My thought on first build, any input good or bad is great!

[jjalbers]

Here is what I'm currently looking at for my first build, if you have any recommendations, or think something will not work, please let me know. Also, I have not picked a battery yet, any recommendations on this would be great. This is not meant to be an awesome quad, this is meant to keep cost down, hopefully steady, and good to learn on for both myself and my kids.

Component......Weight........ Cost
Motor.................58.5g(x4)..$72.61(for 4) Sunnysky X2212-980Kv from ebay
ESC...................22.8g(x4)..$51.88(for 4) Afro 20A(SimonK firmware) from hobbyking
Propeller............51.0g........$14.23(2 full sets) 1047 Carbon Fiber Propeller set from ebay
Frame..............240.0g........$29.99 Turnigy Talon Carbon Fiber Quad 498mm from hobbyking
Distribution..........7.6 g........$2.20 Hobbyking 8 output PCB from hobbyking
Flight control......21.0g....... $21.99 Hobbyking KK2.1.5 from hobbyking
Battery...................?...............?

Charger $25.34 Accucel-6 80W 6A Balancer/Charger
Radio $69.97 Turnigy 9x 9Ch Transmitter, RF9X-V2 module, 9X8C-V2 8-channel receiver
Radio Battery $13.30 Turnigy 2650mAh 3S 1C LLF Tx Pack

Total weight minus battery = 797.8g
Total cost minus battery with extra set of props = $315.74

 

[Motopreserve]

Hey! Welcome to MRF.

Looks like you have a pretty well thought out, reasonably priced rig.

Couple quick thoughts:

1. Might want to look at the SunnySky X2216 8xx Kv series. They allow for 4S batteries and come with longer motor wires. Plenty of power and efficiency for the money.

2. Might think about throwing in some cheaper, but quality props for learning/testing. When/if you crash, hurts the wallet less . Brands like APC and HQProps have great quality - but are less expensive to crash. Make sure you factor in a prop balancer also.

3. While it's $100 more than the Turnigy, might check out the Tarannis transmitter, it's on par with just about anything that typically would cost hundreds more. Great radio for the money - and you wouldn't outgrow it immediately. It will also hold value better if you were to decide to get out of the hobby.

4. Batteries: myself and many others have been using the Turnigy Nano-Tech with great success. They are cheap (comparatively) and have been holding up well for a couple years. You'll need to figure out your AUW, and the motors/props to be used, and then choose your power source.

Good luck and fly safe.

 

[jjalbers]

Thanks for your input, I wasn't too sure about the motors I had for the size of the quad, and also considered looking at something that could handle 4s, as for the props, I am going to go with cheaper ones to start so I can try different sizes(and crash). I will look into the other radio, but as of right now I would like to keep it more cheap, but maybe I'll leave that for last, then I may splurge for it. I'll post the new list when I make it with new weights and cost to see how it looks. After that I will ask for recommendations on batteries, read much about them and understand them, but having a hard time figuring what would give me the best efficiency with weight and power, but we'll get to that after I get the new list.

 

[Motopreserve]

It's a constant battle of weight/flight time. Leave the batteries for last - but you will need to at least get an idea of what you'd use, so you can calculate weight. Good idea to visit eCalc and pay the $5 for usage. Helps calculate and design a solid build list.

Try to stay away from plastic props (like HK sells). The brands I listed make good props and are fairly cheap.

4S will be something you will want fairly quickly if you stay with the hobby. I understand this is an exploratory adventure right now - but it often financially pays to look ahead - especially since most people get addicted right away!

 

[jjalbers]

Thanks Motopreserve, I started to play with eCalc a little, I'll have to mess with it more and look for a good weight goal then choose a battery. What about the KK2.1.5 flight control board, will this be good to learn with and get me off the ground?

 

[Motopreserve]

That should get you off the ground and give you a chance to experience r with flying. Easy and cheap. Just research the best firmware that should be flashed if it doesn't already have it.

 

[jjalbers]

Here is my updated list. For the motors, I chose the V series instead of X, from what I read it may be a little less powerful but more efficient and smooth, also someone want to double check me, but I should be able to get away with 20A ESC correct? Are the Afro's a good way to go, or should I look into other options?

I will order the transmitter last, did a lot of reading on the Taranis transmitter X9D and that is the route I'm going to take, a whole lot of bang for your buck. With that said, any info/recommendations on receivers/modules please let me know, this is my weakest area in knowledge. I do know I want future options for telemetry.

Component...Weight(g)...Cost...........Info
Motor.................77.0.....$25.95........Sunnysky V2216-800Kv II
ESC..................22.8......$12.97........Afro 20A(SimonK firmware)
Propeller...........59.0......$10.70........APC 10x4.7 Slo-Flyer Propeller (one full set, will get extras)
Frame.............240.0......$29.99........Turnigy Talon Carbon Fiber Quad 498mm
Distribution.........7.6........$2.20........Hobbyking 8 output PCB
Flight control.....21.0......$21.99.......Hobbyking KK2.1.5
Battery...............?.............?..............Will know after I get on eCalc again

Total weight minus battery = 903.8
Total cost copter only(no radio/charger/etc..)minus battery with extra set of props = $231

Thanks for your help once again, I can't wait to start building and posting in progress photos on here....

 

[jjalbers]

I think I have everything Okay in eCalc:

View attachment 23082

 

[Motopreserve]

Looks like you're getting a good list going! You will not be disappointed with the Taranis - it is best bang for the buck out there. Bit of a learning curve - but if you're new to flying, all radios have a bit, and the computer interface makes most sense (to me anyway).

I would suggest a 30A ESC. If you look at the SS 2216 data, at 100% throttle it estimates almost 20A of draw. While this won't be a typical state of throttle, you want to build in some buffer. The cost difference is minimal. Sticking with a SimonK ESC is good. Afro have a good rep - although I haven't used them myself.

It's getting close to build time!

 

[jjalbers]

Thanks again, I ordered the Frame, FC, ESC's, and distribution so far. That will give me something to do when I get home in 10 days. Then I will be ordering the rest. Question again about batteries, I did the eCalc for a 6000mAh 3S(will probably go 4S though). Would I be better off doing two smaller batteries, or one large. Also with two batteries I would just need to wire those in parallel then to the distribution, correct?
I'm working in North Dakota, and wont be home in PA for another 10 days, so hopefully I have some parts to start building when I get there!!

 

[Motopreserve]

I would suggest 2 smaller batteries. There is safety in the redundancy. 4S is probably the way to go - because if you end up liking this hobby, you will quickly end up there anyway. So best to get there now, invest once in something you might use later.

With 2 4S 4000mah ecalc shows a good flight time with hover right at 49%. Of course there are always variable, so this is just a guide. Overall the design looks pretty damn good.

 

[jjalbers]

Thanks again, hopefully in a week and a half I can start posting some pics of a build going on!

 

[Motopreserve]

My pleasure! Looking forward to the progress pics.

 

[Gary Seven]

I will order the transmitter last, did a lot of reading on the Taranis transmitter X9D and that is the route I'm going to take, a whole lot of bang for your buck. With that said, any info/recommendations on receivers/modules please let me know, this is my weakest area in knowledge. I do know I want future options for telemetry.

You've made the right choice, young Jedi.