Tricopter for first Multirotor?

[mavrik12]

OK so I want Tricopter to fly around my place"1/2 acre backyard/ Fields".

I have no experience other than flying little indoor helis and some quads. Some experience on planes.
The Tri copter I was going to go with is Davids design with the wood booms. I want to know what type and size of engines and ECS I should get for it. I want this thing to be cheap as possible. I also want to know if my radio will work I have the HobbyKing 6ch 2.4gz radio + computer cable to program it.

Any info would be help full I'm looking for a cheap fun multirotor to learn on and grow with.

 

[johnmw]

tricopter is cheaper than a quad because it require 1 less motor and ESC (albeit tilt servo).
but that's about it i guess. whether it is cheaper in the long run depends on how frequent parts are needed.
all the recommended details, options etc. is available at David's site RCExplorer.se
look forward to your build.
hth & GL.

 

[Ace2317]

Hi! My progression into multirotors followed this pattern: experience with fixed wing, got a Nano QX for fun, learned to fly on it, learned to fly without Auto-level with it, then built a Bat Bone tricopter. So I would say, yes, starting with a tricopter (after having plenty of practice on your micro quad) is not a bad thing.

A few things to remember:
Building a tricopter is a little more complex than building a quad. Not so that it isn't doable, but it is a little more complicated.

Flying a tricopter is a little different from a quad. Since there is only one rotor in the rear and two in the front, just pushing the left stick left won't go straight left. It will have more of a tendency to yaw a little as it moves. You will get used to it, but you should be prepared.

When building a tricopter (or any multirotor, for that matter) your auto-level won't be pre-dialed in so it may have bad tendencies with the auto-level until you get it dialed in. My advice is to be sure you're comfortable flying without auto-level before building or flying anything bigger. I learned this with my Nano QX.

Your radio should be fine, just use the receiver that goes with it.

 

[1387]

Hi mavrik12,

you have a lot more flight experience than I had when I started 2 months ago. I never flew an RC Plane (just a little toy heli with 2 channels ages ago...) and bought the stuff for a Windestal style Tricopter and I fly it every day I can!
Regarding my progression, I can surely say that directly starting out with a "big" tricopter definately worked out really well for me. It all depends on the person flying I guess. I knew that a NanoQX or something like that wouldn't make fun after a few hours of use for me, so I figured that even the little money wouldn't be worth it for me, even if I have to spend that same money for props and motors later on.

Like Ace2317 said, a tricopter is a little bit more complex because of the tilt mechanism. If you think beforehand how you want to do it, or build proven designs, you shouldn't have problems. Look at Davids older Tricopters, when he used a white tilt mechanism thingy you can buy at HobbyKing, if you don't have access to a 3D printer or don't want to purchase a tiltmechanism (David sells them and FliteTest, too - I think a new one called Tough Tilt is coming out soonish?). I use the white mechanism from David myself and it works like a charm.

A little bit of shameless self advertising - if you want, you can go to my forum thread where I asked some questions before I started out:
"First Tricopter Build - Advice welcome!"
I posted a build log there and a little video with onboard footage, too. You don't have to, I don't get something from it, but I thought you could be interested to see how a finished selfmade copter could look like.

Cheap is a thing with this hobby... Definately plan to spend more than you think now. I calculated about 500€ for mine (with EVERYTHING you need, because I had next to nothing: charger, transmitter, batteries etc.). In a second order, I ordered additional batteries and LED lighting for the copter, because it immensely helps with orientation. This added 80€ aswell, but I'm happy with everything. It is worth every cent!

-1387

 

[Ace2317]

After looking at this again, I thought of a couple other things to keep in mind. When building your first, definitely go with wood booms (and cut extra ahead of time. It's more than likely that piece that will break first so it's nice to have replacements on hand). Also, buy extra propellers. If anything else, having spares gives you peace of mind.

 

[mavrik12]

This is all great advice. But when I went to buy the motors and stuff most places are on back order of most items. Thanks all for the information was a big help.

 

[1387]

Yeah it is a bit time consuming if you want specific things. I went and adapted my order at hobbyking to get things that were in stock and everything was shipped fast. But restocking can take quite a lot of time on most stores, so you have to either adapt your order or be patient to get exactly what you want...

