Blade 180 CFX Helicopter: Part 1 -- Opening

Boca Bearings is the proud owner of a shiny new Blade 180 CFX! We've been selling quite a few of the bearing kits for this thing, so we figured we'd get one to try out. For science!

                                 

We're gonna test fly it, put some some new bearings in it, fly it some more, shoot a few videos, etc. We'll probably do some Microheli upgrades at some point. Our only experience with flying helicopters so far has been the 130X, so that is our point of comparison.

                                   

First Impression

Right out of the box it looks like a really nice machine. It is far more robust than the 130X. In terms of length and width it is only slightly larger, but everything on it is beefier and feels way more solid. It's heavier, and I love the stock carbon fiber frame.

A few things I noticed right off the bat:

It has radial servos throughout, 4 in total. It doesn't use those linear servos like on the 130 that are prone to failure. You can also see the 5800kv brushless motor that is shorter and fatter than the 130x motor.

This new box tail design looks much more sturdy. Hopefully it is easy to work on.

Plastic swash just like on the 130, but it looks plenty strong enough. I'll upgrade to the aluminum one at some point.

180 CFX battery (below) compare to 130x battery (above)

3-cell 450mah battery

I've gone ahead and set up my DX6i for it. Now all that's left is to bind it and fly it......

Arduino Robot Project: Part 1 -- The Sensor Board

Gerardo Ramos is working on a robot from scratch. Introducing below is the sensor board. The red wires are the power wires. The green wires are ground and the blue wires are the feedback wires from the sensors. It's my first time soldering.

        I am waiting for other parts which I am receiving shortly. More updates to come.

Scan-o-tron project: Kinect attached

The Scan-o-tron journey continues: 

• The Kinect has been attached to the trolley
• Reworking the trolley cable to accept a counterweight to allow for smoother transition of the Kinect.
• Ready to procure a laptop capable of processing the 3D image

Making things happen -- our Boca Bearing Company Scanotron build is a little closer to being finished with the addition of a counterweight pulley system. Works like a charm and the Kinect stays put wherever we stop it. Needs a little custom wiring, some programming and a good paint job and we'll be set for Gulf Coast MakerCon Gulf Coast Makers.

Researched the processing requirements and have discovered the performance need is being driven as much by the 3D processing software as by the Kinect itself. There are several likely candidate laptops that could be used. Decision has to be made which one is best.

Modified Bike Project: Part 2 -- Frame set up

Progress on the Modified Bike project:

The 1976 Cimatto frame with a 1967 triumph motorcycle hard tail. The hard tail was cut down in sections and then fully welded. This hard tail will lower the rear of the bike, and stretch it out giving the bike a very aggressive stance.


The next step for this bike is to be sanded down then prepped for a wild metal flake paint job!

"The Crossfire" 3D printed quadcopter - Part 7 - First Test Flights

Well, here goes!

After being too busy with other stuff to work on this, I finally got this thing in the air. I was very excited to see it lift off the ground. It does have some stability issues, which I think might have to do with the weight of the battery and/or the KK2 settings.

I did a small series of test flights. In doing so, I was able to determine three things:

  1.  These motors are powerful enough to lift the weight of the quad. (about 2.5 lbs)

  2.  It is relatively stable and will hover.

  3.  It responds as expected to control inputs.

   

As you can see, the weight of the battery seems to be causing some instability.

I cleaned everything up a bit, used velcro straps to hold the ESCs in place, and zip-tied a few wires to keep them out of the props. I still need to come up with a good way to mount the battery.

Now that I have more time, the posts should be coming more frequently.

Have fun out there!

-Bryan

Modified Bike Project: Part 1 -- 1976 Cimmato City Bike

Adam Farris, owner and operator of O'Malleys Speed n Kustom, started out this project with a 1976 Cimmato City Bike powered by a Minarelli V1 engine.

The leaf springer fork was handmade, as well as gas tank which was formed on an English Wheel. For the rear section to get the proper stance for this bobber bike Adam is making an extended hard tail section.

The engine will be rebuilt using Boca Bearings cutting edge ceramic hybrid ball bearings to go with the Boca Bearings logo and a paint scheme that will be heavy metal flaked blues, blacks, and silvers.

Lincoln Electric welders and Lil Daddy Roth's Flake paint is being used for this project.

                  Stay tuned. Adam will have an update with the completed frame in early March.

Scan-o-tron project: Building accessories

The Scanotron build is at full-steam. The Eureka Factory is currently building the project accessories.

The accessories in this case is the framework for the monitor that people will be able to watch the scanning on. The metal bars on each side slide onto a wooden support and are held in place with pins. 

The board across the top drops into the frame and can be adjusted for height, depending on where you're exhibiting. A monitor mount will be attached to the board, so you can easily attach the monitor. Cables will run through the 80/20 tubing.