Ares Spidex

My Fourth Micro Quadcopter Drone

     I bought the Ares Spidex on August 3, 2016, at Hobbytown in Cincinnati, Ohio for $34.99.  It has become one of my favorites with 69 flights, the most of any of my micro quadcopter fleet.  I bought three extra batteries at Hobbytown at $7.99 each, so when I take it out to a nearby park, I can have multiple flights.  Except for propellers, I have never had any damage to the drone from crashes.  With three speed settings, it is fun in the flight room and outdoors, even with a slight breeze.

Ares Spidex

     I have done more experimenting with the Spidex in the flight room than with any other drone.  Its light weight and quick response make it ideal for various projects.  I have attached a thin string to the ceiling and have run it to the floor where I tied it to the body of Spidex.  Then, using only pitch and throttle the drone can become a pendulum.  I quickly learned to adjust the throttle to give the largest arc to the pendulum, while never letting the drone hover, for then the string would wrap around the propeller shaft - not good!  I then arranged plastic cups in a circle on the floor.  By adding roll to the pitch, micro quadcopter pendulum bowling was possible.

     Another time, I attached a two-inch piece of plastic tubing to the body of the Spidex with two rubber bands.  I then ran string from one end of the flight room, through the plastic tube and to the other end of the room.  Now I had a Spidex zipline.  Using pitch and throttle, I could zip the drone from one end of the basement to the other, and not worry about crashes.  Or, using roll and throttle, I made Spidex swing from side to side like a long jump rope.  Finally, the 360 degree flip button worked great, and again, never any crashes.

     My grandchildren and I are big Lego builders.  Before getting into drones, that was the main use of the basement.  We have around 50,000 pieces of Lego, with plenty of wheels and axles.  So, I have just started experimenting with attaching wheels to Spidex.  The added weight prevents the drone from lifting off, but it does roll around on the carpet from one end of the room to the other, like a remote controlled car.

     Anyone can see why Spidex is one of my favorite quadcopters.  Winters in Ohio can be long and nasty, so having a flight room and a good supply of drones can be great fun.