Velos 880 Controllable Cargo Hook

[A VIKING]

Another teaser photo of one of my latest mechanical release/drop ideas for me to experiment with using the power of the Velos.

Dead tree branches that need to be removed but are too high in the air, dangerous to get to or located where normal removal equipment can't reach.
I am building a simple fork arrangement to be belly mounted on the Velos to release rope from a hover above the branch to be removed.

How much rope?
We have tall mature trees 100+ feet high in my area. To get to the highest branches I would need a total of 200 feet of rope. The rope would be looped over the branch to be removed so that's 100 feet of rope up to the branch and 100 feet back down to the ground.

I bought the rope and looped it around a fork like it would be carried under the Velos. See the photo below.
100 feet would be on the fork under the belly and the remaining 100 feet would be loose on the ground and then hoisted up to the branch during the flight.

So the Velos at the top of the hover would be carrying 200 feet of nylon rope 3/8 inch in diameter with a load strength of 250 pounds.
The total weight of rope I am using is 6 pounds so a very easy task for the big Velos to lift into position.
Once a branch has been captured by a rope you can do what you want for it's removal such as a rope saw or just break it off if it's rotten.

This method of removing tree branches simple won't work in all situations but for those occasions when air space allows, and no other method will work safely, this should work well.

Building the release fork today, hope to have photos later, video to follow.
Best part I'll be able to use my original cargo hook to release the fork allowing the 100 feet of rope under the belly to drop to the ground, and hopefully not tangle on the way down.

I had originally created this just for the release of rope, but now that I almost have it built, other ideas for its use are popping into my head.
I can see one very high illuminated Christmas star for our neighborhood to enjoy this holiday season.

Keep dreaming...

The rope to be carried under the belly of the 200 feet needed.

[A VIKING]

Didn't get as far as I wanted to today.
Here are the major parts for the swing arm release system.
All very simple. I'll mount it on the Velos tomorrow.

[A VIKING]

OK, so now I have the swing arm release installed on my Velos.
I like the way it turned out, just have a couple things to do before I hang my 100 feet of rope on it and take it on a flight for some drop tests.

Given I have no rear stop for the swing arm, I need to install one as it could conceivably swing all the way back and into the main rotor which would probably leave a scar.
Also I need a rubber band or something that can swing the arm back up to the stowed position after a drop to prevent landing with the arm in the down position. No big deal if that were to happen, I could just drag the arm backwards on landing to fold it up. If you notice in the photos, I included rubber tips to the tubes just for that purpose but it would look better if it stowed after a drop so that's the direction I am going.

Looking pretty cool, check out the photos.

[Falung_69]

I am impressed as to how far you have tooken this
Cannot wait for the Test vid.
Are you not worried about catching a skid with a loop as you release ?

I am so glad the branch came out with ma ma nature's help

And to think this all started because you attaching a long line to ur Velos

Brilliant Mate Absolutely Brilliant

Keep Up The Good Work it does look good on there

Clark

[A VIKING]

Originally Posted by Falung_69

I am impressed as to how far you have tooken this
Cannot wait for the Test vid.
Are you not worried about catching a skid with a loop as you release ?

I am so glad the branch came out with ma ma nature's help

And to think this all started because you attaching a long line to ur Velos

Brilliant Mate Absolutely Brilliant

Keep Up The Good Work it does look good on there

Clark

Good question Clark but no, the rope can be coiled up and placed over the fork while sitting on the ground with the rope coil positioned inside the skids. The free end of the rope is first on the fork and the 100 feet to free fall will be coiled on the fork going forward, that arrangement should allow the rope to free fall and uncoil itself on the way down without tangle.

I have laid out the rope coil on the ground already to check for fit between the skids and there is plenty of room, even though my skids are shorter than stock.
Pull up in a hover and the rope will hang on the fork between the skids so no tangle on the skids is possible.

First flight tests will prove all this true, in my mind it works perfect.
I now have a simple rubber band to pull the fork back up after release. It doesn't have enough strength to interfere with the drop so it should work well.
The first drop test will be done statically, not in flight, just to ensure proper operation of the fork.

Looking forward to the first flight test and video as well.
I would like nothing more than to identify many special applications for the Velos 880 and UAV going forward with this project.

After the long line experiments I have set my top end payload weight to 25 pounds, so now that I know that, I don't have to wonder "can I lift that safely?" If it's 25 pounds or less the answer is yes I can, so this opens up a whole new world of thinking for me in dreaming of useful applications for the Velos.
Dream on!

