Hello, new with questions!

N

Netdewt

Member
Hello. Here's a shocker. I'm here because I want to build a quad copter! Could you point me in the right direction?

Flight Controller
I am not too worried about ESCs, motors, props, and frame. I am thinking either a warthox frame or something cheap from HobbyKing. Turnigy motors, SimonK flashed ESCs. Something like that.

The flight controller is a bit of a mystery to me. I know of the KK board from HobbyKing, and I am trying to read up on MultiWii. If I understand correctly, an Arduino Mini board and a Wii Motion Plus board are combined. Correct? MWC Paris AIR looks quite nice as well although a little more money.

What is the best solution for a beginner? I am not afraid of soldering, but I need to be able to understand what to do, and I want to fly!

Radio
Does anyone have experience with the cheap 9ch Turnigy radios? Any other suggestions if they are no good? What receiver do you suggest?
 
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S

Scott Drysdale

Mixmaster
IMHO - I strongly recommend you get deeply immersed in eCalc for Multirotors so that you are sure to buy the most appropriate parts at the beginning. There is a lot of multidiscipline engineering skills involved in getting the ARF and RTF kits designed correctly for customers...... well worth the extra money.

Or start out with a Blade MQX to get in some good flying practice while you work out your custom design.
 

jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
Welcome Netdewt. :) Get yourself a RTF "toy" grade quad that can bind with a decent programmable Tx and start practicing and keep on researching and start practicing flying. These things are not as easy to fly as one would think. Start flying- you are learning basic Tx stick control and orientation with the "toy" grade quad(s) and having some fun in the process. Start researching out decent Tx's. Buy smart; buy once. The more channels and features you have to begin with in the beginning, the less channels and features you'll wish for and that you had a little farther down the "RC" path. A 4 channel Tx is basic Tx function only. A 6 channel Tx will give you a switch for self leveling, but not much else. I have a FlySky TH9XB Tx which is similar to a Turnigy 9X. I like it, I've had it for over a year and I have it programmed for my heli's,"toy" grade quads, and my quad build. I have no real complaints. The 9X Tx's can be upgraded. Without an OSD on a Tx, Tx programming is a PITA, Find a quad frame you like. There are a lot of guides on the internet from experienced builders that will give you a sense of direction as to frame assembly, have recommendations for components that match and basic set up instructions. The same applies to the FC. Start building as you are learning basic flying skills. Simpler is easier in the beginning. Buy extra props and some replacement parts too, because you will crash. It's far cheaper to crash, rebuild, repair, and replace the "toy" grades than the builds. I know this from experience.

Then there are the batteries and the battery chargers, and the battery charger power supply units to start worrying about.

This is not exactly a cheap hobby to get in to, but it is worth it. It takes a lot of time, research, and practice; but it is worth it.

I hope this helps.

Good Luck-

Jay



 
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N

Netdewt

Member
Thanks so much for the replies.

I am not very keen on the toy ones. They look cheap and breakable, and yet still expensive. The blade is like $150. I do realize these things can be dangerous if you don't take precautions.

The reason I am intrigued with this is for the DIY, hacked-together, bare frame, electronics-hanging-all-over part of it. I have looked for several builds for advice. Something like 3S 25C+ 2000-3000 mAh batteries, 30A esc with SimonK, 8x4.5 props, Turnigy Aerodrive motors, 500mm frame. By my count I could build a complete quad with radio for under $300.

I would consider something like the MWC Scarab trainer. It's out if stock right now. Any thoughts on that one?

I have audio electronics building experience and have been in and out of RC since I was 10. Is this a job interview (kidding)?

I appreciate the input!

ecalc1.png

Here's a setup from eCalc. It looks good to me, but I don't know everything to look for. I had to bump the Turnigy motors up to keep the max power below the motor's rating (although it was right on the edge for the 2822-1090).
 

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jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
Not a lot of flight time with the battery selected. Try a larger capacity battery to see how it affects flight times. A little more AUW, but maybe increased flight time. I can say in the beginning of the learning curve even 3 minutes can seem like an eternity:highly_amused:
 

N

Netdewt

Member
jbrumberg said:
Not a lot of flight time with the battery selected. Try a larger capacity battery to see how it affects flight times. A little more AUW, but maybe increased flight time. I can say in the beginning of the learning curve even 3 minutes can seem like an eternity:highly_amused:
Click to expand...

Yeah - for some reason I am attracted to hobbies like that.

I do have a cheap help/quad simulator. Anything recommended on that front? Also, with regard to cheap toy trainers, would it be worthwhile to grab one of the tiny indoor helis ($35 incl radio), or in your opinion is it totally different?
 

jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
Those indoor coaxial heli's will teach you "bad" Tx stick habits, I have a hangar full of them. They are fun to fly, and precise fliers and landers. They will help you think about orientation, but it does not translate to how you work your Tx sticks due to their 3 channel controls. There are some decent, cheap, robust nano and micro sized quads that one can fly indoors. A lot of people really like the Hubsan (I do not have one.). I like the mini sized, but I am dating myself in away. I have 4 SYMA X1's. (There are "reasons") They are a little larger and are better flown outdoors which is my preference.

I used my flight simulator with a mcpx model CP heli. Other than the 3D flight ability it handled "similar" to my little 3 axis quads. It does help. Again I am dating myself (and this is like 2 years history here). That's how fast technological forces are driving this hobby.
 




