New to this world and need help

A

Andy79

New Member
Hi

I really want to get started in the quadcopter world and wondered if someone could tell me the best entry level drone?

Thanks for your assistance

Andy
 
Hey Andy...........there's no one "best" for a beginner. But some suggestions. Don't spend a lot on your first drone. It don't take long, but until you develop a feel for flying these things, there's a good chance it's gonna be every where except where you want it. And it's gonna get busted up. Most folks I know started with the Syma X5 or something similar. Myself, I started with the JJRC V686g back around the first of March this year. There are many similar to these two and one thing that makes them good beginner quads is that there is ready access to parts to repair them. 2 other things you should have is a cheap 60watt soldering iron and a hot glue gun. And I would definitely get a couple of extra batteries. Nothing worse then finally getting a good flight going and then having to wait for 45 minutes to an hour to re-charge the battery to fly again. And if you decide to get a kit with FPV(first person view, basically a camera and monitor) don't get one that uses wifi. Wifi and RC transmitter(controller) both use the same frequency range(2.4ghz) and there are many cases reported where wifi has messed up the controls. That's why I started with the V686g instead of the X5.

After that first quad.......quit literally, the sky's the limit!!!
 
Ideally as soon as you get a quad up flying you either need to look into repairs & spares ahead of time, or build your own quad . what are you planning to do with this drone? Race, acro or photography. It's not hard, whatever it for . May cost a bit but. A cheap drone or simulation will get u the basics. So 2hrs flight time in my experience is plenty. Then if you plan on going acro or racing 150+ frames don't waste any more time on cheap poop drones. They nothing like a toy. Build/fix your own is better. I would only buy one 3s battery then the rest 4s or higher. You get used to the speed pretty quick. I had bought a few 3s then when I got 4s I thought what a waste of money.
So get a syma x or something then once it breaks, if yo into the hobby get building quickly, it will save money. stick with same motors @first & esc's so your spares match. & when you got problems we will all help on this forum if we can.
 
Welcome to the forums Andy!!:)
If you want a small one than here is a good one:https://www.amazon.com/JJRC-Headles...=UTF8&qid=1496664878&sr=8-4&keywords=JJRC+h36

than you could move up to the syma x5c-1:https://www.amazon.com/Explorers-Re...TF8&qid=1496664969&sr=8-3&keywords=syma+x5c-1

than to the syma x8c(which is the one I have):https://www.amazon.com/X8C-Venture-...=UTF8&qid=1496665101&sr=1-4&keywords=syma+x8c

Hope this helps:)


dragger201 said:
Nothing worse then finally getting a good flight going and then having to wait for 45 minutes to an hour to re-charge the battery to fly again.
Click to expand...

I have the syma x8c and I only have one battery so I have to wait 3 and a half hours:confused: so I can only fly it 2-3 times a day:mad: it's a killer.
 
GyroDrone2.0 said:
I have the syma x8c and I only have one battery so I have to wait 3 and a half hours:confused: so I can only fly it 2-3 times a day:mad: it's a killer.
Click to expand...

Save your shekels and pick up an extra or two. You can find them a lot of places, and some with higher capacity (2200-2500mah) for $11-ish. Be sure and get the ones with the banana style connectors. A decent balance charger will be a good investment as well, perhaps a SkyRC B6AC or B6 Mini.
 
GyroDrone2.0 said:
I have the syma x8c and I only have one battery so I have to wait 3 and a half hours:confused: so I can only fly it 2-3 times a day:mad: it's a killer.
Click to expand...

Hey Gyro......I got a Imax B6AC+ charger so I can charge one of my X8 batteries in about 20-25 minutes(or less) safely.
 
GyroDrone2.0 said:
yeah I was thinking of doing that. does this look like a good one to get?: https://www.amazon.com/ANNONGONE-Ba...=1496501488&sr=1-76&keywords=syma+x8c+battery
Click to expand...

