IBeHoey
The Warranty Voider
Alright guys, a years worth of building, learning, and experimenting has led me up to this point. It's time to order and build a proper Tricopter to use for FPV and Aerial Photo/Video. I'm a complete novice when it comes to using the eCalc, so the components I have chosen have all been based on other peoples reviews and experiences. As with all of my builds, one thing they all share in common is the word budget. This one will be no different, I'm out to get the most bang for my buck.
One mistake that I have made in the past, when spec'ing new parts for a build, is that I would start with an AUW I wanted to lift, and then build up to that number. As an example, on the last quadcopter I built, I just wanted it to carry a Canon Powershot camera and pretty much do nothing else. I don't remember the exact numbers but, just as an example, I came to the conclusion that my AUW would be around 1kg, so the components I chose would generate about 2kg of thrust; 2:1, good to go. The thing I didn't take into account was the uncontrollable urge to grow, and want to do more. After switching to a better FC board; adding Bluetooth; GPS; LED lighting (you know, for those night flights); a better paint job; 1 axis gimbal; and lastly, a few globs of epoxy for "good" measure, it could no longer lift the camera. This time around, I want to make sure there's some wiggle room.
Getting involved with FPV is something that I've really been looking forward to. While I've spent hours, if not days, reading up on the subject, I have no hands on experience or really "know" what I'm getting in to. So, when it comes to weight, and how much I should account for, I have no ideal. What kind of setups are you guys running and how much do they weigh?
I was originally thinking about putting together a tricopter based off of David's v2.5 design using the DT750 motors. With it, I know I could at least carry a GoPro and FPV system but what if I, like previously before, wanted to grow and do more? Would I be repeating my previous mistake of just building up to a desired AUW rather than buying a pair of shoes a couple of sizes bigger so that I can grow in to them?
With that in mind, I picked out this setup to build my tri around:
NTM Prop Drive Series 35-36A 910Kv / 350W
Hobbyking SS Series 40-50A ESC
Total cost, without shipping is $92.76, which isn't bad. Ideally, I'd like to spend no more than $120-150 on the motors and ESCs. From what little I do know about eCalc, it appears that I should be able to build a decently sized/powered tri around this setup. I've also read that they can handle a 4s LiPo just so long as you're cautious of prop size.
To bring this long, possibly boring, forum post to an end, what do you guys think? If you were wanting to build something a little bit larger than David's v2.5 tri, and were on a tight budget, would you go with this setup?
A couple of other things I meant to ask: Can anyone suggest a good servo to get and what size (capacity) LiPo pack should I go for?
One mistake that I have made in the past, when spec'ing new parts for a build, is that I would start with an AUW I wanted to lift, and then build up to that number. As an example, on the last quadcopter I built, I just wanted it to carry a Canon Powershot camera and pretty much do nothing else. I don't remember the exact numbers but, just as an example, I came to the conclusion that my AUW would be around 1kg, so the components I chose would generate about 2kg of thrust; 2:1, good to go. The thing I didn't take into account was the uncontrollable urge to grow, and want to do more. After switching to a better FC board; adding Bluetooth; GPS; LED lighting (you know, for those night flights); a better paint job; 1 axis gimbal; and lastly, a few globs of epoxy for "good" measure, it could no longer lift the camera. This time around, I want to make sure there's some wiggle room.
Getting involved with FPV is something that I've really been looking forward to. While I've spent hours, if not days, reading up on the subject, I have no hands on experience or really "know" what I'm getting in to. So, when it comes to weight, and how much I should account for, I have no ideal. What kind of setups are you guys running and how much do they weigh?
I was originally thinking about putting together a tricopter based off of David's v2.5 design using the DT750 motors. With it, I know I could at least carry a GoPro and FPV system but what if I, like previously before, wanted to grow and do more? Would I be repeating my previous mistake of just building up to a desired AUW rather than buying a pair of shoes a couple of sizes bigger so that I can grow in to them?
With that in mind, I picked out this setup to build my tri around:
NTM Prop Drive Series 35-36A 910Kv / 350W
Hobbyking SS Series 40-50A ESC
Total cost, without shipping is $92.76, which isn't bad. Ideally, I'd like to spend no more than $120-150 on the motors and ESCs. From what little I do know about eCalc, it appears that I should be able to build a decently sized/powered tri around this setup. I've also read that they can handle a 4s LiPo just so long as you're cautious of prop size.
To bring this long, possibly boring, forum post to an end, what do you guys think? If you were wanting to build something a little bit larger than David's v2.5 tri, and were on a tight budget, would you go with this setup?
A couple of other things I meant to ask: Can anyone suggest a good servo to get and what size (capacity) LiPo pack should I go for?
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