500mm quad-rotor frame assembly manual · camera mounting plates, cover plates and auxiliary...

nextlevelmulti-r t rs

500mm Quad-Rotor Frame Assembly Manual

500mm Quad Specifications:

Motor Spacing, Diagonal ...... 500mm (19.70 in.)Motor Spacing, Adjacent ...... 354mm (13.92 in.)Frame Width, Diagonal ........ 553mm (21.75 in.)Frame Width, Square ............ 403mm (15.90 in.)Overall Frame Height ............. 142mm (5.60 in.)Stock Frame Weight ............... 535 gm (18.8 oz.)

Next Level Multi-Rotor Kits are Manufactured and Distributed by:

Innov8tive Designs, Inc.1495 Poinsettia Ave., Suite 144

Vista, California 92081Phone: (760) 468-8838

[email protected]

Next Level Multi-Rotors 500mm Quad Assembly Manual

Thank you for purchasing a Next Level Multi-Rotor Frame Kit. These frames are designed to be used in a wide variety of applications, and are built to stand up to the rigors of everyday flying. We use high quality components in our frames, such as fiberglass reinforced FR4 board for the Center Body, Motor Mounts and Legs, high-strength extruded aluminum alloy for the Frame Arms, threaded aluminum stand-offs and stainless steel hardware. These components work together to create a rugged assembly that will withstand even the most demanding commercial or industrial uses for many years.

We know that pilots like to tailor their multi-rotor frames to meet the specific needs of their application, so we have a wide variety of accessories and replacement parts available to fit our frames. Optional shock absorbing landing gear kits, camera mounting plates, cover plates and auxiliary battery mounts are available, as well as a full selection of spare parts, just in case you damage your frame in an “unscheduled landing”.

The parts for your frame, and the hardware to assemble them, are bagged individually so that the correct pieces are available for each step of the build process. We have also included a small “Spare Parts” bag that contains extra pieces of each of the hardware parts used in the kit, just in case you drop one during the build and can’t find it.

This illustrated assembly manual is designed to take you step-by-step through the build process to insure that your frame is put together correctly, and in the proper order. Throughout the build, there will be places where options are available, and these will always be pointed out so you can choose which option you want to install. If you want to share your experiences with the build, or show us what you are doing with your Next Level Multi-Rotor frame, please see the contact information on the back page of this assembly manual for information on how to reach us. We sincerely hope that you enjoy both building and flying your Next Level Multi-Rotor frame.


500mm Quad-Rotor Frame Kit Assembly Manual


Required Tools:

To assemble your Next Level Multi-Rotor frame you will need to have the following tools available:

A Phillips screwdriver with a #1 size tipA 1/4 inch wrench (Or a small adjustable wrench)A 2.5mm hex wrench, either L-shape or screwdriver styleA pair of needle nose pliersA few round toothpicks

Kit Inventory:

Before the build is started, take a few moments and make sure that all of the required parts are in your frame kit. For the 500mm Quad Frame kit you should have the following parts in your kit box:

1 – Bag of Aluminum Arms (4 pieces)1 – Bag of Center Plates (2 pieces, one Upper and one Lower Center Plate)1 – Bag of Motor Mounts (8 pieces, four Upper and four Lower Motor Mounts)1 – Bag of Landing Gear Legs (8 pieces)1 – Bag of Landing Bumpers (4 pieces)1 – Bag of Center Plate Hardware1 – Bag of Motor Mount Hardware1 – Bag of Motor Screws and Washers1 – Bag of Landing Gear Hardware1 – Bag of Controller Board Mounting Hardware1 – Bag of Hardware Spare Parts

Please leave the hardware bags sealed until they are called for in the assembly manual to avoid losing parts or getting them mixed up with parts from other bags.

If any parts are missing from your kit, please contact the manufacturer, Innov8tive Designs, and let them know what is missing. They can be reached Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific Time at (760) 468-8838 or by email at [email protected]

Power System Selection:

This frame is designed to fit a wide variety of motors with an outside diameter of up to 28mm. Motors with stator sizes such as 2208, 2212, 2213, 2215, 2217 and


2221 can all be used, depending on the amount of weight you intend on carrying on your frame. Ideally, you want enough power so that the flying weight of the complete airframe, with batteries, is somewhere between 35% and 50% of the total available full power thrust from all of the motors combine. For example, if the total weight of your frame, ready to fly is 2-1/2 pounds (40 ounces), you would want to have between 5 and 7 pounds (80 to 112 ounces) of thrust available at full throttle. For a quad frame of this size and weight, this would require 20 to 28 ounces of thrust per motor at full throttle. If you have a larger motor, you can always run a smaller prop for lightly loaded flights and switch to larger props when more thrust is needed.

