Back On Track 5" by Left (I'll Go Left)

Philosophy

What makes this frame special is that it's not special at all .

It's a simple mashup of features I like from other frames, not trying to revolutionize anything here. Everything has been meticulously studied to match my needs and desires , every detail is intentional and every aspect of the final build have been carefully considered, searching for what suits me best.

It's designed for precision freestyle with high KV motors, 4.9" propellers with a relatively low pitch , and a low mass 660g , battery and action camera included), but it's still very robust .

The geometry is TrueX , double deck (damn, another Apex clone... *insert clown emoji* , it's compact , and the top plate is lowered to give it a " low profile " flying behaviour.

My setup

I've been flying this setup for a few months now , it's safe to say that this is by far my favorite quad to fly .

On this frame, I use T-Motor F60 Pro V LV 2020KV motors with Gemfan 4934 propellers. Using light and high-KV motors with light 4.9" props is recommended.

I pair this setup with an HDZero Freestyle VTX and an HDZero Nano 90 V2 camera. I find the VTX a bit heavy... I prioritize systems with the lowest possible latency ; analog is a good choice too.

Finally, I use a KISS Ultra V2 and a Foxeer Reaper 65A .

For the action cam, I have a Runcam Thumb 2 . It’s not a great camera, but I can't seem to find a good compromise that keeps the setup lightweight . It has the advantage of being inexpensive .

When I choose my batteries, I just go for the "cheapest worth buying." Ovonic is unbeatable for that; I’d rather get more stick time than overspend for a few extra percentage points of performance.

Specifications and design

T700 carbon fiber is highly recommended , the whole manufacturing process cost me around 69 USD / 97 CAD / 59 EUR, no hardware .

Wheelbase : 230 mm

Naked weight : 130 g (hardware dependant)

Arms : 6 mm

Plates : 2.5 mm

Motor mounting : 16x16 mm

Stack : 30.5x30.5 mm M3 or 20x20 mm M3

Rear stack : 20x20 mm M2

Stack clearance : 15 mm

Camera clearance : 23.5 mm

Recommended propeller size : 4.9"

Simple but effective keystone for better impact repartition .

There are multiple sizes of press-nuts; check with your manufacturer regarding these inserts, or modify the frame to suit the ones you have/want.

Countersunk screws stack mounting to avoid protruding press-nuts under the ESC and create more room for the stack.

The stack screws become inaccessible once the frame is assembled.

This feature comes from the Apex by ImpulseRC .

Standoffs on the arms for greater rigidity and reduced leverage on the screws.

This feature comes from Auxplumes' Primal 5" frame; it also adds an aesthetic touch.

A hole in the top plate to route the XT60.

I prefer securing my cables with a strap rather than having a fixed connector .

Say goodbye to LiPos unplugging themselves on the roof of a building.

Low profile frame.

This feature comes from the Kayoudur . Personal preference : I find that having a slightly lower center of gravity gives the drone good handling characteristics.

It also increases rigidity and looks awesome .

This can be an issue for certain stack builds, like the Kiss ULTRA FCs : I came up with a custom solution using the default mounting, a file and some neopren glue to make everything fit.

Vibrational behavior

A minor frame resonance can be detected; overall, the vibration characteristics are pretty good .

Manufacturing document

This document can be used to have this frame manufactured. It is very detailed and can serve as a solid basis for your request to the manufacturer .

I encountered no issues sending this document to multiple manufacturers. Special thanks to AuxPlumes who provided some of the images I used in this document.

Major rule

You cannot sell this frame, nor any iterations of this frame.

I want this project, as well as all future iterations , to remain FREE for EVERYONE . This is a major priority for me, and in a way, this frame kind of represents a part of me .

I pour my soul into my various projects so that they reflect who I am as much as possible.

One of the greatest pleasures you could give me as a member of the community would be to carry this little piece of me up into the sky .

Thank you for your interest in my projects.