See this beauty flying!
I picked up a ShenDrones Geyser after having enormous success and fun with the ShenDrones Squirt V2.
See the following link for an example of my work with the Squirt V2:
The Geyser solves a few of the problems I found with the Squirt, and is definitely a more serious tool for creating cinematic FPV videos. When filiming this video of a local personal trainer, I found that a dual operator setup with servo tilt would have been really helpful to keep him in the centre of the shot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVAoakuHWjs&t=2s
There are however a few things that I would change about the design of the Geyser, so I've been making changes to the design to suit my tastes.. So far, I have modified the ducts to enable TBS style SMA connectors to be mounted:
I modified the servo bracket so that I don't have to remove the servo lugs (as Andy intended):
I designed an FPV camera mount to suit mini size cameras:
I have also designed a new GoPro mount for the Geyser:
The GoPro mount houses a micro FPV camera as I would prefer not to use a whoop style VTX & camera combo (as Andy intended).. Whilst I understand Andy's methodology, I would rather use a higher quality camera such as the RunCam Micro Eagle. I would also rather use a TBS Unify VTX as I frankly don't trust any other VTXs (definitely a little arrogant, but they just work). I also hate the idea of having a second battery onboard, I think the power for the dual operator camera and VTX should come from the quad's battery. And finally, you end up with two SMA mounts on the ducts anyway.. might as well make use of the spare!
Please see the following Thingiverse collection to download and print my modifications: https://www.thingiverse.com/m9stevens/collections/shendrones-geyser
So with these modifications I can use the Geyser as a dual operator quad as intended, and I can also use it independently with the servo tilt offering stabilisation in the pitch axis whilst I'm flying. This is really helpful when using the cheater cams as when you switch camera view, the GoPro isn't looking at the sky!
Regarding the printed parts, I first of all printed all of the parts in Sainsmart TPU on my own custom 3D printer, however I then had the ducts re-printed on a Markforged Mark 2 3D printer, so that I can have isotropic carbon fiber woven into Markforged's Onyx filament (which is Nylon with chopped carbon fibers in the mix). This should ensure that they're very tough and also maintain concentricity. All other parts have since been be re-printed on a Formlabs Form 2 SLA printer using durable resin - this is for no other reason than the quad looking much more professional as a result.
The carbon and SLA prints were both done for me as a favor by SolidPrint3D check them out as they have an extensive range of premium quality 3D printers and consumables available:
https://www.solidprint3d.co.uk/shop/?gclid=CjwKCAjwwvfrBRBIEiwA2nFiPTidkSIvmHMpK7nR3M_brKZOhNGkztOuQg4VvWhBp4Yoem2Ye9I9sBoCRiUQAvD_BwE
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Nice so you have two 5.8 vtx next to each other and it works? I went with 2207 xing-e, 2450kv motors. Probably rather high in kv, but I had them lying around. Any ready made prop or prop-to-cut you would recommend?
This is an amazing concept! Would you care to share your gear list: motors, lipo, etc ? Especially I would need to know about motors.
A big thank you for your sharing and your details ... really inspiring! I am also on a built Geyser, but I have trouble figuring out how to adjust the mounting angle of the camera myself during a solo flight. After research, I'm pretty hopeless and I wonder if it's even possible to do so on a quadrocopter :(
How to wire the servo signal to your flight controller and what are the appropriate settings in the FC GUI ?
Note that I am on a Kiss FC but whatever the FC you use, I am curious to know how to manage ...
Thanking you in advance,
Philippe
How do you print supports like that? Doing a servo tilt on an Fr7 now. Do the deflector pieces help?
Looking to build a Squirt V2 but dislike how loud and whinny it is ... is there a similar quad or motor/prop setup which doesnt sound so awful? FWIW - going to be running 6S
Thanks for sharing all this info!! I'll spare you on my ambitious plans, however I just couldn't pull the trigger on the squirt it just seems to lack "oomph". So I was considering a Gecko 4' with prop guards but felt that that might be too "jumpy" for indoor footage. How do your flight times compare to the squirt? you are listing 1050mAh/6s batteries, your motors are probably 2200? greetings and thanks again kudos for pushing the limits on this frame, just found you on the gram looks amazing!
