Hey guys, someone mentioned to me on here said that they would like a better landing gear add-on or entire new gear. New gear/ add-on being a wider/taller landing gear and gimbal guard.

So the question is.... What would you personally like to see in a new landing gear or add-on landing gear. The reason I say add-on is that the antennas are all tied into the stock gear.... and it would just be another couple hours to redesign that as well. Add-ons might be easier.

How much taller would you like to see the gear? How many inches should be below the gimbal?Also thought about a chicken foot kind of design for an add on, could slightly give it a cushion to land on as well?

Input is greatly appreciated guys!! Discount for the forum guys! (I will be choosing a few member to send prototypes to to test!!! FOR FREE)

-Max

Definitely needs to be atleast 2" taller, for awesome clearance and a safety margin.

RedHotPoker

Running the 3d scanner on the whole drone as we speak! On the turnnnnn tabllleee. I am really not sure if its really worth designing the gear completely.... I am thinking extensions.

The key issue with the landing gears is the stiffness.
So what would be awesome is a 3d printed landing gear that had a pivot point along the landing rods like a hinge with a spring to allow for a more bounce then thud when landing.

I could create you a 3D mesh if you like of what I am talking about.
Or even a straight rod but to be allowed for some bounce.

But for your landing gear legnth idea, one key element would be to allow the user to change the length by using a screw based method.


Of course everyone in here knows I think WAY outside the box on these things.

MTR-Aerial Posted at 2016-5-18 16:13
Running the 3d scanner on the whole drone as we speak! On the turnnnnn tabllleee. I am really not su ...

do some ..... scanning sound effect to that.

These are cool looking... But they are the Polor Pro ones.

http://www.lacameraembarquee.fr/ ... 3-850454006284.html

RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-5-18 16:21
These are cool looking...

RedHotPoker

That does look cool and would add for the support.  Still

microcyb Posted at 2016-5-18 16:16
The key issue with the landing gears is the stiffness.
So what would be awesome is a 3d printed land ...

Yea go ahead... create them for me... Ill try to incorporate them!

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-5-18 15:21
These are cool looking... But they are the Polor Pro ones.

http://www.lacameraembarquee.fr/ ... 3- ...

I bought these from Bestbuy on Ebay and they work great. Just snap on and off.

I need 5" more (no, my wife didn't tell me that), for this...

I would love something that snaps on, or is secured with velcro... All I am thinking is maybe 1 to 2" taller, and perhaps a bit wider...... I would definitely vote fro easy and practical removal/attach process.
I do not know how to design for 3d printer, if I ever learn I'd play with it... I am not there yet...  Just 4 points contacting ground it fine, no need for any fixed structure along the skids to touch the ground...
Even this is acceptable, but it is for p1, and also does not have velcro slots incorporated to secure. I think being able to secure would be an important function: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:581973
This one is not a bad idea either, but it needs to be attachable differently than screws: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:198755

pow

MTR-Aerial Posted at 2016-5-18 17:14

LOL looks like what I do to my bird. MODIFY!
Man I have to order a 3D printer now also.

MTR-Aerial Posted at 2016-5-18 16:48
Yea go ahead... create them for me... Ill try to incorporate them!

Ah ha, found some images to describe better.

microcyb Posted at 2016-5-19 05:26
Ah ha, found some images to describe better.

I understand exactly what you mean and want... lol I'm thinking to use 1/18th scale rc shocks!

MTR-Aerial Posted at 2016-5-18 22:58
I understand exactly what you mean and want... lol I'm thinking to use 1/18th scale rc shocks!

Just a thought, rather than making the whole landing gear, what about making clamps for each leg so the user can add their own legs made from standard polycarbonate tube?  Just a thought.

IMHO the standard gear is great, anything you add is more windage and weight. You just need to be careful landing, I always land in atti and that way I am the only one compensating for wind.

If you always land and T/O on a flat surface you are fine. I often just use one of the rubber mats in my truck as a landing pad.

