Welcome to FPVDronePilots!
Join our free FPV drone community today!
Sign up

FPV Racing Beginner's Questions

Rad85

Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2020
Messages
16
Reaction score
7
Age
38
Hello everyone.

I have been flying dji drones (phantom and mavic) for a while but I decided I want to get into the racing drone world. I ordered myself the FrSky Taranis X9D plus SE transmitter with a battery and Wireless usb and I will be also be getting velocidrone simulator to practice once I receive the transmitter. Please note that I already own eachine-goggles as I used it with my phantom drone before and I am planning to use them if possible.

I have few questions and i apologise in advance if these have been asked million times before:

  • Is there anything i will need to do with the transmitter, once received before I can use it with the simulator, calibration, firmware update, etc...
  • Do you recommend that I build my own quad first. Was looking at Xilo 5", or should i by something like Eachine Wizard and get straight into flying, of course after using the simulator.
  • What type of charger you recommend, prefer something below 50 US dollars
Thanks in Advance
 
  • Like
Reactions: Keifie
Hello everyone.

I have been flying dji drones (phantom and mavic) for a while but I decided I want to get into the racing drone world. I ordered myself the FrSky Taranis X9D plus SE transmitter with a battery and Wireless usb and I will be also be getting velocidrone simulator to practice once I receive the transmitter. Please note that I already own eachine-goggles as I used it with my phantom drone before and I am planning to use them if possible.

I have few questions and i apologise in advance if these have been asked million times before:

  • Is there anything i will need to do with the transmitter, once received before I can use it with the simulator, calibration, firmware update, etc...
  • Do you recommend that I build my own quad first. Was looking at Xilo 5", or should i by something like Eachine Wizard and get straight into flying, of course after using the simulator.
  • What type of charger you recommend, prefer something below 50 US dollars
Thanks in Advance
1. I used Liftoff and reduced the throttle settings on the controller to about 50%. From memory I watched a YouTube tutorial to do so. Having said that, I used the simulator about three times before I went outside and just practiced.
2. I have two wizards which were probably not the best rigs to start with, apart from the fact that I rebuilt them 100 times (not a bad thing). There’s a line of thought on this forum to start with the smaller quads as they are just as quick, more forgiving and crash better ( you will crash). Flying DJI quads are extremely different to fly than a racing drone. If you are not on the sticks controlling them, you will crash. There are some great offerings from Diatone (GTB339, 349 NX) that are more than capable and forgiving for getting into the hobby/passion/addiction.
3. The IMAX B6AC charger is well priced and will do the job.
4. You will also need batteries, soldering iron and various hand tools.
5. The goggles you have linked will get you in the air but they are not a diversity set up. You may want to upgrade later to the EV800D or maybe dip into the Fatshark range.
6. Good choice of controller.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Keifie
1. I used Liftoff and reduced the throttle settings on the controller to about 50%. From memory I watched a YouTube tutorial to do so. Having said that, I used the simulator about three times before I went outside and just practiced.
2. I have two wizards which were probably not the best rigs to start with, apart from the fact that I rebuilt them 100 times (not a bad thing). There’s a line of thought on this forum to start with the smaller quads as they are just as quick, more forgiving and crash better ( you will crash). Flying DJI quads are extremely different to fly than a racing drone. If you are not on the sticks controlling them, you will crash. There are some great offerings from Diatone (GTB339, 349 NX) that are more than capable and forgiving for getting into the hobby/passion/addiction.
3. The IMAX B6AC charger is well priced and will do the job.
4. You will also need batteries, soldering iron and various hand tools.
5. The goggles you have linked will get you in the air but they are not a diversity set up. You may want to upgrade later to the EV800D or maybe dip into the Fatshark range.
6. Good choice of controller.


Thanks for the detailed response.

I was actually looking at that charger as its price was reasonable and it had really good reviews.

I will also be looking at upgrading my goggles later on.

Will check the drones you mentioned. I am just still confused whether I should build my first drone to gain some knowledge that might help once I crash or just get a small drone and practice with it.

Will check the two drones u mentioned for sure.

Thanks again for you time and thorough input. Much appreciated.
 
Last edited:
If you have the time to learn and patience to build then it will teach you everything you need to know and you'll be well prepared to fix. Trouble is, it will take you a while and unless your soldering skills are good it could cost you and get frustrating. I advise buying your first BNF setup preferably with prop guards to help with objects and crashes and go from there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rad85
I have the same transmitter you ordered and it works well. I've been thinking of getting the wireless USB dongle, but I like the fact that the transmitter battery charges while I am flying the sim with the USB cable connected. You will need to create a model in the transmitter for the sim, just like you would to set it up for a quad or airplane. There are several videos on setting it up for the sim.

I like building my own stuff and would have gotten the Xilo bundle you mentioned, but it was out of stock when I was buying everything. So I bought a bunch of similar parts individually. I still used Bardwell's video on that bundle to help with connecting everything. That said, I also have the Tinyhawk 2 indoor racing drone and it flies great indoors and out. It was tricky to get it to bind with the Taranis, since the new version with ACCESS doesn't support the D8 mode anymore. If you get a pre-built BNF quad, try to find one that works with the FrSky D16 mode to make it easier to bind with the transmitter.

