90% complete interested in feedback

[Cryofix]

T-600 HFE Frame, TT Baldes
Mcgyver front mount with SPT-200 from servocity
12S A123 (about 8 minutes)
NEU 1912/1Y (needs to be more efficient)
Askman Landing gear taken from my logo underslung 360
Canon A640
Rc flysoft switch
AR6000 (Tilt, Pan, Shutter (DX6))
2 Irwin Special UBEC 6A/6V
Act Labs Black Box
True RC 2100 Mah Lipo (powering all electrics)
Mount is G10 (Garolite)

Only thing left to do now is strap in the 3 s on the bottom and program my flysoft switch not to take continuous pictures.

please let me know what you think.

[papafoster]

That is awsome post some pics when you have sorted it out, Good work :smokin:

[bullaculla]

Have you flown it yet? Even tho its a nose mount, I think it will fly the same as an underslung with the camera being so low. The whole point of the nose mount is to have the weight up high, close to the blades to reduce the pendulum effect.
I might be wrong tho. Your mount and camera is not very heavy. might not even notice it.
Good job fabbing it all up! Let us know how she flies! :D I want a nose mount too! :)

[Cryofix]

Thanks!

As for the pendulum, I hoping there wont be any, the main weight of the mount is centered in the SPT-200 which is pretty close to parellel with batteries, the gimbal and the camera are probably only a few ounces, as I opted to remove the 4 AA's from the camera and power it through the system.

The big thing I am concered with right now is the mount is too far out in front, becasue it shakes when the heli moves, I may have to stiffen the side rails or cut the rails and move them back.

[bullaculla]

Yeah, it doesn't look very heavy. Maybe add a strip if G10 to the inside rail to make an I beam or two strips to the outside of teh rail to a two T bars. I'm sure you already have an idea of what you want to do.
What is sticking out of your tail? RPM sensor?

[Cryofix]

Yea its an optical RPM sensor, not the best choice but if it works Ill be happy.

[bullaculla]

You should try something with the main shaft collar. I read someone put black heatshrink on it and painted on a white spot. Supposed to work. I may try it on mine... if I ever get around to it.

[j_kookboy]

Nice creation. :)

What's the AUW ?

[Cryofix]

11.0 lbs even

Got a solid 7 minutes on it today with battery left.

[WillJames]

Looks good Ed!! Got any pics to show? Man you are lucky, the weather here is terrible.

[Sandy]

What a great project. I have been toying with the idea for my HFE 600 and 1515 2.5. I assume that is a 900 mhz video downlink.. Does the XPS bidirectional rx mess with the spektrum rx? Would flat bottom blades help with efficiency for a AP heli?

Nice work

[Cryofix]

Sandy,
Thanks!

I did notice some weirdness today before I took off, I had a range check problem, I couldnt go over 15 foot with the XPS system when the 900 and AR6000 were active, but I didnt have a problem at over 100 foot at full power with the antenna connected.

I felt comfortable at 50' today, and posted a video, didnt go too high just needed to test flight to see what was next to wok on.

Looks like the AR6000 is going to have to be moved.

[Sandy]

I did notice some weirdness today before I took off, I had a range check problem, I couldnt go over 15 foot with the XPS system when the 900 and AR6000 were active

Is the 900 power 100 or 500 mw? There have been some anecdotal reports that even at 900mhz, higher power in close proximity could swamp the xps receiver (any rx for that matter) .. Something easy to try is pointing the 900 antenna null at the xps or keeping its plane at 90 degrees to the plane of the xps stub..

[JWatson]

Cyrofix,

You stated in the first post that you have a 11.1v lipo powering all electronics. What are you using for power distrbution? (i.e. a couple of Y connectors?)

I am have a mount power distrubution problem in my PRO 1 and I am always looking for Ideas on how to improve it.

Thanks,

Jarrett W.

[lakespinner2]

Nice setup you have there Cryo. Could you possibly range check it with only one or the other of the 900 MHz downlink or the 6000 turned on at a time. It would really be good to know which is killing your range.

