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MultiCopter Controller Full Set
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    image

    Costs $30.

    http://www.dealextreme.com/p/kk-multicopter-controller-full-set-107408
  • 39 Replies sorted by
  • Alfi666Alfi666

    I've ordered this KK copter board and will build one... hope I'll succeed :)

  • Vertigo007Vertigo007

    Please show us pictures along the way. I'd like to learn more about this.

  • disneytoydisneytoy

    I'm building a quad copter with the amazing Open Pilot Copter Control FC. Will start with a gopro first.

  • liquidifyliquidify

    This is a bit unrelated, but the goes to show the control systems are getting more and more amazing.

    http://gizmodo.com/5888117/breakthrough-quadcopter-does-previously-impossible-acrobatics

  • Mike_CMike_C

    @driftwood Too bad they don't sell outside the UK :(

  • edwardmedwardm

    In reply @Rambo, it is sad but true - at the moment in the U.S. the use of R/C aircraft for commercial photography, is prohibited. You can still fly R/C for hobby photography, though.

    I posted this on my own Google+ page last week after looking into this - and have a link to the FAA's temporary restriction document on commercial R/C applications.

    According to aerial photographer http://mi6films.com/ the FAA has issued a temporary rule banning all R/C aircraft used for any commercial purposes, nationwide, pending the FAA's development of permit or licensing requirement some time in 2013.

    Until then, it remains legal to take aerial photos from an R/C aircraft for free, but is illegal to do so for hire (commercially).

    This rulemaking procedure appears to be due to the aggressive use of fairly large low flying "unmanned aircraft" drones, often by police, and the desire to regulate this activity. A copy of the FAA's temporary restrictions is here (this downloads a PDF): http://www2.realtoractioncenter.com/site/R?i=b-cVZxwdB9gk4SC2jK_8HA

    It appears the FAA has co-mingled the use of large unmanned aircraft with small R/C's hobby aircraft, until they sort out rules. In the meanwhile, here are the hobby rules www.modelaircraft.org/PDF-files/105.pdf

    There is a potential work around for some applications: if the R/C is tethered in any way, this is said not to be considered an unmanned aerial vehicle. Same for tethered helium balloons.

  • yeehaanowyeehaanow

    @Vitaliy No offense, but the guys with experience that are talking about all the negatives and problems are not afraid you will take their jobs. They are trying to look out for you so you don't lose a lot of money and waste a lot of time. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

  • driftwooddriftwood

    Maplins have just reduced the price of their stocked, Silverlit Spy Cam 3 Channel Gyro Helicopter, for any budding chopper filmmakers to learn on - could be a good little practice toy to learn before upgrading to the bigboys! It's on promotion until 22/02/2012 at £49.99 down from 80 quid. The helicopter, with electronic gyro for directional stability, features a built-in camera for digital photographs and HQ video recording.

  • HillTop1HillTop1
    @Rambo I dont know about that FAA letter but I live in St Paul, MN. There's this guy that flies his rc helicopters and planes in his open park just next to a district court almost every day. Cops every where and stuff. Also it's quite a busy area. He's pretty good at it. I have never seen any authority talk to him to stop.
  • RamboRambo
    There is also this to consider but is mostly aimed at commercial at this stage. Information only, not trying to put a dampener on things, so please don't flame me.
    http://mi6films.com/2011/rc-helicopter-mikrokopter-hexa-helicopter/faa-has-restricted-all-rc-helicopter-flight-in-the-usa-airspace/687/
    http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/digital-video-industry-news/145993-rc-aerials-illegal-says-faa.html
  • onlocationonlocation
    And here is an example of what a conventional R/C heli can produce. There is no way I could have made some of these moving shots as smoothly with a current multicopter platform.


  • onlocationonlocation
    @Vitaliy_Kiselev You are right on many accounts.

    >My understanding is that it needs many sensors, GPS, some heigh measurement approach.

    There are many different sensors that do different things, different flight controllers are designed to work with or without different sensors.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    >equipment doesn't make you cinematographer nor photographer, it's a start point, buying a Red Epic doesn't make you Peter Jackson so competitors won't grow up as fast as mushrooms in a forest..

