Tricopter Frame Kits?

P

Pelted

Member
I've been flying the quad around now for a couple of weeks. Usually a lipo or 2 at lunch and a couple more at the end of the day now that the lights are on it. I've got a couple of KK2 boards laying here, one is in a mini quad but the other is itching for something to do, and I love the look of a clean tricopter. I've been digging around looking for a frame that suites both in terms of functionality and aesthetics. Bellow is a listing of frames I've come across and would like any input on others I may have missed. So far I have just not found what I want, designing my own based on a few of these is still a real possibility but I don't have any machine shop access and getting one-offs made is more costly than purchasing something.

RC Explorer - One of the originals
http://rcexplorer.se/projects/2012/07/the-tricopter-v2-6hv/

Pro Tricopter Delrin Kit - Nice version of the RC Explorer idea wuth great build quality and even a power distribution bottom plate option. The issue is not enough room in the body for ESC. (I'm so not a fan of things stuck on the booms.)
http://www.getfpv.com/multi-rotor-frames/tricopter.html

My RC Build - I really like this one but can't get a hold of the guy selling them for anything.
http://www.myrcbuild.com/DIY--Tri-Frame_p_57.html
with GoPro landing gear: http://www.myrcbuild.com/Landing-Gear_c_10.html

My RC Build - An FPV specific tri frame, I love the amount of space, but it just feels to big.
http://www.myrcbuild.com/FPV-Tri-Copter-Dream-Machine_p_82.html

Turnigy Talon Tricopter - This is the one I'm leaning towards but adding trex 500 gear or the gopro gear listed above to it. What I don't like about this one is the round booms. I would much prefer this size body with square arms.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/..._Talon_Tricopter_V1_0_Carbon_Fiber_Frame.html

The Coffin - Again a template by RC Explorer, provides more room in the body for ESCs and wiring, but I can't find anyone making or selling these.
http://undcon.com/colorex/files/OTT-v1.2-CutoutPattern-CoffinBody-10mm.pdf

AeroQuad Cyclone Plates - This is more of a universal plate design, but I would rather have these as G10 than aluminum. This idea is very interesting as it becomes super configurable.
http://www.aeroquadstore.com/AeroQuad_Cyclone_Arm_Plates_p/frame-004f.htm

Mikrokopter Combi Plates - Another option like above that will need a tail servo assembly option, but the use of the hex or octa plates should work for making a tri. (But sadly out of stock)
http://www.mikrokopter.us/shop/mikr...frames-and-parts/combiplate-combi-centerplate


There was one other universal design I ran across the other day that I can't find anywhere. It was similar to the Mikrokopter plates but less expensive. Which I could find that one again.

Input and thoughts from you all would be great, and please add any more that you are aware of, or DXF designs.<style id="_clearly_component__css" type="text/css">#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } </style>
 

kloner

kloner

Aerial DP
i've never messed with tris, but Tim Nilsins kit at getfpv is really nice, and has alot of engineering in the rotating part out back. the first one, Seth, he just posted some crazy stable footage off his kit, but he's really good at it
 

P

Pelted

Member
kloner said:
i've never messed with tris, but Tim Nilsins kit at getfpv is really nice, and has alot of engineering in the rotating part out back. the first one, Seth, he just posted some crazy stable footage off his kit, but he's really good at it
Click to expand...

It is a decent frame design, and the tail yaw mechanism is pretty solid from what I've read. I'm actually thinking of using that yaw assembly regardless. Every build of that or the Seth's original has the wiring outside of wooden booms. Even replacing the arms with aluminum square tube the body plates don't provide enough area for ESC and wiring.<style id="_clearly_component__css" type="text/css">#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } </style>
 

R

RTRyder

Merlin of Multirotors
I've got one of the Turnigy Talon kits on the way, right now it should be somewhere between Hazelwood, MO and my house. I've seen one of these close up and it appears to be a very well designed and manufactured kit, especially for the price. What I really like about it is that it folds up easily and neatly making it ideal for FPV backpacking adventures. Unless I'm mistaken the booms are the same size diameter as one of the Align heli kits tailbooms so you can easily source replacements without having to order from HK. That said I did throw a spare set of arms into the cart before checking out so at least I've got spares if I should need them before I can measure them and source raw material from within the USA.

