Walkera Runner 250 FPV bundle

@ruouttaurmind I felt that way when I flew the qav250 that we built as a group. It was way too fast. When I first flew it I launched it over the house and it landed on the roof. After retrieving it I smacked it into the side of the garage. :)

@garyhgaryh In an unusual twist of events, Gary crashed his before I did. :-)

So I have 2 Devo7 transmitters. Well, now a third including the one that came with this Runner 250. So when I tried to fly this thing last night, I mistakenly grabbed the wrong Devo7 and was flying with one that was configured for a different model. This morning I tried a hover test on my back patio with the correct Devo7, the one that's been properly configured for the Runner 250. Also, I double-checked my COG and battery placement, and moved the battery a bit more towards the rear. No problem keeping a 6 inch hover. Even with the correct transmitter profile on the Devo7, the controls are pretty touchy. I think I'll knock down the sensitivity a bit until I get used to flying this thing.

Anyhoo... after the wind dies down a bit I'm headed back to the park for a proper test and maybe a quick FPV experiment.

@garyhgaryh Procrastination saved you some dosh! You've still got your little 250, so when we form the Drone.Horse racing league, you'll still be able to play.

@ruouttaurmind I'm in! Ordered one.

@garyhgaryh You, my friend, are afflicted! And trust me, I recognize the symptoms. LOL!

@fultonmartin I was also using my CX-20 battery since it was already charged. Today I will check my TX trims, verify all the recommended settings and try again.

If I can get it to hover as smoothly as the one in the video above, I'll give the goggles a shot. Nice, slow, controlled circuits and strafing runs until I get used to how it handles. I just received a camera and VTX for my ZMR250, so I'll have another one to compare the FPV experience to.

@ruouttaurmind I got the FPV camera for my zmr 250 but didn't install it yet (like the walkera 3D gimbal on my p1 - haven't installed yet). These hobbies keep me buying parts with no time to install them.

@garyhgaryh Have you taken your P3 up yet?

@ruouttaurmind Lol. No! I just cancelled my order for the walkera 250 :(.

@garyhgaryh Nooooooo! Dang man, you're outta da gang. ;-)

@ruouttaurmind I'm sadden :(. lol. Now I'm debating if I should reorder. I'm so confused. Too many interest and not enough mula.

@ruouttaurmind all you need to do is stick a strip of Velcro on your battery under the strap that holds the battery to the tray. The battery won't slide past the Velcro. That's what I did with the zmr250.

@garyhgaryh There's really nothing to keep the battery strap in place. Walkera includes a piece of rubber you can stick onto the battery to help keep it from sliding around. but for five bucks, I'm going to order the upgraded battery tray. Much more secure, and I won't have to have rubber strips stuck to every battery I want to use on this thing.

@ruouttaurmind Velcro tape! That's what I use one my dual battery setup on the p1 to hold them from moving. As well as my bug build. Basically stick the furry side to all batteries and the rough side to your craft where ever you need it to stay.

@DJMajickMan I wish everyone followed the same convention. Back in the day when I flew Zagi combat I'd go soft side battery and hook side plane, if for no other reason than that you hold batteries, so why not hold the soft part?

I had a friend who would want to borrow a pack, but did his Velcro the opposite way. So when he took my pack he would end up with lesbian Velcro, which doesn't work at all.

@ruouttaurmind Upgraded battery tray would be ideal.

@djslack haha lesbian velcro. That made me chuckle.

@sportykev Sweet! I'm anxious to hear your thoughts on it.

@ruouttaurmind The Devo alone is overwhelming. So many more dials/switches. So... I don't fly this in my backyard? LOL

@sportykev Well, after I fussed with mine and realized I had the wrong Devo7 transmitter, plus shifting the battery back a bit, I was able to do a controlled hover without much effort.

Seeing your back yard in the videos, I bed you'll be able to fly there well enough.

I can't begin to tell you how much difference it makes to have that battery in the right spot. And you can only establish "right spot" by holding the Runner at COG (little tabs on the top plate, between the VTX antenna and the RX antennas). Hold it by those little tabs and check your balance. Shift the battery forward or back until you get a good level balance.

Oh, speaking of antennas... don't forget unfold the RX antennas before you try to fly. The rotors will snag on them and possibly break the antenna mounts and/or cut the wires.

@ruouttaurmind sweet, thanks for the free tips. batteries all charging. I thought this set came with OSD? I don't see an OSD controller unless I'm blind. I'm not one for reading manuals, so, I'm just gonna DO IT! Sad it doesn't come with spare props

@sportykev It comes with the OSD module. This inserts the OSD overlay into the FPV video stream. But you'll need to use your VRX monitor to see it.

@sportykev If you wanna fuss with it while your battery is charging, just use your P1 battery. You can power it up and see the FPV camera transmission and OSD. Hand-fly it around the house and get a feeling for the camera characteristics, and maybe optimize your VRX monitor settings to get the best image from your camera.

