Help : is it possible to build a tricopter under $250 bucks

[Jnr Kuzi]

I am trying to raise funds so i can build & fly my first ever RC model.
I want to build a tricopter. I think i will be able to raise $250 bucks withing the next month or so.

I want the tricopter to be fairly fast with a camera so i can record flight, not flying fpv.

Is it possible? If yes please give me a Detailed list of stuff i Really need for it to fly.

If you can make it under 200 bucks i will appreciate, meaning i can use the 50bucks for shipping.

 

[eagle4]

Do you already have a transmitter and a battery charger?

If so, I built a tricopter recently for about $100. But if you were to add on the cost of a transmitter (~$70) and a charger (~$80) you will be at you're $250 mark.

You can read my build thread here.
http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?7701-super-cheap-tricopter

 

[Jnr Kuzi]

i want top buy a turnigy 9x or orange Rx. Thank you..lovely thread by the way

 

[RoyBro]

If you are just getting started in the hobby, it will take nearly that much to get your transmitter, receivers, batteries, battery charger, etc.

But if you already have all that then YES, it is possible to build a tricopter for under $200. If you cut out your tricopter hub from plans rather than buy a frame, you can reduce the cost substantially. You can also make your yaw mechanism from these.

 

[eagle4]

i ended up using these esc's as they already had the connectors on them, and were flashed with simonk
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/..._Motor_Speed_Controller_SimonK_Firmware_.html

and i ended up using this servo. obviously you'll choose a better one if you're wanting your tricopter to be really awesome. but if you're just wanting cheap, like i did. then this one works fine... for now. i am expecting it to die any day now, as its so cheap
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=14459


one thing to think about is i found it tricky to attach the motors to the arms i am using. as the holes are really random and small, i couldnt zip tie them down, i would have loved it if they were bigger i could have attached them like David does in his tricopter build video.


i built my frame from wood i picked up at my local hardware store.

 

[Tjhogg]

I built my Batbone for around 140.00 all wood (already had radio) I built a 250 race quad for 155.00 (still had radio) I just finished scratch building a knuckle h quad 370 frame for 6 bucks

 

[Jnr Kuzi]

If you are just getting started in the hobby, it will take nearly that much to get your transmitter, receivers, batteries, battery charger, etc.

How Many Batteries would you recomend i would like to fly for 2hrs per session.

 

[eagle4]

2 hours is a very very long time for flying. my tricopter can fly for about 7-8 minutes with a 2200mah battery.

 

[Jnr Kuzi]

#whistles.. Wow.. What if i built a foam.. Lets say the FT spitfire or F22 raptor.

 

[eagle4]

you will get a much longer flight time from an aeroplane.

if you're wanting to, you could get yourself a few batteries and just take your charger to the field. so when you land just change your battery for a fresh one and pop the other one on charge. cycle through them and you can fly all day.

 

[RoyBro]

How Many Batteries would you recomend i would like to fly for 2hrs per session.

I hope you mean for 2 hours of flying, and not 2 hours of continuous flight. Multirotor flight times are measured in minutes, not hours.

You will get longer flight times with planes, especially glider style planes. But still in minutes not hours.

 

[Nathan_116]

You also have to remember that the bigger the battery you use, the more power it is going to take to keep your tri in the air as it will weigh more. You goal shouldn't be to see how long you can keep it I. The air, it should be to keep it efficient. If you do want to keep it in the so for a long time, this will get tiring very quickly though, there is an article someone made able using solar panels to "charge" the battery while in flight. It was tested in an airplane so I don't know how it will work on a multirotor, but you could try it.

Also, if you new a TX and Charger also, look at the the $20-$30 HObbyKing TX. It works great and is cheap, though all programming has to be done through a PC. For the charger, get the $10 HobbyKing DC-4S. It works gret and will charge anything from a 2s - 4s battery. Then find an old Laptop charger that provides between 12 and 15 volts and solder the supplies input plug to the end and its ready to go. Both of these have worked great for me and I would definatley recommend them to someone wanting I get into the hobby for cheap like me.

 

[Jnr Kuzi]

You will get longer flight times with planes, especially glider style planes. But still in minutes not hours.

thank you for your Input.. which planes are the best glider style?

 

[Jnr Kuzi]

find an old Laptop charger that provides between 12 and 15 volts and solder the supplies input plug to the end and its ready to go.

im not sure, i understand what you mean, has this been done before? If yes. Can you send me a Link to an article/video? Please

 

[highflying]

He basically means just get a 12-15v input lead which you can connect to the mains/wall socket for a battery charger.

 

[Nathan_116]

He basically means just get a 12-15v input lead which you can connect to the mains/wall socket for a battery charger.

Thanks highflying. Yes, I was talking about the power supply for the battery charger, not something to power the actual machine.