Aluminum arms for dji flamewheel frames

[photobobga]

Just for reference I ran your specs through eCalc. Your current setup is near or at max weight for your configuration. You throttle linear rating is 72%. Ideally it should be near 50%. Depending on your primary use your answer will have mutable answers. I have a near match to your hex with the exception of... I have upgraded to the new extended arms, replaced the stock motors with a 710 Kv rating, increased the pro size to 12x5, and the battery (single) to a MaxAmp 6500 mah. I shoot video and photography, with this setup i get up-to but not over a 8 minute flight and a hex that will handle wind with authority. My hex weights in at 2900 grams, 6.8 lbs.

This is the link to your setup.
http://www.ecalc.ch/xcoptercalc.htm...apc_electric_e&diameter=10&pitch=4.5&blades=2

-Bob

 

[Jaybeast]

Just for reference I ran your specs through eCalc. Your current setup is near or at max weight for your configuration. You throttle linear rating is 72%. Ideally it should be near 50%. Depending on your primary use your answer will have mutable answers. I have a near match to your hex with the exception of... I have upgraded to the new extended arms, replaced the stock motors with a 710 Kv rating, increased the pro size to 12x5, and the battery (single) to a MaxAmp 6500 mah. I shoot video and photography, with this setup i get up-to but not over a 8 minute flight and a hex that will handle wind with authority. My hex weights in at 2900 grams, 6.8 lbs.

This is the link to your setup.
http://www.ecalc.ch/xcoptercalc.htm...apc_electric_e&diameter=10&pitch=4.5&blades=2

-Bob

Bob,
Thanks for the info. Like you, I shoot aerial photos - stills mainly. I'm at the point where I'm willing to spend a bit of money for a rig that will keep me in the air longer (duh). But where to spend my money? Do I drop about $700 to update my F550 to the aluminum arms, motors, batteries and possibly ESCs only to get a marginal increase in flight time of 2-3 minutes? Or do I spend even more $?$ on an updated frame that is scalable to eventually fly a DSLR, and what would that rig be? Would that also get me marginal increases in flight time but with better quality photos? I'm happy flying my Sony Nex5 for the time being and get some nice results. So where does this leave me??? A bit lost

Question: are the 900kv tiger motors you input a close match to the stock DJI motors? Which 710 motors are you using?
Thanks again!

 

[econfly]

Do those motors bolt directly to those arms or is an adapter needed?


Sent from my SCH-I925 using Tapatalk

The motors mount directly to the arms. Don't use the bolts that come with the motors (they are too long). You will need to buy shorter bolts (I got some at Fastenal).

 

[bruce365]

Hi Jaybeast,
Stock DJI motors are only 2212 (120watt motors) not 2216's as per link to E-calc.

I fly my F550 (DJI motors & 10" Graupner props) with AUW 2.95kg that's with FPV gear, gimbal and GoPro2 etc. I Use 5amp 4S battries and get Max 8 minutes fly time (8 minutes mostly hovering rather that FFF).

I have looked at adding the 50mm longer alum. arms but they only allow you to increase prop size to 12" and that is not enough of an efficiency increase to give me greatly increased flight times for the money I would have to spend.

With all the gear you state you have on your F550 2.5 kg seems a bit light on (is that including the battery).

If you plan to use a DSLR in the future do not waste your time or money upgrading from 550mm to 650mm you need to probably go to something bigger or an X8.

Just my thoughts Regards - bruce

 

[Jaybeast]

Hi Jaybeast,
Stock DJI motors are only 2212 (120watt motors) not 2216's as per link to E-calc.

I fly my F550 (DJI motors & 10" Graupner props) with AUW 2.95kg that's with FPV gear, gimbal and GoPro2 etc. I Use 5amp 4S battries and get Max 8 minutes fly time (8 minutes mostly hovering rather that FFF).

I have looked at adding the 50mm longer alum. arms but they only allow you to increase prop size to 12" and that is not enough of an efficiency increase to give me greatly increased flight times for the money I would have to spend.

With all the gear you state you have on your F550 2.5 kg seems a bit light on (is that including the battery).

If you plan to use a DSLR in the future do not waste your time or money upgrading from 550mm to 650mm you need to probably go to something bigger or an X8.

Just my thoughts Regards - bruce

Bruce,
Thanks for the info. Regarding your setup - do your motors get very warm flying for 8 minutes? To try to extract more airtime I tested hovering with two identical 4000mah 3S in parallel on the stock motors with my auw at 2.5kg and they got pretty toasty after flying for over 9 minutes. Figured that was too taxing and didn't risk more flights.

