UK driving licence categories and Electric bikes.

[portals]

Sounds very nasty, seems to be luck of draw then you crash, I got lucky last week however fell off my bike stationary outside my flat 18months ago and whole upper body went black and blue....go figure...

I have the ubiquitous small round LED lights on bike, in darkness with no other light sources you cannot see anything 1m in front of you. I found this out cpl weeks ago when attempting to cut through Botanic Gardens forgetting it has no lighting... I got 20ft in to park from the Garriochmill entrance and could hear noises coming from the bushes, very disconcerting as I could see NOTHING in front of me just a black wall of darkness and only just about see to turn bike around and head back out of park, then the first rocket screech came and it went zooming past me only a metre or so away, cue a barrage of maybe another 5 or 6 rockets aimed in my direction, they all missed and I could hear a gang of neds laughing and shouting abuse at me. Fair play, when I was a kid we used a bit of copper pipe like a bazooka to aim rockets on your shoulder at various 'targets'...

I put them on setting three so they flash quickly and they are used as you say to alert others of my presence. Still pondering what light to buy as a proper headlight for front so I can actually see at night

 

[guerney]

Still pondering what light to buy as a proper headlight for front so I can actually see at night

If you've decided on this and it proves adequate:

Bright Headlight for Winter - Recommendations?

Weather has been very good for time of year, been out on bike way more than I thought in dark, the headlight I have is rubbish and so dangerous so been looking past couple of days for a more powerful front lamp. Mostly they seem to be LED arrays and make all sorts of claims about how bright...

www.pedelecs.co.uk

...I'd get another, to create more shadows to show up horrible stuff on the cycling surface ahead, like potholes trenches ridges etc. Like camera flash, one bright light source flattens the scene.

 

[guerney]

I put them on setting three so they flash quickly and they are used as you say to alert others of my presence

I bet they knew you were there. Amazing how flashing lights stops cnuts doing stuff - while cycling through a very dodgy area vey late one dark night, I was stalked by a car full of cnuts. They kept circling around, following me closely behind, turning off and turning around to follow and overtake again. The fourth time, I set my lights flashing and they buggered off.

 

[portals]

I'm active in a drone forum and a few of the guys there use Vifly strobes on their drones and they are bloody bright, I mean incredibly bright, you cannot really tell from the video.

Stick one or more of these on your bike and/or person and people will see coming from hundreds of feet away..!

When I'm out with drones I prefer to fly stealth and be as inconspicuous as possible so I won't be putting one on my drone however I'm going to ask Santa to get me two for bike and 3D print a holder so I can easily remove them.

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photos.app.goo.gl

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www.amazon.co.uk

 

[guerney]

I'm active in a drone forum and a few of the guys there use Vifly strobes on their drones and they are bloody bright, I mean incredibly bright, you cannot really tell from the video.

Stick one or more of these on your bike and/or person and people will see coming from hundreds of feet away..!

When I'm out with drones I prefer to fly stealth and be as inconspicuous as possible so I won't be putting one on my drone however I'm going to ask Santa to get me two for bike and 3D print a holder so I can easily remove them.

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photos.app.goo.gl

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www.amazon.co.uk

Cool light. Could be made red. How waterproof is it?

Where is this drone forum? I may have to buy one to do a particular job in a couple of months, beyond the scope of a handheld gimbal, and I can perch a higher quality GoPro camera on top. Hope they're not too hard to control indoors. Might have to turn some anti-collision sensors off to fly between things. Maybe one of the DJI minis.

 

[portals]

If you've decided on this and it proves adequate:

Bright Headlight for Winter - Recommendations?

Weather has been very good for time of year, been out on bike way more than I thought in dark, the headlight I have is rubbish and so dangerous so been looking past couple of days for a more powerful front lamp. Mostly they seem to be LED arrays and make all sorts of claims about how bright...

www.pedelecs.co.uk

...I'd get another, to create more shadows to show up horrible stuff on the cycling surface ahead, like potholes trenches ridges etc. Like camera flash, one bright light source flattens the scene.

Might be an idea, I've run out of space though on handlebars so that's holding me up on ordering, maybe I can get a small extension or something.

