84. RC Tricopter

This project will be a follow-up on the last, the quadcopter. Like the quadcopter, it has multiple motors used for flying, but as the name suggests, it has 3 motors instead of 4 motors. Because of it, it also has a tail servo used to turn the drone left or right just by tilting the motor. With fewer motors, it allows the drone to have a more "fluid" control while being stable (Though still not as stable as the quadcopter). This can get a bit tricky as it can fly with a sudden momentum, but as you get the hang of it, it becomes easier.

<Tricopter>

The parts required are almost the same as the quadcopter. For starters, it uses the same kk2.1.5 multi-controller board, the same receiver from Flysky, the same ESCs and propellers, and many more.

The only difference that this tricopter has were different motors, which are slightly smaller (Around 1000Kv), and has the aforementioned servo. It's important that the servo here is metal, and can support up to 9g. The frame used for this drone is the Rotorbits brand-having hard plastic joints and carbon fiber beams for strength.

<Parts>

To get started, you will need to first assemble the tricopter frame. It's very easy to assemble - you would need to know what the tricopter looks like (Shown below), and slide each part (the beams) through the plastic connectors. Once you got the beams connected, drill the holes though. You can find the guide holes on the plastic connectors-this is where you would drill them. Once you got the holes drilled, use M3 screws to secure the rods and connectors in place. Once the tricopter frame is assembled, double-check to make sure the rods are connected in the right way, especially for the placement of the tail servo.

Speaking of the tail servo, make sure that the motor holders are on the opposite side, while the servo is below the 2 motors.

<Frame>

With the frame done, you can insert the motors on each motor holder, and secure the servo to the tail. There is another motor holder that secures to the servo's shaft-this is when the servo needs to tilt the motor left or right. Once again, secure the last motor to that holder once it's connected.

Attach the kk board to the center, similar to the quadcopter. Note that since this frame doesn't have a built-in distributor board, you would need to acquire that board for easy power distribution. Attach the ESCs to each of the beams, where you would connect its powerlines to the D-board for power. Wire the motor's to the ESC's 3 output connections, even though you may need to change the connections if the motor is going the wrong way.

Like you would do with the quadcopter project, wire up the receiver to the inputs of the kk board- starting with the power, and the 4 signal channels to the board. Again, you will need to switch out the connections (not the power) if the connections to the channels are not correct. With the input wiring in place, wire up the ESC servo (And the actual servo) connections to the output of the kk board, making sure that the connections are in order.

<Attaching the microcontroller>

Double-check to make sure the connections are correct: Motors to ESCs, ESC outputs, and servo to the KK board, ESC powerlines to the Distributor board, and receiver to the KK board inputs. The last thing you would need to do is wire up the xt60 plug and wires to the D-board. It will serve as a way to connect the drone to a lipo power source.

Once everything is all secured, plug in the battery to see the kk board powering up, along with the sounds coming from the motors. You will need to configure the board first to ensure a proper flying experience, and to do so, you will need to load a motor layout. Find the layout that goes with the tricopter, and press continue for a permanent setup. Once you are done with it, you need to calibrate the ACC sensor by going to the ACC calibration option. Press continue, and wait until the board is all leveled out.

Make sure the receiver is bound with the transmitter for the next step. as the receiver lights up, go to the receiver test to check if the channels are in the right place. If the designated spots are using the wrong channels, swap them.

<Assembly>

Once everything was all set up, Arm it (without the propellers connected), and pull the throttle up to spin the motors. Once again, if the motors are going in the opposite direction, swap out the connections until it goes in the right direction.

(NOTE: for this board, you would need to go to the mixer editor, go to channel 4, change the rudder setting from 100 to -100, and then save it)

Once you are confident with it working, attach the propellers to the right motors tightly, and then you are ready to fly it!