Group Build 2014, DJI NAZA/F450 Quadcopter!

[gomotomoto]

Next video in the process.....tools! It's uploading and should be ready in about 80 minutes. It's not meant to be a definitive list but more of a push in the right direction.

for those of you that have done some building already, feel free to chime in with other tools that you've found to be helpful.

So - in this video you mention the need for a PC. I've managed to not own one (mac user for 25 years), but looks like I'll have to take one on. Parallels has giving me poor results in the past, so I'll find it easier just to pick up something super basic for programming the radio and possibly using a flight simulator.

Can any weight in on a basic PC that will be adequate for transmitter programming and possibly a flight simulator. Maybe one of the $200 google notebooks?

Here's the link:
https://play.google.com/store/devic...tm_medium=ha&gclid=CIWswPG3irwCFWUOOgodHSYAtg

This this will do the trick?

 

[Bartman]

gomotomoto

try your apple computer with parallels first. there's a good chance it will work but don't go too crazy if it doesn't.

 

[gomotomoto]

gomotomoto

try your apple computer with parallels first. there's a good chance it will work but don't go too crazy if it doesn't.

I'll give it a shot but i'm used to the mac and PC not getting along to well :black_eyed:

Also, Bartman, can you recommend a good starter battery pack and decent charger that would be adequate for this project? Maybe a few suggestions options would be super helpful. I've read through the battery thread that you wrote but looking for a specific brand model recommendation for both the battery and charger. Will be running the dji 550 with stock motors

 

[coreyperez]

I'll give it a shot but i'm used to the mac and PC not getting along to well :black_eyed:

Also, Bartman, can you recommend a good starter battery pack and decent charger that would be adequate for this project? Maybe a few suggestions options would be super helpful. I've read through the battery thread that you wrote but looking for a specific brand model recommendation for both the battery and charger. Will be running the dji 550 with stock motors

I should believe that you could find a PC for very little. My wife and I play the Mac/PC game all the time. (PC Wins). I love when she talks up here iMac or MacBook Pro and still I here her frustration and she slinks to my PC and then gets things done. Plus, PC Plays with EVERYTHING.

As far as a charger, to hold me off until I can purchase my BIG charger, I picked up a Onyx 150. Its the most basic of them all. Probably a little over priced for what it is, (I got a used one for $25 on Ebay) but you won't need an individual power source and its easy enough I can hand it off to my children and know they will get packs charged without making little lipo bombs.

http://www.duratrax.com/chargers/onyx/dtxp4195.html

Corey

 

[Bartman]

I'll give it a shot but i'm used to the mac and PC not getting along to well :black_eyed:

Also, Bartman, can you recommend a good starter battery pack and decent charger that would be adequate for this project? Maybe a few suggestions options would be super helpful. I've read through the battery thread that you wrote but looking for a specific brand model recommendation for both the battery and charger. Will be running the dji 550 with stock motors

If you're looking for a good charger that can do up to 4 cell packs I'd recommend the CellPro Multi4 charger

http://www.store.revolectrix.com/Pr...llpro-Multi4-Charger-with-GP-KO-Adapter-Combo

I've got four of them wired up in my tool box for charging packs. There are bigger and more powerful chargers but the Multi4 will do a good job for you and it's easy to use. It doesn't really have the power to parallel charge but if you're in it for fun it shouldn't be a problem.

For batteries I've been using the Turnigy Nano-Tech packs. They're not expensive, have been reliable for me, and seem to deliver the rated power (unlike other packs I've tried). The F550 ought to do pretty well with a 4S pack and about 4500 to 5000 mah although I can't say for sure because I haven't flown one in a while.

Bart

 

[coreyperez]

Man, that's cool!

I'm saving up for a iChager 4010Duo. I think that its rated just shy of the international Space Station (or a Prius)... One of the two...

 

[jbrumberg]

I have an iCharger 106B+ and a modified Mean Well S-350-15 power supply . I have no complaints. I can use the basic functions on the iCharger. There is so much more that it can do that I am slowly learning. These things, that is, charging can be dangerous. I have taken the battery/charging path in baby steps. We live in the middle of nowhere. If we had a fire it's over; all over.:dejection:

 

[Bartman]

I should believe that you could find a PC for very little. My wife and I play the Mac/PC game all the time. (PC Wins). I love when she talks up here iMac or MacBook Pro and still I here her frustration and she slinks to my PC and then gets things done. Plus, PC Plays with EVERYTHING.

