New acro quad - Japalura 3 inch

[Cheredanine]

Ok so done a lot of high speed light weight racers recently, really neglected my acro. So building a new acro quad with HD footage capability.
Other things I like in acro quads -
Top mounted lipos (so I can bonk stuff without damaging the lipo)
Short x frames - seem to just handle acro smoother

I know Lamule has a 3 inch set up like this using the sparrow frame, hi mate  ::), so thought I would try something similar

All stuff arrives tomorrow.

Frame -  Armattan Japalura 3 inch
F.C./ESCs - Sunrise Siskin F4 30a blheli32 AIO
Cam -runcam split 2 (after market rc25g)
Vtx -tbs unify pro hv race fitted with triumph stubby
Rx - XM+
Motors - Armattan oomph Titan 1407
Props - got gemfan 3052 and dal cyclone 3056

Let’s see how it goes :)

[mo_miah]

gota love the Armattan frames, lifetime warranty apparently
and the cage on front is rock solid
saw a video of the Armattan guys going at it with a hammer and it didnt break, but i think that was the roosters Ti cage

[Lamaule]

Ok so done a lot of high speed light weight racers recently, really neglected my acro. So building a new acro quad with HD footage capability.
Other things I like in acro quads -
Top mounted lipos (so I can bonk stuff without damaging the lipo)
Short x frames - seem to just handle acro smoother

I know Lamule has a 3 inch set up like this using the sparrow frame, hi mate  ::), so thought I would try something similar

All stuff arrives tomorrow.

Frame -  Armattan Japalura 3 inch
F.C./ESCs - Sunrise Siskin F4 30a blheli32 AIO
Cam -runcam split 2 (after market rc25g)
Vtx -tbs unify pro hv race fitted with triumph stubby
Rx - XM+
Motors - Armattan oomph Titan 1407
Props - got gemfan 3052 and dal cyclone 3056

Let’s see how it goes :)

Subscribed! :) 

Good luck with the build mate - you'll both love and hate the experience!   Hopefully Jakalas will contribute to this thread - he knows a few tricks to get the Japalura below 250g.  He had to work hard to achieve it!  Split mini saves you a load of weight compared to the split v1 or 2.  Also the Axii aerial is a nice lightweight solution for a circular aerial! :)

Also, I think the new Armattan motors are a interesting prospect.  Might help you if sub 250g is the target!

[Cheredanine]

Actually mate, not trying to get it below 250g, I find for acro I like some momentum, there are some manoeuvres you can’t do with an ultralight so will see how it flies before I decide to trim it down or not,

[Cheredanine]

I do have a question about props though, if I recall you use the hq 3x4x3v1s, I have dal t3056c cyclones on my vandal which is a very different beast and eats lipos, just curious are you still using the hq? Have you tried the gemfan 3052?

[Lamaule]

I do have a question about props though, if I recall you use the hq 3x4x3v1s, I have dal t3056c cyclones on my vandal which is a very different beast and eats lipos, just curious are you still using the hq? Have you tried the gemfan 3052?

I was using the hqs, but I have moved away from them favouring a higher pitch.  I found the 3 inchers require mega pitch to give them any kind of performance.  Currently I am using the racekraft 3076, but again Jakalas has just got some of the new hq 3x3x40 I think and he loves them - although the pitch is clearly way higher than 40, more like 90! Lol

[Cheredanine]

Cool, gonna try both the gemfan and dal then see how I get on, of course the major barrier is the more thrust, the bigger lipo you need, tend to use 850mah on the vandal but it is so light it is still well under 250gram :)

[Jakalas]

Cheredanine, the only down side to the Japa is the fact that it's a bit of a fatty, but apart from that it's a gem of a frame. Full warranty on all parts is awesome.

What batteries are you looking at running?
Keep the size in mind seeing as you are going top mount, so you might have the battery and VTX antenna fight for space.

