Ycopter Quad. Part 1 - Design

by ycopter | February 22, 2013 | (19) Posted in Projects


Introducing the YQ2 Quadcopter

It is designed for DIY construction using cheap and readily available materials and incorporates many of the ideas in my ‘Tune Your Multi-rotor’ article.

This quad is design for fast and agile flight.  It is not a light weight design at all, with large battery, GoPro 2 in its protective case and FPV gear it weighs 2.2Kg.  Although not as efficient as lighter machines, it still has a flight time of between 6-9 minutes and the extra weight gives it a very stable flight profile.

 


Design features:

Video Quality

  • 2 stage camera vibration dampening.
  • Sharp and vibration free 1080p video (providing the motors and props are reasonably well balanced).
  • Up to 11” propellers out of view of the video.
  • Relatively level fast forward flight.
  • GoPro camera can be angled down for plan view or slightly back for fast forward flight.

Flying Characteristics

  • Stable with mass along central axis.
  • Fairly level pitch in fast forward flight.
  • Stable in moderate winds.
  • Designed for fast and agile flight.
  • Rigid frame hardly flexes, this keeps the motors held firmly in place which allows for accurate and predictable control.

Crash Resistance

  • Ultra strong core frame.
  • GoPro mounted in its protective case.
  • Weak points designed in, in the event of a crash the following are intended to break:

- Wooden arms (plug in design makes them simple to replace).
- Cable ties holding on landing legs.
- GoPro is soft mounted with Velcro and silicone rubber.

Cost Effective

  • DIY construction.
  • Uses GRP or G10 sheet material and readily available wood sections.

RF Design

  • Dirty and clean areas.
  • Video TX at front and RC and GPS antennas at back provides 400mm separation. 

Convenience

  • Fast and accessible battery location.
  • Easy to adjust the centre of gravity.
  • Uses 4S batteries in the range of 3000mah to 5000mah.
  • Self-contained video TX, OSD and power regulator which is removable.
  • Props out of view of the FPV camera and GoPro.
  • Motor arms can be removed for compact transportation.

Specifications:

Frame weight 650gm (Includes GoPro camera mount).

Motor to motor      - 681mm (diagonal)

                              - 500mm (width)

                              - 463mm (length)

Height 105mm (lower plate to top of GoPro case)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMENTS

DaG on February 24, 2013
It seem to have a lot of work on this Quad. Design is great and look professional ! I'll follow your progression. You said that the 2kg weigh is a most for stabilty but cost you lot of flight time. What the next step?
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ycopter on February 25, 2013
Thanks, next step is Part 3, the build process. I will post this as soon as I can. The only difficult part of the build is cutting the frame parts, but I have some tips to make this much easier...
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trobi81 on February 24, 2013
Hi Ycopter,

Thank you for creating such an interesting article! I can see that you have spent a great deal of time and effort developing a great design and documenting how others can build their own. I really appreciate the time you have taken to write a detailed overview and instructions. I'm definitely going to build one! Thanks again!
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ycopter on February 25, 2013
Thanks so much for your feedback, yes it does take a long time to document, but sharing knowledge is what this great hobby is all about. Pleased you want to make one, build process coming in part 3.
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Adib Vahedi on February 25, 2013
Wow looks pretty stable you have probably spent a lotof time on everything! Great flying! And thanks for spending most of your time making this great article! Hope you have a good time flying again!

Keep up the great work!!!!!!!!!!! ;)


