Harpie 180
Light, Nimble and packed with FUN!
Harpie 180 Notes:
When we started this endeavor we had just started flying 180 sized frames. We tried a lot of different combinations of trying to fit 5” gear onto a 4” frame. Unfortunately we faced the limitation that at that time there were no 2204 motors that went higher than 2300KV and tri-bladed props had not hit the market. We were stuck running 4 cell batteries and the performance did not seem that great as so much of the power was going into overcoming the weight of the gear. A friend of ours had a 180 frame set up with 1306 3100KV motors and we were impressed with the performance but the motors were running at their capacity and heating up a fair amount. It seemed nice, lightweight and nimble but was just missing a little more punch to make it great. We took our inspiration from this and the Harpie was born.
The Harpie frame is designed around 1806 motors and a 3S battery to make it as light and as nimble as possible while still achieving reasonable punch, power and flight time. The recommended setup gives up about 85% the power of a 2204 - 2300KV 4S setup at a RTF weight of about 80%. So in actuality we have an increase in thrust to weight ratio. The great thing with this setup is that it can actually take more, we have been flying it extensively on 4S, even at the 2700KV and have had no problems with the motors or ESCs overheating. To round out the package we have made some additional selections of some additional high performance components that allow us to have compact and convenient packaging for a simple and pleasant build experience and to spend more time flying and less time worrying about things. We are very happy with what we have achieved with this frame and this setup and we expect that you will find the same thing.
Custom Motor Mix:
mixer custom
mmix reset
mmix 0 1 -1 0.719 -1
mmix 1 1 -1 -0.719 1
mmix 2 1 1 0.719 1
mmix 3 1 1 -0.719 -1Specifications
- Size:
180mm (measured diagonally from motor center to motor center) - Max Prop Size:
4” - Material:
3K Matte Carbon Fiber, Twill Weave
- Main Plate Thickness:
3mm - Top Plate Thickness:
2mm - Frame Weight:
77g
Required to Complete
- Motors:
13XX - 18XX - ESCs
- Propeller:
Maximum 4" - Flight Controller
- Battery
- VTX:
Compact VTX with 90° pigtail adapter - Camera:
HS1177 Case Camera or
PZ0420M Board Camera
Feature Highlights
Recommended Equipment
Please note that Quad Monsters does not endorse any particular equipment vendor, these recommendations are provided merely as a selection of components that we know will work with this frame.
- Motor:
Please note that the Harpie is not drilled for 220X motors so if you want to use some you will have to drill your own holes. Quad Monsters will be releasing a 4" frame capable of running 220X motors soon.
DYS BE1806 2700KV
Paragon UAV 1806 2950KV - ESCs:
There are plenty of good 12A-20A ESCs on the market, choose your favorite. The only recommendation here is to get a small footprint, lightweight style ESC that supports high refresh rate (e.g. Oneshot125) and active braking (e.g. Damped Light). - Propeller:
The Harpie will fit up to a 4" prop; we have had excellent success with both 4045BN and 4045BN Tri-Blades. However, be sure to match the prop to your selected power system. - Flight Controller:
What, you think we want to start a political debate? - VTX:
Important note. The 3D printed parts supplied with the Harpie are designed around a compact VTX with 90° pigtail adapter. If you select a different VTX you will have to provide your own mounting mechanism. The following three VTXs will fit the Harpie with no modifications.
Mini Quad Bros 32CH Raceband VTX [This is our preferred VTX as the short length of the pigtail fits the frame perfectly]
UBAD Race Edition Mini VTX
Hawkeye Mini Race Band VTX - Camera:
The Harpie comes with two camera plates, one for lens mounting and one for a 28mm X 28mm board camera. In addition, a slot is provided on the bottom plate to mount a bracket for a bracket mounted camera. Although there are several other cameras that will work, here are a couple that we have tested for both mounting methods.
Foxeer HS1177 Case Camera [Top connector is easier but both work]
RunCam PZ0420M Board Camera - Battery:
Many batteries can be used on the Harpie; we have been flying mostly 1000mAh 3S batteries for a good balance of power, weight and flight time.
We have tested the Harpie with the 1806 2700KV motors using 20A ESCs and the 4045BN-Tris on 4S as well and the power system has been holding up perfectly. However, if you want to run this combination please note that the supplied LEDs are only rated for 3S and will most probably burn up. Soon we will have a PDB with both a 5V and a 12V regulator that can be used to run both 4S and LEDs simultaneously.
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