The killer about ordering this from HK is the size, they only ship via registered mail and it's SLOW. Mine was accepted by the Hong Kong post on 10/20, it didn't actually leave Hong Kong until 11/3, and the tracking has it showing up in the USA yesterday 11/6! With luck I might actually have it in my hands by the end of the week, that will certainly get me to think twice about ordering anything requiring large packaging from HK again.

That said, I've dealt with Tim @ Getfpv and his service is absolutlely top notch so I wouldn't hesitate to order one of his kits either, price is comparable and parts are readily available if needed. Only downside is you'll have to come up the arms yourself be they wood, aluminum, or carbon fiber, if that isn't a show stopper for you then it may be the better deal. Tims setup also has power distribution built into the lower center plate making wiring things up much easier, something the HK kit doesn't have.

Ken
 


kloner

kloner

Aerial DP
why is seths so smooth? is it the controller? camera mount? thing floats around like it's a ghost
 

P

Pelted

Member
Okay, so I got the name mixed up, I've seen David from RC Explorer post some great tricopter stuff. There have been some others as well around that are pretty great. Last weekend I went over to a local heli flying place where a guy had a home made wooden tricopter with wires sticking out allover the place, but damn that thing was dead stable, and so damn smooth and graceful flying around. Granted he had great piloting skills, but he was using a Multiwii board of some sort.

The foldability of the Talon like Ken mentioned is a huge selling point for that one, or the one Tim carries at getfpv. There is a nice thread on the Talon over here: http://forums.openpilot.org/topic/14372-talon-tricopter/ with some great photos. I wasn't aware that the booms on it could be replaced with an Align tail boom part. That is helpful info. And yea i've got another order of stuff from HK mostly silicone wire and small parts, but does take a long time. I've gotten so spoiled by Amazon prime I hate waiting for things to ship.
 

P

Pelted

Member
Tomstoy2 said:
Might want to take a look at RC Carbon?
Click to expand...

There design is really only for Y6, plus the all carbon fiber is just way over priced.<style id="_clearly_component__css" type="text/css">#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } </style>
 

kloner

kloner

Aerial DP
i just had the worlds fastest ems service from HK ever. Saturday i made an order for $60 of silicone wire..... it came in this morning. Christ, nailed that one. Now i had an order in the day before for 50 prop adapters sent airmail or whatever that is. That'll probably take a month. the ems was $30, but sometimes the savings on the product makes up for it.......

That rc carbon guys a trip. is he around here?
 

P

Pelted

Member
Ahaha, oh so you are the reason the 18 awg and 16 is out of stock... ahahh
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R

RTRyder

Merlin of Multirotors
The HK Talon tricopter kit finally arrived today, took me a bit over an hour to assemble it taking my time. Darn good setup for the price, now I have to rummage through the parts bins and see what I can come up with to outfit it with. I'm undecided if I want to use a KK 2.0 board or one of the Multiwii I have, too bad MK doesn't work with a Tricopter, I've got some of that hanging around as well.

Ken
 

P

Pelted

Member
Ahaha nice... I almost ordered one today, but I pulled in the reigns just a bit to do a little more digging. I really didn't want the CF frame honestly, but the more I see the utility of the Talon the more I'm sold on it. It's sitting in my HK shopping cart waiting to hit continue. Posts some picts of your build when you get a chance. Congrats on getting it.
 

R

RTRyder

Merlin of Multirotors
Last night I finished wiring up the Talon Tri and gave it a go by street light in the front yard. First time I've ever flown a Tri and I have to say it's quite different than a standard quad or hex. To fly it reminds me a bit of a single rotor heli combined with a bit of airplane and multirotor. The yaw reaction is much faster than a regular multi and it's odd to see the rear motor tilting back and forth, the response to the rudder stick very much resembles an SRH in the way it moves instantly and very precisely.

