So much for the best laid plans of men, mice, and all that. We got so wrapped up in discussing the state of world affairs Saturday, that somehow we didn’t start on the Big Antenna Projects until late.
Oh, and I haven’t had time to get Drone #1 back in flying condition, so we might as well start there.
Drone-speak & Drone Repair Tools
The main drones here are Potensic Atom SE‘s. Actually, Potensic makes bot the Atom (plain) and the SE. There are two key differences. The (bigger feature set) Atom features a 3-axis gimbal. Each axis of a gimbal indicates the number of ways you can adjust the camera when the drone is stationary.
The smaller version (SE) only has a single axis.
The single axis means that when the (SE) is holding straight and level flight, you can lower the angle of the camera; essentially from level, seeing-ahead, to looking straight down.
The 3-axis Atom (plain) also rotates around the longitudinal axis. In other words, when the drone banks (to make a turn) the camera stays level.
This may not seem too apparent, but shooting a turning shot while the drone is moving (and noticing the horizon in the process) the 3-axis drone footage will remain framed “level relative to the horizon” while the single axis will “tilt the horizon to the drone turn angle.”
In m”dronematography” this is a very big deal. If you are shooting B&C (boardroom and consumer) video, the “level horizon” is what is usually selected for expansive, sweeping shots. On the other hand, P&P (purists and pilots) you really like the effect of “tilting horizon” because it “keeps you oriented to the actual flight condition of your drone.”
So it really depends on what you’re planning to use completed footage for.
If you’re using the drone for regular (ham radio antenna-lifting) purposes, either one is fine. Because when you are maneuvering slowly, the drone remains very close to level, unless there is a crosswind.
Feeling empowered to shoot that dramatic opening for your YouTube video adventure series that’s going to make you a billionaire?
Hold that feeling. We need to spend money non a few tools.
The screws when setting out to work on a Potensic are all, or mostly all, tiny Phillips heads. I have plenty of screwdrivers for working on ham radio gear, but these take “manual dexterity” to a whole new level. The two used almost exclusively are the gray and yellow handled screwdriver and the blue handled watchmaker’s screwdriver.
The 1.5 mm Allen was just hanging out; it’s commonly used on the (bigger) RC craft and on smallest parts over on the 3D printers . Blue tank top and right is a small (rechargeable) battery powered soldering iron because changing out a drone landing gear involves soldering really tiny wires.
Basic Repair
In theory, it’s easy. In Reality I ended up spending an hour on disassembly and trying to do things right. Because of ancient eyes, I ended up looking at any critical operations through the 10-inch coin microscope (which does double-duty when working on impossibly small surface mount electronic boards):
Flying in from the top right is a black wire that terminates left of center, with a snap-on connector. These are tough to work on (for FFOM = fat-fingered-old-men) because experts recommend the use of tweezers.
Somehow, getting the drone completely opened to work on involved about a dozen tiny screws that would be right at home in a very small woman’s watch.
I finally quit after carefully removing the old (broken) landing gear. This is the drone view with the good gear (lower right) in place and you can see the antenna wire (black) routed to the impossible board.
This whole arrangement bothered me greatly. Because in my experience, you would never have two antenna leads just sitting there, like this (one passing over the other). Instead, you would route them differently to pick up some potential feed point losses.
So, that’s what I’m off to do next. Coffee has soaked-in and the brain is in marginal working order. News flows hasn’t spotted any nukes going off, but we are keeping an eye on the Princeton EGGS to see if they begin bumping on red. If they do, it may be time to keep the flash goggles in hand.
Happy Birthday?
If you hadn’t guessed, I really enjoy writing. And among my heroes, there was this feller name of Twain. Wrote a lot. Books by Twain, Mark (sorted by popularity) – Project Gutenberg and you can download them and read for free. (Like we all have so much free time, right?)
Two that I have always enjoyed – if your third-rate schooling didn’t require them – are A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain | Project Gutenberg because this is a fun take on early time travel fiction and quite fun.
The other? It’s a rather short piece, which for reasons unknowable was housed with a collection of not-nearly-as-good other scrawls in SKETCHES NEW AND OLD, COMPLETE.
This one – “How I edited an Agricultural Paper“ has always held a certain fascination for me. Because somewhere late in my serious full-time newsing career, I did the first-ever broadcast of computer data to the Public up in Seattle in late 1982 and early 1983.
Result? A lot of self-identification as a writer, taking on an unfamiliar area of of journalism, and trying to make the best of it. This part was particularly enlightening: Twain’s editing efforts are being harshly review by his boss.
“‘Turnips should never be pulled, it injures them. It is much better to send a boy up and let him shake the tree.’
“Now, what do you think of that?—for I really suppose you wrote it?”
“Think of it? Why, I think it is good. I think it is sense. I have no doubt that every year millions and millions of bushels of turnips are spoiled in this township alone by being pulled in a half-ripe condition, when, if they had sent a boy up to shake the tree—”
“Shake your grandmother! Turnips don’t grow on trees!”
“Oh, they don’t, don’t they? Well, who said they did? The language was intended to be figurative, wholly figurative. Anybody that knows anything will know that I meant that the boy should shake the vine.”
Then this old person got up and tore his paper all into small shreds, and stamped on them, and broke several things with his cane, and said I did not know as much as a cow; and then went out and banged the door after him, and, in short, acted in such a way that I fancied he was displeased about something. But not knowing what the trouble was, I could not be any help to him.”
Sometimes, our here in the hamburger raising part of Texas, I can identify with Clemmons/Twain’s writing. Why, even after 25-years of living back on hard land, there are still some aspects of getting the cattle to roost high enough to keep them safe from predators, life remains challenging.
With the anniversary of Twain’s death (yesterday) I wanted to pause an acknowledge one of my few betters.
Write when you, oh, you know…
Read the full article here
