I've been racing for over 3 years now and at this point I've collected a LOT of frames.  Some of them are obsolete and others are still hot on the market.  In a racing scenario, it's difficult to compete when all your quads are using different frames.  This means a large change in weight, PIDS, props and stockpiles of spare parts!!.  I wanted to take a step towards standardizing the frames I'm using.  Since I'm not sponsored, it  would have cost a lot of cash to order 6 frames + spare parts.  It's not terribly difficult to design drone racing frames so with the help of a friend I ventured into the "Howietzer Project".  



There's so many already, I know.  The idea behind this frame is to keep it affordable, light, rigid, durable and better than other racing frames.  Parts shrink and change almost on a weekly basis and I wanted to be able to easily adapt and keep the costs low when updates to the design is needed. 

Aluminum standoffs get warped, bent, stripped and dislodged.  Broken standoffs also tend to cause fractures on the carbon fiber it's mounted on.  In order to keep the frame rigid and strong we decided to use carbon fiber spacers instead.  I'll be surprised if anybody manages to break these.


Yes, It has a pod.

Nylon pods can be boiled in water with dye for half an hour.  The boiling process rehydrates the nylon and actually makes the pods a lot more resistant to fracturing and breaking.  





The pod looks like a shark fin, shark tooth, wizard hat or whatever floats your boat I suppose.  It has a tall pointy top to aid you in turtle mode over tall grass and aerodynamics on those full throttle sessions.


But wait, there's more....

The arm's bolt pattern matches the floss v1 and v2 (not 2.1).  That's right, you can directly swap arms with one of the most popular frame out there.  The floss arms tend to get soft after a few crashes and causes hot motors.  Pictured above, I decided to swap out the stock 4mm arms with the Howietzer's 5mm arms.  


4 bolts will remove the pod giving you room to service your machine.  The quad on the left is using the Airbot Firework FC with a gigantic gyro on top.  This might be difficult to fit in a standard frame, no issues here.  The quad on the right is the LUX v2 F3 (and one of my favorite flight controllers).  There's plenty of room for other electronics in there.  Since the top is hollowed out, you can easily add and remove parts.


Similar to the Martian Frame, the arms have a small hollow extrusion to prevent motors from hitting the ground during a crash.  Some pilots are very keen on having clean builds.  It's possible to run the TBS Race wires under the arms.  Motor wires can be mounted backwards away from the FC for a very clean look and easy access to motor solder joints.


Profile pics:


Picture on left is the low profile setup for an AIO with ESC integrated (Asgard).  There's 10mm space, enough room for the FC & battery strap.
Picture on right is the taller profile setup that uses 4 extra spacers.  There's 15mm space, enough room for FC, 4in1 ESC & battery strap.


Howietzer in action:



This frame is awesome, How can I get one?

Awesome! Glad to see you start your own product Tgoat looks great and very light!
I have found a club near me that races and want to finally start racing a real competition. Not sure if I will have a build all pieced together yet this summer, but now I know what frame I want to back/support when I do.
Again, very nice work Tgoat!

(05-Jul-2018, 12:15 PM)Drone0fPrey Wrote: Awesome! Glad to see you start your own product Tgoat looks great and very light!
I have found a club near me that races and want to finally start racing a real competition. Not sure if I will have a build all pieced together yet this summer, but now I know what frame I want to back/support when I do.
Again, very nice work Tgoat!

Thanks DroneOfPrey.  Some of the local pilots get together in our area and do a swap meet.  That's the easiest way to collect a bunch of parts.

(05-Jul-2018, 12:48 PM)trojanGoat Wrote: Thanks DroneOfPrey.  Some of the local pilots get together in our area and do a swap meet.  That's the easiest way to collect a bunch of parts.

Thanks for the pro tip! Maybe I just need to get my @zz down there and join up!

