AH-6Z Littlebird Night-Ops build project

[wgt40w]

Cyclops is alive !!

[Zeeflyboy]

Cyclops... hmmm...

Perhaps that is what the system should be named!

So just a couple of little pics

I finally got around to doing my Nav Lights... really happy with them and I think they'll look great. Much better than just jamming an LED in the end of the skid pipe. Gave them a quick test and they are pretty powerful - should be good!

Haven't quite figured out how I'm going to run the power wires down into the skids yet though. It would be easy to do by just running down the skid leg and into a hole but that wouldn't be tidy...











You may also notice the Auxiliary landing lights on the underside. These will be taking a 1W led in each with a 60 degree lens...

I also ordered my DElight controller the other day, so when that arrives I can start properly messing with my lighting system.


Also I got around to painting and installing my sleeker v2 pan/tilt unit.

[Mudders]

I love this thread,

Keep up the good work  :thumbsup:

Muds  :)

[Zeeflyboy]

Cheers

Been rather busy with work lately so here's some not very exciting, albeit somewhat time consuming progress...

I finally got some of the filler primer I was waiting for (Gunze Mr White surfacer 1000), plus some Vallejo grey surface primer and so I've done some work on the heli...

First on my left door - a few coats of Mr White, sanded back then topped with the grey primer... the surface looks great now and is nice and smooth. Just need to get around to making the right door now....







and secondly, some finishing off after the reconstructive nose surgery... same deal - some Mr white, some sanding, then some primer.





And finally here's the dash primed and sanded with the Mr White (note all the small ridges from the 3D printing process... this part is the worst for showing them up out of all the bits I've had. I think they probably could have done a better job of positioning this for printing... never mind, just a bit more work!





and primed waiting for painting:





As an aside - I love using an Airbrush... really is the way to go if you're painting stuff. I've always just used rattle cans or rollers/brushes before.... airbrush is far better!

[Zeeflyboy]

So today I played a bit with my new light controller...

it's a fantastic bit of kit called the DElight by dimension engineering and I must say I've been very impressed with it.

Put simply it has 8 outputs or "channels" as it calls them.

Channels 1-4 are fully programable - you can not only adjust the trip point at which they turn on/off, but also create sequences (eg x seconds on, x seconds off, y seconds on, y seconds off etc etc), adjust brightness, and also set the current allowed to the LED up to a maximum of 200ma... this latter point means you don't need resistors for the LEDs anymore! Just set the appropriate constant current for your LED and that's job done.

Channels 5-6 are high power channels which can cope with up to 2 amps each and are fully programmable too, but are effectively unrestricted - so to run off these channels you need to use resistors or LED drivers... I'm running my 1W main and aux landing lights from these channels and so I am using 350ma drivers for these lights.

Channels 7-8 are non-programmable "always on" channels.

So my setup will ultimately use a 6 position switch, but for now I'm just activating it using a pot.

position 1 - All off
position 2 - Beacon on
position 3 - Beacon + Nav lights
position 4 - Beacon + Nav lights + Cockpit lights
position 5 - Beacon + Nav lights + Cockpit lights + Main landing light
position 6 - Beacon + Nav lights + Cockpit lights + Main landing light + Auxiliary Landing lights

So here's a quick test:


AH6-Z Lighting system sneak peak


I think this is a great bit of kit and really flexible... you can make it do pretty much whatever you want. If you're looking for a light controller I really suggest you take a look at this!

[Zeeflyboy]

So, today I found my Naza-H waiting for me... I ordered the combo kit with the GPS and BEC.





So I set about designing a few bits for it.

First up - an anti-vibration mount.... This unit will sandwich the Naza between 2 layers of omicron anti vibe gel. The square piece will be on the bottom and mount to the gyro mounting plate. There will then be four m3x25mm nylon standoffs to which the top plate will attach, with a strip of omicron gel along the span.





I'll probably make this out of some 2mm g10 since I just ordered a load.

Next up, the Naza GPS unit really needs to be well away from motors, servos, transmitters etc so I've decided I will make a sort of satellite communication antenna to hide it in. This lets me position it further back than I would be able to if I was just to hide it inside the boom, and should look pretty cool I think.


Roughly where it'll be situated:





and the design I've come up with (it has a hole through which to pass the GPS cable)







I also just made a quick design for a bottom plate that will help strengthen the fuselage floor and spread the load out a bit better from the standoffs.





