Cyberdactyl
Misfit Multirotor Monkey
Ok, here’s a bit more detail. I’ll post this to force me to actually start cutting this weekend. Looks like thunderstorms most all weekend, so I’ll probably have the time inside.
I’ve calculated the AUW, and it looks to be somewhere in the 540-560g range, depending on the battery and how well I manage wiring. The CF frame, without hardware is 116g. With the robust Rctimer BC2208-8 (22mm x 28mm) 2600KV motors I'm using, as well as using a KK2 and regular size VTx, I feel good at keeping it in the mid 500's. If this works well, I could easily step up to more expensive and exotic hardware and shave off 40-80g I suspect.
I’ve meticulously gone over it to keep the size pretty much as small as possible. Since I use a wet tile cutter, and Proxxon rotary tool with a cutting wheel and a grout removal bit, I'm trying to keep the cuts simple, but functional. I’m restricted to four basic design parameters.
- 6” props.
- As some may have guessed, I want absolutely the thinnest booms in planform as possible. Mostly to show it can be done successfully. I have it down to ~3.1mm for the entire radius of the thrust column, except for the motor area. If you pause the video at about the 6 second mark, you can see a representation of the method on the starboard front boom I’m using for wiring down the booms. It’s 5mm x 0.75mm copper strip, similar to these with shrink shrunk tight and adhered to the boom. I’ve tested it and it works well. I’ll use bullets under the motors for break-away safety.
- I want as much mass as reasonable floating on silicone bearings with the camera.
- I want the entire volume to be as small as possible, working around inexpensive and easy to use components.
I’m using the KK2.1.5, an Orange 6ch Rx, a 600mw Vtx, and 20A Afro Slim ESCs, and a 1300mAh 3S or 4S battery.
You can get an idea of the size of the quad by the ESCs in the back. Everything is to scale, the components are within a couple millimeters, the frame is within a half millimeter. If you still can't visualize, the center structure is about the size of a baseball. I’m using 2mm CF plate entirely, but …may... use 2.6mm G10 for the motor support pieces, since those pieces are pretty small and 2.6mm offers a bit more width for the motor support cross piece. The split-piece inset method worked well for the CyberHex, so I’ll use it again.
One thing I did violate vs my CyberHex is not having the Inversa chip at the exact center of mass and lift. It's forward about 18mm in planform and ~25mm low in elevation. More than I'd like for something this small. However I do have the overall CG within a few mm of the quad's lift plane in both axis. I'll see how it goes, but this isn't for acro, so I'm not overly concerned.
This also uses the hard-clamping technique and only six compression columns (screws) and slot-n-hole for the booms. I've always been shocked at the liberal use of hardware on BlackOut type quads, we'll see if mine are enough. The rear upright supports also serve as an ESC rack, and I have them vertical right outside the thrust column for cooling. What is not seen in the video is, of course, the wiring and the 5V UBEC that will go in the center between the clamping plates. What will be a challenge is to keep the wiring clean and managed, but not so tight to transfer vibration to the isolated structure when the wiring makes the physical connection across the rigid boom and clamping plates to the floating cage.
Also, I’ll be using single strand nylon ties pulling the vertical supports tight to stiffen the structure underneath the FCB plate and underneath the top battery float plate (the holes underneath). Since I'm using 2mm I want some failure point of my choosing.
As some may have noticed, currently this does not have DVR. However a Mobius could be slipped in to replace the Sony PZ0420 later..
A lot of cutting ahead. . .
https://vimeo.com/100373044
I’ve calculated the AUW, and it looks to be somewhere in the 540-560g range, depending on the battery and how well I manage wiring. The CF frame, without hardware is 116g. With the robust Rctimer BC2208-8 (22mm x 28mm) 2600KV motors I'm using, as well as using a KK2 and regular size VTx, I feel good at keeping it in the mid 500's. If this works well, I could easily step up to more expensive and exotic hardware and shave off 40-80g I suspect.
I’ve meticulously gone over it to keep the size pretty much as small as possible. Since I use a wet tile cutter, and Proxxon rotary tool with a cutting wheel and a grout removal bit, I'm trying to keep the cuts simple, but functional. I’m restricted to four basic design parameters.
- 6” props.
- As some may have guessed, I want absolutely the thinnest booms in planform as possible. Mostly to show it can be done successfully. I have it down to ~3.1mm for the entire radius of the thrust column, except for the motor area. If you pause the video at about the 6 second mark, you can see a representation of the method on the starboard front boom I’m using for wiring down the booms. It’s 5mm x 0.75mm copper strip, similar to these with shrink shrunk tight and adhered to the boom. I’ve tested it and it works well. I’ll use bullets under the motors for break-away safety.
- I want as much mass as reasonable floating on silicone bearings with the camera.
- I want the entire volume to be as small as possible, working around inexpensive and easy to use components.
I’m using the KK2.1.5, an Orange 6ch Rx, a 600mw Vtx, and 20A Afro Slim ESCs, and a 1300mAh 3S or 4S battery.
You can get an idea of the size of the quad by the ESCs in the back. Everything is to scale, the components are within a couple millimeters, the frame is within a half millimeter. If you still can't visualize, the center structure is about the size of a baseball. I’m using 2mm CF plate entirely, but …may... use 2.6mm G10 for the motor support pieces, since those pieces are pretty small and 2.6mm offers a bit more width for the motor support cross piece. The split-piece inset method worked well for the CyberHex, so I’ll use it again.
One thing I did violate vs my CyberHex is not having the Inversa chip at the exact center of mass and lift. It's forward about 18mm in planform and ~25mm low in elevation. More than I'd like for something this small. However I do have the overall CG within a few mm of the quad's lift plane in both axis. I'll see how it goes, but this isn't for acro, so I'm not overly concerned.
This also uses the hard-clamping technique and only six compression columns (screws) and slot-n-hole for the booms. I've always been shocked at the liberal use of hardware on BlackOut type quads, we'll see if mine are enough. The rear upright supports also serve as an ESC rack, and I have them vertical right outside the thrust column for cooling. What is not seen in the video is, of course, the wiring and the 5V UBEC that will go in the center between the clamping plates. What will be a challenge is to keep the wiring clean and managed, but not so tight to transfer vibration to the isolated structure when the wiring makes the physical connection across the rigid boom and clamping plates to the floating cage.
Also, I’ll be using single strand nylon ties pulling the vertical supports tight to stiffen the structure underneath the FCB plate and underneath the top battery float plate (the holes underneath). Since I'm using 2mm I want some failure point of my choosing.
As some may have noticed, currently this does not have DVR. However a Mobius could be slipped in to replace the Sony PZ0420 later..
A lot of cutting ahead. . .
https://vimeo.com/100373044
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