Featherlight 3"

By lazd on Sep 04, 2017

29  1,587  13

Featherlight is shipping now at PitchRollYaw! Buy the bundle and get the frame AT COST, or get the frame by itself at full price. All kits ship with 5 arms, and note that the final version has pressnuts instead of locknuts for easier arm changes!

With most 3" builds -- including mine -- using 1407 motors that are clearly better suited for 4" props, I've decided to try something different to see if new life can be breathed into the 3" platform.

The idea is simple: Build a featherlight 3" with based around 1106 6000kV motors and 3S batteries. The result should be an incredibly light build that's nimble, quiet, and fast as hell.

With an all up weight of 150g with a 650mAh battery, this build ends up with a 9.5:1 thrust to weight ratio.

Why 1106 on 3"?

I flew 1407 3" 4S a ton (Rasvelg) because it was nimble and reasonably fast, and then I tried 1407 4" 4S (Garagecrab, Featherlight 4) and it was WAY faster than my 3" rigs and almost as nimble. Then I tried 1103 2" 2S (Babyshark), and it was more nimble than my 1407 3" rigs, but nowhere near as fast. Then I tried 1104 2" 3S (Bullshark), and it was more nimble than my 1407 3" rigs, but not quite as fast. Finally, I tried 1106 3" 3S (Featherlight 3), and it was just as fast as my 1407 3" 4S and definitely more nimble.

This carves out a place in my fleet for a 3" rig again and opened the door for the Splitshark design to be a small, fast, and nimble HD rig.

Photos

Part List

Frame

Featherlight 3 Race Frame
Pitchrollyaw.net
$39.99

Flight Controller

FLIP 32 - F3 - OMNIBUS NANO v3 (24 builds)
Readytoflyquads.com
$25.99

ESCs

4 x DYS XSD 12A 2-3S ESC BLHeli_S (5 builds)
Getfpv.com
$31.96

Motors

4 x iPower Motor iX1106 4000KV 6000KV FPV Racing Motor
Iflight-rc.com
$47.96

Propellers

RotorX RX3025 Propeller Set (4 builds)
Getfpv.com
$2.99

FPV Camera

RunCam Micro Swift (192 builds)
Pitchrollyaw.net
$29.99

FPV Transmitter

Eachine VTX03 Super Mini 5.8G 72CH 0/25mW/50mw/200mW Switchable FPV Transmitter (417 builds)
Banggood.com
$12.22

Receiver

FrSky XM+ SBUS Mini Receiver (1149 builds)
Getfpv.com
See Site

Batteries

TATTU 650mAh 3S1P 75C 11.1V Lipo Battery Pack with XT30 plug (13 builds)
Getfpv.com
$12.99

Radio

FrSky Taranis QX7S 2.4GHz RC Transmitter - Carbon or Blue (50 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$184.99

Goggles

Fat Shark Dominator HD3 Core FPV Goggles (87 builds)
Getfpv.com
$399.99

HD Camera

GoPro HERO6 Black (9 builds)
Getfpv.com
$399.99

HD Camera

GoPro HERO5 Session (303 builds)
Getfpv.com
$199.99

Video Receiver

ImmersionRC rapidFIRE w/ Analog PLUS Goggle Receiver Module (178 builds)
Getfpv.com
$159.99

Battery Charger

ISDT SC-608 150W 8A MINI Smart LCD Battery Balance Charger AU Warehouse (14 builds)
Banggood.com
$54.27

Soldering Iron

Weller WESD51 Digital Soldering Station
Amazon.com
See Site
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Discussion

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pjquad   May 02, 2018  

Hi, might you know of a build video for this frame ? Doing my first build this summer and any help would be great!

lazd   May 02, 2018 

I don't, but it's pretty straight forward if you use a 20mm FC with built-in PDB and ESCs on the arms. It's a bit tough to fit FC + 4in1 + RX + VTX inside of the frame, especially if it's your first build. I'd reccomend getting the 20mm adapter printed: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2638475

pjquad   May 04, 2018 

Hey, yes planning to use a 20 mm FC. Thanks for the tip ! How's it fly for you ??

MattS   Aug 29, 2017  
2

I'm really interested in seeing this come together. Would love to see video once it's done!

deks   Dec 01, 2017 

I posted some links in another comment if you're still interested in seeing some footage. It looks super fun!

Whiffles   Sep 04, 2017  
2

Now the big question, how does it fly? Need to see some DVR.

lazd   Sep 05, 2017 
3

We'll see when my replacement motors come in... One of the iPOWER 1106s was DOA :-\

deks   Dec 01, 2017 
1

Just to follow up ...

lazd's SF City Ripper video also features the featherlight 3" at some points, alongside a bunch of other quads. See 0:24, 1:11, 1:37, 1:58:

lazd, maybe include these video links in the main description? ;-)

Mish   Sep 25, 2017  

I want this! Awesome.

Show 1 more comment
Mish   Oct 27, 2017 

Thanks!!

Mish   Oct 27, 2017 
1

$275 AUD to get the bundle, shipped to Aus - so damn tempted! I'm also wanting to build a 2" quad. Ugh so much stuff and not enough money!

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