The Cost of Mini Quads!!!!!!

Are you struggling to pay for your miniquad?


  • Total voters
    29

narcolepticltd

I unbuild stuff regularly
definitely ditch the gemfans... the low cost per prop adds up in the number of them you have to go through. They're absolute garbage. To be honest, as I'm working right now I've only scanned through a lot of this thread, but swapping out to all nylocs and HQprops should solve the majority of your issues.

I'd definitely say slow down a little bit for the time being if you can't afford the repair costs, but investing a little more into the right components should save you money in the long run regardless.

HQProps break when you hit something, not before :)
 

narcolepticltd

I unbuild stuff regularly
Oh another thing... If you think you had a sync issue between the ESC and the motors, it could definitely be the motors... at least the emax ones. I'd try swapping to a different set up when you plan to replace them just to see how it goes... also those 2206 motors are INSANELY heavy, and just dropping to the bread and butter cobra 2204 (either flavor kv) would cut a lot of weight and still give you the performance you're after. Cutting weight will definitely knock back a lot of the damage you're seeing and the copter will be much more nimble in turns.
 

Robbie

Senior Member
Oh another thing... If you think you had a sync issue between the ESC and the motors, it could definitely be the motors... at least the emax ones. I'd try swapping to a different set up when you plan to replace them just to see how it goes... also those 2206 motors are INSANELY heavy, and just dropping to the bread and butter cobra 2204 (either flavor kv) would cut a lot of weight and still give you the performance you're after. Cutting weight will definitely knock back a lot of the damage you're seeing and the copter will be much more nimble in turns.

Yeh man dw i am getting rid of those motors ASAP i have some new motors in the post. And i am trying to perswayed Red20RC to make me a custom PM300, but it will all take time. I don't have many worries about breaking this frame or motors because i am building a new one soon...if Red20 would reply to my emails, haha
 

narcolepticltd

I unbuild stuff regularly
AND ANOTHER THING (sorry just being dorky)... What cameras are you guys running? curious what kind of latency you're flying under.

Also, what's the all up weights of your quads, and are you flying with HD recording happening or nice and light with no gopro or mobius?
 

Ocean

Member
AND ANOTHER THING (sorry just being dorky)... What cameras are you guys running? curious what kind of latency you're flying under.

Also, what's the all up weights of your quads, and are you flying with HD recording happening or nice and light with no gopro or mobius?

We are both running the Sony Mini 600TVL Super-HAD, there's usually no latency.

I run roughly 750g AUW 4s no GoPro
 

Robbie

Senior Member
AND ANOTHER THING (sorry just being dorky)... What cameras are you guys running? curious what kind of latency you're flying under.

Also, what's the all up weights of your quads, and are you flying with HD recording happening or nice and light with no gopro or mobius?

Sony HD CCD 600TVL with 800mw Transmitters, no noticeable lag in the set up.

No go pro, Oceans = ~750g with 4S

Me no go pro = ~850g with 4S
 

narcolepticltd

I unbuild stuff regularly
yeah you guys are running a bit on the tank side with those weights... usually the pilots that you guys are trying to emulate are hitting about that weight with the gopro on the copter.

I have no idea on the all up weight on this copter in the video, but with a 1300 4s pack and 5040 HQ's on cobra 2204/2300kv it's SUPER nimble and he's insanely fast. Just including it here as I think it's a great example


I think I'm actually going to shoot for a very similar set up on a different frame very soon.. those 5040s sound like crack monsters on 4s :)

EDIT: I missed it, but he did post the all up weight (with gopro) on that build at the bottom of the description... 595g.
 
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Ocean

Member
yeah you guys are running a bit on the tank side with those weights... usually the pilots that you guys are trying to emulate are hitting about that weight with the gopro on the copter.

I have no idea on the all up weight on this copter in the video, but with a 1300 4s pack and 5040 HQ's on cobra 2204/2300kv it's SUPER nimble and he's insanely fast. Just including it here as I think it's a great example


I think I'm actually going to shoot for a very similar set up on a different frame very soon.. those 5040s sound like crack monsters on 4s :)

Yeah, we are running heavier motors and our frames are also rather heavy, more like the 300 size racers.

In the future I would like to run his setup with the 5" blackout. Still have no idea how he manages to pull out 595g on that quad with a GoPro.

We don't really try to emulate the best, we just like to think that ;)
 

Robbie

Senior Member
Yeh I am trying to find my own style....its just getting pricy :)

Funnily enough when I fly fpv we try to go a bit smoother almost like Ummagawd, but with a bit more speed and lower to the ground. I don't tend to do a lot of flips and tricks with fpv :) which is why I can get away with a slightly heavier quad.
 

Robbie

Senior Member
Narco, you might also find it interesting that Mr. Steele runs a mic on his quad and uses headphones to listen to the motors.

huh, that's quite interesting....and in a strange way makes sense, gives you a better idea of what the quad is doing...

I listen to music while flying FPV, gets me in the mood and makes me feel like i am flying...sad i know but for me nothing beats the experience.
 

narcolepticltd

I unbuild stuff regularly
Narco, you might also find it interesting that Mr. Steele runs a mic on his quad and uses headphones to listen to the motors.

orly?

I may bug him about it next time I'm at the shop where he works (he's local here). As I have zero fpv experience, the only thing I have to run on right now is that silly sim (that I'm spending way too much time on)... but I tried turning the volume down to 0 and it was definitely a little disorienting (but totally flyable and something I can get used to).
 

jhitesma

Some guy in the desert
Mentor
Add me to the "ditch the gemfan's" choir.