    You are wrong here.
    Equipment doesn't make you anything, but the cheaper and more accessible good equipment is, the more people start to learn something and start to compete in some niches using this equipment.
    I have some talks with video guys (doing small commercials, weddings, etc), etc and competition in low end, and now in the mid end is fierce.
    You can also check your local music market. Most of the guys will work for free.

    Last time I checked aerial community, safety had not been 80%, or even 95%, of their talks, as it is in yours :-)

    >I'll probably be already in a different new market..

    In which one?

    >plus if there is nobody you are probably in the wrong business.

    Probably you are in exactly right business in this case :-)
    Normally, it is always called an ideal situation :-)

    >it's good to have competitors, you increase your product quality, optimize the job !

    This is common words. People do not think in the same way. At least I don't know anyone who said this words after he lost his job or big contract. Their words had been something like "Fuck this young fucking motherfuckers! Damn bastards!" Yep. Just longer :-)

    >has no sense to explain this in a public forum and I rather close this topic here.

    Why not?
    Are you explaining this regularly in the private forums?


  • robbie75vrrobbie75vr
    hey it's snowing in this forum !
  • robbie75vrrobbie75vr
    @Vitaliy

    equipment doesn't make you cinematographer nor photographer, it's a start point, buying a Red Epic doesn't make you Peter Jackson so competitors won't grow up as fast as mushrooms in a forest.. uav company will grow up quickly because there are tons of beginners crashing stuff and buying again and again...

    About safety topics, it's not too late, the aerial photographers community have some self regulation documents, we discuss about safety online a lot, main manufacturers limits via software the max distance flyable based on what kind of licence you buy, dividing the helicopter market in hobby use and pro use.. electronic will be always safer obviously and I can only be happy about that, manufacturers design products side by side with us, that's also good. (if only Panasonic would do the same with us...)

    I already have many competitors as photographer, less as video makers, even less with aerial video operator, when this market will be saturated I'll probably be already in a different new market.. doesn't matter ;-) and it's good to have competitors, you increase your product quality, optimize the job ! plus if there is nobody you are probably in the wrong business.

    About terrorism, well I'm not expert about that but I know what these toys can do, and it's much more than what you can do with a car but has no sense to explain this in a public forum and I rather close this topic here.
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    @robbie75vr

    >protect my work category.

    It looks exactly this.
    But I think it is too late :-)
    Controllers are improving fast, doubling and backup batteries will be implemented.
    And yes, many guys will start to compete with you for your job.
    Bunch of young motherfuckers.
    Live with it.

    I also think that for you it is just only some sad work that you really don't like it.

    >you can potentially do any terrorism act with a drone

    Yes, you can. But it is extremely hard.
    I also can get $100 car in secondhand store and kill many people with it in a matter of minutes.
    So, we certainly must ban all the cars.
  • robbie75vrrobbie75vr
    The point is that UAV drones are not totally legal in many countries, if the mass start thinking that flying uav drones safely is easy, we'll have an exponential increase of accidents and laws will be even more restrictive, so I try to share the correct message and protect my work category. So I advise people, don't think it's a toy you fly in the sky without consequences, it's serious stuff when you fly cameras out of a flying field, you can do it, it's a lot of fun and very creative but it's not a weekend hobby.

    It's like laser pointer, it was a toy when first came out, then some people started to laser pilots in final approach and now it's illegal, the world is full of retards... Now laser are sold under specific licence for specific use. Drones should be the same in my opinion, you can potentially do any terrorism act with a drone and severe injures to people, even kill for a stupid mistake. A rc helicopter blade will made your car's door in 5 slices before stopping.
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    @robbie75vr

    I had been wrong that you listed all the dangers. :-)

    Are you really like that you are doing?
    As it is usual for people who love their hobby to inspire other people.
    Not to start telling them all the horrors and no positives.
  • robbie75vrrobbie75vr
    @Vitaliy_Kiselev

    no that's the problem, you can't imagine without experience.

    Nothing it's 100% safe , but there is a lot of difference flying 95% safe or 10% safe... a difference that depends from the factors I mentioned above. sometime that 10% difference is the difference from freeman to jail. Go and try out yourself ;-)

    Copters are "flybywire", you don't fly the copter, you tell it where to go. Crashes are 99% components malfunctions, not piloting errors. If you fly beyond visual range then it's a different story, you can crash also because of video downlink failures, midair collision with real airplanes, paragliders, birds, trees...

