Spork's Journey

Spork

Spork

There is no spoon
UPDATE 3/22/18

I changed the title of this from Spork's First Build to Spork's Journey because I'll not likely get around to a build for a month or two. The thread has sort of morphed from a build to my new plan of playing with a BNF micro (65mm), learning FPV, and modifying my HS toy quad for FPV. Next up will be playing with a DJI Mavic and a larger micro BNF (2").

Right now the build candidates are something like the 3" Armattan Japalura or the bigger brother 5"/6" Armattan Chameleon - loving those frames. When I get to that point, I'll start a new thread.


Original post below
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Okay folks, time to s**t or get off the pot. I've watched tons of build videos, read a ton of forum and blog posts, learned how to solder and built out my workbench with tools and supplies, etc.

(Richard Dawson Running Man voice) It's time to start BUILDING!

Not really, but it's time to start finalizing my parts list and start ordering.

So I've decided I want to go with a Taranis radio. Likely the QX7, but I'm still looking at reviews of the QX7S and the X9D. This will be my first purchase so I can start practicing with a simulator while I finish my shopping and work on building the quad.

I'm also pretty sure I want to go with the AomWay Commander goggles, but will likely buy a cheap video screen before that to use for setup and testing on the bench. The goggles will be purchased last, to help spread out the costs a bit.

Regarding the build, my first one will be an 5" FPV race/free style type. Not interested in being the cheapest or fanciest. Somewhere in the lower-mid end of the budget range though so I don't cry too much if I smash it to bits. My biggest requirement here is to be a great platform for a noob builder to learn a lot from as I build it. The smaller stuff scares me a bit from the point of view of trying to cram everything in. I figure I can worry about faster, fancier, etc on the next one. Don't have a firm budget limit, but let's say it's $200ish. Happy to spend less, but will go higher if needed.

Frame-wise, I'm thinking something along the lines of the Martian II: Banggood would be a good start.

I go back and forth on F3 vs F4 for the flight controller - no specific model in mind here yet. But it brings up the question on software for setup. I see lots of folks use Betaflight (or Beetaflight, so Moz knows what I mean - lol) so it seems an obvious place to start. Any reason to consider Cleanflight/KISS or the others?

Another area of question is, should I use separate ESCs or an AIO? Seems like the AIO is a no-brainer, but I see a lot of builds that don't use them, so I have to wonder why. Is it just cost/preference? Something else?

I'll leave specific parts selection beyond that until after I finalize the frame and FC choices.

You may ask, "Spork, why don't you just pick one of those build videos you watched and buy the parts list?" Well, I still may if enough of you guys say it's my wisest choice. A lot of the build videos I've watched are a little older and stuff in this market seems to change pretty quickly. Plus I'll probably learn a lot more if I don't follow someone's specific build and merely use them to understand the basic process (which I think I somewhat have now).

Anyway, to reiterate, the main purpose of this build is to learn, without being too big of a pain in the rear, while using reasonably inexpensive parts that aren't SO cheap that I'm kicking myself about not spending a few more bucks five minutes into my first flight. Not too picky on speed - in fact too much speed will probably make me crash faster, but bad FPV video quality is off the list - it should be good at minimum. Other highly desirable features are OSD (basic battery level is fine at first) and a buzzer for helping me figure out which tree I've crashed into again.

Sorry / not sorry for the lengthy post, but any guidance or suggestions you guys have would be very much appreciated. I'm not looking for a specific parts list as I'd actually prefer to learn about those components more myself - use ecalc to help me learn more, etc - but any and all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!
 
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RENOV8R said:
'bout freakin' time hahaha
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Yeah, I know, I've been chomping at the bit. I like to do a LOT of research before I jump into things that can be expensive. That and I finally found a new job last Friday, so once the paychecks start coming in, I can start buying toys again.
 
Thanks again @Jackson - as usual you have been extremely helpful.

Now that I've watched that first video - it looks pretty close to perfect for me. I remember seeing the video before, but didn't watch it because the speed seemed way too fast for a noob like me. After a quick consult with Dr. Google, it seems I can slow it down by using a 3S instead of a 4S at first - and/or do something like changing some setup parameters in beta flight. After I play around with the parts list and read up a bit more, I'll update the thread.
 
If you want to race or save a gram or two then use a 4in1. An extra 2g in acro is no biggy. What is a biggy if an esc goes on a 4in1 the other 3 are wasted.
That's my reason anyway.
Grab any Betaflight F4 +Osd or Omnibus F4 AIO. If you do get an AIO get some shorter standoffs for better CG. Except the 130 of mine, all battery are top mounted. & props are online with the top plate or lower if possible. Little thing like this make all the difference.
With the components that are out now compared to when that alien frame came out, are alot smaller so there will be alot of empty space. If your a top mountero_O
It's better to get low as possible for better faster spins.
 
Thanks for that, Moz - good stuff to know.

Yeah, looking more closely at the parts and build mentioned in the video Cowboy linked has removed most of my worries about making everything fit.
 
Quick update.

So, since I spent my quad budget to upgrade my wifi, I'm going to need to wait a bit more to start buying parts. I think I'm getting close to having it narrowed down though. Something very similar to what's in the $170 video that @Jackson posted, using the frame that @RENOV8R posted or maybe another one in that price range, maybe some minor upgrades in the camera / VTX department. Probably some cheaper motors, too - like the ones in Jackson's other link. Anyway, I've got the Taranis arriving tomorrow (shhh - don't tell my wife), so I'll have plenty of time to practice in an FPV simulator while I wait for her to forget my spending :)

Also, since discovering the rotor builds site, I'm going to need a side job or a winning lottery ticket. I'm almost ashamed to admit how much time I've spent time looking at things that I have no business spending money on. There are some very sweet looking builds out there.
 
It's happened to us all, the budget just runs away. I have four quads but Its never enough.
IMG_20180114_093726879-1024x575.jpg
I love doing micro builds for ppl. But I hate handing them over lol.
 
roger jones said:
Sounds like a good project. Looking forward to following it.
What simulator are you using?
Click to expand...

Not sure yet. I'm looking at Liftoff, FPV Freerider, and Velocidrone. Seems they all have plusses and minuses. Once I get a chance to try them out with my controller, I'll land on one of them.
 
roger jones said:
Sounds like a good project. Looking forward to following it.
What simulator are you using?
Click to expand...

Quick update on sims. I got the Taranis setup and updated. I also got the OrangeRX USB and can get it to bind but it doesn't appear to operate the sticks when I'm in FPV Freerider or Liftoff, so after an hour I gave up and just plugged in the USB cable to the radio so I could get flying.

I started off with FPV Freerider. After using some of Joshua Bardwell's noob videos (he starts off pretty slow, but I found them very, very helpful) I got about an hour and a half in and really liked the sim - only the one quad to choose from - but maybe that's a good thing for me. I then tried Liftoff and got to spend an hour or so flying in that one - I also liked it - bigger quad selection - feels like a "more professional sim". I can't say I like one over the other yet - I like the "quad feel" in Liftoff, but I have no real FPV quad flying experience to compare it to.

I'll spend some more time today trying to get the OrangeRX working and try to give Velocidrone a chance.
 
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