And whipped up some battery plates.. these will be mounted to the side of the heli frame using some L brackets and keep the floor space more clear for other equipment... 2mm black G10 will be used for these and the brace above.





Aaaand finally, I drilled a hole in the front of the camera case and filed off any burrs... then fed the wires through and soldered them to the other side of the board on the camera, and secured the wires in place using some glue so they can't easily pull off the board or rub against the metal case... You can still pop the camera out and adjust the OSD settings by plugging the OSD into the back.

[wgt40w]

Can we buy the aerial bung and the Ezuhf 'cradle' yet from Shapeways ??

[Zeeflyboy]

Sure, if you're feeling spendy...

Here's the latest version and I've just made it available.

http://www.shapeways.com/model/745402/ezuhf-mount-type-1-logo.html


It features a couple of small improvements over my v1 design - namely an increased angle towards vertical and a cut out so that were you ever to need to plug in the "aux" pin at some point it would be a bit easier. Other than that it's basically the same so everything should work.

and here is the radio bung for my 10C:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/833607/futaba-10c-dust-cover.html


and here is the fan case for the 5.8GHz v2:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/745612/imrc-5-8ghz-v2-enclosure-20mm-fan.html

[Zeeflyboy]

Ok... so what have I managed to do lately - norra lorra lol.

This was quite time consuming however! I dremelled a groove in the front landing strut and drilled a hole at the bottom to allow the wire into the skid tube.... glued the wire in place and then filled the remaining hole with flexible filler. Some sanding later and this was the result:





and then with a quick coat of primer:





Also, I wired up my eLogger v4 with EC5 connectors and also added the two small feed wires for the 2 HV BECs using EC2 connectors. They are hooked up downstream of the current sensor so all their usage will be included in the total.





But while I was at it, I decided one thing I really dislike about eagletree is the fact all their stuff is shrink wrapped PCB. While this saves weight and in some instances bulk, It makes it such a pain to mount neatly and solidly...

So here is a mounting case I designed for the eLogger:





And a case for the OSD Pro:

[Zeeflyboy]

Slight re-design on the legs - wire now runs almost to the top - I thought installation would be easier with it coming out where it was, but I was mistaken. They still need a little work with some sanding and spraying.





And in other news I just ordered this BAD BOY... seriously how awesome is that. Now I just need to find some more cashish somewhere for the spin blades 5-blade asymmetrical set to go with it.





I'm thinking it'll go nicely with this 4 blade tail






Other than that, one more eagletree case whipped up - a little one for the altimeter. I've made this so that with a touch of sealant on the back wher ethe plug comes out it can be totally isolated and fed from a static port line. This particular feature isn't really for this project it's for my eurofighter - I gain about 7-10 feet at full throttle due to the air being sucked through the fuselage.

[wgt40w]

Ok... so what have I managed to do lately - norra lorra lol.

You have GOT to be joking ......

[Zeeflyboy]

norra lorra of any substance!

did you catch the links above to the shapeways stuff (cradle etc) btw?

[wgt40w]

did you catch the links above to the shapeways stuff (cradle etc) btw?

Yes I did thanks and have placed an order.
Out of interest why do Shapeways onlly offer 'bright' colours - no black, no grey. I'm sure there must be a technical reason, but I can't think what !!

[Zeeflyboy]

Be sure to let me know how you get on and what you think when it arrives!

Shapeways do offer a black, but it's the only one that isn't offered in the strong flexible and polished material as apparently the dye doesn't react well to the polishing process... go figure. Apparently it's something they are working on (along with more colours).



Couple more bits came today

First up my new gears for the FLIR pod. Now I just need the chain at servo city to ever come back into stock!





and the main bit - mounting arm frames...

Here's the pieces - the black rods are 8mm black fibreglass tube:

Whole lot weighs 78g and from tip to tip measures 50cm... or about 37cm when stowed.







And a couple of close ups







And here's the basic idea of my simple up-locking mechanism





In the down position it slots together and forms a rigid arm, to help keep it locked down there are two 6mmx2mm round magnets in each section. Now I just need to cut out the panels from 0.7mm fibreglass sheet using my CNC machine and then come up with a mounting brace that will run underneath the flooring section and hold the spars in place.

[Zeeflyboy]

And if you're confused as to what the arms are for... here's a clue