Endurance Quad Build: Building the quadcopter and test hover

[@Painless360]

For all of you worried about the magnetometer being affected by something as it's on the front of the model - don't be ;) The mag isn't working (tried three GPS/Mag units of two types, rewired it and reduced the i2c speed to 100k with no luck) and I'm now suspecting the Flight Controller has a problem as others are using the same setup and it's working fine. For those of you who can't mount the MAG far away from power lines or worry about interference - see my video on MuMetal ;) Happy flying and thanks for all the comments..

[@petleh82]

Perhaps the mag is on another i2c address then the firmware expects to find it at.. Perhaps worth to investigate..

[@narok801]

I´ve watching Painless360 videos a long time ago and i just finished a long range v-tail whit his advises and tips (you can see the creature in mi channel). My external magnetometer works fine in betaflight but it was a real pain to config in CLI since it's a I2C port device. For external magnetometers iNav can give better results than betaflight. Anyway a nonfake Honeywell chip is a must.

[@robrow]

Well done Lee, great achievement getting her down to that weight. There does seem to be resurgent interest in longer duration machines and its interesting to see the mix of old and new technology, hopefully the manufacturers will react and start offering us more of these types of frame.

[@Painless360]

I sure hope so! :-)

[@artpam]

A blast from the past... I like it. 8^) I recently pulled an older DIY "camera gimbal" quad down from storage and stripped the camera gear , added a VTX an FPV camera. With a 3S-5000 it weighs 1350 grams. I can keep it in the air for 13 minutes of 50/50 hovering in position hold and FFF traveling 1160 meters before the battery voltage is down to 10.5 volts. This copter has a NAZA-M v1 (newest v2 firmware), 30 amp escs with simonK firmware, and SunnySky 2212 980kv motors with APC 10 inch MR props. I'm now on a mission to get more weight off of the airframe and will try 11 inch props as well. I've tried racing quad components on larger builds with little success, with PIDs low enough to stop the jitters, left a loose and sloppy flyer. Looking forward to your experience/testing. Good luck with this build!

[@MCsCreations]

Really beautiful work, Lee! Fantastic quadcopter! 😃 Looking forward to the next steps! 😃

[@enwins]

Great and informative video. I didn't understand all the details because I have yet to try doing a self build quad. What has put me off previously is that most kits are for fpv racing drones, whereas I am more interested in endurance and filming/fpv flights so this project ticks all the boxes.

[@Painless360]

I hope that more vendors will come back to quads that can fly for longer now some of the 'frenzy' about 5" quads has died down. Fingers crossed!

[@enwins]

@@Painless360 I would love to build a drone that is simply fun to fly and stable. Without being a pure racer. Speed is definitely not a priority for me

[@stevietee10]

TBS Discovery ?? I like those a lot.

[@rolandog6388]

I just built a 220mm (one of those smaller racer-enthusiast quads) and it honestly flies so smoothly that it's a pleasure. You can fly it fast, but you don't have to. You'll get much better help starting out with one of the popular builds.

[@earlhelm515]

Well you have me going with this series. I have a couple of older 355mm frames laying around so I am off trying to learn something about all this. I also have some older DJI motors and some lower KV old Armattan motors in a pile somewhere. I have no idea what I am doing, but I am going to give this stuff a go. I have had some success with a super light 5” LOS build with 1806 motors and 5040 props, nothing but frame (Merica) and 20mm AIO, getting upward of 20 minutes flying time. This is fun, just not the same ol thing… Thank you for this series.

[@chrisshepherd8082]

Looking really nice. Sounds great too. Look forward to next flight and time.

[@tremkoalaska]

Amazing how far drone building and parts availability has come. I still got a pile of those phantom props collecting dust

[@leveckfamily8841]

Since there's only a few comments and you might see this I have a question.... Wouldn't it be better for airflow off the props if they were UNDER the arms? Mount the motors under the arms pointing down and the props draw air through the arms but draft down cleanly. I would think that would make the Performance better with less interference. I mean a quick calculation with the thickness of the arms might be 1/5th of your prop wash is being essentially blocked.....

