Advice for getting started with multi-rotor helicopters

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
I've been in a discussion with one of our forum members about what to do to get started and rather than continuing with him in private I thought I'd just put my thoughts together in a post for everyone to read, comment on, and hopefully benefit from.

There are a lot of choices and it's easy to get caught up in analysis-paralysis where you get so bogged down trying to make the best decision that you can't make any decision. To get right to the meat of the matter, I personally think it's best for anyone getting started to just buy a basic quad and get it flying.

With a basic quad in your possession you can get to work flying and improving your skills while you get a handle on what you want to do next.

If you've got some experience with radio control planes/heli's/cars and you like to build things you can make your basic quad a little more of a challenge by building it from components. This opens up your choices as now you can consider any of the flight controllers out there (DJI, Mikrokopter, OpenPilot, Hoverfly, KK, Arduino, MultiWii, etc.) as well as motors and ESC's. Keep in mind though that this is supposed to be the quad you learn with and that will probably include some crashing, mistakes in building, and it may even fly away at some point so I highly recommend that you keep it simple and inexpensive. There is a lot to learn and in getting this first quad flying a lot of the mystery that seems to surround these things will just go away and you'll be ready for the next build.

If you go with a second build and decide to make it more, more, more of everything there's a chance you won't want to fly it for fun or in a way that will put it at risk of crashing. That's where the first basic quad comes in. If you've got a maneuver you're aching to try but it's risky, get the basic quad out. If you haven't been flying much and you want to get proficient again, get the basic quad out. If you just want to velcro a GoPro to the frame and take video of you flying after winter geese that are pooping on your lawn, get the basic quad out. I can't really enjoy flying my bigger heli because it's part of my business and it would be too expensive and time consuming to replace. With a smaller, more basic quad available I can fly after dinner and enjoy the hobby while keeping my working heli safe for paying gigs.

Hope that helps.
Bart
 
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Thakur Dalip Singh

Thakur Dalip Singh
Thanks for great advice for people like me novices. I agree with you that it's easy to get caught up in analysis-paralysis where you get so bogged down trying to make the best decision that you can't make any decision.
Pl tell how much is cost of
XAircraft X650 and where can I buy it?
Can it carry camera like Go pro?
 

KellyR

Member
Thakur,

The Xaircraft x650 can carry a GoPro. There are many camara gimbals to choose from too. If you google "Xaircraft x650" you'll get several places to buy it. A lot of guys start with a Gaui 330x-s too. Along that style of quad, Hoverthings sells one called the witespy that gives you more bang for the buck IMO. It's cheaper & comes with the DJI Naza controller.

Kelly
 

Bowley

Member
I would agree with KellyR the DJI Naza strikes me as by far the best value (non open source) FC on the market.
Whether or not it is wise to start out with a FC that has Alt hold, I'm not sure.
What I like about the X650 series is the frame and the rail mounting system, for battery and camera mount etc, good for starting out in AP/AV.
 


KellyR

Member
The Canon 6d is a good size camera. You may need to upgrade the motors. Most guys carrying a camera like that have it on a gimbal that has auto roll & tilt correction. I'm not sure if the FC on the xa650 will do that. I'd check before buying.

Kelly
 

Bowley

Member
X650 will struggle to lift a DSLR.
DJJ F550 or XA Hexa with strong motors should cope with one of the new generation cameras such as Sony NEX5, Lumix G3 etc
go for DJI FC, Wookong or Naza, will both support 6 motors and gimbal and with the Zenmuse out soon should be an easy fit to the F550.
XA Hex also has a good mounting system and very practical for centering C of G.
Have a look at the DJI S800 due for release.
Choose the XA FC1212-S and AHRS (MK1 VERSION) at your peril. It does have gimbal tilt/roll stab and control btw.
Also new on the block, Ardupilot Mega 2 FC, worth a look at for sure.
 

Dewster

Member
Use good props. Props are probably the cheapest part on a multi rotor and it's a part that will bring your craft down if they break. APC, Graupner, or Xoar. Nothing else.