[A VIKING]

So my swing arm has been ground tested and I believe its ready for a high hover release...then its on to find my first dead branch needing to be removed.
Keep in mind the world is not a perfect place and this device is not perfect for all tree branch removal but when the branch is hanging out in the open above your yard, a patio, walking path or child's play area and is to high or located in an area where ground equipment can't operate...and nobody wants to climb the tree...the Velos is a good option.
Safe and redundant in design, with lots of power.

There are many other possibilities for use of the swing arm, not just to carry rope...no telling what you'll see it do next.
Should be fun and challenging!

Velos Swing Arm Fork (2 min 34 sec)

[A VIKING]

Sorry it's been a while since my last post, haven't had the time necessary to do the testing.

In all things aviation I like to guarantee it's a sure thing. I'm not getting that feeling from my set up yet. I can see its absolutely doable to carry the rope and remove a tree limb using that rope but I need to pay attention to detail in how I do it.

I took the Velos outside today and tried several ways of loading the rope on the fork while it sat on the ground.
From all the experimenting I see the need to keep the loops short around the fork to prevent any interaction of the rope with the rotors in flight and from that I need to redesign the fork. It's too short to allow quick, safe loading of the rope.
Redesigning and making the fork longer will also prevent the rope from hanging on the skids during the drop.

I march on...I can envision eventually getting rid of the OEM carbon fiber skids all together and making the fork assembly act as landing gear also.
More fun, more Imagineering.

[A VIKING]

Like I said in my previous post, I just wasn't satisfied with my original swing arm. There were too many possible errors that could lead to trouble when lifting the rope up and over a high tree branch.

So...check out the photos of the new improved swing arm for rope deployment.
There were four areas of concern I had with the original swing arm.
1. The rope was difficult to load on the parallel bars.
2. There was no control of the rope on the parallel bars after loading and in flight...it could slide forward or backward.
3. The rope could hang up on the skids during the drop.
4. The free end of the rope could pull tight on the parallel bars when hanging in a hover due to it's own weight. This could cause the rope to hang up on the bars when dropped.
5. The parallel bars could swing all the way back and into the main rotor if the return rubber band were to break.

All of these concerns were addressed with this new version.
1. The rope is now easy to load. The loading station for the rope was brought forward from its previous position from under the canopy.
2. Because of the bends in the tubing creating the forward and rear "humps" the rope is now captured so it can't slide around yet can be released smoothly and without error.
3. The rear "hump" in the tubes is ahead of the skids so the rope can't hang on the skids during the drop.
4. The swing arm has a tapered shape where the first version had parallel bars. With the tapered shape if the free end of the rope were to tighten up on the swing arm in flight the tapered shape will cause the rope to loosen as it slides forward during the drop.
5. Having a tapered shape, the swing arm is closed at the front unlike the open parallel bars, so the closed end will prevent the swing arm from traveling all the way back and up into the main rotor...it will stop when it hits the tail boom. Again, this could happen if my return rubber band should break.

So unlike my first version I have no concerns with this one. My first flight will be to prove out cyclic control. I will coil the entire 200 feet of rope on the swing arm and take it for a flight. My objective is to verify I still have good cyclic control with 6 pounds hanging one foot in front of the normal COG of the Velos.

With the massive rotor disk I am thinking it really won't make that much difference but I still have to verify before trying it out on a 100 foot high branch that needs removing.

So as always, flight video when I can do it, I'm looking forward to seeing the rope fly.
One more step in making my Velos 880 a "Working Class" model.

p.s. I remember why not too many people make assemblies out of tubing with lots of complicated bends...it will make you sweat. If making one tube wasn't hard enough with all of its bends...I had to make another one to match. Did it on the first try but I did a lot of thinking and measuring before making the bends...because once you make a bend...you can't take it back.

The new and improved swing arm for rope deployment.


Swing Arm mounted to the Velos.


Low front view of the improved swing arm mounted to the Velos.


Low rear view of the improved swing arm on the Velos.

[Falung_69]

Looking Good Man
Looking Better I think

[A VIKING]

Originally Posted by Falung_69

Looking Good Man
Looking Better I think

Thanks Clark!
This version has real utility. Safe, easy to use and it can be removed from the rear "U" shaped pivot axel easily so another device could be mounted and utilize the axel.

A couple small tweaks to the tubes to allow the rack for the rope to sit level (you can see in the photos that the nose of the frame is resting on the ground) and its time for inflight testing.

