Quad Quad Build

[claytonbakerjr]

Hello all.
As you may have seen in the introduction area I am in the process of putting together a quad.
After debating about my power distribution board connections I have decided that I want to
redirect wires and such to make it look cleaner. In turn hooking all leads together and
getting rid of the PDB.
Now if you looked at the pics you will see I have sandwiched the ESC's between the bottom
and middle plates.
I would like to keep it that way however I need to question HEAT.
In a sandwiched config would the ESC's possibly get too hot and burn out due to such heat?
I have seen others with the same type of setup but no mention of failures in light of heat.
Thanks in advance

 

[Tony]

As long as some air can get to them, you a hould be fine. But land ot a few times and check them to be sure.

 

[claytonbakerjr]

As long as some air can get to them, you a hould be fine. But land ot a few times and check them to be sure.

Thanks Tony

 

[EyeStation]

Cutting off and removing the heat shrink will cool them off a bit too. Just make sure they cannot contact each other when mounted.

 

[Stambo]

Cutting off and removing the heat shrink will cool them off a bit too. Just make sure they cannot contact each other when mounted.

Looks like a CF frame, CF conducts electricity so this might not be such a good idea.

I have mine mounted on the arms on a similar frame.
That way they are in the prop wash for plenty of cooling.

 

[Lee]

You'll have no issue with them in the frame. Many frames have the esc inside. The airflow through the frame should be plenty.

 

[claytonbakerjr]

Thanks Very Much

On another note:
LED's
I purchased some strips from my local RC Shop yesterday, red and white.
For me they are mostly for orientation and some bling
I know that since I am dealing with carbon fiber I need to also watch
how I mount these to avoid connections touching.

I want to mount on the front/rear as well as under each arm.
So I suppose more than anything is my concern of what to do
to keep the ends from touching without compromising their adhesion.
Lay them on top of electrical tape?
Seal the ends with some type of glue/sealant?
What do most people do? Pictures on site?
Thoughts

 

[Lee]

Heres mine.
I have made a protective cover. Stops sand and dirt getting to the electronics.

Also I stick my LEDS to it.

 

[EyeStation]

Looks good. Dust cover is a nice addition.

 

[Stambo]

I put a largish zip tie around the standoffs and stuck mine to that.

 

[claytonbakerjr]

Looks good.
I see several people with Lock Nuts on their propellers and I know the reasoning behind it
but what thread pitch is typical on the prop mounts?

 

[claytonbakerjr]

Cool....

I see a lot of quad guys placing lock nuts on there prop adapter threads and
I understand why but typically what is the thread pitch?
I could just grab one of the adapters and go to Lowes as well.

- - - Updated - - -

OOOPS.....
I didn't see page 2.....
I thought I didn't hit submit....sorry
Is there a way to delete or edit threads?

Cool....

I see a lot of quad guys placing lock nuts on there prop adapter threads and
I understand why but typically what is the thread pitch?
I could just grab one of the adapters and go to Lowes as well.

 

[Tony]

Once a member reaches 100 posts, they will be allowed to edit threads. Trust me, it doesn't take long to get there lol.

 

[claytonbakerjr]

Well slowly but surely the quad is coming together.
There was a mail issue with the KK2 board case I ordered from
a guy named Chris over on the RC Groups forum so I am hoping
it makes it in shortly.
I ended up doing some major surgery because I just did not like the
way my power supply wires were ran.
So I ended up re-soldering some longer wires to the ESC's and
tucked them in nicely between the 2 bottom plates.
I also added some LED power wires as well as the battery
warning supply for the KK2 board.
Even though I didn't have anything but the motors and ESC's
wired I decided to at least apply power at this stage just to make
sure nothing went POP....
I was greeted by a friendly series of nice tones after applying power phew!!!
She is still a bit wire unorganized right now but once I get the case I will do some
house keeping to bring her back to where I envision.
I also pre-mounted the Spektrum receiver just to get an idea.
At this point I am no jumping into a cam yet but may do so later on.
Here some pics of her at this point...


Wire Work....


Oh and my home made prop balancer, the only money invested was for the thumb balancer

 

[Lee]

What did you use as spacers to widen the bottom plates for the escs to go between?

 

[claytonbakerjr]

What did you use as spacers to widen the bottom plates for the escs to go between?

Lee
I found some 1/4 inch black plex here at work.
Cut out the shapes to match that of the end of the arms.
Drilled some oversized holes in them to allow for a better
fit for the frame bolts.

- - - Updated - - -

Lee
I found some 1/4 inch black plex here at work.
Cut out the shapes to match that of the end of the arms.
Drilled some oversized holes in them to allow for a better
fit for the frame bolts.

To add I did have to gather some longer frame bolts as well.

 

[claytonbakerjr]

After some other minor things I am about ready to give life to this bird and see what happens.
I should have more to come this weekend.
While the time has past by I have been thinking of landing gear.
Most everyone I see uses something attached to the arms.
I am curious is there something out there that allows the landing gear
to be attached to the bottom of the quad instead of the arms?
I tried to attach those carbon landing gear things that come with most 250 and smaller
frames but boy are those things a pain yet still on the arms.
I purchased some Hoover brand gear but the holes just do not line up for my liking.
Again something attached to the arms.
I am going to send a design thats in my mind to the same guy I got the control board
case from and see what he thinks.
I know these guys can take a licking and keep on ticking but my thoughts on landing
tend to shed a different light on things.
For example if we have a failure in flight or at a high level of hoover most of the
time the quad flat falls straight down.
My thought is if the gear is centrally located on the quad it would be less
devastating to the arms than if the gear was located on the arms themselves.
Or am I just going way too far out there and I should just enjoy flying...LOL

 

[Stambo]

I think a prop balancer on these things is a waste of time.
You will break so many props that you will be forever balancing
They have so little mass and travel at such high RPMs that vibrations are barely noticeable on most vids.

 

[claytonbakerjr]

Well I brought her to life last night. Got the kk2 dialed in according to some YouTube posts as well as following some info supplied but Armatan.
All I need to do is tidy up the motor wires and toss the props on and see if it will fly
I did however do another total redesign.
With the Esc's sandwiched between the 2 bottom plates and the electric below the FCB once I started putting wires on the FCB things were too tight for my liking.
So now the electric is placed between the 2 bottom plates and the ESC's will be on the arms.
During the build I added lines for the LEDs which I need to get hooked up and mounted.
Once I am in a position to post pics I will.

 

[Tony]

Can't wait to see some pictures of the quad as well as the video of it in the air.