Tarot T960 Hexacopter – Heavy lifting multirotor for aerial video/photos

I’ve pulled the trigger. A new path has been chosen. I’m about to build my first bird. My Phantom has been great, but I need more stability and the ability to carry heavier loads, as in bigger cameras.

I’m building a 960 frame hexacopter called a Tarot T960. With the proper setup this unit should be able to carry a full DSLR camera, and will easily carry smaller mirror-less cameras etc.  The size of this unit is going to be 3-4 times my Phantom.

I’ve ordered the skeleton frame, landing gear, battery mounts, gimbal mount from China. Its Chinese New Year so I’m not sure when the stuff will arrive. I’m still in the process of choosing the electronics, motors, navigation system, GPS, batteries, remote and all that.  I’m also still trying to figure out where the money for all that stuff is going to come from.

This build will take months due to the time and the expense. This is not going to be cheap.

I’m very excited and can’t wait to get going.

Six months ago I would have never guessed I’d be so excited about buying a precise kitchen scale capable of measuring in grams.  That day came today.

I’m in the stage of “managing the weight of my bird.”  Every gram which is added to my quadcopter means shorter flight times and poorer flying characteristics.   With this scale I can quickly check weights in order to make good choices with regards to add-ons and extra gear.

My bird with the 3-axis gimbal, extended landing gear (medium risers), and the big 2700mAh battery weighs in at 1,222 grams.  Better than the 1,300 I estimated.

Phantom 1 (top) and Phantom 2 (bottom) Propellors

I’ve just received some new props for my Phantom 1.  The new props are designed for the Phantom 2.  I’ve done quite a bit of reading which says that these props are more efficient and provide more lift and longer flight times.

I’m happy to report that these props have made quite a difference.  Where my full rig with the original props logged flight times around 3:30 to 4:00, the same setup with the new props was in the air before having to land itself at 5:45!  That’s huge.

Another benefit to the props is that the unit is flying better with this heavy load.  These propers are bigger and more capable of handling that load.  That’s what they’re designed for.  I’d liken it to using the cheapest and smallest Costco tires on your Porsche versus some great Pirellis or something designed for that kind of handling.

New post will be about prop balancing, a whole new and other world I’ve entered into.