I do have a question about props though, if I recall you use the hq 3x4x3v1s, I have dal t3056c cyclones on my vandal which is a very different beast and eats lipos, just curious are you still using the hq? Have you tried the gemfan 3052?

The HQ 3x4x3 V1S is 

Here is my opinion  on the props I have tested so far:
Racekraft 3076: Good prop that gives as good as it gets. The props however are a bit to soft for me and they tend to deform quite easily because they are a bit thin IMO. They are the lightest of the lot, which is a plus when you start pushing for sub 250g.
Gemfan 3052: Lacks a bit on thrust and sadly also very soft. The winglets are the first to go and then balance start being a bit of an issue. The edges are very sharp, so watch out for cuts to the fingers and hands.
DALprop 3056: Solid prop that can take a beating. Weirdly the hub is quite low profile, I would say at least 2mm lower than the rest (will grab the vernier tomorrow and measure it). Seeing as you are going with the Oomph motors, this might cause some issues with the prop screw hub, so keep that in mind. I guess DAL has done this to try and get the prop weight down. I found the DAL's to be quite far out on PID tunning, where the Gemfan, Racekraft and HQ's were fairly similair.
HQ3x4x3 V1S: HQ combines all of the good of the above props. Racekraft pitch & DALprop durability. It does however come at a price, added weight.

Looking forward to seeing the build progress and your thoughts on how it goes.

[Cheredanine]

Hi mate thanks for the input,
Lipos for this size I have (takes a deep breath and only covering 4s)
Tattu 650mah, 850mah and 1000(1050?)mah
Airjoules 650mah and 850mah
Graphene 700mah, 800mah and 1000mah
Nanotech 850mah
Optioower 850mah

As above, not really looking for sub250, it is for acro, I have a vandal (27gram frame) comes in at about 220grams with an 850mah and brother 1507 4100kv, and many 4inch and even some 5 inch that come in under 250gram, I am well aware the jap is heavy, but it is kind of what I am after, I have built fast light stuff out the wazoo the last six months, wandering if I can get a 3imch to fly like my dronewolf, cammy  or Qav210 and as I am sure you are aware, some acro moves require a quad to carry momentum, they are all but impossible in a fast light quad built for racing.

The prop breakdown is useful, I had already added the race craft so now them the dals and the gemfan to play with. I do find the vandal with cyclones, whilst it has mad top end, doesn’t seem to have much bottom end,which tends to be in part a product of props with narrow tips to manage air flow.

Curious did you get the jap down to sub 250? Assume an asguard or micro stack, (hglrc xjb f425 or something like that?) kind of assumed that was gonna be a bit high with a split mini on top, axii ufl I assume?
Light 850 or even 650 lipo or 3s?

[Raven49]

I’ve just finished a very similar build and wanted to pass on two tips!

1) The Armattan motors are fab, but the 3650kv 1407 has quite short prop bolts - thicker props like the Dalprop 3045 don’t fit well unless you can source some longer ones. Thinner props like the GePRC or the  Germans should be fine.

2) The Split is very tight in the front - to get the bracket on the camera you have to use the little silver screws which fit flush to the bracket. Then it slides in like a glove.

Keen to see how you get on with those props. I’ve been flying on a Turnigy Graphene 850mah 4S (the compact shape fits really well on the Japalura) and it seems to work really nicely - not the lightest but great momentum.

[Cheredanine]

Arrived, dry built, F.C. and split board fits nicely, cam mounted using origiri approach, sticks out a tiny amount but should keep frame out of shot, got to figure out where to mount xm+, cap and unify, wandering if I can secure those antenna mounts

[Elmattbo]

Watching with interest! A mate of mine built a 5s 3 inch quad and he says it’s quicker than any 5 inch he has. I think he puts a GoPro on it too!


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[Jakalas]

Curious did you get the jap down to sub 250? Assume an asguard or micro stack, (hglrc xjb f425 or something like that?) kind of assumed that was gonna be a bit high with a split mini on top, axii ufl I assume?
Light 850 or even 650 lipo or 3s?

