{2020-08-28}

Today, I took the Katana-LR4 and the Phantom-X for a fly at the soccer field. The Katana-LR4 Fly Time was right at 9 minutes. So far, fly times have been between 9 and 10 minutes with a 3s 1100mAh GNB battery. The Phantom-X, on the other hand, is getting over 17 minutes on this same battery. Today, she was flown with 2 18650 3000mAh batteries in the holder and flew for over 21 minutes. Although less than I expected, still pretty good. A few more flights and both of them will get some upgrades. But this will be after the Katana-LR5 build is complete. Looks like some bench time for me. 

Yeah, the Katarms-LR7 is sort of waiting in the wings pending test results of the Katana-LR5 build.

VERY good! 21 minutes is long enough to start getting flight fatigue Great work Harry!

I wonder if a 3 cell pack would do a little better. Higher voltage, lower amp draw might extend your flight time.

(29-Aug-2020, 02:17 AM)kaitylynn Wrote: VERY good!  21 minutes is long enough to start getting flight fatigue  Great work Harry!

I wonder if a 3 cell pack would do a little better.  Higher voltage, lower amp draw might extend your flight time.

Hi Kaity,

You are right about the flight fatigue. I flew this and the Katana-LR4 back to back for a total of 30 minutes of flight time on me...and...I was tired; needed a break. Also, the flight feels a lot like going around in circles. I need to find a larger space with more linear distance. 

Yes, I have thought about that and already have the necessary parts on the bench. I was just working to keep the AUW less than 250g; with the 2 cell setup the AUW is about 224g. Another cell pushes it over 250g. That said, I think that I will try it anyway; just to see. 

Also, I use a battery holder for the 18650s; I do NOT solder them together as most others do. 

The Phantom-X is currently running 1303 5000kv motors with 4 inch props. 
It is almost comparable to the Flywoo Explorer.

I just ordered a three and four cell holder. Never though out using one...I tried to launch with a two cell holder, but The Japalura will not fly on 2S.

(30-Aug-2020, 03:10 AM)kaitylynn Wrote: I just ordered a three and four cell holder.  Never though out using one...I tried to launch with a two cell holder, but The Japalura will not fly on 2S.

Hi Kaity, 

Good to here you are giving the 18650s a try. 
Interesting about the Japalura. Is it the "Airbot omnibus f4 nano FC" that won't run on 2S    or did it just not have enough power to get off the ground    Are you still running the 1104 7000kv motors with Gemfan 3025 2 blades 

Everything that I have is rated for 2S to 4S, but in the past, I have just ran 2S {actually 2 x 1s wired in series with an adapter...since I have a boat load of 1S LiPo batteries}. It has only been recently that I have run 3S on anything. So, I knew that anything I have will run 2S if it can pull the weight. Those 18650s are about 46 grams each. My 2s holder with batteries weighs 106 grams. That is quite a bit of weight compared to the LiPo batteries.
{In comparison, my 3s 1100 mAh GNB pack weighs 66 grams}

I didn't have any problems flying the Phantom-X with the 2 x 18650 setup, but it is running 4 inch props on 1303 5000kv motors. 

That said, I am putting together an 18650 3S holder. I have two options: 1) add a 1S holder to what I have, or 2) use a 3S holder. {I do have the larger holders}. For me, using the add-on allows me to keep the 2S holder mounted and just "add" another one. The disadvantage, is that it will weight a little more and it will be a little more "ghetto looking".  Even so, I plan to use the add-on method first to see how things go.

Let me know how the 3S 18650s work on the Japalura. 

It is the 3600kv motors that spin too slowly to allow anything other than hipping. Cannot generate enough lift is all. The Bardwell F4 FC powers fine and it is actually a decent way to power everything while warming up the GPS. I know the craft will fly on 3S.

(30-Aug-2020, 02:45 PM)kaitylynn Wrote: It is the 3600kv motors that spin too slowly to allow anything other than hipping. Cannot generate enough lift is all. The Bardwell F4 FC powers fine and it is actually a decent way to power everything while warming up the GPS. I know the craft will fly on 3S.

Well, there it is. I am running at least 5000kv on my smaller builds which includes all of my Phantom builds (so far).
The Katana-LR4 is the first build with lower than 5000kv motors (3950kv) which are rated for a minimum of 3S. In fact, all of the larger, lower kv, motors that I have are rated for a minimum of 3S. I guess that is why, a 2S just will not spin them fast enough. I learn something every day   

I do really like the 3s 1100mAh GNB batteries. Looks like I will be moving to 3s packs (mostly).  

Thanks

{2020-09-01}

First, the Katana-LR5x build is complete. Although it is a little heavy with the 2203 3450kv motors, the AUW including a 3s 650 mAh GNB battery is 241 grams.

For now, I want to just fly the Katana-LR5x with a variety of battery setups and see how it flies and note the Fly Times.

Also, I have fitted the Phantom-X with a 3s 18650 battery holder. Currently, this build is running 4 inch props on 1303 5000kv motors. 

I want to see how the Phantom-X flies with this load and observe the Fly Times using the 3s 18650 3000mAh setup.

The Katana-LR7x build will be put on hold pending the results of flying the Katana-LR5x. Specifically, I want to see how the 2203 3450kv motors perform on the 5 inch frame before I use them on the 7 inch build. 

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It is an interesting phenomenon that an 18650 battery holder can be mounted easily on frames that are designed to accommodate the "whoop" style AIO flight controllers. Although the precise mounting is slightly different, an 18650 holder can be mounted whether the craft is using a stack or the "whoop" format FC. Considering that all of my builds have the "whoop" FC mounting pattern, I can potentially try the 3s 18650 holder on any or all of them    

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{2020-09-02}  about 12:00 noon.

