Looking for Multi Rotor help! Please advise!

[ChristopherSeruge]

Hey everyone I'm new to the Flitetest community and came looking for help in the hobby of multi rotors, more specifically a quad. I've done my own research on youtube and online but still not sure on all the parts or specs that would "WORK together". I've put together a quad similar to one I've seen on Flitetest and ready to put electronics on it.

I've put together a shopping list on HobbyKings' website and was hoping that the community could help me determine weather what is in the shopping cart is the correct specs or if things needed to change or even add different types. For example I don't understand how to decide what SpeedController to use in comparison to the type of motor.
Also if any parts in the list are considered bad or there is something better please tell me.

At the end of the day I'm looking to put something together that I can fly cheep and still have fun with the GoPro.

Specs:*
H quad design;
Length from motor 1 - motor 2: 10 inch
Length from motor 1- motor 3 : 11 1/4 inch
The quad weighs in at 10.0 oz with GoPro attached. *

SHOPPING LIST:
1 OrangeRx T-SIX 2.4GHz DSM2 6CH Programmable Transmitter w/10 Model Memory and 3-Pos Switch (Mode2)
1 OrangeRx R615X Spektrum/JR DSM2/DSMX Compatible 6Ch 2.4GHz Receiver w/CPPM
4 MT2213-935KV MultiStar Motor and Propeller Combo 10-4.5 CW CCW
1 XT60 to 4 X 3.5mm bullet Multistar ESC Power Breakout Cable
1 10CM Male to Male Servo Lead (JR) 26AWG (10pcs/set)
4 TURNIGY Plush 25amp Speed Controller
1 HobbyKing Multi-Rotor Control Board V3.0 (Atmega328 PA)
2 Turnigy 1000mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack (Are these ok for this set up??)

 

[Tritium]

Your show cart link only works on your machine. No one else can see it since the cookie resides with your machine.
You will have to add it to your post by another method.

Thurmond

 

[ChristopherSeruge]

Ok I fixed the post so that all the items can be seen in a list format. Let me know if that doesn't help.

 

[mmeyer]

Heres my two bobs worth
Firstly I know it will be recommended because its worth being recommended, and that is a mini quad. I wish i had gone down this route as it would have saved a lot of my frames. It is worth seriously considering to help you learn to fly in the beginning.

I personally would go with the Turnigy 9x transmitter over the Orange RX one. I've never used the orange but i have a 9x and i love it, i also love that in the future i can put new modules in and such which i dont think the orange can do.

In regards to the motors, its currently what i am running on my quad and while they work fine, i've never been overly happy with them. They just seem cheap and theres something about them which means I will not buy multistar motors again. Anyone feel free to convince me otherwise. There are a lot of A2212 1000kv motors which seem decent or the RC timer motors that are recommended on here from time to time.

In terms of the esc i would recommend the HK F20A esc's. Reflashed with simonk they are great. If you do end up running those multistar motors you dont need more than 20A.

While that is a decent flight controller, consider getting the KK2 boardm very popular. I have heard some people say that the HK version does not pay royalties to the creator anymore so they are purchasing it from RTFQuads now (i think, dont quote me on that). Either way if you go with the HK version of RTFQuads version, they are a very nice FC and are perfect for a beginner.

Those batteries will not last you long i dont think. With those 10x4.5 props I run a 2200mah 3s 20c and 3000mah 3s 20c which give me roughly 8 mins flight time on a heavier frame. Those 1000mah's will not last you long at all and your setup should easily handle the weight.

There's my opinon on your 'setup to be', i'd be interested to see what other people recommend.

 

[ChristopherSeruge]

Thanks for your help in advance !!
Ok so I've changed my transmitter to your recommendation along with the ESC's but left the board only so that I can buy everything in one payment and HobbyKing doesn't have the kk2 board anymore. So with those changes does everything match?? What I mean is will my ESC plug into my motors and ESC to the "power break out" that's in my list?? Also will i have to solder bullet connectors to the ESC or anything else and if so How do i know what bullet connectors to buy? Or is there any other small pieces that I'm missing ?? Sorry if these are "stupid" questions I just don't understand 100%.