Yes I did  ::) Will look for the photo of it in the scale tonight.

I went HGLRC stack with the TX20 VTX. I made a costume stack plate that allows me to do a double stack in the cavity.




Yes AXII UFL and 650mAh 4S Tattu's.




Just an update on those prop hub heights that I mentioned:
DALprop T3056C = 4.9mm
Gemfan 3052 = 6.1mm
Reackraft 3076 = 7.1mm
HQprop 3x4x3 V1S = 6.1mm

Here is a photo of the props side profile:




From left to right: HQprop, Racekraft, Gemfan, DALprop.

[Cheredanine]

Now that is a tight build :), think I am gonna drop the unify under the cam it’s self and the xm+ between the lipo strap and top plate, should give me room for a cap in the rear cavity.
May should have gone with unify nano but limited functionality, perhaps after first major crash :)

[Jakalas]

As promised, here is the picture of the fatty-jappy on the scale:



picture hosting websites free


I can drop another few grams by fitting the Runcam Split Mini.

[Lamaule]

As promised, here is the picture of the fatty-jappy on the scale:



picture hosting websites free


I can drop another few grams by fitting the Runcam Split Mini.

Impressive build mate!


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[Cheredanine]

Well got it built and configured, tested motor direction and cam working, next step is a test fly in the morning

[Lamaule]

Well got it built and configured, tested motor direction and cam working, next step is a test fly in the morning

Wow, that didn’t take long!

Looks smart. Looking forward to the maiden.


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[Cheredanine]

I average about 3 hours for a quad build, the split slowed me down, this was over 4 :)
Rain prevented maiden this morning, but test indoors, very smooth (as you expect with blheli32 running 48khz) and stable, nice throttle control (tested with gemfan 3052 as I use dal 3056 on the vandal - I was only a brief flight round the dining room so no where near exhaustive but like the gemfan)

[hoverfly]

3 hours... Jeez it takes me that time to identify the pads on the board.

[Cheredanine]

To be fair, I have had a lot of practice :)

[Elmattbo]

It takes me that long first time round, but then a further 4 hours finding all my mistakes!


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[mo_miah]

that does look good, really like the antennas on the front (bug like)
what battery are you using?

[Cheredanine]

Based on other stuff 850mah 4s most likely. I have a pretty wide set I used for testing on sub 250. Guessing graphene 850mah will be king of the hill (mostly because they are about 1000mah) but have 650 and 1000mah too if I am not happy.

Cam mount is an early 3D one Chris from Armattan sent me for the chameleon, I had a few done, not brilliant on cammy but works well on this

[Cheredanine]

Rain broke, tried racekraft props, quite liked, good fun doing proximity, need to sort the last bit of prop wash:
https://youtu.be/EbXYfu4AT7s

[ched]

Rain broke, tried racekraft props, quite liked, good fun doing proximity, need to sort the last bit of prop wash:
https://youtu.be/EbXYfu4AT7s

NIce, that last few seconds seemed very close 

[mo_miah]

Wow that is smooth flying. You'd think it was a 5/6in quad

[Lamaule]

Rain broke, tried racekraft props, quite liked, good fun doing proximity, need to sort the last bit of prop wash:
https://youtu.be/EbXYfu4AT7s

Looks like you had fun there!  That’s a really nice flying site you’ve got too!


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[Jakalas]

Nice  Mini blender of fun 

I’m with Lamaule on the flying site...looks like some fun can be had there.

[Cheredanine]

Ty guys, it flies really smoothly, clearly it effected my confidence as would not have flown proximity like that on a maiden normally.
The new oomphs are no where near over propped on 3 inch, may have to try a set in 4 inch :)
Need to get used to throttle, the power loop at the end I was going for safe, would have been nice and big on racers, branches coming into view was a bit of a shock but the escape response was quick.
Site is Minchinhampton Common. Our usual flight line.