The Drone Thread

[Gadgetfreakloh]

Hi. Anyone interested to fly can PM me too. Thanks!

 

[blade81]

Which area do you guys usually fly?

 

[AncientOne]

Which area do you guys usually fly?

Can try Bishan Park. I have seen some kids flying model planes there too.

 

[AncientOne]

Any advice on how to train a 9 year old to fly a drone? What skills to start off first? I am now trying to get my daughter to just control up and down and she gets bored really fast.

 

[ClaraJi]

Hi all

Anyone have experience with CX 17. Tks.

 

[Quadcopter]

Any advice on how to train a 9 year old to fly a drone? What skills to start off first? I am now trying to get my daughter to just control up and down and she gets bored really fast.

umm,.... may be get your kid a tamiya mini 4WD to run amok at home first...
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/hobby-lovers-229/tamiya-mini-4wd-anyone-1972228.html

if your kid like tamiya mini 4WD, then move on to a tiny drone with altitude hold (Syma X21W or any Hubsan tiny drones, around S$50)... after that get your kid a S$17 JJRC H36 to do all the aerobatic flying at home....

if your kid don't even like a tamiya mini 4WD, then can forget about drone and wait for few years older later...

your very first drone must have altitude hold, or else for beginners it will be very difficult to control and very boring...

 

[verydisappointed]

Good day to all drone lovers and fans.
I am not a drone owner yet, but soon to be.
I have a few questions hoping someone able to enlightening me.

1) Does Singapore Customs block drone purchase delivered from overseas ?
Reason I asked because vpost stated that drone is prohibited item for importing to Singapore, but in Singapore Customs it is not. I am not sure can I purchase a drone from the US.

http://www.vpost.com.sg/help/faq/restricted-products

2) Any chance anyone know does this drone, Force1 F200W shadow, selling in any store in Singapore? Tried gearbest but they don't sell this.

https://usatoyz.com/products/f200w-shadow-gps-drone-with-1080p-wifi-fpv-camera

3) For purchasing from overseas, do we have to pay just gst 7% tax and no more hidden cost when the goods reached Singapore ?

At Amazon one of the thread shows that PRIME will deliver to Singapore, so I am keen to purchase but worried that it will be block at customs.
Thanks in advance for assisting.

 

[Quadcopter]

Good day to all drone lovers and fans.
I am not a drone owner yet, but soon to be.
I have a few questions hoping someone able to enlightening me.

1) Does Singapore Customs block drone purchase delivered from overseas ?
Reason I asked because vpost stated that drone is prohibited item for importing to Singapore, but in Singapore Customs it is not. I am not sure can I purchase a drone from the US.

http://www.vpost.com.sg/help/faq/restricted-products

2) Any chance anyone know does this drone, Force1 F200W shadow, selling in any store in Singapore? Tried gearbest but they don't sell this.

https://usatoyz.com/products/f200w-shadow-gps-drone-with-1080p-wifi-fpv-camera

3) For purchasing from overseas, do we have to pay just gst 7% tax and no more hidden cost when the goods reached Singapore ?

At Amazon one of the thread shows that PRIME will deliver to Singapore, so I am keen to purchase but worried that it will be block at customs.
Thanks in advance for assisting.

hmm,... let me try answering you...
1) Should be SingPost rejects anything with battery. Not even AA batteries.
2) Go check on youtube for more information. Think original manufacturer should be a MJX Bugs 2. blade81 is flying a Bugs 3 now and you can check with him about all the Bugs and where to get.
3) Current rules is >S$400 value you need to pay for GST. Never get any other taxes or charges so far leh... Courier guy will handle the GST paying for you and bill you the GST.



Note- All flights coming into s'pore are not allowed to carry battery cargo (don't ask me why or if it is really true). You have the following options to ship drones into s'pore:
- Buy from HobbyKing HongKong. They ship the batteries under UPS/Fedex dangerous goods cargo into S'pore.
- Buy from TaoBao through EzBuy. And use EzBuy's surface/sea freight from China into S'pore.
- Buy from GearBest, They ship from HK through Kerry Logistic. Should be under some special dangerous goods cargo or sea cargo...
- .... plus some other ways that I do not know....

 

[verydisappointed]

hmm,... let me try answering you...
1) Should be SingPost rejects anything with battery. Not even AA batteries.
2) Go check on youtube for more information. Think original manufacturer should be a MJX Bugs 2. blade81 is flying a Bugs 3 now and you can check with him about all the Bugs and where to get.
3) Current rules is >S$400 value you need to pay for GST. Never get any other taxes or charges so far leh... Courier guy will handle the GST paying for you and bill you the GST.



