$120 450 build

[Dugdog47]

So after watching the new $99 build video from UA futures I got to surfing through banggood and realized I needed a 450 built on the cheap lol.

This is a challenge to see exactly how cheap it can get so most of the components listed were picked based on frugality lol.

So far it's gonna be:

Frame-diatone 450 and landing gear
$26 combined total.

Motors:
4X Racerstar 2312 BR2312 960KV $30.89:

Naze 32 f3 flight controller $15

HAKRC BLHeli_32 Bit ESCs $10 each and the built in leds are freaking cool!:

Foxeer fpv cam $20 (could've went cheaper but I like the option of using cam's built in osd):

Last and least
MICRO Minim Osd $6.35



I've already got the vtx, pdb, and antenna, the only thing else I didn't figure in its batteries.

This is mainly a winter project that I can slowly work on during times of unflyable weather and by spring of 2019 I should have an awesome aerial photography drone!! What do you guys think? All comments welcome.

 

[ArmyVet]

So after watching the new $99 build video from UA futures I got to surfing through banggood and realized I needed a 450 built on the cheap lol.

This is a challenge to see exactly how cheap it can get so most of the components listed were picked based on frugality lol.

So far it's gonna be:

Frame-diatone 450 and landing gearView attachment 4547
$26 combined total.

Motors:
4X Racerstar 2312 BR2312 960KV $30.89:
View attachment 4548
Naze 32 f3 flight controller $15
View attachment 4549
HAKRC BLHeli_32 Bit ESCs $10 each and the built in leds are freaking cool!:
View attachment 4550
Foxeer fpv cam $20 (could've went cheaper but I like the option of using cam's built in osd):
View attachment 4551
Last and least
MICRO Minim Osd $6.35
View attachment 4552


I've already got the vtx, pdb, and antenna, the only thing else I didn't figure in its batteries.

This is mainly a winter project that I can slowly work on during times of unflyable weather and by spring of 2019 I should have an awesome aerial photography drone!! What do you guys think? All comments welcome.

Now you are giving me ideas for my first build! Keep going!

 

[Dugdog47]

Keep in mind I've already got several vital components like a tx and receiver which will add $50:

But well worth it. I've got 8 quads bound to my flysky and the x6b receiver gets about a 500 meter range.

 

[Dugdog47]

The eachine 600 mW vtx $12, padoga antenna, $4, maybe a few more nickel and dime items and if you want to take HD video there is a refurbished gopro sessions available on Amazon for $100 that I absolutely love. Cheaper options are available though.

Still a much cheaper option than dropping several thousand $$ on a DJI that updates it's firmware every other hour and won't fly without satellites!!

 

[wafflejock]

I've got those escs on my 5" setup looking to follow you on this one since I have an ardupilot board and some radios for controlling from a PC ground station but seems silly to put it on a quad that gets like 5 minute flight times (maybe 7 with a bigger battery but won't be as stable as a bigger setup overall). Look forward to the progress keep us posted.

PS side benefit from the 32 bit escs can put startup music on your motors https://photos.app.goo.gl/FkL7bvQUW1Nk7k3Y9

 

[Dugdog47]

Haha! Love the polyphonic played on escs lol My 5" meteor now plays the star wars cantina song.

The leds on those escs are cool too I was thinking about mounting them upside down so the light can be seen from the ground.

I just ordered everything today so it will be at least a month before I get started.

Gonna be a slow build, some new things I've never done before like flashing firmware on the osd chip. It'll be be fun!!

 

[ArmyVet]

Keep in mind I've already got several vital components like a tx and receiver which will add $50:
View attachment 4553
But well worth it. I've got 8 quads bound to my flysky and the x6b receiver gets about a 500 meter range.

Thanks, I am keeping tabs.

 

[Dugdog47]

Thanks, I am keeping tabs.

Oh yeah you might also want some kind of fpv screen or goggles to receive your 5.8 vtx signal. These look nice:

 

[Dugdog47]

I hope everyone is having as much fun as me this new years eve!

