Help with Building a CineStar 8 (& Copters in General)

[Brian Iannone]

Hello everyone. My name is Brian and this is my first post here. I'm new to both this forums and multirotor copters in general. So, nice to meet you all.

I am a photographer and filmmaker. Recently in the world of cinematography, octocopters have become increasingly popular for aerial shooting. I personally like the idea quite a bit as its much less expensive and much more convenient than renting out an actual helicopter (to say the least).

So, I would like to build an octocopter. Before I begin though, allow me to say that I know nothing about RC devices and have no experience flying helicopters or multirotor copters, so I apologize if I use incorrect terminology.

I would like to use a CineStar 8 frame and build an octocopter by either purchasing a build-your-own kit from Quadrocopter.us or individual components and assembling it myself. I liked the idea of Quadrocopter's ready-to-fly kits, however as with most products that come ready-to-use, I assume that there's some overhead cost in the convenience of having it preassembled. So I'd like to avoid that.

Here are my questions:

1. I see that Quadrocopter's CineStar 8 kits uses QC3328 motors. The specifications list this octocopter as being able to lift approximately 2,000 grams, or 4.4 pounds, of weight. Is there any way to get this octocopter to lift a heavier payload, either by using different motors or by reducing the throttle while flying? If so, what would you recommend? I plan on using a Blackmagic Cinema Camera (weighing 5.1 pounds) with this copter.

2. Quadrocopter's CineStar 8 octocopters come with MikroKopter flight control system. I've heard quite a bit about DJI's WooKong-M. Is one better than the other? And also, is it possible to install WooKong-M into one of Quadrocopter's build-it-yourself CineStar 8 kits?

3. I watched a few of the assembly and setup videos on the CineStar 8 and it seems like there's quite a bit of calibration to do once assembly of the octocopter is complete. For someone like me who knows nothing about octocopters or RC devices, will this be impossibly difficult or doable?

4. I would like to use the CineStar 3-Axis Camera Mount. Can this mount support the weight of a 5.1 pound camera while still maintaining motor control? Also, how is the gimbal controlled in a one-person setup? (I would assume with the same transmitter that is used for controlling the octocopter.) If so, how many channel-support do I need in a transmitter? I was looking at Spektrum's DX18. Any thoughts?

5. Is there any way to get this CineStar 8 to lift a 10-15 pound payload? My primary camera is a RED Scarlet, however I chose to purchase a Blackmagic Cinema Camera to use solely as my "aerial cam" as I was told that an octocopter capable of lifting the weight of a complete Scarlet or EPIC setup (around 10 pounds) would cost at least $20K. My budget is currently $11,500 for an octocopter.

6. In terms of wireless video transmission for a live feed on the ground... To be honest, I'm not sure I understand what specific components are required to achieve this. I would really appreciate a list of what I need to for this! One issue I became aware of is that many live video systems require the camera to supply a component or S-video input. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera has an SDI output. One possibility is to use a Blackmagic Battery Converter (weighing 0.8 pounds) to convert the SDI signal to HDMI and then use Freefly's HDMI Converter to convert the HDMI signal into something usable.

7. Freefly's Radian Stabilization Module... My question about this is basically, how do I incorporate this into the octocopter, what do I plug it into and how much do they weigh?

I do have more questions, but after reading some answers for these I'm sure I will have a slightly better understanding of this system.

I do apologize about my number of questions, but I quite literally know very little about this. I would really appreciate any help!

Also, I posted these question on another RC forum, but as of now, have received no answers (to my actual questions) due to the fact that everyone there has been instead stating that I should start off with a smaller, inexpensive [FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]multirotor copter and learn with that. I'm not concerned with flying this octocopter; only building and configuring it. If it turns out that flying this truly is impossibly difficult and I find myself unable to do so, I have a pilot able to takeover while I stand by.

So, I really would appreciate some answers. =)[/FONT]

 

[Kilby]

The number one bit of advice that I, or probably anyone on this forum, can give you is to learn to walk before you run. Buy yourself a cheap little RC heli/quad and learn to fly before you even think about putting a CS8 into the air. With out learning the very basics of RC flight, the best gear in the world will end up in a large pile of junk smashed on the ground. RC sims are a great learning tool as well.