Note- All flights coming into s'pore are not allowed to carry battery cargo (don't ask me why or if it is really true). You have the following options to ship drones into s'pore:
- Buy from HobbyKing HongKong. They ship the batteries under UPS/Fedex dangerous goods cargo into S'pore.
- Buy from TaoBao through EzBuy. And use EzBuy's surface/sea freight from China into S'pore.
- Buy from GearBest, They ship from HK through Kerry Logistic. Should be under some special dangerous goods cargo or sea cargo...
- .... plus some other ways that I do not know....

1) So Singapore Customs won't stop people buyng drone in as long they are transported by ship, right ?

2) Haha I was attracted by MJX Bugs 2 B2W but after much finding, I discovered the Force1 F200W shadow. GearBest do sell MJX Bugs 3, I assumed blade81 purchased from them. But thanks, it's a good direction for me to check with blade81 did he purchased from other source.

Also thanks for the additional details in shipping.

 

[Quadcopter]

1) So Singapore Customs won't stop people buyng drone in as long they are transported by ship, right ?

2) Haha I was attracted by MJX Bugs 2 B2W but after much finding, I discovered the Force1 F200W shadow. GearBest do sell MJX Bugs 3, I assumed blade81 purchased from them. But thanks, it's a good direction for me to check with blade81 did he purchased from other source.

Also thanks for the additional details in shipping.

It can be air cargo, like those handled by UPS/Fedex dangerous goods cargo in HobbyKing purchase. It will need some better goods packing and goods will never get into a passenger airplane, only cargo airplane. Singapore custom never stops any drones coming in. This is more like CAAS safety regulations and no lipo batteries on planes. Today you cannot get SingPost to send out (out of S'pore) an air parcel having 2pcs of normal AA batteries inside. This is not a drone problem but battery problem, similar to you cannot buy power banks from banggood/taobao.

I buy batteries from HobbyKing, and DIY drone parts only (no batteries) from TaoBao. So shipping is easier.

Go check with blade81. I do not know how many Bugs 3 or Hubsan he had bought for his colleagues. So he should know those lobangs to ship into S'pore....

 

[verydisappointed]

Yes, thank you Quadcopter. I have already pm blade81 and he purchased it from qoo10.

Well as of current none of the singapore online website selling the drone. Purely for now is by amazon or ebay. Well the discounted price for the force1 have gone, so I got to wait or source for a better price.

Thank you Quadcopter and blade81. Hope we be able to meet in drone gethering in the future.

Going to look more about battery, as I intend to bring the drone overseas next year to shoot my hiking trip.

 

[blade81]

didn't realize my name mention so many times here

I got 2 x MJX bugs 3 with extra battery from Qoo10 (150++)
for Hubsan H502s, I bought about 5 for my colleagues from Aliexpress.
But delivery is a pain because its takes awhile for most of the items.
my transmitter and FPV googles purchased on 11th Nov, is still nowhere in sight.
Not sure was it due to 11th Nov sale that created the logistic congestion worldwide as what the operators replied me.

And buying Batteries is a pain. tried buying from Banggood but they don't/cant ship here and im not sure why.

Most of my batteries purchases from Aliexpress goes through turkey post.
They take 20 over days in processing before it gets shipped. and so far I only receive 1 of my many orders. that was purchase on 11th Nov. the rest of all the spare batteries I think next year than I can see them
EZbuy took 1 for batteries month too. and the batteries are lousy grade. because some of them are bloated and few of them couldn't hold charge properly.
I rather buy it from elsewhere. don't want to risk having a potential fire harzard at home.

as for Gearbest, my experience with them is mixed. I bought those small inductrix trainers for my colleagues and they arrive in a week. but the batteries and racing drone they were processing it for 2 weeks and not shipping them. contacted the support and no response for whole week. end up I cancelling all the orders and got a refund from it.
Gave them a second chance and bought something again. will see how fast it take them to ship.

qoo10 more expensive but faster shipping.

btw, Bugs 3 mini is coming out soon. you may want to hold on and see if they will introduce a Bugs 2 mini too hehe

 

[verydisappointed]

From Bugs 2 BW got attracted to Force 1 F200W Shadow, then back to Bugs 2 BW(as can't find source to bring in) and finally stopped at DJI Spark.

DJI Spark makes me worry as they have many fly away incidents and also I am confused with the use of OTG cable.

