We have just started to use these fantastic frames at Creative Flyers, and are looking for some feed back on them. The Z Arm design is fascinating, it really gives the camera a clear field of view but does it affect the GPS, we are running those tests now to see.
As you can see from the picture these Vulcan UAV frames are very well manufactured. They have carbon fibre centers and the arms are made from aluminium alloy, making the frame very durable as well as light.
They are also foldable, but only straight foldable, not able to fold up and down, this still makes them very easy to transport and the folding leaver is very easy to use and has a built in failsafe.
Comments
Mike, don't get me started on the S800 again.. That product single-handedly made me swear to stay away from any DJI products as much as possible. And unlike some, I don't forget the moment a new shiny toy is released. But yes, the gimbals are great.
Wow that's a sexy fleet with some sexy equipment!
About square arms that would cause vibrations : that is not what I observe on our VulcanUAV frames, on teh contrary. These frames absorb vibrations (probably due to the use of different materials CF+Aircraft grade Alu)
Check for yourself this on video:
Hello All,
As you can see from the picture above, we've invested heavily in the Vulcan frames and couldn't be happier with them.
We started with Steadi Drone 3 years ago and have seen DJI S-800s, EVOs, S-900, S-1000s and CarbonCores.
Quick breakdown of these aircraft from our perspective (Please do keep in mind your experience may differ - before anyone gets too excited, we always build and balance everything we use.)
CarbonCore - These were, by far, the worst aircraft (UAVs/Drones) we built and flew. We used the Cortex frames and they were poorly engineered. These were not up to our expectations. Huge amount of vibrations and flex in the frames.
All DJI UAVs/Drones - We flew S-800 (Carbon Wrapped Arms) aircraft for a year before the ESC wires detached themselves from the soldering pads(This was due to solid core, non-silicone wiring). We tried 2nd gen S-800s but decided that we would upgrade to the EVOs, just to find out that these had their own problems(Capacitors detaching themselves from the ESC). We've built S-900s and S-1000s for other operators and these also seem to have their own problems. We've seen major vibration issues that caused the bumpers to deteriorate over a short period of time.(All of the DJI solutions seem to never fix the problem - they seem to put a quick fix in place and keep selling units).
That being said, DJI gimbals have served us proud since the beginning. We currently run 4 GH3 gimbals, 2 GH2 gimbals and a Ronin.
SteadiDrone - We started with these aircraft 3 years ago, and we expect that they have come leaps and bounds since then, so I will not comment on their current product. The SteadiDrone8 we had, had many issues with it's motor mounts cracking. This was due to the plastic used. It simply dried out and cracked. We moved away from this heavy lift aircraft after these issues.
As you can see from the picture, we currently run 2 Vulcan Y6 configurations, 2 Vulcan X8 configurations and a Raven.
We run 15" props on our Y6s and on our X8s.
Alex, at UAVshop / Vulcan, has looked after us every step of the way. He stands behind his product and their support is impeccable. He represents everything that we value in a supplier.
I've always looked at DIY Drones for information but have only just become a member. Feel free to ask anything and I'll try to reply ASAP. It is the least we can do to support Alex and Vulcan.
John, check out the arms on the Tarot X8. Almost perfect. And aluminum too, which is great.
The advantage with raised arms is that you don't need landing gear. As long as you don't plan on mounting a camera beneath that is. I did some experiment using this principle for a fixed camera FPV platform. The Z arms profiles are surprisingly strong when you machine them from a single piece of material.
On the other hand, the one thing I don't like about Vulcan frames is the use of square profile arms. This has been shown to cause more turbulent air and vibrations compared to normal tubes. The ideal form would probably be something more like a wing profile but still strong, like for example an oval shape.
plus you want your center of mass as close to the plane of the prop as possible.
Agree...and the arms are cut into thirds making them a lot more prone to easy damage/failure. I think a lot of people are trying to come up with alternate designs besides the standard quad. No need since the standard quad makes the most sense. Anythign else adds too much weight and can be more prone to damage/failure. There are already options for quads with unobstructed views such as the QAVs and the others in a similar configuration.
Another limitation of the Z arm design is a limit on useable maximum prop length (actually 16"). But they sure give an interesting insectoid look.
@ausdroid:
I think it's mostly done for visual distinction, for marketing purposes. I haven't seen any really sound engineering reasons why it just has to be done in the most complicated way.
There are many ways to get 360deg video without cutting your arms in half and bracing them.
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