Tarot T960 - maiden flight and components

This is the maiden flight of my new Tarot T960 (TL960) Hexacopter. This video describes the components and the inaugural flight.
Components :
Frame Tarot T960
Motors : AKE DARKMagic DM400L3514
ESC : AKE HighSPEED PWM 30A-HV(L)
Controller : DJI Wookong-M
Battery : AKE DRAGON 22.2V/10000mAh/25C
Price : The Tarot T960 fully equipped + electronics, battery aso (1865€), transmitter and receiver (539€), the brushless gimbal (281€) and of course all the shipping costs.

[Meisech]

Thank you for your interest. I'm not really familiar with other motors than AKE-Motors. All my multicopters are equipped with those motors and they work very well. Sunnysky is a well known brand and many rc hobbiest use them. If you plan to lift heavy loads the Sunnysky V4014-12 320KV motors are suitable. Concerning the DYS 40A Opto ESC, i think they do the job. Use them with a 6S battery and max.16 inches propellers and you will be a lucky guy.

[Meisech]

Hi, thank you for your interest. I use no distribution power board at the moment. All my connections were made with two 1-8 power distribution harness. No need to balance the motors, they came well balanced from the factory.(see cnchelicopter for more informations about the motors). The propellers may need to be balanced. I had no problem with mine.

[Meisech]

You're right. For such a project you really need more battery capacity. My records are limited to shoot landscapes and buildings, than in post-production the various short scenes will be assembled. So no need to have a long flight time. Also note that I use at the same time a second battery to power the gimbal and the FPV system. Perhaps it is necessary to review the configuration of the multicopter and find motors and ESC that consume less energy.

[Meisech]

Hi, in my case not the motor cables are long but the ESC cables (see cnchelicopter, AKE ESC 30A OPTO long wire scheme). In fact its a good idea to place your ESC below the main plate. This provide you supplemental free place on the upper plate (for further FPV equipment). It's a folding Hexa, so pay attention where you place your cables. Note that on the Tarot top plate there are 2 small holes, in the front and rear to keep the GPS rod.

[Meisech]

Hi, indeed the ESC's are equipped with 16 AWG wire connected to an 100A PDB. For a detailed diagram have a look at the cnchelicopter webpage : AKE HighSPEED PWM 30A-HV long wire version.

[robhall]

Thank you for posting and sharing your video. I have been researching the Tarot copters and think that it will be a good next step for me from a DJI 550.

[Meisech]

The AKE 400kV motors are designed to receive propellers with a maximum length of 15 inches. The total weight of the Tarot, 2 batteries, a brushless gimbal and the camera reaches 6, 2 kgs. I Think that's heavy enough. No need to put a heavier battery. At the moment the flight duration of 21 minutes and the stability of the Tarot satisfies me very much.

[Meisech]

Ok, I hope you get your missing parts quickly. My T810 arrived yesterday. I started to weld the motor connectors and test the electronics.

[Meisech]

Hi, I never encountered a problem with xt60 connectors. My flying style for my video shootings is rather moderate, so no problem of overheating or melting of the connector. Until now, the temperature of the battery and the ESC was relatively low after the flight, motors were cold. The batteries come that way from the factory or from the reseller. I think those people know what they do. Thank you anyway for your concern.

[Meisech]

Normally the 1 m wires are intended to lengten the power wires from your ESC's. At the end you also need to solder power plugs for each ESC, not provided with the package. But you can also use a power distribution board. Have a look at one of my videos 'PDB'. The short thicker wires are used for the main power that goes to the PDB or to a harness.

[espylber]

that is an awesome review... thanks for taking the time and sharing it...

[johnrobertson]

Very nice...came for the build...stayed for the Boeing...or so I read...at 10:10 I still havent seen it...LOL
I may write you soon for tips. I am picking one of these up this weekend. Sub'd.

[Meisech]

Thank you for the informations. But it's little bit confused concerning the max current for the xt60. Some people say it can handle 60A or 65A, other say it can handle 100A and more. Anyway, as I said I never had problems with xt60 connectors nor with Deans Ultra connectors. For the AKE 6s 10A 25C battery I think it's an 10 or 12 AWG Wire. I am not so familiar with american gauge standards.

[GabrieleNuti]

Nice, 1 week ago i have ordered almost the same build... T960 + Tmotor 4012-11 kv400 + zerouav ys-x6, dys 40A opto, 2 zippy 6S 5800 MhA and the same gimbal. I want to install under the frame a power distribution with the esc for more cleaning design.

[antoinegady]

Hi Meisech and followers! I received my T810 frame yesterday and already noticed that I could not find the gaskets for the folding arms (Figured in step 2 of the "Manual"). Any idea why they are not there? Did the manufacturer decide we don't need them or did they forgot them? Anyway I am really excited to get this going! Just looking at the props you can tell it's going to be a beast!
Cheers,
Antoine

[antoinegady]

Yes, I intend to use a PDB as you have shown, seems to be the cleaner way to go for. Can you tell me what's the name of power plugs you are using? Thank you so much for your help and your effort on making the videos. It is a great resource.

[Meisech]

To my knowledge the only difference between the T960 (1050gr) and T810 (1020gr) is the length of the arms. I do not think there is a big difference for the flight time. However, it is mentioned on the Hobby- Wing website that payload of the T960 is 3.5 kg while the payload of the T810 is 3.0 kg.

[Meisech]

Hi Phil,
I will not upgrade the motors of the T960 if its that what you mean. I already ordered the T810 combo ($2065.71) but unfortunately it is sold out now. Still waiting for shipment (think the will ship tomorrow).
I'll make a video about it once it is assembled.

[Meisech]

Hi, thank you for your interest. i bought the AKE battery, the AKE motors, the ESC's and also the Wookong-M controller system at cnchelicopter. I'm not familiar with the Tarot motors, but i suppose they are specially designed by Tarot for their multicopters. 320 kV motors are strong enough to lift heavy payloads. 29 minutes and maybe a few minutes more have been achieved with this 6S 10000mAh battery. Watch my upcoming video for more information about the Tarot T960 and its payload.

[Meisech]

Hi, have a look at my video 'Power distribution board for the Tarot T960'. You have to purchase it separately.