Newb asks for advice on reliable Brands and new build.

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saenzm

Member
Hello everybody, I´m from Uruguay, South America

I’m new to this forum and relatively new to multirotors.

I´ve been flying a DJI Phantom with a Gopro for the last 4 months to learn how to fly, and now I´m planning to move into a bigger platform to do aerial video work with bigger cameras of aprox. 500 -700g weight, and having long flight times ( at least 20m +).

I’m thinking about a Hexa or Octo maybe XL.

I cannot afford buying RTF, so I´m planning to buy a kit. I have soldering experience but no knowledge at all concerning programming TX/RX, ESCs etc.
I´m looking for a reliable platform with good customer support.

I’ve been reading a lot on this and other forums but I’m not sure on what to buy and need some help please!!!

My question is if there’s any brand that fulfill these two requirements: good quality and good customer support.

As far as I found out, I think Chinese are not prone to give good customer support.

I’m attracted by Mikrokopter but I am afraid that it can be very complicate to set things up to work and don’t know if they are up to date concerning technology, Flight controllers etc.

I also like Tarot’s folding frames but don’t know if Foxtech are serious and reliable brand…

Any experience shared will be appreciated. :tennis:

Thanks
Marcelo
 

Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
Welcome to the forum Marcelo.

Im not sure if you are asking about a kit that is pre-packaged for you, or you want to piece together the components yourself?

I have been putting together a tarot hex (the build thread is in this same forum) and so far I'm pretty happy with it. I got all my parts in the US, but of course all of them are made elsewhere (China).

If you're going to try to lift a 700gram camera, I assume you want a hex. That would be the most affordable. The FC choices are pretty vast, ranging from downright simple (xaircraft superx) to more complicated like mikrokopter. The price range varies as well. The Naza seems to be the most popular right in the middle.

On a budget for a heavy lifter, I'd say you're looking at Sunnysky motors, or else the prices jump dramatically.

What at is the budget you'd like to stay within?
 

S

saenzm

Member
Hi Motopreserve,

First of all, its very kind of you to take your time for answering, Thank you!!!:02.47-tranquillity:

I´m not sure what is the best for me, a pre-packed kit or to piece together the components.

I was thinking that a pre-packed kit will come with everything tuned up to work and with clear instructions on the full build, and on the other hand, with individual components I will have to struggle on forums for a long time to gather all the info needed and tweaking settings etc…

My budget would be $3000 -$3500 for every thing ( Frame, motors, esc, props, Fc, Gps, Osd-telemetry, TX).
I already have the FPV components, and a zenmuse h3 2d for my gopro. The gimbal for the bigger camera I will buy it later.

I´ve read too many stories of fly aways with Naza and zero support from DJI, and want something reliable even if it’s a bit more expensive.

I suppose that Mikrokopter is a serious and reliable brand (because its german, and their site is full of detailed explanations on everything) but perhaps I´m wrong. Also I don’t know if with MK you can use different brand components or you have to go all the way with MK products for compatibility. But they seem to be quite complicate and don’t know if I can have all I need for $3500!

Have you got any experience with MK?

I´ve read your thread on your Tarot 680Pro and would like to ask you the following:

What size and brand of props are you using?
What gimbal will you use for your Sony Nex5?
Lipo voltage, mAh and how many are you taking on board?
What will be your AUW?
Are you expecting 15-20 minute flight times or more?
Budget?

Sorry for so many questions!!!:culpability:
Thanks in advance.
Best Regards.
Marcelo
 

Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
Sorry for so many questions!!!
Click to expand...

dont apologize. That's what we are all here for - to help the next guy, just like the help we get ourselves.

I hear you about the DJI stuff - but their products have made many people very happy - so I thought I'd add it to the list. Remember that support for any of these companies is often down to the forums or the retail vendor. I've just had a good experience with xaircraft. But in the end - it was this forum that helped me thru the problem.

I dont have any experience with mikrokopter - but many on this forum do. They have been (and many may argue still are) the standard to which all FCs are compared. Their stuff is proprietary. So you need their ESC packs for their FC etc. Ironically, I've been reading up on them the past few days, because some of the older boards are becoming available used.

ANSWERS:

What size and brand of props are you using?
I went with 12x3.8 because the provide similar efficiency, amerage draw and better thrust compared to the larger 13" - which is the maximum size on the stock 680pro.


What gimbal will you use for your Sony Nex5?
Honestly, I have no idea. I'm going to start with a Tarot 2-axis for the gopro for now. I figure when it comes time to choose the bigger/better gimbal, even if it's this summer, the market will have changed already. New gimbals are hitting the market daily it seems, and the prices are dropping. Green House is is one option I've looked seriously at though.


