Old Man Mike

I would like to present a Custom 1000mm Draganflyer design based on the new $375 Dammar brushless PWB. This new platform with outrunner brushless motors can be built for approximately $125. The total cost of approximately $500 (plus a little time with a Dremel tool) provides the following:

1) Adjustable motor to motor spacing from 370mm to 995mm. I set it for a 650mm spacing as shown in the photo which prevents the props from hitting the ground at any angle up to 90 degrees.

2) Weight 18.8 oz without battery. A two min test flying outside with a 30 ounce system (8.1 ounce payload with 3.1 ounce battery) averaged 88 watts.

3) Very resistance to crash damage with the mix of aluminum and two 1000 mm carbon fiber square tubes. Very easy to repair since no holes are drilled in the carbon fiber tubes and aluminum screw clamping is used. No plastic parts to break.

4) Outrunner Motors (thanks to Rusty for finding these) cost less than $7 with the mounts and have a maximum power rating of over 100 watts. Maximum lift for the 1000mm DF is over 70 ounces. I had no problem flying it inside my 10’ x 10’ room loaded as a 60+ ounce system (that is more than 2 lbs of payload!)

5) Flying is much smoother and more stable than the smaller DF frame. Here’s a little bit of no-hands flying (sun was almost down so there was not enough light for good video quality):

[link=http://www.af9y.com/nohands.wmv] VIDEO - Flying No Hands[/link]

Here is the parts list:

Qty 1 Dammar Brushless PWB - $ 375
Qty 4 TP2410-09 Brushless Outrunner with mount - $26
Qty 4 HW_P10A 10 Amp ESC - $58
Qty 2 8mm Carbon Fiber Square Tubing - $19
Qty 2 EPP1045 10x4.5 Props (Set of 2 counter rotating) - $8
Qty 4 MPI ACC363 3.00 mm Prop Saver - $2
Misc Alum sheet (.025� & .050�), 4-40 screws/nuts, Alum 1� square tubing, Velcro - $12

Total = $ 500

The pictures below should give you a rough idea of how it is constructed. I also included a power chart which might be a little difficult to read with the two axis. Note that one of the data points is a 9 minute flight with a 1320 mAh battery carrying a 8 ounce payload including my Panasonic Video/Still camera and foam mount (30 ounce flying weight).

If there is enough interest, I will post more details. (If you have ever repaired a crashed Draganflyer, you certainly have the skill to build this and will never have to deal with that difficult repair again)

Mike

AeroRecon

Great details! Thanks!! I have been out of my DF for a while (playing with my 4oz camera strapped onto my Stryker F27) but have been following along hoping for something easy to do to get a heavier digital camera and video downlink into the air reliably and stabley(sp?)
This looks like something I could take on. The more details you could provide the better. Looking forward to some more photos and video of more flights with payload.

Thanks Mike!

Blackdragan

Mike,

What is the black box up front?

Thanks,

John

tend2it

That is SWEET Mike! ... I posted the idea about an adjustable motor distance frame a while back at the xufo forum and they said that it wasn't worth the extra weight ... you proved them wrong ... keep up the great work! I need to so something like this with my X-3D X-BL ... alu-square/CF-square tubes is a great idea ... what type of clamping lock are you using since you mentioned that you weren't using matching holes? ... does it generate a lot of vibration with the inlay track?


--Eric--

Old Man Mike

Thanks! I had posted the clamping idea in a previous thread but I have now added pictures showing the details to my first post in this thread. Vibration? It looks so smooth in flight that I'm tempted to try a hard camera mount instead of my floating foam mount I have been using with the original DF. The only motion I see in the one video I have been able to do is rocking motion from the suspended mount.


Good eye, John!

That black box is the Eagle Tree Pro Data recording unit. It measures Altitude, Motor Temp, Battery Temp, Rotor Speed, Battery Voltage, Battery Current, Total mAh used and Servo Glitches to just mention a few. I almost never fly without it since I am a data junkie!

Mike

Old Man Mike

Here is a video showing what the 1000mm Quad looks like in flight with new foam bumpers. The video also transitions from looking at the quad to the quad looking back.

[link=http://www.af9y.com/Custom1000Demo.wmv]Flying Quad VIDEO[/link]

The Quad doubles as a leaf muncher during takeoff [X(]

I've also added a sample still frame picture below and a higher resolution available [link=http://www.af9y.com/Custom1000Stillc.jpg]HERE[/link]



Mike

Sky High

Who needs a leaf blower if you have one of those?! Those motors are sound so smooth and quiet. Was all of that video processed or just part of it? It was hard to detect when it was flying low but became more evident when you went higher. Great video though. It looks like having a few inches of the frame protruding past the motors is a great way to protect the blades.

Old Man Mike

Thanks, Sky

Yes, I always process the video but now it only takes care of the rocking of the mount. I don't see any vibration on the raw video so I'm going to try hanging the mount a little differently. I'm thinking that a cross type elastic support might reduce the pendulum effect.