-1387

 

[mavrik12]

Ok so after some searching this is what I think I'm going to get I'm buying for a quad but I'm also getting a metal geared servo for a tri copter so I can build a tri or quad copter.

2 cw + 2 cc engine + ecs 2400kv
http://www.banggood.com/SimonK-10A-...emfan-5030-Propeller-For-QAV250-p-937534.html

Kk2.1 board
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor...th_6050MPU_And_Atmel_644PA_US_Warehouse_.html

servo
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor..._Mini_Servo_2_2kg_11g_0_12_US_Warehouse_.html

Than I have battery, Tx/rx, and chargers. along with sodring stuff and connectors + wire.


What do you think it totaled $89.48 + the wood for frame.

 

[C0d3M0nk3y]

What do you have in mind for a frame? With small, high KV motors you're going to want to keep it pretty light.

 

[makattack]

I think you may want to add this as well:

http://www.banggood.com/USBASP-USBI...ogrammer-With-ATMEGA8-ATMEGA128-p-934425.html

Most experts (including Hobbyking's product page) say you need to upgrade the KK2 in order for it to fly well.

 

[mavrik12]

I was thinking of the tri copter frame that David did from wood

 

[Ace2317]

Good choice on the wood booms. They're not that much different from more expensive materials and super easy to replace.

 

[gecko242]

If you are intending to use those motors for David's tri, they are WAYYYY to small, look at something along the likes of a 2826. Otherwise, those motors are perfect for a miniquad(blackout ect.)

 

[C0d3M0nk3y]

If you're looking for a full size tricopter, you want motors somewhere in the 1000-1500 KV range, with 8-10 inch props.

 

[aldalo]

I built David's 2.5 a few years ago.(http://rcexplorer.se/projects/2011/09/the-tricopter-v2-5/) Still flying great ! I using DT750 motors,KK2 board, ect.
I built my frame a little bigger like Matt Hall (Simplecopter) http://youtu.be/tqHwqWaw1o4
I used 2" pvc - 1/2" wide for landing gear

This is a great multirotor , I like it better than my vtail.

Very easy build.

 

[PhenomPilot]

the 1804 motors are a little small. I would look at the dys be1806 motors. About the same price with emax 12a esc. They will work for a half scale tricopter or a 250 quad (both are fun but the 250 quad seems more durable). Stock up on 5030 props. I easily buy 20-30 at a time.

 

[mavrik12]

Ok so I'm not the best when it come to finding an engine. I would like something like a 250 quad. But right now I want a quad/tri copter thats cheap "ish" but good to learn to fly with.

Between the 1804 motor and the dt750 which one would be better for a starter?

 

[Montiey]

I would try to go with a quadcopter, just because you will wind up spending just as much as the extra motor and ESC as you will in stripped tail servos. Spending the extra cash early will just keeps your sanity in the normal ranges. I wouldn't go with davids design even if you did build a trip, just because it is a bit big and is a lot heavier than you'd think. I would try something like a knuckle H quad from flitetest, or smaller. Have you looked into the 250 size quads yet?

 

[mavrik12]

Ok so I think this will be my final build it's a cheap 250 quad and I'm going to get a KK2 board for it or a
Flip MWC flight controller for the computer. Than a 1500mh 3c battery with it.

What do you think? Good build or did I make a hug mistage. Feed back would be nice.

Motor: 2300KV 1806 $9.39
http://www.banggood.com/DYS-BE1806-2300KV-Brushless-Motor-2-3S-for-Mini-Multicopters-p-933192.html

Esc: Emax with Simonk 12A $8.60
http://www.banggood.com/Emax-Simonk...-40A-ESC-For-Quadcopter-QAV-250-p-918126.html

Frame: QAV250 fiber glass $18.69
http://www.banggood.com/QAV250-250mm-Glass-Fiber-Mini-Quadcopter-Multicopter-Frame-Kit-p-945926.html

Flight Control: KK2.1 $30.25 or a Flip MWC for $20.00
http://www.banggood.com/KK2_1-Multirotor-LCD-Flight-Controller-With-Atmega324-PA-p-937535.html

Propeller 5030 8cw + 8cc $1.02 X 8
http://www.banggood.com/Gemfan-5x3-...For-QAV-250-240-Mini-Quadcopter-p-939133.html