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Triple-Treat (Quanum Trifecta) Truck
#16
Understood - I think that eCalc link was with a few extras to bump up the weight. I know that some of the weights for individual parts are set high as well.

I'm going to have to work to make sure I manage the weight.
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#17
It does tend to be a chicken and egg problem with eCalc. It's hard to get your AUW right if you don't know which motors you'll be using.

I looked at the parts you have ordered and how much they all weigh. It came out like this:

   

I selected a Zippy Compact battery from HobbyKing with 3300mA/h capacity. (I use a similar battery but at 4S on my RCExplorer tricopter.)

If I plug these figures into eCalc, I get this model:

https://www.ecalc.ch/xcoptercalc.php?eca...t=Trifecta


It shows a power to weight ratio of just 2.2:1, which is on the edge of useful, so you may have to go down in battery size a little and swap some flight time for some power.
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#18
I't going to be real close isn't it. I have been eyeing off the big Multistar low discharge packs because they currently very cheap and relatively light for their capacity. But not significantly different to the Zippy you added in.

Majority of the time I will be happy flying with the 1500-2000mAh batteries I already have so that will definitely be OK for weight/power.
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#19
You could always go to 4S batteries instead. That will really perk things up!
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#20
Arrived this week:

Flight Controller:  http://www.banggood.com/F3-EVO-Cleanflig...2252016071  Based on selected Delivery Option
GPS: http://www.banggood.com/Mini-Ublox-7M-GP...2252016071  Based on selected Delivery Option

Better (reportedly) GPS:  http://www.banggood.com/UBLOX-NEO-M8N-BN...2252016071 

What Next:
I've been running the F3EVO on the bench for about 24 hours now - no overheating or weirdness and I'm trying to get my head around iNav.  
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#21
Ordered Today:
Receiver:  https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-ia6c...eiver.html  AUD12.66
Receiver Cable Set:  https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hk-ia6c-cable.html  AUD1.87
Antenna Mount:  https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykingtm-...-pack.html  AUD4.95 for two
Tail LED:  https://hobbyking.com/en_us/matek-led-ci...2-pcs.html AUD4.35 for two (only need one)

Running Total:  AUD155.22

What Next?
Motors are still absent.  I was starting to think about trying some RCX 2208's as they available at a pretty good price from myrcmart.com however the 2308 Multistars from Hobbyking are still looking like a serious option.  They're effectively the "same" price.

Today I did a bit of a "dry fit" of the F/C and PDB boards into the frame.  They're both going to fit nicely and it's very unlikely I'll need to use the extended top-deck pieces that came in the long-landing gear option.  

My build plan is looking like doing direct soldering of all wiring to the F/C, mounting it in place and then routing the wiring to all the components and adapting lengths etc.  

   
Here's the electronics package, well only one of the ESCs, the sizes of everything is great and the SP Racing F3 EVO will have the USB and SD-Card accessible from the front of the Tri, I'll mount the F/C on a small platform so there's enough clearance.

   
My Multistar 18A ESCs are a great fit in the arms leaving room for the LED strips (that will be controlled by the F/C) - those LED strips will act primarily as navigation lights to help orientating the craft when in the distance but I'll also work out some basic warnings or something as well.
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#22
GPS Update:
I'd bought this GPS Module from Banggood as it was On-sale, in-stock and came with a neat folding stand.  http://www.banggood.com/Mini-Ublox-7M-GP...2252016071

It's a Ublox 7M which is known to be vastly better than the 6M Neo I have in my quad but not necessarily the best - those were out of stock (M8N).  I subsequently ordered a M8N based module when they came back in stock.

However after doing all the basic testing with the 7M I'm pretty happy with it.  It gets a reasonable lock when indoors, works nicely in iNav and I can't see any reason why I shouldn't move the M8N onto my Quad (resolving it's biggest problem) and keep the 7M on the Trifecta.  It's not like it won't be hard to "upgrade" in the future anyway.

I'm keen on keeping the stand as mounting the GPS a bit further away from the rest of the electronics is probably a good thing.  It did make a difference with the 6M that's for sure!
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#23
Today the bundle of sundry stuff and the receiver from Hobbyking arrived. As usual very happy with the delivery timeframes (order shipped on Monday, delivered Tuesday)

Bit the bullet and dropped an order into the Hobbyking International store for a Feiyu Mini2D gimbal and the Multistar motors.
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#24
Been a bit slack with updating things.  The Hobbyking order from the Australian Warehouse arrived on Tuesday, so to celebrate I ordered the Multistar Elite 2308-1400kv motors from the International Store, snapping up a Feiyu Mini 2D brushless gimbal for a mere AUD$114 at the same time.
That arrived today (thanks DHL).

Out of the batch of random stuff the Receiver now comes with the leads (the first iA6C I bought didn't) so I've managed to save AUD1.87 Smile

Final Drivetrain:
Motors:  https://hobbyking.com/en_us/multistar-el...w-ccw.html AUD15.52 each

Final Total:  AUD199.91

Success!  In a post up the front of this thread I had decided that AUD200 for a flying frame was my objective.  Well I have squeaked in with 9 cents to spare.  My biggest frustration was the cost of the motors, almost double the 2208 Racerstars I had initially thought I'd use.

The Gimbal
The Feiyu Mini2D is one of the lightest GoPro compatible gimbals around, at 110g, it's also a nice looking unit which helps when spending money Smile
I'm not sure it will end up on the front the Trifecta yet, might have to build and learn to fly it first!  either way very happy unboxing it this afternoon!
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#25
Great!  Can't wait for the build thread... Popcorn
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#26
Lantian LED strips arrived this morning - yep took a month!

I've started working through all the dry-fit planning and hit a few snags. Least of which is the motors needing spacers to mount due to the arm design and motor bearing/shaft layout. Not a big deal, but then they will need longer mounting screws, which in turn can't be sourced until I know how long etc etc.

Ordered some 8038 props for this too.

I'm hoping to start the build proper in the coming weeks and aiming for a super premium feeling. However I've already decided to stick to using headers on the FC rather than all direct solder.
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#27
Looking forward to the build! Been waiting long enough Wink jk jk

Popcorn
The Obsession IS Real!
My Youtube and Instagram links
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#28
Props and some new tools have been turning up on my bench. The "dry fit" approach has been interesting because it's turning out some my enthusiasm to use headers on the flight controller for ease of replacement are working against a super neat installation. I may end up just removing all the headers and trimming down the flight controller mount height - that will make the avionics bay more compact. Direct soldering in this case is complex but I have some ideas.

The GPS module and receiver mountings are also a little problematic - I stripped down the IA6C receiver and it's easier to deal with but still not great. I guess "more custom" will be the way forward.

At least I have been able to confirm the 8" propellers mount and clear on the from arms.

New workbench setup will have decent lighting so pics will be coming!
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#29
I direct solder everything since my first ever build. It makes better use of space, is inherently more reliable and gives you more choice when it comes to routing wires.

It's not as if you take a build apart and re-use the components on a new build. Once built, things tend to stay that way.
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#30
It's a very wise choice to dry fit everything first. I skipped this step only once and paid for it with a mountain of problems 3/4 of the way thorough the build.

Now I'll sometimes spend days with a pile of parts agonising over the best placement for each and how sensitive wires for video signals should be routed.

The best example I've seen recently of what happens when you just assume things will go together as you intended is Joshua Bardwell's build videos for the Armattan Armadillo. He built up loads of pain for himself and instead of blaming himself, blamed the frame! Yes, the Armadillo is a tight build, but compared to the troubles Joshua had, my build was a walk in the park.
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