[@Silor]

Having props under the cg might be a bit of a problem on such a big copter

[@superdau]

You are way off with your quick calculation (my guess by a magnitude out). Also where do you think the air is coming from? Sure the air is a bit slower above the prop, but arms would still block airflow there as well. Negligible difference with a much higher risk of damaging the props on take of or landing.

[@christopherleveck1599]

@@Silor I'm raising the arms it looks awesome.

[@christopherleveck1599]

@@superdau actually I have a friend who is a nasa nerd so I bought him a hot Pocket and showed him what I'm working on. Not only am I NOT magnatudes off, my design DOES increase incoming airflow by a good bit and does give me clean thrust. Landing gear should take care of my pops and besides this is a big quad I'm not going to be doing a lot of crazy aerobatics it should be extremely stable by Design. Besides that I've been designing building flying crashing rebuilding model aircraft of every type for more than 35 years. I built and flew my first helicopter it was an MRC cobra 30 years ago. Only had for stabilization was a half-ass gyro that fought you for control of the helicopter the whole time you're trying to fly it. So thanks for the advice but I think I'm going to press on....

[@christopherleveck1599]

@@superdau just another quick thought I think I'd rather have my air be slower above my prop coming into it then being slowed down immediately after exiting not to mention the fact that when it exits I want it clean for control purposes.

[@fpv_pablo]

Wow! That's big! Very interesting the li-ion experiment! I'll be waiting to see the flight tests, congratulations!

[@longrangefpv]

I love it when we gather together in the woods with some race/freestyle-pilots and they are already fly their 2nd lipo while I'm still exploring the forest with my longrange 6"-er with my first 2200 lipo

[@dempa3]

Looking forward to future videos!

[@NGAGEFPV]

Awesome! I am playing with similar stuff of late besides the usual 5" stuff. I am suffering from frame resonance myself too (partially design) and then the rabbit hole that is PID tuning for such big models. Sticking with it though! Great vid as always!

[@MrHristoB]

I absolutely loved this one!!! All your builds a really well done but this one... The vibrations could be due to the square section of the arms caused by the airflow of the props. If you could find a way by giving them a bit of a curve at the top might solve it. I also experimented with Li-Ion batteries on my small brushless SkyViper using a cells from e-cigarettes but the current rating is just not enough. Next will be high discharge Li-Ion in 3S2P configuration going trough a 40A BMS board, the same I'm using on my drill battery conversion. I think Litokala worth looking at. Also adapted and tried Syma X8 props on 2212 outrunners with F450 frame as they're really close to the 9443 DJI props. I've fitted a Syma X8HG flight controller on a H frame built from 20mm PVC pipes and 4mm ABS plastic, again with 2212 and adapted Syma props, just to see if would take off :-D Great videos, great and informative channel!!!! Keep experimenting! Regards!!

[@ansarogu]

this is exactly what i was looking for!!!! i recently dug up my ancient E300 motor\esc kit and was wondering if i could incorporate it into something like this! ill keep a close eye on this series! thanks!

[@sirBumpyCase]

Would a hexacopter be more efficient?

[@CharlySayz]

Managed my first test flight of my long range using my Q450 build, Pixhawk and Sunnysky motors. Using an old 3s 4000mah 10c Multistar battery I got 18mins with an all up weight of 1316g. Built it to take a Multistar 5200 though so look forward to seeing how long I can fly for before I try 4s

[@axfpvalex1944]

I have an F3 flight controller and when I take off jump 2 the air like crazy with just minimum throttle apply do you know what can cause this

[@Painless360]

What troubleshooting have you tried?

