I resealed the box after finding no damage on my inspection so I’ll open it up again sometime soon.
Me too. I haven’t figured out if that is the same as ordering direct from MFE like many of us have.
Below are a couple images of transitions on my 6s Fighter from hover modes to FBWA. They were at different throttle settings so lets use the worst case one of around 90 amps, which has all 5 motors running.
If we use a single 6s 10AH 10C pack, it can deliver 100 amps continuous so we are already in good shape. Alternatively, if using a 5AH pack, it needs to be at least a 20C rating.
My 6s 21AH 30C Ultra Power (TroyBuiltModels) packs can deliver 630 amps which is well beyond my XT150-AS150 connector capability of 150 amps.
Keep in mind that MFE posted build and setup videos above. I think they may even be captioned with English now. I used the original ones when I built the Fighter VTOL.
One thing I am looking into for my Striver build is to find a slower cure jiao shui glue than the tubes I found at Hobby King. The MFE build videos look like they use a thinner glue that can be brushed on easier. The medium curing time glue at Hobby King, in my experience, was thicker and required expedient application on the two fuselage halves. They also used two builders.
I’ll look for another type of brush-on glue for foam. I’ll give this glue a try and see how it compares to the Hobby King glue. It seems inexpensive and comes in various sizes. The cure time looks promising.
Hello
I bought striver mini through AliExpress.
I’m a beginner, so I don’t know how to power the servo.
Main 1, 2, 3, 4 Quad Motor, front motor main 5
a1 aileron, a2 elevator, a3 Rudder (a1,a2 used the Y cable)
To supply 6v10a power to the servo, we would like to mount the BEC on a6.
I wonder if there is no problem with the composition.
Or I wonder if the main out is supplied even if I power a1 after installing m1 to m8.
It is recommended that you use two flight control output channels to control the left and right ailerons respectively, so that you can modify the PWM value on the ground station to directly perform Servo fine-tuning.
You can use a multimeter to check the parallel connection of all positive poles of M1-M8 and A1-A6, and all the parallel connections of negative poles.
The power module is not a power source for peripherals connected to the PWM outputs. If you’re connecting servos/actuators you will need to separately power them using a BEC.
This should work fine as long as there is no other BEC feeding the Mx or Ax connectors.
I have been trying to estimate my MTOW based on all the components that I have in hand - including payload items - on a model that I don’t have in my hands yet and therefore have not built yet… in the first instance to ensure that buying the Striver is a good idea for my situation and needs and to ensure it sits within its design spec when fully loaded. One thing I am not sure about in my estimates is the weight of the wiring harness which can become quite a heavy part of the build and although - it is what it is…still needs to be accounted for in an initial estimate of the build. Greg, have you ever actually weighed the wiring harness in you Fighter (or other builds) I would be interested if you or anyone else has this information.
I have information from MFE for those interested on the approximate empty weights for the Fighter and the Striver as starting points - Striver VTOL was 2300g Fighter VTOL was 2700g
Have you ever used epoxy for tricky large glue-up jobs like fuselage joining? I am a classical guitar maker of some decades and have always used West System Epoxies (I use 105 epoxy) for lots of glue jobs and if I need to thicken it up for a particular glue job will use West System 413 Microfibre Blend I think it would be ideal and provides a lot of open time - downside is that the cure time is many hours (overnight) and ideally needs to be warm enough to set properly…although somewhat ironically, it can have an exothermic reaction, particularly if it is applied in a very thick bead or left in quantity inside a mixing container and can generate an enormous amount of heat - so you can spread it thinly to avoid this problem (you don’t want to melt your new foamy) - I haven’t done any tests with this on EPP or EPO but I don’t think it ever eats foam like polyester resins can. I have also used it as a laminating resin (with no thickening agent) to glass fibre skin up discuss launch glider wings on hot wire cut Styrofoam extruded foam board with no problems and the bond is extremely good.
Worth having a look at as a permanent bonding method for a one person glue up using masking tape as temporary clamps on the joints? or even looking for a 30 minute cure epoxy or similar?
When I get my Striver I might even give it a go and report the results here…unless someone has a better idea and method?
There are problems with using epoxy on foam. First, it dries hard and is not flexible like the foam surfaces that it is holding together. Second, it yellows over time and becomes unsightly. Does it work? Yes, but it is not the best choice for most modelers.
We don’t usually clamp foam models but rather hold them together with masking tape or tied cloth strips.
No, I never go that deep on my weighing of components. On the Fighter, I started out with an advantage from only using a single 6s 21AH pack so it looked like this.
The maximum designed take-off weight of the MFE Fighter is 11.5kg (25.5lbs) using the 12s power system. My all-up flying weight is around 7.2kg (16lbs) with 12kg (26lbs) of hover thrust using a 6s 21AH Lipo pack.
I opened my Striver box to check for damage and everything looked to be in great shape. I ordered one of the camera foam blocks which is specific for the Striver.
I recently did some testing with the Matek GNSS M9N-5883 module on my small 250mm quad and it was quite successful. It came with a plug-in-play cable for the Pixracer, which I had in the quad. I received more satellites and had a stronger 3D fix so the LOITER and RTH mode performance on the quad seemed to be within inches and not feet.