Just saw the end of your post that says that everyone else has already said the same thing I mentioned above. There is a reason they said that. LEARN TO FLY FIRST, OR JUST HIRE A PILOT... THERE IS NO LEARNING WITH A PILOT STANDING BY. ;-)

 

[Bartman]

i hate to tell you this Brian but your best bet is to buy yourself a DJI NAZA/f450 kit and build/fly it. you've got a lot of questions and i could answer them but i wouldn't be doing you any favors. the only favor i could offer to do for you is to take your $11.5k and save you the trouble of what you're about to get yourself into.

none of what you think is viable for this will work as you expect it to without major tinkering. none of the tinkering that needs to be done will be obvious unless you've worked your way into it with other aircraft. regardless of what you're being told, if anyone says to you to just go for the full-up maxed-out oktokopter and you'll work it out as you go, they want your money more than they want to see you succeed.

with no experience in any RC field, you're wasting your money and probably a lot of time if you try to do too much in the first step.

sorry if that isn't what you wanted to hear.

bart

 

[Bartman]

if you haven't seen this thread yet, it's worth your time to read it and it's still very true.

http://www.multirotorforums.com/showthread.php?1617-Before-you-buy-please-read-this

 

[Brian Iannone]

Thank you for your post Bart. Of course that's not necessarily what I wanted to hear (lol...), but I'd like to thank you for being realistic with me. I understand that the reason you (and everyone else) said what you/they said was because octocopters are indeed quite tricky. And, I thank you for trying to direct me from getting myself into trouble.

So, I will go ahead and buy a DJI F450 kit and use that for a while. Now, I do have a few more questions...

1. Where is the best (or a good) distributor to buy an F450 kit from? I've heard quite a bit about rchobbyhelicopter.com.

2. On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate the level of complication of flying both an F450 and a CS8?

3. Could anyone possibly recommend a battery, battery charger, transmitter and/or receiver for the F450?

4. Regarding "tinkering." Could you give me some examples of what type of tinkering you're referring to (just so that I know what I'm getting into whenever it is I go with a CineStar 8.)

Thank you.

 

[kloner]

that link addictive rc is the slowest distributor for dji i've ever come across. The website doesn't even actually charge your card. Other guys like gothelirc.com, readymaderc.com will charge your card and most likely, even purchased ow from gothelirc it is in a box within an hour and shipped off immediatley. I started there, but soon got tired of the seamlesly waiting for the stuff to ship. it's like a hobby or second gig to him. Though i no he frequents here, so do alot of these guys

You will want something int he range of 2200-3000 mah of 3s 30c lipo like turnigy is a great low budget high performace battery. there is usa warehouse, ships cheap and fast. hobbypartz.com has sky lipo, good cheap power but they come out of the box with higher ir than the turnigy.

you get this thing flying, now it wobbles or has crappy reception and flies off or it is super unstable. You gotta learn props, vibrations, rebuilding after crashes.

These guys are steering you right

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=14962
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=16633
http://www.progressiverc.com/chargers/battery-chargers
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAVCP&P=0
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LWE143&P=0

The f450 with a naza and gps is unbelievably easy to fly. i've flown for 18 years, when i first picked this up last year the thing seemed like it flew itself. amazing technology in a small easy to repair package. only thing i don't like about the kit is the motors, but you'll crash em and have plenty of upgrade opurtunitys

 

[jes1111]

Hello everyone. My name is Brian and this is my first post here. I'm new to both this forums and multirotor copters in general. So, nice to meet you all.

Hello
I am a photographer and filmmaker. Recently in the world of cinematography, octocopters have become increasingly popular for aerial shooting. I personally like the idea quite a bit as its much less expensive and much more convenient than renting out an actual helicopter (to say the least).
Yes - and much more versatile, too - a helicopter is limited below 400ft, in confined spaces, etc. On the other hand, they can fly in wind, rain, etc. that would have your multirotor grounded. I see a multirotor as a useful extension of aerial photography from piloted fixed wing and single rotor craft. Exciting stuff indeed!
So, I would like to build an octocopter. Before I begin though, allow me to say that I know nothing about RC devices and have no experience flying helicopters or multirotor copters, so I apologize if I use incorrect terminology.
Boy, have you got a steep hill to climb! As with cameras or cars, it's not absolutely necessary to know how they work inside, but it often helps to do so. Since safety has to be a high priority (these things have earned the nickname "flying food blenders") intimate knowledge/understanding of the machine, particularly how and why it can fail, will be vital.
I would like to use a CineStar 8 frame and build an octocopter by either purchasing a build-your-own kit from Quadrocopter.us or individual components and assembling it myself. I liked the idea of Quadrocopter's ready-to-fly kits, however as with most products that come ready-to-use, I assume that there's some overhead cost in the convenience of having it preassembled. So I'd like to avoid that.
For the reason given above, I'd definitely agree with building it yourself as a way of gaining the necessary familiarity.
Here are my questions:

