Battery Charging – Mains Supply with ATX PSU

Most of the LiPo chargers available seem to run from a 12V supply. This is great if you are in the field (or in a field!) and want to recharge your batteries from you car. However it isn’t so good if you are trying to charge while at home. Sure places like Hobbyking sell plug is PSUs that can run the charger, but I want to reduce my outlay somewhat and I also have a few PC ATX power supplies laying around.

-UPDATE- Link to 3D models I used.

Landing Legs

One of the issue with the F450 frame is the limited clearance under the frame. If you want to add an under-slung gimbal, or even a battery, you may need more clearance. The biggest issue adding your own landing gear is the lack of attachment points. I decided I wanted to add extensions to the existing landing legs mainly for cosmetic reasons, I didn’t like the idea of ‘horns’ sticking out for no reason.

It Doesn’t Fly!

As I noted in my brief video from a few days ago, one of the motors decided to just blip out on me. This caused the quad to drop one side before it regained control. Well today it was running low on power (the battery alarm was sounding) and I was bringing it in for a landing when the motor failed completely. It plummeted about 2 meters into the ground. At first I thought only one of the printed legs, which I am replacing soon, was broken but it ended up being that plus the motor mount.

3D Printing – Securing Your Components

One of the things that I have tried to do with the construction of my Quad is to reduce the chances of things falling off or dislocating. I also wanted something a little more elegant than using zip-ties or Velcro to secure parts. Thankfully the frame I brought has a number or holes and slots by which to attach the various items. Here is the list of things I needed to secure to the quad:

• APM flight controller,
• Radio receiver,
• ESC,
• GPS/Compass module,
• Battery.

Fortunately I have access to a 3D printer (actually I own two, one I built from a kit and another I designed from near scratch). From this I have been able to produce brackets, clamps and holders for all the parts of the quad. In this post I will write up a little of each part and have them in the order of fitting.

It Flies!

After many weeks of build and waiting the quad has taken its first flight! It was brief as the battery pack wasn’t fully charged but otherwise everything went okay.