First FPV drone

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Processorkoeler

Well-Known Member
Hi there,

I'm planning to build my own FPV drone, although because of the many possibilities (types of motors, frames, ESC, propellerors I have no clue where to start.

After looking on Youtube for build tutorials (2017), Hobbyking, other forums and even spreadsheets of parts I came to the conclusion I want to build an FPV drone with size 200-250 (because of weight, speed etc).
However; I have no clue which parts to buy.
I found these things online:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/...Uomq6PNIU93gXwny8/edit#heading=h.wuh56dl1jrpd
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/diatone-tyrant-215-cf-frame-kit-blue.html

The budget is around €300 including FPV gear (approx USD 340), though if necessary I'm prepared to spend a little bit more.
Would any of you be able to help me out and/or guide me in which parts to select? There are so many types of motors with KV ratings, propellor sizes and ESC types, I have no clue where to start.

Thanks in advance!
 
Also, you can go on eBay or the RC stores website and look at ready to fly or bind and fly birds to get an idea of what all is in the bird. Then do a google search for reviews to see how they work................
 
@Jackson
I've seen that video, but it takes 20 days to ship to my country. What other stores exist other than Ebay, Banggood and Hobbyking? I live in The Netherlands, though Hobbyking has an European warehouse I thing I'm limited in parts.



@dragger201
I have tried to look up specific things, but I can't seem to make sense out of it. I know 4S gets more voltage than 3S which results in your motors spinning faster. I know things like thrust to weight ratio which should be 2:1 or 3:1, what KV means (rotations per volt), but that's about it.
The size I want to go for is 200-250. I don't know which motors I need, what ESC's are suitable (I know ESC's should be able to provide enough amps for the motors), which propellers to use, etc.
So I was wondering if you can guide me?
 
Processorkoeler said:
I have tried to look up specific things, but I can't seem to make sense out of it. I know 4S gets more voltage than 3S which results in your motors spinning faster. I know things like thrust to weight ratio which should be 2:1 or 3:1, what KV means (rotations per volt), but that's about it.
The size I want to go for is 200-250. I don't know which motors I need, what ESC's are suitable (I know ESC's should be able to provide enough amps for the motors), which propellers to use, etc.
So I was wondering if you can guide me?
Click to expand...

I can answer some questions for you, but I'm not really conversant with all the ins and outs of the racers. There's some things that are common for both and some that aren't. The things that are common I can help with. In the meantime here's a good start..............

http://dronenodes.com/diy-quadcopter-drone-racer/


http://www.dronetrest.com/t/beginne...pv-250-quadcopter-using-the-silver-blade/1253

These are both good tutorials but remember, you don't have to use what they use...........if you have questions.........I'm around most days early my time......

Oh, and my knowledge comes three ways............online forums/tuturials, just doing it until I get it right...............and my son who got me started and still is trying to get me to build racers..........

Is this your first quad???
 
Yes, this is my first quad. I just want to make sure I get things right because if it takes weeks for parts to arrive I can't just quickly order parts and fix/replace things.
Thanks for the tutorial links, I'll read them and hopefully get some useful information out of it.
 
Emax 2205 2300kv
Dal 5045x3 V2
Seriously pro F3 flight board
Littlebee 20a pro/pocket rocket 20amp
Any 220 or bigger frame QAV R or zmr with 5mm arms.
TS5828S vtx Aomway tx/rx antennas
Flysky i6 & ia6b/A8S receiver's
I can vouch for all this list IMHO have found all to be reliable after multiple crashes. Apart from props esc's 6months still going, motors 7months like brand new. Fcb many crashes still going 7months. Still testing battery's but I still got my 1st 3s turnigy I bought & it's OK.
Puffed very slightly but it does its job trying out some graphene, but most of mine are chaos lab 95-150C oh boy have they got kick. OC Day are decent as well. Some of this stuff is dated but it works with no complaints. If your learning with kit like this it can be dangerous but it is doable. I didn't want a toy I just made sure I was out the way and took it easy.
I Blab on all posts about its better to build your own. It's where your going to end up.
 