[@axfpvalex1944]

I flash the flight controller three times already and just jump to the air on uncontrollable by the way this is my second flight controller that does the same thing for this quadcopter please help

[@nandakoryaaa]

ax fpv alex there can be several reasons: - strong vibrations - your idle throttle is way higher than hover throttle - maybe a barometer glitch (if you use althold mode) - PIDs are too high

[@CurryKitten]

A great start, looking forward to the next video already

[@northernflyer5311]

Lee, good work. Two ideas. Good bets are Sony VTC6 18650s, High Current Draw, or 32650s @ 5000-6000mAh. Also, since the frame body is so thin, wouldn’t it make sense to rotate it 90 degrees? Less air resistance equals less current draw in flight.

[@stevietee10]

Northern Flyer: Thanks for the heads up on the VTC6, very interesting, I'll have to try some. Cheers Steve

[@Painless360]

Thanks for the idea. I'm hoping that this series and the enthusiasm for these kinds of builds isn't being missed by frame designers ;)

[@cyclopsfpv247]

Thanks for the vid. I found I had to add the pull up resistors the the magnetometer to get it working. I'm finding the tuning very troublesome though so I'm quite keen to see how you get wobble free flight out of iNav😀

[@Painless360]

Can you post some more images/detail of what you did? I can't get this one to spark into life here..

[@pspicer777]

Fantastic - I am way too old and my reflexes way too slow to do all the fancy flying the yunguns are doing ... long duration, no flippidy flops - at least until I can keep one of these things in the air for more than 15 secs. Great channel.

[@lostjohnny9000]

I'm building an endurance quad and had already set aside a number of square flat Li-Ion batteries that were recovered from HP laptops (part number CM03XL). They contain 3 tabbed square, flat cells and are rated at around 4Ah. Due to a BIOS issue with the charger monitor, many HP users were supplied replacement batteries that were not required hence the surplus.Looking forward to your result. I'm wondering how much power you could recover using regenerative ESCs. Those big props should act like windfarms!

[@schade391]

How did you solve the following Problem? The prop will come off if the Motor tries to stop due to djis poor Motor-prop-Mechanism. I didn't find a way to tune the esc so that it doesn't Brake. How bout You?

[@Painless360]

Apart from fitting them well and throttling down as low as you can before stopping the motors.. not really :)

[@power-max]

I recently assembled a massive almost 600g 3S4P 18650 battery pack for my quadcopter. I used some really old Panasonic 2000mAH 2C cells from 2008 (new old stock). Despite the weight and low C, I found I could still hover at half throttle and with a flight time of about 20 minutes, compatible to a LiPo. I suspect if I get brand new 18650 cells (LG HG2 if I can get genuine ones for cheap) then I can get away with a lightweight 4S2P or even 3S2P. Although given the apparent weight is not an issue going with 4S3P may be the best option for longest flight times and performance!

[@power-max]

Also it should be noted that "LiPos" are actually also lithium ion cells. The term has come to mean pouch style cells rather than cylindrical cells. You lose out a bit of volumetric efficiency with cylindrical cells but gain in terms of capacity. It may be soon we start to see 18650s and other cylindrical cells make a comeback and replace "LiPo" pouch style batteries once more!

[@SimonA-vs5mh]

Lee, do you not fancy going 2.4 on your video and 868 on your control? I'm loving the signal strength on my video feed, I did have to turn the power down a little however as you do get a lot of reflection when near trees at 800mW !

[@Jasper_Vis92]

I am currently working on converting my CX20 to Inav. The problem i'm running into is that the WS2812B leds I'm using are not quite right with their red color. red shows a tiny bit of blue alongside. The odd thing is that if I reflash the board to betaflight. The color red works correctly (no color issues). I have tried older versions of Inav but the problem stays. I hope you can help me out on this one.

[@Painless360]

That sounds like a bug. I’d let the iNav developers know:.

[@gordongadget]

Hows it going with your project? I am curious to know more, I like bigger drones. i love the sound of them too.

[@Painless360]

Next video on tuning tips.. happy flying!

