Phantom Alternatives

Sac D · May 12, 2013

I wanted to go with something a little bigger... and decided to build from scratch. Here's the direction I'm going:

A 485mm quad is quite a bit bigger than the Phantom, but not ungainly so. I'm starting to put together a list of components for it. Any suggestions, don't hesitate to let me know!

Audaciter · May 12, 2013

Those are cool. I think they are coming out with a rotating housing for the camera too.

Ebeez · May 13, 2013

Looks amazing but I have read a lot of posts on design issues.. Horizontal versus vertical design. Loss of efficiency due to prop back wash etc. I would hate to crash this thing!!!

Audaciter · May 13, 2013

If you are going to use the Naza M V2 kit, you may want to do a pre order now. It should be a fun build.

Sac D · May 13, 2013

Audaciter said:
If you are going to use the Naza M V2 kit, you may want to do a pre order now. It should be a fun build.

Hmmmm... maybe the original NAZA will be heavily discounted when they all start selling the V2. That would be cool.

mroberts · May 20, 2013

None of these seem to actually be RTF - does anyone else make (or bundle) a quad that I can unbox and fly without having to configure anything? Everything else seems to come without a tx and Rx, and from what I seem to have read for the Phantom, setting up a tx and Rx is not trivial.

Is there any other off the shelf transmitter that will bind to the Phantom?

ALjosja S · May 20, 2013

Well, the drone 'fever' has also gotten into me

, and I'm thinking of buying one of those waterquads from http://www.quadh2o.com/ , or something like this ; http://www.sky-hero.com/

Sac D · May 20, 2013

mroberts said:
Is there any other off the shelf transmitter that will bind to the Phantom?

The Futaba conversion seems simple enough, and there are several step by step, how-to videos on YouTube about it.

There's also a good series on switching to Spektrum, including telemetry, etc.

I swapped my setup for a OrangeRX transmitter and receiver, it was relatively easy to do.

mercillus · May 20, 2013

Sac D said:
mroberts said:

Is there any other off the shelf transmitter that will bind to the Phantom?

Click to expand...

The Futaba conversion seems simple enough, and there are several step by step, how-to videos on YouTube about it.

There's also a good series on switching to Spektrum, including telemetry, etc.

I swapped my setup for a OrangeRX transmitter and receiver, it was relatively easy to do.

What pro's and con's from changing? Worth it???

Drummer Boy · May 27, 2013

You guys should take a look at the Steadidrone QU4D. It's a fantastic platform with a built in roll gimble for the GoPro. Full Arducopter flight control. Got one on order. All the info including videos are located here. http://www.steadidrone.com/

Sac D · May 31, 2013

Flew it today! It's a beast, even with little 8" props! Anyway, I ran it back and forth a couple inches off the floor in the house... if this had been a car, I would be done. Gotta tame it, that means hours of tuning the code. Hehe

Sac D · May 31, 2013

Size comparison to Phantom:

Imagine how much FPV stuff I can pack in there!

Audaciter · May 31, 2013

Wow ! It's larger than I had imagined.

Nice job Sac-D ! Is it going to end up looking like an Orca ?

auck · May 31, 2013

how heavy is that monster compared to the phantom? it's HUGE, considering it is only a 4 motor craft. and it looks like it was designed to take up to 11" props. what's the flight time you are getting with it?

Audaciter · May 31, 2013

Auck is right, the props look tiny. It would look so good with 11" carbon fiber props.

What are some of the details ?
controller
ESC'S, "simon k firmware ? "
motor size
battery size
details man....

Sac D · May 31, 2013

I've got a LOT more work ahead! I only flew it briefly, indoors, just barely off the carpet. 10x4.5 carbon blades show arrive soon. I may get some 11" APCs before that... since I can't. I'll post more specs later tonight. Oh, it's already at 1538g with battery. Still need to fit a camera and then figure out what else it will need. Maybe wheels on the bottom of each motor pod?

Sac D · May 31, 2013

Audaciter said:
Wow ! It's larger than I had imagined.

Nice job Sac-D ! Is it going to end up looking like an Orca ?

Kinda looks like one, doesn't it?

Sac D · Jun 1, 2013

Okay, here's more details:

MultiWii PRO Flight Controller w/MTK GPS Module
- Crash courses in Arduino programming and PID tuning. Ugh. The fallback is just to get a NAZA in there, more $$$, but no need to work so hard at getting it all set up!

Hobby King Quadcopter Power Distribution Board
- Not sure if i am happy with this... I may just go with a wiring harness instead. But it's not a case of needing more space inside the hull!

Turnigy D2836/8 1100KV Brushless Outrunner Motors
- These things are monsters. Think edger rather than weed wacker.

Birdie 30A Brushless ESC w/ 2A BEC
- Not too sure about them... conflicting instructions on configuring these, and then I read that it doesnt matter anyway... they should be good to go. I guess. The ones I wanted were not available from HK's USA warehouse, and I am weary of paying so much for shipping from China.

Should arrive soon:

TURNIGY 3A UBEC w/ Noise Reduction
- This should be a more reliable power source for the components than piggybacking off one of the ESCs.

10x4.5 CF props
12x4.5 plastic props
- I may go bigger on props, this thing can handle 13" in the front and up to 16" in the back! It's scary big!

Readytofly MWC LED Ring I2C
- This is a disc with an array of lights that (besides looking very cool) will provide status viewable from the ground. Similar function as Phantom's LED unit, except this one displays more info through the use of animation.

Tonight I flew it outside... on the neighbor's lawn. They probably thought i was out there mowing! Anyway, it's totally over powered and out of control at this point. Got it up about 4 feet and managed to bring it back down without incident. I'll keep messing with the config and see what I can come up with... gotta dial it way down. And the bigger props should help a lot. I think the 11's will be coming tomorrow. Huge potential and upside with the MultiWii board - but, it's a LOT more effort and tracking down information in order to move forward.

Audaciter · Jun 1, 2013

The DJI Naza M-Lite will be coming out soon, hopefully make projects like this more straight forward.

I like the project though, it has a lot of potential

Sac D · Jun 2, 2013

I took the X-4 over to the school yard tonight and flew it in the dark... it actually flew better than I expected, but still needs a lot of adjustment. I'm not used to working the sticks that hard, since my Phantom flies so nice. My daughter showed up while I was out there, so I had her take a video... can't see much due to darkness, and of course she held the phone in portrait mode, despite me specifically showing her how to take it in landscape mode. Oh well, what can you do?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4V1nNsBG_4[/youtube]