N00b - RCT800 GoPro AP Build

Jpdeuce

Member
Been reading several forums for a few weeks and doing lots of interweb browsing. I've come up with the following build. I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger, but would welcome feedback or advice. Ideally I'm looking for a nice stable platform to video from. Not looking for aerobatics, just efficiency (hence the 6S battery source). I'm also trying to do this on a budget, hence some of my choices below. I don't have the money for a Cineform with Tmotors and all of that jazz, nor do I plan on making this a commercial adventure for myself. Would love some advice for what I'm missing, or not thinking of as well...


These are items I could use some advice on:
  • batteries (6S)
  • battery charger
  • props (thinking somewhere in the 12-15" range)
  • low voltage alarm/display, something I can see/hear while flying
  • small marking LEDs for orientation

Future purchases:


Also, I don't think these ESCs have BEC, which as far as I can tell is power you can pull off the ESCs for the FC and other things?? So, do I need a separate BEC for powering the FC? I think I read somewhere that may be a preferred method anyway, to keep them isolated...but I have read a lot lately.

Thanks in advance for feedback and for all the info on this forum (and others).
JP
 
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Jpdeuce

Member
This is what I'm thinking for BEC for powering the FC and LEDs and future gimbal, and it also has the "fuel" meter for low voltage. No digital display, but this should be fine.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=45290

Also thinking about a pair of each of these for under the front and back motors for orientation:
Orange - http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__17191__12_LED_Cluster_ORANGE.html
White - http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__17189__12_LED_Cluster_WHITE_.html
 
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SleepyC

www.AirHeadMedia.com
That rig is way overkill for a gopro. You could do a 740kv motor quad with 12’ props on 4S and get 12 - 15 minutes of flight time with a 2 axis GP gimbal and a fat 6000mAh batt.

If you really just plan on flying a GP i;d go much smaller and a quad.
 

Jpdeuce

Member
I'll take that as a compliment coming from you. I wanted to build something more than I need and something that could grow with me. I have/had a feeling that I would outgrow a quad that was just enough for a gimbal/gopro setup quickly. Retracts, FPV, gimbal, etc will all be coming on this build. If things go well, then a DSLR may be down the road, but that's a bit down the road.

I don't have the space/time to keep up with multiple units. If I want to go the quad/fun route, I see doing one of those PVC/Kk builds or something along those lines.

Thanks for the response.
JP
 

SleepyC

www.AirHeadMedia.com
If things go well, then a DSLR may be down the road, but that's a bit down the road.

Well here is some advice. And i have earned this advice (ie. wasted a LOT of money many years ago)
If you are building a rig for a DSLR, you will not end up using the rig you built.
So if you are concerned about expanding later, just spend less now and save.

If you choose to go the DLSR route, you will find with experience that a lot of the cheaper rigs, motors and esc’s just do not fit the bill.
The fact that you are suspending a $2000 camera under a rig that you put together with “hobby grade” parts just won’t cut it.

Personally if you have not done AV before i;d suggest getting a rig that will handle th GoPro, keep it cheap and learn techniques. When you are getting amazing footage (ie. no vibrations, good composition and all of this is repeatable) then re-asses what you want.

Chances are by the time you have that experience under your belt the rig you were going to build will not be what you thought it was going to be.

I wish there was as much info out 4 + years ago when I spent thousands of dollars on frames that will just flex and cause issues, motors that are not really that balanced fro the factory.
When you step up to a DSLR every single tiny vibration matters. And even with a SOLID pro rig you spend hours and hours balancing props, and gimbals and finding tiny vibrations to get clean footage, that you will not want to add to that agony by having a frame that may flex, motors that may not spin true, bearings that won’t last...

Anyways.. just really consider your purchase as for AV I guarantee you ,at a later date you will change your mind on quite a bit of your list and it will be come paid experience.

I hope this helps a little, I’m not trying to be rude or come close to sound like I know it all.. i just made a LOT of early mistakes and spent a LOT of money and i will always try to help others not do the same.
:D
 

Jpdeuce

Member
I completely get what you're saying and I realize I'm sort of planning for something that is in between two kinds of builds.

I'm not sure what the difference would be though between doing this frame, or like a DJI 550 frame, or the 550 frame with the 800 arms (so this build but in a quad format). How big of a difference are those two builds? I assume with 4 motors I won't be able to use as slow/efficient of motors. I am a little nervous about having a 32" wingspan, but the 450 looked smaller than I was thinking of doing.

My thoughts for doing this build was for a GoPro AV setup that could be in the air for a long time. If this isn't a good idea, I'd appreciate some direction to something that would fit the bill. I definitely want a 2D gimbal and I will probably build my own retracts. I definitely want a majority of the features from the Pixhawk/ublox as well.

