FPV training wheels

Posting this here for want of an FPV or micro topic.
The Cetus X is widely recommended as a good value training drone, but I’ve found it generally hard to fly. The motors and tuning mean that it needs a big space to fly, which means having to tow an unwilling spotter. It is far too jumpy for indoor flying and is very prone to losing props as they’re just pressed in. And of course it’s analogue, which is the opposite of future-proof.
I’ve changed the PID and throttle settings a few times but I think 2S is probably just too much power.
I found this cage on Makerworld and it has helped a lot. I never lose props now, crashes don’t damage the drone and I haven’t noticed any difference in performance.
Even better, the design takes very little filament, prints in half an hour and works with my cheapskate PLA. Oh, and the interlocking design is easy to assemble, gives access to the batteries and has just enough flex to give a nice bounce.
Sadly it doesn’t stop impacts from shifting the poorly designed camera mount - but 9/10 is not bad.
If you’re attracted by the cheapness of this drone kit (available for as little as £150 on eBay with an acceptable controller and goggles) then it might be of interest.

Get the STL here:
https://makerworld.com/en/models/1070886-betafpv-cetus-x-camera-protection-frame?from=search#profileId-1651487

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Thanks for the write up.

I wonder if you have found a different training drone that you recommend? Or perhaps that is the hope for the one you just ordered?

The Firefly18 looks like a much better trainer on paper in some ways.
Flywoo provide the STL files for the prop guards and camera hood, so you can crash to your heart’s content.
It runs on a 1s battery, which is said to be better for exploring flights than freestyle.
The power of the Cetus X sounded impressive when I first bought it. Only until I sent it over a 10m high conifer hedge with one twitch of the throttle.
The radio that comes wirh the Cetus X is also not for me. The game controller design means only my thumbs are free for the sticks, and I find that that is not a reliable grip. The sticks are small, too, which makes the thing harder to control.
The Firefly18 is not a kit, and comes with no batteries or anything much to speak of, so getting started with it is much more costly than the Cetus X. Especially as you have to get into the DJI ecosystem, which ends up costing three times more than the Cetus X.

And then the O4 Air comes with some limitations - especially the 114° field of view, which is not great for tight spaces.
Flywoo makes a wide angle adapter for the O4 but it is optically among the worst lenses I’ve ever seen. It has horrible vignetting from the poorly designed housing and the optic suffers from enough flare to make it marketable as a special effects lens. Did I buy one?
Of course I did - but only after ensuring that it’s removable :slight_smile:

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