2020-06-02                                 Phantom-i                     Last Post           :           My Journal 

Having completed the Phantom-X project and having sufficient spare parts, I decided to build a "standard" GEPRC Phantom. The idea was to take a GEPRC Phantom frame, GEPRC Stable F411 stack, GEPRC motors, and a FrSky XM+ receiver (all standard on the GEPRC Phantom) and assemble a quad that was basically a home built GEPRC Phantom.  The only non-standard components were the Foxeer camera, a VAS Minion Pro VTX antenna, and a BetaFPV buzzer.

After the initial assembly, there was an issue with the motors. It appeared as thought the ESC was not working correctly.  Since I was not inclined to diagnose the issue at this time, I decided to swap the GEPRC stack for an iFlight SucceX Micro F4 V2.0 Flight Tower System 16x16 (ESC Plugs) that I wanted to test anyway. I thought this would be an expedient option since the motor connector sockets were already factory installed and would make things go a little quicker. Also, this stack has on-board memory for the Blackbox. So now, I decided to call this quad Phantom-i  due to the use of an iFlight stack.

Regarding the flight controller stack. I had purchased the iFlight SucceX Micro F4 V2.0 Flight Tower System 16x16 (ESC Plugs) because it comes with the motor connector sockets factory installed which would facilitate installation of motors with plugs. I had expected this installation to go smoothly. The only soldering was the connection of the XM+ receiver, the Buzzer, and the power wire. Once the wires were soldered and the stack was fitted to the frame, I realized that the motor plugs interfered with installation of the camera and the receiver & buzzer wires. To get everything connected, the stack was separated, all connections made, and the stack re-assembled. Even now, one of the motor sockets had to be bent forward a little to get the boards (header pins) to completely connect.  Another minor irritation is the placement of the power wire connection pads that are directly below the USB port which made connecting the stack to the computer a little cumbersome. I finally got the power wires tucked in so that the USB port is now accessible, however, it looks a little “clunky” to me. In any case, it was now together.

As it turns out, this stack with the connectors presented more challenges than it should have. In the future I would buy the “sister” stack that comes without connectors. I would rather solder my own motor connectors or solder the motors directly, depending on the build. 

Upon bench testing, I noticed that all of the motors were spinning in a clockwise direction! Two were correct and two were not. I checked Betaflight and everything looked fine. Having some knowledge of these motors, I know that reversing two of the motor wires would change the direction. Ok, so now I made a couple of “bridge” connectors with two of the wires reversed. Now, three motors were spinning correctly, but one was still not right. Upon remaking one of the bridge connectors, switching different wires, all the motors are spinning in the correct direction. 

NOTE: I am not sure if this is common with the iFlight stack or just something to watch out for. 

The final step was adding the VTX, camera, and buzzer. Since everything here is plug-and-play, the final assembly went smoothly.  The fully completed quad’s dry weight is 78 grams; this is without battery and with no a ViFly buzzer which I have now added. Yeah, I have two buzzers on this thing. 

Next, we move to final "in-house" testing. Everything worked as expected. The quad armed fine, took off when throttle was applied, responded well to stick movement, and hovered fine.

Since my fly field is still shut down due to coronavirus  , the flight testing and videos will be added later.

Jump to most recent post HERE

Great build

It will be interesting to see if you get the same issue with the iFlight Nano stack that some others have been getting with OSD lockup and motor shutdown with Air Mode is switched on. I think you'll probably only find out when you start flying it in anger.

(02-Jun-2020, 01:04 PM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: Great build

It will be interesting to see if you get the same issue with the iFlight Nano stack that some others have been getting with OSD lockup and motor shutdown with Air Mode is switched on. I think you'll probably only find out when you start flying it in anger.

