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| Multi Rotor Discussion Tri's, Quad's, Hex'as and more. Discuss anything multi-rotor, including multi-rotor stabilization and FPV setups. |
Topic Review (Newest First)
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| 08-17-2015 07:06 PM | |
| bcsaltchucker |
Re: First Multirotor (+FPV) Build Critique and now . I eat my words! I am now building the latest version of the Minion, designed by Pat of London Ontario. It has a very well designed PDB. The PDB does add a lot of weight, which I am very concerned about. BUt it seriously cleans up the build. I am hoping to build without the bottom plate, if possible, to save weight but Pat says not to do it as the PDB is too weak on its own |
| 08-17-2015 05:01 PM | |
| Sky High |
Re: First Multirotor (+FPV) Build Critique Oh, really? I assume this includes the PDBs that are designed to replace one of the plates completely, such as these ones? As long as they don't add too much weight, then neater and prettier will be preferable, I think.  Thank you very much! Haha yeah, I'm really quite fond of the aesthetic. 
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| 08-14-2015 05:11 PM | |
| bcsaltchucker |
Re: First Multirotor (+FPV) Build Critique most PDB I have dealt with ... just add more weight. Sometimes a lot more weight that carefully laid our wiring. But it surely makes it neater and prettier. I have a couple mini hex frames kicking around - both have PDB I will use with it cause the craft has plenty of power for it. But for my miniquads, I avoid PDB to save weight (and some have issues with high current melting the traces) Your hex is gorgeous! these mini hexes also look so mean, angry and arachnid like! |
| 08-13-2015 10:21 PM | |
| Sky High |
Re: First Multirotor (+FPV) Build Critique I just wanted to update this post with some of the modifications/additions I made to the above hex build. Battery: 4x ZOP Power 2200Mah 3S 40C Lipo in addition to the two Turnigy 2200mAh 3S 25C Lipos I already owned. FPV: The Quanum DIY FPV Goggle V2 came out days after I ordered the original version, so I ordered the V2 version instead and returned the original version to the warehouse. Misc/Accessories: I used an Arduino Nano V3.0 Compatible (clone) to flash my ESCs with BlHeli v14, as they're SiLabs based and the Turnigy USB Linker is only compatible with Atmel ESCs. I also added 4 5050 SMD WS2812B RGB LEDs which are controlled by the Naze32 using Cleanflight, and indicate orientation, status, etc... I can't use those LEDs until my PPM Encoder arrives, however - hoping it'll arrive within the next week. This is because one of the PWM receiver pins on the Naze32 is used to control the LEDs. For my next build I'll just get a PPM receiver to begin with. I also got a Lipo Tester for checking battery voltage/capacity in the field. To make charging 6 batteries less of a hassle, I also picked up a Lipo Balance Charging Board. Finally, I acquired a bunch of other odds and ends - screws, nuts, nyloc nuts, JST-XH connectors, servo leads, etc... in order to support the build and get everything wired properly - especially the battery voltage monitor! All of this required quite a bit of soldering and patience, and I've gone through several iterations of the build already. I finally just flashed the ESCs with BlHeli tonight, which appears to have corrected an issue I was having with some of my motors consistently cutting out at and around 50% throttle - I'm guessing this may have been a sync issue, but I'm not entirely certain. This also allowed me to enable Oneshot125, and the motors run beautifully now. I'm very pleased with the frame itself. It's quite resilient, having survived several nasty crashes with barely a scratch, one of them from quite a significant height. These crashes were largely due to the motor/ESC issues I mentioned. One issue I had with it however was in placement of the ESCs. With the default spacing between the two bottom plates, there wasn't enough space to fit my ESCs, so I ended up adding nylon nuts to space them slightly further apart. I've attached a couple photos of the build in its current state. Originally I had put the battery on the bottom of the frame, but this put the battery in danger during crashes. Instead, I ended up moving it to the top and adding a few bolts to prevent it from moving around during flight or crashes. The ESCs have their original shrink tubing taped back on after I added servo leads to flash them - the shrink tubing I ordered originally was too large and I'm waiting on a replacement. One thing I will most definitely be acquiring for my next build is a properly integrated PDB so that I can cut down on a lot of the wire clutter within the frame. This will also hopefully help reduce weight and improve reliability. |
| 05-15-2015 03:59 AM | |
| Sky High |
