New 550 Builds

[LuMan]

Following on from a comment in another thread in this group (http://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php?topic=14291.0) apollo7 thought it would be an idea for us both to have a thread outlining our respective builds. I think that this is a great idea, as it will show the similarities and differences we adopt when starting a build from scratch. The previously-mentioned thread invites us post details of builds we';ve already done, but I';d like this thread to be more of a timeline of our builds.

Obviously, if anyone else has just started a 550 Hex build, then please do feel free to post your progress and decisions.

[LuMan]

OK, so, on with my build.

I decided to plum for the S550 Multi-Rotor Air Frame from Unmanned Tech, as it was well-priced at £59.99, seems fairly robust, and has a slight dihedral on the arms to give a bit more stability. As this is my first Hex build, I thought this would be a good choice.

The box looks nice...
[attach=1]

All the parts are present and correct and undamaged from the transit/delivery experience.
[attach=2]

I laid the hub and arms out to see what it looked like.
[attach=3]

I may well bolt it all together tonight, despite not having any other bits (save for the props), as I';m itching to get started!

For anyone Who';s interested, here is my initial parts list:

Custom Hexacopter Parts List

FRAME:
Unmanned Tech S550 Hexacopter Frame - £59.99
   - Weight = 550g
   - Motor Mount = 16/16mm or 16/19mm
   - Prop Rec. = 10"
unmannedtechshop.co.uk

MOTOR:
EMAX MT2213 935KV - £9.95 (£59.70)
   - Weight = 55g (330g)
   - Mount = 16/19mm
unmannedtechshop.co.uk

ESC:
EMAX BLHeli ESC - £2.99 (£17.94)
   - Weight = 28g (168g)
   - Power = 20A
unmannedtechshop.co.uk

PROPS:
10x45 Carbon Fibre preferred - £2.50 (£15.00)
   - Weight = neg.
unmannedtechshop.co.uk   

BATTERY:
14.8v 4S required - £20.00 to £30.00
   - Weight = ~250g
various


As you can see, I have relied heavily on Unmanned Tech Shop for this build, mainly because I found the website really easy to use, and the info relating to motors and ESCs was well put together and enabled me to make a more straightforward decision. Also, these parts are fairly inexpensive, so I have some good scope for upgrading as I get more confident.

I will be ordering a few more bits this weekend, so I';ll hopefully have another build update next week.

[apollo7]

Now for my first contribution to what will be a great thread,

I got my frame from banggood china, as i will be using Sunnysky 2212/13 980kv motors and they are know for stocking genuine sunnysky, they also had the frame at £44.
I was not sure what hex i wanted, but as i have the S500 and really like it i decided a natural evolution would be 550 hex, this means the 500 would be redundant so i thought, "nick" as much out of the 500 and just buy the bits needed to convert to 550, my list consisted of:
2x 2212 motors
2x Dys 30amp BLheli ESC
1x S550 frame kit
2 green, 2 red and 2 white led strip lights
2x 1.5w led headlights
the rest of the needed parts will come from my 500, this flew its final mission 2 days ago
i will be using Naza V1 and 2x 4000 mah 3s lipo`s on a parallel connector to give 8000 mah and 10" props
It will have my Amkov camera and not sure if i will stick with walkera G-2D gimbal or get a better one at a later date

[LuMan]

Looks like a good spec, apollo7. I was also toying with 3s or 4s, but decided on 4s as it gives an extra 150g of lift per motor (swinging 10x5 props). It means I can sling an old DSLR under it - once I get confident enough.

Looking at your frame, I';m wondering if I';ve got the same one, but re-badged.

You seem to be a bit further ahead with parts than me at the mo, so I';ll be watching you for tips!! 

[apollo7]

I would say frames are same, just a name,
I may have to go 4s but only as a last resort as i am geared up for 3s, i have 4x 4000mah lipo`s hence parallel connector 2 at a time for 8000
yes i have all the parts i need just not a lot of time, and i have phantom 3 and blade 350 qx to keep flying, once i get started i will get right on with it

[apollo7]

The very final item arrived, the parallel  connector that will give me the 8000 mah conjoined lipo`s
The only thing holding me back is having to gut the s500 to start the build, maybe one more flight 

[LuMan]

Yep - always one more flight! 

I wanted to put the frame together last night, but my allen key set is in the other shed at the bottom of the garden, past the summerhouse and 2 rotting motorbikes, and my cold beer was calling.