[@gordongadget]

good work, I really enjoy your videos. i have a tricopter that has 2212 970kv working again. last flown was with an f1 (rcexplorers)

[@steverichab]

Received the material for a 10" endurance quad for Xmas and now that has become my winter project (thank you ). I have access to a waterjet and 5 mm carbon fiber sheets and plan on creating my own frame and arms in Fusion 360 but I would like a good starting place. Do you or one of your followers have a source of drawings for the frame and arms? Thanks in advance!

[@MrJT270567]

Did you consider to try 1038 props? I use it a lot in my custom Quads and have Had very good experience with them. Please get a Set and Test them. Cheers JT

[@jaydenrareproto]

Nice soft, deep sound

[@BenPortmanlewes]

Had a similar issue with compass, had to run GPS unit on 3v.

[@IBCMTB]

Nice build. I'd consider removing bullet connectors between ESC/motors, they add up quickly and actually weigh quite a lot! It's very quick to direct solder/unsolder if needed anyway.

[@Painless360]

This is a test rig and I’ll want to swap pieces - hence the bullets.. I haven’t used them on regular builds for a long time - see my quad build series.. happy flying!

[@fennbotfpv6968]

I recently built something like this but it takes off and wobbles badly ant won't hover. Any ideas?

[@Painless360]

It could be lots of things. What troubleshooting have you already done?

[@Matt-re8bt]

How do we get our hands on those lovely arms, Lee?

[@Painless360]

Let Flynoceros know you want some :)

[@SonAndDadFPV]

very good info... going to try a 10" prop Tricopter with Inav

[@jackd6134]

Thanks for this and all your videos Lee. Your efforts are definitely worthy of Patreon support! I am also working on a low cost, 850mm+ endurance hex build, and following this closely. I wonder if there is a Flynoceros hex option? What is the build cost to date? Also, perhaps you would be willing to devote some video time on the choice of battery. I am still unclear regarding 4S vs. 3S, etc. for endurance. I am thinking of using two 4S 5ah lipos in series split across the frame to distribute the weight, leaving room below in the center for my payload.

[@Painless360]

Now we know that the calculations work, we don't actually have to build the quadcopter to be able to figure out flight times so this is definitely something I can look at as I get more Motors and props in try..

[@davidlondon3111]

Fantastic! Did the props need balancing?

[@Painless360]

They should be. The larger the props the more problems you’ll get if they are unbalanced. Happy flying!

[@LeonardoValente_]

Hello 360, im currently building my F450 Clone, what motors do you think are better RacerStar BR2312 960KV or BR2216 810KV ?

[@Painless360]

I've not had great experiences with Racestar motors here but you can see how I found the best motor for my needs in this series. Best of luck!

[@MrTeeseeone]

Love it, good luck!

[@jb-fpv7384]

I see the gps /compass is directly on the frame. Are you experiencing some problems with the compass?

[@Painless360]

See the pinned comment and the text in the description. Looks like I may have a bad F.C.. :(

[@blackmennewstyle]

Don't put your GPS especially if it has a compass so close to the carbon fiber and other electronics! More separation, put it on a GPS stand, Banggood has some good ones which can fold during transportation. Give them a try :) Looking pretty damn good so far! Keep going :) Have a great weekend and happy flying!

[@Painless360]

That’s a great point and it’s only the compass that needs care. If you can then physical separation from the power system is good. I’ve mounted GPS units in iNav and iNav builds on top of the stack without issue with a little care. If all else fails - then MuMetal shield is the trick.. :)

[@blackmennewstyle]

@@Painless360 I see. GPS stand seems to be a more cheaper way though but i trust your experience. Take care :)

[@stevietee10]

Plenty of I2c separate magnetometers around for a few quid then no need to worry about GPS placement.

[@RechlerDudi]

Link to the Li Ion batt pack is wrong...I'm reaching a battery tester page. Other than that great vid. Looking forward to see the result and test flight with max time.

[@Painless360]

3DXR only make these packs on request now. They are not listed on the site anymore. Happy flying!

[@julianhumphrey4843]

I recently crashed an old favourite quad of mine, the big 600, trying to find a low cost new frame to accommodate the big 3108 720kv motors but tarting to think i should look at smaller frame and 2212 size motors

[@Painless360]

Check out that 7" build - that has the same endurance as this model but a lot smaller and easier to transport..