That said If I was to improve on the orig design, I would use carbon fiber and just make 4 Daddy Long Legs legs. keep the windage to a minimum and weight minimum as well.

I like this general idea, but his prices are way out in left field. ;-)
https://www.kickstarter.com/proj ... nfident-landings-an


RedHotPoker

I honestly have no problem landing the stock gear...at all.... I actually enjoy landing very much, always have ever since I started flying heli's approx 14 years ago. It just seems like there are more and more broken gimbal posts due to landing issue. I think it would be cool as well to have some snap on shock feet. Something that will give you 2-3 inches more clearance and a soft landing. Would look cool as hell too. I have some blue anodized 1/18th scale shocks I am going to try to incorporate into the design!

Current design is top heavy as the landing gear are too narrow. If they flared out a tad so the foot print was wider in both directions, similar to the feet attachment someone posted, that would be great. I'd rather replace my gear than add  on.

MTR-Aerial Posted at 2016-5-19 08:10
I honestly have no problem landing the stock gear...at all.... I actually enjoy landing very much, a ...

MTR, you're trying to design a device which took me the entire winter of after-hours CAD designing, material and hardware sourcing, CNC machining, assembling, testing, re-designing/building and testing again etc. No offense, but your (and apparently anybody's else) blind believe in magical 3D printing technology seems a bit naïve, my friend. But that's my opinion only, based on personal experience. Here's a few suggestions before you start scratchin' your head:
1. Buy a jewelry scale ($20 on Amazon) and weight any piece of hardware you want employ in your design. 250g total of extra payload will steal 7-10 minutes of flying time in good conditions.
2. Advanced landing gear should ignore the existence of flimsy factory legs, eventually eliminating them from assembly. This, however, calls for Lightbridge antennas and compass relocation.
3. Advanced landing gear should employ struts to stiffen the structure and to avoid jello-creating vibrations.

Good luck!

dobmatt Posted at 2016-5-19 06:49
250g total of extra payload will steal 7-10 minutes of flying time in good conditions

250g is a lot of weight.  I wouldn't expect extra legs to weight more than 50g.  My complete camera rig, including the camera is 412g which looses 7-10 minutes flight time.

Also, if the legs are designed equal, there won't be enough weight difference between them to make much difference to balance.  A couple of grams 3-4 inches off centre won't have much affect at all, any more than a very light breeze.

nigelw Posted at 2016-5-18 21:55
I need 5" more (no, my wife didn't tell me that), for this...

https://youtu.be/HLzxmsGUly8

What ya got hanging off there?

nigelw Posted at 2016-5-18 21:55
I need 5" more (no, my wife didn't tell me that), for this...

https://youtu.be/HLzxmsGUly8

What ya got hanging off there?

mrbill Posted at 2016-5-19 11:18
What ya got hanging off there?

A Fuji X70 camera.  http://forum.dji.com/thread-34514-1-1.html

MTR-Aerial Posted at 2016-5-19 05:58
I understand exactly what you mean and want... lol I'm thinking to use 1/18th scale rc shocks!

As I was reading this post I was thinking the same thing. My spare shocks for my traxxas Maxx! Tonight I will see if I can come up with something.
Great idea though :-)

I have been thinking about this too, and seeing if there is a viable solution on the market but have not seen anything that meets all my expectations. I need something light that blends into the aesthetics of the craft, I want something that easily snaps on and off in a instant perhaps with a Velcro wrap for additional security. It would need to increase height by 2 to 3 inches and perhaps have a gimbal guard incorporated. I would be willing to give up to 4 minutes of total flight time to compensate for the additional weight and drag but no more than that. A crows foot design that angles out to the sides of the craft seems like it would increase the footprint of the craft and stability.

dobmatt Posted at 2016-5-19 01:49
MTR, you're trying to design a device which took me the entire winter of after-hours CAD designing ...

Invalid.      

MTR-Aerial Posted at 2016-5-19 22:11
Invalid.

You mean you want to delete the thread as invalid? Did you changed your mind and you don't want to be involved in this project?

nigelw Posted at 2016-5-19 16:03
250g is a lot of weight.  I wouldn't expect extra legs to weight more than 50g.  My complete camera ...

