A video of the Shrediquette GEMiNi:

Hi everyone! I just posted this already in the internet somewhere else, but I think it might be worth a blog-post on DIYdrones as well, as it contains some information on motors / propellers / aerodynamics that might be interesting to you guys...:

I spent some time during holidays to design a new FPV hexacopter based on my latest flight controller (see details here: click) and a canopy which was designed using CAD.

Cheap hobbyking motors were shown to have the same performance as the more expensive Roxxy ones (see details here: click). I found propellers that I did not know before (see details here: click) and that are more efficient than the AirAce propellers. The props are tilted 10° forward in order to decrease the angle of attack of the copters body in forward flight, which, together with the canopy, decreases the net aerodynamic drag in fast translational flight by about 30% (see details here: click). This copter flies even faster than the BOLT (see here: click) and it seems more maneuvrable. The GEMïNï is however slightly larger, the max. dimension is 315 mm from propeller tip to propeller tip (diagonally). I use the CCD-Killer camera, and a 25 mW Airwave module for video transmission. The CCD-Killer is still my favorite camera in terms of image quality and exposure control vs. weight and size.

Ever since I built my first tricopter, I wanted to build a canopy that somehow resembles the Limulus, an impressive animal that seems to have survived from the primeval times (see details here: click)... I like the design of the Limulus ("Horseshoe crab") a lot. Now I had the opportunity to print the model in 3D and to cast it using thermoformed flat film (Polystyrol).
The GEMïNï is extremely fun to fly, it seems to be very fast and agile - better than any copter I built before. For one full FPV flight of the GEMïNï, see this video:

I am very much interested in FPV multirotorracing, anyone that likes to have a fun competition, please tell me!

All the best,

William (Bremen / Germany)

Remember the video "A nice place to fly - Hexacopter in Cameroon / Africa" ? Two years later, it is now available as a director's cut with more than twice the length of the original movie, showing some additional scenes and longer sequences:

Available in HD on vimeo: http://vimeo.com/62600789

If you don't know the movie, I recommend to first have a look at the original version here: https://vimeo.com/18873955

Once in a while a need a new copter, this time it had to be a very small Y6 copter. It is meant for FPV flying, and that really works very good! It fits through really small holes, and it flies very precisely. It is my first Y6, and I am pretty much convinced by this concept. Ok, well, flight time is an issue.. I get 6:30 min with 1000mAh, but that is still reasonable for such an aerodynamic disaster.

Some more pictures can be found here:
http://shrediquette.blogspot.com/p/shrediquette-bolt.html


Some data:
Max. dimension 21cm
Roxxy 1815/25
Airace propellers
"CCD-Killer" CMOS FPV camera
mGUIDE controller
Turnigy Plush 6A ESCs + I²C->PWM micro converters
3S 1000 mAh battery
274g icl. battery & FPV equipment

Shrediquette MM6 FPV in Cameroon

http://www.vimeo.com/18873955

Shrediquette DLX autonomous indoor flight (no budget and not so aggressive autonomous tricopter maneuvers...):

http://www.vimeo.com/6347100

GPS position hold:

http://www.vimeo.com/15373694

Small tricopter: (Shrediquette DLXm):

http://www.vimeo.com/13949754

http://www.vimeo.com/11061240

Very small Y6 hexacopter (Shrediquette BOLT):

http://www.vimeo.com/20977475

More info can be found at http://shrediquette.blogspot.com