Like many of you out there I recently built a Tricopter based on David Windestal's awesome design! I am having a blast learning how to fly this thing. This is my first multirotor so its been fun to see the rapid improvement in skill! Throughout my time with the tricopter though I have been wondering if there was a better way of carrying all my gear around, particularly in transit to the flying site. That's why I have came up with this case design that I call my tricopter base case. I have given it this name because it is like a home base for my tricopter and all its gear.
To start off this particular case model fits perfectly with my tricopter that has boom lengths of 350mm for the front two and the rear one has a length of 370mm. This means any tri's with this boom length or smaller will easily fit and may even be able to use the smaller case depending on how much stuff you have. It may be possible to use beams up to around 400mm by my estimation but bigger tricopters may have to be put in diagonally on their side. This is also perfect for the tricopter V3!
The cases I have used are a very good value. They are Stanley Bostich tool boxes. The models used in this article are their waterproof sealed cases. I purchased these at lowes for $29 for the large one and $19 for the smaller version. This is a steal compared to similar cases designed for such projects. They have excellent durability and are even waterproof for added protection! For my application I selected a 23in box and a 28in box to test and see which worked best. I found that the 23in fit my gear but was slightly tight and disorganized. Because of this I have chosen the 28in model to use in my project.
Here is the gear test fitted to the larger 28in case.
Here is the gear test fitted in the smaller 23in case. It was a little to tight and unorganized for my liking but may be perfect for someone with a smaller copter or less gear.
I used an old twin mattress topper as the foam structure because it was on hand and cheap. The ideal method which I may upgrade to in the future is to fill it with pick pluck foam. This would be fairly pricey though on a case of this size and would most likely out weight the cost of the tool box. i would bet it would still be less than half of a similar ready to go case though which usually are in the $200 range from what I have seen.
I used a hot glue gun to glue all the pieces together to create one foam insert. I first cut two strips about 7in wide across the mattress pad which for me ended up perfectly creating the walls around the sides. Then I cut a bottom piece that is cut to fit snugly in the bottom with the sides already pre-installed. I then cut out a piece to fit the lid.
Then I arranged my gear in the box the way I liked and started cutting foam strips to make the compartments. I chose to arrange my gear in a way that allowed me to utilize the tray from the tool box. Once the foam is installed in the lid it protects all the gear in the tray I have been able to hold the case upside down and shake it and nothing moves.
I finished by gluing the foam inserts to the walls and the bottom foam insert. At this point you have fully protective case for your tricopter! I hope many of you will enjoy this as much as I have and I wish you the best of luck in making your own tricopter base case!
A note worth mentioning: The smaller 23in box does qualify as a carry on for some airlines (not all) and this may be an advantage for using it, however I am not planning on flying any time soon so I am using the large one for its ability to hold all my gear including the tricopter, transmitter, charger, fpv equipment, batteries, props, go pro and accessories, small tools, zip ties and spare booms! Now that's a home base for a tricopter!
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