Hey everyone, so I don't have the APM tuned very well but at least its hitting waypoints and holding altitude and airspeed. I decided to get it flying and see just how long it would go. Here it the result:
this is the equipment list:
APC 12*8 prop
2x Zippycompact 6s 5000 mah lipo
APM 2.5 + telemetry + airspeed sensor
So whats next for the techpod? well, I will refining the gains. After I have it flying smoothly, I have a setup in the works that will be pushing flight times over 5 hours. Stay updated on the lated techpod news @ hobbyuav.com
Comments
Is this still the optimal setup for the TechPod?
You don't need to buy the original.
But be inspired for designing yourself :-)
I know, I saw that, it looks fantastic. It looks like a very streamlined but spacious fuselage. And I think the wide flat shape would be more practical for a camera payload. The wing aspect ratio looks much lower than a glider or the techpod/cyclops.
The only problem is the small issue of the purchase price. Someone posted that it was $80k.
The AreoHawk is very close to your requirements:
http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/hawkeye-target-the-cropping-and...
http://www.hawkeyeuav.com/aerial-systems/areohawk.html
The Fox 3m also seems a good choice for you. Just the Eppler 205 airfoil has some critisism, being a bit outdated. The HK ASK21 has the Eppler 205 as well. I can't judge the Eppler 387 of the Roke. But I wouldn't worry too much about the airfoil, such a composite motorglider is a giant leap forward compared to the Maja anyway :-)
Thanks again for your help Reto.
I'll try your suggestions for the prop/motor improvements on my Maja. When I've got the best out of that I'll look at the glider. The Fox 3m looks affordable too with wing area of 50 dm and great payload space.
http://www.hobby88.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=64&products_...
The HK ASK21 is designed for approx. 1.5kg flight weight. It should be well possible to add 50% weight, equals to 750g totalling to 2.25kg. I would be cautious to go heavier. Start at the designed weight, add weight step by step, observe how the plane behaves and learn to control it. My guess would be you need the larger Roke to achieve all your goals. But the ASK21 is for sure a good starting point that will already give good results.
My experience: I crashed my lovely Cougar (Staufenbiel) multiple times when it was fully packed with LiPos and about 50% overweight before I got used to the high stall speed and its aggressive stall characteristics. After I got used to that I enjoyed many great flights of a high performance long endurance UAV. Our high performance and heavily loaded Flying Wing also crashed quite some times until we got the CG exactly to the right spot and learned to launch and land it. Both the Cougar and the Flying Wing were finally good enough to set records in the sUAV community.
I'm keen on the HK ASK21, because it's 1/5th of the price of the Roke. But it's also only 1/2 the wing area. Do you expect the ASK21 would fly ok with an extra 700g - 1kg of batteries and cameras? (They recommend 1 x 3000mah, I'm wanting 2 x 5000mah, plus camera(s))?
For 120min endurance an efficient airframe is required.
You don't need forward view, go for a motorglider airframe. You can choose from a wide variety of models, they are very efficient and good mannered.
Don't try to mount your cameras in free air, e.g. under the wing. They will act like giant air brakes and will destroy the efficiency of your airframe. I tried it. Additionally they are vulnerable when landing. Mount them in the fuselage.
You have rather large payload, especially if you want to fly with not just one but two cameras. Your airframe needs a large fuselage. Scale gliders meet that requirement.
The Hobby King ASK21 EP Glider 2600mm Fiberglass might be a good and cheap choice. You can also consider the Roke ASW 17 E.
Or you can mount a motor yourself in the nose of any scale glider:
http://wiki.rc-network.de/index.php/Segler-Umbau_auf_Elektro-Antrieb
http://www.drexlers-modellbau.de/elektrosegler.htm
http://www.aufwind-magazin.de/redaktion/ASW28605/index.html
All articles are in german.
Alternatively you can choose a high performance glider and build a camera case underneath it. Like the aeromapper.
Let us know when you have build your plane and achieved 120 min endurance with electric propulsion carrying two roll stabilized vertical cameras. Quite a challenge, not many people have done that before.
Hi Reto
Thanks for those tips. Forward view isn't required. Payload would be one (or two) compact cameras pointed straight down, roll stabilised. 60-90 minutes endurance would be good, 120 minutes would be great. At around 40-50 km hr.
I fly my Maja with a roll stabilised NEX5 (or Canon S100) mounted sideways (landscape) under one wing. It makes my aerodynamics even worse, but the fuselage just isn't big enough.
I expect I'll have to keep it under the wing because I don't think any of those airframes would have the room.
I like the look of the ASK21 fuselage space, but the wing is quite low so I couldn't mount a camera under the wing. I probably could create a bracket to mount it in front of the wing, or within the wing even.
I like the Techpod too. There is a new one called the Cyclops which is available in fibreglass and has much more payload room. (It sounds like the original Techpod team had a disagreement and now they are now both making their own planes based on the same design.)
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1833786
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
of 9 Next