Prologue:

Winter's icy grip may have been relentless, but spring's radiant presence will soon flourish, casting aside the shadows and illuminating the path ahead..

With the Springtime comes opportunity to soar across the planes and my want to build another 7" frame. My loyalty to my trusty 7-inch frame continues despite momentary lapses where curiosity and quite frankly boredom almost gets the best of me. I've been tempted with a different flying experience for awhile, like that provided by the venerable FR-7, but for some reason can't bring myself to purchase a frame, even years later, that stands for "fk" anyone...

With that being said, I've essentially remixed various parts, some of which were almost fit for purpose already, to create a similar experience, at the venerable cost of a 3d printer filament and a source one V3 Deadcat frame....

So with that being said...

Are you ready to embark on another passion project build and follow me as I embark on building my "Source one Epic," paying homage to the iconic quad frames of yesteryear?

Let's make it happen together...



The Parts:

• FRAME: TBS Source One V3 Deadcat - RDQ Source One V3 Long Range 7" Frame Kit - 6mm V0.2 DeadCat Arms (racedayquads.com)
  
• Flight Controller: Foxeer F722 V2 - Foxeer F722 V2 3-6S Flight Controller (getfpv.com)
  
• ESC: Tmotor F55a Pro II - T-Motor F55A Pro II 55A 3-6s BLHeli32 4-in-1 ESC w/ BEC (getfpv.com)
  
• VTX/Cam: OG DJI Air Unit V1 - DJI Digital HD FPV Air Unit kit (getfpv.com)
  
• Motors: BrotherHobby 2808 1500kv - BrotherHobby Avenger 2808 1500KV Motor (pyrodrone.com)
  
• RX: Crossfire Diversity - Team BlackSheep Online Store - TBS Crossfire Diversity Nano Rx - FPV LONG RANGE DRONE RECEIVER (team-blacksheep.com)
  
• DJI Antennas: VAS Minion Pro Long Range - Minion Pro SMA LONG RHCP (pyrodrone.com)
  
• RX Antennas: TrueRC Bardpole and immortal T - TRUERC BARDPOLE 915 MHZ U.FL (pyrodrone.com)
  
• Capacitors: 1 2200uf Cap on the xt60 and 1 1000uf Cap on the ESC positve/negative terminals (yup my cap is bigger than yours)
  
• GPS: M8q-5883 - Matek M8Q-5883 GPS Module (getfpv.com) - I have the arrow pointed backward instead of forward so I need to orient it correctly in betaflight
  
• Props: HQ 7.5x3.7x3 - HQ Prop 7.5x3.7x3 Durable Tri-Blade Light Grey (2CW+2CCW)-Poly Carbona (pyrodrone.com)
  

Getting Started:

Well, I had an air unit sitting around that I had managed to mess up the MMCX port on prior, and realized with a quick YT Video, that it was an easy fix. Thankfully it worked just fine!




Slowly but surely I started 3d printing parts with my favorite FPV TPU of all time - duh duh duh.... Priline...

So hear me out - it is a little more firm than sainsmart but is half priced, has enough rubberiness and stretch, stands up fine to impacts, and prints easier!!!





Slowly I added pieces to the frame till I had a nice shell put together to begin adding the internal components...

And the prints use 2 standoffs to hold the gopro Mount to the frame for added rigidity...




This freakin ESC man.....: 

I put everything together and everything worked fine the first time except for this gosh darn ESC.... so let me explain..
The ESC sends out beautiful clean power! I've never actually heard these motors sound this clean and this smooth, and I've used them on about 2 or 3 prior builds with other ESCs. I'm not sure what it is, but clearly this thing works well...

except...

For whatever dumba reason, it won't send current data over telementry, but will send voltage...
I've tried to switch to onboard ADC with the current wire from this ESC and I get nada...
The power is so smooth and filtered though, I'm trying to decide if I need it or if I need to go ahead and grab another ESC...

Currently I'm looking into the few below options, but I may just leave it in. It works well and I can see voltage, but just cant see real-time current draw or current used...

Maybe someone can help me with this as it appears to be a bug from this batch of ESCs and this thing is old.....

Possible Alternative Options:

1. NeutronRC 8s 70A blheli-32 with full voltage/current via telemetry (I know... maybe overkill but who cares) NeutronRC X-CLASS 8S 70A BLHeli32 4in1 ESC – NewBeeDrone
   
2. Aikon AK32 V3 32Bit 55A 6S - Aikon AK32 V3 32Bit 55A 6S 30x30 4in1 ESC (racedayquads.com)
   

I feel like the Aikon is the more sensible option, but that NeutronRC one would give me a lot of protection and the ability to play with 8s one day....hmmm...



Coming Together and she's a big girl (about 612g naked):


I got her altogether and through her on the scale, and she's not small by any means, but I can't wait to see how she feels in the air...







First Flights:


Took her out today and decided to give her a proper flight after a successful test hover in my front yard .. Also loaded up the gopro 8 black with the battery delete BEC cable and the new door to save a little weight... 

I like her - she's pretty to me and I couldn't wait to give her a throw into the wind over a big field where they're building new houses...




