In this article, I will share step-by-step the important changes we made in Craycle Models.
Together with Craycle Discover, we have achieved very important innovations for 3D Printed models. The new models were going to be like Discover anyway, but we didn’t want you to use our previous models like the old ones when we could do better. This is also very important for the production of our Printed Kits.
This huge update took enough time to release 1-2 new models, and our biggest problem is that the number of models is currently low. Despite this, we updated all our models again because there are important innovations in this update that are worth it!
Let’s talk about the innovations that affect all Craycle Planes.
The optional FPV Hatch System is Over!
We made a modular design for the VTX mount and Camera Holder brackets on the FPV hatch and you can mount any FPV system in the market to a single common bracket now!
We can’t find any VTX that you can’t mount to this VTX mounting bracket but if you have any issues mounting the VTX or Camera, please get in touch with us and we make an optional bracket to solve your problem. This is a new design approach so it’s going to have some problems that we need to fix for sure but we are here for you!
This design allows us to make the FPV hatches print easier and much more durable since you don’t mount your VTX to the FPV Hatch itself. You fix the VTX to the PetG Printed bracket and the bracket goes to mount to the FPV hatch. Thanks to this modular design, it’s very easy to transfer your FPV System to another model or a new Hatch.
Adjustable FPV Camera Holder!
Now you can adjust the camera position to hold the camera in the perfect location so that you don’t see the model parts in the video and your camera is secure by staying inside of the model. We have two options that allow you to mount 20 mm and 30 mm width FPV cameras which means that almost any Camera will be compatible with this modular, adjustable design.
FPV Antenna Holes are Deleted!
Since the antenna holes on the covers will be in different positions and sizes in different FPV systems, we leave the drilling work entirely to you. We were already unhappy with the pre-made holes in the previous design. For example, for the Vista Kit, it was necessary to widen the hole enough for the connector to pass through. In the new design, we recommend that you drill a hole of any size you want in the position you want on the cover and fix the antenna with hot silicone. In the near future we will be working on a separate bracket to which you will fix the antenna.
Craycle Spring Lock!
Including Crow Racer, we are now using our long-time tested Spring Lock design on the FPV Hatch and Service hatch so you can easily open the hatch in the flight.
New Hatch Lock System!
Hatch locks and stops have been arranged in a way that does not disrupt continuous printing in the hatch and model, as in the Discover. You don’t have to print another part to make a hatch lock excluding Spring Lock parts. Now the Hatches are much more secure and easy to fit into place.
Hatch Frames!
All the Craycle Plane FPV and Service hatches have a frame design now and they are thicker now for better printing quality and much better looking on the model. This causes the hatch slots to be deeper but thanks to this, fuselages are more durable now.
Servo Service Hatches were Separated from the Wings!
This new design approach supports the continuous printing of the wings and introduces a new mounting design approach for the service hatch. You can fix the servo hatch in place using only one 2mm screw. The service hatch is symmetrical and has been made common to all Craycle Planes. In this way, you no longer have to worry about connecting your servos upside down, you can also install the cover upside down, and it has become very easy to remove the servo and change its direction.
In addition, some users do not realize that the service covers on the wings are removable. The new design approach has eliminated this problem as well. I’m sure you will like the new servo housing and service cover ๐
CF Rods Reduced, Shortened!
In our tests on Discover and all models, we found that the 500mm CF Rod was too long for our 800mm models. CF Rods for Orca and Crow have been reduced to 5×360 mm as the wings are even more robust thanks to our new wing design. 2 pcs 250 mm and 1 pcs 145 mm support rods were removed from Crow Racer. The support rod on the fuselage of the Ranger was removed, thus making our CraycleCub and Ranger models Rod Free! Considering different scenarios for the Discover heavy-duty model, we are not making any changes to the 6×500 mm CF Rod.
Optimized Wing Internal Supports!
We spent a lot of time specifically on the wings and returned to the Craycle style column internal support design. We optimized this design and shared it across models. Thus, we obtained lighter and stronger wings. New wings are LW-PLA friendly and look very realistic naturally with their shapes created from the columns.
New Wing and Fuselage Inserts!
This was an update that has been requested for a long time. We couldn’t do this because our models didn’t have enough space to do this and it didn’t fit our wing design approach. During this huge update, we developed a method that is possible for all models and all situations in the CAD program and ensured that the Fuselage and Wing parts are intertwined and combined. This facilitates assembly and makes the joint stronger. Also, the joints look cleaner.
Thanks to this new design approach, we reduced the Pims we used between the model parts and made the joints much better.
“R” and “L” Labels on the Model Parts!
We added small labels to indicate the right and left directions on parts whose directions are difficult to understand, such as Wing, Winglet, and Vertical. Thus, it will be difficult to mount in the wrong direction, especially in symmetrical parts such as Vertical ๐
Incredible Flight Weights!
Thanks to the new wing designs and optimizations we have made in all models, we have made it significantly easier to adjust the center of gravity by shifting the electronic parts forward by 30-40 mm. In addition, the nose part of the FPV Orca was extended by 10 mm. These adjustments made it possible to adjust the CG with lighter electronics and battery, resulting in a significant improvement in flight weights, although the thrust weights did not change much. All models dropped from an average flight weight of 620 grams to an average flight weight of 500 grams. This incredible development will be the first feature that will attract your attention when you make the new version and will have an incredible impact on flight efficiency!
We will be sharing flight time data on all models shortly, but in our testing, we noticed that we could fly 20+ minutes with the Ranger V3 on a 1500mAh 3S battery. It was a very windy day, we will test all models in calm weather and share them with you.
FPV Orca V3 flight weight dropped to 485 grams! The printing weight of this model is 246 grams. With LW-PLA the print weight is halved and we estimate that with smaller electronics the flight weight will drop to less than 250 grams. An incredible value for a 3D Printed model with a wingspan of 800 mm!
New PDF Guides!
We share critical information about the model on page 2 of the new PDF manuals. On this page, you can find important information such as required equipment, CG position, Servo settings, Control settings, Lipo, and Payload area measurements of the model.
We indicate the colors of the parts in the parts lists. We show you the part colors but also the recommended printing material. You will find the parts in these colors in the exploded view, and you will be able to access information about the material of the part and the color suitable for its design in a practical way. You can also find the necessary Printer size for the model on the First Page of the PDF User Guides.
We now add the material and color information of the parts to the G-code names. The G-code names also include the printing time. In this way, you can see which material and color you should print using the G-codes you have uploaded to your 3D Printer, without looking at the PDF manual or recognizing the part. We hope this design will make the printing process much easier.
The G-codes we provide with the models work perfectly on almost all machines. Please don’t bother creating your G-code without trying it out.
Thank You for Your Interest!
Flight tests of all models have been carried out many times, we will share these images with you soon. With your support, we would like to provide you with FPV shots for all models. We worked hard on this huge update to offer you the best model that we can make. I hope you will be happy with this update and as always it’s a free update for the past owners!
I would like to thank all our teammates and partners for their support during the development process.
The ranger Is a very good model! Fly very well!
Thank you for your interest!