Those will work fine, but keep two things in mind:
  1. The charger will charge three at the same time, but not quickly. The charger output is probably 2 Amps, so figure 3x 2500mah batteries will take 3 - 3 1/2 hours. Be sure you connect the batteries to the 'pigtail' first and let sit for 10 minutes or so before you plug the charger in. That will allow the charge to balance between all three packs before you start to charge them.
  2. Those will come from China, so you won't see them for a while.
Shop around (again, when budget permits) for an IMax B6 series charger or other good balance charger. The B6AC comes with an AC power supply, the B6 Mini doesn't but they're cheap, just add $6-8. Those will output 5 amps, so with a balance charging board you can charge 3 of the 2500 mah batteries in an hour and a half or less. A balance charger is a great investment, because you can/will use it on all your batteries, current and future. All you will need to do is pick up or make leads for the various connector types you use. Ebay is a great source for various connector leads and adapters.

It's worth noting that the original/genuine IMax chargers are made by SkyRC. There are a ton of clones floating around. A clone might be just as good, but know which you're buying. If you look closely at the photos on a few sites, you can spot the ones that aren't original SkyRC ones. The sellers of genuine ones will also advertise they are genuine, and have a holographic seal and a serial number that can be verified as legit on SkyRC's web site. A lot of people very happily use clones, but they should cost you less money if you go that route.
 
Rick M said:
Those will work fine, but keep two things in mind:
  1. The charger will charge three at the same time, but not quickly. The charger output is probably 2 Amps, so figure 3x 2500mah batteries will take 3 - 3 1/2 hours. Be sure you connect the batteries to the 'pigtail' first and let sit for 10 minutes or so before you plug the charger in. That will allow the charge to balance between all three packs before you start to charge them.
  2. Those will come from China, so you won't see them for a while.
Shop around (again, when budget permits) for an IMax B6 series charger or other good balance charger. The B6AC comes with an AC power supply, the B6 Mini doesn't but they're cheap, just add $6-8. Those will output 5 amps, so with a balance charging board you can charge 3 of the 2500 mah batteries in an hour and a half or less. A balance charger is a great investment, because you can/will use it on all your batteries, current and future. All you will need to do is pick up or make leads for the various connector types you use. Ebay is a great source for various connector leads and adapters.

It's worth noting that the original/genuine IMax chargers are made by SkyRC. There are a ton of clones floating around. A clone might be just as good, but know which you're buying. If you look closely at the photos on a few sites, you can spot the ones that aren't original SkyRC ones. The sellers of genuine ones will also advertise they are genuine, and have a holographic seal and a serial number that can be verified as legit on SkyRC's web site. A lot of people very happily use clones, but they should cost you less money if you go that route.
Click to expand...

ok, I don't really mind waiting 3 hours for them to charge. I don't really wont to spend that much money.
 
GyroDrone2.0 said:
really!! thats fast!! can you give me a link to it, I might get it!
Click to expand...
Hey Gyro, here's the one I got............
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Imax-B6AC-A...002190?hash=item58d785f3ce:g:S2cAAOSwPhdU0YmS

But I also got one of these so I could do more then 1 battery at a time............
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LiPo-Charge...055551?hash=item2818389e3f:g:dBQAAOSw42JZEdtw

But I've stripped all my "T" plugs and gone completely with XT60 plugs. The one on the end of this for the power input, I desoldered and used a heatshrink and hot glue to seal it and then capped that "T"plug on the board..........after reading about someone who had gotten a nasty shock and burn................
 
dragger201 said:
Hey Gyro, here's the one I got............
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Imax-B6AC-A...002190?hash=item58d785f3ce:g:S2cAAOSwPhdU0YmS

But I also got one of these so I could do more then 1 battery at a time............
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LiPo-Charge...055551?hash=item2818389e3f:g:dBQAAOSw42JZEdtw

But I've stripped all my "T" plugs and gone completely with XT60 plugs. The one on the end of this for the power input, I desoldered and used a heatshrink and hot glue to seal it and then capped that "T"plug on the board..........after reading about someone who had gotten a nasty shock and burn................
Click to expand...

That is pretty expensive.
 
... Aside from a quality radio ( I happen to love my Tarranis X9D+ ) and an iMAX B6AC charger the cost/quality ratio of everything else is pretty much optional (imho) because it's probably not going to last too long anyway before it gets either fried, smashed, or otherwise wasted ... :cool:
 
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