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Thread: walkera runner 250

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    Default walkera runner 250

    anyone got one of these looks like a pretty good way to get into drone racing as its rtf out of the box and pretty good value. I really want to get a fpv drone but not sure how hard it is to actually build one and get it running? seen countless videos and have had rc stuff since I was a kid so not that scared to build one myself as I have a pretty good understanding of speed controllers and motors but the flight controller config and setup scares me a little need some more advice on what to do? tiny?



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    Well, I just happen to have on of these on order & has shipped last week (should arrive form China about end of this month) from
    I've got the Basic 3, which has OSD, on the way ($370AU freight free). The OSD only has minimal data (battery voltage) unless you add a GPS module to it, which is currently not available as a stock item but can be sourced elsewhere. GPS really not necessary for a racer.
    The Runner 250 looks like a great little unit for entry level FPV Drone Racing.
    It has a Carbon Fiber frame, parts are available, people are already crashing breaking & modifying them,
    You can read about it from as well. Although he is not really a beginner.

    I got in before they put the price up (to $431AU freight free), probably by request from Walkera Australia Distributor.
    You can buy from the OZ distributor for around the same price however the OZ models look to have (not confirmed) the Video TX limited to 25mW which is 1/8 of the Stock 200mw vtx output.
    You can get replacement vtx with higher output (500 or 600mw) from OS. HobbyKing etc.
    You can also buy the 250 Runner FCC 200mW unit from overseas.

    I also bought a Mobius HD camera for $100AU delivered from BG. to strap on the Runner 250 for flight recording when I want to.
    Some people are putting GoPros on for recording flights, I think that is crazy to strap an expensive camera on a racer. If you are really racing you test the limits & likely crash a few times so parts need to be reasonably priced.

    There is a DIY BNF version available for a little less ($256AU free freight), however you need to supply your own radio controller (Devo 7 or higher), FPV camera, VTX module & battery.
    You can also use another brand of radio like a Taranis, however you would need to also change out the Flight Controller & set up the replacement.

    With either of these units you still need to add goggles or a screen for FPV.
    I already have Skyzone Goggles, so no big deal for me.
    Good goggles - Fatshark Dom2, Skyzone, Boscam - all cost around $500-$600 depending where you buy from.
    I've been flying FPV for around 8 months & love it. Still fly LOS for practice as well.

    I've had RC planes & Bikes since I was a kid.
    Got the MultiRotor (Drone) bug last year & forked out big time for a couple.
    Have a toy grade Hubsan X4 that came free with my Tali H500. Didn't take me long to get bored with the Toy, (I still fly it occasionally inside for practice on rainy days).
    The Tali is a fun camera platform & I've got to the stage where I'm starting to race it around at top speed (ex bike racer - cant help myself lol), which could get expensive if I crash it too many times.

    That's why I've been looking at racers.
    Was considering the Storm Racing Drone which is also a RTF, however it is a fair bit more $$.
    Building from scratch I haven't done.
    Having the RTF's & exploring Flight Controller config on my Tali, I'm now confident I could build from scratch if I wanted, but I'm getting lazy.

    freakee1
    builds his own so would be good if he chimes in & gives that side of it. (Tutorial would be great)
    He put some pics of his latest builds

    Hope that is not too much info.

    EDIT: found some videos on How to build your own.





    Last edited by Tiny; 09-07-15 at 02:35 PM.
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    Forgot about some video & review links for the Runner 250.
















    Last edited by Tiny; 09-07-15 at 02:37 PM.
    Cheers, Tiny
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    yeah thanks tiny seen all those vids and only bit that has me is all the flight controller stuff? im pretty much the same as you had cars boats and bikes in rc range and got a drone for mr 5 year old which I fly more than he does and am hooked. as soon as I seen fpv I said yep im going to get one of those. think I might get one once I hear a review off you if ya don't mind when ya get it. am super keen to build my own as well just so I know what does what. I like the simplicity to fun ratio on these things care some props spare arms and lets go racing. my downfall is no goggles yet I was hoping to try and find something second hand from someone upgrading. I asked the local aeromodel club about drones and it looks they are pretty frowned upon there not sure if this is the normal thing or not. all the old fellas coudnt believe there was a young guy there keen until I mentioned multi rotor then they all left me alone lol.

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    Yes I've heard it's like that at the local clubs, doesn't bother me as I fly in out of the way places on my own & there are drone racing clubs starting up if i want to go that route..

    I'll do a review if you like from my experience level, will be awhile by the time I receive it & crashtest it.