[A VIKING]

Just a couple photos of the "tweaked" swing arm assembly. I had to increase the bend of the tubes to create ground clearance, added a nose rubber bumper and added plastic electrical tape to the rack where the rope will be carried.
The rope coiled around the bare tubes slide back and forth too easily so the electrical tape gives the rope something to grip and helps it stay in place.

Storms tonight so no flight test but great weather tomorrow so I'll finally see the rope fly.

[A VIKING]

Got the first test flight under my belt flying the rope.
To say I was very concerned was an understatement. Never before having tried something like this I went over it in my head a hundred times knowing it would have to work...but never having actually done it before always throws some doubt in your head.

Bottom line...it was simple to fly.
I didn't pick up on any odd cyclic stick position both taking off with the rope coiled on the swing arm or during the drop itself.
CG change during the flight wasn't noticeable.

Now to go out and find a dead branch that needs removing, should be fun.
Should be fun for Christmas decorations this year as well.

Now that I have done these experiments and found out first hand what the big Velos can do with lifting weight and flying with weight well forward of the normal CG position I have more plans to utilize the Velos for doing working tasks.

Velos 880 Rope Release (3 min 28 sec)

[A VIKING]

I have always struggled with one thing in maintaining my house. Cleaning the exterior walls.

The house on three sides is around 40 feet tall because it sits on a side hill. This makes it very difficult and dangerous to get cleaning solution on the exterior to clean away the years grime.
Above 30 feet I just can't reach it from the ground even with my custom extended high pressure spray boom and I will not climb a ladder in an attempt to spray clean or scrub the walls that high in the air.

If I built a high pressure spray system that would move a large volume of solution I could reach the top but in trying to apply cleaning solution you would have to dilute it so much it would loose its ability to dig in and clean. Not diluting the solution would allow the volume of liquid to reach the higher locations but now your wasting a lot of cleaning solution to do it.

So...enter my next venture in creating a working solution to an issue using the Velos 880.

I had in the past thought of creating a 2 gallon tank to attach to the Velos to apply this solution.
2 gallons is a good amount of solution but when your cleaning the exterior of a house, suddenly that 2 gallons is gone requiring a refill.
Weight being the deciding factor in how much I could carry, I decided that taking the solution up with the Velos in an attached tank was not the smart thing to do.

I decided what I should do is just take the spray nozzle up on the Velos and leave the bulk solution tank on the ground. That way I have plenty of solution to spray a large area and the Velos would only be tasked to carry the spray boom and the small rubber hose connected from the supply tank and pressure pump on the ground up to the Velos.
This weight would be very easy for the Velos to carry.

I am only trying to apply the solution to the exterior. High pressure is not going to be used so large amounts of solution overspray should be minimal and with the Velos out of ground effect the overspray that does migrate back toward the Velos should be blown down quickly away from the canopy. The angle of the spray nozzle can be angled down also to prevent blow back of the solution onto the Velos.

Hover distance from the exterior wall will be about 4 feet. The spray boom will be my indicator I am too close and should back away.
If it works really well I could see in the future a laser distance measuring device to tell you when you are in the safe zone and possible past that have it integrated into the flight computer so it automatically measures the distance and maintains that distance through the flight.
Hey...I can dream can't I.

Here are a couple photos of the early mock up of the spray boom.
As luck would have it the rope deployment swing arm works perfectly to support the spray boom.

[A VIKING]

Found a perfect supply tank and pump for my spray boom. The tank hold 15 gallons for cleaning solution and I can use a smaller container for insecticide to spray insects (spiders) that like to call my home their home on the exterior at the highest levels.

The 12 volt DC pump kicks out 40 psi at one gallon per minute which should be plenty of fluid flow for me.

Now I have to create the hose connections for the rubber supply line from the pump to the Velos, and maybe include a pressure regulator in that line.

Hook up the battery, put the tank and battery in a small wagon to pull around then start my testing of flow rates and nozzle tips to create the best flow pattern for what I am trying to do.

So like I said earlier, leaving the supply tank on the ground and just let the Velos fly the spray boom and supply hose is a great option.

More to come...

[A VIKING]

Got a chance to try out my sprayer setup on the ground tonight.
It performed beyond my expectations. Depending on the spray pattern, I won't have to get to close to the building at all to provide good coverage of the cleaning solution or insecticide.

I need to locate a better spray nozzle. The one I tried out was real cheap from a hand sprayer, it showed me what I wanted to see, but a better nozzle would be preferred.

At 40psi from the pump there is little kick back when spraying so the big Velos will handle the spray boom with ease.

