Anybody using the HoverFLy board?

One of the improvements I made in my ELEV-8 quad from Parallax is a special standoff for mounting the HoverFly Sport controller.  The board uses nice anti-vibration grommets, but nobody (including HoverFly) has come up with a good way to mount them.  I posted what I made for my own quad on their forum last week and it generated a lot of interest because the MEMS gyros are so sensitive to vibration.  That resulted in my getting roped into a short production run of parts for Parallax.  I made those this weekend and have a few extras if anyone here is using a HoverFly board.  Let me know if you are and I'll get you a set.  I made a short video while I was making the parts so I thought I'd post it here just for fun.

...Tiger


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR5RUUnhMIs&feature=plcp&context=C360fb6dUDOEgsToPDskJ1o3KVwH0l6DNUqWe00P-u[/youtube]

Cool, I am not much of a lathe person, was that a boring bar making the first cut?

Very cool little video thanks for posting it up. I love machining stuff ;D. Is that a Haas machine you are on there? Looks suspiciously close to one at our shop lol. Is the machine yours?

Mike - I know what you mean about watching these machines.  It's like magic.  You never get tired of it. 

Pelagic - Yes that is a boring bar!  It's made by u100 and it's my all time favorite lathe tool.  I use it more than just about anything else.  This is a gang tool lathe so it's especially nice on this machine.

Highland - Yes  It's a Haas HPCL (Haas Precision Collet Lathe).  It's a very rare Haas.  I think it was an attempt to break into the Hardinge market.  They only made it for a couple years.  I bought the first one they had available.  It's an open machine much like a toolroom lathe, but it's full CNC and even has C axis.  It does have flood coolant provisions, but I always run this one dry.  I have another Haas lathe that's fully enclosed and I run that one wet.  The HPCL is perfect for short runs like this and prototyping.  I love this stuff too!

...Tiger

Did that same machine do the threads?

Looks to me that the answer would be yes, but the real question is if it was rigid tapping, or spring loaded tapping? I am sure there is a spindle encoder on a high end unit like that.

GPS - In this case, I started with a threaded standoff just because it saved a little time and I had them.  I could just as easy have started with bar stock and done the threads to.  If you look at the video again, you'll notice the next tool station down is a 4-40 tap.  Just beyond that is the drill for that tap followed by a center drill.  I normally would have done the drilling and tapping, but just didn't in this case.  The machine does rigid tapping so there is nothing to it.

...Tiger

Very impressive.  Thanks again for the video.

How is your ELEV-8 doing?  Have you flown it lately?  Any more video?

Pelagic - Looks like you were typing at the same time I was.  Funny!  Yes the machine does rigid tapping.  GPS, if you are not familiar with that term, it means that there is an encoder on the spindle that allows the computer to maintain perfect sync with the Z axis movement.  This means that you can hold the tap in a rigid holder and it will feed the Z in perfect sync with the threads.  This means that you can not only feed the rigid mounted tap into the hole perfectly, but the spindle can slow to a stop and reverse direction and then spin back out the other direction without screwing up the threads.  You can also re-enter the hole perfectly with the tap several times (peck tapping) if the hole is really deep.  I think this is one of the most amazing things these machines can do.  It not only does it, but it does it really fast! 

...Tiger

GPS - I just snipped out the rigid tapping part of an old video I made and posted it to YouTube.  This video was on my mill, but the lathe works the same way.  The first part shows the drilling and then after that the tapping.  The tapping looks a lot like drilling, but if you watch close you can see it's a 1/4-20 tap and you can see it reverse at light speed to screw back out of the hole.  Keep in mind that the machine has to keep the feed perfect as it slows to a stop and reverses to back out.  Impressive with a big tap, but blows my mind when I can do it with a 2-56 or 0-80 tap!

...Tiger


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea0FODgsAas&context=C31a6193ADOEgsToPDskJJk3947aF7XhgRzptwmHrW[/youtube]

Tiger is understating the things that happen during a rigid tap just a bit  ;D to offer a car analogy, tapping by hand is like a wheel barrow full of horse poo at the local 4H barn, using a TapMatic is like stepping up from the wheel barrow into a nice Toyota, using a spring loaded tap holder and running a non encoded (but accurate RPM) spindle is like moving into a Mercedes E Class sedan.

True rigid tapping is like driving a Bentley Continental GT from Jay Leno's garage.........

And as far as a 0-80 Tap, you can't work with those when you are sick, because if you happen to sneeze while in the same room with them they will break...........

CNC has always been magic to me.  But I am still curious about how your ELEV-8 is working?  Have you ventured out more in your flying?  Have you tried a 360 degree pirouette?

GPS - I have not done a pirouette.  No particular reason.  Just didn't get the urge.  I did have it out at the field again last Sunday and flew it quite a bit.  Also had the MQX out there and did do some pirouettes with that just to see what it would do.  I really like the ELEV-8.  I have only had one mishap and that was just a stupid move on my part.

...Tiger

I figured that Hoverfly board was really good, it is still high on my list, but as I mentioned last time we met I have already ordered a OpenPilot CopterControl board, just don't know when I will receive it.

Don't you have a OpenPilot board?