Recently I'm been thinking about changing up my 3dr Y6 to the new Pixhawk and X8 configuration. All in the process removing as much weight as possible as overtime my Y6 has become overloaded with extra weight and is a little off balance in its weight distribution which has made the craft inefficient.
Oddly enough, but of no surprise, 3dr does not sell X8 PDB's. So I have been exploring my PDB wiring options.
I have on ordered the following parts for this Y6 to X8 conversion:
3drobotics.com (received 02/23/2015)
1x 3DR0919 3DR uBlox GPS with Compass Kit and User Manual
3drobotics.com (received 02/25/2015)
1 x SEN-KIT-0006 Pixhawk Airspeed Sensor Kit and User Manual
1 x 3DR0530 Pixhawk External LED and USB and User Manual
1 x 3DR0714 GPS Mast and User Manual
1 x CBA0650 MinimOSD cable for Pixhawk
1 x ANDMK-301 The Frame for GoPRo
3drobotics.com (received 02/27/2015)
1 x Telemetry/OSD Y-cable adapter cable for APM 2.6 and 3DR Radio V2 Item# CBA0640 $3.00
1 x MinimOSD cable for Pixhawk Item# CBA0650 $4.00
1 x 3DR Radio Set Item# 3DR0413 $100.00
3drobotics.com (received 03/11/2015)
1 x 3DR0108 PPM Encoder (for Spektrum AR8000 connection)
1 x 3DR0714 GPS Mast and User Manual (for dual GPS capability)
helipal.com (received 03/10/2015)
2 x Power Line Board (4-8 Propellers Drone - Type A) (Storm-Parts-DroneFF-17) = USD $7.80
2 x TL68B14 Battery Mounting Plate (Two hooks) (Tarot-Parts-TL68B14) = USD $17.80
2 x TL68B09-01 16mm 3K Matte Carbon Tube ( 333mm ) (Tarot-Parts-TL68B09-01) = USD $17.80
1 x Camera Positioning Kit (660mm) (Pack-053) = USD $54.90
foxtechfpv.com (received 03/04/2015)
4 x Tarot Eight-in-one Hub/Female (TL100B07) = $13.56
1 x Foxtech 300A Ultra Power Distributor (300A Ultra Power Distributor) = $30.00
1 x Tarot FY650 C/F Folding Quadcopter (TL65B01) = $128.00
8 x M16 aircraft motor mount(blue) (TL68B08-02) = $52.72
hobbyking.com (received 03/10/2015)
5x #258000109-0/57451 4mm RCPROPLUS Supra X Gold Bullet Connectors (10 pairs) = $35.35
moddiy.com (waiting)
My current Y6 with pictured gear (Weight 4lbs 14.2 oz / 2212 kg)
Ground Station
It seems by the documentation I have read the 3-wire-cables plugging into my current Y6 PDB is merely to cut down on wiring. According to the following links, I can connect the 3-wire-cables on my ESC's directly to the Pixhawk Autopilot 1-8 and the ESC power leads directly to a generic Octo PDB 1-8.
https://pixhawk.org/modules/pixhawk
http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-pixhawk-overview/#powering
https://3drobotics.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203516955-Power-System-Wiring
eCalc Motor and Prop Help Resource
Discussion I have found...
http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/need-advice-for-pdb-selection-y6-to-x8-conversion
I have enough 3dr quad and hexa frame arms and parts left to built a X8.
If the above is PDB concept is correct, is there a specific PDB on the market with the proper amp rating I could use to get started on this upgrade?
I am working on a complete diagram for the X8 build. As I find resources and document the wiring on my existing Y6, the next items to be added to the below diagram will be;
FPV, Spectrum DX8 Receiver, etc
Replies
Built the power distribution harnesses last night. Using these... Tarot Eight-in-one Hub/Female (TL100B07)
I intend on replacing the set screws with Hex Screws that will not stick out.
Getting motors mounted and motor wires extended. Ultimately the 3DR motors that came with my Y6 will not be used. I have plenty of them and props, so I figured it would be an interesting experiment to compare the new X8 to old Y6 flight times and weight with a full fpv setup.