My initial impressions after flying her:

She cruises oh so nicely! I think the extra weight helps to keep her well planted, and I had tons of speed and control through the whole flight. I got about 8 mins on the rdq 2800 at 55mph, but I started off at 3.8v so that's pretty good! I landed her at 3.2V.

What really caught me off guard was how smooth the footage was without ANY reelsteady or incamera help from the gopro. I'm not used to seeing footage this clean pulled out of a frame. I could actually upload and be proud of the zero edit footage and thats a huge plus for me...

What didn't I love - well the TPU is firm, but I'm going to continue to work on the concept to get it to be a little more stable. It is hardly noticeable but occasionally I'd get a teeny ripple in the feed while flying due to the flex or some level of vibration in the mount I printed. It is hardly bothersome when it happens, but I noticed, and where there's something noticed, you can begin to figure out a solution


If you made it this far:


Thank you for coming to visit my ted talk haha. I'm kidding. I really like this build already, and I think it's already scratched the itch for a new 7" frame. There's not much I plan to change, but I will be experimenting with different props. The 7.5" HQ props seem to work pretty well, and definitely provide ample lift, but I wonder if there's a better optimized prop for the size and type of higher-speed cruising I love to do with my 7". 

I really am torn on what to do with the ESC. I guess many people have had the same issues with that particular ESC, but the power delivery is so smooth, that I'm almost tempted to just get another one... It is irritating to not be able to see the current, so I'm trying to figure out a work around since soldering the current pin onto the FC doesn't yield anything. I'm sure there's a way to fix it or to use the virtual option, but I'm open to your thoughts on the situation....

And no - using the current pin to the FC and setting Betaflight to onboard ADC for the current yields nothing. If I completely unplug the cable I just get rampant wild numbers, but my guess is this isn't really a fix either.. or maybe it is. Thank you all for your help and recommendations!

I hope you enjoyed this initial build post, and I'll be updating it as I go with flight videos and more....

https://intofpv.com/t-profile-badges-for...milestones

the quad builder badge should shine on your profile :-)

Glad some are still building real quads, not the mini stuff.  Way to go, nice build.  I look forward to the vids.

(06-Mar-2024, 05:29 AM)hugnosed_bat Wrote: https://intofpv.com/t-profile-badges-for...milestones

the quad builder badge should shine on your profile :-)

woooooo did I earn my first badge ???

Hmm 1500kv and 7.5 inch props ...
The truth is, you're short on batteries there, so the AUW isn't really that big, even though the quad itself is quite heavy. In 9 minutes you can't safely fly it for any greater distance, but even then I think the motors will be a little hotter, or am I wrong? Because I have the same motors in one of my bigger quads and even with only 7 inch propellers I'm on the hotter side.

(06-Mar-2024, 08:40 AM)MomoBrut Wrote: Hmm 1500kv and 7.5 inch props ...
The truth is, you're short on batteries there, so the AUW isn't really that big, even though the quad itself is quite heavy. In 9 minutes you can't safely fly it for any greater distance, but even then I think the motors will be a little hotter, or am I wrong? Because I have the same motors in one of my bigger quads and even with only 7 inch propellers I'm on the hotter side.

A few things here...
1) My 2808 motors are ice cold when the quad comes down

2)I got about that time with a lipo that started at 3.8v because I had it sitting around and this was a test flight and I was high in the throttle. I'd estimate I'll get about 16-18 mims lightly cruising

3) kv has more to do with top end power and torque. I would likely never full throttle this build. I have however scaled the kv down to 1380ish in betaflight, which gives more throttle resolution

4) I think I'd have little problems covering 3 miles out and back on a full lipo on this build

5) if your motors are hot, it could be the build you have. Mine are just fine, and even without reelsteady, the footage is smooth without bobbing or dipping, which tells me the motors and props are fine. I will throw some 7" props on as well to Guage the difference, but I love that I can take off and fly at around 12-14% throttle....

(06-Mar-2024, 02:21 PM)BigBeard Wrote: A few things here...
1) My 2808 motors are ice cold when the quad comes down

2)I got about that time with a lipo that started at 3.8v because I had it sitting around and this was a test flight and I was high in the throttle. I'd estimate I'll get about 16-18 mims lightly cruising

3) kv has more to do with top end power and torque. I would likely never full throttle this build. I have however scaled the kv down to 1380ish in betaflight, which gives more throttle resolution

4) I think I'd have little problems covering 3 miles out and back on a full lipo on this build

5) if your motors are hot, it could be the build you have. Mine are just fine, and even without reelsteady, the footage is smooth without bobbing or dipping, which tells me the motors and props are fine. I will throw some 7" props on as well to Guage the difference, but I love that I can take off and fly at around 12-14% throttle....

Hmm, something is wrong here.
You wrote that you were flying around 55 mph, which is 88 km/h. You wrote that you started with a voltage of 3.8V per cell, which means that the maximum usable capacity could not be greater than 1400 mAh and you flew for 8 min. So you were flying at a current of 10.5 A (1.4*60/8) at a speed of almost 90 km/h? Those are very clear calculations based on the data you provided. Unfortunately, these values are just wishful thinking for a 7-inch quad.