Your speed controllers can be installed in any one of 3 different locations on your Next Level frame, depending on your mounting preference and the size of speed controller used. They can be installed externally on the aluminum frame arms, inside the arms or in the center of the frame between the two Center Plates. If you are using speed controllers between 15 and 30 amps each, the suggested location is in between the center frame plates, with the motor leads running inside the aluminum frame arm tubes. If you choose this method you may need to purchase or fabricate motor lead extensions between 4 and 6 inches long, depending on the length of your motor leads. This provides a much cleaner look for your frame by keeping most of the wiring out of sight.

For ease of installation and accessibility to your wiring, or if you have larger speed controllers that will not fit easily inside the center frame, you can also attach your speed controllers to the top of the aluminum frame arms with Velcro or Zip-ties. This eliminates the need for motor lead extensions in most cases, and provides additional cooling to the speed controllers if needed.

If you are using 2208, 2212 or 2213 motors, and your full throttle current draw per motor is in the 8 to 10 amp range, then you can also use a smaller 10 to 12 amp speed controller for your motors. If the width of the speed controller is 19mm or less, it will fit inside the aluminum arms on the frame. This also makes for a very clean installation, and in most cases, eliminates the need for any motor lead extensions.

At this point, you will also need to decide how you intend to connect the inputs of all of your speed controllers together. In most cases, for a multi-rotor of this size, all four speed controllers are connected to one common battery through some type of 4-to-1 harness. If you want to use one of the optional Next Level 4-to-1 power harnesses, you will need to install a 3.5mm male bullet connector on the positive (red) lead of each ESC and a 3.5mm female bullet connector on the negative (black) lead of each ESC. We have found that this works very well and minimizes the bulk of connectors in the center of the frame. If you want to use


a different type of power connector, you will need to fabricate your own 4-to-1 power harness to suit your specific needs.

Motor and Speed Controller Set-up:

In a Quad-Copter type aircraft you need to have two motors that rotate in the conventional manner (counter-clockwise as viewed from the prop shaft end) with normal props, and two motors that rotate in the reverse direction (clockwise as viewed from the prop shaft end) with reverse pitch or “Pusher” type props. If you are installing your speed controllers either inside the frame arms, or inside the center body, where it is difficult to get the motor leads once the frame is assembled, it is important to make sure that you have the motors spinning the proper direction before you install them into the frame. Some brands of speed controllers allow for reversal of the motor direction through programming. If your speed controllers allow this, you can change the motor direction later if needed. If you are going to mount your speed controllers out in the open on the top side of the frame arms, then you do not need to determine the rotation yet, because you can simply swap any two wires between the motor and speed controller later if they are spinning the wrong way. If this is the case, you can skip forward to Section 1 of the build. If you are going to put your speed controllers either inside the frame, or inside the arms, please follow the instructions in the next few paragraphs to get your motors and speed controllers properly set-up.

To test the rotation of the motors, you must temporarily plug the motor and speed controller (ESC) together and run up the motors to see which way they spin. If you plan on using motor lead extension wires, you will need to install them at this time as well. You will also need a motor battery and a way to control the speed controller. The preferred method to control the ESC is to use a servo driver. A servo driver will provide the control signal to your ESC without the need of a transmitter and receiver. If you do not have a servo driver, then you can use your transmitter and receiver to control the ESC.

Once you have the motor and ESC hooked up with either a servo driver or your transmitter and receiver, you can start up the motor and see what direction it spins. If you are using a servo driver, turn the control knob on the servo driver to the idle position and then plug the motor battery into the speed controller. You will want to have a firm hold of the base of the motor to make sure it does not jump around and twist the motor leads when it starts spinning. If you temporarily attach the motor to the supplied motor mount with two screws, you can use the motor mount as a handle to firmly hold the motor while you are testing the rotation direction. Turn the knob on the servo controller just far enough to get the motor to start spinning and note the direction of rotation. If you are using a transmitter


and receiver to test the motors, always turn on the transmitter first and set the throttle to the idle position before you plug in the motor battery. Once you get the confirmation beeps from the motor, open the throttle stick until the motor just starts to rotate and note the direction it is spinning.

