Quadcopter noobie looking for build advice.

[jgmills]

So I'm looking to build a quadcopter and I believe I found the parts that I'll be using for the build. I just want to make sure all of these parts will work well together and if there are any other parts that would be better than what i have selected. For the Tx and Rx I recieved the Tx from a friend and heard that this orange Rx works with it so I also want to make sure that this Rx will work with the Tx that I have.
Links to every part:
Frame: http://www.banggood.com/ZMR250-H250...uadcopter-Multicopter-Frame-Kit-p-933189.html
Motors: http://www.banggood.com/DYS-BE1806-...-Black-Edition-for-Multicopters-p-946416.html
ESC: http://www.banggood.com/ZTW-Spider-Series-12A-OPTO-ESC-With-SimonK-Program-p-946402.html
FC: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__55819__AfroFlight_Naze32_Acro_FunFly_Controller.html
Battery: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/..._80C_Multi_Rotor_Lipo_Pack_For_FPV_Minis.html
Tx: http://www.amazon.com/Futaba-7C-2-4GHZ-AIR-Transmitter/dp/B001BC7ULS
Rx: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...ble_7ch_2_4Ghz_Receiver_with_FS_and_SBus.html
Propeller: http://www.banggood.com/Gemfan-5x3-Inch-Plastic-5030-Propeller-CWCCW-For-240-250-Frame-p-937866.html

Any information/advice will be greatly appreciated.
Edit 1: Forgot to add motors....
Edit 2: New esc
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...eed_Controller_SimonK_Firmware_Version_3.html

 

[pressalltheknobs]

I would probably get some motors 1806/2300kv or 2204/2300kv size are typical for a 250. Do you have any picked out?

Those ESCs are "opto" which means they don't have a BEC so you will need a 5v BEC/voltage regulator to power the RX and FC. To power that FC and RX any 500mA linear BEC/voltage controller circuit should be fine but I got this...
https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=75603
Not recommending it specifically because I haven't tried it yet. The 12v provides power for a camera but may require 4S to work properly - I'm a bit unclear on that.

here's another that seems good
http://www.banggood.com/CC3D-Flight...ut-Power-Distribution-Board-PCB-p-973352.html

Or you could get a full PCB like this. I'm not a fan of this approach but they can be convenient.
http://www.banggood.com/Diatone-ZMR250-PCB-Board-For-ZMR250-Quadcopter-Frame-Kit-p-976127.html


You will need some XT30 connectors for your ESCs to use with that battery. The batteries will come with females (holes) and you will need males (pins). Get some of both genders so you can make a charge lead since you probably don't have one.

 

[jgmills]

Wow I forgot to add the motors, thanks for the reminder. Based off what you told me about the ESC I’ll try to look around for something that will have more compatibility so I will not have to a BEC. Ill update when I find another ESC. Thanks for the info!

 

[jgmills]

Ok so I found another 12Amp ESC that seems to have good reviews and seems to be more compatable with the build.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...eed_Controller_SimonK_Firmware_Version_3.html

 

[pressalltheknobs]

Hard to beat the price on that Orange Futaba compatible but according to the description it only supports FHSS and the TX you linked, the 7C, appears to use FASST. I'm not a Futaba expert but I think that Orange one won't work.

Here's a FASST compatible alternative for your consideration that supports 8CH PPM which will save some wiring. I don't have one. Just pointing it out

https://alofthobbies.com/frsky-tfr4...receiver-w-end-pins-ppm-and-rssi-outputs.html

You can use S-bus to save wiring too and actually s-bus is supposed to be a bit better (lower latency) than PPM if you are a good enough flyer to be able to notice. But I think you will need an inverter on the NAZE32 rev5 to use it. Think that is fixed on the rev6 but there are other problems using rev6 since its new and not yet well documented. There's a Futaba compatible FrSky RX that supports 16CH S-Bus if you what to try that but it's more expensive.

 

[RcPro97]

Just ordered my zmr250, I would highly recommend checking out the v2 from fpvmodel.com It has stronger arms and the quality is better. Cant say for myself it hasn't arrived yet, but most people are happy with it. I'm using multistar elites 2204 2300kv, ztw 18A (overkill but I might run 4s), naze32.