 

[guerney]

Might be an idea, I've run out of space though on handlebars so that's holding me up on ordering, maybe I can get a small extension or something.

The cheapo extension I bought kept slipping, this slips less - mine's an older Minoura version bought for £7.99 from Amazon:

Minoura Space Mount SG 400 - Short

If you need extra cockpit space for lights or computers, the new Minoura SG 400 Space Grips are now sleeker and more secure than ever. Now with a stronger clamping mechanism that can stay attached to the bike, the Space Grip SG400 also has a sleek finish that enhances your handlebar space. Space...

www.sjscycles.co.uk

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003AI3WX6/

 

[portals]

Cool light. Could be made red. How waterproof is it?

Where is this drone forum? I may have to buy one to do a particular job in a couple of months, beyond the scope of a handheld gimbal, and I can perch a higher quality GoPro camera on top. Hope they're not too hard to control indoors. Might have to turn some anti-collision sensors off to fly between things. Maybe one of the DJI minis.

The strobe has a button to change the colour and mode, white is brightest but you can also use red/green/blue and choose on/slow flash/fast flash. So white on front and buy another for rear if red is bright enough.

It doesn't look particularly water proof but you're not flying a drone in the rain anyway, for a bike maybe it would go in a small clear waterproof bag.

Save your money re DJI minis, there are as good drones available for half the price brands such as Fimi, Autel, Holy Stone, Ruko and Potensic. Lots of competition past cpl years at the lower end and Potensic appear to be winning.

I have had multiple drones over the years and currently have three Potensic Atom 4K 3-axis gimbal drones. For the money look at flymore kits, great value, this drone will blow you away even if you're used to DJIs...

Downside is availability of parts or lack off, support and forums are FB and I had to beg them to sell my a flex cable from their supplier after a crash, why I now have three, me and son fly one each and the third is now a parts donor drone, already missing a leg, compass and gimbal...

Also lots of good quality accessories that you can 3D print for FREE (practically), for Atom such as cool foldable landing gear, lanyard straps, sun shades, joystick protectors, blade holders...too many to mention....oh and also my design of a 4 battery holder that fits in Atom flymore case.

Potensic Atom 4K / SE / LT - Battery Holder by portals999

Hold up to 4 batteries in your Potensic Atom case!I have posted x1, x2 and x4 battery holder stl filesPrinted using gray PLA at 200C/60C on Creality CR6-SE15% infillI used Tree supports and a Raft (YMMV)Please support to keep prints free!https://buymeacoffee.com/portals999

www.thingiverse.com

Potensic Atom Controller Strap - Remix by portals999 by portals999

Remix of controller strap so it fits nicely with the sun shade:reduced width by 6mm so it fits perfectly with my sun shade and samsung s8+ in the Atom controller (see pics)removed corner to stop it hitting rotating base of antenna and damaging it so it now sits flush in controller (see...

www.thingiverse.com

 

[guerney]

It isn't a job I particularly want to do, but it requires a smoothly roving camera eye going between and through objects with apertures of about 4ft, in a dimly lit and comfy roomy indoor space. Not a bank. If one of the cheaper ones can do that, wonderful... if not. it'll have to be a DJI carrying a GoPro on top, with the DJI's anti-collision sensors switched off, so it doesn't refuse to fly through and between stuff. High quality footage must be ultra smooth. DJI's stablisation is reputedly the best, I may buy one which can have it's proximity sensors turned off, first. Client will pay for the DJI, I'll sell it sometime later.

GoPros are better cameras, and they have very good stabilisation:

 

[portals]

It isn't a job I particularly want to do, but it requires a smoothly roving camera eye going between and through objects with apertures of about 4ft, in a dimly lit and comfy roomy indoor space. Not a bank. If one of the cheaper ones can do that, wonderful... if not. it'll have to be a DJI carrying a GoPro on top, with the DJI's anti-collision sensors switched off, so it doesn't refuse to fly through and between stuff. High quality footage must be ultra smooth. DJI's stablisation is reputedly the best, I may buy one which can have it's proximity sensors turned off, first. Client will pay for the DJI, I'll sell it sometime later.

