\nare hot right now, and we want in! That’s why we talked to<\/span> <\/span>David Dewey<\/a>, the
\ndesigner of the “<\/span>Frame’ish” Go Pro frame<\/a>, that allows you to send your GoPro
\nsoaring through the air and capture some great footage. See what he has to say about the world of Quadcopters below!<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n
A Quadcopter? So is that a 4 wheel <\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Ummm… <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n A <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n So why buy a Radio Controlled <\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The What has the DJI Phantom and this hobby <\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n For <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Care to explain some of these <\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Well <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Once <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n The <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Now <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Realising <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n My So where does Shapeways fit into this <\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Well <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n So where has this rekindled love of <\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Using <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n After <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Suggestions <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Excellent! So Shapeways is suited to <\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n It <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n In <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n So what is next?<\/p>\n <\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Who <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n The <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Can I see this progress in more <\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Yep…. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Balsa http:\/\/www.phantompilots.com\/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=968<\/a><\/p>\n <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n The <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.phantompilots.com\/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=999<\/a><\/p>\n <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Latest <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.phantompilots.com\/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1297<\/a><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/drone1.jpg\")
<\/font><\/p>\n
\nbike with a rotor blade sticking out of it?<\/p>\n
\nno. That would be messy if you stood up.<\/p>\n
\nquadcopter, while easy to get way over technical, is a radio controlled
\naircraft that uses 4 propellers to fly which are powered by 4 motors (4=quad).
\nThe direction and angle that a quadcopter flys in is generally dictated by how
\nmuch power goes to each motor\/propeller…. simple.<\/p>\n
\nQuadcopter or ”Drone” (as I hear them called sometimes?)<\/p>\n
\ndevelopment in radio controlled (RC) quadcopters in the last 5 years has really
\nopened the world of radio controlled flight to consumer novice. A pre built ‘Ready
\nto Fly’ quadcopter with a built in brain (a flight stabilising system) can literally
\nbe flown by a person with no prior RC experience without too much drama (a large
\nfield is suggested!). The Parrot AR Drone and the more recent DJI Phantom are
\ntwo examples of such devices that are targeted at the casual hobbyist and are
\nvery user friendly. Open the box and within minutes you can be soaring hundreds
\nof feet high! The Phantom in particular is perfect for a beginner as it uses
\nGPS to know where it took off from and can be called home to self land at the
\nflick of a switch.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/drone4.jpg\")
<\/font><\/p>\n
\nbrought to your life?<\/p>\n
\nme it is fresh air, an amazing view of the world (through the camera lense) and
\na chance to be creative in 3D! In the air it is just great fun but on the
\nground it allows me find solutions to problems that haven’t been solved
\ncommercially.<\/p>\n
\nproblems you have solved?<\/p>\n
\na quadcopter like the DJI Phantom can fly high with a GoPro Hero camera
\nattached to its belly via the included mount. You get an amazing picture of the
\nworld once you have landed, downloaded and processed the video. <\/p>\n
\nyou have a few flights under your belt, you start to see why people in this
\nhobby love a ‘First Person View’ (or FPV as it is more commonly known). With the right kit FPV takes the live feed
\nfrom the mounted camera and transmits the image to a monitor or a set of
