BlueFlyer's Skywalker 1900

BlueFlyer · October 05, 2015, 05:22:34 PM

Well now I can get rid of the dead weight in the nose. my FPV pod/canopy arrived today, I've already glued it together, sprayed it black and attached the GoPro.

I think I need to shorten the FPV camera arm a little bit though, looks too exposed out there, I think I'd like it closer to the actual GoPro lens.

AdamG · October 05, 2015, 05:27:28 PM

Looks good :) I didn't know you could buy one when i put mine together so made one myself (?)

The FPV cam could have done with being on other side of the GoPro really so its further away from the lens? That way you could mount it closer without the worry of it being in the shot.

BlueFlyer · October 05, 2015, 06:20:53 PM

It's ok, I can move it back so it's level with the GoPro lens, it's on the middle holes on the bracket right now, I can bring it into the rearmost holes if I notice it's in shot.

I'm just happy I can get some decent unobstructed footage now, I do like the tail shot from my latest vids, but much prefer completely clear.

FPVSteve · October 05, 2015, 10:58:37 PM

*sniff* that fuselage is so clean and nice ... makes mine look tatty!

BlueFlyer · October 05, 2015, 11:01:01 PM

Won't last long :)

It's only had less than 10 flights so far.

Billy_boy_2010 · October 05, 2015, 11:38:45 PM

Looks great.

Could you mount the FPV cam on the front of the gopro case- just above the bottom button? Better aero assuming the wide angle of the gopro doesn't spot it.

Coyote · October 06, 2015, 08:00:55 AM

Looks good, the Gopro case is screaming out for a GWS 125 1T 360 degree servo though :)

I don't understand though how you fix your camera to the rear to get those shots though. I cant fathom it out :)

AdamG · October 06, 2015, 10:45:11 AM

Quote from: Coyote on October 06, 2015, 08:00:55 AM
I don't understand though how you fix your camera to the rear to get those shots though. I cant fathom it out :)

:flamethrower: :laugh:

BlueFlyer · October 06, 2015, 01:08:23 PM

Quote from: Billy_boy_2010 on October 05, 2015, 11:38:45 PM
Looks great.

Could you mount the FPV cam on the front of the gopro case- just above the bottom button? Better aero assuming the wide angle of the gopro doesn't spot it.

cheers, I'm looking for alternative fpv cam mounting points, but as you allude to... the FPV cam may be visible in the gopro footage, only one way to find out though eh :)

Quote from: Coyote on October 06, 2015, 08:00:55 AM
Looks good, the Gopro case is screaming out for a GWS 125 1T 360 degree servo though :)

I don't understand though how you fix your camera to the rear to get those shots though. I cant fathom it out :)

I'd love to put another 360 pan servo on there, maybe one day in the future... The UHF rx is actually out in the wing with just the single servo cable to the vector for PPM. This makes it tricky to get another servo cable out to it for the pan servo... although I think the vector has AUX outputs which are configurable in the GUI, so I might be able to do something there.

as for the camera mounting... it's black magic ;)

BlueFlyer · October 09, 2015, 09:06:57 PM

put some LEDs on it tonight

with the lights on

out in the garden

BlueFlyer · December 29, 2015, 12:44:29 AM

haha, well I havent updated this thread for a while.

I figured out that there was nothing wrong with the vector at all... the problem was my rudder

The rudder was out of trim, and my vector was in 2DH which is stabilised mode with heading hold

in order for the vector to keep my skywalker flying in a straight line, it basically had to fly with one of the wings dropped to counter the rudder trim I had in there (for some unknown reason)

I think the tail is slightly warped... not uncommon with skywalkers really. because even with the rudder trimmed on the ground to be perfectly neutral, it would still "crab" to go straight...

well the remedy was to NOT use 2DH mode, instead I now use 2D mode with NO Heading Hold... this way the plane stays nice and level for the good videos I want to make, and I can control the heading manually using the rudder now :)

Also, I've removed the LED strips.... they were taking up to much power believe it or not.

FPVSteve · December 29, 2015, 02:23:40 PM

Interestingly enough when I have Heading Hold armed on my Tornado in PA mode, it also banks the wings. When I fly LoS, I notice my SW tail is not straight, I bet this is the problem.

BlueFlyer · December 29, 2015, 05:53:01 PM

Quote from: Steve W on December 29, 2015, 02:23:40 PM
Interestingly enough when I have Heading Hold armed on my Tornado in PA mode, it also banks the wings. When I fly LoS, I notice my SW tail is not straight, I bet this is the problem.

yeah, its hard to build a straight as an arrow skywalker (foam tail version), all 3 of my skywalkers had slightly off tails

BlueFlyer · January 03, 2016, 07:08:49 PM

Another late update...

As you can see, I've got my VTX on one wing and my EzUHF RX on the other wing.

I was fed up plugging in the 4 servo connectors at the field, all the while balancing the wing just right so it wouldn't pull one off that I just plugged in lol.

So I decided to solder the wires into connectors with more pins, so I could reduce how much plugging in/out I needed to do on assembly.

I bought a pack of 6 pin MPX (multiplex) connectors.

I soldered the 5V for the Servo and the EzUHF rx to the same pin in the MPX connector.... and did the same with the GND wires. The PPM signal wire and Servo PWM signal wire got their own pins.

on the opposite wing, the VTX needs 12v and the servo needs 5V so those wires had their own pins respectively, they also had their own GND pins, leaving just 2 pins for the video signal and the servo PWM signal wires.

I took notes as to what pins were what, and made sure the matching pins were soldered correctly on the fuselage side connectors.

Tidied up with heatshrink and zip ties... 1 zip tie for the left wing, 2 zip ties for the right wing for quick and easy identification of which one goes where.

Now I just need to plug 2 connectors on assembly :)

BlueFlyer · January 03, 2016, 07:14:48 PM

This evening, I've also relocated the Vector back up into the ESC bay where I put in initially.

This time I've mounted it using my Lego technique

UHU PORed a base plate into the area, making sure it's dead straight

with some tiles double sided foam taped to the Vector and it clicks in nicely, again, I can lift up the model by holding onto the vector, the lego is that strong.... and just a twist-lift and it comes off easily to access the USB port.

This relocation meant I had to put the ESC back into the main belly area, but this is good because I've just freed up a lot of space in there, I can have a bigger battery in there now, and further back than before when the Vector was on the "floor"

I've routed the motor wires so...

and they come into the main body here...