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ycopter on February 25, 2013
Thanks for taking the time to send your feedback, it is appreciated.
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krisrilee on March 11, 2013
Hey I love the design. Ive just built one to the exact size and power system. What's your pids? For the kk2 board right?
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ycopter on March 11, 2013
Thanks - I only test flew this design a couple of times with the KK2 and then switched to the Openpilot CC3D. My settings with the KK2 were Roll and Pitch P gain 95 (limit 45), I gain 20 (limit 15). Yaw P gain 35 (limit 20), I gain 40 (limit 10). I think I adjusted the stick scaling also R26, P38 and Yaw 43. In my experience you can increase the pitch quite a bit more than roll. Generally speaking you want low P and I settings for smooth video. I hope your quad flies really well.
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krisrilee on March 11, 2013
I have a amp 2.5 board but it is so amazingly hard to adjust so I'm trying with a KK2 board to get the hang of it.
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ycopter on March 11, 2013
The KK2 is great, good value for money and good performance. I really like the CC3D but it is much harder to set up than the KK2.
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krisrilee on March 11, 2013
are the pids transferable? like are they common in any way between the boards?
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olsonphoto on June 6, 2013
Hi, My son and I are going to build this thing over the next few months. We want to start with the frame. What sort of wood did you use? I was thinking of Ash, it is light and very strong. But if weight is a big deal, do we need to use Balsa?

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ycopter on June 7, 2013
Hello, no particular type of wood is required, providing it is well machined and not twisted then it will work fine. I think the wood I used is just a good quality pine. Balsa would be too weak. Good luck with your building, if you need any help then just ask.
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miloolson on June 10, 2013
I was also wondering what controller to use
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ycopter on June 10, 2013
Use a KK2, great performance and value.
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miloolson on June 10, 2013
any recommendation for one to get
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miloolson on June 10, 2013
also how many sheets of the g10 epoxy sheet did you use and what sizes
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ycopter on June 11, 2013
I think you can get one complete frame out of a 16" X 12" sheet, but I'm not certain, suggest you print out all of the parts and lay them out. The source I use is in the UK and unfortunately only ships to the UK, eBay description is "Fibreglass GRP sheet 16" X 12" X 1.6mm"
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ycopter on June 11, 2013
To get what?
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miloolson on June 24, 2013
which type of controller from kk2 should I use
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ycopter on June 24, 2013
Hello, the KK2 is a really good control board, as far as I know there is only one version, but there is a number of different firmware, you can flash it with the latest version which is v1.6. All of the versions work well but self level only really works on the later versions.
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yashodhanp on August 26, 2013
What Quad configuration do i use on it i.e. for the KK Multicopter board? 'X' type, 'H' type or '+' type?
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ycopter on August 26, 2013
For quads where you want a clear view for a camera use "Quadcopter X" configuration. Most people fly 'X' quadcopters, in fact I have never flown a + quad... 'H' is normally used in hexacopter configuration.
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yashodhanp on August 27, 2013
Ok thanks, will choose X configuration for the YQ2. Another question , can I use locktite instead of locking nuts ? And what's the plate on top of the board? And where do I use the M2 screws? Can't seem to figure out where to use it in the main assembly
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ycopter on August 27, 2013
Yes you can use locktite, best to use the non-permanent type. The plate on top of the board is optional, it just provides a little protection. M2 screws are used to assemble all of the top plate parts and also to connects the vibration dampers to the frame. All dimensions are to scale in the plans, use the "ruler" function to establish any dimension including hole diameters. Good luck with you building and do let me know how you get on with it.
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yashodhanp on September 1, 2013
Hello, I finished cutting out the parts, I was wondering which length of motor arm would go where? And the top plates would be mounted on which sides?
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ycopter on September 1, 2013
Hi, the shorter arms go at the front. The battery / control board plate is reversible, it doesn't matter which way up. The camera mount should be located so that the GoPro lens is on the central axis (camera cut-out to the right when viewed from the rear. Use one of the lower frame plates as a jig to position the holes in the upper frame, put 4 x M2 bolts through the vibration dampening holes and locate on the upper frame parts, mark and drill one hole in each side of the upper frame wooden struts. Locate these parts with a couple of bolts then you can mark and drill the other holes which attach the upper frame parts to the wooden struts. I hope this makes sense!
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yashodhanp on September 1, 2013
Hello, ya thank you very much for your support, if you could provide me with an email address i could send you some pictures of my build.
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ycopter on September 1, 2013
I would like to see pictures of your build, please can you send me your email address via my YouTube channel? There is no PM service on Flitetest.
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yashodhanp on September 1, 2013
Hello, I think you have contact block activated on your youtube profile, anyways my email id is ypasari@live.com
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Ycopter Quad. Part 1 - Design