So I have some vacations coming up and already have some quads and a hex I figured I needed a fixed wing to round out my aerial camera fleet. (for now) heh. So I took the plunge and picked myself up an X8 to fill up with electronics.
I'm running an ArduPilot Purple, with a Castle 75 esc waiting for Hobbyking to drop of my new Scorpion motor until then I have a 700W max 50Amp local hobby store motor to power the bird. I'm running 1.2 video feeding through MinimOSD with a Sony 720 line mini cam. I have a roll and tilt GoPro mount in the works that I'll post up some pics when I can get some play time on the router this weekend. Communication is done through a Futaba 10C 72Mhz and some 900Mhz XBees.
I've only made a few mods for now like adding a second motor mount plate that bolt through the foam to the outer plate.
I made some electronics trays and filled in the lower camera cut out with some foam and Gorilla glue.
I ended up bringing the control linkage up through the wing, leaving it on the bottom seemed like a bad idea for a belly lander. I have never flown a or built a fixed wing, but I said the same about the multirotors and DIYDrone's gear and community made it simple, awesome and enjoyable. Only crashes were ah-hem user error. So I'm hoping for the same luck with this bird. I do have tons of hours now on RealFlight sim just to make sure I feel comfortable with the controls. That being said any input from from you guys will be greatly appreciated. I'll update this blog as things progress and as I get the camera mount going. But for now heres some more eye candy. Be happy and safe all!
Comments
can i use X8 PID, to starting tune my Phantom FPV Flying Wing EPO Airplane 1550mm?
Did the one I posted not work for ya?
Yeah that would be good. That is pretty much my PhD lol. Propane ones are called Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC), and can run on any short chain hydrocarbon, and the hydrogen ones are Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC).
Yes Horizon are an option but only on H2, which is a bugger to store and fuel tanks get big and heavy for very little fuel. H2 fuel cells degrade badly with time, but you can buy one now. Propane ones don't. Fuel cells have no moving parts, correct!
Do some research into Horizon if you want a solution now, and do some calculations for how much fuel you need therefore where you can get a fuel tank.
A point to note, 0% to 100% throttle on a fuel cell may take a few minutes (go-arounds would never happen!). The most simple solution is to have a battery in parallel, which gives you the instantaneous response, and then gets recharged (albeit unbalanced) when the fuel cell has caught up.
...or take the weight penalty and put a small nitro/petrol generator onboard and make a hybrid? A hybrid will far outperform nitro or electric on its own.
A fuel cell is fuel powered (stupid statement) which basically means the more fuel you carry the longer the endurance. Compared with nitro, petrol or lithium; propane is considerably lighter meaning you can carry more. 10hrs is based upon a small thermos flask sized tank.
Unfortunately, FC's aren't commercially available yet. Universities tend to have one or two kicking around but since theyre one-offs they come in around £10k.
I'm hoping the outcomes of my research will help drive the industry forward, but it's still going to be mega expensive, well more than a turbine...for now anyway.
For what is available off the shelf I think you are stuck to LiPo or nitro. I've not looked into it but is lead acid an option with this huge payload??
Thats awesome Rick. What's your all up weight?
Troy, I didn't sheild or twist (not saying this is best). Instead I have routed all my signal cables down the starboard side of the fuselage, and the power cables only down the port side and taped it down well out of the way of the rx and APM. No problem yet but could be a ticking bomb!
I have a pretty chunky motor (Hyperion ZS3025-8T) and an alu motor mount which is heavy. There is a pic hereof my minimal internals.
Hi Troy, twisting the wires will help with the emf... Tried and tested solution from a quadcopter, where space for separation is at a definite premium.
Yeah Simon I know what you mean about the COG. I too have found I need a 4s 5000 in the nose to counter the chute in the back. Yet to maiden but I am concerned about the long power run & emf. Im thinking of wrapping the cables in ali foil tape. Whats in the trunk of yours to make it so heavy???
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