Thanks in advance. I'm definitely open to changing the build if I see something I like. One of the reasons I went this route though is I'm building a big hex for basically the same price as the DJI 450/550 kits.
 

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
I do NOT want to make you feel like we are hanging up on you hear, but I have to agree with Sleepy. You seem open minded about all this in a healthy way, so here's my .02...

In my personal experience, I had "big eyes" for a great AV rig that would the perfect right out of the gate - and be able to do it all. After a ton of research and asking questions, I opted for building a cheap quad rig,resigned to the fact that this would be for learning. It became very obvious that putting together that dream rig (like there will be only 1 - I'm hooked!) would require quality components I was not willing to sacrifice in my learning stage crashes.

There are a ton of options out there that will allow you to inexpensively (comparatively) hone your piloting, design, building and REBUILDING skills. :)

Think light, keep costs low so you can afford extra motor/ESC, and put together a rig that will provide a lot of fun, and a TON of knowledge. I even bought a cheapie 2-axis gimbal for my gopro for $75 - never going to be the best , but I'll be able to tune well when I get something better. And if I smack it I'm not out much.


You can certainly put something together for less than the list you have above. And worst case, if you don't want multiple crafts you can sell it to find the next build.

Most importantly, have fun. As sleepy said, this will be the beginning of an ever changing goal-set. So at least enjoy the ride.
 

Jpdeuce

Member
Well, I do appreciate the advice, but y'all are rocking my world right now. I was ready to make purchases this weekend, now I'm definitely second guessing this approach. Truthfully, I was a little nervous about building something with a 3' wingspan out of the gate, but I think I could have handled the challenge.

Alright, so suggestions on a quad then? Still would like to use Pixhawk/ublox I think. I like the look of the Tarot frames, but they seem expensive for what you get. The Flamewheel is "fine" also, but for some reason I'm wanting to do something else. That may be just dumb though, cause it'd be nice to have the PDB in the frame.

Ok, so it's y'all's fault, so you gotta help me into the right rig now. (J/k)

i really do appreciate the advice. Just looking for a nice platform for the GP.

edit - maybe something like this? http://www.quadframe.us
 
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Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
Best thing to do is search some build threads to see what's catching your eye - because you DO want to be cool with your choice. Function over fashion of course, but fashion is nice :)

HK has some fairly cheap quads. Some are really heavy. Look in the 270 to 400 gram range. They have cool looking quads that weigh 650 grams which you will battle forever (ask me how I know!). The Tarot stuff gets good ratings. Never used one though.

Basic motors like the Aerodrive 2830-11 will get you in the air for dirt cheap ($10/each). Sunnysky is considered much better, and cheap for what you get (($20-30/each). I'm loving my new sunnysky.

You can get the basic ESCs from HK too. F-30a with the tools to flash SimonK firmware will run you less than a single ESC that you'll eventually have on your heavy lifter :)

Get decent, inexpensive props like APC, or recently I've been loving HQPROPS e-prop style. Stay away from HK on props. And I've found that GenFan are a PITA to balance. Oh yeah, a good balancer (TopFlite or Dubro).

All of these examples can be upped for slightly more expensive (and better quality) components. The savings you'll have from a cheaper/starter build will also allow you to build up some good tools and workflow. Figure out what works and what doesn't. What you like and what your next build will entail.
 

SleepyC

www.AirHeadMedia.com
I had no intension of doing this, but your thread spurred this on and I’m literally packing up my life and moving right now and realize how much STUFF I HAVE! OMG.
I WILL NEVER MOVE AGAIN.. HOLY CRAP!

Anyways, If you want a sick Gorpo quad done right let me know.
(I have 3 GoPro rigs that I barely use as I mainly shoot with my GH3 and 5D)

I have a Tarot 650 Quad with T-motor 35 amp opto esc’s, Tmotor 740KV Pancake motors, DJI Naza V2 W/GPS with a Zenmuse 2 axis gimbal
RTF with a Hitec receiver or I can remove it.

It’s a 4S system that can fly easily for 12 minutes (probably 15) on 6000 mAh of batt.

Total of around 30 minutes of flight time on this system. Just had too many Gh3 sessions and then Ohio weather has sucked.


Frame= $150
Motors $280
ESC’s - $120
Zenmuse- $350
Hitec Optima REC $75
MISC $50
Tmotor Props $116
TOTAL $1141

I’LL SELL FOR $775 + SHIP

PM me if interested!

Top Batt is 3S for gimbal, back batt is 4S for flight.