For a larger VTOL like the Striver, I am looking for an M9N module with a larger antenna than the 25x25mm patch in the Matek module. So far, I have found the CUAV NEO 3 module and the NEO-M9N GPS from the CSG Shop in Latvia. I’m not sure what the antenna size is inside the CUAV module. I have purchased M8N modules in the past from the CSG Shop and they had excellent performance! The CSG M9N module antenna size appears to be about 4 times the size of the Matek module so I am leaning towards this design.
I have a a couple of questions for you with regards to the performance of the 6S setup that you have on your MFE Fighter…and it is relevant here in this thread also, as the Striver MTOW is similar to your AUW for your fighter as you have configured it.
So, just wondering about the real world performance of the VTOL motors (Tarot 5008 KV 340 with1855 props?) and throttle amount required for HOVER and CLIMB as a percentage and also the Amps drawn at these levels of power/lift requirement? I am guessing it is something like 70% throttle for hover and ‘all out’ for the climb out?
Just curious to see what your thoughts are now generally after flying this setup for a while and if you would change anything if you were building another one…I am still interested in keeping the Fighter setup at a more modest AUW at around 7 to 8 Kgs…and I may come back to building a Striver at some stage. Going to a 12S setup (on the Fighter) may provide more efficiency and draw less current etc…but the trade-off is that you need to double the battery weight to achieve this.
Do you feel that there is plenty of headroom there with 7 to 8Kg AUW and 12 Kg of total thrust over the four VTOL motors? I guess the proof is in your flight videos but your thoughts would be appreciated and valued.
I have posted this information already in the Fighter thread but I’ll post some images here. For hovering, the current was about 60 amps in QLOITER mode, or about 15 amps per motor and ESC on a 6s LiPo.
For transition, the current was around 75 amps for ascent and jumped to 90 amps momentarily when all 5 motors were on. The quad ESCs never really flat topped but the blue C6 ESC did hit around 1900 for a few seconds. This was a transition from QSTABILIZE to FBWA mode. The QRTL shows up momentarily as an in-between mode positions on my Horus X10 knob when I turn it too slow. So underneath the QRTL is the FBWA label on the last image below.
So far, I have loved the performance of my Fighter VTOL. The payload of about 1 pound could be increased as the large frame and wingspan just don’t seem to care. The hobby grade Pixhawk 1 (v2.4.8) and M8N GPS perform very well. I like the simplicity of using a single LiPo pack per flight. I still haven’t determined my flight time but a guesstimate is around 45 minutes.
I have some weights on my Fighter model. It came out pretty close to my guesstimate of 16lbs without payload.
RTF with Payload @ 16.45lbs (7.45kg)
Fuselage = 3.0lbs (1.36kg)
VTOL Wing = 3.2lbs (1.45kg)
Tail = 1.0lb (0.45kg)
6s 21AH LiPo = 5.3lbs (2.40)
Payload = 0.75lb (0.34kg)
It’s a subjective question based upon how you plan to use the VTOL. Typically, the hover portion of the flight is quite short and for the most part, you are flying like a plane when mapping. I also demo my VTOLs so I often hover longer than normal. The quad power system components don’t get hot so I don’t see any limits at the moment. If I were to add a second 5.3lb 6s 21AH Lipo pack, that would be a different story. So I guess that I’m saying the system is good for a single pack setup.
Thanks for the very helpful information. It tells me what I need to know and shows me what I can expect out of the system if I decide to go this way. It appears at that weight that you still have a decent amount of headroom in the vtol system.
I still have a lot of ideas swimming around on how I might set mine up and I’m sure there will be more iterations before I drive the stake in the ground and make a final decision. I do have most of the gear already on hand to go this way and I like the simplicity of the one battery solution as well.
The main decision is whether to go with a 6s or a 12s system. Obviously, the 6s system is lighter and less expensive. Once you decide that, you can always swap out motors or props. For me, the 6s system is adequate and much cheaper. I had three of the 6s 21AH packs from my DJI S900 days so I could fly longer and cover more area than needed. If you don’t like the Tarot 5008 motors over time, you can simply swap them out for a stronger motor since they are only drawing about 15 amps on a 40 amp Hobbywing ESC. Not a big gamble.
I have never used these Tarot motors before my Fighter build but I have been using the Hobbywing XRotor 40A ESCs (no BEC) for years without issue. All the parts are inexpensive and I have spares of everything, if needed.
Yes the 6S system is definitely appealing, and you’re right, it is easy to swap out later if need be, as there are plenty of motor options for 6S and there is always the possibility to keep the 6S cruise motor and go to 12S for the VTOL (to go back to the idea with a split battery system)…I have all the 5008’s and Xrotor 40 amp ESC - and also have a Tmotor 4120 KV500 with a 15x8 prop ready to roll…So yes this would be the path of least resistance for me to get it built (when it finally arrives) and then upgrade as required…
I do like the 5008 Tarot motors…the quality is definitely up there…I have a set for a Tarot 960 Hexacopter that I have on the build list as well…
