Mikrokopter Mikrocopters for Dummies

[glider]

I couldn't find the book, so came here.

Is it my imagination or are these frames very light in their basic form? I want a light, strong frame. I'm looking at building a hexa flat and need some guidance on how these Mikrocopters are assembled.

The "kit" I found appeared to only include the top/bottom plate, the arms and a bunch of screws. If someone could enlighten me on what accessories would typically be need to build a hexa capable of handling up to 15" props that would be much appreciated.

Motors to be used are KDE 2814XF-515 with HW Xrotor ESC's and Pixhawk or AUAV-X2 FC.

Which of these two will handle 15" props?
http://www.quadrocopter.com/Hexa-XL-Frame-set_p_334.html
http://www.quadrocopter.com/Hexa-Frame-set_p_177.html

So, what other hardware is required? Other plates? From MK or do you basically mix and match whatever you can find to make things fit? The plates look pretty much open, so I'd assume you need to add plates to mount the FC etc, but I'm totally foreign to this design.

Thanks.

 

[Bartman]

are you planning to use Mikrokopter electronics?

I had an MK Okto II as my first helicopter and it was awesome but only lasted about 8 months after a GPS/Navi cable came loose at a bad time.

A lot of what you see in frames is overkill, IMHO. MK makes the frames light to improve duration but strong enough to do what they're supposed to do. They don't have a lot of sex appeal if that matters but they definitely work.

 

[glider]

No, I plan on transplanting existing electronics from my Spy 750 which IMO is a poor design and hardly worth the $500+ for it and is heavy. Sexy yes. Overrated? I think so. Their advertised empty frame weight is off by about 300g. For starters, when loosening the nuts to fold the arms in, it allows the motor axial angle to change, not a good thing, so I keep everything tight and don't fold the arms. One of the nuts worked loose the other day. No crash or anything, but I replaced them all with permanent locking nuts.

I agree on your first point about many frames being overkill.

So the question is, with the basic Mikrocopter kit, is it enough to tie the frame together? What about motor mounts? Platforms for the peripherals? Battery tray? Gimbal? You get the picture. I mean the frame looks like it would be difficult to mount everything to, but then that's why I'd like get some advice on how it's done.

Weight reduction is what I'm looking for here. By the time the 12A battery (940g) and gimbal/camera (300g) are on, I'd like to keep it under 3kg.

 

[Bartman]

hard to answer your questions as the MK frames are meant to accept the MK electronics bolt for bolt, everything has a place and so they go together well but it's hard to say if your specific non-MK hardware will all have a place.

motors mount through holes in the aluminum arms, thus motors only use two screws per motor. MK electronics stack in the center of the frame so there are no secondary frame levels for additional hardware to tie into. gimbal mount would have to be custom by you, as would the battery mount.

by today's standards, the frame would be called flimsy. it won't fold up and you'll have to treat it with respect but it's very light and will do the job it's intended for.

looking again at your first post i see you're considering the Pixhawk or Pixhawk-compatible AUAV-X2, I think you'd have enough room for either but you may need to strap the ESC's to the arms or be very efficient with your layout on the frameplates.

my Okto II was around 9 pounds using the MK frame (MKTR camera mount, Canon T2i, twin 5000mah 4S batteries, FPV gear, etc.) when I was getting started, fwiw. using the smaller non-XL Roxie motors and 10" props it was awesome!