Official FlightLine OV-10 Bronco Discussion Thread

[seaviper]

vduniec ec

Hey man, I am an FPV noob. What FPV equipment did you use for this video? I mean goggles, links, pan tilt, camera, etc?

[Evan D]

I need to look at my video!

[vduniec]

I was a noob at FPV about 3 months ago myself, although I've been dabbling in the rudimentary stuff for a couple of years. It is addicting, but it was also a very steep learning curve for me. There will be some soldering required. I consider myself terrible at soldering so I sought for as many plug and play components as I could find. I strongly recommend that you start looking at the FPV forums to start familiarizing yourself with the terminology and workings of FPV systems. Also find someone locally who can help you as well.

The quality of the goggles is the most important investment. Some can be purchased for as little as $100 but once you look through a higher quality set, you'll never be satisfied with anything else. I have not seen the new digital systems yet nor do I want to at this point because they seem to be tailored towards quads and there is no need for head tracking(HT) on those. To me, HT is crucial to the FPV flying experience for fixed winged RC. It a very natural feeling of flying when you can "look into" your turns.

Here is what I used for this OV-10 setup although, there's some stuff that are specific to my equipment so I left those items as the generic name. For example, it's important to have the same type of antenna on both the goggles and on the VTX for the best signal. Antennas alone, come in many different types, connectors and polarities.

I googled the links and they are not necessarily the vendors I purchased the items from but they are the same components:


Fatshark Goggles - https://www.getfpv.com/fat-shark-dom...v-goggles.html

Fatshark Trinity Head Tracking Module - https://www.getfpv.com/fatshark-trin...ng-module.html

Pan/Tilt Camera Mount - https://www.amazon.com/Bracket-Suppo...%2C170&sr=8-12

Servo Stretcher - https://www.amazon.com/180-%C2%B0-se...ustrial&sr=1-1

VTX - https://www.amazon.com/AKK-Switchabl...%2C153&sr=8-28

SD Card - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

VTX Power connectors - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Compatible Antennas for your VTX and Goggles

vduniec ec

Hey man, I am an FPV noob. What FPV equipment did you use for this video? I mean goggles, links, pan tilt, camera, etc?

[seaviper]

Thanks so much for taking the time to list the equipment. I am no stranger to soldering microelectronics. And I used to do FPV stuff back in the early 2000's before all this new stuff existed. Thanks so much for taking the time to list the equipment.

[vduniec]

Flight from yesterday. A fixed cockpit view recording. Flight was a non-FPV flight. This is with an upgraded power system. 60A ESC's, Hobbystar 2826 (3548) 790kv and Master Airscrew 10 x 7 3 bladed props. The stock spinners require enlargement of the blade openings with the new props. There's a huge difference in performance. Not a rocketship, but definitely the right amount of power now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlM6...ature=youtu.be

[seaviper]

I do not have an OV-10 yet. But I am considering getting one for FPV. However I am less than enthused about the 4s power system. Would it be practical to go 6s on this bird?
I have a couple of 60A esc's here (from an Su-35) that I am considering using to re-power the OV-10 to 6s, Has anyone done a 6S conversion yet? If so, are there any recommendations on motors and props for 6s?

[sam51401]

I’m not sure dual 6s packs will have enough room and the added weight needs to be considered also. The best course if considering an upgrade is the motor swap as has been done and documented on here. Keep the weight in check and go with a motor upgrade for best performed gain.

[Evan D]

I considered going 6S with a single 5200. In the end I did the 4S only because I had a source of cheap motors of the right kV for the prop I wanted to use. And I'm very happy with my set up for how I wanted it to fly.

No reason not to go to 6S.

I’m not sure dual 6s packs will have enough room and the added weight needs to be considered also. The best course if considering an upgrade is the motor swap as has been done and documented on here. Keep the weight in check and go with a motor upgrade for best performed gain.

[seaviper]

Dual 6s would be too much for that little bird. I assume they went for flight time with the 4s setup. I am actually looking more at the ProFly OV-10 at the moment. I think it will be better for 6s.

OK I am confused..is it ProFly or Nexa? lol

[Evan D]

Neither. It's FlightLine! 😁

Dual 6s would be too much for that little bird. I assume they went for flight time with the 4s setup. I am actually looking more at the ProFly OV-10 at the moment. I think it will be better for 6s.

OK I am confused..is it ProFly or Nexa? lol

[OV10]

Neither. It's FlightLine! 😁

Actually he IS referring to now looking at the NEXA (1800mm) which used to be known as ProFly till the second rebadging.

[Evan D]

I know, hence the smiley face.... My joke was this is the thread for the FL...

[seaviper]

Holy crap this is confusing...lol Well I think I have settled on the 1800mm balsa bird for my purposes. There is a ton of good info in this thread though. I might still do the foam one later on.

[vduniec]

Ok. All of the 3DP stuff I wanted to make is now complete! I'll post in sections along with their accompanying locations. These components are designed by me using Tinkercad with all of it's (and my) limitations. These components are not 100% accurate but give, I feel, a close representation to the actual items. These items represent what USMC aircraft had from the 1980's until the Bronco's eventual retirement from service. Breakdown will be:

Antennae
Cockpit
Ordnance
Airframe

First up, Antennae

ALQ-144 IRCM

The "disco ball" was mounted atop the rear fuselage later in the service life of the OV-10. The part was printed and then painted. For the reflective surface, I use Solyx Specturm Dichroic Sample. https://www.decorativefilm.com/solyx...-dichroic-film The sample is free but you have to pay for shipping. I also use this film for my HUD's in planes and it gives a great effect. I cut the film into strips and used contact cement to glue them in place. I'm pretty happy with the end result.

[vduniec]

APR-39 Radar Warning receivers. Positioned on each side of the nose and on the top of both outboard sides of the vertical tails. Combined, these receivers provided 360 degrees of coverage.

[vduniec]

High Frequency Antenna mounts. The wire mounts underneath the horizontal stabilizer and the atop the aft fuselage next to the IRCM system. In order to make the antenna wire removable during transportation, I affixed one end with a fishing swivel/snap connector and the other end with a small rubber band to keep it under tension.

[vduniec]

Previously posted but in keeping with the grouping, here are the FM Antenna Humps. I used a broom bristle painted black to represent the antenna.

[vduniec]

Next up is Ordnance. I designed the wing pylons and tanks. There are many other ordnance files that may be accessed from Thingiverse. There are Zuni pods for the Freewing A-4, same scale that can be used. There are also AIM-9 and launch rail there. The launch rail will have to be resized and cut but it's relatively easy to do. So for my contribution I just have the following to offer:

Wing Pylon
Wing Tank
Chaff/Flare Buckets

The wing pylons are designed for use with the Freewing 90mm F-16 weapons attachment system.

[vduniec]

Wing Tanks. I printed them at 2% infill to keep the weight down.

[vduniec]

The Chaff/Flare buckets go on the outside of each tail boom. Place the part according to the picture displayed and press it into the foam so that the back makes an indentation. Then cut out the indented area and the bucket should fit right in with the faceplate sitting around the outside of the fuselage. Be careful when cutting because there are wires that run through the boom.