Nice looking build.
Ive just finished mine but decided to go for the slapped together by a 3yr old look
Ive just finished mine but decided to go for the slapped together by a 3yr old look
550 Pilot's lounge
- Thread starter OI Photography
- Start date
This shows how I have the landing gear plates attached to the 550 bottom plate. The "instructions" with the landing gear weren't much help at all.Uncle Meat said:
labmansid said:This shows how I have the landing gear plates attached to the 550 bottom plate. The "instructions" with the landing gear weren't much help at all.Uncle Meat said:
Big thanks for the pictures! That's how another user described his method of attachment too. I am a little concerned though because those screws used to hold the arms on are not that long to begin with and adding the plate means even less of the threads will make contact with the brass inserts molded into the arms. Plus the bottom of the arms only have 2 screws holding them in to begin with. Makes just a little uneasy... I wonder if I can find some compatible screws that are a little bit longer than stock?
U.M.
Wow!!! That seems like so much additional weight added. I really don't want my flight times cut any shorter but that looks pretty cool.
I can see your point, but so far the screws seem to be holding OK. I was thinking about using some zip ties to run through the two to add a little insurance.Uncle Meat said:
If you are referring to the pictured Neewer FPV skid it's actually pretty light. The trays for the camera & battery mounts and the support platforms for mounting to the 550 are all carbon fiber. The round tube frame rails are light too, not sure if they are carbon fiber also.FangsCPO said:
U.M.
labmansid said:
The zip ties are not needed. I have that same model and have it connected with the 2 screws on each end. Recently had a crash after running into a Pine Tree about 50 feet up and it survived. The screws did not pull out. The only thing that happened to the landing skid was the cross bar across the bottom pulled out of one end. I put some glue on it and stuck it back in.
Got a question for those of you that got their F550 from Helipal. I got mine about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and the other day I received a letter from DHL, the carrier that delivers them for Helipal. In it was an invoice for around 35$, which they appear to be billing me for customs/duty charges. Did you receive this and is this legit? Just wondering what others may have seen.
labmansid said:
I got mine a few months ago but I have not received a secondary bill for additional customs charges. That seems very odd. Call DHL and see what they have to say. As far as I'm concerned, that's something Heli-pal should have to suck up.
labmansid said:
I would not pay it if when you ordered it, they did not specify that you had to pay import fees.
Customs and local taxes are not on Helipal's tab. They have a disclaimer on their website in several places. Here is one: http://www.helipal.com/faq.php
Import duties are usually up to the buyer.
However, it seems strange that they didn't charge it when it was applied.
Import duties are usually up to the buyer.
However, it seems strange that they didn't charge it when it was applied.
**** the bad luck....
So the only thing preventing me from conducting my 550's maiden flight are batteries and a charger. Made the jump last week and ordered a pair of the Onyx LiPo 3S 11.1V 6400mAh 35C recommended by FangsCPO. I also ordered a Thunder Power RC TP610C-ACDC charger. Well those packages showed up last night and I was stoked to say the least. Weather for this weekend is supposed to be PERFECT. My excitement was short lived however... When I plugged in the Thunder Power charger it wouldn't boot up or read the firmware. Just a blank flashing LED screen. :x So I had to package it back up and send it back. I decided to order a different charger and went with the EOS 0606i 6A max AC/DC Charger. I paid for expedited delivery, but it looks like it won't make it before the weekend dammit.
:idea: Can I safely charge one of those 3S 11.1V 6400mAh 35C Onyx batteries with the stock DJI Phantom battery charger? :idea: Just curious.
Speaking of those Onyx batteries... they are big and heavy for sure. I'm very hesitant to strap one of these bad boys onto the battery platform that came with my Neewer FPV skid and go for a fly. I have applied velcro adhesive strips to the top of the battery tray and to the bottom of the battery itself, plus I've got a velcro battery strap wrapped under the tray around the battery. For added safety I put zip ties through each end of the battery tray and then around the main support tubes of the Neewer skid. I figure if those tiny little set screws pull out of the battery tray at least the zip ties should keep the whole assembly from dropping like a bomb with my battery attached!
:?: labmansid - what size battery are you running again? Do you hang it from the provided battery tray? :?:
I'll post some pictures tonight when I get home.
U.M.
So the only thing preventing me from conducting my 550's maiden flight are batteries and a charger. Made the jump last week and ordered a pair of the Onyx LiPo 3S 11.1V 6400mAh 35C recommended by FangsCPO. I also ordered a Thunder Power RC TP610C-ACDC charger. Well those packages showed up last night and I was stoked to say the least. Weather for this weekend is supposed to be PERFECT. My excitement was short lived however... When I plugged in the Thunder Power charger it wouldn't boot up or read the firmware. Just a blank flashing LED screen. :x So I had to package it back up and send it back. I decided to order a different charger and went with the EOS 0606i 6A max AC/DC Charger. I paid for expedited delivery, but it looks like it won't make it before the weekend dammit.
