This is has to be an analog build so I can play with the new kiss ultra osd goodness.
Shoving it into a micro so I'll have a lot more chances to fly it (5" is so much nicer but are much less flown due to living in a large city)
I found an old Titan DC2 frame I picked up a while ago that looks like a good candidate. without the prop hoops it fits 2.5" props which I really like the form factor of and the number of prop choices has delightfully swelled to an enormous amount of variations.
I took off the heavy TPU print and found a printed M2 standoff camera holder that will fit 19-20mm micro cams that came from an HGLRC Veyron cinewhoop frame. Might get the tips of props in the frame which I dont mind at all.
This is going to be ELRS 2.4 so will be a nice to go package in the ethix bag with T-Lite/Fatsharks/Quad and batts. It's not going to be a toothpick classed light-weight flyer (sub 70g) but is going to be super tossable. I'm estimating around 80-90g dry.
Going to cannabalize the F3 blheli32 ESC from my 2fiddy as it's the only one that I have that supports Dshot2400...gotta wring out every ounce of performance out of the Kiss Ultra Mini FC!.
Was originally going to use the Airblade Superman 1404 but they were only 3850kv which is good for 3". Probaby would have been fine with the 2.5" but I feel better running 4600kv with smaller props. Was super impressed with the Superman bearings compared to the dinky bearings in the xing 1404. Almost twice the size!
Finally finished the build. First off, openvtx doesn't work on anything other than betaflight! there is no stand alone mode which is a bit ridiculous! so then I tried an EP1 with Unify pro32. everything was working fine, bound the rx. On next plug in...pop! the EP1 fried for no apparent reason!
In the end, went to the trusty old pair - Unify Pro32 Nano + Crossfire Nano. Can't go wrong. What a waste of time. Why happymodel? why?
OSD menu is pretty awesome, you can nearly do all your set-up on the sticks. Dshot 2400 with variable PWM goodness (48khz - 96khz) Default PIDs worked great. Throttle is a bit lumpy at the bottom end so will be trying some lighter props with less pitch next. These are HQ T2.5x3.5x3. Nice and quiet.
flies pretty good with a naked gopro. Also tried the T2.5x2.5x3, the gemfan 2512 and have settled on the emax rush 2.5" for now. It's the most linear of the bunch but a little lacking in the top end. Getting some GepRC 2523 to try soon.
update 28 Jan 2022
after going through 5 different props and finally getting some Geprc G2523 from Aliexpress, I found the perfect prop. The Geprc's have the same blade profile as the Gemfan 2512 which are so spin happy and have a very linear power curve. The 23 pitch really helped as the 12 was just too shallow for the extra weight of the gopro as well as the hefty quad to start with.
Second pack into this new prop setup though, I brok an arm. it's been a while since Ive broken a frame (I have too many!) let alone shear an arm right off. The hit didn't even seem that bad. I brushed up against a metal fence and fell onto concrete.
Oh well, it was a good run. Keep on the look out as the ultra will probably go digital next time around. Hoping to keep to 2.5" but might go 3".
The final flight
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Show stores (12)Guides & Reviews
AirbladeUAV has done it again and this time they've brought long range to the 5" class! Based on the popular Transformer Mini, the new Transformer 5" Ultralight adopts a lot of the same design philosophies with larger props and more payload capacity. It can fly upwards of 20 minutes on a 4 cell Li-Ion battery pack and in ideal conditions it's got a range of over 4 to 5 miles. In this guide I'll walk..
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With the release of the DJI FPV Drone cinematic FPV has become a lot more accessible, but you certainly don't want to crash a $750 drone! The QAV-CINE Freybott is a compact, lightweight cinematic FPV drone that can take a hit and keep going. It's a lot safer to fly indoors and around people. With a naked GoPro or the SMO 4k you can capture some great stabilized footage. In this guide I'll show you..
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Nice build. How does this one compare to your IX2 build with 1105's and which one do you think flies better?
Thanks man. I have yet to fly them back to back. The IX2 is a superb flyer. meaning it's one of those that are so locked in, I'm in the zone nearly the moment it goes up. A big part of that is the familiarity of betaflight and its flight feel but the weight, KV and 2512 props are a perfect match.
The stick feel with kiss ultra is quite different and for the better. Especially mid stick and transitioning on and off power, I really like it but I'm still getting used to it as it is feels different than betaflight. As the 1404 stator volume is 23% larger than 1105, it carries the naked gopro much better but all at the cost of more weight (both motors and camera are plus 50-60g!) so I'm still looking for the right prop, actually kind of wish these motors were a bit higher in KV, like 5500 but they don't really make them that high. I think this setup is more appropriate for a 3" actually so I might be moving it over to another frame soon. The portability of the 2.5" can't be beat though.