Can any of you XM operators give some specs? I have been attempting to establish (unsuccessfully) the weight of the new airframes and whether or not they are significantly heavier than the AD series which they essentially replace. The addition of threaded boom-fold knees, larger hub and various other plates and fittings dotted around presumably carry a weight penalty.
Any feedback on the rigidity and possible longevity of the boom knee assemblies?
I have also been unable to establish boom lengths and thus maximum propeller sizes.
It looks like only the XM-6 is out. I want to stay with eight motors but, rather than a flat 8 am I leaning towards a four boom coaxial. Maybe even a Bart-XY, using an XM-6 hub for the asymmetrical layout. Flat 8's have a proven redundancy and I don't see an X-8 being any different, but upward camera tilt is invariably compromised with motors or props in camera view. The XY configuration has a better chance of improving this - as long as the mixer copes with the splayed X.
Hi! Thank you for your interest! Regarding (some of) your questions:
The XM frames are available in all configurations - 4, 6, 8, X3 and X4 - or you can indeed do the "Bart XY"-mod as a custom variation. In our shop you see the models listed and you can start tailoring your craft from there:
http://droidworx.co.nz/products/shop/category/xm-series/. In the shop also you find the different boom lengths for different size propellers per core - the XM series is designed to take props up to 13".
Regarding weight: There is a weight penalty to all added bits of course - but you don't have to fit all these if you want the lightest possible configuration. All stripped down it can't get much lighter - it's all carbon fiber with aluminium fasteners (aircraft grade) where possible. The VM is pretty much this stripped down version fully modelled of the AD series. The boots and nacelles of the XM are of a super lightweight material (as well as the engine mount brackets and boom clamps) with a density only just a tad higher than water.
The XM-8 with 410mm booms weighs 1235 grams with dome only, with crash cage 1303, add 50 grams for the extended landing gear. Add 15 grams to these figures if you chose the 440 boom length option (13” props). These weights include engine mount boots and boom nacelles.
The XM-X4 (coax 8) weighs 1061 with dome only, 1129 with crash cage - add 50 grams for extended landing gear. This includes 355mm booms to take 13" props, engine mount boots and boom nacelles.
All this info including diameters and pack down dimensions is to be added to the website - just trying to find the time - apologies for this delay. But if you want to know any of these specs meanwhile just send us a note.
The folding boom knuckles as Ben suggested are indeed not yet available, but these will add about 25 grams of weight per boom. The knuckles take depending on the boom length 8.5 to 13.5 kg of thrust per knuckle/boom - plenty for the XM series. The inner mechanism is produced from a fiber reinforced composite super strong (stronger than stainless steel) and lightweight. But we’ll test durability thoroughly before releasing them - the horizontal fold and standard pack down features of the XM offer already easy travel solutions.
A bit of a lengthy reply, I hope it answers your questions - feel free to ask any other questions you might have...
Cheers!
Linda
