Rotorama Buddy 5" Deadcat

11.1.2023 - modification of the back and top plate - adding holes for the Walksnail Avatar, increasing the space for the DJI O3 camera

The Rotorama Buddy 5" is a partner that will not leave you in the mood. It is a freestyle frame that will be appreciated by both top pilots and complete beginners. Buddy aims to be very durable, practical and fly great. The frame can accommodate up to 5.5 " propeller, which will be especially appreciated by pilots who fly heavier copters with an HD camera and want a little extra thrust. The weight of the frame including 3D printing is an acceptable 135 grams.

The Deadcat variant has the front arms spread more to the side. Thanks to this, even the 5.5" propellers are not visible in the FPV camera. The deadcat frame is thus suitable for cinematic flying and greater enjoyment of FPV as such.

Buddy has 15mm wide arms made of 5mm carbon. The arms are therefore very durable and rigid. The high stiffness helps to minimize vibrations and thus improves the behavior of the copter. To increase resistance, there is also a reinforced front part of the frame around the camera, which is most vulnerable to damage in the event of a fall. The lower plate is made of 3 mm thick carbon, the upper plate is made of 2 mm.

Unlike most freestyle frames, on the Buddy the stack is placed between the front and rear arms right on the bottom plate. This has several advantages. The frame is lower and has a center of gravity closer to the level of the propellers, which helps with better flight characteristics. When using regular 2207 motors, the propeller is usually at the level of the upper plate. The center of gravity is therefore low, but the battery is still high enough, so that if the battery falls and moves, there is no risk of it being cut by the propellers. The arms are held separately by three screws, so their possible replacement is very easy. Thanks to three screws, the arms are held firmly in place and do not wobble.

The distance between the front and rear arms is 55mm, so it will comfortably fit most available stacks. During construction, stacks with mounting hole spacing of both 20x20mm (M3) and 30.5x30.5mm can be used. Because each stack is slightly different, for larger stacks the frame has slots instead of holes. You can thus move the stack slightly to one side or the other as needed and gain a little extra space (for example, for a capacitor or a power cable).

Additional electronics can then be placed in the back of the frame. 20x20mm M2, 25.5x25.5mm M2 and 30.5x30.5mm M3 mounting holes are prepared for installation. On the top plate there are holes with a spacing of 20x20mm and 25.5x25.5mm M2. The back of the frame is a suitable place to install a video transmitter. You can place a Caddx Vista or Walksnail Avatar unit in the holes for digital video transmission. Using a different set of 3D prints, the frame can comfortably fit a DJI Air Unit or DJI O3. There is a hole in the back of the top plate through which the XT60 with the cable can be passed. The upper plate can thus be easily removed and the cable pulled out, making the copter more convenient to service. A cable routed through the upper plateau has less chance of getting tangled in the propellers in flight, which can cut it. Both the antenna and the camera are caught using a 3D printed holder. At the base of the frame is a holder for an SMA connector and a mini-sized camera.