After you have determined which way the motor is spinning, you can put a small piece of masking tape on the outer can of the motor, and draw an arrow indicating the direction of rotation with a pen. Rub the tape down securely so it does not fly off later when you test the motors once again during final assembly of the electronics. You can also draw the rotation direction on the motor with a permanent marker, which can be wiped off later with a paper towel and a little alcohol.

Once you have determined the rotation direction, unplug the battery and servo driver or receiver, but leave the motor attached to the speed controller. Repeat this process with the other three motors and mark the rotation direction of each motor. Remember that you want to end up with two motors that spin clockwise and two motors that spin counter-clockwise. To change the direction of the motor, just unplug any two leads between the motor and ESC and trade places with them and plug them back in. Once you have all four motors marked with their direction of rotation you can now move on to installing them in the frame.

Important Note: Never reverse the polarity at the input side of the ESC to make the motor spin the other way! This will immediately destroy the speed controller!

Section 1: Attach Motors to the Lower Motor Mounts

[ ] 1. Open the bag of Motor Mounts and remove the eight pieces. There are four Lower Motor Mounts that have the mounting holes for the motors, and four Upper Motor Mounts that have a large 30mm center hole in them.

[ ] 2. Open the bag containing the Motor Screws and Washers. This bag contains sixteen M3 x 5mm socket head screws and sixteen M3 flat washers.

[ ] 3. Attach one of your motors to one of the Lower Motor Mounts using four M3 x 5mm socket head screws and four M3 flat washers. You will need to use a metric 2.5mm Hex wrench to tighten the screws. Tighten the screws securely, but do not over-tighten them and strip out the threads on your motor. (Note: For additional security, you can put a small drop of blue thread-locking compound on each of the motor screws before you install them.) When completed, the motor should look like the one shown in Figure 1. If you are going to run the motor leads through the inside of the frame arms, install the motor so the lead wires point towards the four holes as seen in Figure 2. If you plan on installing your


speed controllers on the outside of the frame arms, then mount the motor so the leads exit to the right as shown in Figure 3. Repeat this process for the remaining three motors so that all four motors are mounted to the Lower Motor Mounts.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3


Section 2: Attach Motor Mounts to Aluminum Frame Arms

Now that the motors are all attached to the Lower Motor Mounts, it is time to attach the Motor Mounts to the Aluminum Frame Arms.

[ ] 1. Open the bag that contains the hardware for the Motor Mounts. This bag contains the following pieces:

16 – Phillips Head 4-40 x 1-1/8 inch screws16 – 4-40 nylon-insert locking nuts12 – 3/16 inch diameter by 3/4 inch long threaded aluminum standoffs24 – Phillips Head 4-40 x 1/4 inch screws

[ ] 2. Attach one of the threaded aluminum stand-offs into each of the three holes around the motor in the Lower Motor Mounts using the 4-40 x 1/4 inch screws. The standoffs should be on the same side of the Lower Motor Mount that the motor is attached to. See Figure 4 below for the completed assembly. Only put the screws in finger tight at this point and do not tighten them snugly, since these parts need to be free to move later when the motors are aligned with the Upper Motor Mounts. When complete, repeat this process for the three remaining Lower Motor Mount

[ ] 3. Open the bag that contains the four Aluminum Frame Arms. These arms are designed so that they are symmetrical end to end and top to bottom, so you cannot install them incorrectly.

Figure 4


If you are using ESC’s that will be mounted in the center body of the frame, go to step 4a. If you are using smaller 10-12 amp ESC’s that will go inside the arms, go to step 4b. If you are using externally mounted ESC’s on your frame, go to step 5.

[ ] 4a. If you are on this step, it is because you plan to mount your ESC’s inside the center body of the frame. To do this, you will need to feed the leads from your motor through the inside of the aluminum frame arm before things are bolted together. At this time, your motor should still have the lead extensions installed, and the ESC should still be attached to the other end of the lead extensions. Note how the wires are connected between the ESC and the motor lead extensions. You will need to temporarily disconnect the ESC from the motor lead extensions, feed the motor leads and extensions down through the aluminum arm, and then reconnect the ESC to the motor lead extensions. You can either write down the color combinations that go together so you can put them back together correctly later, or, if you have a speed controller that has the same color wire on all three leads, you can make a set of color coding bands from short pieces of heat shrink tubing and install one on each connector so you will know which way to plug them back together after the leads are run through the inside of the aluminum arms. (Note: This might seem like a lot of work at this point, but if you swap two leads accidently and the motor runs the wrong way, you will have to disassemble the entire center part of the frame to gain access to the leads to swap them later. If your ESC can be programmed for motor reversing, you can change the motor direction later without taking everything apart.)