I've never considered using xps for the heli and spektrum for the mount. that would be sweet if it would work. In my mind I've just always assumed that I couldn't use two 2.4 gadgets on one bird; but I forgot that the spektrum receivers don't transmit like the xps receivers. (I think that's right) If there are no spektrum internal local oscillators that leak enough 2.4 RF to jam the xps, then it should work. Dang, I'm all excited now. Get it going! :P :noteworthy

[Cryofix]

I have a JST connector on a 3 way split wire, 1 wire goes to one bec, another to a second bec, and a plain straight wire into the blackbox.

on a 7 minute flight with 1 3S 2100 pack running all electrics Heli(Cyclic/Gyro/Tail/XPS 8 channel), Mount(Ar6000/2 servos/flysoftswitch), and the Black Box(Act Labs Black Box, Downlink 900 MHz 500mA 12V, camera power 4.3v) I only used 238 mAh

I use a 3S 2100 to power my 7 inch LCD and 900 MHz RX and that used 340 mAh in about 12 minutes

Cyrofix,

You stated in the first post that you have a 11.1v lipo powering all electronics. What are you using for power distrbution? (i.e. a couple of Y connectors?)

I am have a mount power distrubution problem in my PRO 1 and I am always looking for Ideas on how to improve it.

Thanks,

Jarrett W.

[Cryofix]

I will do this and what Sandy has said about the parallel orientation, but I think it may be the ar6000, I really hope not casue I had awful problems with the 900 Mhz interfering with my 72 Mhz


Nice setup you have there Cryo. Could you possibly range check it with only one or the other of the 900 MHz downlink or the 6000 turned on at a time. It would really be good to know which is killing your range.

I've never considered using xps for the heli and spektrum for the mount. that would be sweet if it would work. In my mind I've just always assumed that I couldn't use two 2.4 gadgets on one bird; but I forgot that the spektrum receivers don't transmit like the xps receivers. (I think that's right) If there are no spektrum internal local oscillators that leak enough 2.4 RF to jam the xps, then it should work. Dang, I'm all excited now. Get it going! :P :noteworthy

[Cryofix]

Looks like its the DX6 thats flooding it, after a few on off tests the 900 MHZ had no effect and I was able to check range, even with the AR6000 on (but not active) there was no range issues, as soon as I turned on the DX6 there were certain spots only 10 feet away that the check would fail, I did manage to get to 27 foot with no problems, facing the rear of the heli where my RX is mounted.

I read somewhere that you can shield 2.4 GHz with simple screen like the ones found in your doors. so I may try this.

[catfight]

cryofix,

What order did you power up the equipment? Maybe try turning on DX6 and AR6000 first, then other tx/rx? If that order the primary flight control may skip channels enough - just a guess - may be worth an experiment. Perhaps try all of the permutations of equipment on sequence?

[Cryofix]

Problem fixed.

The reason I went with a DX6 on the mount was to avoid nasty interference I was getting with my 6 channel FM RX, so tonight I tried something, I had my old PCM module from my 9303, took out my XPS and placed that in there and plugged everything in.

I got perfect response from the mount and no interference with the 900 MHz, I though great all I need is a new PCM radio for the mount and I am all set. Then I got the idea to change the crystals out, the interference was on channel 37, but in my PCM I had channel 51, so I swapped crystals and bam no interference at all.

Range checked and walked about 80 feet before I lost partial signal.

Looks like Ill have to deal with 2 ugly antennas still, but its working, and I feel comfortable.

[Randallhurd]

Geeeezzzz .. that's a pretty cool Heli,,,
Whats the Red Wire Do?????


:noteworthy:noteworthy:noteworthy

JK,, Nice job,, I hope to set a project of that caliber in motion by mid next year, I'm in recovery mode right now with a oregon Scientific that whipping my but..
Nice job on yours,, If it's complicated, Powerful, and unique,, I'm game....
:thumbup::YeaBaby: