Batfire
QUAD HACKER
Test Flight Program: X-830 quadcopter; XAircraft S & P series Flight Control systems Review
By Batfire
Is this Quadcopter the Ultimate Aerial Video Vehicle?
It doesn’t matter if you’re stalking wildlife in the Sonoran desert or filming your friend’s Oceanside wedding, the Turbo Ace X-830 Quadcopter will change the way you look at photography forever.
The X-830-Series, built by Turbo Ace and distributed by Wow Hobbies in Orange, California, is one of a new breed of large UAV’s designed to perform aerial photography with the style and ease that you can’t get from full size aircraft. This copter can get in and get that close tight shot that Aviation Pilots just dream of. The X-830 multicopter drone has the ability to carry a variety of cameras such as the Canon T3i 600D DSLR camera with ease. The X830 can climb at 20mph, cruise at 35mph and is powered by 4 650Kv dynamically balanced motors with 12” propellers. With an optional 11000mah power pack you can remain aloft for 30 minutes plus.
The X-830s in our test series employed the XAircraft FC-1212-S and the FC-1212-P series Flight Control Systems. Both systems we tested incorporated the Digital Compass & GPS-Autopilot offered by XAircraft Company but not yet available for X-830 series quadcopter. These systems included accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, barometers, and full GPS systems. The available modes offered with Compass and GPS are Norm, Atti, GPS Atti, Carfree, Heading Lock and Return to Home mode. Wow hobbies offers an optional Telemetry data system by Walkera on some versions. The X-830s for our tests also included the optional Pilot Lamp and Turbo Ace Lipo Battery Voltage Meter with Programmable Buzzer Alarm. As long as you have an extra available switch position you can integrate the Pilot lamp downed aircraft feature which emits a variety of loud tones and lights to help locate your copter.
How does it handle in the air? Well if you have any flying experience in RC aircraft or Helicopters you will have no problem handling this copter. With its 319mm wide stance, and over all prop tip to prop tip width of 885mm this is no small quadcopter. This means stability in the hover. In the Norm mode of flight it handles like any helicopter, move the pitch stick forward and it will fly forward picking up momentum. Pull back on the stick and it will stop on a dime. The throttle controls altitude as well as speed whether forward, backward or sideways. The rudder yaws the copter allow you to easily follow a targeted video subject. Using the optional CareFree mode you can transverse say south while taking video looking west and continue to stay locked on your video target.
Putting the quadcopter in Auto-leveling mode allows you to hover while you concentrate on filming. It also offers benefits to the new pilot that needs a stable learning platform. If you add the compass and gps system you can enjoying a locked in position & altitude stable platform leaving you to concentrate on that perfect shot.
On a 3-cell 2200mah Lipo pack you can expect about 6-8minutes of flight time. Move up to the optional 5300mah pack and double that time easily. For our testing we used the Vernon 5400mah 3s packs averaging about 18 minutes of flight time. I will say these numbers are based on setting our buzzer to 3.7vts to save pack life. This allowed the resting voltage to be in the 3.8+ area after landing.
Expect to pop this craft off the ground into a hover while getting use to its takeoff characteristics and weight. Like all quad copters if you just try to slowly takeoff as you would with a helicopter you will be picking it up off its backside frequently. Why? Quad copters due to their ground effect blade cavitation must be smartly lifted off to get out of this blade produced turbulence.
As you get more acquainted with the X-830 you will want to go into XAircraft Center and do minor adjustments to your gains. These types of adjustments are covered in my online tutorials for the S and P series controllers. Please visit my tutorials located here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/member.php?u=293281 Don’t forget to click the “Continue Reading” to see the complete tutorials section. These tutorials try to encompass all areas of the X-830 and Both Series flight controllers and accessories.
Is the X-830 for beginners?
If this is your first exposure to multicopters I do have a few recommendations. Consider buying a small copter such as the MQX from Wow hobbies before flying your large investment endeavor. I have own 2 MQX copters. I put about 40 hours on the first one before it decided to roust in the top of a 50 ft. tree forever. I guess that’s as good a retirement as any. I still have one I fly each day before taking the X-830 out for its flights. This way I can practice any type of encounter I might run into with the big quadcopter. It really is a very good investment, allowing you to fly all flight attitudes. It also allows you to practice flying distances out where you can lose reference so you can learn to recover your quadcopter. What if you crash the MQX? It weights nothing and from lost reference I have plowed into concrete sidewalks with no damage. If you do wear a motor out or break something on board you can pick up parts very cheaply. I once hit a power pole cable and fried the 4in1 board. I went on eBay and picked up a brand new board for $15 dollars which took me 2 minutes to replace.
CONCLUSION
The X-830 with either XAircraft Flight Control system is a formable machine. It can do any task within reason you ask of it. It can carry a large payload and the XAircraft FC can get you there and do the job needed for some of the best video and still shots you will ever take. I highly recommend the X-830 with either FC unit and with the well-known gimbal controller built in to the FC you will be taking video on par with any professional unit out there.
For more information on the Digital Compass and GPS installations for both Series along with do’s and don’ts and much more please visit my blog at http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/member.php?u=293281
NOTICE: About the Author
I am a Network Electronics Engineer for a large Telecommunications Corporation. Among other hobbies I enjoy building and designing drone technology along with testing and fixing other flight control systems and learning from the experience. I have no affiliations with any company mentioned nor do they compensate me in any manner. This is strictly an independent Testing program on the X830 with V1 and V2 FC’s that I have completed over the last 5 months. I have determined that the Flight Control systems mentioned do in fact work if they are correctly implemented and tuned on this quadcopter. The Compass and GPS system mentioned in this article are not even available options on the X-830 series at this time.
