My First Quadcopter Build

H

Harry123

Member
I have found these parts to build my FPV 250 racing quad-copter with but I am not 100% sure that they will work together or if I am choosing the right ones. Are there any parts that I should get instead? I am especially worried about whether the ESCs will work with the motors and the battery that I have. I have also downloaded BaseFlight to program in some changes and a buzzer for locating the drone. Any tips or things that I am missing? I will appreciate any help, thank you. Does anyone have a recommendation for a slightly less expensive transmitter as the Teranis is rather pricey, although I do understand that it is very adaptable?

Frame - XCSOURCE Emax 100% Pure Carbon Fibre Mini 250 Prop FPV Quadcopter Multicopter RC011 £38.99 Amazon

Motors - EMAX MT Series Brushless Motor 4pieces MT2204 2300kv for Mini Multicopter £41.82 Amazon

ESCs - XT-XINTE EMAX Simon12A Brushless Speed Controller ESC 2-3S Lipo for Quadcopter £6.39 (x4) HobbyKing

Battery - Turnigy Nano-Tech 1300mAh 3s 45-90c Lipo Pack £8.67 HobbyKing

Flight Controller - AfroFlight Naze32 Acro AbuseMark FunFly Controller £15.99 HobbyKing

Transmiter - FrSky 2.4GHz ACCST X9D Digital Telemetry Radio System (Mode 1) £111.96 HobbyKing

Power Distribution Board - CC3D Flight Controller Mini Power Distribution Board PCB £4.24 Amazon

FPV - Gear FatShark Teleporter V3 RTF FPV Headset System w/ Camera and 5.8G TX £130.00 HobbyKing

Proppellers - Gemfan 6030 Multirotor ABS Propellers CW CCW Black £1.00 (x2) HobbyKing

Buzzer - Piezo Buzzer for KK2 KK2.1 & Naze32 Flight Control Boards £1.94 HobbyKing

Heat Shrink - Am-Tech Heat Shrink Wire Wrap Assortment (127 pieces) £3.66 Amazon

Reciever - FrSky D4R-II 2.4G 4CH ACCST Telemetry Receiver Motif £30.76 Amazon
 
Last edited by a moderator:

crayfellow

crayfellow

Member
Happy to help. Why a Mode 1 radio (this depends which side you are accustomed to controlling throttle/yaw vs. roll/pitch)?

Also why 6" props? You might want to try standard fare Gemfan 5030's for now, and I'm not sure that frame is friendly to 6".
 

H

Harry123

Member
Thank you, so is there a Taranis Radio that allows for the use of either side for throttle/yaw or roll/pitch?
I will definitely try the 5030 props first and have a look at the clearance left.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

crayfellow

crayfellow

Member
Mode 2 uses the left stick for throttle (up/down) and yaw (left/right). That is generally most natural for multirotor/heli pilots. You can in fact break open a Taranis to switch the sticks, but you should order whatever you think you will be most comfortable with off the bat if you can. The difference is the side for "throttle" is not springy, so you can easily keep it at 0, then throttle up from there.

Also be careful ordering from HobbyKing international warehouse, the wait can be long. I don't know what UK local suppliers they are, so I can't suggest an alternative, but I'm sure there are some just in case.
 
Last edited by a moderator:


crayfellow

crayfellow

Member
as for any alternate suggestion to the Taranis - no. It is far and away the best value and it will take you wherever you end up going.

Assuming that receiver has the "smart port" same as the FrSky X8R, I highly, highly recommend the FrSky SP-FLVS voltage sensor. With the Taranis you can monitor individual cell voltage, then set an audible alarm when a cell starts to get low (I have one set at 3.7V). This makes it painless to take good care of your batteries (nano-techs are great ones), and prevent accidents.
 

H

Harry123

Member
That is a good idea, do you need the FrSky SP-FLVS voltage sensor to monitor the voltage or do you know of any other ways of doing this? Can they be unusable if run too low?

The Taranis seems that it will be a long lasting radio with the rigid case and it is good to know that it is worth the investment.
 



crayfellow

crayfellow

Member
Harry123 said:
That is a good idea, do you need the FrSky SP-FLVS voltage sensor to monitor the voltage or do you know of any other ways of doing this?
Click to expand...

No, the Taranis assumes the signal is coming from a FrSky telemetry receiver.

Harry123 said:
Can they be unusable if run too low?
Click to expand...

There are at least two issues with running lithium polymer batteries too low:
1. most importantly, their internal resistance increases over time and eventually they won't hold a charge, won't accept a charge, and will get hot both when charging and when being run. What you end up with is a fire hazard that doesn't work all that well as a battery. But if you bring them in before the voltage gets below 3.6V or so (meaning resting voltage without load will be around 3.8V) they will last far longer and treat you well! Always feel it when you bring it in to make sure it's not "hot" after a flight. "Noticeably warm" is OK. A good charger (like the CellPro PowerLab line, be sure to get a power supply as well if you get one of these) will show you the internal resistance (IR) so you can monitor it over time. The higher it is, the more heat will be generated.

2. voltage will sag desperately if the cells get too low under load, resulting in a craft that will no longer hold a hover where you expect it to, and you can unexpectedly fall out of the sky.

So, monitoring voltage in real time is a win all around. In fact when I fly, I keep the voltage telemetry on screen on the Taranis so I can glance down at any time and see where I'm at.

Harry123 said:
The Taranis seems that it will be a long lasting radio with the rigid case and it is good to know that it is worth the investment.
Click to expand...

Definitely. And if for some reason you don't need the case, you can find kits without. You also can find kits that include the X8R receiver. Lots of options - have fun!
 

H

Harry123

Member
Thanks, so I will be able to receive battery voltage level information from the Taranis radio without purchasing the voltage sensor? I presume this can be done with the Base-flight software for programming the quadcopter or within the radio itself.
 

crayfellow

crayfellow

Member
No, the FrSky voltage sensor plugs into the balance port on your battery, then the other end plugs into the "smart port" on the FrSky receiver. Once you have done that, the Taranis will display per-cell voltage and you can set up your alerts.
 




H

Harry123

Member
Thanks, that will allow me to connect a voltage sensor!

Do you have any recommendations for FPV gear at a good price?
 

crayfellow

crayfellow

Member
For video tx I really like the Lumenier TX5G6. It may be easier for you to find branded as Boscam TS5860. Very small and great quality.

Camera-wise, look for something like this (accepts 5-17V, 28mm square) or this (needs 12V 32mm mounting holes like Blackout uses).

You can power the camera and vtx from an LC-filtered supply from your main power if you plan to use 3S batteries. Otherwise use a 12V regulator to step it down. The filter will prevent noise from the ESC's from affecting the video signal.

Can anyone in the UK recommend a good supplier?
 


nismo

nismo

Member
Will be interesting to see how long your HobbyKing order takes to come - I've just ordered a 200amp power distribution board and that is having to come from their international warehouse
 


You must log in or register to reply here.
Top