This is my first build log on Rcindia for a Custom Tricopter. The design is inspired by David Windestal from Flite Test. The parts for the frame are designed by me in sketchup and 3D Printed. I decided to build this tricopter because i wanted to learn FPV and also this geometry has the best viewing angle for the action cam.

This is my Rev 2 build for the same design, Rev 1 had longer arms rest same config and was more of a learning curve for 3d Designing. The bare 370 mm motor to motor frame weighs 200g with aluminium booms and custom printed plate.

I have modified the design on RcExplorer.se to fit stronger12mm square booms, other modifications were made as well.
The design files are open source and free to use for you. I would be happy if you reproduce or modify the design and print them yourself. You can download them here from thingiverse http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1044262

When you build this frame, you can choose to go as big or as small as you want. You can even go down to the 250-300 class racers. Nothing else has to change!

I chose the 370mm size for relatively stability in air. You can use any size and parts you desire or happen to have on hand.

Parts List:
3 X SunnySky Motors X2212 980kv
3 X F20 Hobbyking 20A ESCs
1 X Flip32+ 10DOF Flight Controller
1 X D4R2 Receiver and 9xR Transmitter
3 X 1040 Diatone Props
1 X 2200 mAh LIPO Battery
1 X Aluminium Square Boom
1 X MG90S Micro Servo

FPV (Waiting for goods to reach me from Surveil Zone Order Placed) - Future Upgrade
Micro OSD (with KV Team Mod)
700 TVL Camera
Boscam RC832 Receiver
Mini TS5823 VTX
Aomway RHCP Antennas




Design - 2D view.

3D Printed Parts - ABS material

Here are few glimpses of the parts.



Frame

Building the frame is pretty self-explanatory if you follow the pictures. You can even use any size arms/booms you want; it’s pretty universal for all size classes. For a perfect equilateral design though, just make sure you cut the rear boom 20mm Longer then the other two. I didn't use the ESCs in the picture (ZTW) decided F-20A Later.



Once You cut the arms drill 3mm holes 15mm on both the front arms away from the ends of the arm for making the pivoting point.
Sand the arms nicely and make sure the surface is clean and smooth.  Then apply vinyl stickers on the arms. I chose the black and blue combo. Don't forget to make grooves for rear arm.



After the arms are ready cap the motor mounts at the ends along with yaw mechanism (this is a bit tedious) and make sure the motor slides well freely to both extremes once done this place the servo with the help of cable ties.






Pass all the wires through the square booms to make a neat build. The end of wires are covered with wire mesh for a neat look.







Finishing the build by mounting the D4R2 FC on top plate with nylon standoffs and soldering the ESC and Servo wires on the bottom of the board directly without any pins. (Removing the pins was a tough job) 


Simple diy antenna using Cable ties and Heat Shrink






Read for Flight !


Will post flight videos soon !

Credits:
3D Printed Parts - Thanks to Pushpreet for printing them in ABS material

Reserved for Flight Vids

Great work Sanjiv!

That's a sweet looking tri! I'd like to try a 3D printed frame too. Does it cost a lot?

Very neat work sir. All the best for your maiden

That is some brilliant work.
Really clean build.
Congratulations!

Thanks man !
No it doesn't cost a lot if you own a printer or any of your friends own it. The commercial printers charge a lot.

Thanks Satz and Pushpreet !
Will go for maiden flight tomorrow.

A good and clean setup. All the best for maiden.

Thanks Ved !

Did a maiden flight today and it's flys charm !! Xiaomi Yi is the on board Action cam, will update the videos soon.

waiting

Sorry for the long delay. Had my first crash yesterday due to loose servo the copter started spinning before finally crashing into tree bark. Not much damage done. Don't have the video for the crash as Yi had low battery at that moment.

Wonderful build man     

I built one bit similar but all-wood some time back. It still flies  Your video looked pretty clean. I was expecting some kind of dampeners on your mount but couldn't find any  Hope you could provide more info about your camera mount and setup. Are you planning on adding any other sort of stabilization for the cam? I built mine for FPV but authorities have completely banned multi-copters here where I work and fly. I wanted to try it out back home while on vacation. And also, how is the shorter arms compared to the regular sized one? Is it worth cutting it down for better stability?

Regards,

Sameer.

Thanks Samir. Yeah the camera mount has no dampeners, it's just a ten degree tilted 3D printed Yi mount which is screwed to the center plate. Right now I am not planning to go for gimbal maybe in future will upgrade. Right now it's more of a learning curve for aerial shots.

 I hope the authorities come out with regulations for flying Multis and stop calling them 'drones' anymore.

My version 1 build for the same config was almost the same in stability it's just the portability and lesser AUW in V2. Just have a look at my V1 it's quite similar to your bird. The canopy looks sturdy! .V1 has arms of 350mm whereas V2 has arm length 210mm.
What's the arm length your tri ? Share your config.

I have never tried wooden arms. How are they in comparison with the aluminum booms ? Wooden arms are lighter but aluminum is stronger I believe .

Cheers !

-SS