I intend on using Tiger Motor MN4010-11 475kv motors on top and possibly Multistar 4822-490Kv on the bottom with 17" props.
My 3DR Y6 before dissasembly.
Got the Y6 disassembled and Tarot 650 X8 frame assembled. The arms on the Tarot are a little longer by 2" than the 3DR Y6 so it will take a while to solder up the new motor wiring.
Do I need to upgrade my old 3dr radio to a new one in order to to interface with the Pixhawk?
I received in the following items from 3drobotics.com today;
3drobotics.com (received 02/23/2014)
1x 3DR0573 3DR Pixhawk
1x 3DR0919 3DR uBlox GPS with Compass Kit
I downloaded the Pixhawk installation guide and started to get things lined up.
http://3drobotics.com/pixhawk-autopilot-system/?_ga=1.176785825.544...
Here is my Y6.
I started to go down through the Pixhawk installation instructions and everything was going pretty well with the wiring...
Until I got to the radio portion and the instructions start talking about a 6 wire connector.
A 6 wire cable came along with the kit, but, my 3dr radio has 5 wires to my APM 2.6.
You will also notice I soldered up a custom harness to interface my OSD.
I am not sure what I will do about the OSD harness (one step at a time), I will need to review my notes when I did it.
The burning question at this point is...
Do I need to upgrade my old 3dr radio to a new one in order to to interface with the Pixhawk?
At any rate, after I get home tonight I will look at the pin-outs on the 3dr radio back 2 years ago vs. now to see what the heck is up. Maybe I can simply re solder my wires. I just did not want to waste time on my existing radio if its incompatible.
Thanks
John
Well clearly I did not look close enough and the new 3dr v2 radio has a different connector. Did some searching and without having to reinvent the wheel, spend hours figuring out the wiring, I ordered the following...
Hello John
Sorry to hijack this discussion.
I'm interested in the way you mount your GoPro to the Y6.
Can you please share how you are able to do this.
Is it a ready made kit?
Please provide more photos on how the GoPro case is being mounted to the Y6 frame.
With this setup, do you get jello effect on your GoPro videos?
Thanks
David
Its just a GoPro protective enclosure made by GoPro. The side is open for wire access.
Its heavy, but will withstand a major impact. I will not be using it for this X8 build. I am trying to do everything I can to reduce weight. Jello was never an issue.
The mount is hand made out of aluminum and misc. mount parts I had from GoPro.
Did some shopping last night and purchased the following hardware for this project.
I intend on experimenting with different PDB options from straight hard wiring, to hub, to PDB, thus the redundancy in those items.
Unfortunately its Chinese New Year, so there will be a shipping delay of about a week. Fortunately though the Pixhawk and options will be here in a few days and I can start experimenting with that phase of the conversion.
helipal.com
2 x Power Line Board (4-8 Propellers Drone - Type A) (Storm-Parts-DroneFF-17) = USD $7.80
2 x TL68B14 Battery Mounting Plate (Two hooks) (Tarot-Parts-TL68B14) = USD $17.80
2 x TL68B09-01 16mm 3K Matte Carbon Tube ( 333mm ) (Tarot-Parts-TL68B09-01) = USD $17.80
1 x Camera Positioning Kit (660mm) (Pack-053) = USD $54.90
foxtechfpv.com
4 x Tarot Eight-in-one Hub/Female (TL100B07) = $13.56
1 x Foxtech 300A Ultra Power Distributor (300A Ultra Power Distributor) = $30.00
1 x Tarot FY650 C/F Folding Quadcopter (TL65B01) = $128.00
8 x M16 aircraft motor mount(blue) (TL68B08-02) = $52.72
I like the idea of the octo pdb. But also can see the merit in soldering everything direct. I will have to see.
I need for the craft to be as light as possible yet serviceable. The bullet style connectors really spoiled me.
I will post images back to this thread to make sure I am on the right track based on your advise.
In digging through my 3dr spare parts I realized I have no quad base plates, but enough arms for another 2 hexas. So looks like I need a quad also.
I'm a little tired of the 3dr style frame anyway. If I have to go through all the work of a build with exact wiring length and eliminate as much weight as possible, I think I will explore a frame that is more dynamic and scalable like the Tarot 650 Ironman.
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