cudaboy_71
12-11-2007, 10:26 AM
hey all. i decided to give the AP thing go. i wanted something i could fly at the park and a little around my house, so i went with the 450 size. i did a little web research plus added some of my own ideas, dug around in the closet for some items i might already have, and here's what i've come up with:
in the air:
stock trex 450 (rotorworkz g4 frame) on AR6200 Rx (my daily flyer)
askman 450 AP mount with damping shocks and tilt
electron6 Rx for tilt/shutter control (spare sitting on shelf)
emprex 7mp point and shoot (fry's for $70)
dimension engineering's pico switch (relay for the shutter)
HS55 tilt servo (spare sitting on shelf)
TX-9500 900mhz video downlink transmitter 12VDC (powered directly by 3s lipo from trex)
hobbywing BEC (power to servo/picoswitch--spare sitting on shelf)
on the ground:
JR 9303X controlling the heli
JRXP9303 (72mhz) controlling the tilt/shutter (spare sitting on shelf)
RX-910 900mhz video downlink receiver
road theater LCD (headrest DVD player)
12VDC SLA battery for power to RX/video screen (spare sitting on shelf)
as far as the setup, the only thing i'd like to change is to some longer blades. but, i didnt have any on the shelf. the 325s got it off the ground fine though.
i wanted to keep my 450 available for regular flight, and my rotorworkz frame looked like it would be the simplest for just creating a strap-on AP rig. it works pretty well just using 4 tie wraps at the corners of the skids to the AP frame. it's a little bit tail heavy. i'm going to work on shifting some of the electronics on the AP frame around...but, really it comes down to the fact that the camera is behind the main shaft. i may have to adjust how the rig straps to the heli.
it took about 4 hours to get everything assembled and tested on the ground. my folks were in town for the weekend, so i had my first test flight with my dad manning the AP controls out of the bed of my truck (in the pictures).
one thing's for sure. flying AP is a lot different than 3D. i'm used to flying right down on the deck. my neck hurt following this thing around after 3 minutes. and, it's a chore keeping it in one spot with no reference to the ground---not to mention this 450 gets tiny fast. i have a lot more respect for those crisp aerial shots now.
just thought i'd share. i'm pretty happy with the outcome. next time out i'll try the AV using the camera's AVI recording function. but, now i need a cameraman.
in the air:
stock trex 450 (rotorworkz g4 frame) on AR6200 Rx (my daily flyer)
askman 450 AP mount with damping shocks and tilt
electron6 Rx for tilt/shutter control (spare sitting on shelf)
emprex 7mp point and shoot (fry's for $70)
dimension engineering's pico switch (relay for the shutter)
HS55 tilt servo (spare sitting on shelf)
TX-9500 900mhz video downlink transmitter 12VDC (powered directly by 3s lipo from trex)
hobbywing BEC (power to servo/picoswitch--spare sitting on shelf)
on the ground:
JR 9303X controlling the heli
JRXP9303 (72mhz) controlling the tilt/shutter (spare sitting on shelf)
RX-910 900mhz video downlink receiver
road theater LCD (headrest DVD player)
12VDC SLA battery for power to RX/video screen (spare sitting on shelf)
as far as the setup, the only thing i'd like to change is to some longer blades. but, i didnt have any on the shelf. the 325s got it off the ground fine though.
i wanted to keep my 450 available for regular flight, and my rotorworkz frame looked like it would be the simplest for just creating a strap-on AP rig. it works pretty well just using 4 tie wraps at the corners of the skids to the AP frame. it's a little bit tail heavy. i'm going to work on shifting some of the electronics on the AP frame around...but, really it comes down to the fact that the camera is behind the main shaft. i may have to adjust how the rig straps to the heli.
it took about 4 hours to get everything assembled and tested on the ground. my folks were in town for the weekend, so i had my first test flight with my dad manning the AP controls out of the bed of my truck (in the pictures).
one thing's for sure. flying AP is a lot different than 3D. i'm used to flying right down on the deck. my neck hurt following this thing around after 3 minutes. and, it's a chore keeping it in one spot with no reference to the ground---not to mention this 450 gets tiny fast. i have a lot more respect for those crisp aerial shots now.
just thought i'd share. i'm pretty happy with the outcome. next time out i'll try the AV using the camera's AVI recording function. but, now i need a cameraman.