Next problem i live in the caribbean, it has some advantages, like i can probably fly my uav just about anywhere and no one will say sh*t, and frequency use ... well... the local "FCC" is a joke, so i dont really need any ham licenses etc for running alternate frequencies are far as i can tell here.
Now the negative of being in the caribbean, their are 0 rc shops on island so everything is ordered from the US, so theirs no real "opps ordered the wrong thing" i have to get it right the first time around or else shipping will kill me.
I havent flown RC in a very very long time, and even then it was my dad's boats which clocked in at 70mph on water which was always impressive... But never really flew a plane, i am however a quick study.
Anyway thats enough intro to who i am, onward to Operation Overkill!
Operation Overkill Mission Plan: To build a "heavy lift" RC QuadCopter utilizing opensource hardware/software.
Operation Overkill Success Goals
1: Ability to manually fly using FPV
2: Ability to autonavigate way points for geophotomapping
3: Capable of 15-20 minutes of sustained flight fully loaded with hardware
4: Able to aim and trigger a high quality camera.
5: Stable flight and video recording for video work.
6. Total flight product under 800$
Operation Overkill Hardware
--- Basic Brains ---
1x ArduPilot-Mega - $60.00
1x ArduPilot-Mega IMU - $160.00
1x MediaTek MT3329 GPS 10Hz + Adapter - $40.00
1x HMC5843 - Triple Axis Magnetometer - $45.00
--- Power Plant ---
1x TrueRC 11.1V 8000mAh Li-polymer Battery 10c = 565grams - $110
4x X2217/08 Outrunner hangit rc 18 amps max http://www.eastrc.org/estoremotorselectric.htm - 32$*4 - $128
4x 10x5 APC e Props http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=5440 - 1$ *4 = 4$ + extras
4x 3.17mm Prop Saver w/ Adapter & 3 bands http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=3739 4x $2.99 = $12
4x Turnigy Plush 30 amp ESC http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=2164 4x 15.40 = $60
*** I've read that the TrueRC batteries are awesome and cheap, the hangitrc motor had the highest thrust i could find in such a small package and low price, 32$, 70 gram unit, and 1150grams of thrust with the 10x5 e prop, although i'm having issues finding the APC e prop for CCW or am i missing something? the prop savers, i dont know if they are really designed to work with 10x5 props but as i said i dont wanna be ordering new props every week given where i live any experience with prop savers on quads with bigger rotors?
--- OSD/Telemetry ---
*** I'm still not sure what to do here, i wanted a good OSD but the one i saw that works with ardupilot forces use of a smaller gps module from what i saw and i want high gps reliability for when its on autopilot... The alternative is xbee pro for telemetry and just a standard ccd with broadcaster without an osd... any input here would be great.
--- TX/RX ---
1x Turnigy 9X 9Ch Transmitter w/ Module & 8ch Receiver (Mode 2) (v2 Firmware) - $70
--- Camera Hardware ---
*** I'm still researching how best to integrate/mount/trigger a camera using ardupilot mega, as i'd like to have some form of camera stabilizer mount below that i can rotate and turn that would also hold the osd camera that way i could actively see what i'm aiming the high def camera at, switch on hover, aim the cameras and trigger a nice snap shot fromt he air... Or program waypoints (once thats available) point the cameras straight down and do geophotos, tips and suggestions are welcome.
--- Airframe ---
To start i'm looking to get some metal towel rods for arms, and hopefully will be able to find some teflon/rubber washers so that i can pressure mount the motors onto the rods instead of drilling them... the plates for the electronics, i'm considering trying to find some flat plastic boards and then covering the contact points with the electronics with a little bit of rubber to reduce vibration on the electronics even further.
This setup would primarily be used for just testing and getting the hang of the unit i eventually want to get a unit from Jakub or maybe build out a carbon fiber frame once i'm sure of my hardware that will handle a camera mount
-------------------END OF HARDWARE---------------------
Price wise I'm at 630$ and i'm missing the camera, airframe, telemetry and radio.... wow i don't think im gonna make that 800$ goal.
The way i see it at max thrust the engine and prop combo can put out 4600grams of thrust. I don't really want to be using that much as i'll drain even the 8000mah battery in what, 5-6 minutes so i should be looking to keep the total load at about half that 2300grams, right? That way i can maximize battery availability by not having to run the motors hard ever.
280grams motor + 570 grams battery + 400 grams for the airframe worst case + 200 grams of circuit boards (i have no idea how much the ardu pilot stuff weights along with the radio and telemetry) + 100 grams esc
That would bring me to 1550grams allowing me to lug a camera of up to a 1kg without stressing the engines or battery... i kinda wish i cud get my non-payload weight down some.
Anyone see where i could save some cash? Or alternatives for the above hardware? Holes in my logic etc would all be appreciated greatly.
Wow is it just me or is 40.7oz * 4 - 1450 grams airframe mean i could lift a 7 pound baby? lol Not that i would LOL
Comments
About that Sunsky rx/tx pair... Well let's see how it goes. keep us posted. And don't use it on 1.2Ghz if you have 2.4Ghz freq due harmonic freq can kill your radio..
i cud always just use both gps boards .....
speaking of that, does anyone have the weights for the ardumega, ardu imu, gps mediatek, that way i can fix my calculations for weight as i go forward...
i'll go with the remzibi osd as that seems to be the cheapest and it already works :) also can anyone tell me the amp draw for the boards? i cant find that anywhere either... but i could be blind lol, trying to get a good guess of the mAh draw before motors
so gotta add $140 for 1.3ghz rangevideo transmitter and reciever, as well as 150 for the osd + cheap cctv camera (upgrade to the 520p cam when i have more money probably) wow thats a quick 300$ lol and still need glasses/tv to watch it on so another 120$ for that... 420$ just for osd/fpv/glasses :S
hmmm if i have osd, do i still need to try to add in ardustation + xbee?
TH-9x TX with new firmware is great also.
I would not trust prop savers with that big of props.
Good luck.
Earl
ok so the 9x is locked in perfect price and looks configurable....
As for the metal rods, ya i figured that basically im gonna try to find the lighest possible might even be plastic square rods it depends what the local shops have, but as i said thats temporary to learn the software/build/tweaking etc, ill eventually swap to a real frame built by someone maybe carbon fiber or some other lightweight material.....
as for the outrunners, are they really that vibration prone??? my plan was similar to http://www.af9y.com/GoldMotorMount.jpg except i wanted to put plastic washers/rubber isolation tape between motor base and bar.... and on the bolted side, instead of metal washers they sell locally these metal washers with a silicone washer attached to it that squeezes down when you tighten it, that way no metal on metal contact with the engine... and maybe some locktite stuff on the threads of the motor, will it really still come loose????
Ok ... as for the 1:3 i'll be at around 1:3 without the camera maybe a little over, but with camera, and you know room for error closer to 1:2, do you have any recommendations for motors??? that meet the same or better specs..... <35$, under 75 grams each, >1.1kg of thrust and <20amps at max load? i have been looking for days and the 1.1kg at 18amps looked pretty awesome, except for some others i had saw that were like 120$...
Surprised no one commented on the video/telemetry/osd :S
Overall your plan looks ok tho you might not get those airtime minutes that you want with 2.5kg loads. You should try to keep your weight / thrust ratio somewhere around 1:3 to keep enough reserves for time when you need. To save mAh's I would take lower RPM motors.
And there is now ways to save if you want security and safety to your equipment.. Usually similar setups starts around $1300-1500 so I'm afraid that you cannot save :)
1. If you're looking for air time you properly want to avoid metal towel rods. if you need quick and dirty try looking for aluminium pipes.
2. you mention you're going for outrunners. Now i may have this backwards but generally outrunners and press fit doesn't go together all that well :) + there's a very high chance they will shake loose.
Anyways. just a couple of thoughts.
Kindest Regards
/Stig.
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