Hey! Thanks! I think you did the right thing going for the Geyser over the squirt - it's definitely more capable.. Flight times are about the same to be honest, but I run a 4S 1550maH pack on the squirt to weigh it down a bit as it has a bit too much "oomph" haha! My Geyser is currently using a 1050mAh 6s battery but on 1750KV motors. I am however thinking of switching from 6S to 4S, purely because I have a tonne of 4S packs and not so many 6S - I'd prefer to keep them for the freestyle quads. I think voltage sag is beneficial with the cinequads as it gets tamer and easier to control as you get through the pack.
First off, thank you so much for sharing your discoveries and modifications. I'm loving the changes you've made and will surely be adopting a few of them.
I have a little question regarding running this system on 6S. What kind of motors would you use knowing the propellers won't be full 5" size? Would you still go for a lower 1600-1750kv motor or something a bit higher? Cheers!
Thanks! I hope that they help you.. The Geyser is much easier to spec parts for than the squirt and the nutmeg. I think if you want to go lower KV, it's only going to help - speed is not the goal with these quads, and the lower the thrust to weight ratio is, the smoother your throttle control will be. I probably wouldn't go below 1600KV - it would probably work but I've not yet seen or heard of anyone going lower. The other consideration is the prop pitch - if it doesn't have enough thrust, you could use a steeper pitch prop. Whereas if it has too much, you could drop to a lower pitch prop, and failing that maybe drop down to 5S. Hope this helps :)
Would you mind replying with the outer dimensions (from the top of the ducts) from motors 1-2 and 2-4? I hate that Andy doesn't have any sort of technical info on his page. Maybe the squirt dimensions too if you still have it?
On the Geyser, the top of the duct to the bottom of the base plate is 38mm, whereas the squirt is 33mm. I assume you're wanting the length and width from the top of the ducts? If so, the Geyser is 248.5mm wide, by 215mm long (measuring from the top of the ducts), whereas the Squirt V2 is 230mm wide, by 187mm wide. Hope this helps!
Yes! That is exactly what I was looking for. In the one picture I'd found with a Geyser and Squirt next to each other the Geyser appeared significantly larger. But it's good to know that the size increase is more in length than it is width or height. Looks like I'll be getting a Geyser and using camera switching and a fixed 10* gopro mount. That way I have the option of dual operator should I find it necessary. Thanks for the info
I'm going to be building (likely) a Squirt V2 very soon for the express purpose of shooting one-take style videos, commercials, real estate tours, you get the idea. It's meant to be a commercial workhorse. I'm finally biting the bullet and building it with a Radix Li and giving in to buy XRSF for the link stability. I already know that I'll be setting it up to do camera switching but I'm not sure whether or not the Geyser or Squirt would be best for something like this. I know the Geyser is larger, but can't find much about it VS the Squirt from Andy. What's your reasoning for stating the Geyser is a more serious tool than the Squirt?
Yeah the squirt defitinely works well for one-take videos, I've used it professionally on three occasions now and it does great! The only major limitation of the squirt in my opinion is the fixed camera angle - it will be very beneficial to have adjustable camera angle for shoots such as this one: https://www.instagram.com/p/BxpEmReAiYq/c, where you may want to be able to transition from being above the subject (looking down) to being close to the floor (looking up). The adjustable camera angle requires a second operator really, but I intend to be able to switch to and from single operator, so that I can adjust the angle myself during flight if I'm flying solo. The cheater quad functionality of the Geyser is far from neccessary in my opionion but will definitely make your footage more dynamic and interesting.. So in summary, yes the Geyser is a more serious tool, but the squirt is also very capable.. I'd go with the squirt until you find yourself with a use case for adjustable camera angle and/or cheater quad functionality, then get the Geyser.
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