My ZOHD Dart 250G Journey Part 1

[@peterjbould]

Really nice tidy build. Thanks for sharing, great vid.

[@bluefish3607]

Hope it maidens as well as it looks :-)

[@mickelson8332]

At last, someone who is as OCD as I am about a build. If only I had your level of knowledge too. I too have the dart xlE. It's half way through its build. I'm not quite at the fc stage yet, have fitted the kopilot which meets my needs and experience currently. VIFLY2 fitted to my dart now, lost it too many times but with this device my hard work is always recovered. Thanks for such an informative video, maybe I need to progress to a 3d printer. That's zohd rear cover is spot on. Cheers, Mick in the New Forest. Age 50 lol.

[@bluefish3607]

Hi Mick, yes I am a bit OCD on my builds. I also have the dart XLE and its probably my favorite plane right now as I am focusing on trying to push out for some long range. The Vifly devices are really a godsend when you have a crash especially in long grass and have helped me find a down plane on many occasions. I can highly recommend a 3d printer they allow you to make so many parts and they are really quite easy to use. Cheers, Glenn in Lincolnshire Age 56 lol.

[@mickelson8332]

@@bluefish3607 Thanks for your reply Glenn, without trying to be a pain I have two quick questions. 1. I've only been in this rc world about 5 years so relatively new still, so if I was to get a 3d printer for my basic needs, can you suggest one for me to research? 2. I have a Qx7 tx, can you suggest a rx to give me decent range, I tend to get a lot of rssi low warnings even at relatively close range. Might be a separate issue but always good to get a recommendation. Thanks in advance mate.

[@bluefish3607]

@@mickelson8332 I researched 3D printers extensively and also looked at some thy my friends have bought. I went for the Ender 3 Pro and it has been fabulous tbh. The only mod I have done to it is change the bed springs and add a glass bed. I got mine on Ebay and paid £180 for it but I see on Banggood they have them in the UK warehouse for £155 on special offer and believe me for what you get that is amazing value. I use TinkerCad for designing most of my parts and that is also pretty easy to use. On the receiver front its a little more difficult for me to help because I have not used Frsky receivers for quite a long time but when I did I used the R-XSR and had pretty good results. If you really want to go long range with reliability then Frsky R9 or as in my case Crossfire are by far the best options. I have the Taranis X9D and went for the crossfire micro module that plugs in the back which I think is the same on the QX7. I then use crossfire micro or nano receivers and still have full signal strength at 15 kms. I hope that helps.

[@mickelson8332]

@@bluefish3607 Glenn, thats a great response. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'll have a look at that printer. Sounds ideal. Will get it now I think then give it my wife to wrap for Christmas 😁. Funnily enough you mention the xsr rx. I had literally just taken one out of my rx supply and fitted it instead of the rx6 I had in there. Let's hope this has a better outcome. Again, thanks for your advice, I think my dart is on her fifth rebuild now... isn't that the fun of it!!! Cheers. Mick

[@mickelson8332]

@@bluefish3607 well that's me a few quid lighter this weekend. I just purchased the printer you suggested. A friend of mine on KZbin MrE kzbin.info also suggested it too. That's Christmas sorted for my wife's present to me. A little too old these days for surprises 👍

[@losien1]

I know carbon fibre is a nice looking and lightweight material but you have to remember it’s a good RF blocker at the same time. That bracket that you’ve used to cover the antenna is covering a portion of it where it starts splitting - this is actually an active part of the antenna.

[@bluefish3607]

Good point I never thought of that before, that said i only use this plane for close proximity fun flying and I have not had any major issues yet but I will bear that in mind for future builds especially anything with longer range in mind. Thanks for the tip.

[@bluefish3607]

Oh sorry I thought you meant the carbon hatch cover over the VTX, I have changed the orientation of the antenna in fact swapped out the immortal T for the dipole variant and mounted it on top of the fuse. See this video @ 1:02 kzbin.info/www/bejne/noDbfJqHl5uEi6s

[@douglasyoung3992]

Just got 3 250g darts to build Inav. Want to teach kids to fly, wish me luck!

[@bluefish3607]

Good luck get plenty of glue, the kids will love it.

[@valerytrips8913]

Vidio is great. Very neat assembly. It's a pity I don't understand spoken English well.