I've had brand new out of the bag 6030 gemfans throw a blade on 1806 motors with 3s. I've heard the 6045's are a bit better but I've yet to see a gemfan that was anywhere near as well made as any of the competition. If they throw blades on dinky little 1806's with 3S I'm not surprised you're having issues with them on bigger motors at 4s.

That could also explain some of your mysterious falls from the sky. The gemfans are so much softer they could be flattening out - just a thought.

I'd also say the gemfans could be part of why you're having props come off as well. I agree that the single direction with nyloc nuts is best...but I've also got the CW/CCW setup on one of my builds and have yet to loose a single prop off it. I do have a very hard time tightening gemfans because I tend to break the blades off before getting them as tight as I like to make them ;)

I ordered some of those surveilzone props to try but they messed up my order and only sent me one set of props (I ordered like 6) and a set of 2.4ghz circularly polarized antennas I have no need for. They said they're reshipping my order but it hasn't arrived yet.

I'm a big fan of the "FC" props from himodel as a happy medium. They're stiffer and give better performance than gemfans but a bit more flexible than HQ's so they don't seem to break quite as easily. They're also more expensive than Gemfan's but less than HQ's. (I think myrcmart has the same props but I haven't ordered from them to confirm yet.) The one issue I've had with them is that the hub is full thickness and doesn't have the dished out spot like the HQ's so on motors with particularly short shafts it can be hard to get a nyloc to fully seat. The big problem with ordering from himodel (at least to the US) is that the shipping costs as much or more than the props unless you go for the slow boat and order a LOT of props. But even with shipping figured in they're cheaper than HQ's.
 

zenguerilla

Senior Member
and a set of 2.4ghz circularly polarized antennas I have no need for.

But, the radio, jhitesma. The radio. Maybe they want you to try converting your Transmitter and receiver to SMA/RPSMA, and throw on the circ-pol?

Rather, is that something you think you would find value in doing?

I have looked at it with my 9x, but am looking, in the long term, to go ahead and upgrade to the FrySky, which, in kit, includes a 'true diversity' setup... so I wouldn't want to do that? (I don't know sh*t.)
 

Robbie

Senior Member
Add me to the "ditch the gemfan's" choir.

I've had brand new out of the bag 6030 gemfans throw a blade on 1806 motors with 3s. I've heard the 6045's are a bit better but I've yet to see a gemfan that was anywhere near as well made as any of the competition. If they throw blades on dinky little 1806's with 3S I'm not surprised you're having issues with them on bigger motors at 4s.

That could also explain some of your mysterious falls from the sky. The gemfans are so much softer they could be flattening out - just a thought.

I'd also say the gemfans could be part of why you're having props come off as well. I agree that the single direction with nyloc nuts is best...but I've also got the CW/CCW setup on one of my builds and have yet to loose a single prop off it. I do have a very hard time tightening gemfans because I tend to break the blades off before getting them as tight as I like to make them ;)

I ordered some of those surveilzone props to try but they messed up my order and only sent me one set of props (I ordered like 6) and a set of 2.4ghz circularly polarized antennas I have no need for. They said they're reshipping my order but it hasn't arrived yet.

I'm a big fan of the "FC" props from himodel as a happy medium. They're stiffer and give better performance than gemfans but a bit more flexible than HQ's so they don't seem to break quite as easily. They're also more expensive than Gemfan's but less than HQ's. (I think myrcmart has the same props but I haven't ordered from them to confirm yet.) The one issue I've had with them is that the hub is full thickness and doesn't have the dished out spot like the HQ's so on motors with particularly short shafts it can be hard to get a nyloc to fully seat. The big problem with ordering from himodel (at least to the US) is that the shipping costs as much or more than the props unless you go for the slow boat and order a LOT of props. But even with shipping figured in they're cheaper than HQ's.

Thanks man,

I will look at those props, also am going to try some of those Surveilzone 6040 props because they work out at something like 30p a prop which is ridiculously low, I am just unsure about possible inbalance or vibration issue with them, because all of the videos i have seen using them, the quads have horrific vibrations, and I am not sure if that is just the sort of people who use them don't both tuning PIDs properly or if its the fault of the props. If you do try out the props can you get back to me, because I am genuinely curious as to where the issue lies.
 

Robbie

Senior Member
Also does anyone know if Carbon Fibre props are worth it, or are they simply more expensive HQs?
 

zenguerilla

Senior Member
Thanks man,

I will look at those props, also am going to try some of those Surveilzone 6040 props because they work out at something like 30p a prop which is ridiculously low, I am just unsure about possible inbalance or vibration issue with them, because all of the videos i have seen using them, the quads have horrific vibrations, and I am not sure if that is just the sort of people who use them don't both tuning PIDs properly or if its the fault of the props. If you do try out the props can you get back to me, because I am genuinely curious as to where the issue lies.

This video has been posted about a million times, but now maybe some millionaire will set 'bruce' up on an RC FPV farm, then I can book a retreat on it... (I'm guessing from... the price-line negotia-tor, hotels.com, kayak? or maybe Air B&B, they're all cool, even the ones not mentioned... I wonder what the universe thinks of this...) (#(previously known as 'number sign') "FPV Getaway") lotsa 'dollahs' in china folks...

the reason I post is he does a flex test around 0:50, BUT, it's on the 'stock' indy-struct 5040 's (as opposed to 6040 's cut to 5040 's) ...okay, go crazee


zenguerilla may say stupid stuff from time to time, but he will try not to mis-type it...

edit: eventually, HQ will probably just dump some surveil zone plastic into their melting pot and you'll have the expansion of another industry standard.
 
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