New Build Bicopter / Dualcopter Build

[C.B. Russell]

What would be the best flight controller to use with?
Thanks

 

[wafflejock]

Any FC can work just need the outputs to be able to be configured for driving servos that said if never done this before or new to building flying things I wouldn't suggest starting with bicopter since it is challenging and uncommon. I'd get an F4 based board most likely like omnibus F4 or if want to go with F7 based board kakute f7 or Matek 722 are both good options but a little more expensive than F4 boards and will run higher clock speed but hotter (and potentially unneeded extra clock speed depending on pid loop speed, motors can only have speed adjusted so many times per second anyway)

 

[C.B. Russell]

Any FC can work just need the outputs to be able to be configured for driving servos that said if never done this before or new to building flying things I wouldn't suggest starting with bicopter since it is challenging and uncommon. I'd get an F4 based board most likely like omnibus F4 or if want to go with F7 based board kakute f7 or Matek 722 are both good options but a little more expensive than F4 boards and will run higher clock speed but hotter (and potentially unneeded extra clock speed depending on pid loop speed, motors can only have speed adjusted so many times per second anyway)

The reason for the bicopter design is flight time advantage. I like the uncommon and the challenge. I'm 63 and a 3D printer and also built PC's back in the day. I have a design but some of the electronic components such as the Flight Controller now come with so many combined features, give and take, that it's a bit confusing. I have the ESC's, the motors and Servo's.

 

[wafflejock]

Cool yah just wanted to give the fair warning but not trying to scare you off . Regarding flight controllers the ones that support betaflight are all going to be pretty similar since they all depend on an ARM architecture (similar too mobile phone processor/MCU) at the heart of them. Intel chips are fast but power hungry the ARM chips tend to be middle of the road speed wise somewhere in the few hundred megahertz range and have more or less digital inputs and outputs or memory depending on the exact chip. Generally speaking the STM32 F3 is kind of too slow for all the features of modern betaflight and high PID loop frequency (how often it checks and corrects angle) so I think either of the F4 boards I mentioned should be good options plenty of processing speed and more UARTs or digital in and out I think any uart pin can also be resource mapped using betaflight built in terminal to act as pwm or servo control and then mixing can be setup to control the servo for roll or pitch etc.

Even if experienced with electronics probably worth doing a small quad build just to be able to follow along with someone at first and get used to betaflight configurator and other tools.

If interested in gps flight check out iNav firmware they have a list of compatible boards, also pixhawk I believe focuses on gps and waypoint flight more than betaflight which is geared towards acrobatic and race pilots or those who want manual flight experience.

 

[C.B. Russell]

Looking real hard at the HolyBro Kakute F7 AIO V1.5 Flight Controller? 6-axis gyro and accelerometer + 6 UARTS ? This is strictly experimental as I plan on getting Mavic Mini with finger at feds. By the time I get all components, time spent and receiver it'll cost about the same. But less fun!

 

[C.B. Russell]

Cool yah just wanted to give the fair warning but not trying to scare you off . Regarding flight controllers the ones that support betaflight are all going to be pretty similar since they all depend on an ARM architecture (similar too mobile phone processor/MCU) at the heart of them. Intel chips are fast but power hungry the ARM chips tend to be middle of the road speed wise somewhere in the few hundred megahertz range and have more or less digital inputs and outputs or memory depending on the exact chip. Generally speaking the STM32 F3 is kind of too slow for all the features of modern betaflight and high PID loop frequency (how often it checks and corrects angle) so I think either of the F4 boards I mentioned should be good options plenty of processing speed and more UARTs or digital in and out I think any uart pin can also be resource mapped using betaflight built in terminal to act as pwm or servo control and then mixing can be setup to control the servo for roll or pitch etc.

Even if experienced with electronics probably worth doing a small quad build just to be able to follow along with someone at first and get used to betaflight configurator and other tools.

If interested in gps flight check out iNav firmware they have a list of compatible boards, also pixhawk I believe focuses on gps and waypoint flight more than betaflight which is geared towards acrobatic and race pilots or those who want manual flight experience.

Can I use the Tekko32 F3 HDV 40A Blheli_32 3-6S 4 in 1 Brushless ESC with only the two motors?

 

[wafflejock]

Yup that could work I like any blheli 32 ESCs. Since just doing a bicopter it would really be cheaper to just get some standalone 35A ESCs since you really only need two

Amazon.com

Would still want pdb but your FC might have enough voltage regulators or might be worth getting standalone PDB to make sure you have enough current at 5V to drive the servos reliably.