 

[Dugdog47]

Bullet connectors are crimped onto the wires in between the motors and escs, was that really necessary? I don't know but that's how it is now lol.

 

[Dugdog47]

I'm thinking about soldering the esc signal wires straight into the board because I don't want to solder in a bunch of pins lol. Clipping connectors is much easier than soldering pins.

 

[mozquito1]

Ain't it just, I only used pins on my first 2 builds. It was tight back then with a pwm rx & it only came with straight pins.
Lessons learned & all that.
Shaving grams off each build after that & enough spare wire to make a wig.
Less stuff to buy. Swap the protective fcb casing for some liquid silicone.
It all adds up = more zoom

 

[mozquito1]

x6b receiver gets about a 500 meter range.

Have you tested that to the max?
did you get drop out.
I've had over a mile off all FS rx's except the A8S, ppl on YT had 2.5Miles with no mods
Off the stock setup. Advertised as 300m park flyer, same as x6b.
I wanted to fly like bexamous on YT
But that guy ain't human.
Except for my wing, 600m is all I use with quads. The only reason I would buy a taranis is more range. My evo is great although I haven't pushed it like the i6.
I can cruise for around 17 min on a 2200mah Reaching 1.5-2mile in my S800.
That's a big circle to fly.
Going to get or make some Li-ion packs this year. I may sell my evo if the last customer wants to upgrade. I built him a 4" last month he had an old futaba with a 6ch hitec rx I used in it. 72mhz. Ancient kit
He said he just put new crystal in it
& he'd had at least a mile on an old 10cc.
I wouldn't test that but it was OK around my park. I felt naff pulling an old car radio aerial out the top of it with a ribbon on it.
May aswell have been an old sock.
Get some washing on it. not .
I did take my Tx & stingy out to counter any piss takers.

 

[mozquito1]

Dji = spoil the fun.
I'd have to mod it like steel did.
Rip it's guts out

 

[Dugdog47]

I've tested two x6b rxs out to 500 metres maybe a little further but it got scary so I 180ed lol.

Even the tiny rx8b micro flysky ibus has a range of 500 metres!

I've usually lost video before I've lost tx control.............usually lol!

 

[Dugdog47]

Notice the tiny FS-RX2A receiver on this quad it has flown over 500 meters and only has a 100mW vtx although video did break up on the return lol.

 

[mozquito1]

I tested mine before I put fpv gear on a build. I was at the beach & made a circle in the sand, put the quad in it.
Then walked the next mile marker & give it a qtr throttle & some forward & throttle down. Walked back. It had moved abt 15'.
I then faced it towards where I'd be at 2mile but I got 1.5 & thought that will do.
Done the same again, nearly 60 seconds later I could see the quad about 100' up so give it full beans. That was with the stock ia6 pwm. So you would get that mile, easy.
With the ia6b, ia6c, FSRX2.
X6B is rated the same. The only one I had drop out from is the A8S, but I was over some trees. The others all OK in that spot.
Get yourself a helical, 9 or 12 turn that will give you alot more range to test the limits of the tx/rx. The only way to get over the jitters is to have more than 1 quad.
If you lose it you can find it but you still got another if anything happens.

 

[Dugdog47]

Well after a few hours of adjusting the pids the 450 is flying pretty good:

Getting this thing to fly stable was a bit of a challenge, I should've videod the first attempt when it was bouncing corner to corner lol. Finally had to turn all pids for roll and pitch down to zero and start from scratch. The default pids were not working on the 450.

 

[SNSTRLefty]

When I first got into the hobby, the guy who was helping me had one of these built and I remember he had a time of it trying to fly stable. He eventually grounded it, took out the flight stack and eventually sold it to me, which I sold later since I was an absolute newbie. I'm actually glad I didn't try to build it up.

 

[Dugdog47]

Ah it wasn't that difficult. After tuning I can now take my hands off the controls and it will just hover in one spot for a fairly long while. I also set up headless mode and acro trainer. Not sure how this baby will act in acro mode though.