Hoverfly New Hoverfly Forum is now open!!

[Bartman]

Hi everyone,
I've been waiting to check out the new HoverflyGimbal camera mount controller and in the process of researching it I've also decided to try a full HoverflyPro/GPS flight control system. I called the folks at Hoverfly to ask a bunch of questions (I can be annoying sometimes!) and they're really confident in the equipment they're selling so we'll see where it all goes.
Let's hear what you guys have to say about Hoverfly equipment!
Thanks,
Bart

 

[Bartman]

I'd actually be interested in seeing a HF Pro/GPS installation if anyone wants to post pics.

Thanks,
Bart

 

[AIRCONROB]

Ok Bart, here are some of my old pics if it's of any use to you mate. View attachment 3347View attachment 3348 I must admit the Hoverfly Pro and GPS certainly makes a better looking layout than any of my other ones.

Rob

 

[Bartman]

Rob,
Where does the GPS antenna go? I saw references to two different length cables for it. Does it have to be mounted on a mast like XAircraft and DJI?

I'm giving Hoverfly a try in the coming weeks. In talking to Al he sold me on the processing power of their FC and how they've got tons of computing capacity to grow in to as they continue to evolve their firmware.
Thanks,
Bart

 

[mailman35]

yeah i liked what i saw when i was looking for fc's the hoverfly was just to much for my initial buy in for a MR.

 

[Stacky]

I think everyone here knows my thoughts on Hoverfly. I love my 2 HFP boards, nothing else I have tried comes close.

Basically there had been teething problems early on as things have developed and some users have had battles but 2 things have really stood out for me, one is the guys at Hoverfly are genuinely great people who want to produce great products and do their very best to provide great support. Their recent RMA system for helping with faults or problems has been for me absolutely 1st class. They have addressed the issues they had in the past made huge improvements to their system of dealing with problems and I believe are heading in the right direction.

Secondly the hardware is superb and I still havent flown anything which is as good as my HFP boards. The only FC of any note that I still have to try is the Wookong.
With respect to price the HFP is no more expensive than any other controller when the list of features is kept in the equation. I just did my first fpv flight and the built in OSD was extremely helpful, the gimbal contols are also built in and they have sped up those controls. They were noticeably faster than my NAZA FC and also the CC FC. Auto Level works extremely well and the latest firmware has improved the HFP flight quality as well. A little while ago one of the CC developers watched another user flying his HFP and made a comment about not seeing any other FC that could descend as smoothly.

Another important feature is the fact they are as close to plug and play as you can get. My NAZA was very user friendly and close to how easy the HFP is to set up. For basic flight you only have 1 setting to get right.


I have only ever had one fault with my HFP which resulted in a crash, that was 8 months ago now and the issue in the firmware was resolved for me within a week. Another issue recently was a minor twitch in AL mode which was fixed very quickly.

I think the HFP board is superbly designed and beautifully manufactured, no hardware issues for me at all and the firmware releases keep getting better. I was very frustrated for a while a few months ago but waiting for things to come right has been very worthwhile. Right now I have no need to try another FC and one day when HF bring out a new version of the HFP ( btw I have no idea if HF have a new version even in the planning stage) I will be first in to buy it.

 

[Bartman]

STacky
what ESC's are you using? I just bought a dozen Turnigy Plush 30A's (Please say they work great!).
Thanks,
Bart

 

[Stacky]

I have been using the Plush 30's for ages without any problems. 12 months of use from one set that are still in a machine. I had a Turnigy basic give me a small issue where I could no longer set the throttle end points but thats been the only problem I have had apart from a couple I damaged during building.
BTW I dont have the GPS board, I have no need for GPS at this point so cant give any thoughts on the GPS side of things as I have no experience there.

 

[Benjamin Rowland]

I'm glad to have this new forum. I've read a lot of good feedback about HFP boards in recent weeks.

 

[cruiser]

I've been researching one of the HF RTFs for my first MRC for work, shooting AP. Am building a F550+Naza as my first MRC (for practice). What do you guys think about the HF Syrph http://www.hoverflytech.com/syrph.html as a beginner AP platform? Thanks in advance.


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[Bartman]

I've been researching one of the HF RTFs for my first MRC for work, shooting AP. Am building a F550+Naza as my first MRC (for practice). What do you guys think about the HF Syrph http://www.hoverflytech.com/syrph.html as a beginner AP platform? Thanks in advance

i didn't see a helicopter at that link

 

[RTRyder]

I've been researching one of the HF RTFs for my first MRC for work, shooting AP. Am building a F550+Naza as my first MRC (for practice). What do you guys think about the HF Syrph http://www.hoverflytech.com/syrph.html as a beginner AP platform? Thanks in advance.