\ngoggles which the pilot can see\/wear. The very popular Fatshark Predator V2 is a perfect example. The Predator V2 is
\npopular as it comes with all the bits you need for adding FPV to any radio
\ncontrolled craft.<\/p>\n
\nproblem is that neither magic, well wishing, nor any hocus-pocus will send the
\nvideo image to your eyes alone. You have a transmitter (known as a TX) that has
\nto be mounted securely<\/strong> to the craft,
\nwired for power and also to the camera. You also get a small filter which is
\nused to clean up the image (it is a small circuit board that also needs
\nmounting).<\/p>\n
\nthe DJI Phantom is not a large flying device compared to some and the only real
\noption for mounting the TX and filter is via Velcro adhesive (much loved in the
\nRC flight community!). This works fine for many people but the TX has very
\nlittle (if any) flat surfaces for the Velcro to adhere to. It also looks a
\nlittle shabby compared to the clean white lines of the Phantom shell and leaves
\nno protection in the event of a bumpy landing (and yes they can be very bumpy
\nin inexperienced hands!).<\/p>\n
\nthese problems made me fall in love with the hobby even more as it gave me
\nthings to ‘tinker’ with on rainy or windy days when flying was a no go. <\/p>\n
\nfirst efforts included balsa wood and a cut up sandwich box! They actually worked
\nperfectly but as a designer they just looked shoddy. Functional sure….but
\nshoddy! A true conceptual prototype!<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/droneparts.jpg\")
<\/font><\/p>\n
\nall?<\/p>\n
\nback 2002 I completed my degree in Computer Aided Product Design. This included
\n3D modelling, which was something I loved doing at the time but had little practical
\nuse for me now I am in the web design\/I.T business. On the off chance that my age-old
\nversion of Rhinoceros would export to Shapeways I gave it a go. Boom it
\nuploaded a test “.stl” file flawlessly. Wow… the 3D design world opened up
\nagain and the Phantom was a perfect item to practice on!<\/p>\n
\n3D design lead?<\/p>\n
\nan old pair of manual measuring callipers (replaced with shiny digital ones now
\nI might add!), I was able to turn my ‘balsa and sandwich tray’ concept into a
\nreal 3D printable undertray that would attach to the Phantom via threaded spacers.
\nThis gave me a larger flatter surface to mount the TX and filter to. At this point
\nI thought “well why not make a cage for the TX?” so I integrated a custom fit
\nholder to the Undertray that takes the Fatshark Predator V2 TX safely and in
\nstyle.<\/p>\n
\nmy MK1 prototype arrived I was able to see areas for improvement. It worked but
\nwas a little floppy. I could see where strength was needed and where bulk could
\nbe shed. It also allowed me to share my design with the growing community of
\nPhantom \/Quad flyers on places like www.phantompilots.com<\/a> <\/p>\n
\nstarted coming about a separate TX holder, a smaller undertray and ideas
\nrelating to camera mounts too. With this to motivate me I decided to take a few
\nhours to re-design the existing model and create some spin offs from it to suit
\nthe needs of fellow flyers.<\/p>\n
\nRC Quadcopter\/Drone modifying?<\/p>\n
\nliterally couldn’t be a better fit in my opinion.<\/p>\n
\nRC flight, less weight means more air time and better control. The great thing
\nis that with Shapeways, less weight is actually cheaper to produce so weight
\nsaving can save money too. The other thing that just ‘fits’ is the material
\nproperties of the white nylon. It is strong but not brittle and quite capable
\nof taking a healthy bump! I was able to create my very simple but effective
\nGoPro “Frame’ish” with it. It uses the same principal as their original (quite
\nexpensive) design where the frame stretches open around the camera and closes
\nup snugly. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/dronehang.jpg\")
<\/font><\/p>\n
\nknows. For me this has started as just a bit of fun. It has taken me from a new
\ngreat new hobby of FPV Quadcopter flying, back into an old (much loved) one of
\n3D design. The two smashed together perfectly! It is field I never really
\nimagined I would do again with any purpose or end product to hold. It keeps my
\ncreative juices flowing, my mind sharp and my Phantom both functional and great
\nlooking!<\/p>\n
\nonly problem is how addictive it all is. The temptation to buy other bigger and
\nbetter Quadcopters, Hexcopters (6 props) or Octocopters (8 props) knowing that
\nthere are design problems to solve on them could send trembles down my bank
\nmanagers spine!<\/p>\n
\ndetail?<\/p>\n
\nyou can piece it together from the forum threads!<\/p>\n
\nwood and Sandwich tray and even some carbon fibre!:<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n
\nstart of the Shapeways work:<\/p>\n
\nversions\/flight tests:<\/p>\n