I figure this is where I'm at now based on ecalc and actual flight time:
http://www.ecalc.ch/xcoptercalc.htm...apc_electric_e&diameter=10&pitch=4.5&blades=2

This is where I'd like to be factoring a bit more weight for the extra battery and extensions:
http://www.ecalc.ch/xcoptercalc.htm?ecalc&lang=en&cooling=1&rotornumber=6&weight=2800&calc=auw&elevation=500&airtemp=27&qnh=1013&batteries=lipo_4000mah_-_35/50c&chargestate=0&s=3&p=2&esc=max_30a&motor=tiger_motor&type=46|mt2216-12&gear=1&propeller=apc_electric_e&diameter=12&pitch=4.5&blades=2

For a nominal investment in the arms and motors, I could potentially double fly time. Think it'll work on our f550s?
Thanks again.

J.

 

[AboveAllAP]

Hi Jaybeast

My setup is a DJI F550 with these Aluminum arms, my AUW WITHOUT battery but including the H3-2D Zenmuse + GoPro is 2.174kg's. I run 2x 4S 4200mah batteries usually in parallel and they are about 400g each. I get around 10min flight time. My motors are the 770KV Aerial media Pro heavy lift 2814's with 11x5 carbon props. I find this setup very stable and handles winds with ease. Motors and batteries are barely warm to touch after each flight.

 

[Jaybeast]

Hi Jaybeast

My setup is a DJI F550 with these Aluminum arms, my AUW WITHOUT battery but including the H3-2D Zenmuse + GoPro is 2.174kg's. I run 2x 4S 4200mah batteries usually in parallel and they are about 400g each. I get around 10min flight time. My motors are the 770KV Aerial media Pro heavy lift 2814's with 11x5 carbon props. I find this setup very stable and handles winds with ease. Motors and batteries are barely warm to touch after each flight.

Hey Above,
Thanks for your reply.
Couple of follow-up questions if you don't mind sharing... Since you didn't mention otherwise, I'm guessing you're using the stock DJI ESCs, correct?
Have you tried using 12" props? If so, what was your experience? Plugging in your info to eCalc, it says you'd eek out a bit more flight time with 12x5 props. Of course, real world experience is different

Are you using the new AMP motors (V2 as they're calling the heavy lift kit) or the Avroto motors. How are you mounting them to the aluminum arms? Readymade says the arms can accommodate 16mm to 25mm motor mounting holes.

Thanks again for your info

J.

 

[AboveAllAP]

"I'm guessing you're using the stock DJI ESCs, correct?" - Yes the 30AMP DJI ESC, had no issue todate except one of my bullet connectors managed to come loose, not really and ESC issue.

The Motors are these ones http://aerialmediapros.com/store/motors-esc-s/307-amp-2814-heavy-lift-motor.html I think they do have another version out. I know other manufactures have similar ones now available. I have had these for about a year now.... technology is always improving

"Have you tried using 12" props? " - I have considered giving some 12" props a try as you mentioned i should get some performance increase. I have not done this yet as I have not found a local supplier who stocks them and was waiting till I need other parts / equipment rather than just ordering a set of props. Living in Australia means we pay through the @55 for freight etc. I have mentioned this to one of our local suppliers and they indicated they will try to get some in.

My belief is to gain more flight time I would really need to move up to a bigger frame and much lower KV motors and 15" props. Something like and S800evo. This would be a considerable outlay new batteries etc etc. So i'm content with my setup for now at least. I know of others who have larger setups and can at least play with theirs .

Good luck with it, they are allot of fun.

 

[Jaybeast]

How do you mount them to the aluminum arms? Is there an adapter to handle the larger motor diameter?

 

[AboveAllAP]

No the AMP motors bolt straight on. The arms are slightly lower in height than the stock arms which did not bother me, but you can order spacers if you need, also dont come with the little landing legs, again something you can order if needed.

One thing i did not account for was transporting it. It is rather large and although i have a large SUV it takes up allot of space, especially if going camping etc, does not leave much room for other stuff. I am thinking of either building a small quad or designing folding arms for the current build. All this takes time and money for which my wife is eternally grateful :beaten:

 

[photobobga]

Jaybeast,

There are other benefits to the aluminum arms; once the weather starts heating up your motors will as well. These arms will work as a nice heat-sink. They do not flex as much as the stock DJI arms. Not a reason to make the change but they are very strong and will withstand a very hard impact. I have been using the stock 30A ESC's but plan to upgrade to a OPTO, 30A 16MHz Crystal SimonK firmware. As far as props go, I have three sets, a 11x5 CF, 12x5 APC and 12x3.8 CF. Wind, especial gusty winds will impact my choice for the flight. You will find a lot of people using (and getting professional results) a nice mirrorless camera (Sony NEXx, Panasonic GH2/3) with a prime lens, 12 or 16mm for photography and video. Placing a DSLR camera with the same lens requires a much larger (and expensive) multirotor, a financial budget that will support a possible total loss (most insurance policies don't cover a lose doing aerial work with a multirotor) Taking baby steps with this technology is very wise. I have an estimated 150+ hours flying, both in practice and in the field, and another 100 hours with a flight simulator. Flying at a wide open park is so much easier than around trees, power lines, and structures. If you are doing this by yourself it's even more challenging.

-Bob

 

[Tharr62]

Hi guys!


First post.. I am really interested in this setup.. and the video was set to private? I would love to see some video from this beautiful machine!