:idea: Can I safely charge one of those 3S 11.1V 6400mAh 35C Onyx batteries with the stock DJI Phantom battery charger? :idea: Just curious.
Speaking of those Onyx batteries... they are big and heavy for sure. I'm very hesitant to strap one of these bad boys onto the battery platform that came with my Neewer FPV skid and go for a fly. I have applied velcro adhesive strips to the top of the battery tray and to the bottom of the battery itself, plus I've got a velcro battery strap wrapped under the tray around the battery. For added safety I put zip ties through each end of the battery tray and then around the main support tubes of the Neewer skid. I figure if those tiny little set screws pull out of the battery tray at least the zip ties should keep the whole assembly from dropping like a bomb with my battery attached!
:?: labmansid - what size battery are you running again? Do you hang it from the provided battery tray? :?:
I'll post some pictures tonight when I get home.
U.M.
You can use the P1 charger to charge other 3s batteries. Can't do 4s on mine.
Before I got my current charger (20 amp iCharger kit - up to 3 6s batteries at once), I would charge a couple of batteries at once using the P1 charger and the 550 charger. Can do three at once with the iCharger so there isn't a need right now but I still have them in case I get the need. ;-}
Before I got my current charger (20 amp iCharger kit - up to 3 6s batteries at once), I would charge a couple of batteries at once using the P1 charger and the 550 charger. Can do three at once with the iCharger so there isn't a need right now but I still have them in case I get the need. ;-}
I figured the stock DJI P1 charger should have no issues charging the higher capacity batteries, just might take a little longer to do so is all. Maybe my weekend isn't shot after all. :mrgreen:ladykate said:
U.M.
As already stated, you can still charge your battery with the low amp charger, as long as it is a 3s. It will just take a couple of hours or so per battery.
I don't usually use the tray at the back of the landing gear yet, unless I run a couple of lower amp batteries in parallel. I have a couple of 5500 3s batteries I mostly use, plus a couple of 2700 I have run in parallel. I need to rig up something I feel more confident with to prevent batteries from sliding out of that tray. So far I have just run another strip of velcro lengthwise around the battery over the tray to help secure it, maybe that will be enough. I think I need to invest in some more velcro, though. Probably need to put some on each battery and some to match on the trays they go into.
Hope you are able to get it in the air soon!
I don't usually use the tray at the back of the landing gear yet, unless I run a couple of lower amp batteries in parallel. I have a couple of 5500 3s batteries I mostly use, plus a couple of 2700 I have run in parallel. I need to rig up something I feel more confident with to prevent batteries from sliding out of that tray. So far I have just run another strip of velcro lengthwise around the battery over the tray to help secure it, maybe that will be enough. I think I need to invest in some more velcro, though.
Probably need to put some on each battery and some to match on the trays they go into. Hope you are able to get it in the air soon!
Uncle Meat said:
My charge of choice has always been this one.
http://www.maxamps.com/EOS0720i-NET3-AC-DC-4928.htm
I can charge my 3S 6400 mAh 35C Onyx Lipo after a 10 min flight in about 25 minutes. I always charge at 2C = 12.8 amps. I can plug it to an outlet in my house or clamp it on to my car battery when I'm out flying or racing and there's no available power source.
labmansid said:
Having had a near accident with this - my 5500 Storm battery managed to work loose from the Velcro straps and nearly escape in-flight - I've put Velcro on the batteries themselves and also strap them in. They don't move.
The near escape resulted in losing a propeller and eventually the battery since it was clawed up so much that it failed after a couple more uses. I posted the picture earlier in this thread but here it is again.
Attachments
With my current/proposed setup I'm not so much worried the battery will "slip" out from under the Velcro strap or break the Velcro bond between the battery & the battery tray... I'm more concerned that pulling just a few G's will cause the screws used to hold the battery tray to the grommets will pull out under load. That's why I added a couple zip ties as a backup with hopes that if this does occur the zip ties will prevent the battery & tray from separating completely from the platform.
U.M.
U.M.
U.M.
Nothing wrong with using caution but just so you know, I Velcro my battery (5000 4s) under the body of the F550 to the landing gear and the crash my F550 had from about 50 feet up after bumping a pine tree, did not pull the screws out. I have a total of 4 screws holding it via those grommets, 2 in front and 2 in back.
Nothing wrong with using caution but just so you know, I Velcro my battery (5000 4s) under the body of the F550 to the landing gear and the crash my F550 had from about 50 feet up after bumping a pine tree, did not pull the screws out. I have a total of 4 screws holding it via those grommets, 2 in front and 2 in back.
I remember seeing your previous post about your incident, which has made me more cautious about battery security. Doesn't hurt to remind people about the possibility.ladykate said:
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