It’s finally here! Well almost. The Tricopter V3 is coming very soon.
Designed to be as light as possible without compromising strength or stiffness the Tricopter V3 only weighs 205 grams including arms, tilt mechanism, motor mounts, screws, landing gear and vibration dampened camera mount! Yet it’s stiffer and more precise than previous versions. The kit will be available for sale here on the site shortly. But as usual all plans and files will be available for free so you can make the parts yourself.
Tired of the how easily extruded carbon fiber booms crack and loose their torsion strength, I set out to find a better alternative. Many, many hours of searching I found a factory that could make 10x10mm carbon fiber square tubes to the specifications I was looking for. These woven carbon fiber square tube arms are incredible stiff, strong and lightweight. The torsion (twisting) strength is unparalleled which results in a crisp and precise flying experience, even with high power setups. Unlike extruded carbon fiber arms, these arm can take abuse without cracking. They are also 33-40% lighter, have more room inside to run wires and are stiffer in all aspects. The kit will include 3 arms with predrilled 3mm holes, so you don’t have to drill it yourself. 
The new design features 3D printed parts, as they are can be made lighter, have more complex shapes and are cheaper to make than injection moulded parts. They are also much easier to share. If you don’t want to buy it, simply download the STL and print it yourself.
The Tricopter V3 is designed to be easy to build and repair. The landing gear and tilt mechanism is held on using zip-ties, just like in previous versions. These zip-ties acts as “mechanical fuses”, absorbing energy and protecting important pieces in a crash.
Included in the kit is also a vibration dampening camera/battery tray. The tray is suspended underneath the main body using 4 1.5mm thick curved shaped pieces of piano wire.
The wire comes pre-bent (which saves a ton of time and frustration). This vibration dampening system was created specifically for the large flight envelope of the tricopter. The vibrations created by the motors and props spinning only has one way of reaching the camera, and that is down through the thin curved shaped wires. Since the camera plate is stiff, the whole camera tray has to vibrate for the camera to vibrate. With the heavy battery and camera mounted on the tray, a lot of energy is needed to get it moving. The thin and stiff piano wire has a high resonance frequency and low frequency vibrations will have a hard time to travel down to the camera plate. The small amount of high frequency vibrations that does make it down has so little energy that they are easily absorbed by the heavy battery and camera. Resulting in buttery smooth footage. The main benefit of this system compared to many soft vibration dampening solutions, is that it doesn’t move or wiggle during fast forward flight or quick change of direction. This system you can whip around like a maniac and still get perfect video.
Just like the previous tricopter versions, this design is also foldable. This makes transportation easier, but it also help prevent damage in a crash. The arms simply fold back and absorb some of the energy. The arms are held in place by friction, which means that you don’t have to use a tool to fold or unfold, simply grab the arm and push or pull it.
The new all 3D printed tilt mechanism for tricopters. Designed to be as simple, precise, light, durable and with as little air resistance as possible. It has over 130° of throw yet only weighs 8.7 grams. Printed in black ABS plastic for maximum durability. The tilt mechanism will be available in the tricopter kit, as well as sold separately. The STL file will be available to download for free so that you can print your own at home.
A build video with step by step instructions along with a detailed build log is also in the making and will be posted around the same time as the kit. STL and DXF files along with list of recommended electronics will aslo be posted at that time.
But what about the price?
The kit containing:
3 pre-drilled woven carbon fiber arms
Tricopter frame
Vibration dampening Camera/battery tray
Tilt mechanism
Landing gear
FPV transmitter holder
Motor mounts
GoPro velcro strap
Battery strap
Fron spacer
Zip-ties
Screws
Will be:
$95!
So when will it be available?
Early to mid September, if everything goes to plan.
Thank you very much for your patience and support.