Hoverthings Parts Bin Quad

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Air-Force
October 2013

PB000.jpg
HT-FPV + Talon Bits + an APM 2.5 and a Camera Gimbal




The Parts Bin Quad Build Log

My two camera platforms, TBS Discovery and Turnigy Talon are small taking only a maximum ten inch prop and not providing more than eight to ten minutes of real flight time. So I started looking at what was available when I realized I had a bare Hoverthings HT-FPV frame and some bits and pieces from a couple of other builds. Looking at the "Parts Bin" I saw I could throw together a ship capable of utilizing 15" propellers without spending too much money. These notes then are this new design journey...

General Specifications

Build Date - October 2013

Airframe Type - Multi-rotor, Asymmetrical Spyder Quad-X Flying Type - Aerial Photography
Motor Centers - Adj 24" to 26" (610 - 660mm) Bare Weight - 48.5oz (1375gr) w/12" props
Max Rotor Area - 15" - 706.84in^2 AUW Weight - 61oz (1730oz)
Motors - Multistar 4225/610Kv X4 Propellers - HKCF 13 x 5.5
Power - 1320 watts MAX Thrust - 145oz (4120gr)
Thrust/Weight - 2.38:1 Battery Type - Lipoly - 5400mah, 3S, 35C
Speed Control (ESC)- Q-Brain 20A (80A total) BEC - Switch Mode 3A, 5.25v


Component List

The component list includes all the major components needed. What is not shown are additional fasteners tie-wraps, connectors, G10 materials, battery's, etc. Prices are shown only for the parts I had to buy.

Item  (as of June 22, 2012) Price Quant Sub-Tot
HT-FPV Frame Kit in Camo $- x1 $-
Talon V2 Extended CF Tubes, 14mm $- x4 $-
Talon V2 Tube Mounts $- x4 $-
Talon V2 Motor Mounts $- x4 $-
McMaster Aluminum 1" x 4-40 Stand-off $0.37 x8 $2.96
McMaster Aluminum 1-1/4" x 4-40 Stand-off $0.58 x9 $5.22
Multistar 4225/610Kv $29.46 x4 $117.84
APCmr Props 12 x 4.5 $3.96 x4 $15.84
Q-Brain 4X20A ESC $29.31 x1 $29.31
KK 2.0 -or- APM 2.5 Flight Controller $- x1 $-
Spektrum AR6200 Receiver $- x1 $-
Total- $171.17



What I Threw Together

These build notes are about the the build of a quad frame mostly from parts I had from different projects. I did buy motors because I wanted to try the HK Multistar 16 pole series, an HK ESC called the "Q-Brain" because it has 4 ESC's and all the power distribution built right in, and some aluminum stand-offs to replace the too short stand-offs the HT-FPV frame came with.

Frame Base

On the frame base plate I added 2 pieces of G10 fiberglass from McMaster Carr to help stiffen the frame from side to side. I bolted it all together using 4-40 screws and Aluminium stand-offs from MacMaster which fit perfectly. I did cut one down by 1/16" (1.5mm) which had to sit atop one of the G10 plates. I set the arms up at 90 degrees in the rear and XX degrees front which gives a layout that will support up to a 15 inch prop. I used a spyder layout to minimize prop interference in the video.

PB004.jpg
Mod components on the HT-FPV base plate


Power & ESC's

For this project I decided to give the HobbyKing Q-Brain 4-in-1 ESC and distribution unit a shot. Basically it is 4, 20 amp ESC's built on a single board with a single 3A, 5.25v switch mode BEC. At 112gr (3.95oz) it isn't light as it has a very robust heat sink plate on top. I mounted it on three nylon 6mm tall stand-offs so it sits between the two main frame plates for max air flow.

It really does a nice job of cleaning up the wiring and it eliminates the need for a power distribution board (which can save some weight).

PB005.jpg
Loaded up with a Q-Brain 4x 20A ESC



PB032.jpg
Bottom view showing second receiver and gimbal control board



Geometry

I spent some time comparing various spyder quad layouts and decided on the geometry as shown below. The layout is designed to fit a 15" (381mm) propellers with a gap of ~1" (25mm). The arm tubes are adjustable from 9.4" (240mm) to 10.4" (265mm). The layouts shown below depict 15" props with the arms adjusted to 260mm.

PB010.jpg
Geometry layout in inches



PB011.jpg
Geometry layout in millimeters



Brushless Gimbal

With all the great success I have had with the brushless gimbal on my TBS Discovery, I decided this project would include a similar one one as well. I already had an extra board and motors so it was a simple effort to make up a mount and a pair of swing brackets to build it on the frame. More information here: Easy Brushless Gimbal


PB030.jpg
Brushless Gimbal for GoPro



See Also

Easy Brushless Gimbal



Comments? Questions?

email me!