First build, am I doing it right?

E

Ethylene

Member
Hey, glad to join this community.
I've decided to start a small project of mine. I've recently been purchasing parts after asking people online and watching tutorials. I've always wanted to build my own Quadcopter and figured why not, plus I would be able to hand it in as a school project for this semester.

I've come up with a comprehensive list of the parts I've purchased and inserted it to a spreadsheet.
If someone could look it over and tell me if I am missing anything I would appreciate it,
I plan on custom coding the controller as well as controlling the drone via Android Bluetooth, so there are a lot of unnecessary components which have nothing to do with getting the Quadcopter running and are merely for me getting back into electronics programming.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MMpS-vuNWJqyEamD9yfOZs8seHOUunJXBHNKZ9U0WEI/edit#gid=0


Just for convenience I have decided to post the main parts here.
  • Q450 PCB Frame
  • A2212 Motors x4 1000KV
  • 3.5mm connectors
  • LiPo alarm
  • 2 pair 1045 Carbon Fiber Props
  • LiPo Battery (Still debating this, but this is what I will get)
  • Genuine imax b6 mini charger
  • 30a SimonK ESC
  • 3.5mm Gold Connectors
  • 5mm Heatshrink
  • T Plug Connector Deans (Not 100% sure if I require this)
Thanks :)
 
Welcome to the forums, glad to have you here.

I don't know who all your buying from on Ebay, but check hobbyking.com , if you buy most all of it at once you can get it a little cheaper. They have the best prices, and will price match. If I were you I'd get xt60 instead of deans. Older fliers like deans, but it is fading really quickly. They are hard to solder on, and soon you'll have to solder them onto your batteries if you get them. 30 amp ESCs.

From what I can tell you are going to attempt to build your own Arduino? If I were you I'd pick up a ready made flight controller and make my own much later. If you don't there will be too many possible problems to troubleshoot for every problem, because you don't know whether the hardware you have works.

I will warn you that if you are going to try to make a Arduino flight controller(even if you use a Arduino) it will cost much more than just buying ArduPilot(Arduino). The reason is that these companies buy by the millions, and you are buying by the piece. Also if your are going to try to use a PS3 controller and bluetooth/wi-fi you are not going to get even half range you would if you bought a transmitter and receiver. Instead of getting a breakout cable a power distribution board (BTW your frame has one built in) is a little lighter and neater

I don't know where you are at in soldering, but make sure to pick up some flux(NON ACID), because even rosin core is hard to rework without it. If you use just rosin core you will probably end up with what are called cold joints.
I suggest you pickup 2 3000mah 3S batteries,

If you decide you want to etch/print your own circuit board I will be able to help you design it if you decide to go this route. If you are getting the 3.5mm gold connectors make sure to get at least 12 pairs, probably a few more.
1000kv motors are good for 10x4.7 easy. can you provide a link to the soldering iron, you posted the wrong link. :)

I don't know your experience level, but I have repaired/built/designed, commercial and industrial electronics and this would be a hard job for me to do without first having a flight controller to test the hardware. I would do it in phases to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Anyways all of this is said IMHO, and is not to criticize your build, you have obviously spent a lot of time deciding what to use. :)

I built a similarly sized project, here are some of my regrets.
 
GJH105775 said:
Welcome to the forums, glad to have you here.

I don't know who all your buying from on Ebay, but check hobbyking.com , if you buy most all of it at once you can get it a little cheaper. They have the best prices, and will price match. If I were you I'd get xt60 instead of deans. Older fliers like deans, but it is fading really quickly. They are hard to solder on, and soon you'll have to solder them onto your batteries if you get them. 30 amp ESCs.

From what I can tell you are going to attempt to build your own Arduino? If I were you I'd pick up a ready made flight controller and make my own much later. If you don't there will be too many possible problems to troubleshoot for every problem, because you don't know whether the hardware you have works.

I will warn you that if you are going to try to make a Arduino flight controller(even if you use a Arduino) it will cost much more than just buying ArduPilot(Arduino). The reason is that these companies buy by the millions, and you are buying by the piece. Also if your are going to try to use a PS3 controller and bluetooth/wi-fi you are not going to get even half range you would if you bought a transmitter and receiver. Instead of getting a breakout cable a power distribution board (BTW your frame has one built in) is a little lighter and neater

I don't know where you are at in soldering, but make sure to pick up some flux(NON ACID), because even rosin core is hard to rework without it. If you use just rosin core you will probably end up with what are called cold joints.
I suggest you pickup 2 3000mah 3S batteries,

If you decide you want to etch/print your own circuit board I will be able to help you design it if you decide to go this route. If you are getting the 3.5mm gold connectors make sure to get at least 12 pairs, probably a few more.
1000kv motors are good for 10x4.7 easy. can you provide a link to the soldering iron, you posted the wrong link. :)

I don't know your experience level, but I have repaired/built/designed, commercial and industrial electronics and this would be a hard job for me to do without first having a flight controller to test the hardware. I would do it in phases to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Anyways all of this is said IMHO, and is not to criticize your build, you have obviously spent a lot of time deciding what to use. :)

I built a similarly sized project, here are some of my regrets.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I was originally going to use HobbyKing but considering I wouldn't be able to buy everything at the same time and the shipping prices I decided not to (I'm from Canada) :)
Anyways, I insist creating a custom flight controller and using Bluetooth. If I choose to do this, it also means I can hand it as a project near June. I have soldered in the past, only in my technology class but haven't done so in a year or so, is solder flux necessary?

