OctoCoaxial

[zorba]

Hi, It has been awhile. Been busy as always and looking after my Mom.

I've been working on a project that hopefully one day will fly.
Is all constructed from Lexan and alluminum tubing.

Had no plans for it and no building details.
I had one photo I found on the net and that what I worked from.

It uses flight controler with 3 gyros accelerometers and a compass.
8 outrunner motors of 870kv
8 1hock4 controllers, isolator board for the I2c bus and 2 2cell 6000mAh batteries in series.

I will post the results when testing takes place.
Witing for the electronics to arrive.

Enjoy.

Bill

[zorba]

This is the pic I saw.

[zorba]

My other project is a Heavy Lift Hexacopter.
Made from the same materials as the coaxial.
Using, FC2.1 controller (same as the coaxial) 6 BLv2.0 controllers, Isolation board, Pulso 2820/14 motors, and 12x3.8 or 13x6.5 props.

This one will be ready for testing in 2 weeks.
Will post the results
Cheers

[Mick]

Hi Bill, have not seen or heard from you for a while. The projects are looking really good, you never do things by halves. Look forward to seeing them fly.Pete flies his quadrocopter at the indoor, so we expect to see you there with the hex very soon.

[zorba]

Thanks Mic. I love to be there and have you look at her up close. But the problem is that when I'm off at 5 have to get home and replace the aid for my Mom. After that can't go out. She needs 24/7 care. sucks man! but I have to do it.


Cheers

[zorba]

Been doing some more work on the coax.
Slow going but I'll get there.
here are some photos I uploaded at Picassa

https://picasaweb.google.com/variofreak64/CoaxialMulticopter?authkey=Gv1sRgCLafo7Lmv8yBiQE#


Cheers

[turkana]

Jesus that Thing is huge! Awesome. Nice wiring job. Was it a kit or did you build, cut those frames? Regards Pete

[zorba]

Thanks Pete, No is not a kit is hand built with a bandsaw, Dremmel, Drill press and a sander.
That stuff is messy let me tell you. But I did it.

Cheers

[turkana]

Yup that's true modeling, respect to you! I always find it really inspiring to see projects like this.Anybody can build a kit. Great:worship:

[Sempai-mj]

Looks like a lot of pain staking working work, Nice job Billy!:)

[Tarek Hassoune]

Bill you have unbelievable creativity :syes:

[zorba]

Thanks Michael and Tarek.
You too Pete. I had to, since I can't go to the field staying home is driving me crazy. And because heli's reached the end of upgrades and blings I figured Multi's is the answer with alot more different platforms and configurations. There's no end to it wether is a kit or you build yourself from scratch, and I love scratch the itch sometimes is unbearable.:D


Cheers

[Burning Head]

Wow that's look like a crule machine:cool: I like it:D

[zorba]

Well got my gearbox today.
I installed the mount and the ESC's
She is getting heavier. But she is looking good.
Here are some more pics.


Bill

[turkana]

Hi Bill
Is the gearbox for a camera mount.?

[zorba]

Yes Peter, The gearbox is heavy duty and it can handle the weight of the camera and the mount.

[turkana]

"Wow cool . cant wait to see it.

[zorba]

she is up and running, running I said not flying.
I hooked up everything except the rx and fire it up. Is sooooo nice not to see any "BL-ctrl missing or I2c error"

That's the way to go if you are going to go big and heavy.
All the esc's running according to the setup, the flyboard responds and the FC green and red ( rx missing).

Took a little vid and I will post when I get home. I also took vibration meassurements with my I-phone and I will post those also. I am so happy that I don't have to deal with errors again.

[turkana]

:):D:D,!,!!,!

[zorba]

Here is a small vid of the running test also a vibration test of the motors. Vib 1 is with one motor running and Vib 2 is with all 8 motors running but no props.

I am not worried about the props vibrating I am using the Xoar props refectly balanced.
YouTube - Gator8X multi

Cheers

[Mick]

Nice one Billy, good to see plenty of toroids. How long before the maiden?

[turkana]

Zorbas top secret SKunk Works!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk_Works


:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

[zorba]

Thanks Pete I will keep that logo for my coaxial.
Mick as for the maiden don't know yet. I will be fabricating a stand to mount the bird for testing and calibrating.
Here's a photo of her, still have to rearrange the wiring.

It will be guided with two pols so she wont take off on me and do the calibration.
That will be next Saturday.

I will post the results once the test is completed.

Then put the good props on and maiden it..
It feels good believe me. A scratch project that works.

