/dist/images/branding/favicon

Cinestar Kits and building

Discussion in 'Cinestar 8' started by philip holwerda, Nov 11, 2014.

  1. philip holwerda

    philip holwerda New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2014
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    1
    Our company is looking to get a Cinestar 8. Have experience flying and operating but not building. We have a movi m10 and are looking to use the toad in the hole adapter to connect it to our Cinestar 8. The camera we will be using on it are the Canon 5D Mark III with prime lenses. So the weight of the m10 with the Mark III and prime lens and accessories will be about 10lb. My question is what kind of flight times can I expect with that weight capacity on the Cinestar 8 and When purchasing the copter are the RTF versions of the Cinestar 8 heavy lift going to meet the high expectations or do I need to learn how to build one myself since I may need different motors and parts etc... The RTF version has
    • Tiger 4012 Brushless Motors
    • Blade 350QX Kopter
    • QuadroPower 10,000mAh (6s) Lipo w/ EC5 Connector
    Technical Properties:

    • Recommended Cameras: Full Frame DSLR, RED, FS 700
    • Weight Including Motors: ~3050g (6.72 lbs)
    • Dimensions: 1000 x 900 x 350mm
    • Max Payload: ~5445g (12 lbs)
    • Construction: Gen 2 Carbon Fiber
    • Propeller: Tiger Carbon 15x5 MR

    Is that sufficient to get me 15 minutes of flight time?
    If I need to build one myself I am a fast learner but I don't learn very well from reading forums, are there any videos you know of or can make to show me what I need to do to build a Cinestar 8. I'm hoping to get 15 minutes of flight time but that may be unrealistic. I see that the Cinestar 8 on Quadrocopter.com shows one battery, can or should it be running two batteries?

    I realize too the major price difference in building yourself vs purchasing a RTF version, so if it is something I can learn I would like to go that rout but if I am going to be wasting money in trial and error I mine as well get the RTF version. I'd like to get this right the first time.
     
  2. Philip Lima

    Philip Lima Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2014
    Messages:
    67
    Likes Received:
    9
    I won't be able to answer all of your questions. However... I do have some experience with flight times. With the RTF Cinestar HL Package from Quadrocopter you'll get about 10-12 minutes of flight time with a 5D MK3 on an M10 depending on what lens you're using and the flying conditions. Since you're using a lighter camera, you could use a heavier/larger battery to increase your flight times to the 15 minute mark. I would bet that you could get a little over 15 minutes of flight time if you used two 10,000mah in parallel, but then you're dealing with way more to charge and more weight in the air.

    As for building vs buying rtf, if you don't have much electrical engineering and soldering experience I wouldn't use a cinestar build as a starting place. I have built many rc planes, copters and quads over the years and still am barely comfortable enough with the MK/BL setup to be able to dismantle and rebuild if need be. It's just a different level of equipment with way more current and way more at stake if something went wrong in flight. I hate to point you away from the Cinestar products as they truly are awesome... But... In your case it may be wiser to go with something that is more "plug and play" like an S1000. The cost will be roughly the same, but you'll be able to get a kit that's pretty much ready to fly straight from the factory. Just something to look into or consider if you haven't already.

    Someone said this to me when I was getting more into heavy lift copters... There is no "easy button" for these things. Even if you purchase an RTF kit, it's going to take quite a bit to get it up and running and even more time and money before you should start thinking about charging for your services as a professional.
     
  3. philip holwerda

    philip holwerda New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2014
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    1
    Thank you for the help, I have considered the s1000, the only downside to that being we have a movi m10 and want to use it on our copter and I don't know if the s1000 can handle the beef of that gimble. The gimble that is with the s1000 only supports a certain lens (after looking at it at NAB this year) We wanted the flexibility of different lenses and the flexibility of using our movi with a toad in the hole adapter. I totally understand though there is a learning curve of such engineering machinery. I am totally capable of flying the thing having some experience but I my skills at engineering aren't high so I agree it would be wiser for me to get a RTF unit. I was debating between the RTF Cinestar 8 and the s1000. Thanks for your help
     
  4. Gary Haynes

    Gary Haynes Administrator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2012
    Messages:
    5,211
    Likes Received:
    460
    Philip you can purchase the Rather Good Guides by Andy Johnson-Laird from Quadrocopter or Andy, when he sees this, will post the online site where you can get the content. If you don't build yourself you will still need to maintain the copter so the knowledge will be invaluable. When you mention flight experience is it with multi-rotor copters?
     
  5. philip holwerda

    philip holwerda New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2014
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    1
    Okay that would be great. Yes, we have a dji phantom 2+ that I have flown a bunch and I have practiced allot on flight simulators for regular rc helicopters (prior to when multi rotors were popular)
     
  6. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2012
    Messages:
    10,383
    Likes Received:
    1,164

    Hi Philip:
    The standard definition DVDs are available from quadrocopter.com or you can download high-definition videos from the links on this page.
    EDIT: Sorry.....the link did not paste correctly: http://rathergoodguides.com/dvds/ (go to each "DVD" page in turn and you will find the video download alternatives).

    Andy.
     
  7. Steve Maller

    Steve Maller UAV Grief Counselor

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2012
    Messages:
    3,981
    Likes Received:
    807
    If you go with a custom build and use two batteries (10,000mAh, for example), you can get 15 minute flights. You might get that if went with a 16,000mAh LiPo, but I'm not sure the default Cinestar battery tray should be trusted with that much weight on it. That's one of the reasons I go with dual battery setups.

    I'm a big fan of building for yourself, as you'll know your machine a lot better that way. And it encourages you to take your time. If you've got decent electronics skills and a good toolkit, it's really enjoyable and interesting. If you're in a hurry to get in the air, you may want to consider sub'ing out the flying to an experienced operator. It's not something you should rush in to.
     
  8. Ryan McMaster

    Ryan McMaster Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2014
    Messages:
    289
    Likes Received:
    40

    What Steve said is right on the money. On the flight time front the BM4k we run is a bit heavier total weight and we are seeing 12 minutes with it running the Bolt 300, and 10 minutes with the bolt 2000. I honestly haven't done a shot in the last few months that has taken more then 3 minutes total time in the air.
     

Share This Page