You’ve embarked on an exciting adventure with Logan, who has taken on the ambitious project of creating a giant 3D printed FPV drone. In this endeavor, Logan didn’t settle for store-bought parts but committed to designing almost every mechanical component from scratch. Over a year in the making, this drone boasts a four-foot-wide frame crafted from 3D printed parts and carbon fiber tubes, showcasing both innovation and persistence. The journey was filled with ups and downs, including tackling layer shifts during 3D printing and tweaking design elements for optimized performance.
In Logan’s journey, the electronics of the drone mirrored those of a typical FPV drone but scaled up significantly. Powering the drone with two 6S batteries wired in series, a flight controller deftly manages the motors through precise tuning. Despite facing challenges like off-tune PID control and initial design flaws, Logan’s determination led to breakthroughs in flight stability. With patience and some savvy problem-solving, the drone achieved basic but successful flights. It’s a testament to learning through trial and error, offering a compelling look into the world of custom drone creation and the gratifying results of perseverance.
You designed, 3D printed, assembled, and flew a massive FPV drone! This drone is using your custom-built motors and propellers from your last video. This project is by far one of the most complex projects you have ever attempted! You hope everyone enjoys the vid!
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Watch part 1: The motors and propellers build video:
• Designing a GIANT Drone Motor from Sc…
Download the CAD files:
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/fo…
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Conceptualization and Planning
Initial Idea and Inspiration
Imagine the thrill of designing and crafting your own massive FPV (First Person View) drone, a task that involves creativity, patience, and technical prowess. Logan embarked on this captivating journey with a simple yet ambitious idea: to build a drone nearly four times larger than the standard FPV models using nearly all custom-designed components. Inspired by existing drones in the FPV community and driven by the excitement of thorough self-creation, Logan chose to design, fabricate, and test every part crucial to the drone’s flight and functionality over more than a year.
Setting Project Goals and Timelines
Establishing clear objectives and a realistic timeline was essential to manage the project’s complexity. Logan aimed to design a robust, four-foot-wide drone frame, print custom motors and propellers, and assemble an electronics system adaptive for larger power needs. The timeline stretched over many months to promise attention to detail in each phase, allowing space for testing, troubleshooting, and iterations to meet intended flight performance goals.
3D Printing Challenges and Solutions
Dealing with Layer Shifts
Layer shifts during 3D printing can pose significant challenges, especially when it comes to parts crucial for structural integrity, like a drone frame. Logan encountered these issues as the printer showed signs of prolonged use, with jams and misalignments affecting print quality. To overcome this, Logan exercised patience, re-calibrated the printer, and ensured the bed and nozzle temperatures were optimal, slowly reducing errors through persistent tweaking.
Hotend Temperature Management
Temperature management was another hurdle during the printing process. The hotend, responsible for melting and extruding the filament, required precise temperature control to maintain consistent material flow. Fluctuations could lead to uneven printing or failure. Logan adjusted the temperature settings thoroughly, constantly monitoring to ensure stability and precision for high-quality output.
Modifying Frame Design from Square to Round Tubes
The original framing plans used square tubes, which introduced stress concentrations where cracks could begin under load. Logan realized the limitations when parts broke during a strength test. Opting for round carbon fiber tubes, which distributed stress more evenly, Logan solved this issue. The new design offered not only more strength but also harmonized with the aesthetic goals, ensuring parts were securely fastened but allowed smooth assembly.
Designing and Building the Frame
Inspiration from Past Projects
Past engineering and competition experiences spurred Logan’s innovation in drone design. Drawing from a high school project that utilized polycarbonate materials for high-impact elements, Logan initially considered a similar route. However, the quest for a mostly 3D-printed design encouraged experimenting with alternatives like carbon fiber and combining them with customizable components through 3D printing.
Utilizing Carbon Fiber Tubes for Strength
Carbon fiber tubes emerged as a preferred choice due to their remarkable strength-to-weight ratio. Despite being an alternative to the earlier thought polycarbonate, carbon fibers ensured robustness while reducing the frame’s weight. Logan utilized these tubes to form a lightweight yet stiff structure, crucial for managing the various flight dynamics and stresses encountered during operation.
Assembly Process of the 4-foot Frame
The assembly of a four-foot drone frame was no minor feat. It involved meticulously fitting printed parts with carbon fiber tubes, connecting each component in an array that was both functional and cohesive. A friend provided support by printing the central hub, and together they assembled the frame, ensuring all parts aligned perfectly. This collaboration ensured higher order craftsmanship and stronger structural integrity, pivotal for subsequent successful flights.
Crafting Custom Motors and Propellers
Creating Custom Designs Based on Previous Tutorials
Logan’s journey to design custom motors and propellers was rooted in a previous project that focused on creating these crucial parts. Building on existing designs, Logan modified and adapted tutorial learnings to suit the specific size and weight demands of this particular drone, ensuring the systems inherently worked together seamlessly, pushing the boundaries of the previous designs.
Manufacturing Process and Challenges
Fabricating custom motors and propellers presented inherent challenges, including achieving the necessary precision for balanced performance. Logan diligently worked through trial and error in both design adjustments and material selections, refining methods to reduce weight while maximizing thrust and control. It required many attempts, adjustments, and evaluations of different configurations before achieving the desired performance stability.
Ensuring Compatibility and Performance
Compatibility of the custom-built motors and propellers with the drone’s power and control systems was vital. Logan rigorously tested each component, adjusting ESC (Electronic Speed Controllers) settings where needed. Ensuring these parts could handle the drone’s energy demands without overheating or failing was critical, requiring precise esc calibration and motor tuning to maintain optimal performance and flight stability.
