tsungxu

26 ms·

1. 31.▲
   by tsungxu 1y ago

   Yep, to maximize range and flight time capability, you have to have the highest energy density batteries.
2. 32.▲
   by tsungxu 1y ago

   Variability of price for the Amprius pack, anything from $700-$1350 at four price points.
3. 33.▲
   by tsungxu 1y ago

   Two impressive things about Wing's design are 1) load paths are designed to break the airframe in controlled ways 2) the 4 blade props have alternating shorter and longer blades for quieter aeroacoustics Adam Savage did a video tour o
4. 34.▲
   by tsungxu 1y ago

   Thanks, I did crash it again, and that's why it was half assembled on the wall at the end. But yeah foaming PLA is extremely soft, almost feels like tough, thin paper.
5. 35.▲
   by tsungxu 1y ago

   Could be right! Really depends because the quad motors on freestyle say have massive throttle upside they can tap but it increases power draw and reduces flight time by multiples.
6. 36.▲
   by tsungxu 1y ago

   Appreciate that! It's just a lot more effort making long videos with the voiceover/clips/etc.
7. 37.▲
   by tsungxu 1y ago

   Yes I used single wall foaming PLA which is much less impact resistant and more brittle vs any foam, even cheap foamcore and especially EPP or EPO. This has definitely been an issue with crashing and rebuilding. But my first and only other
8. 38.▲
   by tsungxu 1y ago

   Not tested! But minimum I would say 70 mph. If designing for speed, I'd be looking at a cruise motor and prop that maximizes the thrust output rather than cruise efficiency edit: at least 70 mph
9. 39.▲
   by tsungxu 1y ago

   Thanks, I've not! But given the battery mass fraction is 53% for this build, rule of thumb is about 30% of a VTOL's weight for battery if you want to include payload. So I could just use a smaller 6S battery. Or I could probably a
10. 40.▲
    by tsungxu 1y ago

    And also iteration cycles slow down, adds cost to development and qualification if making them in-house for larger prototypes.
11. 41.▲
    by tsungxu 1y ago

    And the weight (and drag) penalty is ~5% given the actuators and subassemblies for tilting don't come for free either. This is also the most the penalty will ever be as electric motors continue increasing in specific power, and quite r
12. 42.▲
    by tsungxu 1y ago

    It's actually not a terrible inefficiency. With this config, the cruise motors and prop are optimally sized for cruise - which gives non trivial gains to both eta for propulsive motor efficiency and prop efficiency. Vs a tiltrotor&#x2F
13. 43.▲
    by tsungxu 1y ago

    Thanks! Yes ~$700 without battery and I scored the Amprius pack on special for $700 but it is currently $1300.
14. 44.▲
    Show HN: I made a 3D printed VTOL drone(tsungxu.com)

    418 points by tsungxu 1y ago|144 comments
15. 45.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    I first heard of seeds growing into structures from Drew Endy at Stanford. Fascinating concept. May take several more generations of biomaterials to get there.
16. 46.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Thanks! Not financial advice but some of the public companies that offer services in the biomanufacturing tech stack. Performance biomaterials companies are not public yet and may take quite a few years to get there.
17. 47.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Nice. I've heard a little about chitosan and am aware of keratin but not as a biomaterial. The case the article makes is that functional biomaterials with superior properties have not been made at any scale but that it is on the way.
18. 48.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Actually it's not, these are two separate articles.
19. 49.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Thanks, fixed.
20. 50.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    I think the shift to centralized production is not necessarily permanent. Energy generation is decentralizing again. We can make more and more manufacturing feedstocks (metals, H2, CO2, biomolecules) using more modular processes that can al
21. 51.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Nuclear is very important. It's just not scaling fast enough. I don't see a future where next-gen SMR nor fusion gets to cost parity with renewables quickly or easily. They will have to scale up via beachhead markets adjacent to e
22. 52.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Agreed! I'm also bullish on more localized manufacturing in which we have more control over the function, aesthetic and shape of the end products.
23. 53.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    I've not seen that research or finding. It seems we're super early in the potential of 2D materials, especially as you say, as they come down the cost curve.
24. 54.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Very welcome.
25. 55.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Thanks for sharing!
26. 56.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Agreed! It is and will play a big role in current and future innovations in the world of atoms.
27. 57.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Thanks, that's how I largely felt too. Software is a key part of developing biomaterials too, but deep tech is so much more.
28. 58.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Not any blogs that I know of specifically on performance biomaterials. But this podcast with 6 episodes is great: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ldzwDpvUsaaQVVjMLRlLA?si=33fb... Also SynBioBeta has some great content a
29. 59.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Agreed. Still very early in the adoption of these materials, and biomaterials in particular
30. 60.▲
    by tsungxu 4y ago

    Thanks, I'll take a look!