SHOPPING LIST NOW:
4 Hobby King 20A ESC 3A UBEC
4 MT2213-935KV MultiStar Motor and Propeller Combo 10-4.5 CW CCW
1 XT60 to 4 X 3.5mm bullet Multistar ESC Power Breakout Cable
1 10CM Male to Male Servo Lead (JR) 26AWG (10pcs/set)
1 Turnigy 9X 9Ch Transmitter w/ Module & 8ch Receiver (Mode 2) (v2 Firmware)
1 HobbyKing Multi-Rotor Control Board V3.0 (Atmega328 PA)
2 ZIPPY Flightmax 2200mAh 3S1P 20C

 

[mmeyer]

Nice, that looks a bit better IMO. With the ESC's you will have to solder the connectors on so you want to be buying male and female 3.5mm bullet plugs like these:
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor...d_Connectors_10_PAIRS_20PC_EU_warehouse_.html
You will need 8 male and 12 female connectors so you will need to buy 2 of these packs and that should also cover you if you need to solder bullets onto the motors (which i dont think you do). Remember to buy heatshrink also because you dont want anything shorting out.

I would also highly recommend getting a USBasp Programmer:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...programming_device_for_atmel_proccessors.html
This will enable you to reflash the board which will come in a + configuration and you will need an X configuration. This is also the tool you need to reflash the ESC's with the simonk firmware which is very highly recommended.

That battery is a good choice, i have the 3000mah version of that and it seems like a really nice battery which has taken one hell of a beating.

 

[ChristopherSeruge]

Ok so lets say I've updated all the things in the shopping cart and my frame is what I think is good, (can always make a bigger one or smaller one it cost me 1$ and 20 min ) do you think i'm good to go with this set up. PS of course I wouldn't blame you if something doesn't work, you have given me so much great advise and I can't thank you enough for that. PSS Something I failed to mention earlier I have a small quad on its way that I'll be practicing on before I go fly my DIY quad.

 

[Tritium]

That control board only has Gyro Stabilization / No Accelerometers therefore no Self Leveling. It is very OLD tech in Multirotor terms now and they are best used for Stabilization of Fixed wing aircraft. Get the KK2 as a Minimum unless you want a much more frustrating experience flying without the latest motion sensing and control that a newer board offers. If you want to get right into a more complex flite controller then a Flip32 or Naze (but know that setup can be more involved with a much steeper learning curve but also with much more capable than the KK2).

Thurmond

 

[ChristopherSeruge]

Oh ok thanks for the heads up! I'll look at other boards!

 

[FinalGlideAus]

KK2/KK2.1/KK2.1.5/KK2.1.5HC are all pretty much the same and will serve you well while learning.

 

[BankNYank!]

First off I want to say welcome to the forum. This is an awesome place with awesome people that are full of knowledge and are more than happy to help! I mean who doesn't like giving their opinion!?!

As for your build list. Gosh. I have so much I want to say! lol. I have just finished building my first scratch built h-quad. I have learned so much from the guys here and I have to say that I am VERY glad I went with the advice I was given! I recommend reading everything everyone posts here and give it a couple days before you order anything. People are sometimes slow to find your post and respond. If you give these guys a couple of days and ask lots of questions you'll walk away with a lot better understanding of what your ordering and why and a lot better feeling that you are ordering the right parts that are going to work for you. You don't have to agree with what everyone says and you don't have to order everything everyone tells you to. The only thing I ask is that you read the posts, understand what the people are saying and then make your own decision. If you do this you won't go wrong!

As for your build list, I don't have any bob's but here's my nickle on the pile. First off, I can't say it strongly enough. Ditch the HK control board and go with a kk2 board. I purchased a new (re-pop) kk2.0 for twenty bucks from RTFQ and the thing fly's beautifully and only needed very minimal setup. AND all your setup is done on a screen right on the board! No flashing and trying, flashing again. I also purchased a kk2.1.5 used and to be honest, from a beginner standpoint, I can't say one is better than the other. As a beginner in the multirotor hobby I can't tell you how nice it has been to learn about how everything goes together and works together and not have to learn how everything is flashed and programmed on top of it. That brings us to esc's. I recommend staying away from flashing them yourself for your first build and just buy them already flashed with SimonK. Not that flashing them yourself is a bad thing. Just that not flashing them yourself is one less thing to worry about and one less thing to research and learn in the beginning. I bought my 20A esc's from RTFQ for $8 a piece already flashed with the latest SimonK firmware. That's hard to beat.
I know your saying you want to place one order all in one place but that's not always a great idea. Plus it's fun to track your packages and have UPS stopping by your house everyday with an exciting new gift!
As far as your motor choice, I wouldn't worry so much about a motor combo pack that comes with props. Props are cheap and your going to go through a bunch of them at first! For the price your spending per motor I'd go with a good quality brand. I love my Suppo's. They respond well and are balanced well. I fly them on all my fixed wings as well as my quad and they are rock solid performers. I'm using Suppo 2208/14's with 8045 props on my h-quad and it's dimensions are just about the same as yours and they have plenty of power.