1. I see that Quadrocopter's CineStar 8 kits uses QC3328 motors. The specifications list this octocopter as being able to lift approximately 2,000 grams, or 4.4 pounds, of weight. Is there any way to get this octocopter to lift a heavier payload, either by using different motors or by reducing the throttle while flying? If so, what would you recommend? I plan on using a Blackmagic Cinema Camera (weighing 5.1 pounds) with this copter.
Bigger motors, bigger blades, bigger batteries. But choosing which ones is not always easy. The vendor may have some suggestions, of course. But identifying similar machines on this and other forums and questioning the owners can be a hit-and-miss exercise: be careful of the "works for me!" phenomenon. There are so many variables that there's severe danger of comparing apples with oranges. One obvious problem with the octo layout is that prop size is limited by your arm length - yet, ultimately, it is the prop size that determines how much lift you have. That prop size then determines motor choice, which determines ESC/battery choice, and so on. (By the way, you can't "reduce throttle" as you suggest - the act of hovering means supplying lift exactly equal to the mass of the craft - i.e. giving it "neutral buoyancy". Less throttle will cause it to descend, more will cause it to rise.)
2. Quadrocopter's CineStar 8 octocopters come with MikroKopter flight control system. I've heard quite a bit about DJI's WooKong-M. Is one better than the other? And also, is it possible to install WooKong-M into one of Quadrocopter's build-it-yourself CineStar 8 kits?
MK is one of the older players, but IMHO their stuff is messy, badly made, poorly supported, etc. - but, on the other hand, many use it with great success. Players like DJI and Hoverfly haven't quite matched the MK feature list (yet) but in most other respects they are a better bet. Hoverfly, in particular, seems to be well liked as a product and as a company. Note, also, that they sell RTF machines (and maybe kits, I'm not sure).
3. I watched a few of the assembly and setup videos on the CineStar 8 and it seems like there's quite a bit of calibration to do once assembly of the octocopter is complete. For someone like me who knows nothing about octocopters or RC devices, will this be impossibly difficult or doable?
Very doable as long as you approach the whole exercise with the necessary "energetic patience" and "humble thoughtfulness". Getting through that last stage will be like winning your "wings" - you'll be mentally ready for the flying part
4. I would like to use the CineStar 3-Axis Camera Mount. Can this mount support the weight of a 5.1 pound camera while still maintaining motor control? Also, how is the gimbal controlled in a one-person setup? (I would assume with the same transmitter that is used for controlling the octocopter.) If so, how many channel-support do I need in a transmitter? I was looking at Spektrum's DX18. Any thoughts?
The Cinestar flies quite happily with Red Epics, FS100's, C300's etc. - I imagine a Blackmagic will be no trouble for it. Unless and until you have GPS-controlled "stay put!" control of the craft, flying and filming at the same time would be vey difficult, not to mention extremely stressful. Reckon on it being a two-man job until your own confidence tells you otherwise. Setup is easy - the camera operator has another RC radio which is linked, via its own receiver, only to the gimbal. Good verbal communication needed between the two operators, obviously! You need a minimum of 5 channels to fly the craft. The gimbal needs one for each controlled axis (pitch and yaw, usually - roll too if you want to "dutch"), plus zoom servo, etc. (if you have it) and, of course, at least one channel to start/stop the camera (although you can roll before takeoff, of course). Futaba gear tends to be top-notch - and their SBUS system makes life sweet if the FC you are using supports it. The Futaba T8FG Super has 14 channels (when using SBus) and is not expensive - an ideal piece of kit for both pilot and operator. Spektrum - I don't know - but their technology (except for satellite receivers) is definitely not "mainstream" in the MR world.
5. Is there any way to get this CineStar 8 to lift a 10-15 pound payload? My primary camera is a RED Scarlet, however I chose to purchase a Blackmagic Cinema Camera to use solely as my "aerial cam" as I was told that an octocopter capable of lifting the weight of a complete Scarlet or EPIC setup (around 10 pounds) would cost at least $20K. My budget is currently $11,500 for an octocopter.
Scarlet is possible, BlackMagic should be no problem. You'll need to investigate power supply options for both - I understand Red power packs are heavy, but the company discourages (bans?) using non-Red power sources like a Lipo pack. A small Canon prime is obviously going to make life easier than some big-*** cinema zoom lens. The incremental cost of a machine to lift additional weight needn't be that great so long as you're in control and don't fall for the "priced proportional to the payload's value" marketing trick. Slightly bigger motors, slightly bigger batteries, maybe slightly longer/thicker arms. Not a big leap in parts costs.

