WOW!! AtomRC Dolphin Maiden Flight and Setup tips

[@tomleonard1533]

I love the fact that after all the models you must have built and flown your enthusiasm and excitement with a new aircraft that exceeds your expectations comes shining through in your video and commentary.

[@Painless360]

Thanks Tom. I make these video because I love the hobby and get a kick out of helping others. It's not about replacing a 'day job' or trying to be a full time 'KZbinr' for me, it's all about the fun! Happy flying!

[@CDRaff]

Just finished building this and am getting it set up now. Thanks for the tips.

[@dougmcpheters1546]

As to the foam's attributes, it seems to handle its own weight pretty well in a crash. The engineers sure relied it to bridge the fuselage together. And as Lee said, it is a bit flexible...Helpful video! Thanks!

[@trevorimpulsebuyguy6398]

I would love to be at your level of building and flying. You make really great videos and i think you forgot more than I know about planes/quads & wings. Thanks!

[@jamesemery1]

nice maiden, nice build, stay safe Lee.

[@JorgeJimenez2020]

Glad you tried the stock configuration first, it looked like it did okay

[@Hoodeene]

Hello, thank you for sharing tons of information for us noobs :-) i am building the KillerWhale at the moment with a MATEK 743 V1 and plan to build the Dolphin as well to have one plane for fast flying. Good content and completely understandable you produce here. Thanks again.

[@quad55555]

i bet those clouds are tempting to try to reach!!

[@northernfpv9562]

Such a clean build!

[@michelcote]

You could setup a Wiki Page for each model tested with the best parameters found by the community. KZbin is nice and ok but it's long to search and listen for the relevant informations. Thanks for sharing with us your work and findings.

[@Painless360]

Interesting idea. I have a 'fixed wing' playlist and the videos are all indexed so a simple search will find the video for the model you have... Best of luck

[@danemartin5288]

Fantastic model! Thanks for sharing it

[@dronepilot260rc]

I finally ordered one 🙌

[@Painless360]

I hope you love it as much as I do. Fab model

[@scottTNT]

Nice! That analog camera image looks really good. I've been flying quads 2 years and never had a wing. Thinking I might go for a stock zohd drift for simplicities sake as a beginner plane. The dolphin is best looking plane though for sure. Thanks for the video! Glad I sub'd.

[@MCsCreations]

Pretty fantastic flying, Lee! 😃 Really beautiful looking model! And it flies great! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@michalp.4975]

Great job Lee! I am sure I will re watch this clip few more times when my wing is here :-D

[@TheTonstar1]

Really like this wing

[@Painless360]

Me too buddy. I'm so pleased that viewers turned me onto it. The hype on other channels isn't bunkum. This is a great model and very fun to fly!

[@jcfpv3454]

At 12:49 there is a cloud in the shape of a blimp how cool

[@andriykurekin2560]

Very impressive results, well done! Are you using INAV ? Can you share your config?

[@Painless360]

Yes, see my setup guide. Best of luck!

[@jjab99]

Great Video as always, Many thanks

[@IanF-FPV]

Looking forward to building mines once I move. I have an old 2206 2200kv motor and a 2207 2650kv motor to try out with a 6x4 prop.

[@MrVasmikey]

Lee, great demo! Did you use the new auto level?

[@Painless360]

This is on INAV 2.6 so not yet....

[@pedrofdmp]

Good candidate for expresslrs

[@VadimBryksin]

How did you attached FC tothe wooden plank ?

[@Painless360]

I'm guessing you are not a regular viewer. Double side foam tape. See my video on how I install stuff. Best of luck

[@jeffmcclain]

What motor / prop combo do you have on that? I thought I heard you say it was 2000kV and 5x5-and-a-bit? I think they are including a 2306 / 1800kV from AtomRC and they recommend a 6" or 7" prop, but not what pitch or how match with 4S vs. 3S. Thx!

[@Painless360]

Check out kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXLaZYGFf5ymerM Looks like a larger prop on the same KV motor... Happy flying

[@OZSCQUADS]

Nice. Very nice. Any chance you have published that log file somewhere?

[@Painless360]

I'm not planning to release the logfiles, they were to confirm what I could see in the OSD.. Happy flying!

[@gonpham195]

Hi Painless360 Please give me the motor and propeller parameters and what is the weight of the plane when it's built?

