Dreamcatcher Micro Quadcopter by dmerand

Last crawled date: 2 years, 12 months ago

Why
I loved the idea of the Ultimate Micro Quad (the original dreamcatcher as far as I can tell), and the customizable variant by driggers.
I wanted a customizable version (eg for different motor and board dimensions), but as much as I love the idea of OpenSCAD, I don't love the experience of using OpenSCAD to modify frame variables, especially in situations where heavy modification is necessary.
How
I decided to re-model the dreamcatcher idea in Onshape, where it can be graphically parametric. I've made the model public if you want to make your own copy.
The version I've uploaded here fits a Syma X1. I have a whole fleet of these at work, and I wanted to be able to upgrade/repair them without having to constantly be fiddling with the cheesy gearing and motor connectors on that model.
Notes
This model is more a re-work than it is a re-mix, given that I used the source material as inspiration, but re-drew the plans from scratch (many times).
I've made some changes to the idea of the original design. The most prominent is the motor mount, which retains the "pop-out" idea, but adds an integrated bottom to make it easier to ensure that motors are all at the same height, and to lower the center of gravity relative to the motors. I also added struts across the "wings", which keeps the model from buckling under pressure from the rubber bands that hold it together.
The motor on a Syma X1 is a 7x20mm brushed motor. Micro Motor Warehouse has the best replacements in that size.
Update 2015.08.17: I updated the motor mounts to be a bit taller, tighter, and to have fillets for added strength in a crash.
Update 2015.08.25: I updated the holder to have fully enclosed corners. You have to use a lanyard hitch to attach your rubber band, but it's much stronger when printed out of PLA.