    Electronics can also fly back home the copter in case of signal losss, but they don't see obstacles in the back home path, this is a limitation for many reason..



  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    @robbie75vr

    I think you listed all the dangers that could happen. :-)

    Nothing is 100% safe.
    But from my very limited perspective as they guy who tracks this field for few years, I see huge progress.
    Controllers must take 90% of the work from the pilot and allow to avoid crashed even in the case of sudden interference or radio connection problems.
  • robbie75vrrobbie75vr
    @Vitaliy_Kiselev
    there are 3 danger factors to consider:

    1- quality of electronics, you can do everything right but sometime components burn and you have a falling rock from the sky (I recently made 3k € damage on a 15 seconds flight for a component fail, high end component, not toy)

    2- quality of assembly, most of the crashes depend on the quality of assembly quality, not easy stuff thrust me.

    3. quality of pilot, you can have a perfect copter but you gotta know how to fly it, example: you are a perfect pilot with a perfect copter, flying on the side of a road, a DHL van stops in front of you asking for direction, you loose eye contact with the copter and maybe radio contact too, 10 seconds and you can kill someone.... there are many situations like these that requires simple experience to be avoided, that's why I suggest to go step by step.

    There are already sensors that control the copter's attitude/altitude/gps position, they are still not 100% safe, they have a considerable cost and sometime they fail, causing crash. So many precautions have to be considered while flying. It's all about the safety standard you want when you fly over your customer.. if you want high standard it's very difficult, if you fly by yourself to shoot in open fields then it's easier, but remember a crash can cause explosion and fire of LIPO batteries, suppose you crash the copter in a forest and you need 10 minutes to reach the helicopter.. that would be a bad situation.
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    @robbie75vr

    Thanks for explanation.

    Do you know if we are far from the time then computer on board of such drones could keep it steady and allow you to fly them without big danger?
    My understanding is that it needs many sensors, GPS, some heigh measurement approach.
    But it can be done.
    I think that sensors and controllers made such drones much more popular lately (of course also cheaper parts and better power options).
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    >Also you need lots of money, besides an controller you need a lots of other stuff!!

    Like money to replace your crashed cameras and quad copters :-)
  • AmandaNLAmandaNL
    I had once a dream to make 360 photos in the air.... ( I already make "normal" 360 photos http://www.studioamanda.nl/360/ )
    So I bought a Mikado 500 heli and did a 3 day course to get a certificate for flying.
    At the end I could make small flights but not high enough so I sold everything.

    An quad copter should fly more easy but I think there still a steep learning curve for a beginner.
    Also you need lots of money, besides an controller you need a lots of other stuff!!
  • robbie75vrrobbie75vr
    Drones are easy to fly for an experienced rc pilot, hard to fly for a novice, very hard to be flow safely for a very experienced rc pilot with a good understanding of electronics/soldering/mechanic/build skills/mantainance skills.... (long list). I fly since 1990 and believe me I saw many many auto declared expert pilot making incredible damages or injuries to themself or others.

    These are not toys, you need a licence to operate video transmission and you need to understand perfectly how to set it up, how to fix vibration issues, how to manage batteries, chargers, complex radio controllers .. Its not a list that will put you in the market. It takes one year to learn the basic stuff, two years to begin shooting decent footage.

    My suggestion is to start with light copters and fly for a season in a open field, make an rc insurance at a flying field (and fly there, not in your car park, fly with an expert pilot that will teach you with a trainer radio connected to your radio (double controls..), it takes a second to crash it on a car and cut a hole on the top, or crash on someone and kill him.

    For beginner RTF (ready to fly) copters you can see GAUI copters website, they are low price, fly well, no need to be very expert to begin, and can fly a gopro or small cameras like Pana LX5 or similar. for video transmission there are many shops, in USA you have www.rangevideo.com offering a wide range. These are no PRO copters but it very good to learn the piloting, and low mantainance costs.. For PRO copters if you start from zero expect about 6k to 30k $ depending on the setup, but do not start with these if you have no experience, you'll crash it in less than a minute. Other pro classic helicopters machines are available at www.photoshipone.com (very high end).

    The main forum for these machines is rcgroups, this is the specific forum category: http://www.rcgroups.com/multi-rotor-helis-659/ , my nickname there is zaGURUinzaSKY.
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