AirBlade Transformer (4S 1404)

By DrMacca on Sep 29, 2020

11  568  3

I really like this frame. I could be wrong but there don't seem to be many frames that support 4 inch props but are still really light - this one fits the bill perfectly.

I used a HGLRC F4 FC+ESC (20x20) stack along with Airblade Superman 1404 4850kv motors. The 45 amp ESC is overkill for this build but I'd picked it up on a sale (this is a common theme with me!) and even with a 4S 750mAh lipo and an Insta360 GO (just under 20g) the total weight still comes under 250g.

That said, you could definitely bring the weight down further if you swapped that stack (15.5g) with a AIO/whoop-style board (the GEP RC 20A AIO is 7.3g) since this frame also supports whoop-style boards as well as 20x20 stacks. You could save even more weight by not being like me and using zip-ties, tape and heat-shrink like they're going out of style. ;)

Alt TagThe 4S 750mAh lipo is good for cruising but if you use a lighter 4S 450mAh you can bust out some decent freestyle flying as well. I'd worry about the frame surviving a heavy crash (amazingly I haven't smashed this one into a stationary object...yet) but that's a risk inherent to any lightweight frame I guess.

For the VTX I used my trusty Rush Tiny Tank (I love RushFPV stuff) and an old XM+ I had from a previous build.

It's probably my Canadian bias showing but I really like AirBlade UAV's micro frames (I've used the 'Intrepid' in the past and am working on a 'Honeypot' build) and the Transformer is no exception. I had a lot of fun ripping this one around the parking lot.

NOTE: In the photos you can see that I have the front braces/camera mount UPSIDE DOWN - I put it like that to have a relatively flat surface to zip-tie the Insta30 GO mount to.

Alt Tag

Photos

Part List

Frame

AirBlade Transformer Mini 4 inch Long Range (16 builds)
Airbladeuav.com
$29.99

Flight Controller

HGLRC FD445 Stack FD F4 Mini Flight Control FD45A 4 In1 Mini BLHeli_32 2-6S ESC (4 builds)
Hglrc.com
$66.99

Motors

4 x AirBlade Superman AB 1404 Toothpick 3/4 inch Brushless Motors (58 builds)
Airbladeuav.com
$63.96

Propellers

GemFan Hurricane 4023 3-Blade (30 builds)
Airbladeuav.com
$2.99

FPV Camera

Caddx Baby Ratel Starlight Nano 1200TVL CMOS 4:3/16:9 PAL/NTSC FPV Camera (1.8mm) - Choose Color (25 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$30.99

FPV Transmitter

Rush Tiny Tank Mini 48CH 5V PIT/25/100/200/MAX 350mW TBS Smart Audio FPV Transmitter for RC Racer Drone (68 builds)
Banggood.com
$22.16

Antenna

RUSHFPV Cherry 5.8GHz U.FL Lock Antenna 2 Pack - Red (RHCP orLHCP) (36 builds)
Pyrodrone.com
$12.99

Receiver

FrSky XM+ SBUS Mini ReceiverDefault Title (1149 builds)
Airbladeuav.com
$12.99

Batteries

Gaoneng GNB 14.8V 750mAh 80C 4S XT30 Plug Lipo Battery for RC Drone (12 builds)
Banggood.com
$20.99

Radio

FrSky Taranis QX7 ACCESS 2.4GHz RC Transmitter - Choose Your Color (263 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$129.99

Goggles

SKYZONE SKY02C 5.8Ghz 48CH Diversity FPV Goggles Support DVR HDMI With Head Tracker Fan For RC Racing Drone (22 builds)
Banggood.com
$265.99

Goggles

Store.dji.com (235 builds)
Store.dji.com
See Site

3D Printed

Insta360 GO Universal Camera Mount (9 builds)
Brain3d.co
$9.00

Battery Charger

iMAX B6 Digital RC Lipo NiMH Battery Balance Charger (2 builds)
Banggood.com
See Site

Soldering Iron

Welding Soldering Iron with Thermostatic Digital-Controlled and LCD Screen Display, 60 W Temperature Adjustable 180℃/356℉-48
Amazon.com
$26.99
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Discussion

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Jodie Froster   Sep 30, 2020  
1

So I see that you have intentionally unbalanced your props by using different weight screws on either side of the axle on ALL FOUR of your motors... How bad is the jello that makes? I've never thrown off my tune on purpose, is it very noticeable?

DrMacca   Oct 10, 2020 
2

"...you have intentionally unbalanced your props by using different weight screws..." - erm, yeah, totally done intentionally! ;) lol

I was just trying to find screws that

i. just fit

and

ii. that my fingers could fish out the container of miscellaneous screws with minimal problems!

I actually don't notice any issues with jello despite the different screws.

This is more than likely due to the filtering of the flight controller and the fact that each of those screws weighs LESS than 0.1 grams and the difference between the mismatched screws is even less than that so for a 133g quad that's a mis-match/imbalance of 0.075% of the total weight. I'm sure that difference is amplified as the motors spin but I guess in this instance it isn't enough to make a difference. So if you do indeed want to intentionally throw off your tune you'd probably need to use an older flight controller or heavier screws than I did.

Jodie Froster   Oct 11, 2020 

That's aweseome. I keep getting more impressed with the flight code. I see ppl make vids where they use 4 completely different props, and they seem to fly well. I thought that, since the motor bells are so "precisely" tuned, that something as small as screw weight would be a big deal. Shows what I know!

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