6. In terms of wireless video transmission for a live feed on the ground... To be honest, I'm not sure I understand what specific components are required to achieve this. I would really appreciate a list of what I need to for this! One issue I became aware of is that many live video systems require the camera to supply a component or S-video input. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera has an SDI output. One possibility is to use a Blackmagic Battery Converter (weighing 0.8 pounds) to convert the SDI signal to HDMI and then use Freefly's HDMI Converter to convert the HDMI signal into something usable.
I have little knowledge on this - others here will know much better.
7. Freefly's Radian Stabilization Module... My question about this is basically, how do I incorporate this into the octocopter, what do I plug it into and how much do they weigh?
The Radian modules are fitted directly onto to the gimbal (plus a power source and receiver, of course). For sure Radian + Cinestar will be a perfect match, in assembly and in performance. Tabb knows his stuff
I do have more questions, but after reading some answers for these I'm sure I will have a slightly better understanding of this system.

I do apologize about my number of questions, but I quite literally know very little about this. I would really appreciate any help!

Also, I posted these question on another RC forum, but as of now, have received no answers (to my actual questions) due to the fact that everyone there has been instead stating that I should start off with a smaller, inexpensive [FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]multirotor copter and learn with that. I'm not concerned with flying this octocopter; only building and configuring it. If it turns out that flying this truly is impossibly difficult and I find myself unable to do so, I have a pilot able to takeover while I stand by.

So, I really would appreciate some answers. =)[/FONT]
That'll be RCGroups, by the sound of it. Dangerous place - much more friendly/helpful here.

 

[Brian Iannone]

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU jes1111! I cannot thank you enough for the information you've just provided me with. You literally answered every one of my questions. THANK YOU!

All right, now off to read your replies over a few dozen more times. =)

 

[jes1111]

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU jes1111! I cannot thank you enough for the information you've just provided me with. You literally answered every one of my questions. THANK YOU!

All right, now off to read your replies over a few dozen more times. =)

Notwithstanding that the other replies are all valid, too - I just figured I didn't need to say it 'cos others were bound to

 

[kloner]

my daughter came up and interupted me earlier so i lost my train of thought....... i added links to stuff you want. the radio is the best you can afford the better. futaba is a great unit in either flavor

 

[Brian Iannone]

Outstanding. Thanks for those links! I noticed that there are quite a few options for the battery charger. Will any one on that page be fine? Also, would you happen to have a link to the site you recommend for buying an F450? I see that there are two NAZA components; the flight controller and the GPS module. Do you recommend both?

 

[kloner]

if your serious and going to the end, get the 306b or 308b if you think you need real and true 8s packs later. 306 does 6s but most or alot of 8s comes from pairs of 4s in series, at least the guys i hang with

I'd suggest getting the gps module, naza, and a f450 arf

this is probably a better link to give you. These charge multiple packs fast.
http://www.progressiverc.com/cases/case-combos

dji kits
http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=76_96

but lou hangs here, good guy, great service, i got nothing bad to say about him and most dji is free ship
http://gothelirc.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=133&cat=DJI+Multi-copter

 

[jes1111]

My thinking on chargers is that the important capabilities are 1) to be able to charge in the field (i.e. from a car battery) and 2) being able to charge multiple packs at once. What I don't ever do myself is "fast charge" the packs - it definitely shortens their life (and you definitely don't want that life to end while the craft is in the air!). I have a quad charger - charges 4 packs at 50W each separately and simultaneously - much more useful than blasting one pack at a gazillion watts - mine's a European brand, but I believe they are called Imax in the US market (here it is).

And remember that Lipos are dangerous - treat with great respect (and always charge outdoors).

 

[kloner]

if you own 6 3s 3000mah lipos, the big red 1kw charger i posted will charge them at 1c which is exactly what you want for any lipo technology and will do it in about an hour and a half in balance mode. That's one thing it makes it easy to do is balance everytime cause it doesn't take any longer. Watch some of those videos at that site. There is nobody in the lipo recharging business like the guys at progressive.

