Planning first quad build [must get right the first time]

Jackson said:
Here ya go, use the extra one (cut down the cable and solder on a JST) to power something else on the board.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/XT60-to-3-5mm-Bullet-Multistar-1-to-6-Wire-ESC-Power-Breakout-Cable-For-Airplane/371354267702?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIC.MBE&ao=1&asc=29980&meid=6d8134d64e9f487bbd4bd89ef4d4f54c&pid=100005&rk=3&rkt=6&sd=331431876065&rt=nc
Click to expand...
Yup, that cable is very useful, i use one like that, but i use the extra cable to power my bec and gimbal
 
Look at the MWC Alien/Reptile frames. They use the 450 arms but the frame configuration gives you a 525 wheelbase and keeps it square. These are all over ebay, Amazon etc. Very cheap and light with a lot of real estate to mount stuff. You can use up to 13" props. I built one with FPV, GPS using SunnySky 2216 KV800 motors, ZTW Spider 30a small 600hz opto ESC's (only 16g) no programming needed and Castle BEC which lets me power several components up to 10a total. I am using 12x3.8 CF props, Multistar 3s 10c 5200 battery. Weighs just over 1580g AUW and can lift just over 3000g. All the components are good quality and available pretty cheap all over the internet. It's not fast but it is smooth and I get 20-30 minutes flight times depending on how much hovering I do. BTW. The Castle BEC is very quiet. You can mount it on top of your other electronics and not have a problem. Also if you want to go faster use 11x4.7 props and 30c battery and it will surprise you! :) One last thought; larger quads are more stable than little ones. It's possible to build fairly large and light.
 
Okay, I'm planning to expand the scope of my search. Besides HobbyKing, and ebay (which does not ship to my country), what other "one-stop" shop for quad stuff should I try?
 
I would think that 95% of the vendors on ebay would ship to you. The majority of quad products come from China anyway. Bangood, RCTimer etc. all say they ship worldwide. Set up an ebay and paypal account and go for it. I feel pretty confident they will ship to you. They ship everywhere else in the Pacific.
 
Those guys crack me up!Good price. I wonder how durable it is. Personally, I have sworn off the cheap stuff. Too costly(and frustrating) in the long run. Sentinel, hopefully you can find some items there that will work for your project. Since it all has to be shipped in anyway you really don't have to buy from only one vendor. More vendors will give you more flexibility. You won't have to settle for a part that isn't what you really need.
 
Planning to use an ultrasonic sensor, is there a cheap one available? It has to be a module with either a digital or analog output.
 
Stretched my setup to try to follow everyone's suggestion but I still had to go with this because of availability and cost. Does this seem about right? I switched it from SK45o to a S500, lowered the KV and increased the size of the props. Only problem now is the availability of the LiPo battery.
IVjmLB4.png
 
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__16225__ZIPPY_Flightmax_8000mAh_3S1P_30C.html ------ you will have to use 2 at 1288g/pair. They are $44.11 each. The only 16000mah 3s I saw was from Venom and it was $239.99 and weighed 1150g. Lighter but so expensive. Consider spending on a more efficient motor---- -http://www.getfpv.com/motors/tiger-motor-mt-2216-12-800kv.html------using a 12x4 CF prop it is nearly twice as efficient as the Multistar motor. So $168.00 additional for the 4 T-Motors and $196.00 less by using the 8000mah battery and you net about $28.00 and save about 500g in weight. You should get even better flight times because of the weight savings. The tiger motor will last 2-3 times longer than the multistar and will run smoother as well. They also work well on a 15a esc. More savings. Food for thought......
 
Well. It made sense at the time. Unsure why ecalc didn't show an advantage. With the reduced weight and nearly twice the efficiency it should have come up roses. Sorry. That's all I got.:(
 
Whoops. I don't think the picture got posted. Anyway, it has about the same amount of performance.

That's really strange. I'm really stuck on how to improve this. Will about 1.7kg~2kg survive on a 500 frame?
 
I do not use ecalc. I just wing it. I use the manufacturers specs as a guide to what will fly. 1.7-2kg will need bigger motors and props to hover at 50-55% throttle. Kinda blows the efficiency thing out of the water. Don't overthink it. Maybe compromise a bit on your payload?
 
The 50% throttle thing for me would be very difficult to achieve, though I wont be using this for acrobatics, should it be fine at about 70%?
 
45-55% throttle for hover is a good guideline. It has nothing to do with acrobatics. It is a good balance of power and efficiency. Other than racers you usually only use 60-70% throttle to cruise and often times even less. If you can hover at 50% you have room for additional payload, better maneuverability and you can counter wind gusts with ease. As your battery runs down you will need extra throttle to get back and land safely. 70%+ hover will destroy your flight time and probably overheat your motors and esc's. You will end up flying a lot at 90-100% just to overcome wind and inertia. Not recommended. Bigger slow turning motors with bigger low pitch props are what you should be looking at. Many larger motors will still perform well on 11.1v and are amazingly efficient.
 
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