Cheers

[nitrouspete]

Hi Billy,
Cool stuff. Keep busy, your projects just amaze! We will be able to video each others UFO, SKUNK WORKS, projects in the air at the same time, while the waypoints are being flown to and while we are relaxed eating and drinking. ;)

Regards,
Peter D.

[zorba]

Right you are Pete.
Lets see you do that with a heli or a plane?:p;):D

It wont be long now, Propeller testing and calibrating is left.

No Gps, mkmag, or compass for now. Maybe later, The bank is empty.


Cheers

[zorba]

Back at it. Strapped her on the bench today and fired it up. What a awesome sound.

She has the power for sure drawing 2.1 amps and 23watts.
Still has to be calibrated via the MKtools.(laptop)

I will post when I do some more test to make sure she wont take off on me like the first one did, Poor ceiling lol


Bill

YouTube - Gator8X

here's a pic of the scope, lines look pretty even.

[turkana]

We want more , we want more!! :D NICE!!!!!!!!!!!

[zorba]

Thanks Pete you'll get more just hold on a bit longer I am.
Alot of electronics involved here can't afford a mistake.
Soon I promise. She'll be ready for spring.
Waiting for the camera mount, should be here next week.
You know I want ot get something from Germany and they charging for shipping $60Us the thing only eighs 2oz.

cheers

[turkana]

PM me what it is maybe we can figure something out. My Mother in Law will be comming beginning of may. Regards Pete

[Burning Head]

Damn, is it some plutonium 239 or what:D:D

[turkana]

That you can get from Japan, they are giving it away for free...

[zorba]

Hi guys and girls she is airborn....
First test flight of the Gator8X Kopter.
Ok don't laugh at me this is a stand I made to protect the kopter and the suroundings hehehe
she weighs in at 4220gr or 9.5lbs.with out camera and mout.
using 2 2cell 6000mAh bats in series.
I am sooooo excited. A scratch project that works with the help of everyone on Mokrokopter.us and other places.

I will check the consumption of the bats and see what was used in 5minutes of testing.

Thanks for all your help and support for making this project possible.
That's what is all about people..
Hurray
here is the test conducted this morning.











YouTube - My Movie

[LAMAHORSE]

That is
some cool project you have acheived Buddy ...

Congrat's
and hope to see it at WIMAC this summer ...
Cool flying machine for shure ...

[beto9]

Very ingenious test stand!
One question: what is the advantage of two motors per arm instead of a single one, bigger?
Hope to see it live soon! Indoor flying perhaps?

[zorba]

More lifting power and redundancy. One motor quits you can still bring it down safely.
You like my stand eh?

As far for indoors, well I think she is too big, she is about the 700 to 800 size not a 450 for sure


Thanks Berto

[Burning Head]

It can be use for cuting the grass near the run way this summer:cool: Just kiding Bill:) great job

[matador_24]

Congrats! it is amazing!

[briankizner]

Wow! Amazing project. Sounds like a swarm of angry bees.

[zorba]

They are frindly bees, But "if you see me duck you should run"

[Burning Head]

:D:Dgood one, or you could rent it for a multiple bar mitsva, 4 at the time:D

[zorba]

Richard I like that one:p;):D:):cool:

[Burning Head]

Damn, I got to pick in my crapy joke to get a fast reply:D

[zorba]

Kinda late but what ta heck..
Well this the birth of the Gator. I figured I will give some history of how things got started.
I was browsing the net on RCGroups and came across a photo of a UAV.
I liked the design and I was wondering wether I can build one.
Having tones of time on my hands sitting at home, I figured why not.

I sat down at work and with only a photograph of the copter I design the frames.
Trying to decide what material to use, since carbon and G-10 are so expensive, I searched around the shop and found some

left over pieces of 3mm Lexan.

So, I started cutting the frames, shaping and sanding and it turned out pretty good.
Went to Home Depot and got me some 12mm square aluminum tubing and cut the struts.

Everything looked good so far.
I assembled the bird and it had the same look as the photo.

But, I didn't like it. It was too flexible, unbreakable but flexible.

So back to the drawing board I got me some 3mm Dibond.
That stuff is strong, resi poxy sandwiched between two thin layers of aluminum.

I assembled the bird again and no flexing this time.

But I noticed that when I tighten the crews they sunk into the aluminum, too soft.

Darn it anyway, I guess you can have everything..
So, I said what ta heck I came that far I might as well go all the way.
So I ordered 3mm G-10-FR4 from Ontario
That stuff is expensive.
12 square feet for $157.00CND. $190.00 with shipping..

The stuff arrived a few days later.
I cut another set of the frames again....

