DJI X8 Options

[aerorynamic]

The NAZA-M has 8 channels and you can choose the X8 in the assistant. I use 8 ESC's and 8 motors.
I sandwich 2 ESC's together and run 1 large pair of wire for power.

really good idea sandwiching the ESCs together. hard to tell from photos, did you run power thru the dji bottom plate or separate PDB?

 

[Benjamin Kenobi]

Really love these builds! Great job!

 

[SMP]

Aye!

 

[maxwelltub]

I was asking about this in another thread about a week ago. You don't fore see any issue with wiring the power cables together? Seems like a pretty clean set up.

 

[HighGainTuning]

I was asking about this in another thread about a week ago. You don't fore see any issue with wiring the power cables together? Seems like a pretty clean set up.

Thanks... The ESC's power pads are on both sides. You can solder single cables in a sandwich configuration but increase you cable gauge .
I do not use the supplied small gauge that the ESC's ship with. Ok for one but too much of a voltage drop on 2.

On the Phantom or even the Vision, the LED's are removed from the top ESC to get it flatter. A few people have now followed my thread and built their own X8 Phantom.

 

[Mojave]

HighGain Tuning,
With the X8 based layout on an F550; do you think that the payload could approach that of a carbon fiber ship?

 

[maxwelltub]

Thanks, made sense but glad to have some proof of concept.

Thanks... The ESC's power pads are on both sides. You can solder single cables in a sandwich configuration but increase you cable gauge .
I do not use the supplied small gauge that the ESC's ship with. Ok for one but too much of a voltage drop on 2.

On the Phantom or even the Vision, the LED's are removed from the top ESC to get it flatter. A few people have now followed my thread and built their own X8 Phantom.

 

[HighGainTuning]

HighGain Tuning,
With the X8 based layout on an F550; do you think that the payload could approach that of a carbon fiber ship?

Personally I would do this and make it an 800mm airframe.
Even with a double deck it is very light and the 16mm CF arms I do are very strong.
The Tarot motor mounts allow for some large motors.

Check out my X8 Phantom lifting an additional 4 1/2 pounds. Of course you don't want to load a craft like this but this is with 12 amp ESC's and stock 2212 motors.

 

[aerorynamic]

Personally I would do this and make it an 800mm airframe.
Even with a double deck it is very light and the 16mm CF arms I do are very strong.
The Tarot motor mounts allow for some large motors.

Hard to tell from photos, but are you using a separate power distro there on your 450?

 

[HighGainTuning]

Hard to tell from photos, but are you using a separate power distro there on your 450?

I am using the QBrain 4X20 all in one ESC.
The long ESC wires were ideal for the CF tubing install.

 

[SMP]

HighGain, did you end up making the adapters (3DPrint?) to fit the carbons to the 550 plates??

 

[HighGainTuning]

No... Those are just old DJI arms milled to accept 16mm CF tubing. I then drill them and install screws and insert brass threads.

 

[Boomhauer]

I have built a few X8's by either modifying the DJI arm and adding an additional mount or using Tarot mounts, 16mm CF tubing and milling some old broken DJI arms.
Using 16mm X 320mm CF tubing I can cut them in half for an F450 or use the whole length for an F800

This is the results.

This one doesn't really count but I do believe it's the only X8 Phantom out there.

HighGain, are you using the factory DJI board for power on your X8 Conversions? I'm getting ready to convert my 450 and that question has been nagging me. I have a VoltAir PDB if I needed but I'm not sure I do. My setup will be MT2216 / 900 with 10x5 on 3s.....I know 4s is better but all I have is 3s right now and living in Phoenix I try to keep the heat down the best I can. Thanks for your help.

 

[HighGainTuning]

The build with the DJI arms is, the build with the CF booms is using a Q-Brain 4X20 amp ESC.

 

[Boomhauer]

The build with the DJI arms is, the build with the CF booms is using a Q-Brain 4X20 amp ESC.

Great, thanks HG. I will use the facory board then.

 

[aerorynamic]

http://www.helidirect.com/gryphon-octocopter-power-distribution-board-gpd-1000ctp-p-33705.hdx

Seems like reasonable price. Plenty amperage.

 

[maxwelltub]

I uses this board, its great. If you are going to use a nice PDB this is the best one for the price. Some people just use thick gauge wire and string their escs together, but I prefer this type of board for quick swaps and easy maintenance. Plus they have the BEC disk too which is great.

 

[HighGainTuning]

I like Gryphon products but just that board alone is larger then my entire 8 ESC assembly and adds 85gr of unnecessary weight. That board is for much larger airframes and power hungry motors.
I am heat sinking one of the 4 X 20 ESC's to the copper F450 bottom plate and the other to the original aluminum plate. The assembly now runs cooler than it did when it arrived.
8, 20 amp ESC and the NAZA-M all fit between the plates.

 

[maxwelltub]

True, I totally forgot this was a 450 thread. I use this Gryphon board goes on my big birds. What is the board you are using here that is pictured above?

 

[HighGainTuning]

That is an assembly of 2, 4X20 amp esc's wired together. I don't know who makes them but there sold under several names. Mine came from Hobby King under the Q-Brain name. Some I see use different Capacitors and that's an item that I usually upgrade. The cheap Chinese caps used are under rated and leak if pushed too hard. Hobby Kings need to be programmed with the Turnigy program card and then the throttle on all 8 need to be calibrated.

I'll post some better pics once I have it all packaged together the way I want it. I shorten all wiring to what is necessary and have new CF booms arriving any day so this F450 will be an 800mm X8 when done.