I would also look into getting into 2204 motors. They are similar in performance running 5" props. However they have a larger can means more torque, so can spin a 6" prop and be fine. the 1806 might not handle 6". They generally have bigger bearings as well. If youre happy with the performance of a 1806 then there's nothing wrong with them. But the 2204 are slightly more versatile.

 

[jgmills]

Thanks for that notice on the wrong Rx. I think the first one Rx you recommended should be fine; it's compatible with the Tx and has decent reviews. My only concern would be the range that it has. The reviews don’t really go into detail about how far I'd be able to fly and I would certainly be disappointed if the range wasn’t long enough. Any insight on this would be appreciated. I also added a PCB board to make the building process a little bit easier (http://www.banggood.com/Diatone-ZMR250-PCB-Board-For-ZMR250-Quadcopter-Frame-Kit-p-976127.html).
In reply for the zmr250 v2 recommendation, I think I'll stick with the one I have currently selected just due to price and I don’t think carbon fiber will be necessary for now. I did take the advice of finding a 2204 motor (http://www.banggood.com/Emax-MT2204-2300KV-Brushless-Motor-For-QAV-250-p-946400.html) and think this will work just fine. A question regarding the motor is will the ESC being 12A and the motors max Amps being 11.5A, will my ESC or motor not be able to function properly because of this?
Thanks for all of the advice and any more will be appreciated!

 

[pressalltheknobs]

I have no experience with the FrSky TFR4-B but I doubt you will have range problems unless you live in a very RF noisy place and then everything will have range problems. FrSky are generally acknowledged to be one of the best. The reviews on Aloft say it's "the one" for 250 quads and excellent range etc. Aloft is a reputable place so the reviews are likely genuine. You mileage may vary of course. And in the end it's only $30 which is not nothing but it's not life threatening if you need to get something else.

If you get that PCB then you will have power for your FC and RX so you can consider BEC'less "OPTO" ESCs again.

I know I pointed it out but as I said, not really a fan of those PCBs. Not sure about that one but there are some bad designs with traces that are too small or have too many small bends and I think it's better to keep the electronics separate from structure particularly when beginning when you are likely to crash a lot. That's why I chose a separate power distribution board/BEC. But some PCBs are well designed and they are convenient to assemble. Reading a few of the negative reviews on the Diatone I think you should be cautious.

The FliteTest mini quad power pack https://store.flitetest.com/power-pack-e-racing-mini-quadcopter/ uses 12A EMAX blheli ESCs and EMAX2204/2300 so that combination probably works just to give you a data point. EMAX's blheli implementation is a bit problematic I believe which makes them difficult to flash. Not sure of the details. Something to look into if you plan to re-flash them.

Opto 20A ESCs flashed with Blheli seem to be the standard choice now. The "hot" ESCs for racing quads right now seem to be the Zeus/Little Bees. Don't have them, only pointing them out. I got DYS SN20As in a deal. They showed promise but people have had lots of problems with those so I can't recommend them.

If you want to get the gear to flash the ESCs yourself, an aduino nano does the trick for both SimonK and BlHeli boot loader. Either bootloader is good top load Blheli firmware.

I'm not convinced 1806 vs 2204 is that clear cut. Think it depends on which ones you choose and maybe what you prefer. I doubt it make much difference for a first build. But the I bought DYS 1806/2300 so I may be a bit biased

 

[jgmills]

Ok so after reading this my thoughts are to go with the Rx you recomended, use the new motors that I have found, and also drop the PCB. When you talk about having a seperate Power distribution board do you mean you have something that wasnt designed specifically for your frame, but rather a small little board? I am also going to stick with the ESCs that I selected for now due to lack of experience with things such as flashing.

 

[pressalltheknobs]

Ok so after reading this my thoughts are to go with the Rx you recomended, use the new motors that I have found, and also drop the PCB. When you talk about having a seperate Power distribution board do you mean you have something that wasnt designed specifically for your frame, but rather a small little board? I am also going to stick with the ESCs that I selected for now due to lack of experience with things such as flashing.