After reading review of all the above, I will wait for new product hoping DJI can come out a drone with longer duration/battery.

Currently when I compare Qoo10 and GearBest, thought Qoo10 is cheaper to purchase for Bugs 3 ?

 

[blade81]

From Bugs 2 BW got attracted to Force 1 F200W Shadow, then back to Bugs 2 BW(as can't find source to bring in) and finally stopped at DJI Spark.

DJI Spark makes me worry as they have many fly away incidents and also I am confused with the use of OTG cable.

After reading review of all the above, I will wait for new product hoping DJI can come out a drone with longer duration/battery.

Currently when I compare Qoo10 and GearBest, thought Qoo10 is cheaper to purchase for Bugs 3 ?

Force 1 f200w is technically a Bugs 2 rebrand I believe just with different paintjob package contents, I guess.
but the price for bugs 2 is like 300-400 dollars.
you can probably get a cheaper brushless motor drone with GPS & altitude hold drone at lower price.

User Quadcopter also flies DJI spark, I think its a good drone if you into photography and ease of control. but personally I don't recommend getting it as your first drone despite being very easy to control.
because ease of control doesn't mean it does everything automatically, u still need to know how to fly them when there is a need.

Flying LOS line of sight or flying FPV is very different and each has its own constraints. LOS is as good as your eyesight goes. FPV you cant fly sideways or backwards.
maybe you wan to get something cheap and small with altitude hold to fly indoor first. if you are used to flying LOS. if anything goes haywire you can manually bring the drone in.

For the OTG cable part. Technically the remote controller and Phone signal both uses 2.4ghz for communication. But there is a high chance of signal interfere between both, resulting in possible losing control of the drone or lose of video transmission which both Could end up badly.

To workaround that, they use OTG cable for FPV view, and remote controller connects to the drone via 2.4G radio.
Generally interference-free connection between 3 devices.

For fly-aways, most GPS drones need to calibrated every flight. and also make sure that GPS connection is good. (6 and above if I am correct)

Having a good pre-flight check can help prevent fly aways.

Just test if your "Home point" is set correctly, take off the drone fly forward for 10-15 meters ahead and hit your "return to home aka RTH" that should automatically bring your drone up to a certain altitude flies to the GPS coordinates and descend to land. (RTH altitude can be set in the DJI-GO app I believe)

If the drone acts abnormal instead and goes off in a different direction. it should be within your visual range, so you can override RTH and manually bring the drone in.

I believe if the drone fly away not resulting of your mistake, DJI will replace your drone or repairs if you sign up DJICare I think.

. I seen few examples on youtube that DJI does honor that as long there is no mistake on your part.

probably the Qoo10 local seller are not earning much from the bugs 3 drone generally most of the drone stuff is cheaper elsewhere. qoo10 is usually better if you want to receive the item faster.

 

[Quadcopter]

Yes, thank you Quadcopter. I have already pm blade81 and he purchased it from qoo10.

Well as of current none of the singapore online website selling the drone. Purely for now is by amazon or ebay. Well the discounted price for the force1 have gone, so I got to wait or source for a better price.

Thank you Quadcopter and blade81. Hope we be able to meet in drone gethering in the future.

Going to look more about battery, as I intend to bring the drone overseas next year to shoot my hiking trip.

Hi,

1) What you see is NOT what you get: whatever you watch on youtube will not be what you get. whatever nicely printed drone's spec will not be what you are expecting.

2) Drone suggested: if you are sporty type or for hiking trip. A Mavic would be better. alternatives would be Yuneec Breeze, Parrot Bebop 2, or Spark. For any dji drone, remember to get everything ready before your trip. Or else your mavic might tell you "not lastest firmware and refuse to fly" when you are right at the peak of the mountain. Some drone might not even work at very high altitude (too low air density)

3) Video Taking: If you are taking Photos only, most cheaper drones like Bugs/Hubsan could do the job. Or may be just mount/strap another 4K sports camera onto it. But it you want to take nice video, you left with dji, xiaomi, parrot or yuneec.

4) extra weight: your hiking backpack will be this heavier, 2kg for Phantom3/Xiaomi, 1.2kg for mavic, or 0.5kg for spark.

5) if kiasu: if you are that typical kiasu type, Phantom3 or Xiaomi Mi Drone will be most value for $$. Both around S$600-700. Except both are non-foldable, bulky and heavy.

6) cannot decide?: you can look for us during one weekend, should have one bugs3, one hubsan H501C, one spark and one diy-drone for you to test, try, study, check video, and know their problems. Sori we got no mavic. And all of us lousy drone flying skill, so no worries of those drones too difficult to handle.

