We took a FirstLook at the Brando U816 UFO quadcopter yesterday. The entire kit is very compact. It got us thinking that it would be great if we could pack everything up into one easy-to-carry package. For carrying gear, normally we would reach for an OtterBox, Pelican, or SKB case. However, using one of those cases was a little bit overkill for this application. After looking around, we found something that is exactly right for our needs.
ArtBin's QuickView cases are made with translucent polypropylene. They come in various sizes, have a carrying handle, are stackable, and have lockable latches. Best of all, our 12" case cost only $10! A larger 17" case is still under $20. While just putting everything in the ArtBin case would certainly work, we wanted to keep the content from shifting around. We had some Pick-n-Pluck foam left over from past projects (because we never throw anything away) which should work nicely.
Our first thought was to have cutouts for all the pieces, but realized that many of the items could just as easily be held in place by inserting them into the foam. With that approach, we only needed to make a cutout for the controller. Also, the foam only had to fill half of the bottom of the case.
As the controller was the largest piece, the overall layout was dictated by its placement. By orienting the controller sideways in the left side of the case, it allowed us to place the rest of the items comfortably around it and to its right. We used the spaces on the right and left of the handle for the extra blades and the two batteries. The charger and cable was tucked in between the x-frame arms of the quadcoper. The only thing we left out was the plug for the USB cable as that did not come with the kit. There is plenty of room for one should we decide to add it at a later date.
Having everything in a "grab-n-go" case means we will be able to stow the entire kit away neatly, bring everything with us without leaving something behind, and not worry that anything will be accidentally damaged in transit.
Of course, now that ArtBin cases are on our radar, readers can expect us to reach for them more often, especially for projects such as these. [Permalink] -Brando UFO U816 Case
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