Micro-Helicopter Fun

zymano writes "Now this is a cool toy for the office or home! RC microhelicopter here that is flat out cool but not for sale. So small that it can drop a sugar cube into your cup of coffee. It's 100 grams or lighter now. Some gallerys and videos on the page. You can buy one here and here."

RTFA

[Anonymous Coward]

The Pixel's aren't for sale, but some other models are. Geez.

Re:When are companies going to

[jgerman]

Go get a USB on a chip, you can pick one up from Digikey. Build a controller.

Re:Man...

[troc]

Yeah, having had a look, the ultralight one they are talking about cannot be bought (the pixel X thing) and the links are to small helicopters you can buy.

Which aren't under 100 grams etc etc.

So the blurb should read "here is a very light helicopter you can't buy and here are some that are a bit heavier but which are for sale" ;)

Troc

Re:Huh?

[croddy]

RTFA. [here] and [here] are similar uhelicopters; the Pixel is a prototype only.

Pixel vs obtainable RC helis

[g5g5g5]

The Pixel page has been around for some time, and has served as inspiration for many RC enthusiasts to get in to electric helicopters. While the Pixel is not for sale, the Piccolo is a great place to start the hobby.
http://www.ikarus-modellbau.de/ubbthreads/ postlist .php?Cat=&Board=UBB1
Here is a bbs for the product.

Re:Can't buy one?

[gerf]

The first link is to the prototype page, of the guy who designed the first and second versions in his garage. the last two are of the commercial, buyable version. 'nuff said

Re:Flying Assassin

[Lumpy]

You've never flown a RC heliocopter before have you.

they are insanely difficult to fly weighing 16 pounds and having a 1-2 horsepower gas engine in a light breeze.. this little guy needs to fly in ZERO wind because of it's tiny weight. I am not an expert but after flying a gas powered RC chopper for 5 minutes I was exausted. the experts refuse to fly in anything other than a steady wind that is less than 10 mph gusty is asking for trouble and these things will instantly chase after any passing vehicle without the pilot wanting it to.

so if your intended target is sitting in a gym WITHOUT the ac running or any fans and won't move away from the attacking toy then your idea will work, otherwise pick a less dramatic deployment mechanisim that attracts less attention and doesnt feel like a poorly written James Bond novel.

First videos don't work

[derbs]

The first videos seem to 404. Try this: http://www.planetinternet.be/pixel/clipfp1.avi [planetinternet.be] (8.1mb)

These are common

[andrewm]

Here's a review of another small one:

http://rcgroups.com/links/index.php?t=article&ca t= 198&id=4144

Fits in the palm of one hand.

This really ain't news but anyway

[NorthDude]

If you look carefully, the site as seen its last update 2 years ago.

Those were hand made, but the guy helped IKarus to design the Eco Piccolo [ikarus-modellbau.de] which is really small and comes in a kit form.
Then, there is also the MS Composite Hornet [mrcarbon.com], which I personally prefer. Those 2 are a lot of fun to fly, but you have to be dedicated to them, because they need a lot of tweeking to get every bit of power from the cells, extra care must also be taken because of their small form. And they are also everything but cheap...
Anyway, a very geeky hobby that's for sure...

Tethered, but still great fun...

[Boss, Pointy Haired]

I recently bought one of these [snelflight.co.uk] - it's a tethered indoor model heli - and some of the best fun you can have with your clothes on. It comes with a computer based sim so you can plug the actual controller into your PC and try and minimise damage to your living room.

Around £200 in the UK. I now have to redecorate as a result of buying mine.

BROKEN LINK - See here for Snelflight Hoverfly

[Boss, Pointy Haired]

Oooops.

Snelflight [snelflight.co.uk]

I prefer the Mini Flying Saucer

[nyc_paladin]

The mini RC helicopter is good and all but for covert operations you need a mini airship. [thinkgeek.com]

Similar one, but much cheaper...

[Ewan]

http://www.wes-technik.de/English/helistar.htm [wes-technik.de]

only 120grammes, and only 199Euros, which is pretty much $200.

Warning!

[IWannaBeAnAC]

Think really hard and do some research before you buy an RC helicopter. They are not easy to fly, and it takes a *lot* of practice to even get to the first step of being able to just hover.

Expect to have frequent, expensive crashes while learning how to fly. You will do save yourself a huge amount of time if you spend a few hours (or even a few minutes) browsing some RC forums before toy buy. eg, http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/index.php [rcgroups.com] is a good start.

Also, a mini RC helicopter is much harder to fly than a larger, specially designed trainer. Be warned.

Re:How hard is helicopter AI control?

[AndrewHowe]

autopilot. [sourceforge.net]
You're welcome.

This is not a toy

[Anonymous Coward]

While I am just beginning to get into RC flying, I can tell you that base on my research, you can't just casually build and fly one around the office as suggested. This is because they are difficult to fly (6 channels of control required)and besides, the people I talked to have stories about getting hit by the moving blades (and nasty scars to prove it). The helicopters presented here maybe small, but they hurt like hell if the blades ever break apart or you are not careful in controling it and ended up hitting someone.

micro heli flight

[Anonymous Coward]

If you want to get a real small helicopter, check out this:
http://www.micro-flight.com/HouseFLY.htm

and if you want loads of info on micro helicopters, check out this:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/forumdisplay .php?s= 9b54eeef9612fa07912c9c99cd665eab&forumid=42

hope this helps some people get into the hobby!

Re:I wonder....

[norite]

I once saw a military helicopter do a roll once, at an air show...quite a sight that was!!