This time it took a bit longer, G-10 is tough material. Got it done though. went trhough a few drill bits.

Time to search the net. I heard that others had built multis using other means of propultion. I found the answer I was looking

for. A guy by the name Alex built the one I got the photo of. I don't know if he scrapped the project or it didn't fly properly.

To use the controler from the Mikrokopter kopter but use ordinary ESC's, how you say?

A I2c to PWM converter.
A converter that converts the ppm signal so the I2c bus can understand.
I got the controller from Mikrokopter the converter from France the ESC's from HK the motors from all places the Ukraine.

Turnigy 60A Plush series. They are the only controllers that have 400Hz speed which is what you need for the I2c signal.

For motors I got the Pulso 2814/22 760KV
I also got a power distribution board so I can supply power to the ESC's..No way I was gonna sit there and solder a harness to

connect all 8 ESC's together.

For propellers I got the APC 12x6. 4 pushers and 4 tractors.

The assembly began and things fell to place with no effort at all.
The whole thing was assembled without the props of course. Setup the MKtools on my PC. MKtools is a program to calibrate

and adjust the controller, everything is done via the PC.
Communication between the PC and the Bird was done via WI232 modules, they are like bluetooth but better, longer range.
I did the setup of the controller and the timming of the motors. I run the motors one by one via my PC to check rotation.
Setup all the K-values for the altitude and the gyros the aileron and elevator travel adj.

Couple of days ago I strapped the bird on the bench and fired up the motors.

I had to add some trim to the aileron and elevator and everything was set.

Today I did the first test flight and I attached the test stand to prevent any accidents to me or to the bird.

You all saw the results that I posted and I can say I am really happy with the project.

Well this is where I stand. In the near future I will do the maiden flight....I will post...

Do you think is over? nuh...not by long shot.You can say I am crazy or whatever but believe me when I am done Is gonna be

one awesome Multicopter/coaxial.

This project is only the test bed of things to come.
If and I mean IF she flies and can carry the weight of the camera with no glitches at all, I will strip her down and start all over.

Why? you say. I'm glad you asked.
This bird is only for testing of the design and power requirements of the final product.

The final product would be some what smaller. The frame would be made from 1.5mm G-10 and the riggers from 10mm

aluminum. She will have a more aerodynamic shape and of course be much lighter.

I got lots of time to do this so why not?
The new ESC's are on order so as the G-10.
Everything else I got. Patience too.

So friends enjoy the new dimension of UAV's.

I mostly go for the challenge of building something new and from scratch. Everything today is ARF or RTF anybody can do

that. But back in the good old days things were done from ground zero.LOL

Thanks again for you support and input.

Cheers
Bill (zorba)
17/3/2011

[beto9]

Well, what can we say,,, Chapeau Bill!

In every genius there is a streak of madness. You fit the bill, Bill!

[Burning Head]

On the seventh day, GOD ended his work which he had made:D great work Bill:). Even if I kiding some time , those kit thread are the best:cool:

[finnegan]

Nice job buddy.
You are a budding genious:D
Bud I digress...........

[nitrouspete]

Billy,
Really awsome work. Can't wait to see it live and all cool stuff installed. Remember what I told you. Keep up the cool work. :)
Peter D.

[zorba]

Thanks to all and you Pete for your kind words.
This is what RC hobby is all about. I love it. I might be broke but I love it.
I will keep you posted of any new development.

Cheers

[zorba]

Finally she is done. Between jobs today I tried to hover the Gator. Is was amazing. she flies.
I have to do alot of tweaking yet as I used the default settings.

I don't want to get caught playing at work.

Here's ashort video of the event.

Cheers
YouTube - Gator 8X Maiden Flight
YouTube - Gator 8X

[Glenn Hole]

Nice job Bill nice to see it fly:D

[zorba]

Hi again, is been a while,
Saturday I did some more test with the coaxial.
This time I strapped a camera on her. Canon A610 Power shot.
If you have read my other posts, I mentined that I was building it at work. Well the test took place at work.
At the time I was ready a customer walked in and was of course curious of the craft. So, he wouldn't leave and wanted to see it fly.
I was skeptical about having people (customers) around in case something went wrong.
Never the less some more people walked in, so what ta heck I should give it a try.
The said customer decided to take a movie on his phone.
The flight went kinda good except to the yo-yo effect of the throttle been very sensitive.

Well this is the result. I had to cut it short not knowing who might walk thru the door this time. No boss can be found. ppphhhhuuuu.