Lipo voltage, mAh and how many are you taking on board?
The plan is for 2 batteries, 5100mah 4S. I just grabbed some 8000mah batteries to try as a single battery setup (saves some weight - may be worth it).


What will be your AUW?
Hard to say. I think I'm at about 2700 grams right now with a single 5100mah battery for testing, but no gimbal/camera.


Are you expecting 15-20 minute flight times or more?
yes!!! People are getting that easily - and then others don"t. I'm going to be one of the people who does :)

Budget?
Not sure where I'm at right now - I can do some calculations after some coffee. :). I can tell you it's nowhere NEAR $3000. not even close.

You have chosen a healthy budget - which is smart. Too many people try to be cheap up front only to find they are disappointed - and in the end spend more!
 

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saenzm

Member
Thank you for all your answers!!!

Concerning MK, if I got it right, once you buy there stuff, if you want to change any electronics to another brand, besides motors and frame, you have to change the hole set (Fc, Gps, telemetry, ESCs…). So its kind of getting married with them!

I think I’m going to chose to buy separated components then.

It´s a good idea to wait to buy your gimbal until last minute. I´ve bought my Zenmuse h3 2d last year on November and payed $700, and a month later it was half the price!:(

If I’m planning to fly 700g camera + gimbal the payload will be around 1500g – 1600g depending on gimbal choice. Perhaps I should choose a bigger set than yours in order to get descent flight times. Maybe a tarot 960 frame…

Thanks a lot for your advice, and looking forward to see your 680 finished and flying!!!

Cheers!!!
 

Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
You're definitely going to want to spend some time on eCalc to figure out what works best. Remember that at this size/power, you're going to have equal or more weight in just batteries!!!

the 810 is a happy medium - and I think that folds as well. You'll have to see where you're at with the payload hex vs Octo - and then go from there.

My plan is to update the hex with longer, slightly thicker walled booms at some point if/when I need it. But at this stage, even the 680Pro is big for me to haul around. :)

Keep us updated.
 


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saenzm

Member
I´m not very confident in buying from chinese vendors but was thinking that this price is really interesting.

Perhaps some of the components are not ideal or good quality? I don´t know much about brands!

Or perhaps I can try to buy these components or equivalents in US, probably more expensive but safer!!!
 

Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
Did I miss it - or are there not a lot of details on that page? I didn't see specific motors and ESCs. I suppose there is a reasonable expectation of it working well together since they have decided on the package - but without know the specifics it's hard to say.

I think the key will be whether you A) want a pre-configured package deal, or B) want to do the research and potentially get superior parts for a similar price range. Those are the two big choices, and they both have pros/cons.

Sorry, I didn't get a chance to tally up the build. I'll do it after dinner.

i think if you're thinking about a system with a wookong or A2 - you're not going to be able to touch their price. That's dirt cheap when you factor in the wookong.
 
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S

saenzm

Member
Yes, its an important decision to take!!!

Perhaps B) its a better choice regarding quality.

The details of this combo were on the bottom of the page:
t960L50.jpg


They give the possibility to upgrade to Hobbywing Flyfun OPTO 40A for $ 19

If you can check it later or tomorrow and tell me what you think about it, it would be great!!!:tennis:

Anyway, I´ll start seeking equivalents in US...

Thank you very much!!!
 

Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
When I just did a rough cost in my head - it was much closer to $3000. That was with Sunnysky motors and HobbyWing ESCs (neither are the most expensive - but are highly rated/reviewed).

I am not familiar with the motors and ESCs that they're using - you have to research that. I think DYS ESCs may be the same as others on the market but rebranded. Not sure about the Tarot motors.

The other big question is whether you really need to GO wookong/A2, or could you get away with something cheaper for the FC. Many people are having great filming results with SuperX, Pixhawk, and Naza M V2. None would have quite the features of the high end DJI package - but you might not need all the bells and whistles.

Really depends on what you plan to do and how you think you can get there.
 

S

saenzm

Member
Cool!!!
Thank you for the info on Sunnysky motors and HobbyWing ESCs!!:tennis:

Yes, its a good point if I really need going wookong. Probably not.

I´ve just found a thread on a tarot T960 build on RC Groups started last year and there´s plenty of posts and info!

I´ll stick to it and probably that will help me a lot.

I´ll let you know about all this.

Thanks again for your time spent and all your advice!!!:tennis:







 

Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
You're very welcome. My "advice" is just food for thought. After researching the build threads you'll have a much better idea of where to go with the build.


Good luck.
 


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