50 watt charger is like pissing on a fire. Charging a pack too slow has zero benefit other than a huge wait and since you kinda want to keep an eye on everything when you charge, those 6 lipos at 8 hours later is too long.

Those chargers all run on 12 volt battery but when you go to an ama type even where people are blasting through packs, they typically run a small honda type generator and run em off the full case cause the power supplies are super clean and charge a battery alot different than any other charger except something like fma which is also available there.

Call them, they everything from 250 watt to 1000 watt chargers and won't steer you wrong.

I started with a 50 watt, it got hot if the battery was big, had cheap power supplies and did a horrible job balancing., Charging took forever. Then i got 4 250 watt chargers and that was fast, but the balancing sucked. It just couldn't do it good. since getting the icharger, alll my packs stay fresh and extremely low resistance. All the ichargers have a mode to check internal resistance which if you call them guys will be a frequent term, but is how the battery is doing inside. not a guess, a number you can monitor to tell when you screwed one up or when a battery needs a warranty. The only other way to find out is to over discharge, puff the pack, then get denied a warranty cause the pack looks like a red headed stepchild round, split open and not looking like you cared

If a guy wanted it to charge slow, they do that too. down to .01 amp resolution

 

[jes1111]

I agree those chargers do look good - I might try one - I'd heard about the resistance measuring thing but couldn't remember which brand did it.

btw - I charge 4 x 4S 5000mAh in just over an hour - not too bad.

 

[Lanzar]

Hello everyone. My name is Brian and this is my first post here. I'm new to both this forums and multirotor copters in general. So, nice to meet you all.

I am a photographer and filmmaker. Recently in the world of cinematography, octocopters have become increasingly popular for aerial shooting. I personally like the idea quite a bit as its much less expensive and much more convenient than renting out an actual helicopter (to say the least).

So, I would like to build an octocopter. Before I begin though, allow me to say that I know nothing about RC devices and have no experience flying helicopters or multirotor copters, so I apologize if I use incorrect terminology.

I would like to use a CineStar 8 frame and build an octocopter by either purchasing a build-your-own kit from Quadrocopter.us or individual components and assembling it myself. I liked the idea of Quadrocopter's ready-to-fly kits, however as with most products that come ready-to-use, I assume that there's some overhead cost in the convenience of having it preassembled. So I'd like to avoid that.

Here are my questions:

1. I see that Quadrocopter's CineStar 8 kits uses QC3328 motors. The specifications list this octocopter as being able to lift approximately 2,000 grams, or 4.4 pounds, of weight. Is there any way to get this octocopter to lift a heavier payload, either by using different motors or by reducing the throttle while flying? If so, what would you recommend? I plan on using a Blackmagic Cinema Camera (weighing 5.1 pounds) with this copter.

2. Quadrocopter's CineStar 8 octocopters come with MikroKopter flight control system. I've heard quite a bit about DJI's WooKong-M. Is one better than the other? And also, is it possible to install WooKong-M into one of Quadrocopter's build-it-yourself CineStar 8 kits?
If you will start with dji naza for the first time you will get used to altitude mode that the dji offeres thatn you will have huge problems switching to mikrokopter since MK is much harder to fly so i suggest either you buy a small quadd with mk software or you go from naza to wookkong and save the truble.

3. I watched a few of the assembly and setup videos on the CineStar 8 and it seems like there's quite a bit of calibration to do once assembly of the octocopter is complete. For someone like me who knows nothing about octocopters or RC devices, will this be impossibly difficult or doable?

4. I would like to use the CineStar 3-Axis Camera Mount. Can this mount support the weight of a 5.1 pound camera while still maintaining motor control? Also, how is the gimbal controlled in a one-person setup? (I would assume with the same transmitter that is used for controlling the octocopter.) If so, how many channel-support do I need in a transmitter? I was looking at Spektrum's DX18. Any thoughts?

For 360 system u need 2 man operation which means pilot and cameraman work to gether with 2 remotes. One for camera operator and second for pilot.

5. Is there any way to get this CineStar 8 to lift a 10-15 pound payload? My primary camera is a RED Scarlet, however I chose to purchase a Blackmagic Cinema Camera to use solely as my "aerial cam" as I was told that an octocopter capable of lifting the weight of a complete Scarlet or EPIC setup (around 10 pounds) would cost at least $20K. My budget is currently $11,500 for an octocopter.

