Tough Tilt Tricopter / Dragonfly Build

[Hairysocks]

Hi guys,

I am new to multirotor flying, I have just finished watching the tough tilt tricopter build video.
I am lead to believe that this is a cost effective way to start flying. I am going to buy the Dragonfly kit so that when my ability progresses I can easily upgrade to something that has more power.
My goal is to learn to fly and then shoot some video mainly at car meets and track days for fun.

Although the video is fairly comprehensive I still have doubts with exactly what hardware I need to buy, my list is as follows:

Power Pack D (Dragonfly PentaCopter) $150
ElectroHub Dragonfly Kit $45
Tail Servo $12
Naze32 (acro) flight controller board $29
ZIPPY Compact 2200mAh 3S 25C Lipo Pack $15
Turnigy TGY-i6 AFHDS Transmitter and 6CH Receiver (Mode 2) $63
Battery charger $20
Total $314

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice to whether this is the correct hardware.
Similarly I chose what appeared to be a decent transmitter/receiver combination, if this is incorrect please suggest something else.
Finally at $314 it is fairly pricey, I am just starting out in multirotor flying so is there a more cost effective way of learning that will still allow for progression with the same hardware later on?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[jmpattillo]

Turnigy 9x

The Turnigy 9x is about the same price as the transmitter you listed. There is open-source firmware out there for it that makes it very flexible for future growth. You have to do some hacking to change the firmware and buy an inexpensive programmer (10 bucks or so). Alternatively, The Turnigy 9XR is a model that was made in response to the hacking of the 9X. It already includes the programming port.

 

[brettp2004]

Depending on what battery charger you get, you might need a DC power supply. Also, I would suggest getting a battery with a higher "c" rating which will be better on a multi rotor. Other than that, your list looks pretty good. There are a few other odds and ends but that should do it.

 

[Hairysocks]

Thanks jmpattillo,

I have two questions about the Turnigy 9XR, I will likely buy it from hobbyking.com because they have an Australian warehouse.
Say I purchased http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...ansmitter_Mode_1_No_Module_AU_Warehouse_.html
I would then need to buy a receiver for the tricopter ($30) and battery for the remote ($15-$20).

 

[Hairysocks]

Thanks brettp for the advice, how higher C rating would be recommend?

Maybe something like a 2200mAh 45-60C?

 

[jmpattillo]

Thanks jmpattillo,

I have two questions about the Turnigy 9XR, I will likely buy it from hobbyking.com because they have an Australian warehouse.
Say I purchased http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...ansmitter_Mode_1_No_Module_AU_Warehouse_.html
I would then need to buy a receiver for the tricopter ($30) and battery for the remote ($15-$20).

Yes, you would need to buy a receiver, and a transmitter module for this one since it has no module. I just use AA's in my 9X, but I have a ton of them lying around. My 9X from hobby king came with a a transmitter module and receiver. I have since upgraded to an FrSky module with failsafe and telemetry, as well as an FrSky receiver.

 

[Hairysocks]

Yes, you would need to buy a receiver, and a transmitter module for this one since it has no module. I just use AA's in my 9X, but I have a ton of them lying around. My 9X from hobby king came with a a transmitter module and receiver. I have since upgraded to an FrSky module with failsafe and telemetry, as well as an FrSky receiver.

I like that, it seems like it will be a solid platform for a logical progression path. Thanks for the suggestion.