You're right, nigelw: 250g extra payload for advanced landing gear will be just not feasible. This is only my estimate of how much the performance of Phantom will be taxed. My mod with water floats weights 216g, while a dirt landing version adds 109g.

dobmatt Posted at 2016-5-19 19:08
You're right, nigelw: 250g extra payload for advanced landing gear will be just not feasible. This ...

I expect water floats lose lift because of deflecting the airflow from the props, which would mean more throttle & less flight time in theory as well.  Is that your experience?

Apparently he has dismissed your negative thoughts, and is a creative free thinker with his own mind set.
There are as many different ways to skin a cat, as there are cat skinners... ;-)
What took you one long winter, was done in an afternoon, at his convenience and pace.

RedHotPoker

Busy day today.... Will update later tonight/tomorrow morning!

nigelw Posted at 2016-5-20 02:13
I expect water floats lose lift because of deflecting the airflow from the props, which would mean ...

Well, more or less that's the case, which was the main culprit in my design. To minimize the downdraft from props I moved the floats as much as possible out ... This approach rendered very wide, stable base and more than enough clearance for camera rig, even exotic one like yours. The system allows for relatively easy replacement of heavier floats with much lighter sled type hardware for ground landing. Naturally the floats are taxing the drone performance significantly more due to extra payload and aerodynamics of the structure. No heavy winds allowed though and Phantom is loosing a lot of its agility, but it can land on/move over/take off water nicely. It also act as a prop guard and a safety device. Unfortunately it's not a commercially viable solution, requiring some skills to assembly.

oldcar82 Posted at 2016-5-19 15:11
I have been thinking about this too, and seeing if there is a viable solution on the market but have ...

"A crows foot design that angles out to the sides of the craft seems like it would increase the footprint of the craft and stability."

I think this is an important note, which I wanted to add until I saw your post. Most of the weight will be higher up if the landing gear is taller. This makes the aircraft more susceptible to wind. I had 2 tipovers because of wind, right after firing up the motors while still on the ground. So adding a wider base (for example with the crow foot as mentioned by oldcar82) to a higher landing gear could prevent this from happening, making it easier to take off in windy conditions.

3D printing is a bit complex.   If you use the wrong fillament, your parts will be too brittle and will break easily.
If you print them in the wrong direction they will snap easily along layer lines.
Even ABS can be brittle when 3D printed....moisture and lot quality dependent.   So hard to get it right and be consistent.

Printing long, slender parts is especially difficult for the reasons mentioned.

3D printing is great for prototyping and certain parts where forces are not acute.    Making landing gear tough enough for the job yet light enough to be feasible will be a challenge.

But the OP may be up to it.   There is almost always someone who exceeds the known boundaries by thinking outside the proverbial "box"  {:4_156:}

Landing gear is BY FAR better done with injection molding though cost and suitability considered.

Injection molding would be tits and that's what it might need to be for it to be a finished product. But we can give it a shot. A buddy of mine has been using landing gear on a 450 that I printed over 8 months ago on a daily basis. It has seen some pretty gnarly spills as well.

dobmatt Posted at 2016-5-19 01:49
MTR, you're trying to design a device which took me the entire winter of after-hours CAD designing ...

Are you the one doing the floats on the bird?  If so excited to start seeing consumer tests.
Also, nothing wrong with someone trying something different like MTR.

MasterBlasterII Posted at 2016-5-19 09:00
As I was reading this post I was thinking the same thing. My spare shocks for my traxxas Maxx! Ton ...

Yes, exactly.  Traxxax shocks changed around a bit in my mind could help... Maybe...

microcyb Posted at 2016-5-20 21:56
Are you the one doing the floats on the bird?  If so excited to start seeing consumer tests.
Also, ...

My apologies if I offended you in any way, that wasn't my intention, I was just trying to describe the scale of challenge.
What consumer tests are you referring to? I'm not trying to manufacture or market anything, it's just one of many hobby projects of mine...