Full_Tilt_Boogie

iTrader: (1)

I feel ya. Weight is your enemy.
Check out some of the other servos hobbypartz sells though. Theyre sold out of a lot of stuff right now due to the start of flying season, but at least you expect to have something to your door in a few days instead of a few weeks.

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

Seriously. I'm thinking I may switch from my 2200mAh S3 to a 1300mAh S3 just to save that much more weight. I've got a lot of other fat I can cut too... I thought I'd be smart and I built my harness and ESCs using all XT60 connectors, because massively overkill and modular. Now I have this urge to rip them all out and replace them with 2mm bullets

Edit: Found 2-3 guys who also built Davids yaw mechanism who are using the HS-82MG & DT750s with no issues... but they are running the KK v2.1/3.0/KK2.0 and not the APM1/2/2.5/+ ¡mOnStEr ToRqUeS! digital servos ordered, I picked up a couple different ones. Also a legit UBEC with selectable 5v/6v output. Because **** this thing, something is going to work or something is going to burn.

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

Tricopter goes on the back burner while I learn to fly this:



Top and bottom plates are around 6" dia 3mm hobby plywood from ACE Hardware held together by 3/4" 4-40 machine screws, no nuts. I just drilled undersized and force threaded them through the wood. Booms are 1/2" square dowel and its like 23 or 24" motor axle to axle. GemFan 1045 & Turnigy D2836/11 750KV motors hovers right around 1/2 stick and is remarkably stable. AUW is around 945g IIRC.



Topside: APM2.5+ & SimonK flashed F-20A ESCs. LoL at my shitty wiring.



Bottom: 2200mAh S3 35C LiPo, receiver, low battery alarm. I cut a bunch of extra slots for different battery configurations. I need to move the antenna off the arm lest it get ripped out if the arm ever detaches.

There is actually about 1" of space between the tips of the arms between the two plates so I could jam all the power wires inside the body and ignore the rats nest. Makes for a nice clean setup.

First flights were yesterday. Here at work we have an abandoned warehouse with a regulation sized roller hockey rink in it. Its a little dusty but its PERFECT for flying. I have keys and no one questions my presence. The security guy found me and apologized for the interruption I broke 2 sets of landing gear and about 1,000 zip ties, but no broken props so that's all kinds of win.

Notes:
Orientation is a BITCH! I have to find a better way to figure out how to determine direction on this thing. LEDs, ping pong ***** on strings, IDKWTF.

I need to come up with better landing gear. My standoffs are OK but if I bang it into the ground with any sort of force, not only do they break the zip ties (as designed) but they pop up and get whacked by a prop and split in half. Sideloads also snap them in half at the holes as well.

I need stronger zip ties for the motors. They come off with very little provocation and end up twisting the hell out of the wires. I'd prefer they not rip out of the motors or short out my ESCs yet.

Rates or expos or something in my TX need to be adjusted so that its more "dead" around hover. I need less reaction for the given amount of stick input. Its so sensitive its hard to get to hover perfectly. Maybe I need smarter thumbs.

Full_Tilt: On your TX, when you push the right stick away from your body, toward the top of the controller, does your quad go in the "forward" direction as listed on the APM?

So much fun! Thank you for motivating me to get started with this!

ianferrell

I got my HK shipment of tricopter parts in yesterday... Got the hk multiwii pro FC with the mtk GPS, going to start out with multiwii and hopefully move on to the megapirateNG code pretty soon. I am excite, I've had a v911 for a year now, recently got a mini quad and a walkera super CP... so I'm fortunately pretty up on flying these things. IMO, for practice, a wl toys v202 is a lot of fun and cheap. Use massiverc.com because they're in florida and it doesn't take a month to get the things, he also sells the 808 #16 cameras and lenses.

Edit: and BTW, totally going to get some autocross vids, maybe not at the next event, but we'll see. Really looking forward to trying out the 'follow me' mode in andropilot... because how cool would that be?

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

Nice! I want GPS one of these days, I'd love to be able to orbit an AutoX and get video. 3DR has the ultradangerous PhoneDrone and DroneCell that mock me as well, but next purchase is definitely an 808.

We should start sharing HK buddy codes so we can get discounts/credits on all the things

Edit: I made a little protective jacket thing for my lipos out of some closed cell foam

bear204

To lighten up the load you should drill holes through the aluminum. It should make it rigid as well. Just a thought. Nice build though.

