Armattan Tricopter User manual

Mini FPV Tricopter / Vtail / Quadcopter
Frame Assembly Manual
Main Armattan Website:
http://www.armattanquads.com/
RCGroups Discussion Thread:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2079871
Purchasing Thread (website in the works):
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2180797
V01
Updated June 21st, 2014

Frame Specifications:
1mm Carbon Fiber Main Plate
1mm Carbon Fiber Top Plate
1mm G10 FPV camera plate
3mm Carbon Fiber Arms
Custom 3D printed direct drive tail mechanism
Option for various vibration isolation methods (or none for a speed racer)
Small (30.5mm) or large (45mm) FC mounting
Various lipo mounting locations (bottom recommended)
Foldable
Various motor size options (accepts 16x19 motors!)
Up to 6" props
Mounting for Mobius
Recommended parts:
Cobra 2204 1960kV multirotor version
12A Armattan ESCs (18A 30 second burst)
6" props with 3S (1000mAh-2200mAh) OR 5" props with 4S (1000mAh-
1800mAh)
TGY-212DMH servo (tricopter) or similar
Naze32 Acro
ImmersionRC 5.8GHz 600mW VTx with Cloverleaf
PZ0420 (or cheaper knockoff equivalent CC1333)
Pololu 12V step up (5V of VTx to 12V of camera)
Mobuis (GoPro capable)

Parts included in “Frame”kit
(subject to change, parts may not be exactly as pictured)
2 x 1mm CF Main Plate
2 x 1mm CF Top Plate
4 x 3mm CF Arm
1 x 1mm G10 FPV Plate
4 x Blue Gimbal Bobbin
6 x M3 35mm Aluminum Standoff
4 x M3 12mm Nylon Standoff
8 x M3 5mm Nylon Bolt
12 x M3 Locknut
6 x M3 3mm Spacer
12 x M3 10mm Metal Bolt
12 x M3 4mm Metal Bolt
24 x M3 Washer
1 x 3.18mm Shaft with C-Clip
2 x M2 Locknut
2 x M2 6mm Metal Bolt
2 x M2 8mm Metal Bolt
4 x M2 Nylon Nut
4 x M2 5mm Nylon Standoff
4 x M2 5mm Nylon Bolt
1 x Lipo Strap (not pictured)
1 x 3D Printed Tail Mechanism

Tricopter Build
Step 1:
Place gimbal bobbins in one main plate, lipo strap in the other.

Step 2:
Mount M2 Nylon hardware to FPV camera plate.
Insert shaft with C-Clip into tail mechanism. Screw on servo arm with M2 metal
hardware, using either the short or long bolts depending on size. The screw that
usually goes into the servo through the servo arm ISN’T used.

Step 3:
Using 10 x 10mm bolts, 10 x M3 locknuts, 2 x 3mm spacers (washers optional, but
recommended on sliding slots for arms) assemble arms to main plates. Spacers go
at the front of the main plates. Check arm orientation to match motor pattern,
flip over if motor wires come out sideways. This includes the tail mechanism
piece.

Step 4:
Assemble the 6 x 35mm metal standoffs to one top plate with 6 x 4mm metal
bolts. Also install the 4 x 12mm nylon standoffs with 4 x 5mm nylon bolt. Slide
FPV plate into either slot, depending on where you’d like to mount it.

Step 5:
Squish the bobbins through the top plate. Don’t be afraid to really squish them to
get them in, they’re built to be squished.

Step 6:
Install second top plate with 6 x 4mm bolts.

Tricopter
Tricks and Tips
Use double sided servo tape between the servo and the arm along with a ziptie to
ensure it doesn’t move.
When installing the servo (stick tape onto servo first), have the tail mechanism
installed already. Flex it up a bit so that when you’re putting the servo spline into
the servo arm, the tape isn’t touching the arm. Then align from above and push
the servo onto the CF arm.
If the servo or tail mechanism needs to be replaced, undo the bolts hold the small
piece to the arm first and slide the entire mechanism backwards off the servo.
In hard crashes, the gimbal bobbins can pull out of the main and top plates. To
remove the chance of this happening, it’s recommended to loosely put zipties
through them to act as limiters in a crash.
A small PDB (such as the Abusemark mini PDB) is recommended. It makes the
build much easier and adds minimal weight.

With the Naze Acro FC:
Ignore the prop directions in the Naze manual. Having all three props spin the
same direction will limit the throw and therefore the rotation speed in a yaw
direction. Instead, have the front two props counter rotate in the same way a
quad does. The back prop can go either direction.
Limit the servo throw to extend its life. The tail mechanism doesn’t allow for full
180 degree movement. I use the following, but it will depend on your servo and
configuration.
Type “set tri_unarmed_servo = 0”into the CLI to stop the servo from moving
when not armed (not required, but nice to have).
Set looptime to 2500.
Starting PIDs (you may have to retune based on your setup)