[@illpro2]

I'm curious how this is a AIO? When I think of AIO I think of ESC/FC or FC/VTX.

[@StigBSivertsen]

You have point there 😊😊 I have the same FC and AIO for SpeedyBee is only FC and PDB...

[@garrynutter860]

Hello Lee has this series now finished ?

[@Painless360]

Pretty much. The results showed that there wasn't a benefit from going above the 7" model until there are better options for a 10" build..

[@robrow]

Hey Lee, apologies if I’m duplicating anyone else’s request, would be valuable if you could do something on motor timing and PID setting and the effects on vibration in a larger lower kv build.

[@Painless360]

That is something I'm planning on looking at in a later video - the results of the X-Racer series pilots will be interesting too..

[@StigBSivertsen]

HI, Did you update the esc yet? Please let me know... when I tried to update mine I destroyed the FC. Not sure if it was the update that destroyed it but it happened just as I tried to connect BLHELI software...

[@Painless360]

I've not as I'm not sure that'll help get it flying super smooth. I think low pass filters/filtering on the FC and a tweak to the PIDs will so more..

[@NicolaGuerrera]

Does anyone know some kind of cheap flexible filament for 3d printing? I would like to experiment with custom made softmounts but I can't find an affordable flexible filament that ships in Europe.

[@Painless360]

HobbyKing have it. I’ve got some in for a few videos next month..

[@tryhardfpv5351]

You need to take a look at some of the X-Class racing frames using much bigger motors and frames but also using betaflight and Blheli 32 ESCs so similar problems.

[@Painless360]

That's a great idea. Let's hope that the new class of racing drives some innovation..

[@amitsekhon]

Nice work!!How much hover time did you get with your setup?

[@Painless360]

Practical testing coming. Theoretical times calculated in the last video.. happy flying!

[@TheWebstaff]

I see your doing what I suggested and add some link plates between the arms.. Are you going to drill a hole through the center after the two parts are together do you can wire everything inside the main frame? Or you doing it just for strengthening reason?

[@Painless360]

This is just a test - the designer is already looking at a better way of doing it if there is enough demand for 10-12" models. This frame wasn't really designed for these huge arms but was the best of the ones he had (thanks again to the guys at Flynoceros!)

[@haythamfpv]

How much does it weight?

[@Painless360]

In the video..

[@timwsac]

Very nice its great to see it come together good stuff

[@nate4024]

This is sweet I did a project recently looked very similar it is a TBS discovery Clone and I just the same dji e300 motors I have a P1 and used the naza flight controller and phantom 1 receiver I did use the 30amp e300 dji escs also. Then I put a cheap 600mw foxeer cam setup with the old school Immersion rc EZOSD gps overlay with audio mapping. And my go pro hero 3from my P1. And for batteries I am using 2300 3s 50c in parallel. I get roughly 45min flight time.

[@superdau]

Are you aware that cylindrical cells usually have their capacity specified for a very low discharge current of something like 0.1 to 0.2C, because that is their usual usecase? You can't compare the stated capacity with pouch cells, which usually rate their capacity at 1C and above. As I said on a previous video the differences between cylindrical cells and pouch cells are in construction and application, not necessarily in chemistry (cylinder or pouch is just a shape; it doesn't tell you anything about the chemistry inside without a data sheet).

[@Painless360]

The testing video will tell ;) I’m working with a specialist for all of that.. happy flying!

[@nihilisticone4215]

I would have used a BN-880 GPS instead. Only weighs 10g, and locks on with more satellites than any other GPS module I've used. It's not as cute because it's not enclosed in a dome, but they're cheap, light, and GPS and compass work great without a stalk on both the 5" quads I've used them on.

[@Painless360]

That’s what is on it now. I tried it to see if that would help with the mag issue..

