Other

latest evolution of the F450

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The current (almost full) F450 set up, except the FPV camera, after endless of iterations and crashes.

Specifications:

Frame: genuine DJI F450

Flight controller: Pixraptor (upgraded Pixhawk)

Speed controllers: DJI 30amp opto (x4)

Motors: QXmoto 4006 680kv (x4)

Props: locally made carbon fibre 1155 T-motor pattern, Tarot self locking prop adapter

Battery: 5400 25c 3s

LEDs: generic RGB

GPS: Ublox M8N

Power module: Happy Model 3amp 5.37v

Landing gear: generic foam padded

Gimbal: generic 2D with Alexmos controller

Gimbal/transmitter battery: Turnigy 800ma 30c 3s

Camera: GoPro Hero4 Black

FPV transmitter: Skyzone TS 5823 mini 200mw

Antenna: 5.8GHz generic CPL

(pssttt, don’t get too impressed. Matt ran me through the specs! )

 

In the very near future we would like to get a folding carbon fibre frame to take this bad boy to Indonesia in January, main concern is the portability. The F330 Mark I (currently in Nige’s possession in England) used to do the job, but it struggles to take the weight of GoPro and gimbal. The F450 barely fits in the drone backpack, and due to airlines regulations for luggage, we’ll go for a folding frame.

The DJI F450 is our first quadcopter, thank you to our friend Josh. After the F450, Matt (he is the engineer and the brain of all the quads. I am just an aerial photography & videography enthusiast after all) has built a F330 Mark I. Subsequently he built F330 Mark II as the crash quad which I find it more difficult to drive, and now we are waiting for bits of the new racing quad QAV210. Propellers have arrived, they are minuscule!

The F450 is my personal quadcopter and fit my style of flying. It is like a girly quad, easy to control and has lots of fun functions (such as Follow Me, Return to Launch, etc) but also less nimble, less swooshy and less acrobatic. It is the videography quad basically. Matt always pushes me to fly the F330 Mark II (it does not have GPS) from time to time, just to remind me how to fly a “real” quad without an aid from a good flight controller. That’s an update from us. Way to go to be a better pilot, but we’ll keep on trying. Bye for now.

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Events, Photography

New project: Benches in UNNC

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Hiya,

Today has been a glorious day, the first sunny day after the typhoon. I was wandering around campus where we live, stumbled upon some fantastic scenery of scattered benches, playful light and shadows near the staff apartments. Absolutely gorgeous. So I thought, that will a next small project: documenting (bolted down) sitting spaces, particularly views from where we sit. My aim is just simple, trying to step back and appreciate those landscape furniture. I am sure they are there for purpose. The expected outcome will be a kind of sketchy map of UNNC benches and series of photographs.

Your part: if you have any particular benches you often sit on, let me know 🙂 And yes, those benches are limited to permanent benches on campus (University of Nottingham Ningbo China).

Here are some of my favourite shots today:

2- opposite of 1

1- facing staff hotel

5- facing rotunda3

3b- facing rotunda 2

9- facing big lawn 7

6- facing rotunda 4 (some only)

 

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Events

October 31st: dyeing class on campus

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If you are interested on joining the blue dyeing class on the above mentioned date, give me a shout! I am just facilitating Ming Shu (workshop lady) and Syd the teacher to come on campus (UNNC), as I thought it will be fun. The next one will be leather course, all being well. stay tuned.

Link to the materials in Taobao is here.

Background information from online source: Designsponge, The Etsy blog and Alice&Lois.

Pictures are taken during the workshop I attended in Master T studio a couple of weeks ago.

 

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

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Architecture, Photography

Milan Expo 2015

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I had the chance to see the six months expo. A celebration of architecture, culture, food and people. Under the theme of “Feeding the Planet, the Energy of Life”, the expo exhibits 145 countries’ culture in self built pavilions and grouped pavilions. Full list of participating countries are here. ArchDaily did a roundup about the top 5 ones, here.

Top 5 pavilions in my opinion are:

1. UAE

mexpo17

2. Brazil

mexpo10

3. Vietnam

mexpo12

4. United Kingdom

mexpo19 mexpo21

5. Ecuador

mexpo26

Feel free to have a quick look of my Flickr for more pictures! One thing I regretted, did not bring the wide 17-40mm lens due to the weight. I had the GoPro Hero4 Black for some wide photos, but it is not a substitute of the wide lens. And too fish eyed too!

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Blogs, Design Research, Events

MAD Talk 5:

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MAD (My Awesome Doctoral) Talk is organised by some doctoral degree students in UNNC to promote cross-disciplinary research environment.

MAD Talk 5 “The use of sketches and mental imagery in the ideation process: A pilot study.”

Abstract: The research focuses on exploration of the design process in the early design stage. Different modes of representation are utilised during this stage, however, comparison will be conducted only through external and internal representation. The role of free-hand sketches is evidently indispensable, but the use of mental imagery and their interplaying roles are always assumed but not thoroughly observed. The aim of the research is to provide empirical evidence of the interplay and also to contribute to addressing the difficulty in measuring mental imagery. Protocol studies were conducted in two different environments, with and without sketches.

 

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