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SleepyC

www.AirHeadMedia.com
This is just the NORMAl stuff.. my hobby multi and work stuff is in another room, as the movers do not get to touch it!
NEVER AGAIN....
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Part of the fleet waiting to move...
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Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
Now I feel bad that I jumped in here, I'm sorry. Really throwing a wrench in the works with 2 opposing views. :)

If you are looking for a prefab craft, I'm sure sleepy"s would be slamming. I was thinking about learning and using the build, picking up knowledge and skills along the way...

sleepy: good luck with the move. Did it last year: moved home, Moto garage as well as a recording studio - all after 14 years of accumulation. Nothing worse....NOTHING.
 
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SleepyC

www.AirHeadMedia.com
Now I feel bad that I jumped in here, I'm sorry. Really throwing a wrench in the works with 2 opposing views. :)

If you are looking for a prefab craft, I'm sure sleepy"s would be slamming. I was thinking about learning and using the build, picking up knowledge and skills along the way...

sleepy: good luck with the move. Did it last year: moved home, Moto garage as well as a recording studio - all after 14 years of accumulation. Nothing worse....NOTHING.

HEY! I was a recording engineer for 20 years, moved a 10 Million dollar studio my one boss owned.. ONCE... never again... NEVER AGAIN...
 

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
HEY! I was a recording engineer for 20 years, moved a 10 Million dollar studio my one boss owned.. ONCE... never again... NEVER AGAIN...

Me too (18 years). I had a studio in Brooklyn for 13 years, and one in NJ for a few before that. Not a million $, but plenty of stuff to move just the same. We had a fortunate run, but when we lost the lease and had to vacate (very sad) you realize that you have entire rooms that most people would refer to as their "junk drawer" in a kitchen :)

i miss is it a little - but not much. Too much hassle for too little profit in this age....
 

SleepyC

www.AirHeadMedia.com
Me too (18 years). I had a studio in Brooklyn for 13 years, and one in NJ for a few before that. Not a million $, but plenty of stuff to move just the same. We had a fortunate run, but when we lost the lease and had to vacate (very sad) you realize that you have entire rooms that most people would refer to as their "junk drawer" in a kitchen :)

i miss is it a little - but not much. Too much hassle for too little profit in this age....


Yea i lost the fire after everything went digital.
I’d chase Neve channels converted to rack mounts, or SSL channels that were made into pre-amps.. drive 200 miles to buy an old tube compressor... or a mic.

Now the 14 racks of gear, 200K mixing board and everything lives in a MAC laptop. And i don’t hate, I think it’s great quality recording (sic) is affordable for everyone now.
But.. those people won;t know what 3am feels like after a 12 hour session and 5 guys just made some insane magic happen and you caught it...

Oh well. memories rule!
 

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
Yea i lost the fire after everything went digital.
I’d chase Neve channels converted to rack mounts, or SSL channels that were made into pre-amps.. drive 200 miles to buy an old tube compressor... or a mic.

Now the 14 racks of gear, 200K mixing board and everything lives in a MAC laptop. And i don’t hate, I think it’s great quality recording (sic) is affordable for everyone now.
But.. those people won;t know what 3am feels like after a 12 hour session and 5 guys just made some insane magic happen and you caught it...

Oh well. memories rule!

Sold my 2" tape machine for $2500. Was probably a $25k machine when someone bought it new....

The times they are a'changin' :)
 

Jpdeuce

Member
:livid: Bunch a thread hijackers you are

If there's any good news it's that me and Sleepy are coming close to terms and that I may have something in the air faster than I expected. We shall see. He has a cadillac and I wasn't exactly prepared for that, but excited about the possibility. :tennis:
 

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
:livid: Bunch a thread hijackers you are

If there's any good news it's that me and Sleepy are coming close to terms and that I may have something in the air faster than I expected. We shall see. He has a cadillac and I wasn't exactly prepared for that, but excited about the possibility. :tennis:

Sorry about the hijacked thread. You just don't come across recording engineers too often. Especially ones who even REMEMBER analog!!! :)

back to the issue at hand...

If you end up buying Sleepy's rig, I don't think there's any question you'll end up with a Cadillac (or is it a Tesla? - more modern!). And you can always reverse engineer it to see why it works, and where you'd want to head in the future for a heavy lifter.

Enjoy!
 

OK, ok, ok....old recording guy here and the word Neave brings back fond memories from the UK, just like ARP and lots others. To the topic at hand. I'm looking for more or less the same solution as JP and would potentially be interested in picking up one of your quads Sleepy if you have another on offer. That said, I'm looking for 20 minutes in the air (or better), can you accommodate? Right now on my short list for kits are the TurboAce Matrix and the Arris 680-4S, leaning more towards the Matrix because it's local (ish), flies well in wind, and I like the look. I have to say, however, all multi-rotors look pretty much identical at 1/2 mile. This is the most diverse and interesting thread I've come across so far!
 


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