@ruouttaurmind it's been charging forever. Can I use the balance charger that came with my P1? Though, I don't know what would be safe, however, I usually set it to 1A anyway.

@sportykev Absolutely you can. It's basically the same battery. Same technology, same specifications.

@sportykev yes, you can use the P1 charger or anycharger that charges a 3s lipo battery.

@garyhgaryh @ruouttaurmind word.

@sportykev Kev, I need your mailing addy. I have something for you. There’s no PM here in the forums, so what’s the best way to get your info?

@ruouttaurmind don’t send me the inspire, that’s too generous!! Have Twitter? I’m @kevin_mui

@sportykev HA! Funny guy!

I don’t do social media, so no Tweeter for me. Hit me up at this CL posting and I’ll get your deets via email.

@ruouttaurmind also, I was thinking I could just slap 2 layers worth of double sided 3M foam tape and stick it in the tray area as a boundary so that the battery cannot move any more forwardzzz.

@sportykev It's not really an "aftermarket" part, it's an OEM part made by Walkera for the latest iteration of the Runner 250 "Advance". Turns out almost every part is compatible with our earlier Runner, and they've made some improvements in the design (like the battery tray assembly, a front bumper, turn signals, etc).

I won't have the new part for another couple weeks (coming from China) but as far as I can tell, the plastic tray clips onto the carbon fiber part, and doesn't appear to be adjustable. It's basically set for the stock battery type, so when you use the velcro strap, the battery pretty much doesn't move at all.

RE: foam tape, I had some "camper tape" laying around, so I stuck some up towards the front of the battery tray.. It's the closed cell foam tape usually used between a pickup bed rail and a camper or bed topper. Works great to keep the battery from sliding toward the front, but not much help to keep it from sliding side-to-side. I think for five bucks the new version battery tray was a good investment. I also ordered the front bumper as well:

Theoretically this will help protect the camera and headlights in the (inevitable) event of a crash. Honestly though, it's more of a vanity piece. $2.50 from Aliexpress.

This is how it will look once it's installed:

@sportykev Mostly because it's a harness mount, so in that use, there really is no preferred orientation. Horizontal, vertical, it's all the same when you clip on the harness swivel clip. For some reason all the Devo transmitters are oriented this way.

FWIW, the Futaba radios are oriented like the Devo. DJI and 3DR are both the same.

@ruouttaurmind aRgh! Guess I'll duct tape the FPV monitor to the end of my baseball cap visor next time!!

Separately. I took the Runner for a spin today. Man it is twitchy!! I kind of welcome the responsiveness, but miss the hold of GPS. I love the rate at which it can climb. The battery lasted a good amount, even after the rear lights started to blink. I was able to keep it in a controlled hover. I got bored and eventually landed.

It really reminds me of the Cheerson CX-10. Kind of just dips whenever it feels like it, leading to the pilot being very much in tune to the altitude stick.

I did find the yaw control to be sluggish. Feels like P1 can yaw quicker.

I didn't crash. Good thing. Can't wait to take it to the park and really let loose.

@sportykev I'm guessing you have a monitor mount similar to this?

And you need one like this:

Or better still, like this, so you can use it on either transmitter:

@sportykev RE: Runner 250 twitches... @fultonmartin suggested using the Multiwii GUI to tweak up the FC settings. Also, there is a limited amount you can accomplish just by changing the Devo 7 rates.

I'm planning on using the Multiwii GUI to reduce the rates for my pitch and roll, and increase yaw responsiveness a bit. In my case the yaw was nearly nonexistent. I was at full yaw and I'd say it took 8-10 seconds to do a full 360* turn.

EDIT: I also want to smooth out that throttle response a bit. I'm finding it difficult to get smooth application of power. It seems to go from 0-full tilt in a fraction of a movement.

Got my Runner in today and just landed from the maiden flight (well, hover).

It's dark here but I couldn't resist taking it up off my back porch. Only went out 10-12' and hovered a few feet off the ground mostly.

First thoughts: I concur that yaw is very dull out of the box. Throttle response seemed ok, maybe a little less responsive than the zmr but maybe I'm remembering it wrong.

I don't know how much expo is built into the controls out of the box but I'm thinking it could use a bit more. No problems hovering within a 1' radius but I could have used some more finesse trying to land it back in a 2' wide space comfortably (I chickened out and set it down in the grass both landings instead of coming back between my feet and the table nearby). Going to both get multiwii going and check out the settings in the transmitter soon. I don't know that I want to bring the rates down, but if I could deaden them near center for fine maneuvering I think that would help.

The lights are damn bright on it. And i think the props are an inch bigger than what I run on the zmr, it seemed to have a lower pitched noise/not quite scream so much.

I don't like that the devo 7 takes 8 aa batteries, and I'm not a fan of the holder they have to go in. That thing is gonna get a lipo pack.

@djslack I agree on the Devo7 battery pack, but FYI, I am still running the same 8 AA batteries I installed in mine in June and have around 80% battery on the LCD indicator.

