Author Topic: Quadcopters for camera use (Read 25493 times)

andygates · « **Reply #25 on:** 22 March, 2014, 07:09:19 pm »

Welp, that's gone. Either it's utterly invisible, or it came down after Wednesday lunchtime and has since done a runner; either way with a few days heavy weather over it, it'll be a bit of heavy repair to fix.

Shopping time!

...the camera I'll replace immediately; I was so impressed with it (and they're on sale at fifty quid, and there's a special this weekend (code 5%offyay!)). I want to kite that camera as well as droning it.

Pingu · « **Reply #26 on:** 22 March, 2014, 11:12:12 pm »

Have you checked Chinese satellite imagery?

andygates · « **Reply #27 on:** 23 March, 2014, 04:41:29 pm »

I asked, but they didn't respond in case it gave away their capabilities.

What I did just do was hook up with another local flier who took his quad up round and over the tree to have a look. It's a DJI Phantom, and now I have brutal upgrade fever because it's an absolute peach. Finding would be a restoration job now anyway... marf.

clarion · « **Reply #28 on:** 23 March, 2014, 09:46:09 pm »

Quote from: andygates on 22 March, 2014, 07:09:19 pm

Welp, that's gone.

Oh bugger.

andygates · « **Reply #29 on:** 23 March, 2014, 09:54:44 pm »

Local quad flier did a blinder today:

So, it IS still up there. Light the Mission Impossible fuse! But his quad was so sweet, and mine might be so weather-damaged, that the upgrade fever still applies.

Charlotte · « **Reply #30 on:** 23 March, 2014, 10:09:13 pm »

Ready the kitten trebuchet!

clarion · « **Reply #31 on:** 24 March, 2014, 07:39:07 pm »

Looks like a job for Thunderbird 2!

air dancer · « **Reply #32 on:** 24 March, 2014, 07:57:40 pm »

Tried the local firestation?

It'll make a change from fire, smoke and rescuing dippy cats.

andygates · « **Reply #33 on:** 24 March, 2014, 09:02:04 pm »

The bloke who took those shots has gone and parked HIS on a nearby roof now.

Quads: lose 'em and crash 'em. The takeaway seems to be "learn on something little and cheap" before strapping sexy cameras to a grand of aerial strimmer. So I'm getting a Hubsan X4 on payday.

clarion · « **Reply #34 on:** 25 March, 2014, 08:04:12 am »

It's an intermediate stage. Soon, they will be sentient, and able to take over the world, subjugating us puny humans. But, for now, they are like toddlers who think they can walk, but fall over and bang their head when they let go of the sofa.

Vince · « **Reply #35 on:** 25 March, 2014, 08:12:50 am »

Quote from: andygates on 23 March, 2014, 09:54:44 pm

Not conclusive, it could be a 777 wing as far as I can see.

andygates · « **Reply #36 on:** 29 March, 2014, 03:29:06 pm »

Well, I picked a trainer micro quad and tiny camera and holy crap, the Parrot was doing a LOT of the heavy skill lifting.

(The Parrot has an "altitude" control where regular RC has a "throttle"; tell it to go "up" and it goes up and tries to hold that spot, applying and lifting throttle automagically. It is truly toyishly easy to control. And now I shall crash this little fella a dozen more times...)

andygates · « **Reply #37 on:** 31 March, 2014, 07:41:49 pm »

I kinda sorta hired a crane.

Regular cherry pickers are too small by half. Turns out there are big-enough ones, but you're never hiring one for silly use unless you luck out on their work schedule. So, I've been frantically filling out paperwork and tomorrow an Obliviax SkyTyrant 9000* comes along to EAT THAT TREE.

* Iveco SkyKing, I think. 22m arm on a 5t flatbed. Take that, shrubbery.

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #38 on:** 31 March, 2014, 09:10:09 pm »

I've been in a very big cherrypicker. They sway quite a lot at full extension and in even a mild breeze.

andygates · « **Reply #39 on:** 01 April, 2014, 08:58:31 pm »

He found it!

Looks like the main board shorted at the power terminals with water ingress (there is no remote power-off, and shutdown power still has plenty of juice), but the rest is okay. It's all buried in rice for a couple of days, like the biggest ipod ever.

Meanwhile I'm playing with the tiny!quad, which will carry a keychain camera but is really just for dicking about, er, learning flight skills.

andygates · « **Reply #40 on:** 03 April, 2014, 07:25:38 pm »

It's alive!

The shorting-goo scrubbed off, and the thing booted up just fine. Most quads are modular because they take damage. So I took it all apart and stuck it in a huge tub of rice:

And two days later, it flies!

So back to photography. And next payday, a GPS to make it hold station when it's too high for the bellycam.

frankly frankie · « **Reply #41 on:** 14 April, 2014, 06:46:08 pm »

We need a smaller camera ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26081448

Charlotte · « **Reply #42 on:** 22 April, 2014, 10:37:38 pm »

Wheat happens when you send a dronecam into a fireworks display:

http://petapixel.com/2014/04/22/slow-motion-aerial-video-takes-inside-fireworks-show/

Tewdric · « **Reply #43 on:** 22 April, 2014, 11:04:58 pm »

Andrij · « **Reply #44 on:** 02 May, 2014, 09:51:05 pm »

Looking for a new camera? Seen what the LOHAN team has been testing?

Jaded · « **Reply #45 on:** 02 May, 2014, 11:20:01 pm »

That looks like the rig that went up with Heston Blumenthal's potato.

andygates · « **Reply #46 on:** 12 May, 2014, 10:30:26 pm »

The AR Drone 3 - aka Bebop - is being previewed. Probably priced between the DJI and the Drone 2.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/11/5707764/parrot-bebop-drone-ar-drone-promises-long-range-missions-and-clear-video

clarion · « **Reply #47 on:** 13 May, 2014, 10:19:51 am »

That looks ultracool.

Ham · « **Reply #48 on:** 03 January, 2015, 10:05:23 am »

I am sooooo tempted

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/torquing/zano-autonomous-intelligent-swarming-nano-drone

Jakob · « **Reply #49 on:** 12 January, 2015, 06:03:08 pm »

Quote from: Ham on 03 January, 2015, 10:05:23 am

I am sooooo tempted

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/torquing/zano-autonomous-intelligent-swarming-nano-drone

Brushed motors? They promise the world and are using brushed motors?

Author Topic: Quadcopters for camera use (Read 25493 times)

Jakob