Today, I got to fly 4 of my most recent builds. First, the maiden flight for the Katana-LR5x. If was a good flight which lasted about 10 minutes with a 3s 1100 mAh GNB battery. The Katana-LR5x is a powerful craft, but the weight likely reduces the efficiency. Also, this quad was not much louder than the smaller quads. Even though I could hear it at a little closer range, it was very quiet for a 5 inch even on a close "Fly By". Again, at altitude you can't even hear it. I was IMPRESSED       

The Katana-LR4 was the second one to fly. Another good flight with a Fly Time of  10:33 minutes on a 3s 1100mAh GNB battery.  

Although early in the game, so far, I would say that the Fly Times are roughly equal, the Katana-LR5x seems a little more powerful, the Katana-LR4 appears to be more efficient and is a lighter package, and the Katana-LR4 feels a little smoother to me. We will see how different battery setups perform. Ah, now begins the flights, the testing, and the comparisons. 

The Phantom-X was flown with the 3s 3000mAh 18650 {in a holder} setup. Although the flight was very good, I was a little disappointed in the Fly Time of 17:20 minutes. Although not bad, it is about 4 minutes less than the 2s 18650 pack and on a par with the 3s 1100mAh GNB LiPo battery. For the equivalent 17 minute Fly Time, I would choose the LiPo batteries. 

The Phantom-3A was flown with a 3s 650mAh GNB battery. This was just a routine flight with nothing special that lasted only 5 and a half minutes. 

Regarding the 18650 batteries, I will try the 3s setup on the Katana-LR4 and Katana-LR5x just to see what we get. Both of these quads have quite a bit more power than the Phantom-X so maybe they will perform better. 

Regarding flight videos, the maiden for the Katana-LR5x will be posted and available in a day or two. The other flights are pretty much more of the same routine so I may or may not post one...or maybe do a combination...we will see.

Hey, why is your handle like glowing and stuff???

(03-Sep-2020, 12:18 AM)kaitylynn Wrote: Hey, why is your handle like glowing and stuff???

I don't know.     It looks normal to me.    Maybe I better ask Oscar.    Hope I am not in trouble. 

Triple secret probation!

{2020-09-03}

Wow, yesterday was a really big and exciting day for me. 

Having completed the Katana-LR5x build, I was anxious to fly her. Fortunately, the weather was cooperating and things were looking good. Since, it had not yet been flown, I fired her up and did a hover test inside the house {Yeah}   . Everything went fine. The sound level was about 75 decibels; a little higher than the other quads, but not that much.

As is my practice, I put batteries on the quads that I will fly before I leave the house. Yesterday, I loaded the Katana-LR5x, Katana-LR4, Phantom-X, and Phantom-3A.  Now we go fly. I was very excited about flying the 5 inch build. After a minor camera issue, I was able to fly it for about 10 minutes.    It has plenty of power.  All of the flights went well and I had a really good time even if it was a little hot and the flying was pretty routine. 

Yes, the day's focus was working on these Long Range projects.

Later in the afternoon, I discovered that I am now a member of the "VIP" club which is Super Exciting for me.
WOW.     Thank You EVERYONE 

A Very Exciting Day Indeed 

Jump to the post containing the video of the Katana-LR5x.   

My initial impression is that  the Katana-LR4 and the Katana-LR5x fly very much the same. On the sticks, I can't tell the difference.  Thing is, the Katana-LR5x is a heavier craft that exceeds the 250g mark when loaded with the 3s 1100mAh GNB battery while the Katana-LR4 does not. 

So, I am not sure that we are gaining anything here...at least when running LiPo batteries. At this point, any advantage of running a larger build with larger props is lost in the thrust required to pull the heavier load. 

The 3s 18650 pack weights about 167g so anything running this pack will weigh more than 250g. It will be interesting to see how these two builds compare when running the 18650s. Time will tell.  
The 3s 18650 holder is now attached to the Katana-LR4...awaiting flight. 

Just a note...if you watch a video with a quad running a 4s 18650 pack, the AUW is over 250g.

As far as sound goes, the Katana-LR5x  might be a little louder, but it is hard to tell because I can't here it at altitude. Even on a "Fly By", it is very quiet and not disturbing. To me this is amazing since it is a 5 inch quad; no where near as loud as other 5 inch quads that I have heard     { and I don't know why }     


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There is something that interests me about the 250 gram AUW quads particularly the BNF offerings such as the BrotherHobby Hyperbola (5" toothpick) and the Flywoo Explorer (4" standard fuselage frame).  Both of these are sub 250g as long as you watch the battery weight. On the other hand, strap on a big, heavy, battery and see what happens...BAM!!!....AUW goes over 250g.   Oh yeah, strap on a 4s 18650 pack and you are well over the 250g mark. So...my interpretation is that any quad that weighs less than 250 grams with a battery and will fly {even if the battery is on the lighter side} that craft qualifies as sub 250g. 
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(04-Sep-2020, 02:36 PM)iFly4rotors Wrote: As far as sound goes, the Katana-LR5x  might be a little louder, but it is hard to tell because I can't here it at altitude. Even on a "Fly By", it is very quiet and not disturbing. To me this is amazing since it is a 5 inch quad; no where near as loud as other 5 inch quads that I have heard     { and I don't know why }     

It's basically all down to the motors, props, weight, and how you actually fly it. You are running far less aggressive motors, only bi-blade props, and your flying style isn't punch-outs, power-runs, or acro manoeuvres because you didn't design and build the quad for that purpose. If you were to build a freestyle 5" quad it would be a completely different story