The fun of buying used planes

 

If you like to buy and sell used planes.  Occasionally you can find really good deals. I mean, mind blowing deals.  Most of the time you don't.     If you want to spend your time explaining to someone why the plane they paid $300 for 10 years ago , crashed and reglued a few times (not well I may add) isn't worth $250 then you'll just piss them off. Let them figure it out as it sits there, month after months not getting calls.

I found this add a few days ago.  I'll cut to the chase with this one. The larger plane was something of value. It was missing a motor.  That doesn't sound bad. But sometimes the motors have proprietary mounts so if you want to keep the plane you will have to either buy the exact motor for the plane (if available) or explore the world of aftermarket mounts online and on Thingiverse.    The story usually ends the same. It's me putting the plane in the corner and spending hours researching the topic until I find a thread on RCGroups.com where someone mentions how they got two screws in with a certain motor and it's holding fine.    Anyway, before I could contact the guy someone else bought the larger plane.  The two smaller ones we're still for sale. The black one is a VTOL toy plane. No thanks. The Mustang looks cool, but its 750mm.  So, it's also in the toy league.   It took me forever to get the details out of the guy and find out that they aren't worth even looking at.

But, the exchanges were hilarious.  I wrote him in the evening one day and by noon the next day he gets back to me. 

So, he starts hard selling the plane and a "drone in a box" at 6:30AM, suggesting that I drop everything and meet him right there. My advice to anybody who wants to engage in buying stuff is that you really need to get your homework done before you meet people.  The Mustang turned out to be a $100 plane from Banana Hobby, and fairly small.  He claimed that it was a $200 plane but he had to put in new servos for an extra $100.

Yeah, not worth the gas. 

Amazon HD 10 Cheap DIY monitor

 Do you really need a monitor?

I do like the FPV goggles experience.  I like being taken into a different world  where I am cruising around in the sky for 20 minutes before gliding in for a landing.    But, my routine is to fly at an out of the way park the city has somehow allowed me to fly at.   During the oppressive heat of the summer even an hour in the early morning is a bit much. That and the need to keep my eyes on my dog who likes to wander around the park.  There are some days I would simply like to not fly with goggles.  It’s not every day, but there are some days and for these days a monitor would be nice.

Seven inch monitors are a deal-breaker

I don’t care for 7” monitors.  Yes, I have one.  They are great for testing things on the bench.  But, since I do spend a lot of time reading the numbers I need something a bit larger to stare at.   A 10” monitor is perfect.  I looked at a couple that were still on the market. They are more than twice the price for a few extra inches.



Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet

I am not a fan of Amazon. And yet, I see a new problem in letting Jeff Bezos finance my FPV rig.  Amazon has had its own line of tablets since 2011.  They have pretty much decided that they are consumption devices  and thus are setup to play games and stream movies.  Thus, they are now a bit more oriented to graphics processing power and long battery life.   What they can’t do is just about anything else useful than to be a mule for the Amazon services.   They want to make buying stuff from Amazon all that much easier. 

The HD Fire is actually really good hardware

Okay, the 2019 Fire HD 10” isn’t a high end iPad.  Yet, for 2/3rd less money you’re not getting 2/3rds less quality.  Bang for the buck the Amazon Fire is by far the best tablet on the market.  For our simple application, it’s more than enough.  And yet, natively it doesn’t run Google.  That is the major disadvantage.  I can understand if you’re not a Google fan that you may not care. But, if you use any Google apps the Fire Tablet is like going to an alcohol-free night club.  It’s okay for a little while, but you’re not coming back.   At the end of this document, I’ll discuss sideloading Google Play Services and the Google store to make this tablet actually something worthy of owning.

I do want to thank Heals Scott for his suggestion of the fire tablet /ROTG gear.

What you will need:

Receiver-  Eachine ROTG02 5.8G 150CH Diversity Audio FPV Receiver for Android Tablet

First thing to notice is the number of channels that are offered.  150 channels!  Many of the off the shelf FPV monitors offer fewer than 50 channels.  Some of the cheaper VTXs offer around 70 channels  and thus it’s possible to select a channel that the cheaper FPV monitors cannot see.  So, being able to receive more channels is a good thing.

This little device sells for around $25. I had to download an app from a link on Banggood’s website which is fine.   The Fire tablet asked me if I really wanted to install it, and it allowed me to do so.  Thus, if you don’t want to sideload Google Play you can still get this video receiver to work.  Amazon used to make you go deep into your settings to allow 3rd party apps, now, it just asks as you try to load them. Sweet!



MicroSD Card- You will need a microSD card for the tablet, one that can handle class 10 video.  Well, I do have something to say about that.  Not all class 10 cards are the same.  There are differences in recording speeds.  Samsung Evo Plus or Sandisk Extremes are good cards.  The Fire Tablet can keep up with the video. You’re not saving a lot of money by buying off-brand cards.  64GB is around $15 at the time of writing this.  

Decent Antennas-   The ROTG02 uses RP-SMA antennas.   Since you don’t have to wear these antennas you can look into some better ones for this project.  I like the Foxeer Lollipop 3.

Stand/mount-  There are some commercially available ones on the market.  I wasn’t pleased by them so I created something that would work out of wood.  I used a light stand to hold the mount.

Software Download (FUAV)-Click THIS LINK to get the free app. The app needs to be side loaded into the tablet (or whatever tablet you’re using).   The Fire 10 tablet simply asked if I trust software from third-party sources.    Just say “yes” and it will install. 

The software is actually very good, but very simple.   It will do a fantastic scan of all the channels and find your VTX. It does this automatically.  But, it will also remember the last channel you used so you don’t have to search.  It also  records video and takes photos.  When it record the camera icon changes slightly.  So, test it out first before you go flying.



