3" Build for Jerry - A tiny monster

theGreenOrange · Aug 19, 2017

Hi Guys,

I have Jerry's build just about finished up so I thought it would be a good time to start the build thread. There are a few cosmetic fixes left but you guys will get the idea from this post. It was a fun project, I hope you enjoy. This will be split up a bit so it is not one gigantic post.

So first things first, I had to clean up my ridiculous drone table. Once that was done, I got the parts that were in laid out.

Yes, that is a bunch of Paracord (rope). But the stuff is amazingly cheap and I wasn't sure what I wanted to go with so I got some extra options in case it didn't look right in person. Here is a parts list:

Frame: Tomoquads XBL2 Extreme - 135mm, 3", 4mm baseplate, 26g
Flight Controller: Lumenier Micro Lux V2 - F4, OSD, direct Lipo powered
Motors: BrotherHobby Tornado T1 1407-4100KV
ESC: Aurora 20mm 4in1 20A - BLHeli_S, Dshot600 (from gearbest, few 20A+ 20mm options at the time)
Camera: Runcam Micro Swift w/ 2.3mm lens
VTX: Eachine VTX-03 EDIT: now Tramp HV
Receiver: FrSky XM+ (tested with RadioLink R6DSM)
Props: DYS 3045 tri-blades

Plus there were the "bling" items such as standoffs, screws, prop nuts, paracord, heat shrink, zip ties... good places for these were: wirecare.com, ParacordGalaxy.com, GetFPV.com and TwistedQuads.com.

Even though there were still lots of parts in the mail, I could do some mock-ups. Lots of options for this frame, it comes with a bunch of 3d printed parts which I didn't end up using. This is actually the most time consuming part of one of my builds. Think of how long it takes your lady to get ready vs how long you actually spend out of the house on a date

Here I start planning out the paracord. Still not sure which I like, so I had to do lots of mock-ups and lots of staring at the table

theGreenOrange · Aug 19, 2017

Still in decision mode here but I took a break from the color selection to sand the frame and seal the edges with CA liquid glue. This helps protect the frame from delaminating in a crash. It's pretty easy if you go slowly and use a toothpick to spread out the glue one drop at a time. Be sure to WET SAND! Carbon dust is NASTY STUFF!

Ok, back to these color decisions. Did I mention this is the hard part?

Now it is time to get a look at the stack and see how much room there will be for the electronics. Not bad, plenty of room! I really like Tomo's frames. He is on the cutting edge as far as I am concerned. Don't forget to put in the battery strap at this point. It is NOT easy to get in there later on if you don't. Edit: it's actually not too bad. The PredatorX is the one that is really hard after assembly.

Narrowing down the color options. I have eliminated the purple and green one. And look what came in! These are truly excellent motors.

theGreenOrange · Aug 19, 2017

The tolerances are tight on these little things, and we don't want any shorts. I used conformal coating on the ESC's. It is awesome stuff, if you need to rework something you can just boil it off with your soldering iron. Careful not to heat for too long, do several 5 second rounds of heating until it stops bubbling and smelling good. I mean smelling bad!

Now I have got the colors picked out, it is time to actually do some soldering! This is where the rubber really meets the road. It begins to look like a quadcopter. Will the build be "clean"? That's my goal.

Sorry Jerry, I hate to keep you in suspense but I have to go pick up dinner! More to follow...

Fiddlebog · Aug 19, 2017

I really like how you used the paracord sheath for the wires; I haven't seen that before. I'm planning on doing a build with one central ESC unit, and I think I will do this!

theGreenOrange · Aug 19, 2017

So all that went pretty smooth. Most of the wiring from here is a bit temporary. I still have to take my receiver out of there when I am done tuning and put in the XM+ for Jerry's radio. So I haven't stuck the servo tape for the VTX, just a temporary zip tie. But you can start to get an idea what it will look like. Also I am fighting with noise in the video signal for some reason. I will need to see if the u.fl connector is contacting the standoff maybe. Also I might add a capacitor to see if that helps. I will update with the final photos when I get done tuning and put it all back together. I hope you guys enjoyed the build so far.

theGreenOrange · Aug 19, 2017

Fiddlebog said:
I really like how you used the paracord sheath for the wires; I haven't seen that before. I'm planning on doing a build with one central ESC unit, and I think I will do this!

Yeah, it works great. That is 550 paracord that I used. It can just barely fit one 16 AWG wire through, or three 26 AWG wires. That is probably about the limit for 550.

Fiddlebog · Aug 19, 2017

Wow that's slick!

theGreenOrange · Aug 19, 2017

Last one for tonight, got the xt30 done.

Jtrjr · Aug 19, 2017

Wow Brother you went all out! Just read the first post and I just had to chime in. Business venture, maybe? I'm taking it all in, gonna go really slow to try to capture the jist of everything!

Jerry

Jtrjr · Aug 19, 2017

You got my full attention, Brother!

Jerry

Jtrjr · Aug 19, 2017

Green,

None of these pics showed up!

Jerry

Jtrjr · Aug 19, 2017

Again, no pic!

Jerry

Jtrjr · Aug 19, 2017

I'm supercharged, Brother! Looks super clean! Get those other pics sorted, please. You're a master builder!

Jerry

theGreenOrange · Aug 19, 2017

Hmm, they are big pics but i was able to see them on my phone and tablet after i posted them from my computer. Did you try and refresh the page? In any case I'm glad you like what you can see, I was worried you hated the colors when I didn't see you post anything. Let me know if it is still not loading, i will e-mail them to you.