[@phillip7047]

Just finishing my dolphin and now i have come to motor installation. Which way does the motor need to turn?

[@Painless360]

It depends on the prop you have. I'd set it up so that it turns in the right direction for that.. Best of luck!

[@dragonwing_88fpv66]

Hello love your videos. I was wondering where you mounted the gps and the vtx antenna?

[@Painless360]

GPS under the recess for an antenna at the side of the electronics bay and an AeroPOD mounted underneath. Shown in the video.. Happy flying

[@Reindeer911]

The manual for the plane says it's EPP foam. Certainly is plenty tough like you day!

[@kjkareemslim]

Hey painless I just got mine in today 26th May and it came with updated servos metal gears digital let him cry the question did you have to change out your motor mounts Cruise because the ones they gave me were so big and then I have to find my own and put them in there I was just wondering thank you

[@Painless360]

I've never had to swap the mounts.... Happy flying

[@bomberaustychunksbruv4119]

I still cant bring myself to trust an iNav board again. I had an FX61 flying real nice, and had configured autolaunch - did 3 x launches no issues and was very happy, 4th one in it just nose dived into the ground after reaching about 50ft high. I like the look of the Dolphin.

[@Painless360]

You'll notice that I only use a small selection of flight controllers here.... Happy flying

[@bomberaustychunksbruv4119]

@@Painless360 I didn't to be honest - I will look into that, maybe try again on a plane I can stand to loose. Thanks for the reply.

[@bomberaustychunksbruv4119]

Well I did it - I ordered a F411 WSE , i'll chuck it in a plane I don't care about and play . . . . . . .

[@bob.w3984]

@@bomberaustychunksbruv4119 I have a stack of dead cheap 722 FC. Now I have had 2 motor self-destruct same drone. But I was able find one of the best designed and reliable inmo.

[@kalps2608]

What motor did you use? Thanks

[@Painless360]

It is the standard 2000kv motor that comes with it. See the listing in the video description.. Happy flying

[@julianhumphrey4843]

Lee, is there room to fit a Runcam2HD in the fuse, looks like it might fit in the gap at front of battery bay

[@Painless360]

Possibly, you may need to mod the nose and balsa supported to make room... Happy flying

[@EBPlusC200]

When you say it needs 4 degree offset how do you do that? is it by putting it on a nose up then calibrate the accelerometer? thank you.

[@Painless360]

Check out the INAV for beginners series. All covered in there... Happy flying

[@EBPlusC200]

@@Painless360 Ok thank you and will definitely going to check it out.

[@dragonwing_88fpv66]

Hey buddy sorry to keep bothering you but this is my fisrt fpv airplane build ive got two more questions. How do you drill holes in you plane and im using the m9n 5883 gps and Compass if i dont want to use the compass i just dont hook up the da1 and cl1 wires right? And i just wanted thank you for all you help i joined your Patreon

[@nipperdog7777]

Where can I find the 90 degree servo lead that solders to the flight controller? And what is it called?

[@Painless360]

Not sure what you mean, at what point in the video?

[@dragonwing_88fpv66]

When you wire up the atomic esc do i need to run all three wires to the FC? The picture i have just show ground and signal and the two main esc power wires. Im not sure if i need to run the red wire Im running the matek f765. Thanks for your help

[@Painless360]

No need to connect the red wire

[@dragonwing_88fpv66]

@@Painless360 thank you so much

[@GarethSeymour]

Thanks for this Q and A

[@GarethSeymour]

PS. I'm still doing on the bench build and testing, so I'm using the shortsaver v2 to save me from shorts. After confirming my wiring matches, I started to power up and it would not do a full boot with the shortsaver attached. I had to change the setup on my vifly shortsaver v2 to medium sensitivity to prevent a false short reading. I was feeling a bit frustrated last night as it would not boot until I changed this.

[@j7...]

@@Painless360 if you connected the red wire, can that kill the voltage controller for the servos? Reason being I just did that by mistake and I can't get my servos moving..

[@ADF_Cable]

Is the black version any better than the white version?

[@Painless360]

Better in what way?

[@ADF_Cable]

@@Painless360 thanks Lee - more re strength/longevity. Like black foam can be more resilient than the white foam

[@Painless360]

Got you! Usually black is a little stiffer and a little stronger but a little weight. but not always. I've asked AtomRC and will post the answer if I get one..