What it’s like

The first thing you will need to do is change brightness to 100 percent.  Default on the Fire HD is around 35%.   You cannot see the screen outdoors, it’s far too dark.  Even when it’s turned all the way up, the reflection from the sky still makes it a bit hard to see. Thus standing in the shade really helps.  If you’re going to be flying in full sunlight, wear your goggles.

I will say that the view is spectacular.  I can read all the fonts, clearly, without glasses.   And yet, it’s a different flying experience, I can look around and see who is close by while I am flying.  I can look up and see the plane as it flies over.  So, yes, it’s very likable, especially on hot summer days.

My suggestion

I would say that you should buy everything but the tablet and see for yourself how well it fits your needs.  You can borrow a 10” tablet from someone if you don’t have one if you want to see the size. The cost of the ROTG02 fluctuates but usually is between $20 to $30.   Chances are fairly good that you have at least one 8GB MicroSD card for recording a flight.  See for yourself how it all works.

I am actually very smitten with the Fire HD Tablet.  I have quite a few issues with Amazon and handing over money to them is something I do as infrequently as possible.   To find a tablet as good as this Fire HD will most likely cost you twice as much if not more.   The Fire HD tablet line as a stand-alone tablet isn’t very good as a tablet.  It’s essentially bloatware for their services and online retail.   If you try and root the tablet it will brick the tablet.  But,  there is a workaround.

Google Play-  If you’re an Android person, you’re in luck. There is a way to sideload Google Play on the Fire HD line of tablets.  What this means is that you can add the Google Play Store and then you can load up the tablet with apps.

There are a few different videos on Youtube entitled “How to sideload Google Play on an Amazon Fire tablet.”   The information is all basically the same so find one that you feel explains the process well.   What you will be doing is downloading and installing 4 APK files in the order specified   The problem is that with each link they tend to give, the downloads are hidden so well that you cannot find your way to them without downloading crapware.  So, what is best is to copy the name of the file you’re trying to download and do a new Google search for each file. I found them easily each time doing this.  Just follow the download and install order and within minutes you’ll have Google Play on your tablet.

The tablet is simply amazing once everything is installed.  Very fast and very responsive running Google Chrome! It's a nice FPV monitor and a nice tablet. Long Range FPV I already have another tablet and the first version of the Eachine ROTG01, so I am going to setup long range antennas to see if I can get it to work with a mission flight. I want to dabble with this at first.

Product Review: ISDT/URUAV PD60

Here's  a new product that may be of some interest for specific purposes. It's a charger for your flight packs, a "smart charger" , the PD60 Smart Charger from ISDT/URUAV.  It handles up to 60 watts. which is something I wanted to check out.  I don't have high demands, but I do have some minimal needs. 

Specification:

Model No.:PD60

Input voltage: DC 5V-20V

Output voltage: DC 1.0V-20V

Max Input Current: 3A

Charging Current: 1A/2A/3A/6A

Max Charging Power: 60W

Balance Current: 0.5A/Cell Max

Support Quick-Charge: PD2.0/3.0,QC 2.0/3.0

                                       (Not supported 5V/1A power supply input)

Support Battery Types and Cell Count: LiFe/LiHV,LiPo 1-4S

                                                                    NIMH/Cd 1-12S

Abnormal Voltage Alarm: Support

Incorrect Cell Count Setting Alarm: Support

Working temperature: 0-40°C

Storage temperature: -20-60°C

Dimension: 56x85x21mm

Weight: 87g

Test:  I use 3S 2200mAh 3S batteries quite a bit.  Without buying  new equipment, can I charge these 3S batteries?

Background:  The charger requires another charger to use it, such as the charger you use to charge your cell phones.   It requires USB C input to charge and then will output up to 4S batteries using XT60 connectors.   I have learned that with this hobby I  need  all  a Mini ISB for FrSky transmitters, micro USB for flight controllers and now USB C.    In other words, have a bunch of different cables or adapters handy.

USB Chargers, read the fine print- To get the full benefit of this charger, you'll need a charger that can output 3 Amps on your USB C charging cable.  This isn't that common.   Two amps and under is what is common.  The output can also drop if you're charging more than one device.  If you're looking to buy a new USB charger check out the total output per port, and what it drops down to when more than one device is attached.  This may affect the way the larger 4S batteries are charged

My thinking is that if you're going to be charging the larger 4S batteries and perhaps 3S batteries you probably will reach the limits on this charger.

Three practical applications for this charger

#1. Charging in your car-  Bring enough batteries you can keep charging as you fly so that  the fun lasts a bit longer.  This charger is small enough to keep in the glove compartment for those random charging needs.

#2. Overnight charging-  Sometimes, I can't get to charging until I get home. With this little unit, I can have two batteries charging at the same time.  When I am not using the charger, it doesn't take up a lot of space or has wires hanging out of it.

#3. Vacation charging- Every guy knows what I am talking about.  You're planning a family vacation by car and you've got it narrowed down to five of your most favorite larger planes to take along.  Then the wife packs the car and you're lucky to bring along your FPV gear and a Dart 250G.  Space is always a premium. But, the phone charger always goes along for the trip.  Things that charge that are small are appreciated.


The results:  It did do a full charge, but very slowly.  I may have to buy a better phone charger. Overall, this is a nice little charger. It's a good value for the money.  To get the most out of this product you may need a better USB charger.  

Overall: If you are in need of a small charger and don't mind slower charging times this product is great.   I am going to use it as an overnight charger.  Not a bad little tool for not a lot of money.