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@mozquito1

Thanks for your reply!
Can you please explain me how you got to these specific parts? I understand the frame size ~250 needs a specific 'range' of motors and ESCs/propellers because otherwise things are not right.
Also, what FPV gear is included here? I can't find any goggles or camera. Do I pick one myself?
 
I had Simonk esc for a bit. They failed. So I bought some littlebee and they still working. Then I decided to build another quad & bought some pocket rocket esc and they still working after some bad crashes. I may have touched lucky but I can say they are robust. I only got eachineV8 goggles & 2 of my cams are foxeer one works sweet the other was dodgy from unbox. Like I said some of that list is dated but reliable kit. It's easy getting it all together if you got the right tools & bits n pieces.. I might post a list on my break later.
 
Alright, I'll go and try to find parts. As in the conversation (privately) I had with Dragger, where do I find parts? I've been looking on Banggood and Hobbyking but I can't really properly filter sort for specific parts. All I get is a random list of random parts. I know what size frame I want and which motor KV to pick from (approximately). Then I find ESC's which are compatible with simonK or BLheli (never heard of that).

Also, is the Seriously Pro F3 the same as this one I found on Banggood? https://www.banggood.com/Upgrade-NA...mrAVtg7duz3kKMAnTDlnveC4lHXSjDx-tfhoC_tnw_wcB
 
A quick update of my search for parts so far:

This is what I have found.

Frame
GEP-ZX5
https://www.banggood.com/GEPRC-GEP-...TeNLJEc2rz01X93qxd9g2fBH4Vf9_AxN1saAn_F8P8HAQ


Motor
4x Emax RS2205-2300KV (2x CW 2x CCW)
https://www.banggood.com/es/Emax-RS..._content=ana&utm_campaign=Smul-ds-ee-feed-mul

ESC
4x Littlebee 20A (flash with BLHeli)
https://www.banggood.com/es/FVT-Lit..._content=ana&utm_campaign=Smul-ds-ee-feed-mul

FC
Omnibus F4
https://www.banggood.com/es/DYS-30_..._content=ana&utm_campaign=Smul-ds-ee-feed-mul

Propellors
4x DAL T5045 V2 tri-blade (2x CW 2x CCW)
https://www.dalprops.com/products/t5045-v2

PDB (frame has integrated PDB)
Diatone V7
https://www.banggood.com/de/Diatone...bJKTmJxvacVihxq-zCn-o9VdiTzGfhajWEaAhlb8P8HAQ

Battery (there are a lot of variants)
Turnigy nano-tech 1300mAh 4S 45~90C
https://hobbyking.com/nl_nl/turnigy-nano-tech-1300mah-4s-45-90c-lipo-pack.html

FPV Cam
Aomway 700TVL
https://www.banggood.com/Aomway-700...uDwKIBP24Sy4iCwpQE-UVQELFyJis8T5zwaAiFJ8P8HAQ

Antenna for VTX and VRX
Aomway 5.8GHz [sma]

Video transmitter
Aomway Micro 200mW [sma]
https://www.banggood.com/nl/Aomway-...ransmission-RHCP-Antenna-1-Pair-p-961730.html

Controller
Flysky I6 [mode 2]
https://www.banggood.com/FlySky-FS-...JHO6ihtl1MY1foFfhSBMTCSkXQmPc4H3zwaArzE8P8HAQ

Goggles (too poor to afford FatShark)
Eachine VR-007 Pro
https://www.banggood.com/Eachine-VR...m_campaign=seachine-ds-fpv&utm_content=sophia

Buzzer
Random 5V buzzer (goes on FC?)
https://www.banggood.com/3X-5V-Buzz...ushed-FPV-Quadcopter-p-1118884.html?rmmds=buy

Charger
Quanum E4 Cube 50W [2-4S]
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/ecube-e4-with-eu-plug.html


Questions I came up with;

- Is 20A enough or do I need 30A?
- the battery handle the amp draw?
- I chose the Omnibus F4 because it has built-in OSD. Is this a good choice? What do you recommend?
- The frame has an integrated PDB. Do I use the integrated one or the Diatone PDB?
- There's a lot of 4s 1300mAh batteries. Which do I pick?
- The FPV cam has 170 degrees angle. Isn't that a lot?