As far as a charger, to hold me off until I can purchase my BIG charger, I picked up a Onyx 150. Its the most basic of them all. Probably a little over priced for what it is, (I got a used one for $25 on Ebay) but you won't need an individual power source and its easy enough I can hand it off to my children and know they will get packs charged without making little lipo bombs.

http://www.duratrax.com/chargers/onyx/dtxp4195.html

Corey

Corey, that charger is only good to 3 cells and the F450/F550 can do up to 4 cells. That's fine if you only plan to fly with 3 cell packs but i think a lot of folks will want to try 4 cell packs once they've tried 3's a few times.

 

[Bartman]

i have an icharger 306B but I actually like the Hitec X2-400 better and have recommended it to a few people. it's got two charging channels and can parallel charge through both doing different charge programs simultaneously. SO you can either charge two 6 cell packs on each channel simultaneously or charge two 6 cell packs and maybe three 4 cell packs simultaneously on separate and independent charging channels.

 

[gomotomoto]

Awesome. Thanks Bart & Coreyp. I just found and purchased my radio (went with an eBay sale for a new taranis radio and going to put the order in for my dji kit tonight. Thanks for the battery and charger advice, I'll try to order those up at the same time. Appreciate all the help and insightful posts and especially the vids, those are especially helpful.


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[coreyperez]

Thanks for the heads up!

I have only purchased the "recommended" 3S 5000mAh batteries for the 550. The Honey Badger also is recommended 3S. I knew it was limited in its ability to "expand" but I figured it would atleast get me going.

I'll take another look at the x2-400. I had looked at it previously, but the 4010Duo (and the 300 series) LCD Display kind of won me out. I'm not exactly (at my current skill set) interested in going overboard with charging 10 batteries (etc) like some of the ya-hoo's on Youtube, but its nice to know that option exists. (Numerous chargers can do it).

Thanks for keeping me honest!

(PS Bart: That typing/java thing we discussed before.. UGH ITS ANNOYING!!!!!!!!! still)

 

[gomotomoto]

i have an icharger 306B but I actually like the Hitec X2-400 better and have recommended it to a few people. it's got two charging channels and can parallel charge through both doing different charge programs simultaneously. SO you can either charge two 6 cell packs on each channel simultaneously or charge two 6 cell packs and maybe three 4 cell packs simultaneously on separate and independent charging channels.

Seems the Hitec X2-400 doesn't come with a power supply? Where do you go about purchasing a power supply? Can anyone provide a link on ebay or amazon for one? Also, Bartman, is this the battery you use (LINK)?:

 

[Bartman]

the X2-400 doesn't come with a power supply, nor does the CellPro Multi4. For the X2-400 I'd recommend getting a production power supply rather than the Dell server power supplies that are out there cheap. If you're competent to wire up the server units then go for it but it's not the safest way to go and they're very loud. I've got the server power supplies but if/when they die I'll buy a factory unit like this one

http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=B4035459&pid=H2384669

 

[gomotomoto]

Thanks Bartman. Is there a solid choice for a charger that's complete with power supply and adapters to take on a single 5000mah battery for getting started. I see the other charger you mentioned, but that also looks to be without power supply. Thanks again, this really helps as I'm used to a charger just having a plug on the other end of it

 

[Bartman]

Here's a power supply that would work well with the CellPro Multi4 charger. you might have to work out the connection between the charger and the power supply.

FWIW, don't buy the cellpro batteries. they use their own balancing connector and they're not very durable and cause the charge cycles to fail when they become loose. do make sure though that you get the adapter for the batteries you'll be buying. the Turnigy use the JST-XH connectors

 

[gomotomoto]

Im gonna owe you some beers Bartman! We all will!!


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[gomotomoto]

Ok, getting ready to take the full plunge. With the radio kit charger and batteries, and tools I'll be hovering around 2k. I've always done well with buying quality stuff as it holds better resale value and usually lasts longer and simply usually a pleasure to use. I just have a question for you Bartman before I take the charger plunge:

So, with the hitec charger and power supply, it looks like combined they will come in around $400 - is that correct? Also, the link above (for the power supply) has the power supply in stock but not the charger, so wondering if you have a vendor that you like for the hitec charger? When I google it, towerhobbies seems to come up first. Any experience with them? If so, I guess ordering the two pieces from two different vendors isn't the worst thing for a solid charger. Especially one that folks are familiar with so I can get help here if needed.

