for the beacons you must have at least 3 to get a set fix of where the craft is at all times. this will limit you to a very small flying space, You could use both ping and A strong IR beacon to get the loction of the craft or a small gps on the craft. I know of this plane I have 2 harbor freights in town and I'll wait til they go on sale for 20 bucks and get one or 2. If you could draw up a scetch of what you are trying to get it to look like this would be very helpfull. So I can build one with you and help program it as well. I like the idea but some bugs must be worked out first.

GWJax, To Hack and make mods on robots is a life style and comes natural and not by choice. If a robot has a screw to open it then it must be opened!

GWJax said: for the beacons you must have at least 3 to get a set fix of where the craft is at all times. this will limit you to a very small flying space.

You need three points to triangulate a position, but if your only interested in orientation compared to the controller, and determining you RPM's, you only need 1.

RoboGuide - Your guide to hacking all things WowWee

That would depend on exactly what you wanted the AI to do. Knowing its position isn't going to help it avoid things, unless you happen to have mapped out the entire area before take off.

RoboGuide - Your guide to hacking all things WowWee

The mass/drag of the plane wings might be too much for the rotor blades. I know that the blades apparently in use on the BladeStar, and definitely in use on the small indoor helicopters, are thin plastic, formed into a cupped shape to create the airfoil. There's much less mass in those than a  plane wing.

If you think about how fast that park flier is pushed through the air by those two pusher props, I think that's about how fast you can expect the the mid point of the wings as rotor blades to move. That seems much slower than the typical RC helicopter rotors move.  I can see a wing flying through the air. I can't see a rotor holding up a copter as anything but a blur.

It wouldn't seem too hard to test though.  Slap together a couple of matched wings at their fuselage ends, mount it on a dowel, chuck it in a drill, and spin it up. 

ScottE -- Member (always) & Moderator (when needed)

I'm still waiting to touch a BladeStar. I'm surprised how whipping quick that little bugger spins up. It must be featherlight to have those small motors and props spin it up so quickly.

Have you seen the flying saucer style toys that have been out for the past couple of years? I think all they do is go up, and down. Their lack of control dissuaded me from picking one up.

ScottE -- Member (always) & Moderator (when needed)

Just something I've seen. I've seen similar style toys on shelves for a couple of years. The best I can tell is that the only control you have is motor speed. It goes up, and it goes down.

ScottE -- Member (always) & Moderator (when needed)

not to be off topic or anything.....

Awwww, you've got a robopanda(:^))))

how do you like him?

"Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

The picture you made of the BladeStar, the center thrust booms are at a 90' angle. It looks like you put them in a 75' angle. Why is that? Are you going place your boom in as the BladeStar or the new configuration you posted with the motors in the blade? plus I'll go to Harbor Frieght on Friday and get a plane like yours and I'll build it with you tring diffrent configurations of the boom motors.

GWJax, To Hack and make mods on robots is a life style and comes natural and not by choice. If a robot has a screw to open it then it must be opened!