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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…
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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…
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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…
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How to use INAV Autotune
Autotune is a feature in the INAV flight controller firmware that helps automatically tune PID settings for fixed-wing aircraft. It simplifies the tuning process by adjusting roll, pitch, and yaw rates based on flight behavior. How It Works: Autotune (or Auto Tune) that is present in INAV for quite a long time is a working…
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What is Betaflight 3.5 Feedforward and how to use it
Betaflight 3.5 is just around a corner and it brings new cool things. There is no more Dterm setpoint weight and Dterm setpoint transition (relaxation ratio). They all were replaced by easier to understand Derivative and Feedforward (Feed Forward when you refer to the control theory tho). Betaflight Derivative and Feedforward parameters are the new…
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Soldering, rosin, flux and a Stannol x32-10i flux pen
If you really really want, you can solder without flux. But it is a painful experience. Almost all modern solders have flux integrated into its core. And as long as you do not try to solder anything big, it’s enough. Of course, sometimes it is not enough and you have to help yourself with additional…
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INAV Configurator starts minimized and how to fix it
This is one of the most frequently reported things about every new version of INAV Configurator: from time to time, it starts minimized and it can not be made visible. It is a bugger connected with a fact that INAV Configurator does not have an installer. It’s just “download and run” and after releasing a…
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How to use INAV Autotrim function – since you should do it
INAV Autotrim is a feature in the INAV flight controller firmware that helps automatically adjust servo midpoints for fixed-wing aircraft. It ensures that the control surfaces are properly trimmed for level flight, making manual mode transitions smoother. This is one of the most useful INAV functions for fixed wings! Servo autotrim solves the problem of…
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ZOHD Nano Talon FPV Airplane, part 2
After a maiden, I’m not very happy… Nano Talon is quiet, efficient and small. But flight performance is not overwhelming. Even quite far good. Let’s say it’s OK. But the worst thing is that I crashed mine due to hardware failure. ZOHD, where is quality control? This should not happen.