Oh...don't buy into the carbon fiber craze. It seems most props break at the hub. Watch how much pressure you apply to the nut securing the prop. AND use lock nuts so that the prop stays on your craft. One prop failure can cost you thousands.
 

Use good props. Props are probably the cheapest part on a multi rotor and it's a part that will bring your craft down if they break. APC, Graupner, or Xoar. Nothing else.

Oh...don't buy into the carbon fiber craze. It seems most props break at the hub. Watch how much pressure you apply to the nut securing the prop. AND use lock nuts so that the prop stays on your craft. One prop failure can cost you thousands.
I know that this is an older thread.....BUT....

I bought a used DJI F450 so i get into the learning curve at a differrent point. Being that I'm an automotive tech What was said here stuck home for me. I took a prop off to see what that was about and saw a need for spindle holding wrench. I don't recall seeing a tourque spec for prop nuts and I'm surprized there is not a cotter pin or safety wire. I just went and loooked at the DJI manual again.

So i went to the Hobby store to get a Tranmitter and a battery. I know I'm looking for a 3s battery but not really sure on the C rating I need. I'll ask these questions. still lots to learn.

Steve
 

harry2509

Member
I have just got into multirotors, and found that the DJI f450 is quite a good starter even though its priced high its good quality and there are a large range of spare parts etc.. :D
 


M

Martin Rhodes

Guest
Bart

Hi we run a Droidworx heavy lift OKTO in our business, we are licenced. Start with a Gaui 500x they are easy to build and fly then advance to something more expensive and complex. Also cheaper if you crash it, which you will. Big Multirotors can launch like the space shuttle, their performance is breathtaking, and so can the damage bill. Ours cost $16,000 to build originally.

Martin
 

Dewster

Member
Props, get good props. I think most crashes are caused by props breaking in flight. If you happen to crash your craft you'll need to inspect those props for reliability. Stick with APC props in the beginning. They are flexible, take a beating and reliable. Upgrade to Graupners once your better at flight and can avoid hard landings.
 

Greetings: Some very good advice here. Being a total novice I wanted to pass on some of my experiences. My entry into r/c anything came with a birthday gift of a DJI F550/NAZA-M/DX6i. After max googlefu I concluded everyone crashes so I took the recommended route of learning on a flight simulator. I choose AeroSim because at the time it appeared there simulator had the config that was the closest to my F550. They also claimed anyone who completes there entire training syllabus is ready to fly. I completed it something like 14 times. During the period when I was building training time on the simulator I decided to acquire a couple small heli's to practice with in the house. Big mistake. First was the Blade MSR X which I destroyed almost immediately and then invested in a bunch of after market junk with the only result being a lighter pocket book. Pursued in detail every thing I could find on the internet and purchased every ebook on how to fly it and spent countless hours indoors getting no where. In my estimation a very poor choice for a zero time rc student. Next was the Blade MQX which was advertised to fly out of the box by any novice including the village idiot. Not exactly true. In my case I think the biggest problems are a result of my inability to fine tune the DX6i settings to make the controls less responsive to the old tired hands/eyes of a novice like me. I can get the MQX to fly but not hover or really control it. I think the MQX is a better choice for the multi-rotor beginner judging by the many satisfied users on the internet. Somehow I have to believe there are others like me that have found the entire experience very frustrating. I am documenting my experiences here in hopes the industry as a whole provides easier paths for the novice. I just spent the last few days trying to get my F550 airborne and the thread below documents that journey in detail. It seems I have managed to confront every bug there is and the positive part of that is once I get it working, and I will the experience gained will be valuable. A good point to make as a plus for the person who builds there own. I didn't build my F550 but after the last couple days would have no hesitation doing so. During several points in the F550 journey I believed less rocket science would be involved in putting several people on Mars than flying a multirotor. At this point I think a product like DJI's Phantom would eliminate most of the receiver/transmitter problems I've had and the GPS feature would make initial flying by the novice much easier. If your goal was like mine of eventually doing filming/photography you need to understand there is max rocket science involved and you are going to invest huge amounts of time learning the ropes. Much easier if you pound the pavement and can join clubs and get mentored by experienced people. In my case living in a very remote area the internet and places like this are the only way to go. Assistance I have received here has been excellent.
 

