Tricopter - 660mm - CFRP & RP printed

grabcad

This tricopter design is both practical and space-saving, making it an ideal choice for a traveling photographer. The layout allows a wide FOV camera to be mounted on the aircraft without obstruction from propellers. All 3D printed parts are designed for FDM printing, ensuring ease of manufacture. A general 0.2mm offset is applied to parts requiring a slide fit. The tricopter uses CFRP sheets for the upper and lower frame plates and 14x1mm carbon fiber tubes for the booms. The layup was vacuum bagged and cured in a conventional oven. All parts on the rear boom, except the pivot sleeve, are printed. The flight controller is suspended on 4 off 60g AVs to reduce high pitch vibration reaching the accelerometer. A Quanum Q-2D gimbal was selected for the camera, allowing pitch modulation from the transmitter. The gimbal is positioned close to the tricopter roll axis to minimize impact on dynamic response. The aircraft uses a 4 cell battery to power the Skyzone TS353 400mW VTX and a 12V 3A Ubec has been installed for voltage regulation. A homemade LC-filter ensures a clean video signal. The gimbal and video quality are excellent, but a standalone fixed camera is recommended for FPV use. The tricopter weighs 1450g, has a motor PCD of 660mm, and provides a flight time of 11 minutes. The shopping list includes motors, prop drive, speed controllers, propellers, flight controller, gimbal, video antenna, video transmitter, Ubec, servo, battery, radio receiver, and various accessories. Optional OSD is also available. The total cost for the tricopter, excluding GoPro and additional cables, is £274.27. Additional optional equipment includes a Futaba T8FG radio transmitter and SkyZone V2 FPV goggles.