Now move on to step 5.

[ ] 4b. If you are on this step, it is because you are using smaller 10-12 amp ESC’s that will fit inside the aluminum arms on the frame. Before mounting the motor mounts to the arm, simply slide the ESC down through the arm before going on to step 5. The power leads for the ESC should extend past the end of the aluminum tube at least an inch or two so you have room to plug them into the 4-to-1 power harness later on.

[ ] 5. Set one of the Upper Motor Mounts on top of one of the aluminum frame arms so that the four holes in the Motor Mount line up with the four holes in the end of the aluminum arm. Insert two of the Phillips Head 4-40 x 1-1/8 inch screws down through two holes on opposite corners in the Upper Motor Mount and through the holes in the aluminum arm so the ends of the screws protrude through the bottom of the arm. If you are running the speed controllers inside the arms or center boddy of the frame, the motor and Lower Motor Mount will also be in place at this time. If this is the case, make sure the screws also go through the holes in the Lower Motor Mount.


[ ] 6. If you are running your ESC’s or motor leads inside the aluminum arms, and there are any wires in the way that prevent the screw from going through the holes, you can use a round wooden toothpick to poke down into the holes and move the wires out of the way. Be careful not to pinch or cut any of the wires with the screws as they are pushed through the frame. At this point, the assembly should look like Figure 5 or Figure 6 shown below, depending on if the motors are already in place.

[ ] 7. Hold the arm with one finger on the heads of the two screws, so they do not fall out, and flip the arm over so the ends of the screws are facing up towards you. Next, take the Lower Motor Mount with attached motor and place it onto the arm, lining up the two holes in the Motor Mount with the ends of the two screws. Finally, place a 4-40 nylon insert locking nut onto each of the two screws. You will only be able to turn the nuts 2-3 turns until the tip of the screw hits the nylon insert in the nut.

Figure 5

Figure 6


[ ] 8. Install two more of the 4-40 x 1-1/8 inch screws in the remaining two holes and then put a nut on the end of each screw. Again, if there are any wires blocking the screws from going through the holes, push them out of the way with the end of a toothpick. See Figure 7 for more details.

[ ] 9. Flip the arm back over and install three of the Phillips Head 4-40 x 1/4 screws into the three holes around the motor in the Upper Motor Mount and into the threaded standoffs. Again, only tighten the screws finger tight. See Figure 8.

[ ] 10. Using a Phillips screwdriver with a #1 tip and a 1/4 inch wrench, tighten the four screws that attach the Upper and Lower Motor Mounts to the aluminum arm. At this time, do not tighten the screws completely yet, just get them to the point where the parts are not loose, but you can still rock the Motor Mounts side to side a bit.

Figure 7

Figure 8


[ ] 11. Tighten the three screws that attach the threaded standoffs to the Lower Motor Mount. If the standoff wants to spin, making it difficult to get the screw tight, you can keep the standoff from spinning by gripping it with a pair of needle nose pliers.

[ ] 12. Slide the Upper Motor Mount to a position where there is an equal gap all the way around between the hole in the Upper Motor Mount and the outer edge of the motor. For most 22mm motors, there will be a little over 1mm of clearance all the way around the motor. Once you have an even clearance all the way around, tighten the three screws that go into the threaded standoffs.

[ ] 13. Go back and finish tightening the four screws and nylon locking nuts that attach the motor mounts to the aluminum arm. Do not over-tighten these screws! Tighten them until they are snug, and then go no more than an additional 1/8 of a turn. If you over-tighten the screws you can crush and de-form the end of the aluminum tubing. You do not need to worry about these screws coming loose later, because the nylon locking insert in the nuts prevent the screws from loosening up. The completed assembly should look like the one shown in Figure 9.

[ ] 14. Repeat Steps 5 through 13 for each of the remaining arms and motor assemblies. When these are finished go on to Section 3.

Section 3: Attaching Arms to the Center Plates

Once the motors are attached to the Aluminum Arms, they can all be mounted to the Center Plates. At this time you will need to consult the manual of your flight controller board and also determine what configuration you are going to use to set up your frame. You will need to decide if you are going to build a + configuration quad or an X configuration quad. You also need to determine which direction

Figure 9


each motor is supposed to turn for your configuration. Here is a list of common configurations for several different flight controller boards.

