450 Quadcopter Frame From PolyFlex Pressure Pipe

[kpixels]

This $4 frame has no screws, is very rigid and weighs less than the flamewheel. The ESCs are inside the 1" arms/tubes which is more durable and reduces the drag.
Illuminati flight controller with on screen display, Xiaomi Yi camera, 600 mw video transmitter, 2212/920 KV motors, SimonK 30 amp ESCs, FlySky 10 ch receiver, TLC...

Thanks to everyone at FliteTest for the constant inspiration!

 

[JimCR120]

Hello kpixels,
Nice build and flight. Where in the world do you fly?

Welcome to the forum.
—Jim

 

[kpixels]

Hi Jim, Thanks, my home is in Springfield, Ohio...
Ken

 

[kpixels]

Was wondering how to embed this video rather than just the link. No biggie though...
Thanks, Ken

 

[PsyBorg]

Interesting build mate. My first thoughts were of doubt this would fly because of the hollow tubing and the resonance causing issues. I had an issue like that with a carbon frame that rang like a tuning fork and made the gyros and accelerometers go wonky enough I could not even get a hover out of it. I did see in the video you are using something like a Pixhawk or DJI NAZA FC so that maybe what is helping. I also thought if it did get airborn it would sing like a flute but I caught a view where I saw you have the open ends covered. Good work putting this together and making it fly like it does. That is a big achievement. :applause:

As for your question about video links...

In the chat box where you type responses there is a tool bar. If you look at the far right of the row there is what looks like a chat bubble. then next to that is a film strip. Click that and drop the video link in the box that pops up. The next one to the left is for pictures and the globe is for web addresses.

Keep up the good work and keep videos of this projects progress as you get thru tuning and a few crashes so we can see how it holds up and how stable a platform it can be.

 

[kpixels]

Thanks PsyBorg!

Vibration was a problem I ran into with a folding tricopter I built before this out of 1/2" polyflex. So the deck is made out of 1/8" plywood with a layer of foamcore (paper removed) glued to the bottom to help dampen the vibration to the FC and the camera. The FC is mounted with double sided foam tape to an aluminum bridge which is mounted to the deck with double sided foam tape for double (or triple?) dampening. I'm just using the Illuminati FC which is Naze 32 with built-in OSD, $25 on Amazon.

The Illuminati works great if you can get it connected and this is my first build with working (useful) OSD. The connectors are a nightmare though and also I could not get it to work on the tricopter, even though I've been flying my own build of the VersaCopter w/Naze32 for over a year. Long story. I just gave up on that and used it on this quad instead.

I did have soft foam squares plugged in the ends but they flew out one by one out as I was making this video. I might leave the ends open. I was concerned the ESCs might get too hot (in summer) if I plug them completely.

Thanks again for the help and the compliments,
Ken

 

[kpixels]

Flipping And Rolling PolyFlex Frame Quadcopter

Keep up the good work and keep videos of this projects progress as you get thru tuning and a few crashes so we can see how it holds up and how stable a platform it can be.

Hi Psy, I'm throwing everything at this quad (except cow poo, sorry!)and haven't killed it yet. Hope this will help cheer you up...
Ken

 

[kpixels]

Working On Improved Version

I'm working on an improved version of polyflex frame quadcopter. Have already shaved off over 100 grams from the previous version. This is a big quad, like phantom, 425mm.

 

[PsyBorg]

hehe bet yer hands were shaking like crazy doing them flips and all. Where did you lose the weight?

 

[kpixels]

hehe bet yer hands were shaking like crazy doing them flips and all. Where did you lose the weight?

Yes, that gets the adrenaline pumping!
I did away with the T fittings, they were 96 grams. Also the middle 1" tube was about 40 grams. I replaced all of that with one piece of expanded PVC sheet, 2" x 12" @ 1/4" thick (6mm) ~60g. It fits into the end pieces through a rectangular notch in each tube. The long edges of the PVC sheet are covered and reinforced by 2 lengths of notched 1/2" poly flex that will also hide the and protect the wires. I also shaved weight compared to last one by using the combo FC, PDB and VTX and much smaller RX. Thanks for the reply...

The new frame on the left, ~200g. The photo I posted earlier is what it's starting to look like now.

 

[PenguinWings]

Wow, looks pretty bomb-proof! I always thought H-quads just looked cool. Do you think you could drill some holes in the pipes to make them lighter, or would that have negative effects of vibration and stuff?

 

[kpixels]

Wow, looks pretty bomb-proof! I always thought H-quads just looked cool. Do you think you could drill some holes in the pipes to make them lighter, or would that have negative effects of vibration and stuff?

Thanks for the compliment! Yes come to think of it, the H quads seemed like were just a fad that I missed before. I think they look cool too and they feel cool in the air. You could definitely drill holes (25% or more) and still have plenty of strength. There might be a trade-off with aerodynamic because each hole would probably create some drag. But you could cover the holes with packing tape. So yes is the answer. That might actually help to dampen vibration. It would definitely be interesting to try.
For now though, I do need some mass so it doesn't blow away. I'm pretty happy 90 grams lighter than the 450mm flamewheel frame and using updated electronics (FC, PDB, VTX, RX) are all only 22 grams. That blows my mind because I have older video transmitters I used to fly that weigh twice that.

