So this weekend I had some things I had to do on Sunday and didn't get the opportunity to go bando flying with the boys. But what that did was free me up to get some updates and repairs done to the Joker drone after a pretty epic and muddy crash into the pastures late last week.
So not only did I get some repairs done, I also printed some fresh TPU and worked on a new design for the Joker head on top so that it is one solid piece and doesn't move like the current setup using a Go Pro mount. But first things is first, and that was to get the important pieces cleaned up and fixed.
Let the Repairs Begin!
My poor TBS Crossfire Immortal T antenna for my radio got pretty shredded. I didn't have any shrink wrap so I did a bit of an electrical tape job that got it all fixed up. Later on when I have some shrink wrap that skinny, I will do a proper job on it to give some extra protection.
After I got the antenna fixed up I took the top off of the quad and got all the dirt and such cleaned up from around the electronics and motors. The key is to just take your time with this stuff. I am waiting on my friend to get some new waterproofing stuff in so I can coat all my chips and soldered connections with it so that if I do accidentally hit the water, my quad will still be in good shape, or at least repairable...
New O3 Camera Pod
Since I had all this taken off, it seemed like a great time to print up a new camera mount that I had designed for me that is moving my DJI O3 camera angle up from 10 degrees to 20 degrees. My smaller quads have a higher angle, but this 5 inch can get away from you extremely fast, so I like the lower camera angle to give me a bit more control as a newer pilot.
I had just ordered a new pack of TPU filament for my 3D printer that matched was the same stuff as I had before, so it worked out perfectly. I printed both files the designer sent, but went with the shorter one due to the camera cable length limitations.
New Bumpers
While I was at it, I printed up a new front bumper to match! It fits nicely on the front and helps protect it if I were to crash. I had also recently printed some new bumpers for the bottom of the quad to protect against my rough ass landings, which also are the same green color.
I am all about strength and durability, especially with this quad because it is my 'basher'. It's the bad boy of the fleet that gets out and gets flown pretty hard. I don't care so much about the weight, I would rather have it beefed up and able to take a beating.
Joker Gets a Redesign
I couldn't do all this without giving the crowned prince of crime and update too! After all, he is the face of the drone, lol! But seriously, my buddy gave me some advice on making him one piece instead of using the Go Pro mount 2-piece design I had before. So I went into Tinkercad and made it work out!
Got the full one piece design all printed out then had to do a bit of work to take off the supports. With TPU, supports can be a bit of a pain in the ass, so make sure to take your time. But this is a solid piece of TPU using 100% infill, so it came out great and super strong! Not only that, but I embedded the Joker logo in there that I found online and turned into an SVG that I could use in Tinkercad. Just gave it that extra touch! I am just having too much fun with this quad as it's the king of my fleet! The Joker is my favorite villian and freestyle FPV is like skateboarding for the skies, so it just fit in my little anarchist head, lol.
It came out really clean. I let the new roll of TPU dry in my dryer box overnight before I printed these pieces, so they came out great. Now it was time to throw it on the quad and button everything up! Just look at that sexy beast! All ready to get back in the air... As soon as we have some halfway decent weather...
Until next time...
Be cool, be real, and always abide with the skies!