[@KimberKat]

Painless360 I'm sure you have considered this already, but if you mount the GPS as high up as you can, hopefully, that will reduce the interference coming from the electronics. Admittedly, I don't know much about the topic as to what causes the errors.

[@stevietee10]

4K7 pull-up resistors on SDA, SCL solved my 'mag' problems instantly on a SP-F3 FC, worth a try, only 15 minutes work for a 'pro' like you ;)

[@Painless360]

ADepressedGiraffe You're spot on - please see the pinned comment :D

[@bleeksbentbits3150]

With such big props it might be worth looking at a more mechanical method to soak up those vibrations.... I think if you add an RC Explorer type sprung battery tray* beneath it then it would go a long way to absorbing some of the worst of it- would also offer a place to mount a HD camera/GoPro should you wish... Just a thought.... Best of luck! *edited for spelling

[@Painless360]

Great idea! Soft mounts would be great (as I mention for the FC choice). Let's hope that if this frame becomes a real thing that they are built in..

[@youpattube1]

I am looking forward to the li-ion build.

[@leveckfamily8841]

I thought the problem with lithium ion was the amp draw rate was too low for most quads..... I use some bigger ion packs with my large fixed wing stuff. I've got a 20,000 mAh battery for my 8' Senior Telemaster.... Flight times should be upwards of several hours. Problem is after a couple I get a little board.... If you have any luck with lithium ion on a quad, I'll build a new big quad for my pixhawk stuff.....

[@Painless360]

It’s the C rating, with smaller amp draws like this model then you can swing it.. pun intended! :)

[@stevietee10]

Hello Lee, I'm waiting with interest for the Li-ion trials. I use 3S 2P (LG INR18650-MJI cells) in my Theer wing and maximum draw at 2P configuration is 21A. Your full throttle tests looks like the quad will need 40A intermittently so are you thinking 3S 4P or trying to get away with a 3S 3P pack? Have a good weekend, nice flying weather in the midlands so far :) :) Steve PS 'Flamewheels' for ever, great for cutting teeth haha

[@Painless360]

Stephen Thorpe I'm working with a battery guru so I can't comment until he gets back to me. Assuming a 36A full power setup and he seems happy we can get a pack to handle that so I'm interested to see how it works out..

[@christopherleveck1599]

@@Painless360 from my experience that's totally doable. They're definitely higher C rating 18650 batteries out there. I just ordered some 3500 mah cells that are supposed to be 30 and there were some that were faster for about half again the price. And if you're willing to go with the 2500 milliamp cell have some really fast ones but they're really expensive. Course expensive because I only buy the name brand stuff from guys I really trust who charge me a lot but let me return anything that is under spec.

[@Tbi331]

use Sony Konion VTC6 if you need arround 2c. Normal 18650 should be used at arround 0,8c if you go higher u cant benefit from the high mah becaouse you will drop to fast in voltage and if you discharge under a certain lvl you will damage the cells. A german endurance forum with many good tipps: www.kopterforum.de/topic/30817-ultra-endurance-kopter-und-langzeitfl%C3%BCge/page-254

[@nandakoryaaa]

I assembled similar setup on XL8 frame, fpvmodel 2208 1100kv motors (they are not the most suitable, I just got them cheap), 9030 flat carbon props and 4S 5200mah battery. I get 40 minutes of flying, maybe more if there's no wind. Now I want to replace the motors with Sunnysky V2806 650kv, the thrust will be lower but should be enough. Also, if your frame weighs more than 155g, you can use Q380 frame instead, it's very cheap and accomodates 10 inch props. With less carbon there will be better range.

[@nandakoryaaa]

jon beech The frame is XL8 but it can take 9 inch props. I guess XL7 can take 8 inch props, etc. The frame is OK, it's light enough, great looking and sturdy. The downside is camera placement, these big props will be visible, in fact even front motors are visible by half. I recently replaced motors to SunnySky 2806 650KV and 9047 props, expected about 45 min. flying time but... after 30 min. flight my copter suddenly disarmed mid-air and drowned. It was yesterday. The FC was Matek F405 STD and the firmware was INAV2.0. So I don't have this frame anymore :( You can see my older recording with this frame here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5K0pH2edrVritU

[@richiecohenour8942]

What is your pid tuning?

