So I've always wanted to build a 3" toothpick because of how nimble and unoffensive they are just about anywhere. For the longest I've avoided it for any number of reasons including fears of getting no usable social media footage , analog video interference, the difficult build tolerances and tight space, and the myriad of YT videos with toothpicks breaking into sawdust on small crashes.....

Then there entered this mighty toothpick frame as a collab between Daddy loves Quads and Mamba FPV, and it boasts an impressive 6mm thick solid bottom plate. (Dayyy**m she's thick)



While this would typically be way too much, I figured with my 1607 6s motors sitting around from a cinewhoop I almost never fly, and a crazy deal where I grabbed 6s 450mah CNHL lipos for $5 a piece, I decided to dive the H*ll in. Why not....why the fk not.... so legggggoooooo

PS. When the fk did AIOs skyrocket? I mean the average price for a decent AIO is like 80-90USD now. It was in the 50-60 range a year or two ago it felt like...

Build Components:

• FRAME:  So far I have the Frame ASBO X from here: ASBO X – Daddy Loves Quads (dlqfpv.com)
  
• MOTORS:  I have these Apex Toucan 1607 Motors which put out 930 grams of thrust on 3x3x3 props (purchased from Pyro but they no longer carry them): APEX TOUCAN 1607 1.5MM SHAFT | Zdrone.co.il
  
• FC/ESC: I just purchased the HGLRC ZEUS25 F722 AIO : HGLRC Zeus25 F722 3-6S V2 AIO Flight Controller w/ BLHeli_S ESC (pyrodrone.com)
  
• VTX: I'll be running a Caddx Vista with nebula pro cam I have sitting in the cinewhoop I never fly: Caddx Nebula Pro Vista Kit 720p/120fps Low Latency HD Digital System F (pyrodrone.com)
  
• RECEIVER: I'll be running a TBS Crossfire Nano : TBS Crossfire Nano RX FPV LONG RANGE DRONE RECEIVER (pyrodrone.com)
  
• MICRO T for RECIEVER:  I purchased this lil micro T antenna for it from pyro: Pyrodrone Micro-T 915MHz RX Antenna for TBS Crossfire NANO RX
  

I should be around 230g AUW with 3700g of thrust so 16:1 thrust to weight ratio.. thats mad

• Frame and TPU - 30g
  
• HGLRC AIO - 9g
  
• Apex 1607 motors - 65.2g (16.3*4)
  
• CAddx Vista nebula pro - 35.5g (29.5 unit + 6g camera +cable)
  
• CNHL 450 6s - 85g 
  
• Gemfan props - 4.72g
  

I'll keep updating this thread as I get actual numbers and photos from my canon cam instead of my shotty cell phone lol... I was just too lazy to get out and do it today. [url=https://zdrone.co.il/product/apex-toucan-1607-1-5mm-shaft/][/url]

Edit: Finally added some real photos for yall that weren't with my cellphone

Sounds like a lot of fun!

You will likely want to find the stiffest props available as most 3" props will spin out under too much load.  I have flattened most brands with higher throttle using 1506-3500kv motors.  May be worth finding the point at which the props begin to deflect and then set your throttle limit there.  The stiffest I have found are the Lumenier offerings.

(25-Jun-2022, 08:08 PM)kaitylynn Wrote: Sounds like a lot of fun!

You will likely want to find the stiffest props available as most 3" props will spin out under too much load.  I have flattened most brands with higher throttle using 1506-3500kv motors.  May be worth finding the point at which the props begin to deflect and then set your throttle limit there.  The stiffest I have found are the Lumenier offerings.

hmm ok - thank you for that piece of advice. These are 1607 2825kv and ill have them on 6s. I'll try a few different ones, and honestly, may grab some higher pitched stiffies just to get the most out of it.

This is a huge source of fun...finding which props work best. It seems many of the 3" props were designed and engineered for low torque/high KV motors (11xx-14xx). Once we start incorporating motors suitable for 4"-5" props (15xx-20xx), we start to exceed the performance envelope of the small 3" props dramatically. It is easy to build a 3" quad that has too much power, the prop makers focused their efforts on the lower power stuff that the manufactures are assembling.

Have fun experimenting though! There are some decent 3" props available, our micro class powerhouses just need to be tuned specifically to utilize them.

This will definitely be a fun thread to follow.
Any chance that battery sale is still going on?

Beefy! Looking forward to its adventures.

It will be interesting to see what you end up with.

Are aluminium props a thing? I know you can get them for RC boats. Can you get them for drones? Might be a solution to avoid deflection. At 3700g of thrust, the weight is liable to be irrelevant.

(25-Jun-2022, 10:35 PM)Pathfinder075 Wrote: Are aluminium props a thing?  I know you can get them for RC boats.  Can you get them for drones?  Might be a solution to avoid deflection.  At 3700g of thrust, the weight is liable to be irrelevant.

Carbon fiber or "glass" would likely be a better choice of material.  I have flown both CF and glass on my 5" and 7" quads, but I have not been able to source these materials in 3".  There simply is no demand for high end production props in this size.

I would avoid anything made with metal as they can be knocked out of true enough to wear out a set of motor bearings quickly.  Better to have a prop that fails catastrophically in a crash when you are spinning them at 50k+ RPM.

(25-Jun-2022, 09:10 PM)Lemonyleprosy Wrote: This will definitely be a fun thread to follow.
Any chance that battery sale is still going on?

Ehh the sale has been pulled way back but there are still some decent prices at cyclonefpv

https://www.cyclonefpv.com/products/cnhl...b713&_ss=r

(25-Jun-2022, 10:34 PM)iFly4rotors Wrote: It will be interesting to see what you end up with.

Yeh definitely. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like flying something with such a crazy thrust tonweight ratio. I'm not sure if it'll have enough weight to fling at all, but should make for fun in places I could never get away with flying my 5" or 7" drones...


Hmmm what should I name it??

My vote is for, “WeakSauce”. Because it’ll be the opposite of that, and that amuses me.

(26-Jun-2022, 01:39 AM)BigBeard Wrote: Hmmm what should I name it??

Insano.

I have the Apex1607 on 5" ET5 frame and GHF405 35A. Like 160g + 110g battery. Flies great.

pyrodrone had 9.99 sale on these 1.5mm 1607.
Like idiot I missed it. I really like em.

(26-Jun-2022, 05:15 AM)romangpro Wrote: pyrodrone had 9.99 sale on these 1.5mm 1607.
Like idiot I missed it. I really like em.

Yup, to make it worse, they sent out a coupon for 10% off to me that I used on top of the sale to get these

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(26-Jun-2022, 02:48 AM)Lemonyleprosy Wrote: My vote is for, “WeakSauce”. Because it’ll be the opposite of that, and that amuses me.

This makes me laugh .. this is in the running now