Net time will try with the JVC camcorder but first I have to play with the dynamic gyro settings..
Cheers
Bill



YouTube - ‪gator8X‬‏

[matador_24]

Very nice Billy!!! congratulations! it looks and sounds awesome!!!!

[zorba]

Well I decide to take the Okto out of storage and do some work on it.
I added a new camera Canon T3i and a transmitter from Immersion RC.
I choose this camera over the Sony NEX-5 for the fact it has live view output so I can watch it from the base station.
The base station is Eagle Eyes by Eagletree systems.
I tried it at the shop and it works great.
Next connect the OSD and try that.

Cheers

[nitrouspete]

Hi Billy, nice to see you building again. We need to get together and fly and film our multicopters in flight at the same time. So far I am doing tests with several cameras. From Nikon D7000 to GoPro2 hero and FPV flying. I need a cameraman to operate my 360degree camera mount via FPV while I pilot.

Regards,
Peter D.

[zorba]

Yea I know, I'll be your camera man if you want. give me a buzz

[beto9]

Boys, you are really cheap when you choose camera...

Billy, do not forget to take the lens cover before you fly it!:D:D:D

[nitrouspete]

Hi Alberto,

We can use these machines for aerial survaillence. And our cameras are cheap. If I could I would put my Nikon D3s and 600mm on board to film.

Hehe!
Peter D.

[Flying73]

If only they were nuclear powered and able to hover for months, we could catch our unwanted guests on film.

[zorba]

Boys, you are really cheap when you choose camera...

Billy, do not forget to take the lens cover before you fly it!:D:D:D

Albert don't you worry none. It wont fly with the lens on. I wont be able to see where I'm going. :p;):D:)

[matador_24]

it is awesome billy!!!!

[beto9]

Hi Alberto,

We can use these machines for aerial survaillence. And our cameras are cheap. If I could I would put my Nikon D3s and 600mm on board to film.

Hehe!
Peter D.

Yes, and forgive me for repeating it, also to find lost planes. There is no need to let the octo fly far, just that the view from above will save many treks in the swamp or the high grass.

[zorba]

Is been awhile but the octo is alive again with some modifications.
I couldn't decide what camera to use.
The NEX5 is a great camera but the downside is that it has no live view.
The Canon 3Ti has live view but a bit heavy and expensive.
So I decided to go with a CCD camera and my trusted JVC digital camcorder.
The ccd will be the downlink to the ground station so I can frame my shots and the JVC will record the action.

I could record the shots from the JVC on my laptop via downlink but the image will be downgraded.

Also with the live view I get the display on the screen.
Also installed the smart osd.(http://smart-electronics.eu ).Is a fantastic unit. You can add the paremeters you want anywhere on the screen and switch screens via a switch on the Tx.

Another addtion is the Navi controler, compas, gps and 600mw wireless transmitter for downlink.

Is all bench tested and she is fine. This weekend I will install the 13x6.5 Xoar props and give it a go.

Total weight of the coaxial is 4.910 Kg.
inculdes copter, camera and batteries.
I run 2 2cell 6000mAh is series, 1 2cell for the Tx and 1 3cell for the CCD camera.

Lets hope she lifts.
Here are some pics of the setup.

Cheers

[beto9]

Awesome!
Let us know how it went.

[zorba]

Thanks Albert. Well it did and it didn't.
When I first setup the coax last year I used the Hitec Aurora.
Now I used the JR 9503.
Well the ESC's were calibrated with the Hitec and I had to re-calibrate them all over again.

The problem is that I have to disconect them from the controller and the controller is inside the frame between two boards.

After a three of four hours and between jobs I got it done.
I did a small test flight inside the shop with the NEX5 and with the JVC camcorder.

She lifted at half throttle which is the sweet spot for the multicopters. with the NEX5 was easier than with the JVC. NEX5 370gr. JVC 680gr.
You can see in one of the videos the manager of the store and he was not very happy and then again he liked what he saw.

Next week I'll do some more testing to make sure she wont drop from the sky.

I will post the videos then.

cheers

[zorba]

I did some more test over the weekend for the OSD.
This is by far the best little osd available.
Is a stand alone unit which you don't need any external sensors for the telemetry.
It picks up the info from the flight controller and the navi and gps.
You can configure which parameters you want to display.Is has 4 screens which you can configure your self to what to display.
I can also switch screens from the Tx.
Amazing little unit.
But if you want one you have to wait awhile they have backorders from Christmas.
Here's a little video to demostrate how the OSD works.
Is setup in the shop (too cold outside) and I still get 7 satellites.

enjoy.
Cheers
Smart OSD - YouTube