I don't want to offend anyone, but it is necessary to provide data that makes sense. And I still stand by it, 2808/1500kv and a 7.5 inch propeller is too much, it could only be cold if you flew no more than 40 km/h on average maybe even slower. 2806.5/1300kv motors with 7inch propellers are commonly used in this LR quad category. If one want to carry bit bigger load, 2808/1350kv should be used from the slightly larger motors and 7.5inch props, 1500kv is more for a 7-inch freestyle quad with 7inch props than an LR quad. I hope that you will provide further information with a fully charged battery and with the actual average speed, which corresponds to the flight time and the distance traveled, but you surely know that.

https://intofpv.com/t-claim-your-forum-a...es?page=23

post a link of a three buildthreads, i believe you did more, oscar will add the badge :-)

(06-Mar-2024, 09:01 PM)MomoBrut Wrote: Hmm, something is wrong here.
You wrote that you were flying around 55 mph, which is 88 km/h. You wrote that you started with a voltage of 3.8V per cell, which means that the maximum usable capacity could not be greater than 1400 mAh and you flew for 8 min. So you were flying at a current of 10.5 A (1.4*60/8) at a speed of almost 90 km/h? Those are very clear calculations based on the data you provided. Unfortunately, these values are just wishful thinking for a 7-inch quad.

I don't want to offend anyone, but it is necessary to provide data that makes sense. And I still stand by it, 2808/1500kv and a 7.5 inch propeller is too much, it could only be cold if you flew no more than 40 km/h on average maybe even slower. 2806.5/1300kv motors with 7inch propellers are commonly used in this LR quad category. If one want to carry bit bigger load, 2808/1350kv should be used from the slightly larger motors and 7.5inch props, 1500kv is more for a 7-inch freestyle quad with 7inch props than an LR quad. I hope that you will provide further information with a fully charged battery and with the actual average speed, which corresponds to the flight time and the distance traveled, but you surely know that.

I think there are a few premises which are incorrect in your thinking...

One - the speed I cruised at was provided via the GPS
Secondly - Flying a drone is rarely at one specific speed constantly for the duration of the flight, but a majority was at that speed
Thirdly - All of this is easily substantiated via dvr lol
Fourthly- my 2808s had no issues stabilizing the quad or getting hot during my cruise


I'm not sure what else I can tell you bud...

(06-Mar-2024, 11:54 PM)BigBeard Wrote: I think there are a few premises which are incorrect in your thinking...

One - the speed I cruised at was provided via the GPS
Secondly - Flying a drone is rarely at one specific speed constantly for the duration of the flight, but a majority was at that speed
Thirdly - All of this is easily substantiated via dvr lol
Fourthly- my 2808s had no issues stabilizing the quad or getting hot during my cruise


I'm not sure what else I can tell you bud...

So sure that you don't normally fly at a constant speed. This is probably clear to everyone. But writing it the way you wrote it, one would think that the 7inch would fly almost 90 km/h for only 11 A of current from a 6s battery that is half dead (1.4Ah) and for 8 minutes on top of that. That's just nonsense. The current of 11A corresponds to a little more than half the speed you stated and there is no need to debate that either. And that's why your motors are, as you say, stone cold. For a steady flight of 90 km/h, something between 20 and 30A is normally needed, depending on the specific configuration and AUW of the 7 inch quad. Other values are only and only about a poorly calibrated current sensor, you can't beat physics.

Last season I spent a huge amount of time testing 7inch propellers on three different quads with different AUWs and motors of different sizes and kv. So I have a more than good grasp of what is and isn't possible. I was looking for optimal propellers, first for freestyle and second for maximum efficiency. I still haven't fully tested all props selected, I have 6 different propellers tested, meaningful and the remaining HQprop J75 is not yet completely tested. It is very time consuming and requires almost windless weather for consistent tests. And the whole thing is influenced by the ambient temperature, batteries do not behave the same at different temperatures. However, only tests in flight make sense, tests on the table as some do, do not always correspond to reality.

And the tests just make sense at constant speeds, when both the required current and the flight efficiency can be seen in the OSD, and this is a key parameter for a safe LR. And flight efficiency is significantly dependent on speed and the propeller used has a significant influence on this. So if someone wants to do serious LR, they need to know these values or it won't turn out well. Depending on the temperature and wind, the efficiency can vary to below 66% of what is common under ideal conditions when it is not cold and there is almost no wind. In other words, once in a given configuration you can fly 25 km at a certain speed when the conditions are ideal, in winter and in the wind it may not even be 17 km and that is a damn problem. You just don't go back.

When you have the quad tuned, I will be happy to see the actual value of the current at the chosen constant speed and the flight efficiency. And then also the total distance flown and the discharged battery capacity, when the battery will be fully charged. As you wrote, all this will be visible in the properly set OSD on the DVR. Then it will definitely be without debate and completely clear if the data provided will be from a calibrated current sensor.

Thank you, bud ...

Took a short flight today with minor reelsteady help (set to 1) --- please enjoy the flight