Posted by Felix Borges on January 20, 2015 at 10:26pm
I am considering building my first y6 copter. I am in the process of making my list of items to get. Do you guys have advice on how to start. What parts are the good and what issues to look out for.
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I don't get it. You say you are worried that my frame is too light weight but then you say to stick with 3500-4000s mAh batteries because of weight issues?
I do plan to eventually load a camera and gimbal on it. It is just so far out of the budget right now that I am not considering it in the initial setup.
Is it possible to have 2 batteries plugged in at the same time or is that inefficient? Or is it better to have one huge battery?
So what is the difference with a 20A esc and a 30A esc. I know it draws more current. I just don't want to buy ESC's and find out that I am under powering my motors or find out i am drawing too much power from the batteries.
I may be wrong but it feels like changing props would be an easy task. Changing motors or ESCs seems more intrusive. (BTW I already bought extra props. But I will probably need more and different sizes.)
Also I want to put my frame together soon. Should I use loctite 222 on frame bolts or is normal tightening enough?
The plastic adapter I assume is the "adapter ring". They fit inside the prop hub which provide a nice snug fit of the prop to the prop adapter that is attached to the motor. What props did you buy?
1) Use 222 "purple" Loctite. Many use 242/243 "blue" but it really isn't made for smaller screws. Yes, you must loctite all metal screws. Don't get it on plastic, although some plastic is impervious to Loctite.
2) I also Loctite the prop nuts. Others don't. They are tight enough when you can hold the motor with your thumb and finger and not turn the prop with much force. I'm sure there are specs for inch lb torque tightening, but it mostly comes from experience in mechanical stuff. Too tight and the prop hub can crack (bad). Too loose and well, that's bad too. CCW adapters help prevent the nuts from spinning off. I don't use them, but others do. It's personal preference. There is no con, I just don't use them. If you're worried about the props coming loose, use them.
3) The props need to be balanced (most of the time). Dubro is a popular balancer; lots of videos on how to do it. Balancing the motors is good too. The better the balance of rotating components, the better the copter will perform. Vibration is the enemy of a multirotor.
this is my yaw prop. The o rings you see in the picture is what I was wondering about. I assume they fit inside the prop and on the thread. Also sunnysky motors has a flat disk that comes with the motors. Does this piece go on top of the prop and under the hex nut or under the prop?
In the weight list link you posted, those weights are for the Tri not Y6, so figure another 200g or so.
The use of Gorilla Glue with the wood dowels inside the arms is pretty slick IMO. It sure would help cut down vibrations transferred to the inner frame, let alone make them extremely strong.
They have some neat accessories as well. Nice frame overall I think.
I may have what seems like a dumb question. (I guess I am full of them.) So on a y6 you have three motors upright and the props go on normally. Then you have the 3 motors that are upside down. Do the props on those motors go on normally or what do you have to do to them?
You must determine which direction the motors rotate and attach the correct prop to them according to the motor layout. For example, the bottom props that spin CW will use the same props that spin CW on top but are turned upside down. Does that make sense?
Think about this: Viewing from the top of the copter down, a motor spinning cw will spin ccw when flipped over.
For your frame it will be very simple to get correct motor rotation because all the electronics are exposed and easy to change the rotation as needed. First you need to make sure the ESC and motors are working properly and are calibrated. Do that before installing them on the frame and WITHOUT the props installed. Each ESC should be calibrated individually. Before all that however, make sure the transmitter is calibrated.
It's a good idea to bench test all the components before assembly. Otherwise, if you find a problem after installation, you'll spend 2x+ time disassembling and diagnosing what is wrong, then reassembling. That will not make you happy.
Step #1: Number all the motors for future reference.
This may be the KK2 motor layout (I had a KK2 quad some time back), but read the instructions for the KK2 board to be sure.
Motor 1,3 and 5 are on top. 2, 4 and 6 are on the bottom.
Replies
I don't get it. You say you are worried that my frame is too light weight but then you say to stick with 3500-4000s mAh batteries because of weight issues?
I do plan to eventually load a camera and gimbal on it. It is just so far out of the budget right now that I am not considering it in the initial setup.
Is it possible to have 2 batteries plugged in at the same time or is that inefficient? Or is it better to have one huge battery?
