Built this for the fun of it and then I ended up getting a lot more than what I had bargained for. I wanted a quad that can run on Li-Ion, carry a Hero 8 and fly for more than 15 minutes. This is ultimately what that has lead to.
I love this frame, it's very light but strong in all the right places. I have taken two tumbles so far. One losing a loose motor and smacking into the ground. The other flying into a tree. The frame survived. Only thing lost was 2 props.
I like to fly extreme long range. Miles away, and so far I've managed 3.2 miles. Problem is I live in a thicket of trees so its hard to fly far locally but when I travel I try to push the limits any chance I get.
Total flight time so far Ive managed to squeeze 18:36 minutes out of one charged 6S Li-Ion Pack. one i maxe myself out of Murata 3000mAh 30A 18650s. That is while hauling a GoPro Hero 8.
I use a uFL > SMA converter on the Caddx to allow me to run a variety of antenna. That's how I am able to run that AXII omni. I found that it makes a big difference simply from the fact that the antenna is not being blocked by the profile of the drone. I am still looking for a uFL extender to test the OEM antenna. If anyone knows one please link me in the comments.
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Nice build!! I'm looking to start a with the frame, but running a fettec 4/1... So is it the pilot that keeps the amp draw down? Ive been warned that those motors can pull close to 60 amps, but maybe their payloads a greater? And curious, do you get better performance out of li-ions er the nicads?
Also, where do you source the cover for the motor wires? That stuff makes builds look sweet.
Sorry for the late response, been a wild year as I'm sure you know haha. I think the pilot definitely has a lot to do with efficiency when running Li-Ions. I typically shy away from abrupt throttle blips or trying to do anything sketchy that requires me to ramp up thrust (i.e. doing a dive and trying to recover from hitting the ground). I try to fly as smooth as possible, keeping my movement smooth and flowy. I have not tried NiCad's but I definitely want to in the future. With all the regulations happening in the U.S. I find it very difficult to justify building 7" Drones since we wont be able to fly them anywhere.
As for the wire covers, those I got from banggood. Lookup "Braided cable wire sleeve" and you will have a ton of options to pick from. Anything between 5-7mm is perfect for ESC wires. Use a soldering iron to melt the edges off after you cut to length to prevent fraying. It's a pro-tip that you might not find anywhere. Saved me a ton of headaches and wasted material :)
Awesome! What's your typical current consumption when cruising? I've only managed 1.5mi on LiPos, and assumed 15-20A draws would be too much for VTC6s.
Not at all actually, 1.5mi is very little I am assuming I am reading that correctly (mili-amps) I typically get anywhere from 5-10 continuous draw when I'm just cruising. Can go as high as upper 20's but I've never seen it go past that. I also make sure that I am using only 30A max draw Li-Ions as they are more suited for that type of draw. Granted, the flight characteristics are nothing like that of a LiPo. It's still great for cinematic/relaxed flying and you cant really beat the efficiency.
Awesome, I really liked this build, this frame must be great for cinematic footages!
Love this build! I literally had to make an account on here to tell you how elegant it is! Recently built my first long range quad, but this has inspired me to build a more streamlined, lighter rig to complement my more utilitarian Pirx7. Do you happen to have any links to the 3dprints? Anyways, well done!
Very kind of you! Glad I could be of inspiration :) I love this quad, I fly it all the time. Never gets old. I have made quite a few changes since then. I moved the VTX further up and GPS back. The tail-wind wasn't worth the 2cm gain. I also dropped the uFL > SMA and picked up a longer antenna that Jodie Froster below mentioned. Believe it or not I have way better reception. There's some juju that caddx has put in their antennas that seems to work quite well.
The 3D prints are laughable btw, I made them in TinkerCAD because I was too lazy to learn Fusion 360 and I just needed something quick. I am more than happy to share the STLs with you but I can't put them on thingiverse until I recreate them in Fusion.
I added photos but I don't think they are wanting to upload. Let me see if I can find a way to upload those stls for you. Probably GDRIVE.
ok, just kidding, here's the link: https://fpvcycle.com/collections/new-products/products/dji-vista-longer-antenna-87mm
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Hi shaz! Great build! Any chance to share gps/antenna holder and Immortal T files?
Thanks in advance, Simone