CFranz

Just got my V Ti Pro and I need to make it carry more. I run a UAV payloads company and I'm hoping to fly some real gear with this platform. I spoke to Draganfly and they said they are evaluating a larger engine that would be a drop in. I would bet they might increase capacity from 4oz. to something like 8oz or a pound. I am looking for more like 2-3 lbs. payload not including battery.
Has anyone used the control electronics from the draganfly and used larger motors, or ducted fans, or anything more powerful?
I am going to start playing with it and will certainly post my exploits, but it is always handy if someone can give me a jump start.
Glad to finally be flying,
-Franz

laceycopter

2-3 pounds!!! [X(]
The DF V board will Never handle the power you would need for motors like that.
You might want to start with a DF PRO-X... you would stand a better chance with that.
Lacey

CFranz

I figured that would be true and that I can use digital relays to pipe the real power to larger motors, but of course this is all speculation at this point.
I have heli's with real IMUs (Inertial Motion Units) on them but they run $3-15K without the heli cost, so I liked the idea of the DF as an inexpensive control solution.
Not ecstatic about the 6 minute flight times though, so I want to be able to lift larger batteries and more gear. Our small UAVs can handle 8-12 lbs., but they can't hover so they need gimbals and motion compensation.
I am hoping to make an electroic gimbal for the DF to end the image jitter problems as well. Just another project...

laceycopter

6 min. flights???
I use the 2100 mah 11.1 volt Lipo's and get about 18 mins.
even on the 1300's I could get 10-12 mins.

CostaRica1

RC toys claims the DF to be able to carry 4oz but from my experience with just a litle more than 2oz. The DF pro industrial can carry around one pound, sincerly I don't see a chance to carry 2 or 3 pounds.

Sky High

CFranz, are we talking about the same DF V Pro? So far most of what you have said is way off from what is reality. The DF V will never lift the amount of weight you described if for no other reason because of the carbon fiber frame's strength limit. I too get about 12 minutes of flight time with 1320 mAh lipos and my packs have well over 100 cycles on them. Do you have the new camera mount? That took care of any high frequency vibration like from the older hard mount. Like Lacey said, I think you need to think about using the X-Pro which can currently tote about a pound of gear according to DFI.

CFranz

As far as the 6 minutes go, I just got my DF and had read that on the forum someplace so I was limiting my self to prevent power loss. I will have to run it grounded and see how long I get.
I assume I have the new camera mount. It is a double ball joint system, but it looks vibration prone to me. I will have to test it.

I am definitely not planning on using the DF frame. I want to reuse the control and stabilization elecronics and place it on a new frame with 4 large DC motors with proper gearing and prop profile to provide the needed lift. I will not use the DF electonics to drive the motors directly. I will have a separate power supply for the electronics and the new motors. Current plan is to run the current motor signals through an A/D, D/A conversion with programmable digital gain, separte stages and relayed high amp power.
Theoretically I will remove the direct conduction noise (EMC) from the electronics, be able to program the voltage gain to the larger motors and be able to lift a far heavier load.

I haven't done a real weight budget yet, but it I plan on 5 lbs for the frame/motors/batteries (could be more) and a 3 lb. payload I need total lift of 8 lbs. plus about 20% margin for easy manuvering, etc.

As far as I could tell they have not upgraded the X-Pro electronics to the same capabilites as the V Ti Pro, so I wanted to start with the latest version.

Sky High

Franze, grounding the DF for a power endurance test is not accurate because the load on the motors is not the same as them having to work to hover or fly the DF's frame weight. You'll have to hover at least a foot or two for an accurate flight time test. As far as the camera mount. Here is the new one. There are 5 pages in this forum with all sorts of images and videos for you to see of the older and new mount. Is this the mount that you have?

More Info:
www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4136132/tm.htm

clubjax

My Feedback: (1)

I can confirm the Draganflyer Ti Pro can handle 5 ounces of weight, as I built a scale helicopter and hung it below the unit matching the 6/32 nylon nut patterns. The scale in an AH-1 40" long that only weighs 2 oz, however with my bling and Align T-Rex landing gear, (which is quite heavy) she is just under 5 ounces. The flight time is significantly reduces but the video is cool with the helicopter on the left side, just in the picture.

I would love to have this in oh lets say 5 foot diameter with addtional payload and reversable motors for inverted flight but we wont see that in a resonable price point. If someone does figure out how to use the DF board and some nice brushless motors with extended booms, I want to be part of that.

thanks
jax

Sky High

There's no doubt that the DF can lift 4+ ounces. How controllable will it be is my biggest concern, especially at altitude. I asked Jeremy, DFI's in house tech, if the length of the rotor arms you could double as well as the frame stiffeners to get more stability because of the rotors being spread apart more. He said that the extra 12" of each motor's wire would increase the power load and possibly overwork that guage of wire.