Electronics and Power System
Components of FPV Drone Electronics
The electronic setup was comparable to regular FPV drones but needed to be more robust to suit larger dimensions. Vital components included the flight controller, ESCs, receiver, and more powerful batteries. It created a bridge ensuring that the power coursing through was both sufficient and stable for extended flights and high-output demands.
Series Configuration of 6S Batteries
Two 6S batteries were wired in series, delivering a potent energy source necessary for operating such a large machine. This configuration provided the requisite 12S power, equating to about 50 volts, crucial for maintaining the drive needed for lift and maneuverability. Battery management was carefully overseen to balance flight time with output intensity.
Role of ESCs and Flight Controller
Electronic speed controllers (ESCs) and the flight controller were the heart that facilitated communication between power and control inputs. They managed how power was distributed to the motors, ensuring each received accurate signals for intended maneuvers. The flight controller, paired with an accelerometer and gyro, calibrated inputs to stabilize flight, acting as the drone’s brain to maintain balance and responsiveness.
Issues in Initial Test Flights
Observations of Oscillations and Instability
The first test flights unveiled challenges when the drone exhibited oscillations and wobbly flight patterns. Instability during these initial runs indicated discrepancies in motor responses or control signal incompatibilities, consequentially prompting Logan to investigate further into the complex realm of PID tuning, essential for resolving these flight inconsistencies.
Importance of PID Tuning
PID tuning emerged as imperative to achieving stable flight. Each flight parameter’s manual adjustment was required to harmonize the drone’s actions with its controller inputs. Despite the lack of pre-existing tuning profiles for this custom setup, Logan endeavored to adjust the P (proportional), I (integral), and D (derivative) values, vital for refining stability and control accuracy.
Impact of Incorrect Controller Mode Settings
Errors within the initial setup, notably incorrect controller mode settings, sparked performance mismatches, leading to flight dysfunctions, including a destabilized flight mode. Recognizing and correcting these small yet impactful errors ensured the drone responded appropriately to user inputs and controlled nuances, contributing significantly to flight safety and performance.
Perfecting PID Tuning
Challenges with Lack of Pre-made Tunes
Without existing tuning presets for Logan’s custom drone, crafting vehicle-specific PID settings was challenging and required deep analytical understanding. It was a time-intensive process where Logan experimented with various parameter combinations through a painstaking trial-and-error method to create safe and effective flight controls tailored to the unique setup.
Manual Adjustments for Stability
Progress with stabilization came incrementally through manual PID adjustments. Logan committed many sessions to modifying values cautiously, aiming for minute gains in stability and response accuracy. This focus ultimately produced unanticipated improvements, achieving a finer degree of control, necessary for steady flights.
Using Blackbox Logging for Troubleshooting
Invaluable to this tuning process was the utilization of blackbox logging, capturing and analyzing data in real-time to diagnose issues. This technology made it possible for Logan to identify specific performance discrepancies, like a singular motor maxing out its throttle capability, leading to informed parameter changes that enhanced the drone’s functional displays.
Experiencing and Overcoming Crashes
Analyzing Crash Causes
Crashes were an inevitable part of the testing phase. Each incident mandated analysis to decipher underlying causes, whether it be controller errors, mechanical failures, or unforeseen technical vulnerabilities, all creating opportunities for insight and learning.
Repairing and Reinforcing the Drone
After each crash setback, Logan repaired and often reinforced components to withstand future impacts. This involved sourcing stronger materials or redesigning parts for added resilience, substantially decreasing vulnerability to breakage, and enhancing the overall structural integrity of the drone.
Lessons Learned from Trial and Error
Each instance of trial and error fostered growth, imparting lessons in patience, problem-solving, and technical aptitude. Logan’s resilience in facing challenges head-on without surrender highlighted valuable insights into engineering persistence and the importance of embracing failure as a catalyst for future success.
Upgrading the FPV System
Implementation of an Analog Camera and VTX Module
Logan enhanced the drone with an upgraded analog camera and VTX (video transmitter) module, pivotal for relaying visual data back to the operator. This addition enriched the FPV experience, albeit with some questions surrounding analog video quality, which warranted further exploration and adaptative solutions for better image clarity.
Evaluating Video Quality and Performance
The video system underwent performance evaluations to ensure the footage delivered met operational and quality expectations. Though the analog setup had inherent limitations compared to digital systems, it held its ground in delivering low latency video transmission critical for responsive FPV flying, presenting a successful implementation relatively cost-effective for broader application.
Considerations for Future Improvements
Continuous improvement was always at the forefront of Logan’s project vision. For future iterations, incorporating digital video systems, advanced image stabilization, and better resolution capabilities were areas considered. These enhancements aimed to elevate flight experiences by balancing top-tier video clarity with mechanical and electronic optimization.
Conclusion
Reflecting on the Journey
Embarking on such a multifaceted project inevitably offered a wealth of experience, reinforcing Logan’s skills in design, fabrication, and problem-solving. The hurdles surpassed and knowledge accumulated accentuated a journey marked by dedication and consistent pursuit of excellence.
Future Project Directions
Building on momentum, future project directions envisioned delving deeper into advanced drone technologies, potentially tackling more complex builds or exploring integration of cutting-edge electronics, sensors, and software to automate and augment flight functionalities.
Expressing Gratitude to Supporters
Logan’s ambition might not have sustained without its supportive community. Expressing gratitude and recognizing supporters’ encouragement fostered a spirit of continued innovation and exploration, signalling an open invitation for fans and cohorts to engage with future projects and continued learning.
Logan’s journey with the giant 3D-printed FPV drone showcases a testament to the marvel of self-directed projects, the trials faced, and the triumphs savored. The balance of creativity, persistence, and innovation paves a path for incredible endeavors and inspiring results.