Here's what Doug is referring to:
Note the throttle @hover (red box bottom) is at 29%. That means it is over powered. This is based on a flat hex, not a Y6.
For a Y6, ECalc says throttle % @hover will be
but I've found ECalc for coaxials needs some work.
You'll know once in the air if it is over powered. The props you have may not be as efficient as APC Slo Fly, so may be ok. BTW, get extra props!!
Yes, you can run 2 batteries in parallel. IMO, you should get 5000mah battery for this build. The Multistar would work perfect for this copter.
Don't sweat it Felix, you're doing fine.
So what is the difference with a 20A esc and a 30A esc. I know it draws more current. I just don't want to buy ESC's and find out that I am under powering my motors or find out i am drawing too much power from the batteries.
I may be wrong but it feels like changing props would be an easy task. Changing motors or ESCs seems more intrusive. (BTW I already bought extra props. But I will probably need more and different sizes.)
Also I want to put my frame together soon. Should I use loctite 222 on frame bolts or is normal tightening enough?
A 20A ESC will be more than sufficient for your setup. According to Ecalc, at max, one motor will draw ~13A.
Loctite is your friend.
I think this site will answer your question on ESC's and what size you would need.
The plastic adapter I assume is the "adapter ring". They fit inside the prop hub which provide a nice snug fit of the prop to the prop adapter that is attached to the motor. What props did you buy?
1) Use 222 "purple" Loctite. Many use 242/243 "blue" but it really isn't made for smaller screws. Yes, you must loctite all metal screws. Don't get it on plastic, although some plastic is impervious to Loctite.
2) I also Loctite the prop nuts. Others don't. They are tight enough when you can hold the motor with your thumb and finger and not turn the prop with much force. I'm sure there are specs for inch lb torque tightening, but it mostly comes from experience in mechanical stuff. Too tight and the prop hub can crack (bad). Too loose and well, that's bad too. CCW adapters help prevent the nuts from spinning off. I don't use them, but others do. It's personal preference. There is no con, I just don't use them. If you're worried about the props coming loose, use them.
3) The props need to be balanced (most of the time). Dubro is a popular balancer; lots of videos on how to do it. Balancing the motors is good too. The better the balance of rotating components, the better the copter will perform. Vibration is the enemy of a multirotor.
APC explains how to set up their props for balancing. http://www.apcprop.com/v/html/balancing.html
http://www.quadrysteria.com/store/p41/HK_10_x_4.5%22_Composite__Gre...
I bought 2 of these as my forward Y and:
http://www.quadrysteria.com/store/p42/HK_10_x_4.5%22_Composite_Blac...
this is my yaw prop. The o rings you see in the picture is what I was wondering about. I assume they fit inside the prop and on the thread. Also sunnysky motors has a flat disk that comes with the motors. Does this piece go on top of the prop and under the hex nut or under the prop?
On top of the prop under the nut.
In the weight list link you posted, those weights are for the Tri not Y6, so figure another 200g or so.
The use of Gorilla Glue with the wood dowels inside the arms is pretty slick IMO. It sure would help cut down vibrations transferred to the inner frame, let alone make them extremely strong.
They have some neat accessories as well. Nice frame overall I think.
I may have what seems like a dumb question. (I guess I am full of them.) So on a y6 you have three motors upright and the props go on normally. Then you have the 3 motors that are upside down. Do the props on those motors go on normally or what do you have to do to them?
You must determine which direction the motors rotate and attach the correct prop to them according to the motor layout. For example, the bottom props that spin CW will use the same props that spin CW on top but are turned upside down. Does that make sense?
Think about this: Viewing from the top of the copter down, a motor spinning cw will spin ccw when flipped over.
For your frame it will be very simple to get correct motor rotation because all the electronics are exposed and easy to change the rotation as needed. First you need to make sure the ESC and motors are working properly and are calibrated. Do that before installing them on the frame and WITHOUT the props installed. Each ESC should be calibrated individually. Before all that however, make sure the transmitter is calibrated.
It's a good idea to bench test all the components before assembly. Otherwise, if you find a problem after installation, you'll spend 2x+ time disassembling and diagnosing what is wrong, then reassembling. That will not make you happy.
Step #1: Number all the motors for future reference.
This may be the KK2 motor layout (I had a KK2 quad some time back), but read the instructions for the KK2 board to be sure.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
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