Printing a Tricopter/Flying Machine

So, ever since a colleage got an original Parrot AR.Drone back in 2010 (and it flew away on its own due to a software error, never to be heard from again - gutted), I have been wanting to build a tricopter of my own. However, with limited resources, this sort of thing does tend to take a while.

In terms of RC planes, as those if you in the know may know already, there are many varieties, ranging from anywhere from a single rotor up to eight individual rotors, and sometimes even more. As far as these go, quadrocopters are generally the most popular.

However, I wanted something unique and interesting. I toyed for a long time on a twin-rotor thrust vectored design, but eventually settled on the idea of a tricopter. However, back in 2010 I did not have the tools required to build one from scratch, and buying one kind of ruins the fun, so the project stopped there.

Plus, I couldn't figure out how to mount the swivelling tail motor.

In any case, 2 years pass, and enter the RepRap Mendel!


The design is an original, though not particularly well thought-out as it is intended to be refined over time (read: fixed when it crashes and breaks).

Here's a video of the first flight (I'm behind the camera - it's being flown by the same colleague who lost his AR.drone):


Pretty awesome! Another video of a more random flight:


Apparently, its power-to-mass ratio is far too high, and it requires significant throttle mapping to make it easier to control...

In any event, here are the parts used:

  • 3x Dynam KA22-15M motors (1050KV, 18A, 1.3kg thrust)
  • 3x Turnigy Basic 25A speed controllers
  • 1x Turnigy 9X radio receiver/transmitter combo
  • 1x standard battery alarm (that's what's beeping in the first video)
  • 1x 624-ZZ bearing for the tail rotor swivel
  • 1x Standard Servo (40x20mm face size)
  • 1x OpenPilot CopterControl flight control board
  • 2650mAh LiPo batteries
  • Assorted M3 and M4 screws and nuts
The tail assembly, front arms and body print separately (the Mendel only has a 200x200 build plate size...), and attach using M4 screws. They have proven to withstand quite a beating.

Anyway, if you want the STL files to print your own, this tricopter is featured on Thingiverse. Woot!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Repetier-firmware thermistor table for Honeywell 100k

I recently made the move from Marlin to Repetier-firmware on the Mendel. Combined with Repetier-Host, which allows in-depth editing and EEPROM persistence of basically all  configuration parameters, it is really fantastic to have. No more recompiling firmware when you adjust the pressure on the extruder idler! :-) In any event, I now run a Budaschnozzle V1.2 (fantastic hot-end, by the way!) and just upgraded to an etched PCB heated bed (Mk.I). These use exactly the same thermistor, so I figured I'd learn how to create a thermistor table. So, here goes - a thermistor table for Repetier-firmware, for the Honeywell 135-104LAG-J01 100k thermistor, as used on the Budaschnozzle when ordered from Lulzbot, and verified against Marlin and the wiki: *NOTE: It is important to set NUM_TEMPS_USERTHERMISTOR0 to 56, or you will get build errors. #define USER_THERMISTORTABLE0  { \   {1*4, 500*8},\   {46*4, 270*8},\    {50*4, 265*8},\   {54*4, 260*8},\...
Read more

Upgrading the RepRap's stepper motors

Image
In the pursuit of print speed, I have decided to upgrade my stepper motors. My current ones are four Mercury Motor SM-42BYG011-25's. They are pretty nice motors, though they feel very underpowered. With 1/16 microstepping, the best I could do was a whisker under 100mm/s; when extruding, barely 40mm/s. About as cute as they are pathetic for the job, I'm afraid. So, I decided to grab some upgraded Wantai 42BYGHM809's from my favourite local gadgetry shop, nicegear.co.nz . Hadley stocks all manner of Sparkfun electronics, but at prices that make them affordable to us here in good old New Zealand, especially considering that shipping is free on orders above a certain amount (which I cannot for the life of me remember what it is). When I got the motors, my first thought was, "wow, these are heavy." Shown here on my workshop bench, ready to have their shafts filed. Don't worry, most  of the gunk on the workbench is actually its normal color. After ...
Read more

Converting to a Greg's-powered Bowden extruder

Image
I started getting a little fed-up with the low Z clearance on Adrian's geared extruder design  due to the rather large drive gear hitting the rails on very wide prints, so I decided to take the plunge to running a Bowden extruder. My goal was to not modify the original extruder or hotend in any way, in case the Bowden cable or its couplings failed and I needed to revert to the previous extruder setup. Shown here, in working order. The first hurdle faced was to acquire the PTFE tube that was to be used as a Bowden extruder, but that was going to prove difficult. At a total of something like 50 Euro all-up shipped in from the UK, I was wondering if it would perhaps be cheaper to just build a bigger RepRap... However, the brilliant Vik Olliver (who does both the best price and best service for PLA and ABS filament over here in New Zealand through his company, Diamond Age Solutions ) suggested to use PVC irrigation tubing from the local hardware store. This seemed like a great...
Read more