Here are the links:

Charger: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCEYW

Power Supply: http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=B4035459&pid=H2384669

Battery Choices:

5000mah: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__17254__Turnigy_nano_tech_5000mah_4S_35_70C_Lipo_Pack.html
6000mah: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__11940__Turnigy_nano_tech_6000mah_4S_25_50C_Lipo_Pack.html

So, for a few dollars more, do you think the 6000 is a better move? (I'll be building a 550)

Just looking for some guidance before dropping the dough (total here will be about $500 with two batteries) so helpful to know if I'm doing the right thing

 

[COMike93yj]

Ok, getting ready to take the full plunge. With the radio kit charger and batteries, and tools I'll be hovering around 2k. I've always done well with buying quality stuff as it holds better resale value and usually lasts longer and simply usually a pleasure to use. I just have a question for you Bartman before I take the charger plunge:

So, with the hitec charger and power supply, it looks like combined they will come in around $400 - is that correct? Also, the link above (for the power supply) has the power supply in stock but not the charger, so wondering if you have a vendor that you like for the hitec charger? When I google it, towerhobbies seems to come up first. Any experience with them? If so, I guess ordering the two pieces from two different vendors isn't the worst thing for a solid charger. Especially one that folks are familiar with so I can get help here if needed.

Here are the links:

Charger: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCEYW

Power Supply: http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=B4035459&pid=H2384669

Battery Choices:

5000mah: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__17254__Turnigy_nano_tech_5000mah_4S_35_70C_Lipo_Pack.html
6000mah: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__11940__Turnigy_nano_tech_6000mah_4S_25_50C_Lipo_Pack.html

So, for a few dollars more, do you think the 6000 is a better move? (I'll be building a 550)

Just looking for some guidance before dropping the dough (total here will be about $500 with two batteries) so helpful to know if I'm doing the right thing

@gomotomoto........


If you are willing to do a TINY bit of work yourself you can MAKE a power supply for you OWN use that will set you back MAYBE thirty to forty dollars US!!!! I put up a power supply build thread that can get you on your way. There is a HUGE following of folks that do this. EVEN if you do NOT want to purchase the supplies on your own, there are a bunch of guys making these for folks that simply do the job in a VERY efficient manner!!!

http://www.multirotorforums.com/sho...ply-for-chargers-DPS-600PB-YOU-CAN-DO-IT!!!!!

The above link will show you just how EASY it is....I have NO electrical engineering experience.....and it is EASY! There are a couple of other links that can show you how to build a power supply.

I am going with an iCharger 308 Duo for my charger of choice. Plain and simple it is expensive (probably about $80 more than yours) however, the information the display puts out and the support from Junsi is OUTSTANDING.

If you have questions let me know.....it is SOOO easy to make something that will be much less expensive than the PS you are looking at and then you can put the funds into other things...hell we are all on a budget!!!!

Mike

 

[Bartman]

the problem I had with the power supplies I'm using (Dell server, 12V each) was that when they were hooked up in series one would drop its output. I was only able to resolve it by not hooking up the common grounds in the plug wires. So, because of this, I'm liable to get a shock if something inside the cases shorts out.

 

[COMike93yj]

the problem I had with the power supplies I'm using (Dell server, 12V each) was that when they were hooked up in series one would drop its output. I was only able to resolve it by not hooking up the common grounds in the plug wires. So, because of this, I'm liable to get a shock if something inside the cases shorts out.

Bart....you are going about this ALL wrong........

I can't speak to the Dells....but you have to do something to eliminate certain things.

IN your case....not familiar with the Dell PSUs.....but you might have a conflict with AC grounds......

In the post I made with my HP DPS PSU thread you can eliminate the DC ground and then BOTH PSUs can be connected. Follow the threads I linked to....they WORK!....

Take a look at this to make them work in SERIES........

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1581061

TONS of info in the thread..........I am not going this way at this point as I just simply do not need the power! However, you CAN (and I will do the series mod soon once I get in the air)....do just do the mods.

Without knowing your Dell PSU stuff I can't comment .... nor should I......

Perhaps you should look at this thread?.......

https://sites.google.com/site/tjinguytech/my-projects/HP47A

If you cannot make them work in series then you may either have a bad PSU or something is wrong....either way PM me....I can TRY to help but with the HP DPS-600PB PSUs there are NO issues once you isolate certain things.....really easy and cost's nothing to make them work.

Mike