For the OpenPilot CopterControl board:

X-Quad Configuration:

Motor 1(left front) and 3 (right rear) spin in the reverse direction (Clockwise), with pusher props.

Motor 2 (right front) and 4 (left rear) spin in the normal direction (Counter-clockwise), with normal props.

+-Quad Configuration:

Motor 1 (front) and Motor 3 (rear) spin in the reverse direction (Clockwise), with pusher props.

Motor 2 (right) and 4 (left) spin in the normal direction (Counter-clockwise), with normal props.

For the Gaui 344 and Fyetech FY-90Q,FY-90Q Pro and FY-91Q Controllers:





Motor 1 (front) and Motor 3 (rear) spin in the normal direction (Counter-clockwise), with normal props.

Motor 2 (right) and 4 (left) spin in the reverse direction (Clockwise), with pusher props.

CCW

CCWCW

CW

1 2

34

CW

CW

CCW

CCW

1

2

3

4

CCW

CCW

CW

CW

1

2

3

4

CCW

CCWCW

CW

1

23

4


For the KK MultiCopter boards:






Motor 2 (left) and 3 (right) spin in the normal direction (Counter-clockwise), with normal props.

For the PARIS MultiWiiCopter boards:


Motor 3 (left front) and 9 (right rear) spin in the reverse direction (Clockwise), with pusher props.




Motor 10 (right) and 11 (left) spin in the normal direction (Counter-clockwise), with normal props.

CCW

CCWCW

CW

1 2

34

CCW

CCWCW

CW

10

911

3

CW

CW

CCW

CCW

3

10

9

11

CW

CW

CCW

CCW

1

2 3

4


For the Hoverfly SPORT boards:


Motor 1(left rear) and 2 (right front) spin in the reverse direction (Clockwise), with pusher props.

Motor 3 (left front) and 4 (right rear) spin in the normal direction (Counter-clockwise), with normal props.


Motor 1 (rear) and Motor 2 (front) spin in the reverse direction (Clockwise), with pusher props.

Motor 3 (left) and 4 (right) spin in the normal direction (Counter-clockwise), with normal props.

Once you have found the configuration for your particular Quad set-up, the four completed arm assemblies can be attached to the frame center plates. In the standard configuration, the frame is built with one Upper Center Plate and one Lower Center Plate. If you wish to mount additional electronics, you can assemble the frame with two Upper Center Plates and mount the Lower Center Plate on eight standoffs below the frame center plates. To build the frame with this option, an additional Upper Center Plate kit with standoffs will need to be purchased. Additional blank cover plates, camera mounting plates and battery plates are available for all of the Next Level Multi-Rotor frames.

The following instructions show how to attach the arm assemblies to the center plates in one of the most common set-ups that uses speed controllers mounted inside the center of the frame, with the flight controller running in an X-configuration. If you are building your frame with externally mounted speed controllers, or with smaller speed controllers that are inside the frame arms, the assembly process is the same, the speed controllers will just be in different locations.

[ ] 1. Open the bag that contains the two Frame Center Plates. Take the Lower Center Plate, the one with the battery strap slots, and install your Velcro battery straps in the desired locations. See Figure 10.

CCW

CCW

CW

CW1

23

4

CW

CW

CCW

CCW

2

3 4

1


[ ] 2. Open the Hardware Kit bag for the Center Plates and remove two of the Phillips Head 4-40 x 1-1/8 inch screws.

[ ] 3. Take one of the arm assemblies that is set up for normal motor rotation (Counter Clockwise as viewed from the prop shaft end), and line the four holes on the bottom side of the arm with four holes in the Lower Center plate. Install the two 4-40 x 1-1/8 inch screws in opposite corners as shown in Figure 11.

[ ] 4. Open up the Hardware Kit bag for the Landing Gear and remove the eight threaded standoffs. These standoffs are 1/4 inch in diameter and 3/4 inch long. These will be used to temporarily hold the arm to the center plates so that the speed controllers can be mounted later without everything on the frame flopping around.

Figure 10

Figure 11


[ ] 5. Take two of the threaded standoffs and screw them onto the ends of the two screws that were installed in Step 3. Tighten these standoffs finger tight to temporarily hold the arm to the Lower Center Plate. When completed, the assembly should look like Figure 12.

