Multirotor construction kit?

L

LowFlier

Member
On another forum a newcomer was asking for advice on where to start with multirotors. A regular poster there suggested he buy inexpensive HK parts to build a quad using their F450-lookalike frame as a way to get his feet wet. This got me to thinking that it might be a great adventure to buy a set of parts with the intention of using them as a sort of multirotor construction set. With enough basic parts to put together a variety of MR configurations plus some spares I could experiment and see what I like and what works for me. I would stay with inexpensive parts that may not provide great performance, but should suffice for experimentation.

This thread is me asking if that seems a good idea, and if so, whether the parts I list are appropriate.

So first, any comments on the general idea? Am I being silly? I am a hands-on type. I enjoy kits rather than RTF/BND, etc, so being able to switch things up sounds like fun to me. I imagine it would be a great learning experience.

As for the components I have in mind:

1. A hexa frame: 1 x H550 V2 Glass Fiber Hexcopter Frame 550mm - Integrated PCB Version: $26.99

Since I am drawn to the hexa I start here. For other configurations I can either build my own hubs from fiberglass or Lexan and re-use the arms, or build entirely from scratch.

2. A quad frame - 1 x Q450 Glass Fiber Quadcopter Frame 450mm - Integrated PCB Version: $17.99

This gives me 4 spare arms for cheaper than I can find elsewhere, plus I have a nice quad hub too.

3. A flight controller - 1 x Hobbyking KK2.0 Multi-rotor LCD Flight Control Board: $29.99

It's not the Naza with GPS I was planning to get, but it is inexpensive and it supports every configuration with 2-8 rotors I have ever heard of, plus some.

4. Motors - 10 x Turnigy D2830-11 1000kv Brushless Motor: $9.56 ea

This gives me enough motors to build an octo, with a couple spares. I know that no one motor is ideal for every situation, but I'm hoping these will be sufficient for most. Am I right?

5. ESCs - 10 x Turnigy Plush 30amp Speed Controller: $12.19 ea

This is an ESC for each motor. The parts list I started with suggested a HobbyKing Red Brick 20A ESC, but the motors above state 30A ESC. A lot of posters seem to be using this ESC. Is it a good choice?

6. Props - 2 x Slow Fly Electric Prop 1045SF (4 pc): $3.07/pack 4; 2 x Slow Fly Electric Prop 1045R SF RH Rotation (4 pc): $3.07/pack 4

OK, these are no Graupners, I know. Will they be sufficient? At this price I can break a few. I also think I might want to get similar numbers of props at 9" and 8" as well. I would also like to get some three-blade props to try, but I'm unsure about size.

7. Receiver - 1 x OrangeRx R610 Spektrum DSM2 6Ch 2.4Ghz Receiver (w/ Sat Port): $5.99

I am planning to purchase a nice Futaba in the future, but for now I have a Spekky DX6i that should be sufficient for the KK's needs. This is a super-cheap RX. Is it usable?

8. Receiver leads - 1 x 10CM Male to Male Servo Lead (JR) 26AWG (10pcs/set): $4.75

That should be enough, right?

9. Batteries - 2 x ZIPPY Flightmax 2200mAh 3S1P 30C : $17.17 ea; 1 x ZIPPY Flightmax 4000mAh 4S1P 40C: $35.10

That lets me do 1x3S, 2x3S, or 1x4S.

10. Connectors - 5 x PolyMax 3.5mm Gold Connectors 10 PAIRS (20PC): $1.59/pack 10 pair

That's 4 per motor/ESC, plus some spares. Are these going to work?

11. Wire - 3 x Turnigy Pure-Silicone Wire 14AWG (1mtr) RED: $1.39/m; 3 x Turnigy Pure-Silicone Wire 14AWG (1mtr) BLACK: $1.39/m

That's about 10' of each color.

12. Miscellaneous: Soldering iron, solder, flux, shrink wrap, zip ties, battery connectors, battery strap, thread lock, CA, servo tape.

---

Well?

I appreciate any constructive comments. Thanks.

- Tim
 
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jforkner

jforkner

Member
A short time ago, I was a relative newcomer and decided to put together a "kit" to build a hexa. I used the FC from my first multicopter, A DJI F450. I cannibalized the quad using the Naza FC and the four ESCs to start the kit. Another $1000 later and the hexa was done. The new 'copter flies nice, and I enjoy the satisfaction of having built my own machine. But make no mistake, you get what you pay for and it will cost more than you think.



Jack
 



R

R_Lefebvre

Arducopter Developer
I am sort of doing the same thing. I just bought a whole ton or replacement parts for the Turnigy Talon V2 frame to build an Octo. Short Arms, Long Arms, Aluminum motor mounts and hubs. I even ordered the heavy lift frame just to get the cool plastic sphere for the top and the aluminum leg mounting blocks. I just need to make the center plates which is easy.

I would suggest the NTM Prop Drive 2836 motors instead of the ones you chose. They're a couple bucks more, but well worth it. One of the biggest reasons is the prop adaptor isn't one of the cheesy collet types.

I went with the F-40A ESC's. Apparently this family (F-20A, F-30A) is just as good Plush ESC's, but a couple bucks cheaper, and maybe in stock.
 

L

LowFlier

Member
Just as an update, I have built a quad with the above parts and it flies well. Except when I run into things. I had to replace 2 arms today alone. I ran into a large tree, and then later a basketball backboard. It seems that these knockoffs of the DJI arms reliably break at the motor end when they "land" hard. Is this true of the real DJI arms as well? Is it the cheap knockoff that's the problem, or the design where the thinnest part of the arm is right where the strain of a hard landing puts all the pressure?

Of course, it couldn't possibly be my flying or my choice in flying locations, hehe. It HAS to be that trees and backboards just attract MRs from great distances, right? :black_eyed:
 


L

LowFlier

Member
So I built this quad for about the same price as a BNF mQX. It flies much better. I still haven't started doing flips with this quad yet, but I'm comfortable flying it:


 
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M

Millsy

Member
Looks great.
Was it a pretty straight forward build? would you recommend something like this for a newbie to get started with multirotor & learning to fly?

Cheers
Millsy
 

L

LowFlier

Member
The build was pretty easy. I would recommend this as a first step because you learn a lot and the total cost for just the quad is pretty low at about $150 (not including battery and TX). Then again, I don't have long term experience, so the opinions of others may vary. Personally, I'm having a blast.
 

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