The skids are off for the next stage of wiring the lower quad, and this the view from the topside. The batteries are going right there, a pair of panniers redolent of the small locomotives beloved of Thomas the Tank Engine.
They'll connect to the power distribution board, what we'd have called the Battery Bus were we flying an airliner instead. That PDB is going to be attached centrally as seen here in order to balance resistance across all four motors, except that it will be fixed to the underside so as to leave the centre-deck available to support accommodation.
Nice to use the old wiring loom, this being the one that travelled with us on the model that appeared at the competition in Mountainview. You'll note though the batteries are not wired in either parallel or series, firstly because I've been on the receiving end of two inadvertent short-circuits on par with a firework display.
But what we shall try in the first instance ~ as the existing loom suits ~ is to run the motors at a lower voltage, but flat out. It may be sufficient in itself to raise the weight of the lower quad and a portion of the payload, which in itself will unburden the other drone so that it can better pursue the task of steering the air vehicle by differential thrust.
Next task, a visit the owner of Alien Power Systems. He has braised connections for me in the past, when not running his restaurant. Braising a wiring loom might make a nice change from doing the same to steak.
