Quadcopter 500mm Frame Pandora's box

thingiverse

First Quadcopter Design and Build Multi Segmented Body Built Around Carbon Fibre Square Tube H-Frame Print Settings Printer: Colido Printrite DIY Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: .20 Infill: 30 Notes: Done entirely in PLA. No raft, as my bed is pretty much spot-on level with extruder and a raft will affect the finished surface of the upper and lower plate if used (though with careful after-print work you can usually counter it). No support, I generally never use support in my designs, partly for the same reason I don't use rafts (it affects finished surface) and partly because I hate picking the crap off my prints when I'm too impatient to wait to use them lol, the only exception is on the two middle box sections that span the centre spar, support is needed for the print over the spars width. I've recently run a print of one of the centre sections in ABS just to test and found the end result acceptable. If however you do choose to print entirely with PLA as I have done don't be tempted to increase infill levels greatly in an attempt to increase your prints ruggedness as you'll find it has a completely opposite effect with PLA in this case, and the increased stiffness of the print will only serve to increase brittleness. Not exactly ideal qualities if like myself you don't always make the most... erm... gentle landings. How I Designed This Pandora's Box 500mm Quadcopter Named as such because as soon as I began printing it out and assembling I knew it'd likely be a nightmare situation if I opened this "box" again....hence "Pandora's box" lol. As it turned out it was a very simple operation to build and only needed some minor changes in the original print designs to get the desired end products. Printed in layered platform level design to facilitate print time, ease of build, ease of repair/replacement and allow configuration to desired needs (add/remove a platform layer as more or less space is required for electronics). Lower two layers are entirely optional as these are used to incase the batteries, I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to nice clean crisp lines and have never liked strapping my batteries to the outside of my quads. Frame spars are made from 15x15 square carbon fibre tube (available from HobbyKing for under a tenner). Motor mounts were taken from an old frame I had knocking about but any mount could be used.