It started when during a boring afternoon at work I told my colleague that I found a very interesting web site called DIYDRONES. We realized that our aptitudes and knowledge were complimentary meaning that he understood what I was talking about and I was also understanding him when he was telling me about how to integrate (something) into a closed loop after having characterized (something) to determine (something else). WOW!

My friend is a senior aerospace engineer at the aircraft certification division of Transport Canada and I am an aircraft maintenance engineer working also for Transport Canada as a civil aviation safety inspector.

That day, I challenged him into a project and he said with a smile; I hate you !

Since then, according to our wives, we are crazier then ever. We are now obsessed into accumulating enough honey-do list points to buy free time to go forward with our project.

I posted here a few pictures to tease your curiosity. If you want to play with me until the end you will get the complete story and details about what we created. All because of what DIYDRONES put in our heads.

We are planning to give most of it to the open sources community.
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For me it started by looking and drawing on an autocad 2009 computer screen. Did I mentioned also self learning how to use autocad?



One of my neighbor, also a friend, bought from China, on Ebay, a $1500.00 CNC machine knowing that I would learn how to use it and then teach him. Sure... but before I had to put together a computer powerful enough from some of the junk found in my garage. Could not wait to find a case for it.


After going through a few online tutorials (or was it a lot?) about Mach 3 CNC software, Sheetcam CAM software, stepper motors and controllers, etc. I ended up with my case less computer showing this screen;



and a noisy set up doing that; At least that is what my neighbors complains at 3 o'clock in the morning, you know ! CNC, router and vacuum noises.








Realizing that honey-do points are very hard to accumulate, we decided to start with cheap and easily available trex rc helicopter parts and built around it. Also we had the wisdom to start with a mock-up made with acrylic instead of wasting some very exotic and expensive material like carbon fiber. I think they call that the learning curve.


But what is that gizmo?


The continuation of our story will be by acclamation from you guys or it will die with this post...


Are you curious? Did DIYDRONES made you crazier to? Maybe we should consider a class action for it to stop...


Cheers!


Mario


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Comments

  • Looks like you have been inspired by Leonardo DaVinci's sketches. That or Rube-Goldberg. Am I close?
  • Mmmm interesting ! Though is this an engineering overkill solution to the quad drive issue ?
    My guess is that these act as locators/bearings for the 4 tiltable arms of the quad. The two-motor differential drive powers the 4 rotors via timing belts which will be able to accommodate the slight tilt of the rotor arms needed for yaw control.
    I look forward to part two.
  • from the x-ray blueprints above Im thinking some quad-copter doomsday device??? is what im getting you have me stumed give us some clues that arent pics if you build an a ufo send me the specks haha
  • looks way interesting! are you getting all your gears/brackets/etc online? Mcmaster Carr?.. and also, do you have a link to this $1500 cnc router??? Im way interested in that. Just got a Torchmate 2x2 for my plasma cutter, thought about putting a router on it as well, but for 1500 maybe another machine is in the works...
  • Some cool vibration/ isolation mounts?
  • I guess I will have to write part 2 very soon...Just a few more pics...

    What are those?

  • Developer
    I'm in :) keep going :)
  • Its a transmission for something with a counter-rotating blade???
  • this is definately a dual motor variable pitch quad, it took me until the pictures of the gear assemblys to figure it out though! good luck and document your results well. I was actually planning to build one with your type of gear setup only with a gas engine. keep up the good work!
  • You're building a flying saucer, aren't you?
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