Getting started

[dragosc]

Hello everyone! I'm quite new to the flying stuff world. A few months back I bought a Syma X5C and I've logged about 50 hours of flying (I actually keep a log with info like: location, wind speed, flight length and random notes), but I'm quite done with it. I'm ready for the next level.

For the past few days I've been researching and looking up prices and comparing and I'm stuck. I want to build my own quad (or tricopter) out of wooden dowels or aluminum. I've already found these parts at the local hardware store and also bought the tools I need.

Next on my list, the electronics. The problem is, I don't have anything. I need the motors, ESCs, PDB, flight controller board (something programmable, I'll want to build multiple bodies using the same parts: quads, tricopters, all sort of stuff), battery (3 or more), receiver, transmitter, battery charger and eventually I'll want to do some FPV and GoPro recording.

The essential stuff is quite expensive. Could you please help me with lists of parts at different price points that would work together? Please take into consideration that I live in Romania and shipping to this place is not cheap. I tried buying stuff from the Flite Test shop and the shipping was $100+. Anything from Hobbyking, Aliexpress, Banggood would be great!

So for now, just lists of essential parts, no FPV for now, no camera mounts, that will come later.

Thanks a lot!

 

[ElectriSean]

Need a bit more info to help you out... We need to know the weight of your craft, and how you'll be flying it to determine the motor and prop combination. This determines what size of ESC's you'll need. Probably the toughest part of building a multirotor is speccing out the correct parts. There are a multitude of proven setups to base your build on, but they'll be different based on what you want to do.

 

[liamnave]

Ya, we will need some more info, however i can give you some tips! SIMULATOR! you're probably tired of hearing this, but even if you have experience with a small bought tri or quad, the real deal is a heck of a lot harder then you would expect. Real-flite and phoenix are both top-notch and worth investing in

 

[dragosc]

I'd like to build a tricopter the size of what David Windestal has built on his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvZGA6dJQJs From what I found, he uses 325mm long, 10x10mm booms. I would like to mount a GoPro or a simmilar camera to record some video and also have the possibility of addingFPV gear later on.

@liamnave: I'll try a simulator before investing in the real deal Thanks!

 

[cranialrectosis]

Tricopters are harder to build than quads and require more maintenance in the long term. I recommend them as a second or third build.

Dave W is a VERY bright guy and uses motors and ESCs found in Europe to build his tricopters.

Go to David's site and whatever motors he is using, buy 5 of them (one spare) and 5 of those ESCs (again, spare). Use a similar power supply as he does on his tricopters and you will get a quad with a bit more power than one of David's tricopters.

David's builds are based on years of experience. You will be HARD pressed to follow a better mentor even if all you do is buy stuff off his site in Sweden.

David's site is RCExplorer. Here is his tricopter motors kit.
https://rcexplorer.se/product/tricopter-v3-5-electronics-kit/

 

[ElectriSean]

Here is a good read on how to choose a motor: http://www.dronetrest.com/t/how-to-choose-the-right-motor-for-your-multicopter-drone/568

As I said, it's mostly based on all up weight (AUW) so you'll need a good idea what your frame will weigh to begin with.

Banggood and HK both carry a good assortment of flight controllers, I would avoid the naze family and anything with an F1 processor. Something like http://www.banggood.com/Realacc-GX2...r-for-Racer-Drone-p-1096913.html?rmmds=search would work well. Any of the F4's would be good too.

For a PDB something like http://www.banggood.com/EMAX-PDB051...r-FPV-Multicopter-p-1054295.html?rmmds=search would be fine. There are also FC's with PDB's in one board, PDB + OSD etc etc etc...

 

[liamnave]

all good recommendations, EMAX is also a relatively inexpensive option that work real well.

 

[dragosc]

Tricopters are harder to build than quads and require more maintenance in the long term. I recommend them as a second or third build.

Can you please elaborate on this? I've never built a drone but I'm good at soldering and I've been building stuff for a long time. Why is it harder and why do tricopters require more maintenance?

Thanks!

 

[cranialrectosis]

Quads, Hexes and Octos use rotor torque to induce yaw. A tricopter uses a servo to tip the tail motor/rotor.

The servo requires special connections to the Flight Controller and if you use tri-flight, a special ROM.

The servo will require special maintenance to eliminate any slop in the motor tilt. Slop leads to tail waggle, a common problem with tricopters. When I crash a quad, I replace props. When I crash my tricopter I replace the props and often must replace the servo horn or make other tweaks to remove slop created during the crash when something stripped out.

With a tricopter you have a mechanical, pivot and a servo. These parts require more maintenance than motors and ESCs.

I LOVE my tricopter. I love it I love it I love it. It is my go-to fun in the backyard machine. But, it costs me double the maintenance of my Alien 4" quad.

Tricopters are for madmen. This is the right place for you if you go the tricopter route, but it is harder than a quad.
http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?14472-CranialRectosis-Twitchity-Mini-Tricopter-build"]http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?14472-CranialRectosis-Twitchity-Mini-Tricopter-build

 

[dragosc]

Ok, so I picked the parts from RCExplorer.se, now I need a transmitter. I saw that the DX6 is very popular, but quite expensive. This on the other hand is quite cheap, has a 500m range and PPM output (compatible with the F3FC board from David's site). Opinions regarding the FlySky transmitter?

 

[cranialrectosis]

Spektrum has smaller receivers. FrSky has long range and telemetry (Spektrum is doing some telemetry now I hear).

FlySky is cheap.

Models come and models go. We crash them, smash them and sometimes burn them. The radio lives on. Your radio and lipo charger will impact EVERY model you get. If you don't like a model don't fly it. If you don't like your transmitter, every plane, hovercraft or multirotor will suffer. Chose lipo charger and transmitter with care.

 

[liamnave]

If you liked the DX6 you should check out the DXe. Its 60$ but is still a great transmitter