Originally Posted by econfly Here is my 450 with the extended aluminum arms, Tiger MN4010-11 motors (KV 475), 14 x 4.8 Tiger Motor carbon fiber props, and a pair of 4s 35-70 3300 Turnigy nano-techs (in parallel). With a GoPro and the H3-2D, all up weight is 2.2kg. Flight time has been in the 17-19 minute range.

Can you please post some video of the new flight characteristics?

 

[econfly]

Hi guys!


First post.. I am really interested in this setup.. and the video was set to private? I would love to see some video from this beautiful machine!

Thanks. I think I fixed the video -- not a lot to see, but it's there. I changed things up since then (see later post) and moved to 6s power. That produced even better results and moved flight time up to about 27 minutes.

 

[Tharr62]

Thanks. I think I fixed the video -- not a lot to see, but it's there. I changed things up since then (see later post) and moved to 6s power. That produced even better results and moved flight time up to about 27 minutes.

WOW.. thats incredible. Please tell me.. whats the voltage on your 6S pack at the end of a 27-min flight? I am wondering how far your running the cells down to? Unreal!

Also, do you have any footage from the gimbal on this copter? I am wondering.. how much do you see the props in the go pro? If you use Medium FOV do you still get the props in view? if so, how much / bad is it?

Thanks again!

 

[econfly]

WOW.. thats incredible. Please tell me.. whats the voltage on your 6S pack at the end of a 27-min flight? I am wondering how far your running the cells down to? Unreal!

Also, do you have any footage from the gimbal on this copter? I am wondering.. how much do you see the props in the go pro? If you use Medium FOV do you still get the props in view? if so, how much / bad is it?

Thanks again!

I'm using the Turnigy Nanotech 8000 6s battery, 25-50c and running it down to about 21.5 volts under load. That takes about 7500 mAh out of it. So far, so good with this. I use a pair of these same batteries on an S800 Evo and have had good luck with them. You can see props under medium FOV on the GoPro occasionally (if heavily pitched forward or under a lot of roll). I will see what I have for example footage this evening. It's been awhile since it's been in the air (cold here in New England), and with an S1000 on order I am thinking about selling this one. The thing is, I really like it, but I wonder how much I will actually use it.

 

[econfly]

Here is a brief video from December -- nothing special, just some clips following snow here. You can see props briefly in some shots. Wind was gusty and I left in a few not-so-smooth movements to show how the camera reacted. Shot with GoPro 3 black, 2.7K medium 30fps protune, fit to 1080p in Final Cut Pro, color corrected, sharpened, with medium rolling shutter correction. No stabilization applied.

 

[DWA]

Hi guys!


First post.. I am really interested in this setup.. and the video was set to private? I would love to see some video from this beautiful machine!

That looks great!

 

[Jaybeast]

I just have to say how pleased I am with the aluminum arms from ReadyMade RC. They're really well made and I haven't noticed any discernible difference in the sound (some had complained about a higher pitch when the motors were at speed). I completed the install and motor upgrade yesterday and made my first test flight - very smooth flight even without modifying my gains yet. My new F550 (or 650 now) is equipped with new Cobra 2221/16 940kv motors, DJI Opto 30a ESCs pushing 12x4.5 Gemfan props (though a bit flimsy). The test flight yielded a mixed flight time of almost 8.5 minutes on a 3s 4100mah 25c lipo. Though I was missing about 800grams of my AUW (will be approx 2700 kg), i was impressed with the efficiency of the setup. After takeoff I can hover at about 45% and there's plenty of thrust. I discontinued flying at my Naza's first stage voltage warning, which is set at 11v under load, I think. After the flight, my motors and ESCs were barely warm (temp outside was 65 F) though my lipo was a bit warm... by no means hot but noticeable warmer. Am I taxing this pack?

A couple of notes if you're thinking of upgrading to these arms... First... if you're using the same ESCs that are soldered to your F550 pdb make sure your esc's fit through the opening at the end of the arm. The standard DJI Opto 30A fit with a hair of space to spare. If your ESCs are bigger, you may have to resolder your ESCs to the board or get creative with placement.
Secondly, check the length of your motor mounting screws. The motor mount area is a bit thinner than the stock 550 arms so you many need shorter screws depending on your motors.
Third, it was already stated in the thread but the aluminum arms are shorter where they mount to the 550 body. Depending on what you have sandwiched in there you may need the spacers ReadyMade sells.
Lastly, do it! These aluminum arms gave my F550 a new lease. I was ready to ditch it feeling I had outgrown it for the AP I wanted to do. I nearly spent a lot more $$ on a higher end rig but for a modest amount I've been able to increase my overall flight time and/or carrying capacity, which was my goal all along.

Thanks to all that have contributed to this thread and forum. Such a great resource!
J.

Update: forgot the photo

View attachment 16691

 

[fltundra]

View attachment 16900
29:50 flt.time 6595mah used, 8000mah 4s

 

[kloner]

were at 52 minutes....