    As for goggles; If you are strapped for cash then the poor mans goggles are available.


    They would still need an appropriate receiver RX module to view the stock VTX or a VTX & RX module if you go the non stock route.
    Like this,
    Last edited by Tiny; 09-07-15 at 06:29 PM.
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    OK, I've had the Runner for over a week now & it's exactly what I expected after reading the forum reports from various other owners.

    Basically it's a nice little quad that flies quite well out of the box IMO.
    Is it a Ready to Fly Racer, well you can race anything so yes if you are going to race other Walkera 250 runners it's a racer.
    Is it ready to fly, yes, however I would recommend doing the double battery board & the rubber mat (as below) at least before flying, so It's really ready to modify.
    Also only comes with one set of props, lucky I ordered spares. All props including the supplied & spares were almost perfectly balanced as supplied, only slight balance adjustment needed on 2 out of 12.

    The failsafe was not set up as I would like in the radio as delivered, so if I'd had a radio signal loss it would have just kept flying, so I set it up to cut throttle on signal loss which is much better; at least I wont lose it or any attached recording camera (my Mobius).
    Is it fast, not as fast as most other 250 racers, however it is fast compared to your average quad.

    Is it reliable, it is if you don't crash it heavily, unfortunately if you crash heavily the Power Distribution Board (PDB) is part of the structural integrity of the main frame & if it brakes; poof, the blue smoke comes out. (hasn't happened to me yet). Replacement board ~$30AU

    Would I recommend it, no.
    They will need to put one together with real carbon fiber & enough structural integrity to handle some racing crashes without falling to pieces before I'll recommend any racer.

    Some people have reported a flip of death that occurs if you go to zero throttle & power on again during flight?? I haven't experienced this as I would not intentionally stop the motors spinning in flight for any reason. These multirotors are like any helicopter; they literally get dragged around by the motors/rotors. There is no gliding or flying with out power to the props, that simple. Cut power they fly like a brick.

    The main frame is rather flimsy, lucky the spares that I ordered turned up before the slow boat from china delivered the Runner, so I doubled up the battery tray to give it some strength & stuck some rubber mat on the battery tray to prevent the battery sliding around.

    I won't go on as Bruce pretty much covers everything in his video.

    Now there are very different views from different reviewers, the first I've put below is from Quadcopter101, he loves it & in a way so do I.




    The second review is from Bruce Simpson at RC Model reviews.
    He tells it like it is & I have to agree with almost everything he says about it.



    If you want to see part one of the above video, see below, it's more of an unboxing than a review.

    Cheers, Tiny
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    awesome tiny thanks mate will save my cash for another day anything else out there taking your fancy for a rtf newcomer that has a bit of flight experience

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    Yeah the EMAX Nighthawk Pro 280 maybe up your alley, not too expensive & a little stronger construction than the Runner.
    It comes as RTF with a simple radio capable of about 400m range.
    You can change out the radio RX & TX for something better if you want more range or stronger signal to penetrate scrub when proximity flying.
    Or get the ARTF - almost ready to fly version, get a good radio & RX combination & add it in as with the Vortex below.

    You can read about it at
    FyreSG who wrote the review is trusted by me.

    If money is no object then there is the Vortex 250 or the Storm Racing Drone.

    The Vortex comes ARTF almost ready to fly, so you have to add a radio TX & RX to the quad which is a simple process & there is hundreds of help video's on the subject.


    is a bit cheaper than the Vortex & seems good, I was going to get one before the Runner came out.
    I have seen posts where people say don't go near it though. Again it's the risk we take. Who do you believe.

    Like everything from China there is always going to be a few QC issues & then there are the people who can't fly so they crash & want to blame everyone but themselves.
    Even some of the Vortex owners have reported "fall out of the sky" issues, possibly from signal failure or electronics failure, possibly from inexperience.

    I'm still enjoying my Runner, have crashed it several times now & no damage, but I can't recommend it based on it's flimsy frame, it's not if it will break, it's when.

    Just a warning on FPV stuff bought in Australia, they seem to be limiting video transmitter VTX to 25mW, which is really short range.
    Some units come with a switch or different channels to get the 200mW VTX signal for better range some don't.
    I was lucky with my Runner, as I purchased from China & got the 200mW version.
    Of course you can buy 200mW or stronger VTX from OS & swap them out.

    Good luck.
    Cheers, Tiny
    "You can lead a person to knowledge, but you can't make them think? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
    The information is out there; you just have to let it in."

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