The 12A Afros seem fine from what I've read. You can flash those to update the version of SimonK and to tweak the settings should you feel the need. Although hopefully there will be no reason to do so immediately.

I mean like the two power distribution/BEC boards I linked above. The one I got is the same size as the Naze32 board and you can stack them with it using M3 nylon standoffs and screws.

My only concern is that they may be electrically noisy and interfere with the NAZE32 board when in such close proximity but the one I got says it is "super clean" so I can only hope. Mounting it elsewhere will take a bit more thought.

Then use silicone insulated wire to run the power from your battery connector to the distribution board and from there to each of the the ESCs. It's likely the power wires on the ESCs will not be long enough. I would use at least 14 G for the battery connection and 18 G for the ESC connections. My ESCs came with 20 G so going a size up seems like a good idea. Going too big just adds weight so they need to be sized reasonably. The runs are short and the insulation is high temperature so I think that should be good enough. Use 12 G and 16 G if you want to over build a bit

Generally you put the ESCs on the arms for better cooling. Some designs mount them inside the main frame. It seems neater and they are better protected but the airflow through the frame is more constricted and a failing ESC has more latitude to damage something else.

You can choose to solder everything or use bullets/connectors. XT30 connectors seem like a good size for connecting the ESC to the wires from the distribution board. That way it is easier to field service an arm and replace it with another pre-prepared arm should you break one or burn out an ESC/Motor. Imo there is less reason to put bullets between the ESC and motors since you won't field service them individually. It is more convenient when initially setting up so you can get the motor rotation right but you can use clips. Connectors and bullets add points of failure so should have a good reason for being there. If you put your ESCs inboard then perhaps it makes sense to bullets between them and the motor so you can field replace a broken arm.

ZMR250s arms break a lot so get some spares. Maybe get the CF ones if you are ordering from Banggood. Check but I think they are the same thickness. One trick I heard is to use those nylon screws to attach the arms. Then they break rather than the arms. Really depends how easily the screws break since it could get annoying if they break too easily. Probably put one metal one is as a pivot.

Also the screws that hold the plates to the rods are too short. Think they are only 5mm M3. I used 8mm M3s and thread lock

 

[jgmills]

Ok I’m finalizing all of the parts and now I’m picking out all of the smaller things like the connectors, wires, standoffs, etc. After watching videos of builds that do not use a PCB I have decided to go with this PCB (http://www.banggood.com/CC3D-Flight...ut-Power-Distribution-Board-PCB-p-973352.html). I’m going to with a red and black version of each the 14 and 18AWG wiring in order to keep organized and also a XT30 connector for the battery. I have a question with the standoffs and the screws that go with it. Right now I have an M3*12mm standoff and for the screws would i also selected the 12mm size? I was also wondering if I should buy some shrink tubing for covering up soldered parts and other things and if I do, what sizes should I buy?
Thanks for all of the information you have provided, it has been very helpful!

 

[pressalltheknobs]

Nylon screws are easy to shorten so getting longer ones doesn't hurt. I'm using a 6mm and 8mm standoffs in my FC/PowerDist stack. with 6mm M3 nylon screws for the top and M3 nylon nuts for the bottom. It's good to have a selection of these things.

Yes you will want heat shrink. It is usually measured by diameter and generally shrinks to about half. The 18G wire I have is about 2.3mm diameter and the 14G is 3.5mm diameter. The joints are usually a little bigger and you need it to slide over. 4mm might work for both but having some other sizes is a good idea. A selection of sizes is good to have. You can uses a larger size to tie two wires together like a band. Looks neater than a cable tie if its just floating.

You will want some small cable ties too. A selection of smaller sizes is good to have.

Depending on your RX you can use a larger cable tie and shrink wrap as an antenna support - use two at 90 degrees if you have a dual antenna RX.

The linked items are just examples that looked good. I don't necessarily have those particular ones.

 

[jgmills]

Ok I found cheaper standoffs on banggood but went with the heat shrinks you went with and also found 1,000 cable ties for a little bit less. I think im ready to order everything and get the build done! Thank you for all of the help!