I was already crazy...DIYDRONES made it worst ! The story...part 1

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

definitely a variable pitch quad. especially after the reply to my post a few days ago;). But still this is impressive! Even looking at your pix, I still haven't figured out whats going on!!

I know it's variable pitch, but my wild guess is that two motors will add power to all four motors(not two motors split with 1 motor per prop). I think all power from the two motors will be combined to give more power to all four motors. With variable pitch it would make more sense to have one source of power(even if from two motors) and a way to make two props spin one direction and the other two another direction and change pitch to stabilize!

My idea was much simpler which was to just add an extra twist to the belt of two of the motors. But I'm sure your prototype will function even better since I was going the cheap rout!

I'll be very impressed when you can use AP to have this thing follow way-points instead of just stabilization!

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Comments

Developer

Jani Hirvinen September 28, 2010 at 9:18pm

Propellers or propellers... How about kinda ducted fan type props like in Avatar movie they have those flying coaxial helis. I would loooove to see the prop mounts and how it works. I'm quite sure it will look like in Avatar but with 4 prop mounts
Paul Marsh September 28, 2010 at 3:06pm

Simon, you got it first. I missed your post.
Paul Marsh September 28, 2010 at 3:03pm

Belts will run through these tubes to drive the propellers.
Paul Marsh September 28, 2010 at 3:00pm

Duh, it's where the arms of the quad will rest. Tubular arms will rotate to change propeller direction. Is this making any sense?
Paul Marsh September 28, 2010 at 2:58pm

Looking at those eight sets of tubing covered bearings on axels, it appears that a rod or cylinder might rest and rotate on and between each pair of these things. For what purpose, though, I have no idea.
Roger A September 28, 2010 at 12:27pm

Great work even if it is still not completely clear what it is going to be. One thing that really intrigues me is why you made the support for the 4 central cogs split into four different quadrants? Is there some significance to this or was it just to have some tolerance between the 4 mounts ?

Cannot wait to see the end results.
John Ryan September 28, 2010 at 1:12am

The last 2 photos you posted look like the large cogs are different. In the first photo they are blue and white, in the second photo (apparently displaying the opposite side) the 2 cogs can be seen through the holes and both appear to be blue.

I'd like to see the opposite side of the second photo, the photo that's using 2 blue cogs. Perhaps its nothing, but the apparent "swap" might be telling ; )
kinzua September 27, 2010 at 10:56pm

i stick to suggesting, that it is multi propeller arrangement, with co-axial drives and differential pitch control. engineeringOD
Developer

Jani Hirvinen September 27, 2010 at 8:57pm

It's a UFO, bottom and top disks will spin different directions. So it's a coaxial ufo :)
Joel September 27, 2010 at 7:56pm

definitely a variable pitch quad. especially after the reply to my post a few days ago;). But still this is impressive! Even looking at your pix, I still haven't figured out whats going on!!

I know it's variable pitch, but my wild guess is that two motors will add power to all four motors(not two motors split with 1 motor per prop). I think all power from the two motors will be combined to give more power to all four motors. With variable pitch it would make more sense to have one source of power(even if from two motors) and a way to make two props spin one direction and the other two another direction and change pitch to stabilize!

My idea was much simpler which was to just add an extra twist to the belt of two of the motors. But I'm sure your prototype will function even better since I was going the cheap rout!

I'll be very impressed when you can use AP to have this thing follow way-points instead of just stabilization!

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