Hey!

tomlj

New member
Hey all, new and looking to start!

Any recs on cheap electronics that will let me build a bunch of random planes?

Still researching and learning how to work with it all, haven't bought anything yet though.

Also, a challenge for the FT people; would it be possible to use ultra light components and maybe helium to create a flying ball? Eg. Rotating it from the inside out using RC at a super high RPM and using the magnus effect to fly? At minimum, theoretically, you could glide at least right?
 

kdobson83

Well-known member
What kind of electronics? Quads? Planes? For planes, if you wanna stay cheap, I'd recommend the Flysky i6x transmitter. Works great, 10 channels, lots of functionality, and costs $50 on eBay or banggood.com. The receivers are cheap too. I'd fully recommend spending a tad more and get the spectrum dx8e with lemon receivers. $200 but in my opinion the gimbals alone make it worth it. The taranis qx7 at $130 is a good option too but are hard to learn how to use.

As far as quads, hard to beat the eachine wizard on banggood for price. I think they run $200 WITH transmitter. I think it comes with the Flysky i6. The wizard was cheapo back in the day but has turned into a good cheap option.

Planes, nothing beats scratch building. These forums are a treasure trove of ideas and ways to keep it cheap. Electronics, banggood.com has a line called racerstar, they make good motors and esc's for super cheap, half the price of other guys. I'd give you specific recommendations but I don't know what planes your looking at.

There are other routes out there to stay cheap, but these are the routes I've taken and have been happy with the products.

Let me know what specifically your looking to do in the hobby and I can be a tad more specific with my recommendations.

Anyway, enjoy the hobby and be careful, if your anything like most of us here on the forums, this hobby will consume you. Lol In a good way.
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
I agree with kdobson83, Banggood & EBay are great sources, most of my stuff come from them. I’d also add two more Hobby King and Hobby Partz to the list, both have free shipping on a $50 order. I’ve bought the cheap stuff for many years. My stuff is just as reliable as my buddies who all buy the name brand stuff. The name brand stuff comes with much better service, the quality of the product is about the same. The name brand servos will strip & ESC will burn out, just like the cheap stuff. The downside for me in IL USA, shipping takes a week, the name brand stuff will come in one or two days. If I order from overseas shipping takes three to four weeks. For me the savings are worth the wait, you’ll need to plan ahead & order extra stock to have on hand.

If I had a local hobby shop, I’d support it. For me, it’s a 90 mile drive to get to any hobby shop and 120 miles to get to one that is better selection than my basement.
 
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tomlj

New member
Thanks guys! Main idea is different foam plane builds, ideally something fast and easy to learn then something fast and hard :)

Looking into micro RC too but Im not sure it's worth buying the micro things yet.

What cheap motors/props/trans/receivers would you recommend?
 
I recommend racer star motors from banggood. They have worked really well for me on ft planes. Lots of thrust and pretty efficient as well! Did I mention they are 4.99 a motor?!
 

tomlj

New member
I recommend racer star motors from banggood. They have worked really well for me on ft planes. Lots of thrust and pretty efficient as well! Did I mention they are 4.99 a motor?!


That's exactly around the price I was hoping! Nice find!! I think I'll end up with the iFly but is there anything I should know regarding compatilbity with components? Eg. Can I get any ESC and use it with any motor/servo/bat?

Sorry for all the questions, thanks though!!
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
Can I get any ESC and use it with any motor/servo

Yes & no. So transmitters on one protocol are not compatible with receivers of a different protocol. Motors, ESC and batteries are all “compatible”. BUT you need to be careful not to overload one of them. Start with your motor and prop, how many amps will it draw at a given voltage. Make sure your ESC can supply more than the motor requires. The ECS delivers power to the motor AND to the servos and receiver. So you need allow for a bit of overhead. Lastly make sure your battery can supply the power the ESC needs at a voltage it can be happy with.

Example: your motor and prop needs 10 amps at 12V. Use a 12 amp or higher ESC, with a battery that can supply more than 12 amps.

What’s not OK:
1. A motor that needs more amps than the ESC or battery can supply.
2. A battery that has too much voltage than the ESC can handle OR less voltage than it needs.

Suggestions: Pick a battery size and go with it. One of the most common sizes is 3S 2200 mah battery. An excellent choice for the Storch or Bushwhacker and many other FT planes. It’s too heavy for the Tiny Trainer or Simple Cub.

Smaller planes take a smaller battery, bigger planes take a larger battery. Look at the FT planes that you want to fly & pick the size you want to go with. One size does NOT fit all.
 
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tomlj

New member
Thank you very much! So it seems the total parts (for electrics) seems to be:

Motor
Prop
ESC
Battery
Servo(s)
receiver
transmitter

Is there anything I'm missing?

Thinking about doing the I6x or the qx7 as suggested if I can find one with a receiver too. This will have to be all online as I'm in a remote part of US without any hobby shops within 100 miles. Bang seems to have the best deal for i6x, and that motor above looked great for being so cheap! Is there big difference between quality of anything? Eg. is spending $5 more on a motor really going to make it last longer or be THAT much more powerful?

Thanks to everyone whos helped! This is so much fun trying to figure it all out while getting distracted by crazy YouTube videos!