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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!
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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 (or Auto Tune) that is present in INAV for quite a long time is a working solution for tuning PID (or rather PIFF) controller used by INAV on fixed wings (all airplanes, flying wings). Not like all the attempts designed for multirotors, this one actually works. INAV Autotune can be used on any airplane…
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Two things that you HAVE TO change in Betaflight (3.4 and 3.5)
After weekend tests of Betaflight 3.5 and some discussions with Betaflight developers, here are two things you have to (yes, have to) change in Betaflight 3.4 and 3.5 if you did not did that yet. Worth to do it!
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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…