Only question I have is will the 40 foot height create enough head pressure in the small rubber hose to effect pump pressure. My first flight will determine that, I can always increase the pressure as needed.

I have always hated to try and clean the exterior walls of my house but I think now it will be so much fun I'll end up doing it to often.
The 40 foot level has never seen any cleaning solution because of that height so that's about to change.

Given I'll be cleaning exterior walls with the Velos, I need to cut my rotor speed back in an effort to lengthen my flight times.

Anyone have any guidance with this?
Aris, do you have any pointers for me on setting up my 2 bladed 880 for longest flight times?

My only concern is running a head speed that may not allow the CC160's to run at their optimum output and cause a failure with them. I don't know if that's a possibility or not but I have always been told that.

So get ready to see a Velos 880 spray cleaning a house...you don't see that every day...but you just might in the future.

[Velos Rotors]

That is a really cool application Allan. Now I Imagine your Velos like a fire fighting machine taking out fires in difficult to reach places.
Instead of water tank it will be connected to a big fire extinguisher..

There are many ways to increase the flying time of a helicopter.
The one I prefer is to make it more light weight but that is not an option here.
So bringing the rotor rpms down will certainly help to increase the flight time and particularly by increasing the gear ratio or bringing the motors KV down.
For example 400kv motors will bring the rpms down by 450 rpms compared with 500kv motors.

450kv motors will bring the rotor rpms about 230rpms lower compared with the 500kv ones
The above values are approximations when using the 22T stock pinions that come with the Velos.
Regarding the pinions 2 teeth less will be equal to about 50kv less on the motors.
But having the motors spinning at lower rpms is the best way to do it. And reducing the throttle on the ESCs is the worse way to do it.
Also larger batteries can help a lot with the flight time.

Now what is the ideal rotor rpms? This is not a fixed number. It depends a lot to the maximum take off weight. But values of about 1500 rpms are good to start the experimentation and from there you can adjust up or down accordingly.

[A VIKING]

Thanks Aris!
That's some very useful information in setting up the drive train to achieve longer flight times and confirms my suspicion that simply reducing ESC throttle input is not the way to do it.

Once my fire fighting friends see the video of me spaying cleaner on the walls of my house I know the wheels will start turning in their heads and they will have the same vision as you...I can hear them now..."do you think we could...".

[A VIKING]

Here are a couple shots of the final ground test of the spray boom.
It is in it's flight configuration with 60 feet of supply hose and a new spray nozzle that gives me a good conical spray pattern.

As you can see in the photos I have good usable spray 10 feet out past the nozzle which means I don't have to get that close to the exterior walls to apply the cleaning solution.
I have 2.5 feet of spray boom past the rotor tip so I should be able to fly a comfortable distance of about 10 feet from the exterior wall from the rotor disk and still get the job done.

So operational checks are complete, leak check complete, the only thing left is take it out for a flight and do some cleaning.
That will take place this week end if weather permits so I should have some interesting video then.

Hornets making nests in the peaks of my house better take notice...I'm coming for them.

Check the distance.


Pumping it out.

[A VIKING]

No flight or video this week end, Mother Nature threw me a curve ball with a wild storm that knocked down a tree in my back yard so I played lumber jack this week end. It was perfect weather on Sunday for the flight but as we say in aviation, this is not the last perfect day,there will be other perfect days to fly.

I was able to add a simple foot switch to my spray rig to allow me to turn the pump on and off while flying...that will be useful.

[A VIKING]

Just had a few minutes tonight to check out the spray boom in flight. I didn't have time to connect the supply tank so I just flew the boom.

No surprises, it flew great.
I was a little all over the sky though so I need to practice before hooking up to the ground supply tank and spraying cleaner for the first time. I need to be efficient in flight in holding position and not wander around.
I would imagine the SK720BE can assist in achieving a real stable smooth slow control.
If anyone has any pointers on getting that smooth slow control reaction in the helicopter from the FBL I am all ears, let me know.
Let me add to that...I know I can have super slow reaction of the helicopter to stick movement BUT, I need to have enough control motion available quickly to react to a gust of wind and not let it drift me into the house because I don't have enough control. Maybe a lot of Expo?

To start I have my controls set up for 3D flight which admittedly is a little quick for smooth small attitude changes. Hover is perfect but the change in flight position in relation to stick movement is way too quick.

More practice and SK adjustments should get me to where I want to be.
Should be fun.
The photos below are a little difficult to see without the canopy installed and are taken from my wife's view inside the house looking out the window.

On Final Approach...


In position...