Weekly wrap up #9-11: data

Sorry for the lack of post for the last few weeks. Due to experiment testing, work, and preparations to head to Kentucky for the Vex World Championships, my posting have been delayed. However as my project is almost coming to a end, I have tried my best to fulfill the original question of my project: increasing endurance of the quadcopter.

As far for testing procedures I followed the first one which was the PVC setup and the timing of how long the quadcopter will last (as depicted with the picture).

2 prop

3 prop

4 prop

This setup allowed me to to control the quadcopter through my computer and ensure each trial has an equal amp usage. I did the same setup for the the extended arm experiment .

Extended arms

 But I did a trial where I didn't extend arms rather incorporate weight to test if the weight of the arms had anything to do with the endurance.



With the short amount of time I have I could not follow the flight test procedures. The time to be able to learn how to fly the quadcopter and tune the quadcopter to be able to hover without swaying will be at least another 3 weeks.

This is what I have for data:




currently I don't have data for ducted prop because I am still waiting on materials to be shipped for me to undergo its construction.

What this data is saying so far the as we increase prop number the endurance goes down. It seems like even though thrust is increasing the flight time is decreasing, I feel there might be a negative correlation between thrust and endurance. However my findings will be confirmed once I start the ducted prop test.

In terms of the extend arm prop it seems the endurance is the same for the 2 prop.  The theory behind this was that the extended arms was suppose to to decrease vibrations that would happened during the flight. The extended arms allow increase amount of stability however comes with the cost of the extra weight. It seems both the negative and positive aspects are working here. The stability of the quadcopter allows an small increase of flight time however the extra weight seems to decrease it (we know its a the weight problem because of the "weight from extended arm test").

Once I finish the ducted prop test I will update my blog and go forth with my conclusion.

Weekly wrap up #6-8: Testing

Hi for the last few weeks I have been setting up my testing procedures and plans for modification. The current testing procedures call for the following:

Endurance test:
1. Build the testing apparatus that will allow indoor flying procedures
2. Attach quadcopter to the apparatus with a string and allow it to fly
3. Record time for how long it lasts
4. Repeat trial another 4 times
5. Proceed with the next modification and repeat step 2 - 4
6. Proceed with the next test
The endurance test will allow me to analyze if the modifications affect the endurance of the quadcopter at its simple state of hovering. Hovering will eliminate the drag force during foward flight  and allow a easier indoor testing. The indoor conditions eliminate the environment as a factor as well.

Thrust test (Work in progress):
Currently I don't have really have any testing procedures with the thrust test. However the plan is to attach the string that is connected to the quadcopter onto the scale and see how much it can lift.The thrust test will allow me to analyze if there is any correlation with the modifications to thrust, and if thrust directly correlates with endurance.

Flight test (Work in progress)
If I have time left in this project, I will bring the quadcopter outdoors and fly it around till the battery dies. This will simulate a realistic view and usage of the quadcopter as it will factor the environment conditions that will interact with the quadcopter during recreational flight the user will intend to do when they use a quadcopter.

So with the testing procedures laid out I was ready to start testing. Originally my testing apparatus involved a slab of wood and a string attached to the quadcopter.

Me and with the original testing apparatus

However that didn't end well because the quadcopter was unpredictable and could of gone anywhere in the room.

 So the the next best idea was to create a cube which the string will attach the quadcopter to each side.

Quadcopter on landing platform

Quadcopter during air mode

The tied the string not too tight as it will eliminate the upward force that keeps the quadcopter stable. But with this setup it allows a safer and predictable testing environment. The current plan is to program( through cleanflight) the quadcopter to stop at 5V. The reason why is that the battery seems to die if the battery is drained from 11.1V to below 3.3V. Currently I am out of batteries and waiting for my replacement. The plan for the next few weeks is to finish testing. But once I get the replacements I will start testing.