By Batfire
Is this Quadcopter the Ultimate Aerial Video Vehicle?
It doesn’t matter if you’re stalking wildlife in the Sonoran desert or filming your friend’s Oceanside wedding, the Turbo Ace X-830 Quadcopter will change the way you look at photography forever.
The X-830-Series, built by Turbo Ace and distributed by Wow Hobbies in Orange, California, is one of a new breed of large UAV’s designed to perform aerial photography with the style and ease that you can’t get from full size aircraft. This copter can get in and get that close tight shot that Aviation Pilots just dream of. The X-830 multicopter drone has the ability to carry a variety of cameras such as the Canon T3i 600D DSLR camera with ease. The X830 can climb at 20mph, cruise at 35mph and is powered by 4 650Kv dynamically balanced motors with 12” propellers. With an optional 11000mah power pack you can remain aloft for 30 minutes plus.
The X-830s in our test series employed the XAircraft FC-1212-S and the FC-1212-P series Flight Control Systems. Both systems we tested incorporated the Digital Compass & GPS-Autopilot offered by XAircraft Company but not yet available for X-830 series quadcopter. These systems included accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, barometers, and full GPS systems. The available modes offered with Compass and GPS are Norm, Atti, GPS Atti, Carfree, Heading Lock and Return to Home mode. Wow hobbies offers an optional Telemetry data system by Walkera on some versions. The X-830s for our tests also included the optional Pilot Lamp and Turbo Ace Lipo Battery Voltage Meter with Programmable Buzzer Alarm. As long as you have an extra available switch position you can integrate the Pilot lamp downed aircraft feature which emits a variety of loud tones and lights to help locate your copter.
How does it handle in the air? Well if you have any flying experience in RC aircraft or Helicopters you will have no problem handling this copter. With its 319mm wide stance, and over all prop tip to prop tip width of 885mm this is no small quadcopter. This means stability in the hover. In the Norm mode of flight it handles like any helicopter, move the pitch stick forward and it will fly forward picking up momentum. Pull back on the stick and it will stop on a dime. The throttle controls altitude as well as speed whether forward, backward or sideways. The rudder yaws the copter allow you to easily follow a targeted video subject. Using the optional CareFree mode you can transverse say south while taking video looking west and continue to stay locked on your video target.
Putting the quadcopter in Auto-leveling mode allows you to hover while you concentrate on filming. It also offers benefits to the new pilot that needs a stable learning platform. If you add the compass and gps system you can enjoying a locked in position & altitude stable platform leaving you to concentrate on that perfect shot.
On a 3-cell 2200mah Lipo pack you can expect about 6-8minutes of flight time. Move up to the optional 5300mah pack and double that time easily. For our testing we used the Vernon 5400mah 3s packs averaging about 18 minutes of flight time. I will say these numbers are based on setting our buzzer to 3.7vts to save pack life. This allowed the resting voltage to be in the 3.8+ area after landing.
Expect to pop this craft off the ground into a hover while getting use to its takeoff characteristics and weight. Like all quad copters if you just try to slowly takeoff as you would with a helicopter you will be picking it up off its backside frequently. Why? Quad copters due to their ground effect blade cavitation must be smartly lifted off to get out of this blade produced turbulence.
As you get more acquainted with the X-830 you will want to go into XAircraft Center and do minor adjustments to your gains. These types of adjustments are covered in my online tutorials for the S and P series controllers. Please visit my tutorials located here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/member.php?u=293281 Don’t forget to click the “Continue Reading” to see the complete tutorials section. These tutorials try to encompass all areas of the X-830 and Both Series flight controllers and accessories.
Is the X-830 for beginners?
If this is your first exposure to multicopters I do have a few recommendations. Consider buying a small copter such as the MQX from Wow hobbies before flying your large investment endeavor. I have own 2 MQX copters. I put about 40 hours on the first one before it decided to roust in the top of a 50 ft. tree forever. I guess that’s as good a retirement as any. I still have one I fly each day before taking the X-830 out for its flights. This way I can practice any type of encounter I might run into with the big quadcopter. It really is a very good investment, allowing you to fly all flight attitudes. It also allows you to practice flying distances out where you can lose reference so you can learn to recover your quadcopter. What if you crash the MQX? It weights nothing and from lost reference I have plowed into concrete sidewalks with no damage. If you do wear a motor out or break something on board you can pick up parts very cheaply. I once hit a power pole cable and fried the 4in1 board. I went on eBay and picked up a brand new board for $15 dollars which took me 2 minutes to replace.
CONCLUSION
The X-830 with either XAircraft Flight Control system is a formable machine. It can do any task within reason you ask of it. It can carry a large payload and the XAircraft FC can get you there and do the job needed for some of the best video and still shots you will ever take. I highly recommend the X-830 with either FC unit and with the well-known gimbal controller built in to the FC you will be taking video on par with any professional unit out there.
For more information on the Digital Compass and GPS installations for both Series along with do’s and don’ts and much more please visit my blog at http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/member.php?u=293281
NOTICE: About the Author
I am a Network Electronics Engineer for a large Telecommunications Corporation. Among other hobbies I enjoy building and designing drone technology along with testing and fixing other flight control systems and learning from the experience. I have no affiliations with any company mentioned nor do they compensate me in any manner. This is strictly an independent Testing program on the X830 with V1 and V2 FC’s that I have completed over the last 5 months. I have determined that the Flight Control systems mentioned do in fact work if they are correctly implemented and tuned on this quadcopter. The Compass and GPS system mentioned in this article are not even available options on the X-830 series at this time.
Last edited by a moderator: