Complete drone rookie would love some help getting my drones running

[HighTechPauper]

That's great Noob, you will need to program the TX and you want to update the firmware on all the R-XSR's before you install them. I would binge watch some stuff from Joshua Bardwell and Project Blue Falcon (RIP JC) to get the basics of all of it as nothing in this hobby works right out of the box... even RTF sets need work and understanding before flight. Both of those guys have playlists that will help but I would suggest some of PBF's Taranis playlist items first, and then search for Bardwell and Double Safe Arming and Initial TX Setup to make sure you catch all the basics. If you have any questions let me know.

 

[RENOV8R]

That's great Noob, you will need to program the TX and you want to update the firmware on all the R-XSR's before you install them. I would binge watch some stuff from Joshua Bardwell and Project Blue Falcon (RIP JC) to get the basics of all of it as nothing in this hobby works right out of the box... even RTF sets need work and understanding before flight. Both of those guys have playlists that will help but I would suggest some of PBF's Taranis playlist items first, and then search for Bardwell and Double Safe Arming and Initial TX Setup to make sure you catch all the basics. If you have any questions let me know.

Great advice, Project Blue Falcon playlist covers every single aspect of the QX7. JC had such a simple straight forward way of explain things. Bardwell goes off on too many tangents hahaha

 

[HighTechPauper]

Great advice, Project Blue Falcon playlist covers every single aspect of the QX7. JC had such a simple straight forward way of explain things. Bardwell goes off on too many tangents hahaha

I agree @RENOV8R, but JB's video on initial setup and double safe arming is something PBF didn't really cover, and as we know programming the remote in OpenTX is not exactly straight forward for most people. I would have to bring up the video and follow or decipher the differences as I went to get things programmed and working. In my mind double safe arming is a must and the initial setup of the radio is critical to creating different models without too much modifying.

I would try to step through this one first and get the basic AETR1234, inputs. outputs, Special Functions and any mixes done before moving forward. IMHO

 

[DroneNoob]

Perfect cheers @HighTechPauper , I'll get the YouTube binge started tonight and start plugging it on tomorrow when it arrives. The local model shop gave me £100 for the Graupner which I was happy with, pays for a load of the taranis gear and I'll probably use the shop for rc bits and bobs so good to sweeten them up!

 

[HighTechPauper]

@DroneNoob, here is the double safe arming vid, try to watch them first and digest a bit before you start programming the radio. Most vids are about the X9D+ model and will need you to extrapolate and fiddle with things to get it right in the QX7 S model. If you run into too much trouble we can Facetime or use Facebook Messenger like Wayne and I have to try and get it sorted.

 

[HighTechPauper]

And remember... NO PROPS until you have proven and understand operation, once you have things figured out and are ready to test hover outside, then you can throw props on buddy. Better safe than sorry in my book as these things can cut you bad.

 

[DroneNoob]

@HighTechPauper ah great yeah the double fail safe makes loads of sense. I didn't realise they had their own inbuilt logic controller! Can think of a few cool things you can do with that. I'll keep you guys in the loop with how I get on and shout if I get stuck. Thanks again for all the advice, definitely saved me hours of trawling the interest looking for answers

 

[RENOV8R]

Add RCdiy to your favorites, it's the only resource I know of that explains everything OpenTX and every single function in every pane of Taranis radios.
RCdiy – Stay Safe & Have Fun

 

[DroneNoob]

Hello! Been awol for the last week. Uni has been super busy but been playing with the drones when I can. Kept running into issues that required me to order things and wait.

Taranis refused to connect to PC, browsed the internet for a while and spotted that some cables just refuse to work for whatever reason. Ordered a new one and it connected no problem, will configure it properly and get it updated when I next get some free time.

Set up the DJI properly with the Taranis and got all the modes working so been out flying with my friend a load last week, getting more confident with the general controls (The DJI definitely gives a false sense of skill which we soon found out when my friend turned his racer into acro mode and powered full speed into the grass ).

The 6 rotor racer: I still couldn't get the fc to connect to beta/clean. I may well be wrong but I think, due to it's age, the fc version is not supported on the current betaflight? I Decided to invest in another current fc that I might have better luck with. Worst case scenario I'll have a spare which can never be bad. Went for a KAKUTE F7 because it has motors 5 and 6 shown on the board. I imagine the other flight controllers support 6 rotors but decided I'd play it safe as it appears to be natively supported.

This leads to Soldering. Most of the projects I work on are electrics not electronics, I though I was confident soldering... That was until I approached my shiny new flight controller with a chisel tip that spanned about 4 pads haha. Don't worry I didn't destroy it, yet! New soldering iron with temp control and some appropriately sized tips and solder are on the way. Will be getting some practice on the old board before committing to the new one.

@RENOV8R thanks for the RCdiy link, was really helpful. Used it loads playing about with the tx.

 

[RENOV8R]

Glad to see you're making so much progress, I see a lot of people get frustrated when they run into issues. One tip on soldering: Go to Walmart and get a cheap set of 2X diopter reading glasses. It'll make those tiny little pads appear like they're 2 feet square!