560mg Plane - Unoffical Record Holder

During the time when I was really into building these small planes ('06 - '10) there was a little unofficial competition of sorts going on between the 5 or so people in the world that were building planes this light. Contrary to what one might think, building a small plane isn't as hard as building a light plane. So, there was always a little friendly competition to see who could build a lighter plane. This plane, for about 3 months back in November of '07, had that record.

The wing span on this plane was 2.75", the chord 7/8", and the length was about 3.25". The air frame is all balsa with OS film covering. Flight times were about 4 minutes per charge. The controls were done through an infrared receiver which controlled the throttle and rudder.

Planes this light become a lesson in frustration. For example, all the "large" components of the receiver (microprocessor, IR detector) were sanded down to the copper die to reduce weight. The 3.2mm diameter brushed motor was completely disassembled and rebuild without the steel can to save even more weight (and thus killing motor efficiency). Propeller design becomes very critical at this point because there isn't a lot of motor power to work with.

Specs:
WS: 2.75"
Actuator: 3mm ID, 160ohms
Motor: Lightened 3.2mm Shicoh

Component Weights
Airframe + Actuator: 45mg
IR RX: 50mg
Lightened 3.2mm Motor: 130mg
Prop: 20mg
8.5mAh Li-Po: 295mg
Misc: 20mg

Total: 560mg

Original Post: 560mg Plane @ RcGroups

Comments

Other People Thought These Were Cool..

Micro Servos

When I started to take a break from microscopic flying vehicles in 2010 and migrate towards some larger, easier to work with, models (5-20g) I realized that magnetic actuators just weren't going to cut it for control (rudder, elevator, ailerons). Magnetic actuators are heavy and draw power continuously when deflected away from neutral. I needed servos. Servos would provide lots of pulling force for their weight but at the cost of mechanical complexity. Since servos at the weight I needed didn't exist or were out of my price range I decided to further over complicate the situation and build my own. I started by designing a simple linear servo (lead screw design). The picture above is of my 400mg variant which has a throw of about 0.2", resolution of 0.0015", and can pull about a 25g load. The motor is a brushed 3.2mm diameter coreless design by Shicoh. The gears used are module 0.15 and can be gotten from http://www.kkpmo.com/ . The threaded rod is 0000-160, which

3D Printed Mechanical Pencil

What better way is there to spend multiple consecutive weekends than sitting at your computer, redesigning a mechanism that has existed for decades, all to be able to 3D print something that can be bought at the store for less than $1? ... That's right, anything. However, when your co-worker throws down the gauntlet there is only one thing to do. Take it up.

840mg Biplane

I built this back in May of '07. With this plane I wanted to focus primarily on small size. I was still going for something lighter than my previous plane but I wanted to make an airplane that even I thought was small - a tall order considering I had been building micro r/c planes for year or two at this point. I chose a biplane design for this plane because it would allow me to keep a high wing area but keep the wing span small. The wing span on this plane is 2.75", the chord is 7/8", and the length is 3.75". The frame is all made of balsa wood and covered with OS film. Flight times were in the 4-5 minute range per charge. It is powered by a 3.2mm diameter brushed motor and a 1" propeller. The infrared receiver is capable of controlling the throttle and the rudder with a 7 step proportional control. The rudder is driven with a small electromagnetic actuator. The power source was a single cell 10mAh lithium polymer battery which can be recharged. Weight

The Corner Case

Search This Blog