[@ADF_Cable]

@@Painless360 thanks! I've ordered the white model as I've got too many black ar's and s800's as it is! Time to upgrade all of them from inav ~2 or 3 to 6! Cheers mate, always appreciate your content

[@syafiqshahar3320]

hello.. can you make a video how to flash osd to sp racing f3 acro+osd fc.. cant find any source in youtube for this fc

[@Painless360]

thank you for the suggestion but I don't have any of the SPRacing stuff here any more.. Best of luck!

[@olekolef773]

Hello Lee. You do a Great Job. Are issues with the X6R just about telemetrie or reception? Does an Firmware Update help? Thanks so much

[@Painless360]

This is an X8R that I use a lot here. Now and again I get a 'duff' one that has less sensitivity than others. Sometimes a FW update helps, other times a swap does the trick! Antenna placement is key. See the antenna lab series..

[@olekolef773]

@@Painless360 thank you for answering. You are realy gentle. Happy new Year

[@1Esteband]

Nowadays is INAV as good and reliable as Arduplane on F4 ? Thank you.

[@Painless360]

Both are great choices and offer different things. I use INAV most of the time here as it supports the latest protocols.. Best of luck

[@ChainsawFPV]

Can you wing launch it? Pushers always scare me to launch under the belly.

[@Painless360]

Yes. I've never had a problem with it.

[@quad55555]

hi nice thorough video, have you found this particular GPS to work well also with quadcopter flying platform 5 in long-range? if not, any suggestions on shielding and or placements for the least amount of interference with an air unit??

[@quad55555]

where does the interference from an air unit and a GPS module exactly come from and how or what areas can be shielded to get more accurate GPS positioning?

[@Painless360]

The GPS uses a very defined, narrow band to receiver the satellite signals. Lots of digital devices can emit low levels of that frequency that can swamp the GPS if it is too close, especially things like digital cameras and VTX units. The best solution is to mount the GPS as far from those pieces as you can. Shielding can be tricky...

[@parrynotas]

Hi, great video, I notice something that you did in this video that I am having problems with. It is making connectors using a crimping tool, I have crimped it but it is very lose when I fit it over the pins. its falls off it I turn it upside down. I have used several different bands same problem I fine it easier to solder the wires together that already have the connectors on the ends. Do you have a video on this or solution? thanks

[@Painless360]

I have a a video on crimping. Check it out.... Happy flying

[@n1vca]

Thanks a lot for the brilliant review! I am a total newbie and really need all these hints on how to set it up and will check out the related detail videos. My only experience is a ready made Parrot Disco wing that is relatively slow, completely stabilized, giving me beautiful images, but no real life flying experience. Since I am a fan of less audible aircrafts to create the least amount of attention to others, I wonder how this Dolphin does with a bigger prop, maybe even a folding prop, but I guess torque at take-off will become even more of an issue?! I am very impressed with its efficiency, speed and stability, probably a real nice FPV plane that needs less image stabilization than lets say the AR Wing Pro? I wonder if should start with the AR Wing Pro, since its looks more forgiving to make the usual beginner mistakes and once I am used to the configuration of ArduPilot I will probably switch to this, since it is faster and will hopefully bring home more beautiful and stable 4K views.

[@Painless360]

See my series on getting into fixed wing. The Parrot is like flying a DJI 'flying camera' where it does almost all of the work for you so moving onto things like this is very different. Best of luck

[@Firelynx87]

Great video, thanks! Does the VTX not need more air flow? Doesn't it become hot if it's not mounted on the outside of the plane? thanks in advance for any advice!

[@Painless360]

Depends on the power level you use `;)

[@breckfreeride]

I'm going to use a 30mm computer fan and a few naca ducts.

[@gmascagni]

Great content I'm watching most of your videos. Settuping up a Nano Skyhunter with INAV. I'm just about ready for my Madien flight. I have a question about trimming the plane in the air. I'm confused for the maiden I always have to make a minor adjustment and always use the radio to trim alierons or elevator. But I also understand that INAV also has some auto trimming features. Do I trim it out with the radio is that my first step? You keep saying Manual and Acro mode? Are they not the same thing? Is INAV's Manual Mode the same as BF Acro?

[@Painless360]

Please check out the INAV 3.0 setup mini series for fixed wing in the playlist. It'll be out in the next 4-6 weeks but covers what I've figured out about all that in the past 3 months... Best of luck!