[ ] 6. Take the remaining arm assembly that has the Counter-Clockwise rotating motor mounted to it, and attach it to the Lower Center Plate, directly opposite the first arm that was installed, with two of the 4-40 x 1-1/8 inch screws and two of the threaded standoffs the same way as you did in Step 5. At this point, the assembly should look like that shown in Figure 13.

Figure 12

Figure 13


[ ] 7. Install the two arm assemblies with the Clockwise rotating motors into the remaining two locations on the Lower Center Plate. Use two of the 4-40 x 1-1/8 inch screws and two of the threaded standoffs again on each arm to temporarily hold the arms in place. When completed, the assembly should look like the one shown in Figure 14.

[ ] 8. Position the four speed controllers on the Lower Center Plate in an orderly manner and use small squares of Velcro to hold them in place. Route the speed controller output leads so that they smoothly curve into the ends of the aluminum arms. When you are finished, the center part of the frame should look like the one in Figure 15.

[ ] 9. You will need to connect all of the input leads from the speed controllers together so they can share power from a common battery. A 4-to-1 power harness will need to be purchased or fabricated to connect the four speed controllers

Figure 14

Figure 15


together. Figure 16 below shows a typical power harness installed on the speed controllers. If you are installing the speed controllers in the center frame, or inside the aluminum frame arms, at this point in time it would be a good idea to temporarily plug your speed controllers into your controller board and hook up the controller board to your radio receiver so the system can be tested. Decide which way is forward on your frame, based on the controller board you are using, and whether you are using a + or X configuration, and align the frame on your work table accordingly.

[ ] 10. Use a permanent marker pen and write the motor number on the top of each arm for reference. You can leave it there after the assembly is completed, or wipe it off with a paper towel moistened with a little alcohol if you desire. In the set-up shown below in Figure 17, the frame is being set up for an X configuration with and OpenPilot CopterControl board, so the orientation of the frame and numbering of the arms corresponds to that configuration.

Figure 17

Figure 16


[ ] 11. Power up your radio transmitter, and then plug your motor battery into your speed controllers. Make sure that you do not have any props installed at this point in time! Open up the throttle and verify that all four motors are rotating in the proper directions. If they are, then the test is complete and you can shut everything off. If you discover that one or more motors is turning the wrong direction, then you will need to unplug two of the motor leads from its speed controller, swap the position and plug them back in to reverse the direction of rotation. Once the motor leads are switched, test the system once again to insure that all the motors are spinning in the correct direction. Once that is done, unplug the battery and receiver, but leave the controller board attached to the speed controllers for now.

[ ] 12. Take a moment to wrap a small piece of masking tape around each speed controller signal lead and write down what output port of the controller board each one is plugged into. This way, when you unplug them you will make sure that they get plugged back into the correct outputs later during final assembly of the Quad-Copter frame. After you have finished marking the leads, you can unplug the speed controllers from the controller board and set the controller board aside in a safe place.

[ ] 13. Now that the arms are all in the proper locations, and you have verified that all four motors are running properly and turning in the proper direction, the Upper Center Plate can be installed. Set the frame assembly down with the center section resting on a magazine or book that is about 1/4 inch thick. This will hold the frame level so that when the temporary standoffs are removed, the screws in the center section will not drop down. See Figure 18.

Figure 18


Note: Before the Upper Center Plate is added to the frame, you will need to install the standoffs for your controller board. If you have a controller that comes in a case, such as a GAUI 344 or FyeTech FY-90Q, you do not need to install these standoffs. Instead, you can mount your controller to the Upper Center Plate with Velcro, double-stick servo tape or a Gyro Pad.

[ ] 14. Open the Controller Board Hardware bag and remove the four 3/8 inch long standoffs and the four longer 4-40 x 1/4 inch Phillips Head screws. The remaining four shorter 4-40 x 3/16 inch screws will be used later to attach your controller board to the standoffs after the frame is assembled.

[ ] 15. There are a total of 16 holes in the middle of the Upper Center Plate. The inner ring of eight holes has 30.5mm square spacing to fit the OpenPilot CopterControl board. The outer ring of holes have a 45mm square spacing that fits the KK MultiCopter board, PARIS MultiWiiCopter board, Hoverfly SPORT and other boards with a similar hole spacing. Install the four standoffs in the holes that match the mounting holes of your controller board with the four 4-40 x 1/4 inch screws. Make sure that you have the right orientation of the standoffs because for a + configuration, the board is rotated 45 degrees from where it would be in an X configuration. Now that the standoffs are in place, the Upper Center Plate can be installed onto the frame. See Figure 19.