Total costs are around 359USD which is approx €300, this is my target budget.
Feedback would be nice! There's a lot of kits for this frame but I thought these parts would be better.
 
That list is sweet. But I think the frame is not for the novice. Not saying it can't be done for a 1st build but take your time.
It's all compatible. But the rx you get with that i6 is a bit bulky even out the case. If you could spare another 15-20 bucks the FS-A8S mini rx is tiny and the one I got is good for 300+ ft. Otherwise I would suggest a different frame. Beep or not to beep, that is the question. a good investment is a multimeter, the cheapest one with continuity test will do. Do not plug a lipo in unless you are triple sure all wiring is correct. It's going to protect your investment. Every time I solder I test. Otherwise we talking 10's of dollars up in smoke for the sake of 20 on a meter. Double sided tape zip ties heatshrink oh blue thread lock. Velcro, battery's I just stuck with what worked. I don't use any osd I just set 5min on my watch all my 4s 1300m come in around 3.7-3.9 volts per cell. So I can then storage charge it, takes 2min. Make sure to proper balance charge. Not just pump it up. It wreck them. Saying that the drone labs can charge @ 3a fast charge & they still hold & are solid. These 2 turnigy graphene are doing OK after a few charges. Most paks lose a bit of power around 5min. So I land. But these deliver constant but when they die, it's quick. May get an extra 30-40 seconds but I just stick with the 5min of acro to preserve the life. I got about 26 lipos now. So when I go out I take a chair & I'm out all day. Still learning. But getting there.
 
Yes all is OK should go togeather nice. As in that list is sweet. But that frame ain't for a noob. Almost certain if you use the plate for the vtx antenna then you will have to pigtail the mount. So you have to buy one or desolder the one you may buy.
 
My bad I thought that frame was a different one. All the gear is OK for it. Still not a noob frame but OK. Just take your time. May want to get a right angle sma connector for vtx antenna. Just in case.
 
@Jackson Thanks, will definitely add that.
So these are the parts I think I'll be using:


Frame - GEP-ZX5
Motors - Emax RS2205 2300KV
ESCs - DYS XS 30A BLheli
FC - Omnibus F4 (built in OSD)
Props - DAL T5045 V2 tri-blade
Battery - 1300mAh 4S
FPV Cam - Aomway 700TVL
Remote - FlySky FS I6 (mode 2)
Receiver - FlySky FS-X6B (ibus)
VTX - Aomway Micro 200mW
Antennas - Aomway 5.8GHz
Goggle - Eachine VR-007 pro
GoPro Session on top

Can anyone recommend me a charger I can use with the 4s battery (EU plug, not UK)? Preferably one where I can charge multiple batteries at once because I'll be buyingmore than one.
Any feedback on those parts? Total costs excluding the GoPro is about 400USD or 350EUR (excluding charger). Thanks!
 
Alright so I've done some more research and came to the conclusion:

I'm going to buy this kit and change three parts (vtx, antennas, PDB)
http://www.gearbest.com/multi-rotor-parts/pp_427259.html


This'll be the setup:

http://www.gearbest.com/multi-rotor-parts/pp_427259.html

DAL T5045 V2 tri-blade
Turnigy Nano-Tech 1300mAh 4S
FlySky FS I6X controller with X6B receiver
Eachine TX526
Emax 5.8GHz (vrx and vtx antenna)
Eachine VR-007 Pro
Seriously Pro F3 OSD/PDB (replaces original PDB)

Everything else (Frame, motor, esc, fc and fpv cam) are included in the kit. The only thing I'm still looking for is a charger (I can't seem to find a proper one).
Is the PDB any good? Any advice/feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks!
 
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