Today, I';ve been on-call and working since the crack of dawn... but I may venture down later and do the build tonight.. before my beer 

With the overtime I';ve earned today, I may go for a better flight controller. Perhaps the Tarot XYZ-M with GPS and stuff...

[apollo7]

What flight controller were you going to use, i am finding Naza very good

[guest325]

With the overtime I';ve earned today, I may go for a better flight controller. Perhaps the Tarot XYZ-M with GPS and stuff...

If you want a Tarot zxy-m quick I';ve got one BNIB that I didn';t use on a build - I used an APM MINI and neo7 gps instead.
You can have it for £50 posted - bank transfer or PayPal gift.

[apollo7]

Thats a good deal Darrell

[apollo7]

Okay, not a lot to do and pretty windy out, so decided to test build the frame, i think this is a good idea prior to soldering up all the bits, then if there is a major problem involving it having to be returned at least it can be done, so we started with a load of bits



As you can see it has all gone together very well



I feel the landing gear is a bit on the tall side so might take about 75mm of the legs when the build is finished


Not sure when i will get time to fit the esc`s and motors plus Naza, but made progress

[LuMan]

If you want a Tarot zxy-m quick I';ve got one BNIB that I didn';t use on a build - I used an APM MINI and neo7 gps instead.
You can have it for £50 posted - bank transfer or PayPal gift.

Hi DarrellW - Thanks for that. PM';d you... 

[LuMan]

@Apollo7 - Looking good. You seem to be at an advantage to me, as your frame came with instructions!! Mine didn';t, so I was going to ';dry fit'; the parts and then determine which bolts go where. Alternatively, I may do a quick surf for some online instructions...

Oddly, my Pathfinder 2 only came with Chinese instructions, so I hope I';m not cursed.. 

I';ll try and get my build done tonight and post piccies tomorrow.

[apollo7]

If you want i might be able to take a jpeg of instruction sheet and post it, most of it is just common sense.
a couple of points to look out for, when fitting up the 2x long tubes that hold battery try and camera support, there are some tiny grub screws that go in the mounting cups that fit to bottom plate, these can be tightened after build is done and all is lined up, so i just nipped them up.
second point, 4x metal support go on bottom plate and double up as leg bracket mounts, any questions just ask

[apollo7]

Okay, lets see if the instructions are going to be any use in jpeg form, here goes:














Thats come out okay, sorry but the site is hosting sexy women pics, need to check my settings on here

[LuMan]

Brilliant. Thanks, apollo7. I owe you a pint :)   

I';ve found some other online info, including a vid, so with your info and the online info I should be able to get the build done. I have built a fair few flying machines in my time, so I';ll engage my common sense module and hope for the best! 

[LuMan]

>ouch<   A quick check through your instructions, and my kit, shows I am missing the risers that keep the 2 parts of the chassis apart, and double-up as leg mounts are missing. I';ll check the rest and give Unmanned Tech a shout... 

EDIT: Actually, looking at it, it may just be that I bold the legs on and don';t use the risers on my version... hmmm.. 

[LuMan]

OK, looks like there are a few differences in our kits. Your kit has some little 4x3 grubs to hold the tray rails in place, whereas mine uses some rubber grommets to provide a friction fit. It';s still very secure, and no chance of the rails moving, particularly as I';m going for a stable photo platform, as opposed to a full acro approach.

Unfortunately I am missing 2 of the ';V'; brackets that hold the camera mount in place, so another email to Unmanned Tech was in order...

Other than that, the build is done, and here';s my frame so far 

Pic 1:
[attach=1]

Pic 2:
[attach=2]

[LuMan]

Hang on... Strike that. It seems that the camera mount uses a similar, friction-fit approach to the main rails. Other than the 4 spacers, which I don';t think I need, as the frame is stiff as hell, I';m done!

Camera Mount:
[attach=1]

Camera Mount close-up:
[attach=2]

[PropsToYou]

For someone who started this thread, I';ve been really bad at keeping up with it.
Your builds are looking awesome, I particularly like the look of the landing gear.

Thought I';d post some pics of my F550 in it';s current state as I haven';t posted here since I';ve made a fair few adjustments to my rig:

Out for a fly


With my 4-Lipo Charging station


Before anybody asks, yes I had permission to fly here and yes, it was an awesome two days filming :)

[apollo7]

Funny how there are subtle differences with both our frame kits but basically they are the same, though they are sold as 550 but in truth they are 535
Not sure when i will do the hardware, probably at weekend, should only take a couple of hours to rob the 500 of its goodies and do final installation   

[LuMan]

@PropsToYou - looking really good. I love your charging station.. I';m beginning to covet it! 