I don't need why it would be that expensive to make a custom code a controller, I'm not looking to produce anything too advanced, just something that flies without crashing.
 
Solder flux is not necessary, but if you don't use it you will have problems, it makes stuff easy. I have done a lot of soldering between jobs I have worked and more so here at my house. Flux is not 100% needed, but you will get better joints, see on these bigger wires and connectors it takes a little to heat them and the rosin burns off. The parts oxidize in around a half second, and the flux cleans it so your solder can stick.

Short answer: Yes. I like ruby red flux, I buy flux by the disk and solder by the 5 pound rolls, I use 60-40 alloy, your choice looks great.

If you just want a controller to use while you get it together here is a $9.99 cheap as dirt one, and here is a really common one that is really easy to setup (probably the easiest on the market).

Here is an Arduino based board that is popular and fairly easy to use.

These links were from HK, but you can grab these from anywhere. Because you can't buy everything at once I'd not get everything from HK, because you'd be paying easy $100-$200 in shipping, but if you can get everything in one order you could save money buying from them.
 
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Will it still be possible to make a custom flight controller in the timespan of a month or two?
I'm fairly decent at coding, so that is no issue.
GJH105775 said:
Solder flux is not necessary, but if you don't use it you will have problems, it makes stuff easy. I have done a lot of soldering between jobs I have worked and more so here at my house. Flux is not 100% needed, but you will get better joints, see on these bigger wires and connectors it takes a little to heat them and the rosin burns off. The parts oxidize in around a half second, and the flux cleans it so your solder can stick.

Short answer: Yes. I like ruby red flux, I buy flux by the disk and solder by the 5 pound rolls, I use 60-40 alloy, your choice looks great.

If you just want a controller to use while you get it together here is a $9.99 cheap as dirt one, and here is a really common one that is really easy to setup (probably the easiest on the market).

Here is an Arduino based board that is popular and fairly easy to use.

These links were from HK, but you can grab these from anywhere. Because you can't buy everything at once I'd not get everything from HK, because you'd be paying easy $100-$200 in shipping, but if you can get everything in one order you could save money buying from them.
Click to expand...
t
 
Possible, yes. But unless you already have your parts don't expect to get everything in for at least a month. Even if you used open-source software it will be really hard. You should build the quadcopter so you have something to work with, and at least get a FC as a backup in case you can't get yours done or in case something burns out. Be sure to get video of it flying and whatnot, because it is really dangerous to fly over people, especially without motor redundancy.
 
I can't see the iron you chose on your doc, but here is a really good starter's iron. I have one that sits on my desk beside me, it has worked great for a few years now, and I use it a minimum of 3 hours a day for general purpose stuff. Depending on your style, some people prefer to work with low heat to avoid burning parts up, others prefer to work with higher heat to avoid burning things out. I personally like to work with heat all the way up, because you heat less area when you can heat the spot faster. If you want a nicer gun that can do SMD too, then here (or here is another) is a great budget one that is professional grade. it is no Hakko, but a Hakko will cause you to have to sell your home just to buy it ;)


Attached is a pic I took of the solder and flux I like.

IMG_1393_zpskuianjbg.jpg
 
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Ah, so
GJH105775 said:
I can't see the iron you chose on your doc, but here is a really good starter's iron. I have one that sits on my desk beside me, it has worked great for a few years now, and I use it a minimum of 3 hours a day for general purpose stuff. Depending on your style, some people prefer to work with low heat to avoid burning parts up, others prefer to work with higher heat to avoid burning things out. I personally like to work with heat all the way up, because you heat less area when you can heat the spot faster. If you want a nicer gun that can do SMD too, then here (or here is another) is a great budget one that is professional grade. it is no Hakko, but a Hakko will cause you to have to sell your home just to buy it ;)


Attached is a pic I took of the solder and flux I like.

IMG_1393_zpskuianjbg.jpg
Click to expand...
What you have is way out of my budget, lol.
Ah, sorry!
Here is the link:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/400742454344?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
 
Don't be sorry haha, we are all on budgets, you can get something else later if you decide to do more soldering. Though this soldering iron may be hard to use, to help fix that you may be able to get a copper, tip. If you find a cheap or used Weller SP23l (used to be very popular) it will be A LOT better.


