Phantom 1 in a Mavic Shell?

[SujithS]

I have my old Phantom 1 lying around (with a gimbal, transmitter and receiver) and it is my backup drone. Selling it would really not bring in much. If I am lucky, i could buy a spare battery. The Phantom 1 is still useful for aerial photography if not so much in video because of its stability issues (as compared to the P3 or P4)
I've been contemplating on the idea of trying to squeeze the components into a foldable quad shell. The main IMU board on the P1 is smaller than the P3 or P4, so i feel this should work. The challenge would be the Chinese BGC gimbal.
Moreover, if I go wrong, the P1 is less complicated and I should be able to fit everything back into the shell.

Any thoughts? Experiences?

 

[alokbhargava]

Props, motors and ESCs should go together. Check if you can meet this condition.




Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[SujithS]

Can we bring the ESCs to the center of the craft along with the main board? The wires from the ESCs can run along the fordable arms to the motors on the end. Will a bit of a squeeze at the main board. I guess that's one advantage the P3 main board has - the ESCs are built in.
There are quite a few hurdles to cross, i guess. Like the vibration from the motors folding the arms in inadvertently.
Hope is to come out with a solution. Would give those P1s a new lease of life!

 

[Pilot_FML]

I'm curious what you intend to use for the "foldable" quad shell.

Are there foldable shells like that already out there or are you piecing something together?

P.S. Like the idea though....

 

[SujithS]

There are a couple of posts on converting the Phantom 3 into a foldable drone using 3d printed shells. Thingverse has a model that one can download and print out. The drone of choice for conversion seems to be the P3. I suppose a Chinese company is on its way to provide a solution!

 

[Pilot_FML]

There are a couple of posts on converting the Phantom 3 into a foldable drone using 3d printed shells. Thingverse has a model that one can download and print out. The drone of choice for conversion seems to be the P3. I suppose a Chinese company is on its way to provide a solution!

I'd feel uncomfortable using a 3D printed foldable shell... too many unknowns (stresses, variables in the printing process, etc.) to trust everything to 3D printed components.

Why is a P3 the drone of choice?

The more I think about it, finding another already existing foldable design and then just mounting V1.1.1 electronics would be a much safer way to go.... if that design were carbon fiber I'd go that route in a heart beat.

 

[SujithS]

@Pilot_FML, I was referring to this article New DJI Phantom / Mavic Hybrid Drone? - WeTalkUAV
when i said the P3 seems to be the drone of choice.
I guess it works for flyers/photographers who have graduated from a P3 to a P4 and want to do something with the old craft.
Like you said, i really hope someone brings out a carbon fiber foldable drone shell.
This gentleman seems to have had some success with a 3D printed version Foldable drone frame (Mavic look like) by mwilmar

 

[Pilot_FML]

@Pilot_FML, I was referring to this article New DJI Phantom / Mavic Hybrid Drone? - WeTalkUAV
when i said the P3 seems to be the drone of choice.
I guess it works for flyers/photographers who have graduated from a P3 to a P4 and want to do something with the old craft.
Like you said, i really hope someone brings out a carbon fiber foldable drone shell.
This gentleman seems to have had some success with a 3D printed version Foldable drone frame (Mavic look like) by mwilmar

@SujithS,
Thanks a lot for the links....

I'm going to take some time an go through them and see what's being done. I've got 2 old P1's that maybe ideal candidates to use for this kind of project. Moving everything out of their shells into a foldable design would be a great project to try.

 

[SujithS]

@Pilot_FML, Hope you have luck with the modification.
I think the P1 will be a good choice mostly because of the size of the main board. Its squarish. You'll need to find a way to fit accommodate the ESCs in the main body and have wires running through the foldable arms. I see 2 challenges - keeping the foldable arms from folding in during flight and ; installing the compass.
And then there is the gimbal controller. The gimbal arm, i feel can be taken off from its chassis and fixed onto an alternative dampening system. Probably smaller
I've been trying to study the gimbal dampening system on the mavic from pictures and videos. They seem to be really tiny.

 

[syotr]

I have my old Phantom 1 lying around (with a gimbal, transmitter and receiver) and it is my backup drone. Selling it would really not bring in much. If I am lucky, i could buy a spare battery. The Phantom 1 is still useful for aerial photography if not so much in video because of its stability issues (as compared to the P3 or P4)
I've been contemplating on the idea of trying to squeeze the components into a foldable quad shell. The main IMU board on the P1 is smaller than the P3 or P4, so i feel this should work. The challenge would be the Chinese BGC gimbal.
Moreover, if I go wrong, the P1 is less complicated and I should be able to fit everything back into the shell.

Any thoughts? Experiences?

There are lots of folding quad frames available. You would want something in the 410-420 mm size to keep it small and light weight. Here are a couple:
H420 4-Axis 3K Carbon Fiber Folding Quadcopter Frame with Landing Gear for FPV - Free Shipping - ThanksBuyer
DIY Mini DH410 FPV Folding Carbon Fiber Quadcopter Frame FPV with Retractable Landing Skid 410mm Wheelbase for DIY Racing-in Parts & Accessories from Toys & Hobbies on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
You could use slim ESC's which will fit in the arms. I have had good luck with the Sunrise BLHeli 20 A ones.
The Phantom compass may be a problem since it must be mounted in the correct orientation down low away from the other electronics. You would need a way to mount the GPS board up above as well. A simple solution to both of these issues is to purchase an aftermarket GPS module which has the compass built in such as this one:
Ublox M8N GPS Compatible with DJI NAZA Lite V1 V2 Flight Controller $22.95 Free Shipping @GoodLuckBuy.com

I am designing my own folding frame but it will be for larger props.

 

[SujithS]

@syotr, i had no idea that they made a GPS module with a compass. that sorts the issue of incorporating a long landing gear for the compass. Those folding frames look like they will work. just need a way to mount the Chinese BGC gimbal.
It would be great if you can put up pictures of your Build.
Cheers