[@Painless360]

Larger quads need a different approach. See my video on x-class setups in the big boys toys playlist.. Happy flying

[@stevenwraight4554]

If you had used a omnibus f4 you could have used Arducopter. Just stripped my overweight quad using a pixhawk and used the newest omnibus v6 and it flies amazing with the chibios version of arducopter .

[@Painless360]

Please make some video content about that build, I'll be interested to see how it all went together. Happy flying

[@octaviosandoval4633]

Does it has GPS?

[@Painless360]

It could do easily. See my iNav series...

[@PerBuch]

I had to lover the I2c speed to 100KHz to get the compas going. You can do that from commandline i2c_speed parameter.

[@Painless360]

Wow! Thanks for that. I’ll give it a shot.. :D

[@PerBuch]

Painless360: I ended up using an Beitian BN-880 instead. It runs fine at 400KHz (default).

[@Painless360]

I've swapped to one of those already and still no luck..

[@Painless360]

Nope, not a peep. I'm suspecting that I've got a problem on this FC with the i2c pad(s).. Thanks again!

[@SuperPaulfa]

sir, don't forget to consider the voltage drop of the 18650, this will lead approximately to the same flight time, and with lot more disadvantages. the efficiency of this model is relatively low , you will end up using the li-ion between 1.5 to 2 C (discharge rate), this will not allow you to use more than let's say 50 to 60% from the 18650 total capacity. thanks for the video anyway.

[@Painless360]

Let's see what we find with the testing - not all LI-ION cells are created equal.. Happy flying!

[@mr.sandman4782]

Please use lithium ion batteries ike the titan series. they giver very good performance for their capacity, Please try it

[@Painless360]

Yep, video coming when the battery expert I'm dealing with finishes the pack for me :D

[@EndiHamid]

this reminds me that i have a flamewheel dusting for over 3 years, waiting to be finished :D

[@cenabitednbfpv587]

Og style! Should have used clean flight lmao jk GREAT vid seriously any FC will be great on this... love supper efficiency in birds like this my 450 gets a good 45 mins on 12 inch carbon fiber and 4 or 3s give or take without gimbal and 5kmah again give or take, I started with it birds n it's nice to go back with these great new frames I want one! Keep it up looking forward to more m8!

[@Painless360]

What motors and props are you using on that 45min flight time build - that's cool!

[@cenabitednbfpv587]

@@Painless360self tighting 12 inch carbon fibers from foxtech, absolutely love them balance is crucial, and my "trick" RCMC huge love to ManChild.. 3407 750 kv my ALL TIME FAVORITE MOTORS EVER for a LARGE quad, simply insaine power and performance, ty mcfly, and using TBS bullet proof escs w usually a venom 3 to 5k mah 3 to 4s... my build is so effective because its soo over powered more or less, when in a (rate) mode roughly 10% throttle is an arm bending a punch out, so with a pixhawk FC it uses almost no power to fly in a lioter GPS mode, making it a PERFECT candidate for your battery idea, (who knows how long I could get) and I've been thinking the same thing looking forward to seeing you do the batt.. just need to actually do that also.. and Its just an old spider frame, a hybrid of that the Flamewheels parts on a tbs discovery style but cheapo frame, replaced with DJI arms for needed strength.. and Its a much pricier version.. your build is off the hook. Great frame, I REALLY WANT.. super sexy cheaper and my hats off sir, you reminded me why I love this kind of build IN the first place... and its helpful to go back to basics. Hope this can be useful, ps some of the parts I mentioned can be considered upgrades i.e. bulletproof escs not necessarily needed as shown but nice to have, for anyone doing a bigger build looking for max flight times and rock solid preformance.. viewers please bear in mind this build was done for less than the cost of the 3rd pixhawk I'm using.. I Love the FC, but the coolest part of this is how cheap it is to build, I only achieved this after spent years acquiring and big money to do so..All my best LOVE the channel brotha...