Barrymartin

New Member
I've been in a discussion with one of our forum members about what to do to get started and rather than continuing with him in private I thought I'd just put my thoughts together in a post for everyone to read, comment on, and hopefully benefit from.

There are a lot of choices and it's easy to get caught up in analysis-paralysis where you get so bogged down trying to make the best decision that you can't make any decision. To get right to the meat of the matter, I personally think it's best for anyone getting started to just buy a basic quad and get it flying.

With a basic quad in your possession you can get to work flying and improving your skills while you get a handle on what you want to do next.

If you've got some experience with radio control planes/heli's/cars and you like to build things you can make your basic quad a little more of a challenge by building it from components. This opens up your choices as now you can consider any of the flight controllers out there (DJI, Mikrokopter, OpenPilot, Hoverfly, KK, Arduino, MultiWii, etc.) as well as motors and ESC's. Keep in mind though that this is supposed to be the quad you learn with and that will probably include some crashing, mistakes in building, and it may even fly away at some point so I highly recommend that you keep it simple and inexpensive. There is a lot to learn and in getting this first quad flying a lot of the mystery that seems to surround these things will just go away and you'll be ready for the next build.

If you go with a second build and decide to make it more, more, more of everything there's a chance you won't want to fly it for fun or in a way that will put it at risk of crashing. That's where the first basic quad comes in. If you've got a maneuver you're aching to try but it's risky, get the basic quad out. If you haven't been flying much and you want to get proficient again, get the basic quad out. If you just want to velcro a GoPro to the frame and take video of you flying after winter geese that are pooping on your lawn, get the basic quad out. I can't really enjoy flying my bigger heli because it's part of my business and it would be too expensive and time consuming to replace. With a smaller, more basic quad available I can fly after dinner and enjoy the hobby while keeping my working heli safe for paying gigs.

Hope that helps.
Bart

Thanks for taking time for sharing this article, it was excellent and very informative especially for a newbie, i am pretty new at this multi rotor hobby. I found your hints to be most valuable. thanks again for sharing....
 

Bartman

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
Thanks for taking time for sharing this article, it was excellent and very informative especially for a newbie, i am pretty new at this multi rotor hobby. I found your hints to be most valuable. thanks again for sharing....

always happy to help. :)
 

chico

New Member
Hello,

I have a final project for my digital class to build a quadcopter from scratch. The catch is, I can't use any microprocessor or micro controller. Everyone keeps on telling me that the task is almost impossible, but I am really determined to accomplish the task!

I know that without a control board I won't be able to do much, but all I need is to be able to fly the quadcopter!

Any help will be greatly appreciated as I don't have a clue where to start!
 

Segodogos

Member
hello all,

ive been pondering over Radios and receivers and am at a crossroads.
At the moment, im doing research for the Futaba 7C and have seen many videos about its comparison with the Dx6i.
does anyone have any input related to either of these transmitters?
 

Teamflail

Member
Use good props. Props are probably the cheapest part on a multi rotor and it's a part that will bring your craft down if they break. APC, Graupner, or Xoar. Nothing else.

Oh...don't buy into the carbon fiber craze. It seems most props break at the hub. Watch how much pressure you apply to the nut securing the prop. AND use lock nuts so that the prop stays on your craft. One prop failure can cost you thousands.

Wish I had seen this post about the lock nut earlier!! Broke one of the arms on my hexacopter due to a nut coming loose. Oh well, live and learn, isn't that the idea?
 

gtranquilla

RadioActive
Look for Jon Desjardin's Youtube videos on setting up a Futaba T8FG Super with the Naza controller....... you might want consider going that route (it can provide up to 14 channels)...... but the Dx6i may also be a good choice.
hello all,

ive been pondering over Radios and receivers and am at a crossroads.
At the moment, im doing research for the Futaba 7C and have seen many videos about its comparison with the Dx6i.
does anyone have any input related to either of these transmitters?
 

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