 

[kpixels]

PolyFlex Folding Tricopter

This tricopter was in the works before the quadcopter of this thread. It flies well but will soon be rebuilt based on what I've learned from a few test flights. This tricopter build stalled because the flight controller that I purchased for this rig refused to work the tail servo in the tricopter configuration (so I used it for the quad). All the flight test have been using my old Naze32 Acro from another tricopter which is in a configurator black hole right now, I'm not flashing. The new flight controller is a RipaFire Omnibus F4 that I hope to get set up on the new frame. Those black clamps are only temporary.

 

[LitterBug]

Hi Kpixels,
Not too far down 70 from you on the far west side of Columbus. Looks like you are having fun building some bigger rigs. I've been doing more of that lately since the motors and frames have been dirt cheap on clearance. It's fun to have a good mix of big and small too. Have a good mix of tricopters and quads here. Where around Springfield do you fly?

Cheers!
LitterBug

 

[kpixels]

Hi Kpixels,
Not too far down 70 from you on the far west side of Columbus. Looks like you are having fun building some bigger rigs. I've been doing more of that lately since the motors and frames have been dirt cheap on clearance. It's fun to have a good mix of big and small too. Have a good mix of tricopters and quads here. Where around Springfield do you fly?

Cheers!
LitterBug

Hi LitterBug, My family has serious ties to Columbus and we love it! It's nice to run into anyone around here who's into custom built or racing quads. It would be great if there were some venue around here to build and compete. Our hobby shop had a wall full of model propellers but not one CCW. My first FPV quad was a racer, but in several years I never ran into anyone else here in Springfield who was into racing.

Looking at these amazing quad or kwad videos today, you can believe I have a running parts list in my head of the ultimate racer. Even though my builds all have FPV I can't actually use the goggles that I have, so it's usually line of sight glancing at a screen to orient or compose (or find). I know it will cost some bucks to get goggles I could actually use (because I use readers) but some day.

There are a couple of places I like to fly depending on what time of year it is. One is a complex of ball diamonds that runs along Buck Creek but only if there are no people around at all. Another is a re-purposed closed golf coarse, again only if there are no people around. Most of the time I fly at the RC field at Buck Creek State Park aka C. J. Brown Reservoir, only five minutes from my house. It's a really great RC field and I can't express how fortunate I feel having a such a nice place to fly no matter what.
Ken

 

[LitterBug]

Ken,
Ahhh NICE! I didn't realize there was an RC field at Buck Creek. I've been wanting to take my sea kayak over there, and that gives me yet another reason to head over. I've also thought about biking over there and back. I have a rack/trunk on the back of one of my bikes so I can easily transport some flying gear on my bike trips.

I usually fly at a laid back AMA club field about a mile away from my house. (39.988176, -83.188206) Definitely great to have quick access. The other AMA fields are 30+ minutes away.

Cheers!
Karl "LitterBug"

 

[kpixels]

Ken,
Ahhh NICE! I didn't realize there was an RC field at Buck Creek. I've been wanting to take my sea kayak over there, and that gives me yet another reason to head over. I've also thought about biking over there and back. I have a rack/trunk on the back of one of my bikes so I can easily transport some flying gear on my bike trips.

I usually fly at a laid back AMA club field about a mile away from my house. (39.988176, -83.188206) Definitely great to have quick access. The other AMA fields are 30+ minutes away.

Wow, I never realized how sharp the line was right there between town and country. That looks like a nice field! Do you have to be an AMA member to fly there? My eldest son lives right over by the big university that needs no introduction.

Our field " 39.952645, -83.751603 " has been around since the 70s and it's open to the public. That seems like a heck of a long trip for a bike (pedaling?). I could never find that much time. That would be a beautiful trip though and if you have a kayak you'll definitely want to check out the whitewater drops they replaced all of the low-head dams with. That's another "maybe someday" thing for me.
Ken

 

[LitterBug]

It is a small no-frills private club. Dues ($65) are just enough to cover field rental, mow, and maintain the facilities. No meetings, and is run pretty much as a dictatorship. Have fun, be safe, and you won't get kicked out.

I've lived in my house 22 years and thought for sure when I bought it, the area would have been over developed in 5 years. Luckily for me, the Big Darby Watershed had a moratoreum on building and is pretty well protected. Kept me from having to move further out. Our Son is planning on attending that unnamed big university in a few short years.

Cheers!
LitterBug

 

[kpixels]

O H I O !

 

[kpixels]

Version 2.0 Is Alive!

Only a few things left to do like add lights and a cover to protect the FC. I did fly it today but there was an issue with the motors syncing up causing a scary oscillation. I did calibrate them in BetaFlight and they were perfect but I don't think it saved. No crash though and I think the footage will be amazing if it is anything like the first one (left) which had three flawless flights today (~30 min), really pushing it hard.