N

Netdewt

Member
OK, I priced out a complete build from HobbyKing, around $325:
$14 - HobbyKing X525 frame
$30 - HobbyKing KK2.1 flight controller
$56 - Afro SimonK Slim 20A ESC (4)
$7 - Afro programming tool
$64 - Turnigy Aerodrive SK3, 2826-1030kv motors (4)
$4 - HXT 4mm to 3.5mm bullet connector cable
$6 - 20cm male/male servo lead 10pc
$4 - HobbyKing low voltage alarm
$5 - Dr. Mad Thrust electronic switch
$3 - SF 8x4.5 props 4 pack, yellow
$29 - Zippy Flightmax 3S 30C 4000mAh
$54 - Turnigy 9X with module and receiver

$274 TOTAL
$50 shipping
Click to expand...

or... from MultiWiiCopters/HobbyKing, about $450:
$239 - Scarab QUAD X Stealth- Metal Armour v2.2
$70 - PARIS SiriusAir USB
$60 - 2 x CarbonBird 3S 35C 2500mAh

$54 - Turnigy 9X with module and receiver

$423 TOTAL
$25 shipping
Click to expand...

and/or... Hubsan: $44 shipped

Should I go for the Hubsan? It doesn't excite me like the other options, but it's a cheap way to try.
 
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jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
I think you will need some 8X4.5 CCW props as well with a KK board. And do you have those 3 pin servo connectors or is that the LED distribution cable?
 

N

Netdewt

Member
jbrumberg said:
I think you will need some 8X4.5 CCW props as well with a KK board. And do you have those 3 pin servo connectors or is that the LED distribution cable?
Click to expand...

Props and KK board are listed (it's a pack with both CW and CCW, the board is KK2.1).

No, I couldn't find the servo connectors. How many do I need? 1 for each ESC or more? That LED thing just looked cool. You can power LEDs with the balance plug on the battery, I guess.
 
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jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
HK lists them as 10 cm servo leads I believe. They come in a 10 pack. I enclosed a pic, They also have this Rx channel switch which one can run and activate lights, etc. through an open Rx channel Make sure those props you ordered come as both CW and CCW Motors 1 and 3 are CW and 2 and 4 are CCW props with a KK board.
 

N

Netdewt

Member
jbrumberg said:
HK lists them as 10 cm servo leads I believe. They come in a 10 pack. I enclosed a pic, They also have this Rx channel switch which one can run and activate lights, etc. through an open Rx channel Make sure those props you ordered come as both CW and CCW Motors 1 and 3 are CW and 2 and 4 are CCW props with a KK board.
Click to expand...

I found the connectors, I'll look for the switch. That sounds cool. I love the idea of having tons of extra channels. I've always had 4 on my planes.
 

jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
You'll end up using 5 of those servo connectors on the KK board set up with S-L switched. The ESC's have their own 3 pin servo's. BTW- If you really want something useful and "cool" for your battery balance lead. This low voltage voltmeter alarm is loud, and reads voltage for total cell count and /cell up to 8S. I have one. It is loud. One can set the alarm voltage. It is relatively accurate based on my multimeter. It reads "more discharged" than actual.

I wish I could try fixed wing flying. My buddies at RCG have been trying to get me to try those fixed wings. I do not think that fixed winged RC and my property are a good match.
 

N

Netdewt

Member
jbrumberg said:
You'll end up using 5 of those servo connectors on the KK board set up with S-L switched. The ESC's have their own 3 pin servo's. BTW- If you really want something useful and "cool" for your battery balance lead. This low voltage voltmeter alarm is loud, and reads voltage for total cell count and /cell up to 8S. I have one. It is loud. One can set the alarm voltage. It is relatively accurate based on my multimeter. It reads "more discharged" than actual.

I wish I could try fixed wing flying. My buddies at RCG have been trying to get me to try those fixed wings. I do not think that fixed winged RC and my property are a good match.
Click to expand...

Oh, that sounds nice. I am a little nervous about timing battery discharge properly.

You mean... an airplane? I had a nitro 4ch trainer for years, and flew it maybe 3 times. I just didn't have anywhere to fly. I sold that and bought a 3ch park flyer kit. That still isn't built. I mostly fly sims and play with building various models. Haha. I also built nitro outboard tunnel hull, which I sold, and a nitro fan boat, which I am trying to sell now.
 

FlyGirl

FlyGirl

Member
Netdewt said:
and/or... Hubsan: $44 shipped

Should I go for the Hubsan? It doesn't excite me like the other options, but it's a cheap way to try.
Click to expand...

I noticed no one responded to the question at the bottom. Yes on a Hubsan or Syma X-1 like someone else mentioned. My first outdoor quad was an X-1 which I still have and fly just for quick giggles. It's indestructible almost because it is light so you can make plenty of rookie mistakes. It's good to learn on!
 

jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
Flygirl- Who wants to fly a simple, sturdy, $34, 3 axis controlled quad that requires a little more Tx stick input than a 6 axis and puts a little more demand on the owner/operator? Up to 5 mph wind it flies ~OK, and it can carry an oversize battery a keychain videocam and other stuff and still fly in temperatures below freezing? My only range issue is my eyesight.
 


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