More Flight Trial and Error, H2V3 Automation
Trying To Make It Quiet
A larger diameter propeller is quieter but it creates more unwanted torque
The propellers are only one 0.4mm layer thick but they are still rigid enough. 3D printing the propellers works but it often leads to gaps in the blades. It might be worth upgrading my 3D printer for this because I need the most accuracy possible. The balloon can lift about 3.2g which can only cancel out the weight of the battery. A larger balloon would be the easy way out but it would also break the form-factor I’m going for.
I could design a gearbox or belt drive system so a smaller motor could lift the whole robot but that might harm efficiency and introduce noise. Instead I plan to just drive a larger prop at a lower RPM to reduce noise. I’ll also need to use a larger trim motor to compensate for the torque generated by the main motor. It might be worth looking into using two main motors.
Propeller Testing Setup
This will let me test many combinations and ratios
I need to dial in the tolerances but this should allow me to quickly test different belt drive combinations. I designed this before I decided to primarily focus on using larger motors but I might change my mind after looking into it more.
Properly Automating The H2 Cell
I’m Not Going to Miss the Chemical Spills
I decided to just keep it simple and not give the Arduino control over the pump. Right now all this system does is turn off the reactor once the water reaches a certain level. It has redundant sensors to do this and it is very reliable. If I ever want to fill something larger then a circular balloon then I might want to implement a continuous running mode but right now that would just be dangerous. The wires heat up when I run it for too long and the pump is strong enough to break the balloons.
This Week's Gallery:
Plans For Next Week:
More Tv2 Flight R&D
I have multiple routes that I could go with the design and it would be best to explore all of them. I’m going to focus on using a larger motor and propeller for next week’s testing but I also might try a dual motor configuration. The electrolysis reactor is done now so I’m just focusing on the V2 hardware.
Todo List:
- Design multiple propellers with varying pitch and diameter for the larger motor
- Setup the helicopter configuration with the larger motor and test performance
- Design a beam that fits dual main motors and test performance