First build, F450/pixhawk - feedback requested

[manicmethod]

I have a few RTF's (X4, U818a, Dromida) and have done various repairs on them. Ready to build my own.

I'm a researcher and am not afraid of a challenge (e.g., difficulty of configuring pixhawk) and my end goal is autonomous flying. This is what I've come up with after reading everything I could come up with:

Flamewheel f450 ARF kit
Pixhawk
GPS
Minim OSD for APM or Pixhawk Flight Controllers
Telemetry kit 433mhz APM
Anbee® FPV 5.8Ghz Circular Polarized
YKS 5.8ghz tx/tx (?)
Easycap DC60
Mobius Action Cam
Turnigy 9X 9Ch tx/rx
Traxxas 2872X 5000mAh 11.1V 3S 25C LiPo Battery
Traxxas TRA2970 2970 EZ-Peak Plus


Is there anything I'm missing or any terrible ideas here? I must admit that there is not a lot of information about how to get the right components if you don't already know about all of them and how they meet your needs...

Thanks for any help.

 

[JoeBob]

Pixhawk: Try to get a 3DR original if you can find one. PixHack and PixRacer are decent substitutes. Many knockoff Pixhawks seem to develop problems.
GPS: Ublox Neo M8N is an excellent upgrade from the standard 3DR Neo 6. Mine get 18 satellites vs 12.
Good stroke on the Mobius.

See Bart's first build thread on this board. His videos are excellent.

 

[manicmethod]

Thanks! Definitely getting 3DR everything when I can.

Interesting note on the GPS, will check that out.

My biggest struggle has been with vTx. Virtually all of them have bad reviews, are hard to find, etc. Even Boscam on Amazon has bad reviews. I don't want to spend a fortune on that part (not doing FPV racing or anything that demands high performance) but I don't want to lose reception after 1000 ft either...

Also not sure if I'm missing other things (do I need an FTDI adapter to program the OSD or is that included with something?)

 

[manicmethod]

Looking for Ublox Neo M8N, there seem to be multiple brands, is there a preferred brand? There are several on Amazon but none have reviews...

 

[JoeBob]

I've had good luck with Drotek and GCS shop. Some of them come configured for Pixhawk and you don't have to program the board. 'Front' can be a little hard to determine...

 

[Hoki]

i just built a 450 size quad with apm 2.8 gps and i just put a cheap eachine ccd 600mw camera on it with an upgraded antenna.