[@garrynutter860]

Very good informative video, Thanks for sharing.

[@bluefish3607]

Thanks for watching!

[@sleepingbearffg5008]

You like to build? I love it! I've built one of a kind drones 👍 first water proof dji drone. Building a another. Flew it couple of times but needed more more protection. Video soon 👊👊💪💪 thanks for ideas! That's one fat bird.. lol

[@bluefish3607]

Yes I love the building part I can happily sit in my workshop with a coffee for hours just messing around with ideas. Thats a big part of the enjoyment for me of this hobby. Your waterproof drone idea sounds interesting I will keep an eye out for that video. Happy Flying 👍

[@DavidReynolds-kr6yh]

Mine will be coming in a week or so, I’ve got a tarsier already, but I’m a little worried about the heat, so I might keep it basically original, and I’m going crossfire for the distance. I like your build and ideas, it gives me ideas, so I’ll wait till I get it before I actually start thinking about any optional things I might do.

[@bluefish3607]

Hi Dave, the Tarsier mount and canopy air duct worked well for me after a 10 minute flight the camera board was barely warm. I think the heat sink I added also helped, mind you it was only 4 deg when I was flying it.

[@DavidReynolds-kr6yh]

BlueFish , I should have mentioned that I’m in Australia and it can get pretty warm here, just in case you didn’t know lol.

[@bluefish3607]

@@DavidReynolds-kr6yh In that case I would definitely think about some cooling options if you are going to use the Tarsier inside the fuse. Maybe even cut some air ducts in the nose if the top cover duct idea is not enough.

[@Caroline_Tyler]

I would make sure the carbon plate over the xfire arial doesn't cover any of the active element.

[@bluefish3607]

Thanks Caroline, I didn't think about that, there is my inexperience showing through, maybe I will 3D print a cover out of PLA to be sure I don't have any issues with that. Good call, thanks.

[@Caroline_Tyler]

@@bluefish3607 I'm working on a mini talon and also a mini AR wing both with iNav

[@bluefish3607]

@@Caroline_Tyler I have an AR Wing 900 and absolutely love it. Was my first wing and still enjoy flying as as much as the first time. The mini AR wing and mini Talon look like a lot of fun and I hope they bring you lots of fun.

[@ViperFpv_onair]

nice video, subbed. i have done a review of the 250g in basic setup for a maiden on my channel, and now I'm preparing one with full inav and gps as my other wings. is interesting to see different point of view of buildings👍😉

[@bluefish3607]

Doing my maiden today, good luck with yours.

[@ViperFpv_onair]

@@bluefish3607 good luck, and add a little bit of reflex, it need for easier launch

[@tdogrc]

Hello. I recently subscribed. Couldn’t help notice the Microsoft partner signs in the background. I own an IT MSP business in the UK and I’m into RC planes. Same for you? Cheers.

[@bluefish3607]

Hi, yes well spotted! Yes started my IT outsourcing company back in 1991 and as you can see we are Microsoft Partners. We specialize in Teams Consultancy, Teams Rooms and Teams Direct Routing telephony. I am taking a bit of back seat these days and letting the team run the show, hence having time to enjoy my hobbies. Oh and I also have two dogs :-)

[@tdogrc]

Amazing. We do Teams direct routing too, in fact just put a client live today. Great to hear anyway and good to know there are very much likeminded RC pilots out there! All the best.

[@kevalinopicks5555]

I'm just putting mine together and wondering about the tail fins. Yours are facing outwards whereas Painless and Matt have theirs facing inwards?

[@bluefish3607]

The manufacturer says inwards I like the look better outwards. I have flown both ways and it did not seem to make much difference so you choose what you prefer.

[@fcass]

I ordered the PNP version because Banggood didn't have the FPV version. I have plenty of cams and vtx's, but what I can't seem to find out anywhere is if the PNP version comes with the Kopilot lite. Do you know? Thanks!

[@kool-k-kel]

excellent build , explanation etc.. look foward to maiden, flight, my main question if you could help is.. Do you need to adjust servo throws / travel or does inav take care of that , i.e ive used manual built wing where i adjusted throws in radio. Thanking you!

