QuadMeUp

  • Get your Blackbox logs from SD Card with a USB cable – Betaflight MSC

    SD cards are cool: cheap, reliable, a lot of space and you can remove them from the drone and read on a PC. But sometimes, it’s really hard to take them out. Either SD slot is in a strange place, or FC is oriented in a strange way or an FC designer has put an…

  • iRangeX iRX-IR8M external antenna mod

    Oh boy, I had high hopes for iRangeX iRX-IR8M. Got disappointed badly. So, to make it a little better, let’s get our hands dirty and install an external antenna using an SMA pigtail. Maybe it will make this not so cheap s**t a little better! So let’s have a nice talk in a workshop and…

  • Matek SAM-M8Q and SAM-M8Q Compass GPS modules hands on

    You might say that UBLOX NEO-M8N (Beitian BN-880 for example) is the workhorse on INAV and other drones with GPS functions. It is reliable, well know and proven. But it is also big and heavy. So why not try something new? Matek did tried something new and just provided me with two brand new GPS…

  • INAV Wind Estimator

    INAV 2.0: Wind estimator. What does it do? Tries to estimate the speed of the wind (obviously) as well as wind direction. Let’s be honest, it’s experimental and relays only on the difference of predicted and actual flight path. So do not even try to think it will give accurate measures. But my tries says…

  • Just flying: INAV 2.0 on a 7 inch long range cruiser

    One of the first videos recorder with my 7-inch endurance quadcopter based on iFlight XL7 v2 frame. Since that evening I have changed a few things and now this 7″ drone flies better. But’s let’s keep a track how it was back then:

  • How to solder 18650 Li-Ion batteries – video tutorial

    All 18650 Li-Ion batteries are hard to solder. Well, not only 18650 but all nickel plated metal elements can be very hard to solder. But only if you do not have the proper tools. In this case, proper flux: soldering acid. Forget about sanding, scratching and other voodoo. There is a better way!

  • Getting started with 18650 Li-Ion batteries

    18650 Lithium-Ion batteries are the workhorse of modern consumer (and not only consumer) technology. If you have anything that is battery operated and there is a “Li-Ion” mark anywhere on it, probably it is powered by 18650 Li-Ion battery. Laptop batteries, cordless drills, cordless tools, e-cigarettes. All of them (probably) have 18650 cells inside. In…

  • My Reptile S800 Sky Shadow flying wing

    I am fully aware that Reptile S800 Sky Shadow EPP flying wing is not a fresh topic. It is on the market for much more than a year and the internet is full of reviews. So it will not be a review. I will only say that I like S800 very much. Much much, much…

  • iFlight XL7 v2 7-inch endurance quadcopter

    7-inch drones are “special”. They are not as smooth as 5 inchers but they shine in terms of range. Cruising speed of 50km/h, 8 minutes of flight and it easily can fly a distance of 5 kilometers before the battery runs dry. I never really flew it that far, but it should be doable with…