AH-6Z Littlebird Night-Ops build project

[dogzilla]

how fkin cool with a working fan. I wonder what some high speed delta fans would sound like in combination with the rotor blades.

If you have ever heard a high end 1u server... very wooshy....

[FPVSteve]

Dipping into this thread after a long hiatus - wow wow wow, it's just an amazing build full-stop.

[lloydieboy]

Looks amazing, so detailed, can't wait to see the finished product.

[Zeeflyboy]

cheers

Small update, got a few days off so hoping to get some more stuff done.

First up I finished off my landing lights




I also printed out the mount adaptors I needed to fit the mini guns to the weapon booms... I've also painted the landing gear legs as you can see here, although the observant might notice there's only 3 - the front right one is still in surgery after having to replace the wiring.






Job for the next couple of days (besides cleaning, mowing, sleeping, eating) is to get the wiring sorted out in the fuselage. Depending on how that goes I'll find extra stuff to do ;)

[Zeeflyboy]

So, high octane stuff going on here. I needed to make my video switching box to flick between the FLIR pod view and the cockpit view. First up I wired it up using some shielded wire... I'll be taking the positive from elsewhere so I've hooked up video, ground and shield only... on the FLIR pod video feed I've also hooked up the audio (red wire). The way this is set up I will always get audio alerts from the Eagletree even if I'm viewing the cockpit camera which bypasses any OSD.




Doesn't look very tidy... so put it in a box! Printed out this little container for it.... This stuff is critical, if I get a connection problem here it's bye bye video, so as insurance I potted it by filling with epoxy resin. No chance for vibration or flex to stress the solder joints...






And here you can see where it fits. Video 1 input will be straight from the Cockpit camera, video 2 input will via the Eagletree OSD Pro for the overlay. Plan is to drill a couple of holes just in front of it there and run the wires under the floor. You can also see a couple of other new things - the DElight controller on the right of the picture for the LEDs, and I also installed a small splitter to allow me to easily split the ppm stream to the channel wizard and to the decoder for the naza.

[Zeeflyboy]

So made my little video splitter box that I needed to make... I used some board and pins to make a panel, then hooked up the wires. Video + GND comes in through the single set of pins and gets passed straight through to the OSD. The audio out from the OSD (audio alerts, eg for low battery), video out and ground come from the OSD and split between the two sets of pins. I'm reliably informed not to bother with a proper video splitter, so it effectively forms a simple Y connection, albeit in a box.

One video out then goes back down to the cockpit to provide the screen in the cockpit with the feed, while the other plus audio and ground go off to the video switching box I posted earlier.

You can also see I've done a little tidying of the wires where they come out of the video switcher.

[Zeeflyboy]

So, not related to the project but I just needed to share... This BAD BOY just arrived for my LoS models and g'ddamn it's beautiful. Size is perfect too, very comfortable.

[Coyote]

Awesome detail going into this :)

Oh a Jeti too, love the design of them, very pro looking

[Zeeflyboy]

Thanks bud!

Yeah the Jeti is a beauty, but unfortunately not really great for FPV (max 8 channels out via ppm, no ppm in, 1S lipo)... I ordered a taranis for my FPV capers!

However the Jeti will be used for both my own LoS leisure flying and also a commercial project I'm working out.

Some other good news is that after a couple of months my Head and Tail turned up... the bad news is that where they turned up was back in Germany. They will be sent again shortly and hopefully they arrive this time.

In the mean time I finished up the video system wiring (well, fuselage side at least) which you can see here. You can see how the wires are attached to the DIN connector on the front which will allow the hook up to the cockpit.



In addition to the wiring I've been getting on with in the fuselage here are some details I've been doing - some decals for the GPS cover (looked a bit plain) and my little Naza hatch. Unfortunately the Door is just a smidge too big to fit quite right, so of course I've redesigned it and sent away fro a new one from shapeways. In the mean time you can see the concept I was aiming for.








And I also painted the final skid leg and the skids themselves, plus fitted my skid lights.. I also made my second motorised mini gun and mounted it so both sides are done now.









And I got a powerbox from Sander (thanks!) so decided to get on a bit with my groundstation build. Added the switches, mounted the screen - albeit only with a few of the many screws for now -  and fitted my locking connector on the side for the Tracker and RX's to plug into.

[Loopdreams]

This is just continually amazing.  Can't wait to see the finished thing and the videos.

[Zeeflyboy]

thanks bud, I can't wait to just see it finished, let alone flying!

I printed myself a quick little Boscam HD19 copy with some rough dimensions from a helpful neighbourhood sanderman, should I pick one up to fit in the cockpit?

I would like to be able to record in HD (especially since there is no OSD in the cockpit feed anyway) but don't know whether to go with this or keep the little 600tvl sony HAD I already have, or indeed pick up the fatshark pilots cam.

[Zeeflyboy]

Seems there are some UHF concerns regarding the HD19... I'll stick with what I have for now (600TVL sony HAD) and maybe look to start testing other HD options. No need to mess around and delay things.

So with that in mind, I finished up my "head" - the helmet is now properly attached and I think it looks pretty slick! Certainly goes nicely with the "stealth FPV" aspect that I like, where the fpv doesn't excessively impact the scale look... remember this is a heli for me to fly LoS too!

[Zeeflyboy]

Haven't been able to do much since the GF has come out to visit for the week, and apparently we are supposed to go out and do stuff... women...

however, I did get a chance to start on my vacuum forming box to make the clear windshields... The dimensions are basically constrained by what size frame will fit in my oven, hopefully it's big enough... the top plate needs some holes drilling in it, and of course I still need to make the frame.










In other news, I already broke my Taranis... knocked it off the table and broke a 3 position switch. Sigh. Anyone know where I can buy a replacement in the same style? all the 3 position switches I find are a bit different.

[DaveyLC]

I think you did your radio a favour by dropping it on the floor, those switches in the Taranis really let it down! They feel like they are going to snap off every time you switch them anyway :laugh:

[Zeeflyboy]

Can't say I noticed... they seem okay to me! I found a replacement anyway so it's back to figuring out the taranis programming.

Did a little reading and decided rather than spend ages drilling holes, I'd go with one central hole and a mesh to provide airflow spacing... I was also round my friend's the other day and noticed he had some ridiculous big karcher industrial vacuum cleaner, so I may borrow that to try my canopy pulls.






And in very exciting news, my German head and tail finally arrived after months of postal incompetence... I have to say the quality seems top notch, hopefully it flies well! Few little complications until that happens though - need to get some new pushrods of the correct length, and need to try and replace the ball on the tail with something a little thinner and longer.