Lifting 900g with 3DR Y6

Posted by Fredrik G on July 18, 2014 at 11:46am

Hi,

My first post here. I've been searching the forum for info on this, sorry if I've missed something.

I have a 3DR Y6 2013 DIY [1] that I've been flying for about a month, very happy with it so far. When I bought it I expected (naively) that I'd be able to put my Sony NEX-5T on it, but quickly realized that it is way too heavy. My flight times are pretty low already without any additional load. The camera and a light 2-axis gimbal [2] is 900g.

- Does anyone have experience lifting a ~900g camera/gimbal rig with the 3DR Y6, with decent flight times?

- If, what motors, props and battery are you using? I am looking at motors popular with the Tarot 680 [3], would these be suitable for the Y6? They provide 580 g of thrust at 50% throttle (4S, APC 11x4.7).  

- Is it at all possible to fit a gimbal this size under the 3DR Y6? (With tall landing gear of course.)

Would it be easier and more efficient to get a bigger flat hexa frame instead, as I may end up replacing many of my current parts anyway? Many NEX gimbals seem to be built to fit Tarot frames, and the frames have high clearance and proper gimbal mounts.

Any advice appreciated!
 

[1] APM 2.6, 850kv motors [1], 20A ESC, 3S 5000mA, 'B' motor config. http://www.unmannedtechshop.co.uk/hexacopter-motor-esc-combo.html

[2] Thinking about this one: http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__51513__ACK_Pro_Mid_Sized_Ball_Bearing_Brushless_Gimbal_With_Turnigy_4008_Motors_NEX5_And_GF3_Sized_.html

[3] http://www.foxtechfpv.com/sunnysky-v350816-700kv-motor-p-860.html

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Replies

    • Fredrik G > Emin Bu July 18, 2014 at 1:20pm

      Looks good. I'm thinking about at least a hexa though, more stable flight. Really keen on this one:

      http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__54311__Tarot_680PRO_Hexa...

    • Emin Bu > Fredrik G July 18, 2014 at 1:31pm

      its better to get quad bcs you can always convert it to x8 for real redundancy and more power,,,,

      that frame you are looking at is a no good,foldable mechanism is not god and it  vibrate a lot

      tarot have better one if u want to go that way

      http://www.foxtechfpv.com/tarot-t960-cf-folding-hexacopter-p-1082.html

      butz think again about quad or x8....good luck

    • Fredrik G > Emin Bu July 18, 2014 at 1:46pm

      Ah, X8, didn't think about that, that's a good point.

      However, coax setups are apparently less efficient - a flat octo is more efficient than an X8 I've read. But more arms getting in the way of the camera... There is always a trade-off... :)

  • nickthecook July 18, 2014 at 12:13pm

    Hi Frederik,

    I have the 880Kv motors and use 3300mah 3S batteries that weigh 263g each. My voltage threshold to engage RTL is 10.5V. I get about 7 minutes from takeoff to RTL on a single battery with no camera and gimbal, which is somewhat disappointing.

    If I put two of these batteries in parallel with an XT60 Y-connector, I only get 6 minutes. This is a bit of a mystery, as it doesn't seem like a 15% increase in weight should more than negate the additional 3300mah of battery on there.

    I'm going to test this weekend with the 6000mah 4S batteries from 3DR (680g each!) and hopefully that will give me a better flight time. I've got a Tarot T-2D and GoPro to go on the drone still, so I really need better flight time.

    I'll post my results.

    • Fredrik G > nickthecook July 18, 2014 at 12:48pm

      Hi Nick,

      Thanks for the info. Sounds strange. There are many parameters involved. If the added weight means a lot more throttle needed (weak motors?), perhaps the increased power consumption will negate the added battery capacity.

      Were the flight conditions close to identical? You should do a test just hovering (in a windless environment) and see if you get the same results. Perhaps do it multiple times even.

    • Emin Bu > nickthecook July 18, 2014 at 12:26pm

      this is not possible my friend...double lipo must prolong your flight time...first time I hear such a thing...are you sure you did not connect them in series?

    • nickthecook > Emin Bu July 20, 2014 at 6:41pm

      After further investigation, this was likely caused by my not updating the "battery capacity" field in APM Planner under the Battery Monitor optional configuration. I actually had 6600mah on there, but still had it set to 3300. However, the voltage did drop to 10.5V after 6 minutes, not sure if that's a result of the same config - I would have thought the battery voltage reading was independent of configuration.

      I have tested out the Tiger 6000mah 4S from 3DR, and I got 18 min of hover with no gimbal or GoPro. Very nice. I'm hoping for over 12 minutes of usable flight with the gimbal and camera on.

This reply was deleted.