Total newbie

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Dangerousdave

Member
Hi guys, right where do I start.. Well I've been looking at lots of YouTube videos and come to the conclusion I want to build a quadcopter I do have a budget as sorts but over time it's not too small just not thousands £

Just looking for advice from you lot really, I've never flown anything rc I do have a 31.5cc fg marder tho so do have some experience with fast rc toys

I do want it strong enough for a go pro and fpv even if it's not on straight away I'd also like a good range say a mile or 2 if possible as I live in a little village and am pretty close to lots of forest areas I'd like to mess around over.

So if anyone can suggest components to meet my requirements I'd be very happy.

Also I'd like it easy to fly and stable.... With fail safes etc
 
ringolong

ringolong

Well-Known Member
Welcome to the Quadcopter forum!

I would recommend getting something to learn with to start. I started with a qx180, and crashed it A LOT lol, but it was better than crashing a 1000.00+ copter. This would give you time to research and buy parts at a slow rate too. 450mm and larger will provide the stability and carry the weight that you mentioned, and give decent flight times.

Here is one of my favorite quads to fly :) its a 500 and the specs are in the description.

I am sure some other will chime in with their opinions also.
 
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Dangerousdave

Member
Looks very steady and great footage too, what lush landscape. which go pro is it the 4k one?

You seem to get some good hieght too so i bet the distance is pretty good. What do you get with that setup distance wise?
 
ringolong

ringolong

Well-Known Member
Its the gopro 3 black.

Distance depends on where I am flying at. Around the house I can go 600meters staying 60-120 meters high, and a little further if I go higher, but I like to stay below 120 for better footage. Out in the country I have had it over 700meters out.

5.8 ghz 600mW for the fpv, and 2.4ghz Taranis radio.
 
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Dangerousdave

Member
Just checked out the frame and wow its cheap ☺ think i may buy one of them (maybe some spare arms too ) if yours is that steady. Ill look at motors and props, next
 
ringolong

ringolong

Well-Known Member
I tried one that was even cheaper, but it was just too flimsy. This one is much better, especially for the price. At least one thing was cheap in this build lol. The escs were not too bad either, but I had to flash them, and they were recommended by one of the mods on this forum.
 
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Dangerousdave

Member
Yea ive been looking for a while at different things, ive seen the Chinese copys of dji motors get decent eviews but still not cheap for 4 o_O haha but i dont mind spending a few hundred getting it airbourne then a bit more once ive mastered flight. I did look at the 700mm frame on hobbyking website also but yours looks a bit tougher... and in the end if the frame is the cheapest part i can start with the 500mm and go from there if i need more. The reptile 550 has places for all the cameras at the front but the body on yours looks a bit stronger
 
ringolong

ringolong

Well-Known Member
I would be weary of a 700mm frame with plastic arms. I think they would have too much flex, and that would be terrible for filming.
 
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HDtallrider

Well-Known Member
First: Welcome Dangerousdave! You picked a great forum to learn the hobby. To help you keep the cost of learning manageable and fun check these guys out:

http://quadlugs.com/

This is a fun way to be creative without breaking the bank. I wish I had discovered them in the beginning. Quadlugs gives you the ability to transfer power packages and electronics from one design to another saving you a butt load of cash over time and they're cheap and easy to repair. For example; I picked a single power pkg. that is flexible enough to transfer from quad to quad. SunnySky 2216 800kv motors, ZTW Spyder 30A Small ESC's. This combo has worked for me on all my designs from 400mm to 680mm just by changing props and/or batteries. It inspired me to do the same thing for my electronics and FPV by mounting them on a single plate that I use velcro to attach to different quads including my plastic and CF builds. That way I only own 1 TX/Rx , FCB, GPS and FPV set up. Big savings!
One more piece of advice for you; when you get a post from holtneil or GJH105775 pay attention. Big,BIG brains! ( and very ,very helpful) ;)
 
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Dangerousdave

Member
Hi bud. Them lugs things look ok but i think ill go with a normal type for what would work out cheaper and ive seen them working too☺
 
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HDtallrider

Well-Known Member
Not a problem. That is why there are so many different products out there. Just like cars, not everybody likes the same thing. I like tinkering and they give me a cheap way to do that. Check out the videos on the sight. They have some great building tips that work for all types of quads. Most important is to have fun! Make a parts list for your build and toss it out on the forum. You can use the feedback to help refine it and not make the same mistakes others did starting out. Speaking of mistakes. Check out my very first post on the forum:
http://quadcopterforum.com/threads/newbie-wisdom-the-hard-way.4320/
 
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Dangerousdave

Member
Ah yea i agree tall rider. It may work well but its not what im looking for. After all i could make one from scratch if i knew a bit more. Im a ex-cnc machinist with access to a workshop so a smart gimbal maybe on the cards in the future i have been looking at lots of things all a touch confusing but trying to research everything i can before putting up a parts list, decent budget one for say £300 would be nice but wouldnt wanna have to upgrade everything in the future would rarther just need to get better tx and rx gear plus fpv etc
 
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HDtallrider

Well-Known Member
It really is confusing at first. You are right to research like crazy before committing. I am still working on, and constantly changing, my final design on my "statement" 700mm quad. I have enough scrap pieces of CF now to make 3 quads!! Oh well. Winters coming and I'll have plenty of time then. Keep us posted on your progress and welcome to the hobby(disease?).........:D
 
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Dangerousdave

Member
Haha cheers buddy, well ive looked at doing a relitivly cheep build but not sure if it will be good enough to learn with... i dont need the best to start with but want good... soooo so far..

Reptile 500 carbon fibre one
4x 30a simonk esc
4x 2212-13 sunny sky brushless motors 980kv
4x cf props cant remember the make now
5000mah 4s lipo
Flight controller... unsure really.. kk2.1.5 is a cheap option any good to learn with?
 
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HDtallrider

Well-Known Member
Ringalong is right about the motors and the 2216 will still perform very well on 3s batteries. Actually, better than the 2212 will on 3s. Also, most of the 2212's out there are cheap chinese copies and not real SunnySky.The kk 2.15 is a solid little controller. When you get it reflash it with Steves 1.8 firmware. Get a program card for your ESC's as well. Because you will crash a lot at first you may want to use plastic props to start. You'll need a prop balancer. For a 2216-980kv you have some prop choices. 9055 for speed, 1047 for good speed and lift, 1145 for general lifting and 1238 for lots of lift and smooth gentle response( great for video). Use 4s on the first 2 and blast around the sky. Use 3s on the last 2 and lift a bunch with longer flight times. When you decide which works best for you then get CF versions of those.
 
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