Full_Tilt_Boogie

iTrader: (1)

Looks awesome EO2K
What size prop are you swinging?

I cant wait to see what mine is going to be like with a little bigger prop and these lower kV motors. They were in town 2 days ago but I haven't been home to receive them, so Im hoping I can get them at the post office tmro.

I have my tx set up in the usual way, in that pushing the stick forward pitches it forward and makes it fly away.

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

I'm running 10" x4.5 pitch SlowFly props. Picked them up from diyquadcopters.com. They are in the US so they ship super fast. They carry legit GemFan (really decent quality brand) for really cheap. They have nylon, nylon/carbon and full carbon fiber props. I'm running the orange nylon guys right now but I also ordered a set of the nylon/carbon ones. The stiffness of the nylon vs the nylon/carbon is very evident. I haven't balanced them yet, just used them straight out of the box and they are running great. How cheap is cheap? $5 for a set of FOUR (2xCW & 2xCCW)

Well, dang. I push the stick away and it goes "backwards" or "It's comin' right for us!" I should probably just reverse that channel before it rearranges my face. I'll try to get some video this afternoon.

Full_Tilt_Boogie

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, sometimes you have to reverse channels, but I was pretty lucky in that sense, the APM worked out of the box pretty easily (KK board was another story).
My buddy was telling me about how the little board hes using on his brushed micro has a reversed throttle channel, so if he chooses the wrong mix will take off on him.

Ill be running the same size prop as you now, just some cheap nylon props for now, but Ill invest in some CF one of these days.
I got 12 pairs of 10x4.5 for $24 from RCTimer. So ~$1 each. They have good prices on carbon fiber props too.

Full_Tilt_Boogie

iTrader: (1)

***** starting to happen



Ill post updates as I get along this evening.

EDIT:
Jesus christ its humid in my garage...
I desoldered the old motor wires from my ESCs so I could put these bullet connectors on. Doesnt look like much but its quite a pain in the ***. I need 3 arms.

ianferrell

got my frame started its ghetto 2.5mm birch plywood i had laying around, rcexplorer.se template. Also flashed my f30a escs with simon k. tonight.

Full_Tilt_Boogie

iTrader: (1)

That awesome, love the frame. RCExplorer does some really cool stuff.
Whats your parts list? Motors, props, battery,servo, etc.

I need to get tw34k to post up his tri he built out of spare parts.

Tw34k

Quickie tricopter made from junk laying around, I seriously tried to build it in a few hours one night but it wound up taking until the next night to finish.

Using multiwii on an arduino mini and a ebay 10 DOF IMU, also now sporting a neat little bluetooth connection for PID tuning,sensor logging, and mode switch programming via phone or pc.






These following pictures are of it when it was in the "just tape it down for now so I can fly it" stage, I later cleaned things up a bit.



I think this servo is almost as old as I am.


The micro-



Micro Octo on multiwii in the works.

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

I know the quick build feeling, I banged out the quad in 2 evenings as well.

I recognised the JST for scale on the Micro and went I'd love to see the parts list on that little guy.

Also, super jelly of your functioning tri

Full_Tilt_Boogie

iTrader: (1)

Sorta done... too bad a tropical storm is hitting us at the moment...

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

Aint gonna fly without propellers

Full_Tilt_Boogie

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the tip, that made all the difference



I think I need to recalibrate my accelerometer. I centered all my trims before taking off, and was having to retrim it back to where it was, hence all the drifting around.

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

Hmm seems like it needs to be calibrated, keeps pulling to one side.

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

Or better balanced?

Wait, doesn't the APM documentation specifically state NOT to trim via the TX as the APM will "learn" its neutral state? Mine drifts too, so IDKWTF. You really probably shouldn't listen to me

I had my first big wreck yesterday. I burned through both my 2200 S3 LiPos and still had time, so I fired up the 1300 S4 I've been waiting to use. I immediately discovered my mental calibration for the throttle was WAY the hell off. On the lighter battery and S4 it hovers at about 25% throttle. Vertical is outrageous! Then I got cocky. I slammed it into the ceiling and I broke 2 arms, 2 props and bent the hell out of 2 motor mounts on the way down. Looks like I'm done flying for a few weeks

vehicular

iTrader: (3)

Anybody have a link for good info on how to get started building these? I've flown store bought ones, but I'd like to build my own.