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It's just a Miniature Aircraft Rotor X 404 ( http://www.miniatureaircraftusa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138&Itemid=83 ) with a Hoverfly controller and a GoPro Hero stuck on underneath, you could probably build it yourself for a lot less $ than the RTF or ARTF asking price. I see there's no price listed and that generally means very expensive in my experience...

Ken

P.S. I'm pretty certain that one uses the Hoverfly Sport board so you won't have autoleveling or altitude hold, while not impossible for a beginner to master it's much easier if the controller at least haas autoleveling capability when you're learning.

 

[cruiser]

Thanks for that Ken. Yes, it is expensive. Will probably build one myself later.


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[cruiser]

Sorry Bart, am not sure why the link is not working for you.


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[Mactadpole]

Quadpowered (now Hoverfly) was the first FC I ever flew with and it was really smooth and easy to learn to fly. Yes, there were lots of growing pains with firmware updates that introduced bugs but they always got taken care of. When Hoverfly Pro FC came out there were issues again but they got worked out and now the HFP Pro board I have flies just as good as either of my MK's. The only thing it lacks for me is a full-function GPS navigation with programmable waypoints. The GPS board also had growing pains and some users still seem to be having issues but it does seem to be just a handful. Pretty much everyone over on the RCG Hoverfly vendor forum seems to be real happy with the support they are getting. I don't have a GPS board, but it appears they are about to get all the kinks worked out on that one too from the forum posts. Once it is stable I think I will get a GPS board. Right now I have the HFP Pro on my FPV quad as posted in the Show us your FPV copter thread. It flies SUPER smooth and I love how easy it is to tune via TX when I change battery weight or switch between 3s or 4s batteries. The OSD is also very nice, albiet basic at the moment. I will say that I am super happy with my MK and the new firmware for the Graupner MX-20 TX. It is so cool to have full telemetry and be able to tweak settings via the TX. Once HF get's to the point where they have waypoint navigation I will reconsider the complex and limited hardware MK setup for the serious worker copters.For now, I love my HFP Pro FPV quad and would honestly recommend the HFP to a newbie or a pro who just needs a really easy to setup copter with top quality flight characteristics. I am also hoping HF is considering becoming a major player is the FAST ESC's category by coming out with their own. I have now idea if that is on their drawing board. Here are some pics of my copter after some recent updates, only need to touch up the paint job on the balls mounted to landing gear. Now if it would just stop blowing like hell one of these days!

 

[hoverben]

Where does the GPS antenna go? I saw references to two different length cables for it. Does it have to be mounted on a mast like XAircraft and DJI?

The HoverflyGPS comes with a 10-inch connector cable for the GPS antenna module. We recommend that the module be mounted 5 - 10 inches from the flight controller to reduce signal noise, so a mast is probably the way to go for a home build.

Sorry Bart, am not sure why the link is not working for you.

I have a feeling that Bart is able to open the link just fine... But something else in the link is distracting his eye. ;-)

P.S. I'm pretty certain that one uses the Hoverfly Sport board so you won't have autoleveling or altitude hold, while not impossible for a beginner to master it's much easier if the controller at least haas autoleveling capability when you're learning.

The Syrph, like all of our RTF systems, is equipped with a HoverflyPRO flight controller. You can see a comparison sheet for all of our RTF systems here:

http://www.hoverflytech.com/compare_systems.html

A note about the cost: It's true that an experienced hobbyist could most likely buy the individual parts and eventually build a comparable system at home for less money - assuming they place little to no value on the many hours they will spend shopping, assembling, tweaking and perfecting the build. Our aerial systems are designed for the professional photographer or production crew who needs a rig on-site, fully tested by experts and ready to fly when it arrives. With that in mind, the cost of a Hoverfly aerial system is very competitive for its intended audience.

 

[cruiser]

Thanks for the info hoverben.

 

[kjella]

DO the hoverfly have some kind of voltage alert like led that is blinking??or have i just the osd?

 

[DucktileMedia]

no alerts. which I think is a good thing. Go osd or telemetry. I also always use voltage alarms on the actual lipos on top of just knowing roughly how long I can safely fly for. If you can fly for 10 minutes, land in 8. But having telemetry is awesome!

 

[Efliernz]

I use the voltage OSD on the HFP but as I'm the pilot and not the videographer (and not looking at the OSD) and my r/c tx doesn't support telemetry, I use the Quanum 2.4G Telemetry unit. Cheap, and accurate monitoring of individual lipo cells (on one battery) + voltage and current usage with alarm alerts.

Pete