In forward flight it has a feel similar to a heli but the banking ability of a fixed wing airplane, pull the stick back a bit and it hovers but without the locked in feel of quad or hex, the three widely spaced props aren't nearly as stable requiring the pilot to actively "fly" the tri as opposed to just letting it float around as you can do with a quad. One thing I can say, this rig will fly fast, seems to want to tilt forward and GO much more than any of my quads or hex, very similar to how a single rotor flys in that regard.

Currently flying it with a KK 2.0 board on it since it's a very easy matter to make parameter changes by just pushing the buttons on the board. Having never owned or flown a tri before I have no feel for how the board needs to be tuned so there's a learning curve to go through before I try something like the MutliWii Mega which will require a more knowledgeable approach to setting up the parameters, I'd rather start off easy and then progress to the more complicated setups.

My main interest in the project was two things, one never having owned or flown one before I was curious to see what the experience was like, and second I've seen some really good video footage done with tri's. The ability to quickly and easily fold it down into a compact size for transport makes it ideal for a quick video excursion without having to lug a lot of large bits around. Having finally flown one I have to give kudos to the folks that are producing great video with them, definitely not as easy as with a larger frame with a few more motors!

I'm hoping to get a decent day this coming weekend to get the tri out in the field where I can really have a chance to fly it around and see what it can do...

IMG_2723a.jpg


IMG_2727a.jpg


Ken
 

T

thepelell

Member
ken what fw are you using on the kk2? i just tried 1.5 today on a quad and it is a huge improvement compared to 1.2: now autolevel actually works.
I too am waiting parts to arrive to build my first tri, i have built and flown quads, hexas, X8, and now i've settled in the last 10 months with y6: ability to quickly fold front arms is very useful, also helps a lot with orientation. That's why i want to try a tri too, just to have a fun portable machine to play with. Pity many controllers don't support the tri config.
 

R

RTRyder

Merlin of Multirotors
thepelell said:
ken what fw are you using on the kk2? i just tried 1.5 today on a quad and it is a huge improvement compared to 1.2: now autolevel actually works.
I too am waiting parts to arrive to build my first tri, i have built and flown quads, hexas, X8, and now i've settled in the last 10 months with y6: ability to quickly fold front arms is very useful, also helps a lot with orientation. That's why i want to try a tri too, just to have a fun portable machine to play with. Pity many controllers don't support the tri config.
Click to expand...


I'm using 1.4 at the moment, got it fairly well dialed in right now on the KK, just playing around with different props to see what effect that has. This thing reminds me a lot of flying a SRH and yes the autolevel does work but it seems weird using it on the Tri.

Do you have the download link for 1.5? I might give it try although as I understand it the only real difference is it supports camera gimbals.

Ken
 

T

thepelell

Member
yep, i read only difference is camera gimbal output. I have no download link, i used the lazyzero flash tool that downloaded the fw automatically. I'm not using gimbal output, so i could have gone with 1.4, but as it was there available... :)
 

P

Pelted

Member
Nice! Mine is sitting in customs right now, hopefully it will arrive by the end of the week, but more likely not until Monday.

For the KK board if you use the java flashing app you don't need a direct download to the 1.5 firmware since it has the link built into the app. I've updated both my KK2 boards that way very quickly.
 

R

RTRyder

Merlin of Multirotors
Pelted said:
Nice! Mine is sitting in customs right now, hopefully it will arrive by the end of the week, but more likely not until Monday.

For the KK board if you use the java flashing app you don't need a direct download to the 1.5 firmware since it has the link built into the app. I've updated both my KK2 boards that way very quickly.
Click to expand...

I don't use the app, I use AVR studio with an AVRISP mkII, handy for reflashing ESCs too...

Ken
 

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