hope you like it. this acrylic and fake carbon plate is lasercut and made in house. it fits on the center holes of the cinestar. als the original batt mount can be used. this plate mounts all your controller parts from DJI wookong. even the iosd can be mounted , there is a space for it also. no worry about levelling IMU or setting in a strait line. you just use double sided tape to mount all the parts. the acrylic plates make sure all parts are sunk onto the fake carbon plate (ABS). as receiver we used the Graupner GR-16 , but on demand we can make different spaces for different RX units. http://shop.jet-1a.com/product_info.php?products_id=2321&osCsid=d2176a88eb5c9c12b0448185b1547ebe
Hi Sandor, Nice job! Do you have any advice where I can do one plate like yours? We have a cinestar 8 and want to put the new dji A2 on it with ios2 ;-) Do you use the freefly motor control set? If yes, how do you power between the freefly motor control and the dji system? Thanks a lot for your futur help. Have a good evening, Loïc
Pick up a sheet of RC modeler 1/32 or 1/16 inch thick plywood, epoxy one layer or carbon fiber twill weave fabric to both sides, and press it hard until cured. Then cut the holes as per the picture above. The sandwiched plywood is as stiff as one could ever need and is 30% lighter than solid carbon fiber plate.
Graydon: What do you find is the best "release" material to prevent the epoxy oozing through the twill and sticking to the faces of the press material? Andy.
The bottom side is a sheet of plexiglas so that one can get the super mirror finish on the bottom of the carbon fiber plate. The top side is covered with nylon release fabric, then gauze blanket to enable vacuum bagging and absorb excess epoxy that gets thru the release fabric. This is all inside a stretchy vacuum bag. I bought a vacuum pump off eby for less than 1/3 the going retail price. And I use West Systems epoxy and follow their manual part 1 for exceptional results. The birch or 1/32 in plywood inside greatly reduces CF plate weight w/o compromising the plate strength, makes it much easier to cut or mill in a CNC machine or by hand and saves a lot of money. Vacuum bagging @ 14.7 lbs/sq inch is a lot of pressure comparable to a 1 or 2 ton press. Here are the details. http://www.westsystem.com/ss/use-guides/ For additional guidance one can join Composite Rocketry YahooGroups forum which is where I first got started into custom CF plate and tube manufacturing.
Thanks, Bill. Any old wax? E.g. Johnson's Floor Wax? Or do you have a favorite release wax? I've also seen folks trying WD40. Andy.
I go one step further and use black cardboard foamboard with thin rc plywood epoxied to the top and bottom. Super strong cheap and light. Just cut out the shapes you need for the WKM and accessories. There really is no reason other than looks for CF/glass for the layout. If you are looking for bling the glass and CF looks nice for sure.
True..... I was even able to do the same with baker's parchment and with smooth melamine coated particle board. While plexiglas will not stick, most materials should be coated with 2 to 3 applications of release wax which most often is or contains a lot of bee's wax. The optimum strength to weight ratio for carbon fiber plate is 60% CF and 40% epoxy but it is a challenge to get better than 55/45. Start with a 50/50 mix and just let the vacuum bagging suck the extra uncured epoxy thru the release fabric into the gauze. When cured, the nylon release side of the plate will have a matte finish which you can leave as is, sand lightly or add additional layers on to later. Can't do that with the glossy side of CF plate as nothing will adhere to it.
I can probably save everyone some trouble. I called a CF company and they will do a bulk order of 10 8" Inch CF plates Probably looking at $50 bucks a piece. They sell 6" plates already cut for 30 dollars. They have to send them out to be cut for non stock sizes. If there is interest I will put in an order in the next couple days, otherwise my plan is to order just a 6 inch plate or 12 inch square and have it and find a cnc shop to cut it locally.
Shaun, sounds good.. thanks for sharing... but here is another option....... I have had great success with FamousHobbies Shop from China. All who are interested please check it out. http://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/3F-Carbon-Fiber-glass-fiber-plates/109347_211281856.html Also keep in mind that for simple baseplate for electronic components, solid CF plate is not only overkill with respect to strength but is very difficult to machine without special material fluted bits and is best done with a CNC milling machine versus a CNC router! And keep in mind that birch or ply sandwiched between outer layers of CF plain weave plate provides all the rigidity that one would ever require.
Steve you might find that this plate or some of the other sizes will work without a whole lot of effort. I use a pair of these http://www.shop.aglhobbiesllc.com/Frame-Spare-Parts/UAP1-Standard-FC-Plate.html for the current MK stack. Also used it for the HFP FC (POC) that crashed and was refunded. They also have an 8 inch size.