[@gerardmazz]

Will this handle a 3700mah battery?

[@Painless360]

Maybe, depends on the physical size weight and component layout

[@Unknowelement25]

Zohd dart xl evolution or the dolphin?

[@Painless360]

Both have a lots of great points and fly in a similar way. The ZOHD is more finished but more expensive. Both are fun flyers.

[@AndyPorter79]

It's EPP foam and I can vouch that it really is tough foam. I'm really glad I got this plane and not another similar in appearance model. I was thinking, since I have the black version, of buying the white kit only version and using the black fuse with the white wings, vertical stabs and hat covers keeping the nose the same color as the fuse. Of course I could just paint my plane in that style but honestly, I hate painted foam cause even with just gentle handling the paint cracks and flakes and begins to look unattractive very quickly. Again I could go with vinyl but then there are it's issues too like pealing, bubbling, wrinkles and fade. At least with the foam, if there are any damages, it's well disguised by the surrounding foam

[@sus7382]

EPP usually has an oily surface from moulding, you should try cleaning it with petrol F first and then painting with acrylic/laminating, becomes absurdly hard to take the paint off.

[@mdh2006]

nice

[@minkorrh]

I'd really like to get into fixed wing stuff as I have a thing for WWII planes, but the feel and sound of styrofoam rubbed together is something that nearly makes me want to throw up and grit my teeth every time I hear it! No joke. Looks like you're missing one of the active elements from your control link antennas. Could be the colour of the plane.

[@KashifJarwar]

Plz do a Efficiency test with conventional airplane of same wingspan and weight.

[@sleepingbearffg5008]

Great comparison

[@Painless360]

Depends on the design. Models like this tend to have less drag due to the lower profile and cross section..

[@maxun1]

Waiting for the master class of inav 3.0

[@blackbirdboy1]

Try a 6x4 prop on 4S. At that amp draw (if its right?) then it'll easily take a 6x4 Bi-Blade. Rx RSSI was'nt dropping, it was just telemetry and who really needs that? lol

[@amax2624]

It is not the X6R that responsable for low rssi and sensor lost.... its your antenna setup. Even with an old XSR ( modded for positive s-port signal, no softserial ...) I never get this even at 1.6 km range on my AR600. I have one antenna vertical and the second one flat on the wing ( for sharp turns) and it works as far as I can see on my OTX telemetry logs.

[@Painless360]

It is in this case. Tested new setup here and no more issues, I suspect this is a bad rx, thanks for the post

[@jcfpv3454]

We need a atom rc shark

[@operaswift8623]

Already short trousers time in UK, definitely not true for us here more in the south 😅

[@Painless360]

I live in the sunny, warm bit ;)

[@joshmellon390]

I'm going to make a tehno song called "sensor lost," and listen to it in my headphones while I fly. But then I'll fix the reciever lmao Maybe the song length can be as long as my estimated battery length, and when it's over I can know I've gone fully insane.

[@Painless360]

I know that song. I'm not a fan. Swapping the reciever is a less annoying option... ;) Happy flying

[@MrLunithy]

Whan I first saw a Drake I was all wow this is the same.

[@jas-FPV]

Maybe Go a little back on the cg to get it better on the elevator

[@Painless360]

As the rest of the setup feels so good I'll keep the CG where it is. Models like this can be very sensitive to bad CG placement so I'll push the elevator. Happy flying

[@jas-FPV]

@@Painless360 Are your elevatots still trimmed up in level flight? In the video it looked like it

[@Painless360]

Very slightly, it's the torque roll that's is the thing that needs the trim. The wings have some built in reflex that helps with the need for lots of elevator trim. Happy flying

[@richardwebb8729]

🦄 Hi

[@breckfreeride]

Crossfire... no sensor lost...

[@Painless360]

Yep, still the OG Gold standard IMHO..

[@avsaase]

Switch to that GoPro nose and there you have your manatee.

[@Painless360]

That made me laugh and spit out my tea! Thanks for that!! :D

[@breckfreeride]

6s or nothing!

[@Lamer2356]

She's annoying!! good vid..

[@kjkareemslim]

HOW CAN I GET A FEW OF YOU PAINLESS 360 STICKERS' I DON'T USE PAYPAL HAD PROB. WITH THEM