DIY AP Quadcopter ~ 8lbs Lift

by FSMultirotors | January 18, 2014 | (0) Posted in Projects

Here's a build log of a homemade quadcopter I built for aerial photography and videography work. While it is mostly used for work, because of its immense thrust (~8lbs) you can also have fun with it :) FPV is on the 1.3Ghz band, so you need to be ham radio licenced to operate it. My callsign is KD2ENL.

Below is a short video composed of clips from this multirotor. Later in the article is a build log, parts list, and more pictures. 

Below is a parts list and build log. Below that are other pictures of the completed multirotor.

 

Components-

Naza V2 w/ GPS http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_156&products_id=1701 This is a great controler. It doesn't fly much better than a tuned multiwii or kk2, but it is very stable for AP work.

Landing gear- http://www.altitudehobbies.com/kplg-12-12mm-plastic-landing-gear-kit?search=landing%20gear Cheep, flexable, and durable. Not much to say about. Bottom rods are carbon fiber.

Props- http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=53_56_134_136&products_id=2175 Probabuly the cheepest carbon props out there. They come well balanced. 11x4.7

Motors- http://www.altitudehobbies.com/ipower-multicopter-motors/ipower-2212q-1000kv-brushless-multi-rotor-motor VERY high quality motors. They are not the cheapest, but have awesome performance. 

ESC's- http://www.altitudehobbies.com/ipeaka-iq-multicopter-esc-simonk/ipeaka-30a-brushless-multicopter-esc-simonk Cheep, reliable, and they ship with SimonK.

Airframe- http://store.scoutuav.com/products/product-category/scout/scout-kits/ Great, made in USA airframes. Extra parts are cheap and laser cut. More pictures are below.

Batteries- 2x http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__9460__Turnigy_2200mAh_4S_30C_Lipo_Pack.html Simple 4s 2200's.

OSD- http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_21&products_id=29 More pictures below.

Gimbal motors- http://www.altitudehobbies.com/brushless-gimbal-motors/ipower-2208-60-brushless-gimbal-motor

GImbal controller - http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_326&products_id=2240

Gimbal- http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:145283 3d printed.

FPV Tx- http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_30_38&products_id=1016

Antenna Tracker- http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_27&products_id=96

Groundstation- http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_27&products_id=121

FPV Rx Antenna- http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_45_52_100&products_id=475

FPV Rx- http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_34_44&products_id=911

 

Build Log

Here's the assembled airframe. It is made from 1/32" Carbon Fiber sheets from McMaster Carr. It is assembled with 4-40 screws and locknuts.

This is the motor I used from AltitudeHobbies. iPower makes very high quality motors. It comes with prop adapter, bullet connectors, and motor mount.

Motors, props, and ESC's installed. The ESC's I used are iPower 30 amp, they ship with SimonK pre-installed. They are great!

Landing gear assembled with mounting plate for quadcopterThis is the landing gear that I used. The arms are plastic, and the two skids are rigid carbon. It works very well on a 450 or 550 sized multirotor.

Next is the gimbal. I have 2 that I use on this quad. The first is a servo gimbal (in the above picture) and the second is a brushless alexmos gimbal. Both are 3d printed.

 

Here is a 3d model of the brushless gimbal. Files can be found here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:145283

Painting the printed parts with black paint then a layer of clear-coat on top.f

Done! These are two different designs that I tried. Both were printed on a Makerbot Replicator 2.This is a screenshot from the Naza config software. It shows the settings I use to configure the gimbal. I like to use the naza because no external IMU is needed for gimbal stabilization.

Now to build the groundstation.

The finished groundstation, equipped with a 23cm Rx with upgraded SAW wilter, Eagle Eyes groundstation, 3s 3000mah lipo, and 5.8ghz transmitter for my Fatshark Attitude goggles.

First is the main helical antenna. It is a 3 turn RHCP antenna from RMRC. It is rigid construction. The main plate is plastic, with a metallic RF reflector. On the back, is a block of wood that has a 1/4-20 tripod adapter.

Groundstation- http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_27&products_id=121

Fatshark Transmitter- http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_30_33&products_id=485

Groundstation lipo- http://store.scoutuav.com/product/batteries-charger-accessories/scout-lipo-11-1v-3000mah-battery/

Here's a picture of the groundstation setup with a laptop reading live time telemetry from the Eagle Eyes box. Everything works really well!

The Fatshark Attitude SD goggles that I use. For the price, they have great FOV and resolution. Also, the built in 5.8 Rx is great to connect to my groundstation. Because I am using my groundstation as a repeater, no CP antennas are needed on the Fatsharks.

A portable battery charger I made. It runs off of 12 volts, so in the field you can use a car or a huge 3s lipo to charge other lipos. Simple, and it works well. If anyone is interested, I can do a build article about this.

This concludes the build log of the quadcopter. Next are a few extra pictures of my AP rig. Thanks for reading!

Thanks for your time! If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer. I am considering offering kits for my printed gimbals later in the future. Let me know what you think. Please rate!

COMMENTS

Hunter Staples on January 19, 2014
That's awesome! Keep up the good work!
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FSMultirotors on January 19, 2014
Thanks!
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petedotnl on January 20, 2014
question: does the gimbal come out that smooth out of the 3-d printer or did you have to craft it afterwards?

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FSMultirotors on January 20, 2014
That is as smooth as it was printed. No "crafting" was done afterwards :)
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clough42 on January 21, 2014
Thank you for sharing. That looks like a nice machine.

Please be careful with it. Spinning propellers will cause serious injury to people--especially at kilowatt-scale power levels like your machine can generate. The clips near 1:15 in your video showing it flying close over the heads of small children in the corn maze are very scary. A single mistake or mechanical failure under these circumstances will get someone hurt and provide ammunition for those who seek to regulate the hobby we all love.
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FSMultirotors on January 21, 2014
Nice advice and I completely agree with you about the hobby, however those clips were done with a 250 sized mini quad (you can see the 5" props in the corner of the video) and those clips were done with two spotters walking below it :) Here's a link to the mini quad I used: http://flitetest.com/articles/3d-printed-quadcopter
Thanks
Sam
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clough42 on January 22, 2014
I'm glad to hear that.

The brushless power systems we're using today can deliver an amazing amount of power and carbon fiber props are sharp and strong. Not everyone appreciates that until after they have an accident.


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petedotnl on January 20, 2014
great article. very good quality. like your precision. would be nice if you show us how to build the groundstation. thanks for sharing.
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FSMultirotors on January 20, 2014
Thanks. I'll think about doing a build article for the ground station later.
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DIY AP Quadcopter ~ 8lbs Lift