Hornet - Gecko 3" build
By flyingsquirrel on Nov 03, 2020
Named Hornet because of the red stripes and well ... if it hits you, it's certainly going to sting!
My design brief was a drone that is reasonably light-weight, quiet and fun for practising with, yet supporting the XT60 4S batteries. To keep the weight down, I'm using a Runcam Split 4 for 4K video footage, instead of the usual GoPro. Without a battery, it weighs 165 grams, and with a 850 mah battery & strap, 270 grams. The battery lasts (on a non-aggressive flight) about 7 minutes.
My main problems were around the Runcam Split 4. On the build, it expects a 25.5 x 25.5 mm tiny whoop mount, rather than the 20 x 20 mm, so after a failed 3D-printed mount, I had to (with great ventilation caution) drill some holes in the frame to mount it. On tests flights, the SD card for recording HD footage kept on losing contact and getting write errors - fixed with a bit of insulating tape on the topside of the card to make it fit properly. More build pictures here and test flight on youtube.
Verdict: a bit pricey, but a super smooth and fun flying experience - especially in tight spaces.
Photos
Part List
Frame |
Armattan Gecko 3" Micro Frame
(66 builds)
Racedayquads.com
|
$71.50 |
Flight Controller |
Matek Systems F722-Mini Flight Controller OSD Dual Gyro/Acc 32M Flash 5V/2A BEC for RC Drone
(6 builds)
Banggood.com
|
$50.74 |
ESCs |
Holybro Tekko32 F3 45A Mini 4-in-1 ESC
(6 builds)
Getfpv.com
|
$56.99 |
Motors |
FPVracing.ch
Fpvracing.ch
|
$74.00 |
FPV Camera |
RunCam Split 4 V2
(7 builds)
Shop.runcam.com
|
$82.99 |
FPV Transmitter |
FPV Drone Video Receiver Antennas for - Race Day Quads
(59 builds)
Racedayquads.com
|
$2.99 |
Receiver |
FrSky R-XSR 2.4GHz Micro ReceiverDefault Title
(937 builds)
Racedayquads.com
|
$21.99 |
Batteries |
Tattu R-Line 850mAh 14.8V 95C 4S Lipo XT60
Dronefactory.ch
|
$22.90 |
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Absolutely GORGEOUS build! So neat, tidy and stylish too!!! Great work. 👍👍👍
Excuse my ignorance, but what did you use to cover the motor wires? (Is that heat shrink?!?) It looks great.
That's correct - it's heat shrink. I made sure the 3 motor cables were totally flat and next to each other, and then added the heat shrink, heated it and then flattened it whilst still warm. Thanks for the compliment! :-)