have (stock moter ) will not secure the prop (it wiggles). Everyone says they did it with no spacer. I have the orientation of the prop correct, but since all responses seem to ask whether it’s backwards , I’ve tried it the other way too. I’m new to this method, but have found many videos with prop install in title, but they don’t show it. It’s been over a month and I’m thinking this is a lost cause and maybe I should cut my losses. I refuse to guess on this so I’m stuck. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[@bonafidepirate]

Assuming nothing has changed with the included hardware, the stock prop (Gemfan Flash, 7042 if I remember correctly) should just slip onto the motor shaft somewhat snug, with the writing forward towards the motor. Then tighten the nylock nut against the prop.

[@dronepilot260rc]

One of my favorite aircraft 🎉

[@bonafidepirate]

It's surely a fun one to fly once I got it set up right! lol

[@giladkeshalesfpvpilot]

Hello, I have exactly the same stup as yours and I'm getting into trouble with the inav settings. I would appreciate it if you could send me screenshots or cli of your settings. Thanks

[@Tenright77]

Interesting Model, Thx for the Content.

[@markotd44]

How does this compare to the dart xl?

[@tk-maker]

Nice detailed explanatory. I love the caddx cherry too, it is quite stable. just something confused. you are running 1800kv on 4s ? I got some XING2 2700kv for 4s quad. would it be over kill?

[@bonafidepirate]

A higher KV motor will work, though you'll likely need a smaller prop to keep the amps down and the motor/esc happy.

[@ShiftyEddie]

You could push a toothpick into that canopy tab to make sure it never breaks

[@flyingant2557]

Would really love to get into FPV. Do you have any tutorials on your set up? Or do you have resources I can find out about how you get such great range? I’ve reached out before, but have never received a reply. Just thought I’d ask again because your set up seems to be incredible. Thanks

[@bonafidepirate]

I don't really have any tutorials for getting started in FPV. There's so many different directions to take it would be hard to say where to begin... lol

[@northernfpv9562]

I’d start with Painless360’s channel. He’s got some great tutorials that I still use all the one after doing this for 10 years now. Getting started in FPV is much easier these days, and really depends on whether you want to go quads or fixed wing. Both are fun and have their place. I’d strongly recommend getting an HD video system right off the bat- probably DJI because it’s the simplest. You can just fly with those plug and play without a flight controller.

[@KanaBaradei]

Question, I'm debating whether to get the Dolphin, Penguin or the T1. I'm interested in something that can do long range and high altitude stuff, not really interested in crazy acro or anything. Also something that can fly in moderate windy conditions, not anything crazy, but enough for me to not cancel a flight day just because of some breeze. Which one of the 3 would you use?

[@bonafidepirate]

Out of those, my vote would go to the Dolphin. The Penguin is a pretty unique little plane and loads of fun to fly, but it's not as efficient as some others, it's too draggy and slow. It can do a few miles without breaking a sweat, but it can't match the range of more efficient designs, it's just not designed for it... lol The T1 is not a bad little plane at all, but it can't carry as much battery as the Dolphin. A "light" load in the Dolphin is going to be about as much as you can stuff into the T1. (The larger version recently announced and coming soon might change that, but there hasn't been many details about it yet) The Dolphin is pretty slick and efficient, it's cruising speed is higher than the others and it doesn't take very much power to cruise either. It seems to fly pretty good in light winds after I got it tuned properly, even gusty ones.

[@patricehonvault2612]

@@bonafidepirate Why not the Swordfish? It is also very efficient in terms of consumption and less difficult to launch than the Dolphin with its rear propeller.

[@bonafidepirate]

@@patricehonvault2612 I picked one out of the options offered. Better question - Why not one of each? lol

[@andrewkiyko7413]

You had your battery half full by the end of the flight. So it looks like squeezing 1h flight time from this 4s1p pack is very possible. This is super efficient!

[@bonafidepirate]

Yeah I think an hour should be doable.

[@jasonstation]

What kind of servo have you for the pan? Thank you.

[@bonafidepirate]

It's one of these from DFRobot - www.dfrobot.com/product-2118.html

[@jasonstation]

Awesome, thank you!@@bonafidepirate

[@nighthawkvs]

What values do you use for the extended limits on your pan channel for the 270-degree servos? I set my low side to low and got a 360 spin out of a servo.

