I want to design a eight rotor FPV/UAV rig similar in design to the Asc Tec Falcon 8 (http://www.asctec.de/asctec-falcon-2/) and would like to enlist a few of you in the project to bounce ideas and expertise from. Some of the design objectives: - 30 minute minimum flight time. - Payload exceeding a full DLSR camera with lens. - FPV video camera capable in addition to the main video or DLSR camera. - Redundant propulsion (eight rotors). - V configuration like the Asc Tec Falcon 8 to keep all rotors from the camera's field of view. - GPS option capable. I was thinking to use Titanium tubing for the frame and cross members for durability and rigidity and make the frame collapsible for transport and carrying. Did I miss anything? Comments or suggestions?
WOW! That's a pretty ambitious project for a first attempt! It might be a better idea to walk before you run. You could build something a little more modest and incrementally move all that hardware forward to the big project over time. I think I'd probably start with a basic quad incorporating all the same hardware and work my way forward. As with everything R/C, crashes are part of the learning curve and expensive crashes can be pretty discouraging. ...Tiger
I think this is a little like a first helicopter. Mine was a E-Flite Blade 400 and instead of getting a good one to start I ended up crashing more and paying the cost for parts and repairs that I would have paid for a better helicopter in the first place. I guess I could buy the parts I intend to use on the above machine but make a somewhat smaller quad first. After all eight motors and ESCs plus a HoverFly or OpenPilot board are part of the highest expenses.
Don't think I quite agree on your helicopter experience. If you had bought a "better" helicopter (more $$), you would have just had a more expensive disappointment. What you really needed was a "lesser" heli like the Blade 120SR to learn on. When you got to where you could fly that, the 400 would have been just fine. Helicopters are SO cool, but they are really really difficult to learn to fly no matter who you are. I think if you do the quad incrementally, you can save yourself the same kinds of frustration, expense, and disappointment. If you use the same parts you would have used on the big one, it will cost you almost nothing to make the more measured start up and it will give you the opportunity to learn at a reasonable pace. ...Tiger
I sent an inquiry to HoverFly about the "V" frame configuration. I am interested to hear what they have to say about it. I also ordered some .825 OD carbon fiber tube samples from these guys: http://carbonfibertubeshop.com/. Looks like the only titanium tube I could find had a .067 inch wall thickness and was almost double the weight of the carbon fiber tube companies product. I am thinking 60 inches length per arm with four rotors each. Gives me 15 inches spacing on the rotors per arm which should allow for 12 inch rotor blades.
