At just 40mm wide the Blaxter X40 looks very much like a small toy model with a bunch of blinking LEDs and very unlikely to actually fly. The kids’ hand-sized remote control adds to the whole impression of a non-functional mockup. So the surprise is all the bigger when the little guy actually takes off. It’s a real quadcopter! Continue reading Honey, I shrunk the … quadcopter
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Zaggometry: How to log your flights with the Taranis
The Zaggometry is a clever little piece of electronics which can read the NAZA GPS coordinates of you copter and send it over the telemetry link down to your Taranis RC-remote for display and logging. In other words, it is a bit like a Flytrex Live flight recorder for your Taranis. The 29€ Zaggomety was developed and is produced(!) by Eberhard Rensch in Germany. In this article I would like to show how I installed it in my TBS Discovery Pro and the data I logged during a test flight (video).
Continue reading Zaggometry: How to log your flights with the Taranis
Taranis upgrade to openTX 2.0
I usually never change a running system but I wanted to play with some new telemetry sensors and all the new LUA scripting features of the openTX 2.0 on my TBS Disco Pro. This is (not yet) an official FrSky firmware. They are stuck at some older, feature restricted 1.x version and they might never offer some of the newer features, as they consider the Taranis a feature complete product. Well, I don’t.
Lady in Lavender
The beautiful intense color of the lavender dominates the landscape of the entire Provence. The magic happens every year in early summer for a couple of weeks and it attracts many painters, photographers and mysterious ladies. Have a look yourself!
The filming took place during a photography workshop with Christian Heeb.
I did it again! 2nd Discovery Pro build
As we all know, my first TBS Discovery Pro crashed horribly with no hope for easy repair. So what should one do with all The FPV gear and not model to fly? Right. Build a second TBS Discovery Pro. It should not take too long, as I’ve documented my last build in detail (build log part1, part2 and part3). This time however I want to make some minor modifications:
- move the X8R receiver inside the frame next to the NAZA instead of having it sitting on the back outside.
- repositioning of the video antenna to the top of the frame for better reception
- Add RSSI connection for the OSD
- Put the GPS puck on the stick for better reception
Gallery: 2nd TBS Discovery Pro build
The image gallery of the first build can be found here.
TBS Discovery Pro Showreel
The video shows a compilation of shots taken in and around Zurich in Switzerland. I was flying above the clouds searching for the sun, blowing autumn leaves in the forest and flying over water and chasing cars. The Discovery Pro is a beast and a lot of fun. Want to build your own? Check out my build log: part1, part2 and part3!
Klettersteig Braunwald
Last fall, I was climbing with some friends in Braunwald, Switzerland. We have a perpetual tendency to get ourselves into troubles. Luckily, we brought a helicopter with us, which got us back down safely. Or was it the other way around?! Watch yourself!
How to bind X8R to the FrSky Taranis in different modes
The official instructions for binding the X8R receiver to the Taranis are quite confusing and cryptic. Therefore, I try to give step by step instructions about how to bind them in the different available modes as well as some background information. The whole process is split into a preparation phase, mode selection and a binding procedure.
Continue reading How to bind X8R to the FrSky Taranis in different modes
Spring in Zurich
Today was a beautiful warm spring day and I decided to do what all the people from Zurich are doing, going down to the lake. While the promenade was severely crowded, I had the sky all for myself 😉