Yes we also have a RTF cinestar that has bigger engines and bigger ppowerboard that is suitable for lets say 4kg. You can check us out on www.kopterworx.com. We also build the famous SKYJIB 8 for big cameras.

If you want to lift RED with any prime lense , or RED alone i suggest you start thinking on bigger power suply board for mikrokopter and bigger engines or for DJI bigger motors and esc. We have lifted scarlet with our KW4 motors which are almost the same as QC ones but i would not fly RED on them. Not enought trust to do it for 5 min in temperatures above 20 deg celsius. U need kw8 or similar bigger motor for bigger payloads.

6. In terms of wireless video transmission for a live feed on the ground... To be honest, I'm not sure I understand what specific components are required to achieve this. I would really appreciate a list of what I need to for this! One issue I became aware of is that many live video systems require the camera to supply a component or S-video input. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera has an SDI output. One possibility is to use a Blackmagic Battery Converter (weighing 0.8 pounds) to convert the SDI signal to HDMI and then use Freefly's HDMI Converter to convert the HDMI signal into something usable.

Yes blackmagic or other companies have sdi to sd converters and those are only choice. Btw we dont power RED with red battery but we install one 4s 5000 or less battery for gimball and red power and we change it each flight. Less weight , better.

7. Freefly's Radian Stabilization Module... My question about this is basically, how do I incorporate this into the octocopter, what do I plug it into and how much do they weigh?

I do have more questions, but after reading some answers for these I'm sure I will have a slightly better understanding of this system.

I do apologize about my number of questions, but I quite literally know very little about this. I would really appreciate any help!

Also, I posted these question on another RC forum, but as of now, have received no answers (to my actual questions) due to the fact that everyone there has been instead stating that I should start off with a smaller, inexpensive multirotor copter and learn with that. I'm not concerned with flying this octocopter; only building and configuring it. If it turns out that flying this truly is impossibly difficult and I find myself unable to do so, I have a pilot able to takeover while I stand by.

So, I really would appreciate some answers. =)

I would like to say that it takes time and time to learn how to do it all and to make beautifull shots. I suggest that u start to learn slowly and progress and at the end buy a bigger kopter once you are totaly familiar with the multirotor world. FOr the batteries and charger i would buy a 3s 5000mha for naza so you can later use this batteries also for powering videostation. And dont save money on chargers so I would buy a good 1000 wat charger with power suply so it will last and will be usable for later also.

 

[kloner]

i love mine. This is as discount as you get, and it still has another 10 amp output to give. towards the end it shows power and shows 24 volts, 13 amps, that's what it's drawing. The first part with 20 amps, that's the output. Down below in the comments i write what alls in it and what it costs.

To me, the copter is just a part of the hobby, the rest of the hobby is learning how to make and repair stuff like this. Theres alsoa thread on it in the dji forum on how i built it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCVmyqRshXY

the forums driving me crazy, crashing, lagging, yikes

 

[Bartman]

i love mine. This is as discount as you get, and it still has another 10 amp output to give. towards the end it shows power and shows 24 volts, 13 amps, that's what it's drawing. The first part with 20 amps, that's the output. Down below in the comments i write what alls in it and what it costs.

To me, the copter is just a part of the hobby, the rest of the hobby is learning how to make and repair stuff like this. Theres alsoa thread on it in the dji forum on how i built it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCVmyqRshXY

the forums driving me crazy, crashing, lagging, yikes

i'm working with the server host to resolve the performance problems. sorry for the inconvenience.
bart

 

[kloner]

the 5000 mah 3s pack will work if he doesn't plan trying to use a gopro or camera onboard. if it needs that and you had to have a 5000mah, you'd have to goto 4s and that would kioll groundstation later. i use 2200's on most my stuff, but i'm fpv not ap specialized stuff

Somewhere around a stock 450 with 5000 mah anything it stops having lift and kinda goes from hover to falling within a minute of taking off. i played with that in the begining

thanks dude, what can ya do but wait it out

 

[jes1111]

The quad charger I have is actually the Robbe.de version of it. They have their own proprietary battery "logging" system, called "BID". This is a small chip that is attached to each pack. When you charge the battery, you also plug its BID chip to the (compatible) charger. Apart from storing your chosen settings for that battery (ensures you never make a mistake) it also logs the charging session so you can always know how many times that pack has been charged, etc. This makes a planned replacement policy easy to keep track of - although I haven't decided yet how many charges I'll allow the packs - they're not old enough yet to give me a "feel" for that.