[@kool-k-kel]

ps. excellent mods!! especially your wire routing parts :)

[@bluefish3607]

With iNav you do not need to make any changes in the radio at all. I would suggest getting your elevons set level and then try to set the plane to fly level in manual mode by adjusting the elevons accordingly manually. When you get this about right then do an iNav autotrim. I will be covering my entire setup and flight tuning process in part 3 as soon as this weather improves.

[@kool-k-kel]

Thx , think I'll order one and start the build. Roll on vid 3, thx for your reply

[@rczone9830]

Really a helpful video, I was asking to myself how to adjust the a lot of electronics in fuselage but you solved my issue. I have 3d printer also so can you share that stl files which you printed ? Thanks 😊 Happy flying

[@bluefish3607]

www.thingiverse.com/bluefishuk/designs

[@maximegagnon8146]

Hi, I was wondering if the kit version comes with the rod that connect the servos to that wing of the plane. Nice build!

[@bluefish3607]

Yes you get the servo control rods in the kit.

[@vladimirivanov2867]

Good afternoon! You use the GPS module without a compass, and therefore it was so well positioned on the canopy mounting bracket and thereby successfully spaced VTX and GPS antennas. Have you ever encountered situations when you still need a compass? And another question about the location of the Immortal T V2 antenna - is it not too dangerous for the antenna to be missing any protection from its rays?

[@bluefish3607]

Yo don't really need a compass with iNav I have never had any issues at all with accurate direction or return to home functions. Not sure what you mean about the rays from the Imortal T, it works perfectly there I get no interference at all. I am getting very strong signal up and more range than I need for this plane. Mounting it vertically would be better if yo wanted to go long range. I have the Imortal T mounted vertically on my Dart XL Extreme and have full signal at 12km plus.

[@vladimirivanov2867]

@@bluefish3607 You have the middle of the antenna embedded in the fuselage and covered with protection, and the ends of the antenna stick out of the fuselage under the wings, which is what I had in mind. I really liked your installation of components. And how much weight did you get without a battery? Thank you and have a nice flight!

[@bluefish3607]

@@vladimirivanov2867 The Immortal T mount works great but if you want to go really long range say 5km plus you may wish to mount it vertically, I have been 2.5 km out and still had 99% link quality on crossfire. The weight is 235g without battery and the 850mah 4S I am using is 94g. So not under 250g, but then I did not try to build it under 250g

[@vladimirivanov2867]

@@bluefish3607 Weight is more, but excellent accessories and flies wonderful! Thanks!

[@10bubu10]

A super build video as always from you. How much flight time does he achieve with the Lipo. How heavy is it greetings

[@blackterminal]

Shouldn't you keep esc wires far from vtx?

[@bluefish3607]

yes its a good idea to do that but space is tight in the 250G, I used some metal foil to shield it best I could and there is only minimal interference in the goggles.

[@bobeshoz]

Glenn, do you have a link to that 3D printed "ZOHD" rear cover ? cheers

[@bluefish3607]

Hi Bob, here you go www.thingiverse.com/thing:4115228

[@bobeshoz]

@@bluefish3607 fantastic, thanks for that. just in time, I only just finished my build, maiden tomorrow.

[@bluefish3607]

@@bobeshoz All the best for the maiden.

[@maximmashkin341]

@@bluefish3607 www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=43269675&postcount=325

[@skyraidfpv6753]

@@maximmashkin341 That's the one I printed!

[@anda5494]

😍😍

[@blackterminal]

Do you design all those plastic parts from scratch?

[@bluefish3607]

Yes I design most of my own 3D printed parts.

[@DudesatRC]

Hi, What is your thoughts about dart xl, dart 250g vs ar wing? If you have to choose one? Which is better?

[@bluefish3607]

I guess the AR Wing is the best all rounder for proximity flying fun, long range, durability and low cost. The XL is great for long range annd the best at that and the 250G I cant comment as I have not flown it yet.

[@TakeItToTheGround]

I have had this plane for a few months and decided I just don't like the way it flies. It just wobbles all the time making shooting gaps a game of chance.. You can even see the constant wobble in the ZOHD promotional videos. Much prefer my other Inav builds - AR900, S800, and my sub 250 g twin motor FT dart in depron. They all fly much better, especially the dart.