7) any other questions: pm blade81 and throw him all your questions....

 

[FireWaller]

Hi. New to the forum and this thread. I have been experimenting with building my own drones, and I bought a kit from Hobby King. The one thing I can't get right though: the rotors don't seem to provide adequate lift for the drone. I tried changing the flight controller and it doesn't help either.

Anyone has any opinions?

 

[Quadcopter]

Hi. New to the forum and this thread. I have been experimenting with building my own drones, and I bought a kit from Hobby King. The one thing I can't get right though: the rotors don't seem to provide adequate lift for the drone. I tried changing the flight controller and it doesn't help either.

Anyone has any opinions?

can give us these info first:
- motor size (1306, 1804, 2204, 2206, 2208) and KV (2300KV, 2750KV etc)
- battery voltage (2S, 3S or 4S)
- ESC size and description (10-20A)
- Propeller diameter (3,4,5 or 6in)
- Lift-off weight, including battery (150-400g)

umm,... may be you should had bought some half assembled kits from hobbyking... so cheap US$59 nia...
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/spedix-s250q-carbon-fiber-cc3d-motor-pdb-esc-propellers-arf.html

 

[FireWaller]

I bought the S500 "all in one kit". Started off as a project for the office.
- Motor is Multistar 22112/920
- Battery is 2200mAh 3S
- Propeller Diameter: 9x4.7
- Lift-off weight include battery is about 1.4 kgs (I think)

Have changed the FC to a Shark X6

 

[Quadcopter]

I bought the S500 "all in one kit". Started off as a project for the office.
- Motor is Multistar 22112/920
- Battery is 2200mAh 3S
- Propeller Diameter: 9x4.7
- Lift-off weight include battery is about 1.4 kgs (I think)

Have changed the FC to a Shark X6

Walah!!... not hobbyist... and office job coming here asking questions.... and so big drone,... like that must charge consultant fee liow...

- 2212 920KV motor, (~50g times 4)
- Battery 2200mAH 3S, (~180g)
- Propeller 9047
- Lift off weight 1.4kg

=> By right should lift off.
don't know why your drone so heavy 1.4kg with 2200mAh 3S battery nia (~180g)
battery 180g + motors 200g =380g, you carrying another ~1kg of what?? let me guess... you trying to smuggling 1kg of gold into singapore every drone flight?...

=> suspect your 2200mAh battery cannot output that much current. Your battery >40C?
your propeller/motor efficiency should be around 9-10g/w. At 1.4kg you need about 140w. Or about 11.4V * 12A current. Current is about 12A at lift-off

Can you try....
1) Do NOT use battery, Use 20-30A 12V power supply.
2) Remove any unnecessary weight
3) increase your supply voltage slowly to 4S/17V if still cannot lift off.
4) By right 3S can lift off liow... just cannot fly properly... you can try keep increase to 6S if your ESC can take it. It should lift off at some point...


good luck and have fun!...

 

[FireWaller]

Walah!!... not hobbyist... and office job coming here asking questions.... and so big drone,... like that must charge consultant fee liow...

- 2212 920KV motor, (~50g times 4)
- Battery 2200mAH 3S, (~180g)
- Propeller 9047
- Lift off weight 1.4kg

=> By right should lift off.
don't know why your drone so heavy 1.4kg with 2200mAh 3S battery nia (~180g)
battery 180g + motors 200g =380g, you carrying another ~1kg of what?? let me guess... you trying to smuggling 1kg of gold into singapore every drone flight?...

=> suspect your 2200mAh battery cannot output that much current. Your battery >40C?
your propeller/motor efficiency should be around 9-10g/w. At 1.4kg you need about 140w. Or about 11.4V * 12A current. Current is about 12A at lift-off

Can you try....
1) Do NOT use battery, Use 20-30A 12V power supply.
2) Remove any unnecessary weight
3) increase your supply voltage slowly to 4S/17V if still cannot lift off.
4) By right 3S can lift off liow... just cannot fly properly... you can try keep increase to 6S if your ESC can take it. It should lift off at some point...


good luck and have fun!...

Brudder, mai ani kuan leh.
I thought of building a drone to mount DSLR (but if you got lobang carry gold let me know, we share-share).

Proved too challenging trying to figure out...I though HK would sort all this out for the first build and match everything for us mah.

In the end now we looking at getting a DJI Mavic Pro...save all the trouble.