more tricopter testing

Clearly the gains on the roll must be reduced.Pitch and yaw ok. Also to add an exponential function to the throttle. Learning Loads, Fast!

Tricopter !

Hello Its been a while since i've logged the Latest projects..
Since then, whats new...?

Well I've given the CNC router a few upgrades.I looks better, now has a proper chuck and is more accurate. GOOD!
And I've ported the autopilot to a tricopter! with a bit of borrowed code here and there, some cannibalisation and mods, We have test flight under our belt! Now to tweak and adjust to get decent flight characteristics:


so here's a sneak preview of what is to come soon!

First airborne footage!

We have uav airborne footage! now to go build a stabilised camera platform with PIDs etc...

here it is!







Also, I am moving the project in a different direction, I going to put less emphasis on fixed wing aircraft and move to a tricopter.There are quite a few people working on this, and there is a lot of common knowledge and hopefully I will contribute too. The build is in progress.I am working on the control boards while saving up for the motors etc..

The final idea that is stirring in my mind is a tricopter with wings. So VSTOL + winged flight to increase flight efficiency.At the moment all will still be arduino based,but if the system demands more, I'm ready to graduate to a maple leaf microcontroller!

Peace! Nick out

Update!

Hmm... at this point in Time, I've run out of funds and all the projects (except one!) are on hiatus.

Following the Completion of the big cnc router, I wanted to build a learjet and I'd made the CAD models and plans. Then as it happens, I got bored of messing with solidcam to generate the GCodes and I cut the parts by hand..

this is the Fuselage.

Nose section,Reminds me of a duck...

I'm using the wing in a generic P51 mustang look alike that is awaiting testing. Long thing slender wing, plenty of lift, low drag, should be intense flying, will video the test flight!

The Big CNC is being Dismantled! here is the x carriage removed.. waiting to be cannibalised

Its taking too much space in my bedroom and is not seeing much use, I'm gutting it and building a CNC mill using a 1kw Router. I've packed the skate bearings and angled alu rails and using Drawer slides for simplicity. It is going to be a simple x - y positioning table with the tool mounted on a pillar with only z- axis. The plan is to use this mill parts for a REPRAP .

Or I might just lob a Plastic extruder on as use it as a Repstrap.. who knows..

And since I've now built more than 3 machines (5 if you count upgrades) I've gone and skipped making the parts on CAD, making the plans and building the parts from plans... I've gone from sketches...to Solidworks model

and building on the fly, and here is the baby awaiting the installation of the z- axis stepper.

The X and Y axes are calibrated and work, Accuracy again is improved from the previous incarnation.The Drawer slides were a good idea! no wobble, and the turret is very sturdy as well.Gotta love that Rough pine from B&Q. Installed the Lead screw on the Z, geared it as it is a heavy load, I only have to fashion a motor mount for the z stepper and we're in business!

watch this space for the First Milling Test video coming soon!

And oh, Did I mention I have an airframe for the UAV?

CNC milled built up 6mm Depron Wing skinned with 3 mm depron. 1.5 metres span chunky clark y airfoil. Loads of lift, For a wing that weight next to nothing.. overpowered with a big bad brushless typhoon motor and a 10x6 high mounted pusher prop.

the Nacelle was also cnc cut on the router from a Solidworks model. Hurray for home manufacturing!!

depron learjet! first cnc cut project

work in progress :

F22 raptor semi scale pusher

clark y airfoil - 6 mm depron frame, 3 mm depron skin, flapperons, full moving tail

AUW with a 1050 mah 3 cell lipo 360g . cockpit still needs to be built.awaiting test flight

Learjet, working on G-codes at the mo.

more to come soon!

CNC project update

I left the last log of this project with Promises of mark 3 in action. Mark 3 work, brilliantly but the ridiculously small working area was an issue.I wanted to make Rc plane kits from large depron sheets. So as soon as i got mk III running , tried a few test cuts and dismantled it! I wanted to rebuild the big one ( mk II ) with the speed of mk III.

Here is a pic of MKIII before I added the Z axis assembly.

I redesigned the mk II Gantry and optimised it for speed.Gone are the heavy mdf panels, a;replaced by light pine beams and open structures, i've also replaced the top and undercarriage with 4 tensioning m6 rods instead. I've learnt that designing ev

erything from the start and then relying on the parts to fit as planned never goes to plan, so all the carriag

es are adjustable using the thread rods. The Gantry is now super light, adjusted for minimum friction at minimum wobble.

I have geared up the stepper motors by 5, the transmission is via a timing belt and

abs timing pulleys.I have also changed the cutting bit for a 6mm 2 flute dremel router bit.perfect for depron. I still have to make a video, but the cutting speed of mkIV is amazing, accuracy is pretty decent, cutting circles is pretty accurate.

I am now at the stage

of designing kits for cutting

MKIV ready to accept her next assignment. Next step: A dust collection system and plastic extruding head! turn mark IV into a repstrap!