[@bonafidepirate]

The 300º one I have on here will take the whole 500-2500 range with no problem. I've had some of the 270º ones spin if you drive them with a signal too low or too high, but not all of them. Try to move the endpoint a little closer to center until you find the point where it starts to spin, then add a little more "margin" for safety. If it's currently at 500uS and starts spinning in that direction, try 550, or 600uS, etc. until it starts to work as expected, then fine tune from there. If you can watch the actual value being sent to the servo live, that helps. Just move the control slowly and watch the value where the servo starts to spin. If it's spinning at the other end (2500uS) you'll have to go lower on the value, closer to the 1500uS center.

[@nighthawkvs]

I set the low to 300 I think and that is when it moved past the end point and rotated 360. I reset it to 500. Where did you find 300 degree servos? :)

[@bonafidepirate]

@@nighthawkvs I'm using this one, same brand as the blue 270 servos - www.dfrobot.com/product-2118.html This one is pretty neat, it has a "clutch" that will slip before the gears strip. I hope I never need that feature, other than testing it on the bench... lol It's nice to know the servo will probably survive even a bad crash though. Mouser stocks them too in the US if you can't find them elsewhere.

[@nighthawkvs]

Thank you so much for the info and all that you do for us.

[@matejbludsky8410]

Hey, is this the latest Walksnail firmware? I also updated and i noticed a lot of smearing on the image more than before.. in your video it also seems like .. unless it’s KZbin conversion

[@bonafidepirate]

It's the latest beta, 34.40.15 I don't notice any smearing of compression when flying unless the signal gets real low. What point in the video do you see it here, I'll grab a frame from the source video at that point and post a link to it to compare. That will rule out being encoded after editing, and compressed again by KZbin.

[@matejbludsky8410]

17:47 mainly on the left side of the screen and in the distance

[@bonafidepirate]

@@matejbludsky8410 Check this one, there's actually a surprising difference between this still frame from the original video compared to what ends up on KZbin... lol imgur.com/a/TFkWRHS BTW, I'm recording the HDMI output here, not using what's recorded on the VTX/RX.

[@matejbludsky8410]

@@bonafidepirate so the imgur might be butchering this also lol .. the image there seems like really low resolution

[@bonafidepirate]

@@matejbludsky8410 Try this one drive.google.com/file/d/1hpc7_e5AZ7izFqaPlozdIfv_HW_wkTmc/view?usp=sharing

[@dronepilot260rc]

I use the second hole on the servo arm closest to the servo 🎉

[@bonafidepirate]

I'm using the 3rd holes out right now. This one doesn't need a lot of control throws for sure! lol It was an interesting learning experience though, seeing how much harder it was to tune around having too much throw lol

[@reindalehill7713]

Are you running your RSSI off of the Dragonlink pin 8? I didn't see a wire there.

[@bonafidepirate]

I'm not using the analog RSSI, I have "digital RSSI" on channel 12 in the SBUS stream. It outputs a normal PWM value between 1100-1900 uS that's scaled to the RSSI value. It's one less cable to connect.

[@reindalehill7713]

@bonafidepirate Roger that. I'm building my first build with Walksnail...old school mini talon. Is your 3d Print File available for the pan you ran on your AR Wing Pro?

[@stevietee10]

Hi Keith, can I ask what font you used for this video rendering? Thank You

[@bonafidepirate]

It's Sneaky_FPV's "Conthrax" AP font, but I changed a few things to personalize it. (AHI, home icon, and efficiency icon)

[@stevietee10]

@@bonafidepirate thank you 😀

[@asotelles]

18:18 lol the deer got real scary

[@JeffDoesThis]

I have been enjoying your KZbin channel alot so keep up the great work! I didn't know if you had a link or would mind sharing your vtx tray you made for your Dolphin? Again, great job with your KZbin channel and keep those videos coming.

[@bonafidepirate]

Yeah I will upload it and add a link below the video when I get a chance, hopefully by tonight... lol Remind me if you don't see it there by morning and I'll get to it.

[@bonafidepirate]

Here they are - www.thingiverse.com/thing:6243646

[@JeffDoesThis]

Thank you sir.

