another teslaquad

[proudhon]

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to get a hold of a couple of teslaquad frames (purchased from teslahed). I have built up the first as a small FPV quad capable of carrying a keychain camera. The build pretty much follows all of teslahed';s recommendations with a couple of additions, the main one being the XAircraft X450 Pro mounting plate. This was inspired by frames that have a clean section that is supposed to be somewhat isolated from vibrations, and it also provides plenty of space to mount the FPV gear and keychain camera. The total weight including a 3s 1000 mAh lipo is around 500 grams.
   












I have to say I';m really pleased with how it turned out, and a big thanks to teslahed for making his frame available! I had a few short flights today to start tuning and test the keychain camera footage (which was indeed vibration free!). Hopefully in the coming weeks I will be able to post some flight videos.

Cheers 

[Gaza07]

Looks very good better than Tesla';s 

[nub]

looks pretty cool, nice and neat.

[FlyinMarty]

What FPV camera, TX etc  are you using? as once I have learnt to fly I would love to try FPV and i';m hoping to get a Teslaquad soon and would love to take inspiration from you setup.

[proudhon]

Thanks for the comments guys. The purpose of this build is learn fpv on something a little less intimidating than a heavier quad based around an 8 or 10 inch prop size. 

Here are links to all the fpv components:

VTX: http://www.fpvhobby.com/213-compact-58ghz-200mw-cl-set.html
Cam: http://www.foxtechfpv.com/fh10c-wide-voltage-super-mini-cam-ntsc-p-918.html
Mic: http://www.flytron.com/osd-headtrackers/27-electret-microphone-with-preamplificator.html
OSD: http://www.skylarkfpv.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=20&product_id=81
Voltage regulator: http://www.technobotsonline.com/pololu-step-down-5v-600ma-voltage-regulator-d24v6f5.html

I';ve not tested this setup extensively so I am not sure whether I can recommend all these parts or not. The VTX module can be found elsewhere for about half the price, but I went for the convenience of buying one already mounted on a pcb with the antenna included. I think the camera provides a decent picture for the size, but it';s also not cheap.I included the mic because during the limited fpv flying I have done, I found it disconcerting not hearing the motors. I like having the OSD, but that';s really optional. And the voltage regulator steps down the 3s lipo to 5v for the VTX, cam and mic.

Cheers   

[teslahed]

That';s looking very good proudhon - much neater than my first FPV attempt. I look forward to the flight videos

[proudhon]

Thanks teslahed.

Here is a video of my teslaquad in action. LOS flying after a first attempt at tuning.

https://vimeo.com/67423806

Once again, I have to say I really like the frame design and I';m very pleased with the way the build turned out!

Cheers

PS not sure how to embed the video...

[FlyinMarty]

That looks bloody brilliant, is that with the full FPV loadout?

[proudhon]

Thanks flyinmarty! That';s with all the fpv gear on board and a keychain camera. Loads of power with setup suggested by teslahed. 

[FlyinMarty]

Are you using a basic multiwii fc, like Chris sugggets?

[proudhon]

On this quad I actually have an openpilot CC3D, but I actually have a multiwii flight controller on another quad. I have had extremely positive experiences with both flight controllers.

[teslahed]

How would you compare the feel of the two flight controllers?

[proudhon]

Some more action from today:

https://vimeo.com/67465214

As I mentioned earlier, the quad is not lacking for power. I';ve not flipped a great deal so I was pretty nervous, but no major stuff ups fortunately. I';m keen to get a bit more adventurous, but I think I will wait until I build another teslaquad without the fpv gear (I bought 2 frames and am extremely glad I did!). I would like to keep this one in one piece for some fpv practice.

I';m also pretty pleased with video from the quad - jello  free as far as I can tell.

Cheers

[teslahed]

That does look like decently smooth video from the onboard 808#16 camera you are getting there - always a good sign that.

Looks like you practice flips the same way i do - if you start the flip whilst climbing you get an extra bit of time to make it around.

http://youtu.be/NERXQ94KhcI

[proudhon]

How would you compare the feel of the two flight controllers?

I';m no expert, so take my opinion with a grain of salt! Each of these flight controllers has several modes, but the two I have used the most are acro (op terminology = rate) and stable (op terminology  = attitude). In acro mode,I feel little to no difference between them when they are both tuned well - and this is the mode I do the most flying in.In that respect, I think multiwii flight controllers offer great value. In stable mode,I think the CC3D has the edge, but this might also be because I could never quite get this mode tuned well on my multiwii quadcopters. It';s also my understanding that the multiwii stable mode was never really intended for flying around anyway, and was considered more of a backup (but I could be wrong on this point). Whereas the stable mode on the CC3D is quite a lot of fun - in the first video I posted today the last 2 minutes (with all the spinning) are in stable mode. I have briefly used horizon mode in multiwii 2.2, and I would say that is actually getting pretty close to the stable mode of the CC3D (at least the way I had it setup).  Another strong point for the open pilot hardware is the GCS and ease of tuning.

Again, just my opinion based on my personal experience.   

[proudhon]

That does look like decently smooth video from the onboard 808#16 camera you are getting there - always a good sign that.

Looks like you practice flips the same way i do - if you start the flip whilst climbing you get an extra bit of time to make it around.

With regard to the video, the camera is hard mounted to the xaircraft mounting plate, which is attached to the frame with nylon standoffs and  2 layers of superstrong double sided tape. I think the tape has good dampening qualities, but I also placed small rectangular pieces of bicycle tube rubber between where the gf plates attach to the arms. I';m not sure to what extent that helps, but I';m happy with the result.

With regard to the flips, you seem to lose very little altitude - I obviously need more practice!

[proudhon]

I';ve been getting in some FPV practise on the teslaquad and I';ve been really enjoying it - very addictive!

The video below is with a keychain camera, so not great quality. The lens was also a bit dirty (oops), and it';s not completely jello free but it';s not too bad either. Around the middle of the video is an unplanned landing, but there was no damage and the second part of the video was recorded immediately afterwards.   

teslaquad fpv on Vimeo

Cheers

[robshaw]

Looks good mate. Your fpving better than me by a long way. Good work!

[teslahed]

https://vimeo.com/68629935

That looks really good where you hug the grassy trench then pop up into those sweeping turns. Great stuff!

[Hands0n]

One word ... Awesome 

[nub]

nice flying u make it look easy

[Gaza07]

Excellent flying well done   

[proudhon]

Thanks for the comments guys! When I first started flying fpv I wasn';t a big fan actually - I found it quite stressful and I sucked badly (much like when I started flying LOS). But over the last few weeks I';ve persisted and done about 40 fpv flights on the teslaquad, and I like it more and more. At first I got comfortable just cruising around, taking off, landing etc., and the last few times I';ve been pushing it more and more. I';m definitely keen to get a bit more adventurous, which will inevitably lead to some spectacular crashes!   

[Hands0n]

Crashing seems to be what its all about 

Hope to be up there FPV';ing with the rest of you before the year is out.