BlueJay

Introduction:

After building so many quads, it's nice to do planes again. Of course, the problem with planes is finding the time to fly them. This is an inexpensive EPP chuck glider just like one which I have built before. A fairly simple conversion with elevator, ailerons and differential thrust on the rudder channel. I'm not sure what the range is for this receiver, so this is going to be a major concern. After everything tests out, the goal is to put a micro fpv camera in the front for some close proximity fun.

Components ($35):

• 2x 1102 8000kv motors with 3020 props
• Racerstar Mini Star6 6A 2in1
• 3A BEC
• 2x PES GH-s37a 5 gram servos with push rods
• Frsky mini D8 (w pwm out) receiver
• chuck glider with bamboo skewers for reinforcement

Conclusion:

This came out to 67 grams without the battery, so much lighter than my first conversion using 1306 motors. The small motors are also over propped, but I'm hoping I wont' need anything close to full throttle for any significant amount of time. It's mean to be more of a slow flyer. If I didn't want to test these 1102 motors out, I would have chosen 1104s instead for more power with minimal weight increase.

One of the great benefits of building micro quads is getting more knowledge of motors/escs with respect to weights and power output. These 1102s turned out ok in the end with sufficient power for loops, rolls, etc.... Once I figured out the trims, it flew great because I was able to keep the weight down with the micro components. I flew it on a variety of battery sizes (300mah, 350mah, and 500mah). Not so surprisingly, 300mah 2s were the best. It was a fairly calm day though, so I'm not sure how it would handle with more wind. After a couple packs though, one of the motor mounts developed a crack due to the vibration of the motors (don't think the props are balanced). Will need to fix that and dial in some expo for some more test flights before putting on the fpv camera.

Update 8/26/18: I tried hot gluing the cracked motor mount, but it ended up breaking mid flight. I bit the bullet in the end and completely replaced both with a more robust solution. I actually mounted the motors backwards on a 1103 motor guard and glued it backwards into the wing. It actually looks pretty good and should hopefully be a more permanent solution. I also wired both motors to the same throttle signal and got rid of differential thrust. The reason for this was because I don't completely trust the range of the receiver yet. In case of failsafe, the rudder signal outputs a servo center signal which brings one of the motors to 50% throttle (not good if you lose connection). Also, I didn't think the diff. thrust was that much fun anyway. The plane flies really nice now with just a tad of expo dialed into the ailerons. Another test flight and it should be ready for fpv.

Update 8/27/18: So the new motor mounts work great. A lot less vibration and noise. Added the fpv camera as well (an old 25mwh AIO). Unfortunately, there were signal issues with the AIO camera. A lot of noise and drop outs at certain angles/distances. May need to look into a LC filter or a different camera altogether. The plane flies great, however.