Also, I really hope we get an opportunity to meet up and fly this summer 'cause from what you just described RE: "I chickened out and set it down in the grass", we'd be very evenly matched in a 250 race. LMAO!

EDIT: Oh, and ya, those lights are SO bright! Makes me kinda wanna get the turn signals/side markers for it too.

@djslack The Devo 7 has three FMOD modes (0,1,2). In default on the Runner 250, I believe 0 and 1 are both exactly the same, and 2 is "Acro" mode. It would seem it should be possible to enable FMOD 0 as a "Beginner" mode, FMOD 1 to be "Expert non-Acro" mode (Still assisted auto-leveling, but more sensitive controls) and FMOD 2 as full on Acro mode. IIRC, CC3D offers this option, I can't imagine MultiWii wouldn't support similar modes.

@sportykev Just the rotor and the antenna mast? No worries my friend! That antenna mast is like two bucks.

Did you order any extra rotors when Aliexpress was having the sale a couple weeks ago?

@sportykev Antenna mast part number 250-Z-29. As low as $2.19 (free shipping) on Aliexpress. $2.96 at Banggood. About the same at GearBest. About $4 from US seller on eBay.

Rotor set part number 250 - Z - 01. About $3 (free shipping) on Aliexpress. $4.59 from Banggood US warehouse or $3.61 from China. About the same from GearBest. $5 on eBay from US seller.

New style rotor set (the ones used on the 250 Advanced) are a few pennies less from all sources, but you'll need to order at least two sets because mixing styles will provide unpredictable results.

@ruouttaurmind thanks for listing these out for me! I'll also pick up nuts to use non Walkera props. We're mostly in agreeance re: yaw. It's dull while everything else with the racer is zippy. Thought I would've handled it better, guess I should've been more conservative with my first real flight :P

@sportykev How long were you able to fly before the dirt nap?

@ruouttaurmind the first crash, was low speed low altitude, battery flung out (maybe even fell out first causing the crash). No damage. The flip'o'death sealed it's fate, run-time was maybe 5-6mins by then. Not very aggressive, just big swooping turns. It did move with the quickness, I was deathly afraid of a fly-away since it disappeared into the horizon fairly quickly.

@sportykev I've read in several places, it's recommended to have a spotter when flying FPV. Makes sense to have someone in the real world that can tap you on the shoulder and say "hey, Kev, you're getting a bit close to the ground buddy."

Maybe the Runner needs flashy lights on it to keep it from disappearing. I had a similar problem with Solo last weekend. I was flying towards the edge of the field near a line of trees. Solo dipped into the shadows and vaporized from my view. I couldn't see it, couldn't tell what the heading was, altitude... nothing. Fortunately Solo controller has a "pause" button (puts the brakes on and holds position and altitude). Even after reviewing the FPV feed, I couldn't recover visual. I basically pointed the camera in my direction and proceeded very slowly until I regained visual.

It was a frightening moment. I couldn't go up because I didn't know if the tree canopy was above me. I couldn't land because I didn't know if I was above brush, rocks, or smaller trees.

@ruouttaurmind @sportykev This is why we all need to move to just don't look forward to buying the goggles.

FYI, the URL in the video is wrong. It's fpv3dcam.com, not 3Dfpvcam.com

The Blackbird 1 camera is about $90, and Fat Shark Attitude v3 goggles are around $300. Too much for an experiment, but I could see spending this kind of money if the experience is good.

@ruouttaurmind But you're going to of course want to Blackbird 2 so that you get better stereo vision.

@DJMajickMan Another hundy to upgrade to BB2. Why not? I mean, what's another hundred bucks at this level?

I would still consider it, but I would have to see it work first. It's possible it's just another gimmick.

@DJMajickMan lol, now where are the 3D glasses I got from Nightmare on Elm street way back...

@sportykev I think I grabbed an extra pair when I was at Disneyland and saw the Honey I Shrunk The Kids in 3D. I'll send 'em on to ya...

@ruouttaurmind lol.. Is there a way to 'add-on' a GPS unit? Freeballing this thing in phantom atti mode is scary. Guess we're a bunch of wimps. Bet you drive automatic transmission too. 8)

@sportykev You know, when I ordered this thing with the FPV goggles, my thought process was "My kinesthetic skills are excellent. I'm good with all nature of things that require hand/eye coordination. Car and motorcycle racing, shooting, pool, sports, video games... stuff that (in my my mind) should be very similar to FPV piloting a racer. It would be like one big video game, right?

Somehow when you're risking a $200 piece of equipment it's a bit unnerving, innit? LOL!

PS: car is auto, truck is stick.

@brotherhobby Unfortunatley Walkera does not release much in the way of specific information about their integrated ESC's or the motors. This is designed as a complete system (airframe, motors, ESC's, flight controller, OSD, VTX, camera, etc).

All I can tell you, as a guy who owns one, it's fast and powerful and a bargain at the current price.