I suppose thats all I have to say for now. Enjoy the build and I hope to see a build thread with lot's of pictures!

 

[mmeyer]

KK2 definately would be nice, i never really appreciated self level till now (because i could never be bothered to work it out and didnt understand it fully) but boy it is so so nice. I had the kk2 board firstly as well and it was so much better than the multiwii i bought after (for a beginner anyway). One thing i might say about motors given my own experience is that i personally wouldnt go with a good set of motors yet. I bought the same ones you were going to buy and while i dont think theyre that crash hot they have had to have taken such a beating and have suffered because of this. Essentially what im saying is that really nice motors should be left for when you have experience because you will just end up bashing them around. Thats just my opinion though, some others may have a different perspective on this.

Also +1 for the preflashed esc's, that would have been so nice in the beginning

 

[BankNYank!]

One thing i might say about motors given my own experience is that i personally wouldnt go with a good set of motors yet. I bought the same ones you were going to buy and while i dont think theyre that crash hot they have had to have taken such a beating and have suffered because of this. Essentially what im saying is that really nice motors should be left for when you have experience because you will just end up bashing them around. Thats just my opinion though, some others may have a different perspective on this.

mmeyer, I don't disagree with your line of thought as far as not buying nice motors to learn because you don't want to tear them up. The reason I mentioned going with some good quality motors as opposed to the ones he selected is the fact they are in the same price range. If your going to be spending $13 per motor then why not spend the extra $2 a piece on some good ones? Better motors are generally better balanced and use better quality parts. Better balanced means less vibration for your FC to sort out and and better quality parts means they'll last longer and are less likely you'll tear them up and have to replace them.

If you want to go with less expensive motors that you can learn on and destroy and not cost so much to replace then I recommend the Turnigy Aerodrive DST-1200's. At about $8 a pop you can buy an extra one or two for just in case and still be getting off cheaper than buying the one's you listed or the Suppo's I suggested.

Hope this helps!

 

[Techno]

I have a question and some advice but first: Welcome to Flitetest.
I'll speak from experience, a mini quad should be an excellent resource in getting off the ground and training before putting down the money for a multirotor. They train orientation, controls, and they're really fun.

My concern with your topic is: What king of flying are you going to be doing?
I mean aerobatic, FPV, General Cruising, Etc.?

And my advice is that if you're going to be building a Quadcopter you'd be better off doing one of two options instead of buying a breakout cable for power distribution :

1. You could get a power distribution board with a wire that hooks straight up to the KK2's voltage alarm (yes KK2) and make it simple on yourself. (I wouldn't recommend being too cheap with this, no power=no copter. A normal amount of frugality is recommended.)

2. If you're going DIY on the frame, go DIY on power distribution as well. It's not that hard if you get all the connectors and some wire. (mind that thickness=amps)Knowing how to solder is necessary. I went DIY and it's fine.

My main concern is that your wires go all the way to your ESCs so that you don't have to either buy more supplies or shrink your frame. Oh, make sure that the front of the frame is well marked for orientation when you're flying (props, lights, etc.)

I will (like most people) restate that with cheap multirotors, the KK2 is the best flight controller for the money. You said that you're not getting one because it's out of stock (I said the same thing a few months ago) COMPRIMISE! Get the KK2.1 HC It's the same thing and it's in stock!

 

[mmeyer]

@banknyank, Very good point. If you can get something better for ever so slightly more expensive then why not. Those aerodrives seem hard to beat for price.

 

[Tritium]

Power distribution boards are the simplest item to make yourself. Use a piece of double sided copper printed circuit board. Bottom is Minus / Top is Positive. Cut to size. Drill 4 holes to mount, solder connections, insulate with liquid tape if desired.

Thurmond