Good micro-quad for under $16 - Good starter or indoor quad
4Banggood has the Cheerson CX-10a headless mode micro-quad on sale right now for $15.59 with free shipping.
The CX-10a (vx. the CX-10) has "headless" mode. Comparable to the Phantom's IOC or APM "Super Simple" mode. Headless mode maintains a absolute, rather than relative position. So no matter which direction your quad is facing, if you pull the direction stick towards you, the quad comes towards you. If you push it to the left, the quad goes left. All regardless of the way it's facing.
Without headless mode, if your quad is facing directly at you, and you push the stick left, your quad will actually move right. So headless mode makes it easier to fly and keep track and especially to avoid obstacles.
This is a micro, so don't expect to mount your GoPro on it, but it's a great starter or practice quad, or good for those windy or rainy days when you can't fly outside.
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These things are really great. I've not used headless mode on one but my thought is that headless mode would not teach you the actual flying skill you'd want to be learning.
@snapster I guess I consider it a start. For someone who isn't accustomed to the kinesthetic coordination of controling something with thumbsticks, headless mode is a feet-wet proposition. Get familiar with controling motions with your thumbs in headless mode... throttle and yaw on the left, pitch and roll on the right. Learn how to coordinate what you see into thumb movements resulting in what you want. Learn to convert panic mode into stop-think-act intentions. Then turn off headless mode and learn the rest of the story.
@ruouttaurmind I already have so much of my focus on orientation that it scares me to consider having headless mode on. Like maybe my brain would refuse to do the real work again.
@ruouttaurmind i got a quad in a fuku bag. best time i've ever had. the majority of my focus is still on orientation, but at least i've learned to not panic and overcompensate. my wife however has not. got a call last week. her: "remember when you kept wanting to teach me how to fly the quadracopter?" me: "Yeah, why?" wife: "well...Kirin (our son) was whining so i decided to fly it. it's on the roof now." awesome. @snapster - i assume we'll be seeing these for sale on meh soon?
of note, this is the Chinese warehouse shipping point. $19.99 for US warehouse origination if you want it faster
@snapster i chuckled at their "Return/Refund/Complain" policy: "Any Complaint and Request for Return / Refund / Exchange must be received by us within 3 days (no excuse for any reason after 3 days) after you received the product because it is unacceptable that a customer requests for a return and refund with whatever reason after many days or weeks. We do not offer "Return After Try / Fun", so 3 days is more than enough for testing. Please be a respectful and responsible person."
@carl669 so no my grandmother died and I didn't get the package for 21 days? Or no blaming the goat? :P
@sohmageek blame the goat all you want. just be a "respectful and responsible person".
I picked up a CX-10 two weeks ago. I've only had RC helicopters before, and trying to fly a quad is proving more difficult than I expected. The manual it comes with isn't the best either. Can anyone point me to some better documentation?
@Willijs3 If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then a video is worth at least a million, innit.
ok. i'm really starting to like this banggood site and their blunt descriptions of their policies:
"The item purchased was only used for *N times but already broken / run out, can i have replacement?*
Sorry, we do not offer any used product for replacement or re-post no matter how many times it was used. We sell and post customers Brand New products so this kind of request is unacceptable for us. If we could predict how many times an item can be used before it is running out, we would rather to close our shop and be a rich fortune teller to work for the rich men rather than to struggle here with you (at least we can make heap of money from the stock market easily, isn't it?).
This request is unreasonable for replacement (how could you prove how many time it was used?). So please do not place your order with us if you cannot accept the fact of losing a single spare part because we are not interested to argue with you for this matter. Please bother other sellers instead."
@carl669 agreed! even allowing for translation their sarcasm comes through great.
@snapster I feel like Mediocre should end more of the answers on the FAQ with "Please bother other sellers instead"
@Bingo @snapster @carl669 I feel like more of our Meh Goats should use the phrase, "This kind of request is unacceptable for us."
And also, "We are not interested to argue with you."
Looks awesome. I just ordered one. Its probably a waste of money that I'll only use once, but it seems fun :)
Do you have to use these in 'headless' mode?
@brhfl According to the following video, there are three modes, Beginner, Intermediate, and Headless mode.
@Willijs3 Thanks!
@brhfl I'll confirm that. You can disable headless mode.
Ugh, ya bastards. I read the thread on meh, and I've been reading the threads over here not because I have any need for a drone, but simply because I find it all interesting. But now one thread with tiny, super-cheap quads and my new, empty, nothing-to-break apartment… and I'm looking at all the nano drones. Dang y'allll.
@brhfl Go for it. They're cheap fun. Definitely not a gateway drug to big expensive fancy drones :)
Seriously, they're way more fun than the little coaxial helicopters, and cheaper than you'll find those (except of course when Meh sells them).
@brhfl @djslack I agree, they're a bit more fun and (for me at least) easier to operate indoors than the little helicopters sold here. And definitely not a gateway drone to big, expensive fancy drones. Noooo, not at all... ("just the tip, just for a second, just to see how it feels...")
I haven't fired it up yet, but today I got the modded version Morrison sold on Indiegogo. I liked the little protectors and the bags and bags of extra blades, and thought I'd mention it in case anyone else might like those. I might try to land it in my oatmeal in the morning.
Not sure if this is the right place or not, but I'm willing to do a flat trade. A mini copter (I have in red or blue) for an Oregon Scientific clock (that you have)