I';m not sure if I prefer the arched legs of Props'; frame, or the straight ones of mine and Apollo';s. I am thinking of eventually adding retractable undercarriage, but that';s a long way off. Need to get it airborne first.

I';ll be ordering the motors and ESCs tonight, so there';s something to look forward to :)

I had a play about with my RadioLink AT9s earlier. Linked it to the R9D and shoved a couple of servos in, just to make them buzz back and forth. I';ve set up the first model slot as Multirotor, so I';m another step forward...

Re: 550 or 535 - I thought this was the diameter across opposite prop centres. If so, mine is definitely 550mm (I gave it a quick measure). Is yours 535, apollo?

[apollo7]

I just measured the frame motor to motor and yes its the full 550, on the box it states wheelbase @535mm
I managed to solder the bullets onto the 2 new esc`s, heat shrink them and fit the prop adaptors to the 2 new sunnysky motors
Re the landing legs, the ones fitted are very strong, my s500 fell about 12ft to the grass and did no damage, i do plan on shortening the legs  bit

[PropsToYou]

@PropsToYou - looking really good. I love your charging station.. I';m beginning to covet it! 

Thanks, the charging station is still a work in progress. Will be posting pics and videos of the finished thing hopefully this weekend.
I may be selling some of my converted charging tins soon.

I';m not sure if I prefer the arched legs of Props'; frame, or the straight ones of mine and Apollo';s. I am thinking of eventually adding retractable undercarriage, but that';s a long way off. Need to get it airborne first.

When I first built my 550 I was really keen on the idea of retractibles, but unless you have a gimbal with pan control, there is no point in them and they are just added weight.
In terms of the difference between yours and mine, mine are considerably lighter, and I think shorter, but are also twice the price and can';t take a knock as much as yours. If you want a better look at the ones I have, they are the AeroXcraft landing gear (You can see my review of a vibration damper on them here). The thing I really like about them is the built in bars for the Gimbal with a Lipo holder on the opposite end that you can move backwards and forwards for perfect counterbalancing.

[apollo7]

So the s500 is now being decommissioned for parts, she has flown her last mission 



So i now have the sunnysky x2212/13 980kv motors on the s550 hex




Next stage is to remove the esc`s and naza and fit this to the hex, and plug naza into software assistant and tell it to be a hex rather than a quad

[LuMan]

Ni-i-i-i-ce. 

I shed a tear for the S400.. Perhaps she may fly again.. 

Just sticking the motors on makes the frame less of a frame and more of a drone. Looking good. What props are you swinging? And are you sticking to 3s?

I';ve ordered the motors and ESCs and they should arrive this weekend. I was going to go for 4s, but the LHIs I plumbed for will still swing a 1050 on 3s. I';ll do pics once I get them fitted  ::)

[apollo7]

The s500 will get flat packed and may get re built some time in the future 
I will be using gemfan 10x45, i have a pile of plastic ones but once its flying nice i might go over to carbon 10x45, yes sticking with 3s for time being, but putting lights and gimbal on separate circuit to give me options 

[LuMan]

Good plan. I';ve already got some carbo-fibre reinforced props, but intend to swap them for full carbon once I get confident. The current motor/rotor set up will get me ~860g thrust per motor, but I have seen motor/prop combos that give over 1kg thrust. This will allow better gimbal and camera payloads.

I';m off to watch out for the postman..... 

[apollo7]

With luck the 550 hex will look like a finished hex by end of weekend, my PDB arrived to hook up all the lights and such, dont know if i will get maiden flight this weekend but hope so 

[LuMan]

Great news, apollo. Will you be able to video it? Looking forward to hearing how it flies.

BTW - what connectors have your batteries got? I';ve modified some connectors for my 2s batteries that I use on my Pathfinder2, but I';d rather have a more unified approach with my build and get batteries with the same connectors. I';m thinking of XT60s, initially.

My motors and ESCs turned up today, along with a bag of bullet connectors, as the ESCs haven';t got them as standard. I bought 2 packs of Phantom 3 replacements from LHI, so it works out at 8 motors and ESCs, which means I';ve got some spares... or bits for a powered glider kit... hmmm... I';ll fit them tonight and post a piccie or 2.