Yeah, the proof is in the flying. This will be a good comparison to the GEPRC Stable F411 stack. We will see how they compare and how things work out. This new build is basically a Phantom with an iFlight stack. So...I have gotten a lot of fly time with my GEPRC Phantom (which I lost)...and... the GEPRC stack is in the Phantom-X build. Now, I just need to see how this iFlight stack performs and holds up.
Thanks

Nice FrankenPhantom

To change the motor direction just use the BLHeli configurator. On both my GepRC Phantom and Tadpole (with iFlight SucceX Micro F4 1.5) the motor wires are soldered straight and motors 2 and 3 are reversed in the BLHeli (or actually JEsc) configurator. If you prefer props out, reverse 1 and 4 instead.

(03-Jun-2020, 01:17 AM)L0stB1t Wrote: Nice FrankenPhantom

To change the motor direction just use the BLHeli configurator. On both my GepRC Phantom and Tadpole (with iFlight SucceX Micro F4 1.5) the motor wires are soldered straight and motors 2 and 3 are reversed in the BLHeli (or actually JEsc) configurator. If you prefer props out, reverse 1 and 4 instead.

Thanks. I will need to look into the BLHeli or JEsc software...never used it yet...don't know how yet, but something that I will need to get into, Thanks. 

Yeah, the fields are open and we are flying again 

Keep in mind that this is basically a GEPRC Phantom with an iFlight FC stack. The Betaflight PID settings are just as the FC came from the factory; pure stock. Consequently, I was expecting pretty much similar flight results as my original GEPRC Phantom. As it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised by this first flight. The quad feels smooth and responsive (yeah, I know; it is in Angle Mode (STAB) and I fly pretty easy, but then fly time is the goal, not barn burning acro stunts; maybe later on). 

Immediately, I noticed the very good video quality; in my opinion the iFlight VTX with Foxeer camera is better. 

What was most impressive was the "fly time" of almost 9 minutes !     Now we are talking.

I will run a lot of packs through this build to get a good baseline and average of fly times, but so far, I am impressed.

Nice build man and nice flight! 9 minutes is impressive.

BLHeli is pretty easy to use. You can do motor tests and also calibrate your esc's with it as well. Very useful software.

2020-07-25 :  Just changed the props from the HQProp T65mm 2.5 inch >> TO >>  Azure Power Race (2.5 inch) Tri-Blade props. My decibel testing shows these props to be quieter than the bi-blade props. 

{2020-09-23}

Finally got to fly the Phantom-i with the Azure Power Race tri-blade props and 3s 1100 mAh GNB battery. 

The Fly Time was 10 minutes which is good, but only about a minute or so more than a 2s 650 mAh battery.


The next  flight will be with a 3s 650 mAh battery.

Although, the tri-blade props might have been a little quieter in the hover tests, I believe they are louder under acceleration and a little louder when in flight than the HQProp bi-blade props. They seemed to perform ok, but then I didn't do much aggressive flying and no acro stunts. Overall, it was a very good flight.


{2020-10-1} Add picture: Azure Power Racer 2.5 inch Tri-Blade props {Green}

Yesterday {2020-09-25}, the Phantom-i was flown with a 3s 650 mAh battery; the flight lasted a little over 7 minutes.
I was expecting the Fly Time to be less than that of a 3s 1100 mAh battery and it was by about 2 minutes. What I wasn't expecting was a Fly Time less than that of a 2s 650 mAh battery by more than a minute...interesting.  

The Phantom-i is essentially a clone of the GEPRC Phantom with very similar components, therefore, it is light weight and has a drive train that handles the light weight, but is less tolerant of the heavier batteries. On the other hand, the 3s 1100 mAh battery has sufficiently higher capacity which does somewhat overcome the extra battery weight and provides a 10 minute Fly Time.

{2020-10-02}

Today, the Phantom-i was flown with a 3s 1100 mAh GNB battery charged to 13.0 volts; the flight lasted 12:21 minutes.
The flight was at a small park, so nothing special. Basically, it was an easy flight with low throttle.