Decades ago, I watched TV show "Wonder Woman" who flew a 'glass-airplane." Well, here's my see-thru acrylic-glass quad. 
The frames, arms and landing-gears made with acrylic-glass.
Maiden flight this morning with KK2.1 board(soon to be replaced with Naze32), and it flew well!
The props were not balanced so I expect more stable flight tomorrow. Will mount 1.3Ghz video transmitter soon.
Maiden Flight
Specs:
-14" arms
-15" frame top/bottom
-RCtime 1000kv motors
-HobbyKing 30a ESC
-Gemfam 10" props
-KK2.1 board
-FrSky D8R-XP receiver
-Mobius camera
-Lumenier TVL 600 fpv cam
-2200mah LiPo
AUW - 1500grams/ 3.3 lbs
Replies
Very nice. Where did you get the parts for the frame?
Hi Nick,
I got the parts here for cheap. They have a local store near where I work.
S & W Plastics
Those square rods are surprisingly cheap as long as you're under 3/4". Thanks for the link, I will try to find something like that closer to me!
No prob.
I found the 1/2" rod are most efficient weight and rigidity-wise. Thinking of trying smaller and smaller to almost 250 size and see how it compares to other FPV250 quads. :)
What f/c do you use? I just tried Acro Naze32 today and WOW! Amazing lock-in feel. I see you are flying tri-copter. Haven't attempted those yet. Are they hard to build compared to quads? Are you thinking of using acrylic-glass on your build? Maybe a acrylic-glass triquad? That would be cool.
Actually a Y6, but a bit hard to tell from the avatar, I suppose. ;)
I'm fairly new to multicopters, and I've only got my APM 2.6-based 3DR DIY Y6. Having done that, I can't help thinking of a scratch-build quad... I'd probably go with a layout like yours, with a camera mounted in front of the body plates for good visibility.
Have you measured vibrations with this material and different sizes of arm? I'd be interested in some info on that.
I'm thinking of acrylic for the next copter build, but that will be a ways off. More immediately I'm thinking of a project where I'm converting a toy dump truck into RC for my son. I was going to use plywood to build a new body to house batteries and electronics, but acrylic would be cool because he could see the motors working right through it...!
Ha ha; RC dump truck, that's sounds cool! Let me know how this build is going. Maybe I'll steal some ideas from you for my 7yr old. :) Are you planning on using APM for this RC dump-truck? Very interested.
I have to say scratch-building my quad was most fun and greatest joy! The experiencing in flying the multirotors really help me understand what I want for my own quad. I highly recommend you do it; you'll see how easy, and cheaply it can be done!
It will be a simple Arduino + Motor Shield + USB host adapter + bluetooth dongle at first. Two 12V DC motors, a 3S battery, and skid steering. A stepper motor for the dump actuator. PS3 controller to drive. I'm going to use a spare video TX kit to put an FPV camera in the front of it. Maybe a speaker to play some tunes. I'll probably stick some LEDs in there because they make every project cooler, of course.
I say "simple", but lots of little things I didn't think of at first will be required, like having the Arduino monitor battery voltage, power switches so my kid isn't plugging/unplugging XT60 connectors, power-on calibration for the dump actuator motor, LED signalling for low battery warning, etc. :) Making a copter like this must be a great experience if a dump truck is so much fun!
I will post about the project so you can have a look. I'd like to see what you get up to if you build one yourself.
When I upgrade the drone to a Pixhawk Fire cape, I'd like to put the APM into this truck and try out Ardurover, but I'll let my son get a few years older first, so he can truly appreciate automated vehicles. ;)
Hi nick,
I got parts from local acrylic store called S & W Plastics, Riverside California.
http://www.sandwplastics.com/
Looks nice! Have you FPVed it yet?
Hi joe,
No I have not mounted the 900 mhz video transmitter yet. Will do this next week. I'm also going to swap FC with Naze32 this weekend and test flight with that. I'm just testing the flight characteristics for now before FPV. Looks good so far.
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