And about the frame extension beyond the rotor blades. That has solved so many problems. No legs required since even a 60 degree tip during launch will not result in a prop hitting the ground. Also, it allows the foam bumpers to be at the extreme ends for maximum visibility while still being out of the down-air flow of the props for maximum efficiency. It is even easier to carry since I can grab an end of the x-frame without touching the motor.

Mike

Blackdragan

Mike,

Very nice video, did you have Ti on during this flight? Does the larger frame make it easier to fly without Ti compared to the original size frame?

Thanks,

John

Old Man Mike

Thanks!

The first part of the video where it is showing the 1000mm Quad flying was with TI off. The second part where the video is from the Quad was a combination of TI on and TI off. I used TI when flying higher.

And yes, the larger frame is much more stable without TI than the original size frame. It is a real pleasure to fly.

Mike

jesolins

@Mike
Could you provide a bit more detail on the attachment of the rods on the bottom of your frame please? I saw you mention that the square rods are clamped to the aluminum plates somehow and that they can easily be replaced. That intriges me From the photos though it appears that both axis of the rods are flat on the floor? That would need a cut or notch? Bottom line...help me understand oh mighty one
Cheers,
Jim

Old Man Mike

It is not very pretty but the picture shows the details. Only one axis is flat on the floor. The other is offset aprox 10mm higher.

I've also included a comparison of the original DF to the 1000mm DF. As you can see, the 1000mm DF is four times the size of the original. (And it flies at least 4 times better)

Mike

Old Man Mike

I took the Custom 1000mm Quad up to 350 feet which is a new record for me. It is SO stable:

[link=http://www.af9y.com/Custom350Ftdeshake.wmv]VIDEO - From 350 Feet[/link]

After bringing it back down to a low altitude, I played around with some aggressive flying in TI mode:

[link=http://www.af9y.com/CustomAgressive.wmv]VIDEO - Aggressive Flying[/link]

The Data Chart shows an average of less than 87 watts for the entire 8 mins of flying. You can see how the current spikes increase during the aggressive flying. The entire flight was made with a single 1320 mAh battery.

Mike

Old Man Mike

Dammar now has a special webpage for the PWB used in the 1000mm Custom Quad:

[link=http://www.spectrolutions.com/brushless_proto.htm]Brushless Controller Board[/link]

The small frame is for the original DF with motors spaced approximately 230 mm from the center.

The large frame is for platforms with motors spaced approximately 330 mm from the center such as discribed in this thread.


Mike

geoffbrown

Mike where did you source all of your parts? And if you get
the board upgraded what parts can you omit from the parts list
of a standard brushless upgrade documentation?

Thanks in advance,

Geoff

Old Man Mike

Geoff,

All the parts sources for my original Brushless DF mod are listed in the Sticky post link to the Brushless documentation. With the upgraded PWB, you can eliminate the optical isolator board and the efficiency will be improved. For the large frame 1000mm Kquad, only the motors have been changed. More detail about the 1000mm Kquad is contained in this thread:

[link=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=768115]1000mm Kquad Design[/link]

Mike

geoffbrown

Thanks Mike. I didn't see a source for the carbon fiber tubing. Is that
pretty commonly available? Where is a good place to get that? Thanks in advance.

Old Man Mike

Here you go:

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/carbonfiber.htm

Mike

geoffbrown

Wow!! That was fast. Thank you Mike. Have you considered a paypal donate button? I would
donate some money for all your hard work. Geoff

Old Man Mike

Nope, I like helping people to enjoy this hobby as much as I do. Comments like yours is all I need.

Mike

AeroRecon

I so want to dive into this. I got a DFiv several years ago wanting to do aerial video. Disappointed with the camera system, I wanted more lifting power. My Sony T7 is the limit at 5oz. This BL concept is perfect for a better camera and video sender for monitoring. Now I just need to convince my 'boss' of the worth and get started. Thanks Mike for all the great info. I have been shooting video with my Stryker until I get my act together with my DF. Keep up the great info. I am following closely.
--Allen

AeroRecon

I just found the rcgroups threads and that stuff is awesome! I am so excited about this. Low altitude aerial video and stills for my newspaper is what I am after. Getting closer!!!

annamariaslim

Hi, been a lurker for awhile and am very impressed with OMM's custom 1000mm DF.Was really thinking of getting a Df, until I saw this, now I'm not so sure. Is this something that can be attempted/built by a newby, or would I be better served by buying a Df and gaining experience, and then building the 1000mm? I like the fact that it seems simpler as well as more robust.Is there any thought to doing a set of plans/kit/templates for the build?Sorry for the simplistic questions as I am new to this,thanks in advance for your replies!

RCTech4U

and then??????？[&:]

jesolins

Hi! This thread is still very much alive here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=768115
Cheers,
Jim