It sounds like you want a FPV drone not a video drone. The Atom is a GPS video drone meaning you need a GPS lock of at least 12 satellites, you can fly it indoors but only if well light and under 12ft else ToF is likely to put drone from OPTI mode to ATTI mode and you crash... ToF is also partly obstacle avoidance underneath so when you fly over anything it will jump up few inches ;-)

You will have same issue with a lot of DJI mini drones too unless you go for a FPV drone such as the DJI Avata (very expensive and big) or a cheaper video non-GPS drone like DJI Neo (small budget but less control).

GoPros are better cameras, and they have very good stabilisation:

I don't have a GoPro but can tell you the 4K video the Atom produces is stunning with excellent stabilisation from the 3-axis gimbal. Dudes have posted videos of Atoms with gopros on top and mostly the video is poor, not designed to stabilise whilst on a drone.

This was shot at dusk, change YT Quality setting to 1080, not able to upload 4K :-(

Shot around the Kelvin, again set to 1080 (no 4K available on YT)

 

[portals]

Takes not bad pics too!

 

[guerney]

All action/small lensed and apertured cameras do a reasonable job when there are enough photons for their sensors to eat....

(Cameras manufacturers have a habit of using higher quality micro four thirds cameras to shoot glossy vids like this, because their own are shite for pro use)

...however, recording high quality megastable smooth noiseless or low noise video while zooming through and around things in a large plush airy nightclub with loads of brightish areas of different (often flashing) colours and dark areas, arches, columns and large arty sculptures with large holes, is a big ask for small cameras. I'll employ an athletic dwarf to jump about clutching a gimbal first, mostly for fun, then buy or hire a drone, and if that doesn't get the right result, I'll stick a GoPro on it, then buy or hire a better drone etc. If I get a big enough drone, maybe make it'll be capable of carrying a Sony mirrorless DSLR with a proper lens. That's if I say yes to the job - dude's been ringing me for over a year and annoyingly, he's one of those customers who doesn't blink when I quote a silly huge price to make him go away. I'm hoping he'll find someone else to do his promo. It'll need original music composed too, which is yet another pain, because I'd have to create it, and hire an actor dude with the right voice for the voiceover. That's always a bit tricky, they're a strange bunch.

 

[portals]

For high quality video FPV and reliable stability (much as it pains me to say), you need something like a DJI Avata however THEN you have to relearn 20yrs muscle memory of using gaming controllers and more recently drone configurations mode1/2/3/custom etc. and now learn to use a bloody WII controller look-a-like!

If dude is paying well then I'd buy an Avata 2 flymore kit with 3 batteries for around a grand and happy days flying around a nightclub. Um don't forget the insurance too.

You also need a plan of what you're shooting and what the shot will be and will need some skills to get smooth footage that has enough light and well framed (any footage that is not smooth/well framed goes straight in bin), then edit it down and stitch it together with some sort of narrative and music tracks. No pressure then...

 

[guerney]

No pressure then...

There's no pressure at all - I'm too busy to say yes, have been for over a year. Might be fun, they say a change is as good as a rest. Promo vids without drones doing that are a lot easier. Normal establishing shot of the venue exterior using a drone in good light? No problem getting decent quality video. Everything but vampires fall apart in the dark.

 

[portals]

If you want crazy fast flying then you'd need to build you own performance drone and get a pilot to fly it.

Pros like these guys are nuts...but the footage can be jaw dropping...loads of crazy stuff on YT

Roof Divin' | FPV Drone Freestyle (: IG / nils.vo)

www.youtube.com

 

[guerney]

You also need a plan of what you're shooting and what the shot will be

I always storyboard etc.

If you want crazy fast flying then you'd need to build you own performance drone and get a pilot to fly it.

Pros like these guys are nuts...but the footage can be jaw dropping...loads of crazy stuff on YT

Roof Divin' | FPV Drone Freestyle (: IG / nils.vo)

www.youtube.com

Very cool - it'll be very high frame rate shooting, to edit and export at lower frame rate to make the footage look even more stable, which makes things even more challenging for the camera - might have to be a larger sensored and lensed camera to keep visual noise low and colour depth and accuracy high, on a larger drone (probably what they used for the Avata promo above. Panasonic GH5 or newer with a wide angle lens, is the usual go-to cheat). Fortunately those can be hired.