OCD Manta-Teal (Teal Drones Challenge) by CO-OCD

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Lots of pictures so please look through them all!
Here is my entry for the Teal Drones Challenge. I call it the Manta-Teal.
I wanted to design something that accompanied the lines of the original Teal Drones top as well as made a statement that I have not seen in the FPV drone world – beautiful flowing curves. Usually drones are so mechanical and functional that we don’t see pleasing aesthetics.
When I started the design I quickly learned that I had to focus on a few key components and that is what led me to what you see here. I wanted to make sure that the components were also what Teal Drones currently uses. Of course there is the requisite Runcam Swift Rotor Riot Edition FPV camera under the canopy. There is also the supplied Luminier AXII 5.8GHz FPV Antenna. I felt these had to be used in my design.
From there it was about flowing lines and soft edges. I wanted something that almost harkens back to the Art Deco designs of the past with sweeping faces and substance. Soon I realized I was designing an old Bugatti, Locomotive, or Boeing DC-3. It really became organic and started flowing. This is exactly what I was after.
With the integration of the TX Antenna, I quickly followed the lines to a kicked-up exit in the rear which flows perfectly to “tail”. The addition of the FPV camera lens cover and twin-LED lights had me feeling like this was taking on an animal persona. I then added a couple exit points along the spine for electronics cooling and before I knew it, I had designed what I call the Manta-Teal. Like a Manta Ray, the body is designed for flowing through the air while maintaining a low profile. The enclosed FPV Camera allows for better flow while also protecting the lens from impacts. The symmetry and flowing nature alone are an amazing compliment to the original form of Teal Drones designs.
Should you want more than just a flying experience, you can take out the removable insert on the top of the body and use the provided Go Pro camera mounting system that I designed. I chose Go Pro as FPV Drone Pilots primarily use their products for capturing recordings during FPV flights. The mount supports both the Hero and Session versions that Go Pro offers. This of course could be changed to allow for many different adaptations for camera’s that are on the market today. The choices are endless and the mount can be too.
The exterior of the body is 2mm thick and retains the stock mounting points. There is also ample room inside the body to support electronics expansion if need be.
Whether it be 3D printed or injection molded, the Manta-Teal is a beautiful addition to the Teal Drones catalog.
Thanks for looking!
Jon
Luminier AXII - Self Designed.
Run Cam STEP File - https://grabcad.com/library/runcam-hs1177-fpv-camera-1
Go Pro Session Camera - https://grabcad.com/library/gopro-hero4-session-1
Go Pro Hero 4 - https://grabcad.com/library/gopro-hero4-silver-1
Project Source - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2597372