As mentioned, use what you have for goggles for now. They will get you up and flying.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Keifie and Rad85
If you have the time to learn and patience to build then it will teach you everything you need to know and you'll be well prepared to fix. Trouble is, it will take you a while and unless your soldering skills are good it could cost you and get frustrating. I advise buying your first BNF setup preferably with prop guards to help with objects and crashes and go from there.
Thanks for you reply.
I am not actually in a rush, that is why I was looking at the Xilo 5" drone.
Do you have any specific BNF drone that you recommend?
Thanks in Advance,
 
I have the same transmitter you ordered and it works well. I've been thinking of getting the wireless USB dongle, but I like the fact that the transmitter battery charges while I am flying the sim with the USB cable connected. You will need to create a model in the transmitter for the sim, just like you would to set it up for a quad or airplane. There are several videos on setting it up for the sim.

I like building my own stuff and would have gotten the Xilo bundle you mentioned, but it was out of stock when I was buying everything. So I bought a bunch of similar parts individually. I still used Bardwell's video on that bundle to help with connecting everything. That said, I also have the Tinyhawk 2 indoor racing drone and it flies great indoors and out. It was tricky to get it to bind with the Taranis, since the new version with ACCESS doesn't support the D8 mode anymore. If you get a pre-built BNF quad, try to find one that works with the FrSky D16 mode to make it easier to bind with the transmitter.

As mentioned, use what you have for goggles for now. They will get you up and flying.
Thanks for your thorough input okw.
I am now leaning towards getting the Emax tinyhawk as many people have actually recommended it. You think I will be able to bind it to the transmitter. Do I need to buy anything else with it? Sorry if these questions seems silly, but I have never done this before.

Thanks in Advance,
 
Thanks for you reply.
I am not actually in a rush, that is why I was looking at the Xilo 5" drone.
Do you have any specific BNF drone that you recommend?
Thanks in Advance,

Yes the tinyhawk 2. It looks like a toy but it's a great bit of kit. Runs off both 1 and 2s for indoor and out. Super profiles from the factory , prop guards and a decent 200mw vTX for a clean fpv experience. It'll even run in full acro so allows you to practise most of the skills you'll need for the larger quads
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrmund and Rad85
Yes the tinyhawk 2. It looks like a toy but it's a great bit of kit. Runs off both 1 and 2s for indoor and out. Super profiles from the factory , prop guards and a decent 200mw vTX for a clean fpv experience. It'll even run in full acro so allows you to practise most of the skills you'll need for the larger quads
Sounds perfect,
Just need to figure out how to bind it to the transmitter. :)
 
Best thing to do is buy an XM+ mini for it and solder into the sbus pads on the TH2. It'll then bind as the X9 supports ACCST D16. You'll also enjoy better range that way too and you'll satisfy your need to roll your sleeves up and build ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Keifie and Rad85
I don't remember the exact steps I used to bind my new ACCESS Taranis to the Tinyhawk, but I was able to get it bound with the transmitter in D16 mode. But changing to an XM+ receiver as @coyote_dc5 mentioned would be the way to go. I might try that myself to cure a problem I'm having ... after flying full speed into a steel I-beam. :oops:

As for anything else that you need ... batteries, lots of batteries. Mine came with one 1S and one 2S battery, which are only good for a few minutes of flight each. I picked up several extra 1S batteries on Amazon. If I get my RX issues worked out, I'll pick up some extra 2S as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Keifie and Rad85
Best thing to do is buy an XM+ mini for it and solder into the sbus pads on the TH2. It'll then bind as the X9 supports ACCST D16. You'll also enjoy better range that way too and you'll satisfy your need to roll your sleeves up and build ;)
Sorry to bother you again. I have ordered a TH2,. Just wanted to check if there is any guide or video that shows how to install the XM+ receiver on the TH2. I have no clue how to do that. Thanks again
 
There are only three wires as it's not a telemtary receiver so it's just a pos, neg and data wire. These all wire into the three pads next to each other labelled SBUS. There will be guides and also FC diagrams showing you which ones to use. The theory is easy but doing it another story as the pads are very small
 
There are only three wires as it's not a telemtary receiver so it's just a pos, neg and data wire. These all wire into the three pads next to each other labelled SBUS. There will be guides and also FC diagrams showing you which ones to use. The theory is easy but doing it another story as the pads are very small
Should be ok. Thanks for the detailed explanation. I ordered the receiver. Can't wait to start everything :)
 
Should be ok. Thanks for the detailed explanation. I ordered the receiver. Can't wait to start everything :)
Of course the “FPV know it all” Joshua Bardwell is where “you’re gonna learn something today”. He and countless others on YT is where I started and still go for all questions FPV. I think you’re gonna enjoy the ride. Welcome!!
 
Of course the “FPV know it all” Joshua Bardwell is where “you’re gonna learn something today”. He and countless others on YT is where I started and still go for all questions FPV. I think you’re gonna enjoy the ride. Welcome!!
Thanks,
I have already started watching his and other videos. Looks like there are a lot to learn compared to the Dji drone world. Hopefully will get there one day. thanks again to everyone's helpful input here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Keifie

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
6,011
Messages
44,354
Members
5,307
Latest member
Kodax