[@LeonVuksic]

Get a Benitian BN-880, it works great in inav, also for 2 pounds you got a tarot gps stand which is de tachable on hobbyrc uk

[@Painless360]

Already done, thanks for the idea. Happy flying!

[@jamesbrewer3020]

I also had to lover the I2c speed to 100KHz to get the compas going on that GPS Or You can get a better GPS and compass like the RadioLink SE100 M8N GPS .

[@Painless360]

I've used three of them of differing types. Planning to try the i2c speed next week! Thanks for the idea..

[@Painless360]

Nope, not a peep. I'm suspecting that I've got a problem on this FC with the i2c pad(s)..

[@Dav2112]

This thing looks bad ass.

[@kermets]

go back to 7 inch model and work on prop/motor/esc combo, i got 300-400ma less current draw just by swapping from dys sn20 to dys xs30 and use the 18650 cells. this is to big and cost more

[@DerHeilendeLotus]

China Clone FCs often have missing pulldown resistors, especially the Omnibus ones were known for this. You're probably not using a cheapo clone for this, but for anyone who is, adding them may fix your compass issues.

[@Painless360]

Thanks for the idea. This an original FC from the manufacturer but others are using it without problem so I'm suspecting I've got a dud (see the pinned comment). Happy flying!

[@RCDUDEFPV]

LOVE IT !

[@lezbriddon]

not flown in over a year as i got annoyed with my build and then all these stupid laws, one day.... anyhow, when i was playing around i found on my octo that my ESC's when doing nothing at all took 40ma each, that was 320ma sitting idle, and no doubt just as much when flying! i tried them against some 40a esc's i had and they only took 15ma, so i swapped from 30a to 40a esc and got many more minutes of flight time. its worth checking the standby current of /all/ your components. oh and also not worth buying cheap 30a esc's off ebay..... (actually the 40a cames form ebay too but....)

[@djwilson48625]

Ugh, I'm all over the place. I see builds with 960kv on 3s and 8", 1500kv 2508's, 2308's on 6s, it's so frustrating to decide the right parts for 15min or better flight times (cinimatic)... Love your vids.... You've helped me a lot over the last couple years.

[@DustinLKimble]

I have a video on my channel, the most recent one where I fly for 9 minutes on a 1500mah battery with a 5" quad. I'm sure endurance can be done with smaller hardware, but the difference is going to be prop choice and battery weight.

[@Painless360]

If you could post some detail on the video about what motors, props and everything else you're using that would be really interesting. Happy flying

[@mongranperspective4809]

Painless360. I got 18mins on a 6” running 2300mah 4s battery. Happy to discuss what I did.

[@Painless360]

Please post it here for others to see - that's a great result!

[@mongranperspective4809]

Painless360 Here is the video kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKa4emebj8x-p7s Enjoy

[@beechcraft12]

@@mongranperspective4809 private video....

[@CaribbeanZapatta]

I LOVE what you are doing ! EXCELLENT BUT ………….why not find a wrecked DJI use the bits and bobs (and lipo) ...mount it all on an FPV frame ! Bob's Your Uncle !!

[@Painless360]

That's not half as much fun (and won't get manufacturers to wake up to the needs of us pilots either ;) Happy flying!

[@CaribbeanZapatta]

Painless360 I agree. check out GRINNALLCARS.COM I imported and built these using parts from wrecked BMW bikes. Brilliant. I LOVE BIG KWADS ! would you consider building using the DJI OCCUSINC components ?? I bought the RE Goggles and actually have two 7" kwads under construction using this stuff. actually using TWO cameras .

[@axfpvalex1944]

Thank you for you early reply

[@aaaaaaaaaassssssssdf]

Doing science! Oh yeah

[@OneTwo-wt8qv]

...... the hardware I had of SPEEDY Bee Didn't work either .....

[@scooterpie1143]

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