You need these for the builds that you use Racewire on!
https://tinysleds.com/products/racelite-...r-racewire

(05-Jul-2018, 07:27 PM)RENOV8R Wrote: You need these for the builds that you use Racewire on!
https://tinysleds.com/products/racelite-...r-racewire

Too cool!

Good looking! Can you show some images from the side? Mainly want to know how much space is there between the ESC and bottom plate to slot the battery strap.
Also, what's the stack height to fit the FC+ ESC between the plates?

(09-Jul-2018, 04:12 PM)evilmerlin Wrote: Good looking! Can you show some images from the side? Mainly want to know how much space is there between the ESC and bottom plate to slot the battery strap.
Also, what's the stack height to fit the FC+ ESC between the plates?

Good question @evilmerlin.  For FC + ESC it uses extra spacers to make the bottom compartment taller.  I'll measure them tonight and take some pictures.  There's enough space for a battery strap.

(09-Jul-2018, 04:12 PM)evilmerlin Wrote: Good looking! Can you show some images from the side? Mainly want to know how much space is there between the ESC and bottom plate to slot the battery strap.
Also, what's the stack height to fit the FC+ ESC between the plates?

The frame has 2 configurations.  1 for an AIO like the asgard or nox, second is the common 4in1 esc + FC combo.



For the 4in1 esc + FC setup, 2 spacers + arm gives you 15mm gap.  Enough room for the stack and the battery strap.




What you see here is the super clean combo from Airbot.  Omnibus Fireworks v2 + Typhoon 32 4in1.   It's a bit tight to get to the usb port, but it still works well.  I shaved off a bit of the rubber on the usb cable.



The picture above is the less common configuration for the frame.  Since the Asgard has everything integrated, you don't need much space.  1 spacer and the arm gives you 10mm space, enough room for the FC AIO + battery strap




The last picture, you can compare the difference, you can see the bottom quad is a bit thicker and using a longer set of screws.

I hope that answers your question.

Just noticed how the front arms sit a bit lower than the rear! I love that! Should take some side profile pics for your product images if you haven't already.

07/13/18 - m3 lock nuts now fits in pod mounting holes for easy installation.  
stl file:
https://goo.gl/P32Rgj

(10-Jul-2018, 07:03 PM)Drone0fPrey Wrote: Just noticed how the front arms sit a bit lower than the rear! I love that! Should take some side profile pics for your product images if you haven't already.

I added some profile pics and yes there's an offset on the arms.  It should help with the propwash.  I definitely has less propwash than the floss from my experience.  I'm not sure if it's the pod that's helping or the offset arms, maybe both.

(13-Jul-2018, 03:37 PM)trojanGoat Wrote: I added some profile pics and yes there's an offset on the arms.  It should help with the propwash.  I definitely has less propwash than the floss from my experience.  I'm not sure if it's the pod that's helping or the offset arms, maybe both.

I really like it man! I don't know when but I'll definitely be around to get one!

Is there an option to mount a 20x20mm stack? I have an HGLRC F4 laying around, just needs an ESC and I am curious how their 40A would feel in there

Is this a good beginner frame? Or would you recommend this to a beginner?

(13-Jul-2018, 07:14 PM)Usastar Wrote: Is this a good beginner frame? Or would you recommend this to a beginner?

Maybe not for a first build, beginner frame. Although nothing says you couldn't, a good "first time" frame in my opinion would have a bit more robustness to handle "all day bashing" canopy being my biggest concern and a little more room inside just for ease of wiring up a first build. Again these are my thoughts and opinions from beating up my first build

With that said, if you are going straight for the racing scene, and are confident with a tight first build. I could see this being a great beginner frame! 5mm thick arms are tough even if skinny. The extension at the tip of the arm will offer good protection to your motors. Combined with a very low weight for typical 5 inch build and things just don't break as easy as they will on a heavier build.
And just be sure to do the homework to check component size and fitment. TrojanGoat is a great guy and will gladly help with any measurements you need (as already seen in this thread )