EDIT:
Here is one, I have used these, and the one I use is easily 20-30 years old. It is really great for most work. Weller is probably in the top 10 brands regarding welding and soldering equipment. They get really hot for a 25 watt. (They draw .217 amps while using 115vac)
 
Oo
GJH105775 said:
Take a look at these, you always want your solder smooth and shinny.


solder1.gif

Solder%20Samples%20Plus.jpg

tools_Solder_Joint.gif

images




F2H400PF41RXKV0.LARGE.gif











​
Click to expand...
Ooo thanks. I remember using the Weller soldering iron in my class, I'm going to see if the teacher will allow me to use it tomorrow for soldering some header pins.
Also, I was wondering if there was any way to test the motors to see if they functions? What I mean is, I've ordered the ESC but I haven't ordered the battery yet, would it be possible using the Arduino's 5V pin and the ESC to test the motors somehow?
 
Oo
GJH105775 said:
Take a look at these, you always want your solder smooth and shinny.


solder1.gif

Solder%20Samples%20Plus.jpg

tools_Solder_Joint.gif

images




F2H400PF41RXKV0.LARGE.gif











​
Click to expand...
Ooo thanks. I remember using the Weller soldering iron in my class, I'm going to see if the teacher will allow me to use it tomorrow for soldering some header pins.
Also, I was wondering if there was any way to test the motors to see if they functions? What I mean is, I've ordered the ESC but I haven't ordered the battery yet, would it be possible using the Arduino's 5V pin and the ESC to test the motors somehow?
 
Haha double post. :). It is possible, but the motors use AC not DC (I think 3 phase not single like your house) so whatever you do don't plug them into the battery, power has to come from the ESCs. Do you have a battery too? Because they draw a lot of current, more than most DC adaptors can supply.

I think you are going to have to wait till the battery comes in, and you might as well wait till the FC comes in too, to avoid damaging the Arduino.
 
GJH105775 said:
Haha double post. :). It is possible, but the motors use AC not DC (I think 3 phase not single like your house) so whatever you do don't plug them into the battery, power has to come from the ESCs. Do you have a battery too? Because they draw a lot of current, more than most DC adaptors can supply.

I think you are going to have to wait till the battery comes in, and you might as well wait till the FC comes in too, to avoid damaging the Arduino.
Click to expand...
I don't think it would damage the Arduino because I have seen people online using the Arduino PWM to control it, just requires an esc and battery.
Anyways, I had another questions but this time about the XT60 connectors. Would these work for my purpose and does the male go on the board or the female? The picture in the listing looks identical but one is smaller, not sure if it is suppose to be like that?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-XT60-Bul...72?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41881d6b14y

Or I can buy that, and also buy this to connect to the board without soldering.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/XT60-Connect...576?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19fa94da28

Or I can just buy the AWG cables and do it myself.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1M-14AWG-14-...460?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43b61784c4
 
I meant without having proper resistance and whatnot.
I could explain, but this picture will do better anyways. I bought a 10 set pack from amazon that got here in two days. Just really whatever you prefer.

xt60-male-connector.jpg
 
GJH105775 said:
I meant without having proper resistance and whatnot.
I could explain, but this picture will do better anyways. I bought a 10 set pack from amazon that got here in two days. Just really whatever you prefer.

xt60-male-connector.jpg
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks of that. I found out my battery will come with a XT60 like the female in the picture, and the male I will just purchase off of eBay pre-made, something like this.
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor...Silicon_Wire_10cm_5pcs_bag_UK_Warehouse_.html


Could take a look at my props I installed on my motors? The first pair on the left are suppose to be CW and the second CCW.
So, I was wondering how tight do you have to tighten the prop adapters? Tight enough so the prop doesn't move when you try to spin it in the in the direction the adapter tightens? Anyways, the props aren't suppose to freely spin right. The prop adapters came with each motor along with 4 screws. Hope I didn't screw it up!
Edit: Probably should mention the props came with 8 types of washers not sure how to use those?
Edit again: Not washers, more like nuts.
PROPS2.JPG
 
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There pieces that come with the props are bushings, if your prop fits pretty snug on the motor's shaft then you don't need them. They are to allow it to fit smaller motor shafts. Hold the motor while you tighten it, and then try to turn the prop while holding the motor. You should not be able to do so easily. They don't have to be really tight.
 
GJH105775 said:
There pieces that come with the props are bushings, if your prop fits pretty snug on the motor's shaft then you don't need them. They are to allow it to fit smaller motor shafts. Hold the motor while you tighten it, and then try to turn the prop while holding the motor. You should not be able to do so easily. They don't have to be really tight.
Click to expand...
The screws that came with my frame don't fit. I already told the shipper about this, a screw up on their end. What types of screws should I purchase, I heard 3mm screws but I am not sure. My frame is the Q450.
 
If you have a local hardware store they may have them. I was surprised that mine had some #2-56 machine screws for the prop adapter on my motor.

PropAdapter6mmMT3515.JPG
 
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