[@giladkeshalesfpvpilot]

Hello, I have exactly the same setup as yours, but I have one problem, I get into trouble with inav. I would appreciate it if you could send me a cli or screenshots of your settings

[@bonafidepirate]

I have Arduplane on mine, but I'm sure there are other out there flying it with Inav that could help.

[@FPVREVIEWS]

Nice flyin Tex. :)

[@RubyS.1]

It's a good platform yours is super clean you did a nice job. Really like how you have the vtx mounted

[@bonafidepirate]

Thanks! I considered mounting it inside for a more streamlined look, but figured I'd benefit more from the cooling than the looks and reduced drag... lol

[@TheNnpatel]

NICE!!

[@DontEverGrowUp]

What do you mean by "autotune level 7 or 8"?

[@bonafidepirate]

There's different levels for autotune in Arduplane, it determines how "aggressive" the tune will be, or how responsive the plane is to controls. It's set with "AUTOTUNE_LEVEL" Read these pages for a better explanation: ardupilot.org/plane/docs/parameters.html#autotune-level-autotune-level and ardupilot.org/plane/docs/automatic-tuning-with-autotune.html

[@stevietee10]

Hi, maybe as different people use different servos/arms we should quote mm's from the servo arm screw and mm's from the control surface face, just a suggestion for consistency🙂

[@bonafidepirate]

I'm referring to the servos/arms that come with the PNP. Ideally there would be control throws for the surfaces themselves listed in the manual as a good starting point. That seems to be less common these days though... lol

[@FabFaulconbery]

You got me wanting a wing. I have an avatar pro on a pavo pico. Pretty sweet. Hey what's your fav wing?

[@bonafidepirate]

As far as looks and handling when flying around, this Dolphin is kind of hard to top right now... lol It still has some "new" factor for me too though. The AR Pro is as efficient as this one but carries more battery (I have a 4S3P 18650 in that one). I know people are flying the Dolphins with more battery than I have in here too though. A second 4S 21700 pack in the rear section (assuming it will fit under the hatch) would be a nice addition I bet. I like the wide speed range with the Dolphin, along with it's responsive handling and predictable stall even when flying slow, and that it sill feels good cruising right along at 80mph. I've seen people get them a lot faster with bigger motors too. It's a pretty versatile little plane.

[@theroc495]

Keith, is there anyway you could show me a schematic of the pinout used between DL and the matek fc? I'm currently trying to figure out my power supply issues for DL to pixhawk, where I'm using direct battery thru bec for 12v to vtx, 12v to runcam hybrid, but looks like power from pixhawk servo rail gives rf issues, so I'll use 2s li ion pack for dedicated power to DL... So, is matek fc supplying the DL power in your build? I could sure use a pinout, I can't rely tell the wire connection and rout with screenshots of your build...can you help?

[@bonafidepirate]

I'm powering the Dragnlink receiver from the 5V on the Matek FC board. Normally you'd just plug in SBUS, Ground, and 5V to the serial port where SBUS goes into the FC. Because this is the full power receiver with 1W telemetry output, it can pull more power than the 5V regulator likes, so instead I power it off the servo rail, which in my case is also set for 5V, but can handle a lot more amps... lol I have 5V and Ground connected to those pins on an unused servo output, and SBUS to the Rx pin on the serial port. They share a common ground so no extra ground is needed at the serial port.

[@theroc495]

@bonafidepirate ...cool, hope I can hook up correctly...I just last night, purchased the matek f405 wing v2, and I have an f765 but in case for a smaller build...currently trying DL with pixhawk cube on the ranger 1600mm...thank you Keith !!

[@nicktwinn6760]

Phew! Glad you do like it and I don't have to eat my sporran🤣(Drambuidhe)

[@ShawnAniekwensi]

I would like one

[@sashgorokhov]

Very brave of you to put pitot in the nose :)

[@kimbella66]

I better buy a drone

[@devilsreject78]

I'm going to try to swap my Motors into because just sooo loud!!! Plus at 4s send underbpowered I'm thinking of 2216 1250 kv on 4s or maybe 6s since now I have to get 6s liions for the new T2 I ordered..😂