[ ] 16. Remove the eight aluminum standoffs from the ends of the screws that are temporarily holding the center section together and set them aside. They will be used once again in Step 18 that follows.

[ ] 17. Take the Upper Center Plate and position it over the screws and wiggle it around as needed to line up all eight screws with the matching holes in the center plate. When all eight screws are properly lined up, the Upper Center Plate will

Figure 19


drop down on top of the four aluminum arms.

[ ] 18. Take the eight aluminum standoffs that were removed in Step 16 and thread them back onto each of the 8 screws as far as they will go by hand to once again temporarily hold the Upper Center Plate in place on top of the 4 aluminum arms. See Figure 20.

[ ] 19. Pick up the frame and take the final eight 4-40 x 1-1/8 inch screws and insert them one at a time into the eight remaining holes in the Center Plates, then install a 4-40 locking nut onto the end of each of the screws. Use a #1 Phillips screwdriver and wrench to tighten each of the eight screws and nuts on the center frame. Do not get the screws completely tight at this point in time, just take out most of the play in the screws. You still want to be able to wiggle the arms back and forth a little at this point so you can easily line up the remaining screw holes in each of the four arms. See Figure 21.

Figure 20

Figure 21


[ ] 20. Once the screws are tightened down, remove the eight aluminum standoffs and replace them one at a time with a 4-40 locking nut so the screws do not fall out of the frame. Return the standoffs to the Landing Gear Leg hardware bag. Once all the nuts are in place, tighten these 8 screws and nuts with a Phillips screwdriver and wrench. Like before, do not tighten the screws completely tight yet.

[ ] 21. Now go back and fully tighten all 16 of the screws and nuts that are holding the Center Plates and Arms together. Sight down each opposite pair of arms once they are tightened down and make sure that they are in alignment with one another before completely tightening the screws. When tightening these screws, take care to not over-tighten them. Once they are snug, only tighten then an additional 1/8 of a turn with the wrench. If you tighten the screws more than this you can crush the aluminum tubes and deform the frame.

Section 4: Building and Attaching the Landing Gear Legs

Now that the frame is built, the last step is to install the Landing Gear Legs. If you plan on installing the optional Shock Absorbing Landing Gear kit, you can do that after the landing gear is installed.

[ ] 1. Open the bag that contains the four Landing Gear Bumpers.

[ ] 2. The Landing Gear Hardware bag was already opened in an earlier step. Remove 4 pieces of 1/4 inch diameter by 3/4 inch long standoffs and insert one into the center hole of each of the four Landing Gear Bumpers. See Figure 22.

[ ] 3. Open the bag that contains the Landing Gear Legs and remove the eight pieces.

Figure 22


[ ] 4. Get one 1/4 inch diameter standoff and four of the 4-40 x 1/4 inch screws from the Landing Gear Hardware Kit. Install one of the Landing Gear Bumper assemblies between two of the Landing Gear Legs with two of the 4-40 x 1/4 inch screws. The bumper goes in the single hole at the rounded end of the landing gear leg. Install the 1/4 inch diameter standoff between the two gear legs in the holes at the center of each landing gear leg. Just lightly tighten the screws at this point, they will be fully tightened after the Landing Gear Legs are attached to the frame. See Figure 23 for details.

[ ] 5. Repeat the process that is described in Step 4 to assemble the remaining three Landing Gear Legs.

[ ] 6. Remove the remaining eight 4-40 x 1-1/8 inch screws and eight nylon locking nuts from the Landing Gear Leg hardware bag. Use two screws and two nuts to attach the Landing Gear Leg assemblies to the holes in the sides of the aluminum arms that are nearest to the Center Plates. This is the Normal position for the landing gear. If you want to use this frame for training purposes, you can install the landing gear in the holes closest to the motor mount. This will greatly improve the stability of the frame during take-offs and landings, and make it very difficult for the frame to tip over upside down. This will help prevent breaking props during the initial stages of learning to fly the Quad-copter. If you have speed controller wires running through the arms, be careful when you install the screws so that you do not pinch and cut any of the wires. If necessary, you can use a round toothpick to stick into the holes and push the wires out of the way. Just get the nuts finger tight as far as they will go on for now. See Figure 24.

[ ] 7. Repeat the process described in Step 6 to attach the remaining three Landing Gear Leg assemblies to the other three frame arms.

