Experience Required!!! My First Quadcopter Build

[adamjames1998]

UPDATED AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH

Hi im new to the forum been watching flitetest for a while, I have just started a Degree in Aerospace engineering and have owned quads in the past, however never built my own.

I wanted a challenge and decided building my own quad would be great fun and would also go great alongside my degree, im very much inexperienced when it comes to building aircraft and so have come here for some guidance

I have spent the day doing my research, watching many different videos to get an idea of what i need to get started..
I have created a list of parts that im hoping will work together but was hoping someone with more experience would be able to check over these to ensure they are compatible before i go spending my money.

I am also very much open to recommendations of better products that you guys have used in the past

The Build: (all parts sourced from HobbyKing)

Radio:
Turnigy 9XR PRO Radio Transmitter Mode 2 (without module)
Turnigy 9XR Safety Protected 11.1v (3s) 2200mAh 1.5C Transmitter Pack
FrSky XJT 2.4Ghz Combo Pack for JR w/ Telemetry Module

Quadcopter:
S500 Glass Fiber Quadcopter Frame 480mm - Integrated PCB Version
CC3D Atom OpenPilot Flight Control Board Authorized (Vertical Pins)
AX-2810Q-750KV Brushless Quadcopter Motor
HobbyWing X-Rotor ESC 40amp OPTO
HobbyKing Thin E-Prop Propellor 10x5
X8R 8/16Ch S.BUS ACCST Telemetry Receiver
Turnigy Graphene 2200mah 3s 45C Lipo Pack XT60



Thank you very much in advanced and look forward to hearing from the pros

Thanks Adam

 

[orange_rc_pilot]

Hey there Adam,

Welcome to the world of multirotors! I'm sure you'll have an exciting few years ahead of you.

The first thing I noticed is that you have the OPTO ESCs. Now this is fine, but you'll need something to power both your receiver and the Flight Controller (in your case, CC3D). They can't run straight off the flight battery; you need something called a Battery Eliminator Circuit (BEC/SBEC/UBEC). They're all pretty much the same, you'll probably want one with a 5v output, amperage doesn't matter as you aren't running any servos. For example: http://www.hobbyking.co.uk/hobbyking/store/__54275__HobbyKing_8482_Micro_UBEC_3A_5v.html (note, you'll need two. One for the FC and one for the receiver). All you need to do is solder the free red and black ends to any + and - on the PCB, and connect the other end to any free pins on the receiver on one of them, and with the other, connect it to a free set of pins on the FC

Secondly: although the CC3D is great, you'll need to plug it into your computer each time you need to change a setting. As a noob, you'll be doing this a lot. I therefore recommend getting something like the KK2 (http://www.hobbyking.co.uk/hobbykin...ntrol_Board_With_6050MPU_And_Atmel_644PA.html), which can be programmed straight from the board. The flying quality isn't as great as the CC3D, but for such a big copter there will be almost no difference in characteristics.

The telemetry module, I think, will be a big waste of money, weight and battery consumption. Also, I'm 90% sure that FrSky and Turnigy radios are not cross-compatible. Similarly, the receiver you listed below was an FrSky one, again not compatible with your transmitter. Also, even if you were to get the telemetry module, it comes with a receiver so no need to get a separate one. In stead of those two items, I'd recommend http://www.hobbyking.co.uk/hobbyking/store/__12339__Turnigy_9X_2_4GHz_8Ch_Receiver_V2_.html . It's Turnigy, it's cheap, it's full range (1.5+ miles), and it's 8 channel, which is more than enough for most builds.

Other than that, the transmitter is a great entry-level one which will also last well into your intermediate-advanced flying. The motor/prop/ESC combo is great (NB you MUST buy both CW and CCW props; the motors don't all spin in the same rotation). The frame looks pretty rigid. I'd recommend maybe getting non-Graphene batteries, since Graphene is very high-end and expensive, especially since you won't be looking for insane power, but if you have the money to spare then by all means, get the Graphenes!

Hope this helps! Please ask if you have any other questions.

Also, have a quick browse on https://oscarliang.com/ . There are hundreds of brilliant articles covering everything a noob needs to know, as well as more technical explanations for the more experienced aviationists