Alien "Butter Kwad" First Build Help

[Koko]

Good day everyone,

Not only is this my first post on this forum but this post will highlight my first build as well! I would like to ask all of you who may read this to leave any input, suggestions, criticisms or do's and don't do's. I have spent many hours researching this build and think everything here is going to work well, but that's where you come in. If you spot something that's off, please let me know!

Here we go:

Frame:
ImpulseRC Alien "Butter Kwad"

Motors:
Cobra CM-2206/20 2100kv Multirotor Motor, Racing Edition

Props:
Gemfan 5x4.5 ABS Propeller - 3 Blade

Electronics:
Flypro Tower 8 in 1 (FC, PDB, ESC(x4), Video Transmitter, OSD,)
Cleanflight firmware (PWM, PPM, SBUS)

Battery:
1300mAh 4S Lipo

Transmitter:
Turnigy Evolution

FPV Camera:
XAT-600M / HS1177 FPV Camera

FPV Antenna:
ImmersionRC 5.8GHz Circular Polarized SpiroNet Antenna V2 (RHCP SMA)

FPV Goggles:
Fatshark Attitude V3 Headset

Before anyone says it, I will admit this is an ambitious drone to dial in my flying skills as I would still consider myself a beginner. It will be a lot of drone, but leave that part to me. I'm a firm believer that anything in life worth doing is worth overdoing. With that said, please direct your energy towards helping my dream machine come alive.

Couple Questions:
The frame comes with its own PDB, I assume that I am not forced to use it and use the Flypro Tower all in one instead?
Is there a minimum recommended Lipo "C" value for this build that anyone could recommend?
Am I missing anything else?

Your help is invaluable and so I thank you for taking the time to work on this with me. Looking forward to ordering the components in January if all seems right here!

Cheers,
Koko

 

[holtneil]

Hi mate she looks good 1300 or 1500 mah should be good min of a 20c , higher C adds weight just compare batteries like the Zippy compact small and light
as for PDB use the flypro
as for flying it just dial the setting down a little your have to see what setting there are in the flypro software

 

[Koko]

That's great to hear. Thank you holtneil!

I'm hoping it will have plenty of power/speed and decent battery flight time.

I was reading somewhere that you can turn down the "intensity" of the quad to make it more manageable for amateurs - so that's likely what I will do until I am more comfortable with it.

Now I just have to source these parts and hopefully they won't take 2 years to ship.

Cheers!

 

[Prowler]

I'm using that frame for my next build. It's a gorgeous looking thang.

I would advise against the Cobra 2206 2100Kv motors. I specifically chose those motors for my first build because they weren't as powerful as the others and I regret that now only a few months after building. I've bought the T-motor F60 2207 2450Kv motors (which produce 1700g of thrust on 6" props!) to replace the Cobras but the incredible speed of these motors isn't as bad as you think. As long as you start slow and use simulators (where you can use 6S batteries mind you), you'll have no problem handling a beast setup. If it's too powerful on a 4S, drop down to a 3S like I did and get comfortable with that. The 3S is a lot more gentle than the 4S even with ridiculously powerful motors.

The Cobras are also considerably heavier than other motors on the market coming in at a diabetic 36g each. My first quad weighs 712g which is considered obese and it flies like a bus. You want to aim for around 600g (including HD cam and battery).

I'd recommend either one of these two motors instead:

T-Motor F60 2207 2450Kv (35g)
Lumenier 2206 2450Kv (28g)

The T-Motors are heavier but push 200g extra for each motor so that makes up for the weight difference but if you want a lighter motor with a lower amp draw and is slightly less powerful, the Lumeniers are a great option.

As for the C rating, generally the higher the better. Your typical mini quad uses 60C and above so I would aim for that. Here are a few of the good battery manufacturers; Bonka, SMC, Thunderpower, Dinogy and Turnigy Nanotech (for the price/value).

I wrote a detailed tutorial on the step by step process to building one if you want to check it out here.