d.i.y quadcopter

[Rylater86]

Hi fellow fliers
Im wanting to build my very own quadcopter for my type of sport.
I do alot of shark fishing and alot of the times the shark is in the breaking waves doing its owb acrobatics,i want to be able to take some footage of the sharks in the breakers,what will i be needing for example,from motors to controls ect...any feed back would be much appreciated.
Happy flying guys.

 

[GJH105775]

What type of price range do you have? To fly over the water you will defiantly want something like an x8 or hexi-copter. Because you will want what is called motor redundancy, that is: If one rop, motor, or ESC fails your mutirotor will not fall out of the sky.


I don't yet have time, but If someone does not do it before me I can get you a basic diagram or explain it to you.

 

[Rylater86]

HI GJH

thanks for the quick response,to be honest i dont know what price range im looking at as im not fimiliar with the products and price and capability of copters.

I have taken some amazing footage via camera before but it will be better if its a live recording so something that is liable and has a long battery life and can handle wind

 

[Rylater86]

O and another i dont want to buy a complete one i want to build my own one,sorry thats just the way i like to do things if im not succesful with that i will consider to buy one

 

[holtneil]

Hi mate take a look at this would be good with a gopro in a water proof case

 

[GJH105775]

If you put reversable motors you could have a quad propeller submarine (I have actually gotten to use one, but it did not fly) lol. A lot of your functionality comes from the flight controller, so you may want ot look at this link. It has a list of popular FCs and their abilities. Check my signiture, it has a link to a list of common acronyms and words used when talking about mutirotors. Do you have a basic understanding on what the parts are to a mutirotor, ESC (Electronic Speed Controller), FC(Flight Controller), power distribution?

Spoiler: Parts and diagrams

 

[Rylater86]

Hi GJH and Holtneil
Thanks for all the responses.im from south africa and i cant seem to find a hobbyking around here to have a look at some prices,Holtneil i really like that copter that actually takes of from the water that one is ideal for me as its also dust proof and water proof.how much would a setup like that set me back or is there alternative soloutions as i will be building my own one.
Like i said im new to this i dont know what is cutting regards to building and all the goodies that come about building a succesful copter.

 

[holtneil]

Hi Mate the frame is just a 450 size water proof frame you then just add normal 450 quad parts ,battery ,motors ,esc Your nearest hobby king will be HONG KONG , If you have Ebay then we can get from there , the frame will have to come from only a few places so may cost a little more in shipping but the rest will be as local as we can find

 

[Rylater86]

What is the flying time on those batteries?im going to build my own frame out of plastic or fibre glass

 

[holtneil]

Hi a 250 racing frame is all about speed , so flight time is not long 4/5mins on a 4cell 1500mah , if you want long flight times then you need a 330 + size frame but they are not racing frames

 

[GJH105775]

Are you building a waterproof frame? If so you will need the tools of course. I have made similar items (never quad) waterproof. If you have a way to mold it out of fibre glass be sure to use a good waterproof adhesive on all joints. If you had a router you could route out a two piece frame mold in wood similar to what is in the video.

 

[Rylater86]

Yes im looking for something that will givr me long time to fly as ill only be using a recording device on it,as for the mould i would like measurments as to what frame size it must be according to the motors and camer and all the stuff that goes in it?

 

[GJH105775]

Determine how much your load will weigh. Then choose your props. Then motors then ESCs based on motor's draw. As for the frame, the arms have to be just wide enough that the propellers don't hit each other. You will want your quad to be able to lift a bare minimum of twice your weight, three times is more control. Try this for testing your ideas. Use this if you just want an idea on the thrust.

 

[Rylater86]

Only thing i will be lifting is a go pro camera max its mostly for footage and video recordings

 

[GJH105775]

Brushless gimbal, or strait mount? Bigger props on lower KV motors give you better flight times, what type of flight time do you need?

 

[GJH105775]

I found this on the gopro site

The HD HERO2 camera weight is broken down as follows: Camera & Battery = 3.5 oz. Camera, Battery, & Housing = 6.7 oz. Camera, Battery, Housing, & LCD BacPac = 8.1 oz.

Also look at this great comparison chart.

Spoiler: Gopro weight compairisons

 

[Rylater86]

15min i decided not to go the water proof way as it will be alot more in weight than carbon fibre tubing and housing plates

 

[Rylater86]

15min or more,the more the better but not to big budget is rather tight can only buy a part every month depending on price range

 

[holtneil]

Hi mate there is nothing stopping you from fitting floats to it so it does not sink , you can get RC heli skids with floats fitted to them

 

[GJH105775]

Quite a few people on facebook like fitting pool noodles on their landing skids. If you want to water proof you can do it without much more weight. Even if the frame were open you can use silicone, hotglue, clear construction adhesive, silicone(not recomended), or a few other things to protect your circuits. It is about the same price to build a 500 as a 250. The motors and props are the only difference in price, flight times are better on bigger quads.