Figure 23


[ ] 8. Once all four legs are on the frame, set the completed assembly on a flat level surface and tighten the screws and nuts that attach the legs to the arms with a #1 Phillips screwdriver and 1/4” wrench. Be careful not to over-tighten the screws or you can crush the aluminum frame. Once the nut tightens down against the leg, only tighten the nut an additional 1/8 turn. The nylon locking ring inside the nuts will prevent them from vibrating loose later.

[ ] 9. Go back with your #1 Phillips screwdriver and snugly tighten the screws on the center standoff and landing gear bumpers on all four legs. The completed frame should look like the one in Figure 25.

This completes the assembly of the multi-rotor frame. In the next section all of the final assembly of the flight components will be completed.

Figure 24

Figure 25


Section 5: Final Assembly

[ ] 1. If you are using a board style flight controller, attach it to the frame with the four 4-40 x 3/16” screws that are left in the Controller Board Hardware kit. Make sure that you have the board in the proper orientation for your specific configuration. If you are using a flight controller that is in a case, mount it in the middle of the Upper Center Plate using Velcro, double-sided servo tape, a gyro pad or the vibration dampening mount of your choosing.

[ ] 2. If you are using externally mounted speed controllers, install them at this time. You can use Velcro or double-stick servo tape to secure the speed controllers to the frame. Plug the motor connectors into the output leads of the speed controllers and secure your wiring with zip-ties. Connect the input side of all four speed controllers together with a 4-to-1 battery harness of your choosing.

[ ] 3. Route the control signal leads from each of your speed controllers neatly through the frame and plug them into the proper output connectors on your flight controller board. In most cases you will only use the BEC circuit from one of the speed controllers to power the receiver and controller board. To disable the BEC circuit on the remaining three speed controllers, pull the contact that the red wire attaches to from the plastic connector shell. To do this, you can lift up the retaining tab for the contact with the tip of an X-Acto knife and pull it out of the connector. You should fold this contact back and cover it with electrical tape or heat shrink so that the contact does not short out against anything.

[ ] 4. Attach your radio receiver to the Upper Center Plate with Velcro or double-sided servo tape. If your receiver has a satellite module, you can mount that on the top or side of one of the aluminum arms as needed for proper antenna orientation.

[ ] 5. Mount your battery to the bottom side of the Lower Center Plate with the Velcro strap that was installed earlier. For additional security of the battery, you can put Velcro on one side of the battery and the mating Velcro onto the bottom side of the Lower Center Plate. Do not plug in the battery yet.

[ ] 6. Get your transmitter and turn it on with the throttle in the idle position. Plug in the battery, arm your flight cvontroller, and verify that all four motors are still operating correctly and spinning in the proper directions. Once that is complete, unplug the battery and shut off your transmitter. If you still have the small pieces of tape on the motor which note the direction of rotation, you should remove them at this time so they do not throw off the balance of the motor when running at high speeds.


[ ] 7. Install your propellers onto your motors. Remember that you will need to use two normal props and two reverse pitch or “Pusher” type props. Make sure that you get the correct type of prop on each motor.

[ ] 8. At this point the assembly of the machine is complete. Depending on the type of controller that you are using, you may need to hook it up to a computer for final tuning and electrical set-up before your first flight. Once that is complete, take your finished multi-rotor frame out to a safe flying area, away from spectators, and give it a test flight to ensure everything is working properly. After that, enjoy flying your new Next Level Multi-Rotor!

Important Safety Notice

This radio controlled multi-rotor model is not a toy! It is a precision flying machine that requires proper assembly and set-up, as well as proper ongoing maintenance to insure safe operation. It is the responsibility of the owner to operate this flying machine in a safe manner, and to ensure that all of the systems are in proper working order before each and every flight. Failure to operate this flying machine in a safe manner can result in serious personal injury and even death. It is recommemded that you obtain the assistance of an experienced modeler if you have any doubts about your abilities to assemble, set up or operate this machine. The manufacturer, distributor and dealer assume no responsibility or liability for the use of this product.


Manufactured and distributed by:

Innov8tive Designs, Inc.1495 Poinsettia Avenue, Suite 144

Vista, California 92081Phone: (760) 468-8838

Fax: (760) 305-7749

Email: [email protected]: www.Innov8tiveDesigns.com

500mm quad-rotor frame assembly manual · camera mounting plates, cover plates and auxiliary...

Documents