The Fixed Pitch Tiltrotor - The Build and In Action

**Update** I will start my next build of a Mini-Tiltrotor. Check back for updates! The components list can be found on my board

A Little Background

Ever since I saw a video (at the bottom of this post) of an RC Tiltrotor on Youtube, I have wanted to build one myself. In addition, I have wanted to build my own autopilot. Why build my own autopilot when there are plenty of cheap ones out there these days? Well... Because it is a lot of fun. Anyway, I've had a video of my tiltrotor on Youtube at night. Since filming it, it burned out an ESC. I finally got around to fixing it, mostly so I could take it apart and scrap it to build a tricopter. Yes, I know, a tricopter is not nearly as cool as a tiltrotor, but it is a much better development platform for autopilots. Don't worry, my tiltrotor days are not over. Once I have a stable autopilot, I will build one that converts to full forward flight. I promise.

Advantages of a Tiltrotor

At the expense of a slightly more complicated autopilot and mechanical complexity, a tiltrotor has half the motors, ESCs, connectors, propellers, and power as a quadrotor. Essentially, a cheap tiltrotor can be significantly cheaper than a comparable quadrotor. And they are cooler. Yup. That's about it.

Flight Video

How It Works

Some of you might be wondering how this thing even flies. I plan on doing a multi part video on how things fly that includes something like this fixed pitch tiltrotor. For now, we will have to use a simplified diagram of the forces to understand how a fixed pitch tilt rotor can work.

RC Tilt Rotor In Action!

I was able to get my tilt rotor in action tonight. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get a video of it in a larger field in action. Here a quick video I had my 3yo take while I flew.

The RC Tiltrotor!

I finally got a prototype autopilot board up and running with a gyro and a small but powerful Arm Cortex-M3 microprocessor, so I decided to throw together a tiltrotor. I am still trying to figure out pitch, but there will be videos to follow.

The tilt mechanism is from cheap front wheel 4mm landing gear stuff. The motors are HXT750s from Hobbyking and I am using HK SS 25A ESCs. A video to follow! (Hopefully with some successful flights!)

New Crazy Creation! The Dual Motor, Differential Steering RC Airboat Utilizing the Turnigy 9X User Mixes

Finally got around to throwing a video together of my latest creation, the dual motor, differential steering RC airboat!

The Video

Explanation of the Turnigy 9X Mixes to Accomplish Differential Steering

I had to use 3 mixes in order to accomplish the differential steering. First, I had to pick a channel for the other ESC. I used channel 7 and made sure none of the switches controlled channel 7.

User Programmed Mixes

1. Throttle (Channel 3) -> Channel 7 (Aux)
2. Rudder (Channel 4) -> Throttle (Channel 3)
3. Rudder (Channel 4) -> Channel 7 (Aux)

Quick Video of the Mixes

***Warning!***

Using differential steering can catch you off guard! Once you set the mixes, if you bump the rudder, one of the motors will turn on! Try not to lose a finger. Also, as the battery drains, you will lose the ability to steer. Don't get caught downriver without a paddle!

Complete Guide - Getting into RC Airboats for a complete Newbie

Every time I take 'Das Boot' out and put it in the water, I get people wondering how to get started in the exciting (and relatively cheap) way to get into the world of RC boats. This is a complete guide to acquiring all the components needed to build a cheap airboat.

The Parts of a Cheap Airboat

Electronics

The first step to building a cheap airboat is picking a cheap motor. Once you have selected the motor, the rest of the boat will fall into place. This may seem like a long list, but most of the small parts come in multi-packs. Once you have a supply of the small parts, all you need are a few main parts and you can build numerous boats.

Motor

The motor and prop set up sets the size for the entire boat. To keep the boat small and manageable you want to select a fast spinning motor with a small prop. This generally also helps the boat be fast. A good start is the AX 2306N 2000kv brushless Micro Motor from HobbyKing. HobbyKing rates the motor up to 9A, but it handle more with ease. You always want extra motors. Grab a couple of these.

• AX 2306N 2000kv brushless Micro Motor

ESC

Next, lets just pick the cheapest ESC that we can find. the Hobbyking SS Series 25-30A ESC is a good choice if it is in stock. Otherwise, the Hobbyking SS Series 15-18A ESC will work. As with the motors, the more ESCs the merrier. These tend to get damaged by water, so grab at least 2 ESCs

• Hobbyking SS Series 25-30A ESC
- or -
• Hobbyking SS Series 15-18A ESC

Propeller

The PinPiYak - Home Depot pink foam flying pizza -yak

The Picture

I had a bunch of these hexTronik DT750 Brushless Outrunners sitting around for use in a multi-rotor project I have yet to make a lot of headway on. I decided I wanted to make something that took advantage of the thrust of the motor, had 3D capabilities, and was dirt simple to make.

After searching through RCGroups, I found the PiYak. A circle with elevons and a rudder. Perfect! I grabbed my sheet of pink foam, and threw something together using the proportions given on the rcgroups thread.

The Parts

1. hexTronik DT750 Brushless Outrunner 750kv
2. TGY Slow Fly Prop 12*3.8SF w/ shaft adapters
3. ZIPPY Flightmax 2200mAh 3S1P 20C
4. HobbyKing 939MG Metal Gear Servo 2.5kg/ 12.5g/ 0.14sec
5. FlyZone 25amp ESC
6. Turnigy 9X 2.4GHz 8Ch Receiver (V2)
7. Hex locknuts M4 10pc

The Results

The plane has plenty of power. I tried to balance the TGY SF 12x3.8 prop, but the thing is grossly out of balance. The motor doesn't seem to care, however, and the plane shoots vertical with ease. The 3S 2200mAh battery lasts too long considering that the recommended battery for the motor is a 1300mAh. However, the larger battery keeps the CG in the right ball park.

I can't wait to put these motors in some multi-rotor configuration!

New Das Boot Video!

Das Boot Returns!

Enjoy!