5" C-Punk Racer sub 250g

By Rotorenpilot on Feb 09, 2024

12  0  24

Big shout out to EyeFly from Germany, great design. I originally emailed them for a Vista version of the original, but while building quickly decided to make a few of these, as it's just a very versatile base.

To be super light and also to enhance the "racer" concept I thought a "quick and dirty" analog build with a fun canopy would be just perfect as a "test proof of concept".

I still want to build the Vista, and maybe even remix this concept for a more durable freestyle version, but for now I'm really enjoying the look of this one.

Thank you to Mark Kotlowski for the cool canopy design.

So I just gave it a hover and one of the first things I added after was an expo on the throttle to lower..or better, to soften the thrust. It was intense to say the least, will add some video later.

With regards to weight: weighing in at 141 grams, and flying pretty snappy with a 3S battery, staying comfortably under 200grams. With a 4S 850mAh or even 930mAh it's a bit heavier, but still a good bit under 250grams.

I did not find a great spot for the capacitor, so I'll add a little bracket to protect it soon... I've had some issues with capacitors breaking off in the past to say the least.

Here's a complete recipe (happy cooking):

  • frame and canopy are printed and links are in this post
  • FC and ESC are an AIO from JHEMCU as listed below
  • Motors are lannrc 2004 3000Kv
  • Receiver is a BetaFlight nano ELRS with ceramic antenna
  • Video transmitter or vtX is an HGLRC Zeus nano 5.8 ghz analog transmitter with a max output of 350mw
  • Camera is a RunCam nano (4)

Photos

Discussion

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joelself   May 26, 2024  

Hi, I'm new here so bear with me. Your design says "frame and canopy are printed and links are in this post". Does that mean this is based off of the design on the EyeFly page you linked, the "Tubular TrueX 5inch - o3 toothpick - 3d-printable frame" (I'd link it, but it appears I'm not allowed to do that yet)? I have to say I'm surprised you have to custom print the tube connectors. Tubular carbon fiber frame designs seem to be pretty popular and you'd think there would be a readily available source of common connectors like 90°, 60°, 45°, T-joint, X-joint, 4 tube connectors with a plate to mount a 20/25/30mm stack, connector with a plate to mount a motor, etc.

Rotrotor   Apr 09, 2024  
1

Great looking build! Looks like something out of the mad max universe. Thanks for the great write up, I think you convinced my to make my next build an EyeFly tubular

Latency   Mar 12, 2024  

Could i get complete list of parts, including an analog camera and edgetx receiver

Show 5 more comments
Latency   Mar 12, 2024 

my goodness i am blind i found it what is the total price including batteries?

Rotorenpilot   Mar 12, 2024 

No problem, glad to help

So the price is not super accurate, as deals often fluctuate, but I'll try (I try ordering from stores like Pyrodrone, but often times just find better deals on AliExpress...😐)

  • FC/ESC around $50
  • Motors ~ $40
  • Video transmitter ~ $20
  • receiver ~ $10
  • camera ~ $15
  • frame parts (tubes, glue and plastic) ~ $10

All in all I would say around $150, but somethings to keep in mind are that I like waiting for deals and I often buy in bulk, which can help pushing the price even further. I know the video transmitter for example has gone up in price since I bought this one, but the receivers can be purchased in bulk for as low as ~ $6.-

Rotorenpilot   Mar 12, 2024 

My current favorite batteries are GNBs...but I did the math the other day and actually found Tattus to be around the same price and sometimes even cheaper. CNHLs are the cheapest and I have some...but they are not my favorite. So batteries are adding another 15 to 20 bucks, depending on how much flight time you're looking for.... honestly I've yet to run down a battery on this rig. So far I get close to ten minutes of flight time with batteries still popping back to 3.6 even 3.8 Volts per cell after unplugging. I'm using 4S around 850mAh

lalith   Feb 20, 2024  

please could you share dvr

Rotorenpilot   Feb 20, 2024 
1

yes, I'll post something, it's just been raining like crazy over here and I also have a dayjob, but if all works out, I should be able to put something up this week

kathy23   Feb 19, 2024  
1

I don't know how to thank you for this post.Really, I'm very pleased by this post. Whoever wrote it was a great person.Thanks for telling us about this.Thank you for being ready to share what you know with us. quordle today

Rotorenpilot   Feb 20, 2024 

Happy to hear you like it, I'm also working on a freestyle version of similar design. Probably another re-mix of one of Nic's concepts from Eyefly

lalith   Feb 19, 2024  

bro i am a beginner will you recommend me this frame for racing and if yes please could you share 3d printed parts files and dimension of tubs for this build and is there any other to contact you or talk with you please

Rotorenpilot   Feb 20, 2024 
1

Hi, no problem. To be honest, I've only been in the hobby since fall last year, so I'm not in any way a "long term authority" on the subject, just an avid builder with a humble background in electrical engineering.

Now with regards to your questions:
I'm not a racer, but from what I've seen on YouTube (Alex Vanover, Min ChanKim and the likes), this build seems to check all the boxes. Let me explain
--> easy to replicate, due to low frame cost - check
--> super stiff and rigid - check
--> very light and responsive - check
--> true X geometry - check
--> also it's analog

I tried this with a 3S and 3 inch props, since I didn't have 5 inch t-mounts when I finished building and it was already so powerful I put an expo on my throttle to be able to sort of "tame" the thrust ratio.

To me it's a pretty good candidate for racing, but again, I'm not an expert.

With regards to 3D prints --> everything is in the description, with the exception of the capacitor protector I re-mixed, and they are all on thingieverse.

For private messaging you are welcome to use rotorbuilds messaging service and if need be we can figure something out in addition.

lalith   Feb 19, 2024  
Rice_Bowl   Feb 13, 2024  
2

great to see tube designs getting more light. I hope someday we can get injection molded parts tbh as that would but the cherry on top as these 3d printed parts are usually what breaks or what increases weight. But damn those frames from eyefly look great!

Felias - eyefly   Feb 10, 2024  
1

So great to see your build on here, thanks for sharing! Looking great with the canopy :-) Also thanks for the shoutout!
Would be very interested in your longterm experiences with the LANNRC motors. I hear they break quite easily sadly in a crash - thats why i mainly use them for my LongRange-builds - that i don't crash just as often .-)

Show 2 more comments
Rotorenpilot   Feb 11, 2024 

Yes, those long range projects on your page are pretty cool. I love the forest video of that one (I think the deadcat design).

The one (I call it the hourglass, I think you refer to it as "open box") frame I would like to try next is this one shown here https://www.eyeflydesigns.com/#tubwidex
(tubular wide X..?). It looks symmetrical and perfect for freestyle, not sure about the rigidity, but if it's anything close to the full box design, it'll be great. I think it's either 4 inch, or 6 inch... I'm thinking the 4 inch version might be more fun for freestyle with the lighter motors.

Felias - eyefly   Feb 12, 2024 
1

Yes, this version is indeed great for freestyle. The only downside is that it takes a bit longer to build the base frame compared to the TrueX-version i've built after - so in case of damage to the frame switching them out takes a little longer. To further improve on this, i've built the "Wide-X box" series - there you have all your electronics on a standalone cage that you can easily switch over to a new core frame. However i agree that the hourglass-style frame looks nicer :-)

Anyway, for the hourglass "WideX" version i do have a 4", 5", 6" design ready. I've just uploaded the 4" version for you here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6481335

Rotorenpilot   Feb 12, 2024 
1

Thank you, I'm looking forward to this one, and as usual --> I'll post the build when it's done

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