Re: First Multirotor (+FPV) Build Critique Okay, good to know, thanks! I appreciate the recommendation, but I'm pretty much set on going with a hex. It's taken some time, but I've finally laid out the new build: Approximate AUW: ~750g with Mobius ActionCam Frame: Thorax Mini FPV Hex + 1x Replacement Arms (2 total) Flight Controller: Naze32 Acro Soldered Horizontal + Piezo Buzzer - Wasn't entirely sure if I should go with horizontal or vertical soldered version here Receiver & Satellite: Lemon Rx DSMX 6-Channel + Lemon Rx DSMX Satellite Power Distribution Board: Octo PDB - One of the extra leads will go to the voltage monitor on the Naze32 Motors: 8x DYS BE1806-2300KV - 2 spares ESCs: 2x Emax 12A SimonK ESC (8 total) - 2 spares Propellers: 2x Gemfan 5030 (16 total) - Plenty of spares, may upgrade to CF 5030 or 5040 props in future Battery: 2x Turnigy 2200mAh 3S 25C Lipo (owned) FPV: Skyzone PNP FPV 500mw Kit + Quanum DIY FPV Kit + 3X Fresnel Lens Camera: Mobius ActionCam Misc/Accessories: Turnigy USB Linker, Battery Straps (5 total), Nyloc Nuts (8 total), 2mm (20 total) & 3.5mm (20 total) Bullet Connectors, Prop Balancer So there it is - am I missing anything? Should I get some additional nylon standoffs, screws, or zip-ties? I'm also thinking about adding some LEDs for night flights at some point, though I'm undecided at present. Any and all feedback is appreciated, thanks! |
| 05-14-2015 09:56 AM | |
| Recursion |
Re: First Multirotor (+FPV) Build Critique Recording your FPV feed will either be expensive (Dominator V2), or bulky (ground station). The acro Naze32 is what I run. I have a full clone version (flip32+) as well, but have yet to try it as I'm not missing the extra sensors at all. I'd recommend you start with a quad over a hex. Hex builds are more expensive to build, to break (6 props vs 4), troubleshoot, and more difficult to tune. |
| 05-13-2015 05:42 PM | |
| Sky High |
Re: First Multirotor (+FPV) Build Critique Thanks for the feedback, it's much appreciated! With this information, I think I've decided to change course and go with a hex build instead, using the Thorax frame I mentioned in the original post. I like the idea of 250 class agility with the ability to use 2200mah LiPos (since I have some available). Once I've gone through and come up with a new build I'll post it for critique. AliExpress appears to have a pretty wide selection. Thanks Exploding Fist, I'll have to take a look around there and see if I can take advantage of their free shipping. I'm also guessing I'll need to try to keep an eye out for cheap knock-offs though? Also, thanks for the info regarding the KK2.1.5. I think I'll likely get a Naze32 Acro instead, though I'm undecided on whether or not I want or even need the additional sensors. Has anyone seen a similar frame to the Thorax on AliExpress? I've taken a look but haven't been able to find anything suitable thus far. If not I can just get it from HK. As for the FPV gear, being constrained to the area of a soccer field does sound limiting. Instead of the kit I posted, I'm thinking about getting the Quanum DIY FPV Goggle+Monitor Kit along with the Skyzone FPV 500mw Set separately. Price is definitely a factor, and while I'm open to upgrades, I don't want to get into anything too expensive with my first multi rotor while I'm learning. I'm considering getting a Mobius ActionCam at some point in the future for recording, but I'm not sure about recording my FPV feed. Max, is this the ground station you mentioned? I think it's likely that this'll be a future upgrade option if so. |
| 05-11-2015 07:29 AM | |
| Max |
Re: First Multirotor (+FPV) Build Critique I'm in agreement with skipping the KK board. While its a great beginner board, you will find you will need something better once you start FPV'ing more. Personally, I like to have my larger quads running with altitude hold and a GPS/compass with return-home and autoland. KK does neither. I dont like the SK450. Those plastic frames are not very durable. If you go with that, make sure you buy extra sets of arms. You will be replacing them a lot. I personally prefer H-frames now. Much easier to position your FPV gear, camera's etc and allows you to shift your batteries around to get the right CG. HK one is nice, but there are others out there that are re practical IMHO. I think you'll soon the the cover on the Venture. For ESC's, make sure you buy something that allows you to use either 3 or 4 cells. Both the ones you mention run 4 cells so you should be OK there. And finally, the quanum complete FPV gear is a good starter package for goofing around in a soccer-field size area. If you plan on flying beyond that, 200mw is not going to cut it. They claim 1.5Km in theirs? Yeah right. Maybe with a directional patch, but I highly doubt you will go much more than a few hundred yards on what they are selling in that package. If that's as far as you intend to go, then you should be OK. If not, get an additional 800MW or 1000MW VTX. Or consider a 1280 system. Also, I dont like thier ground station. Get one that does recording. TRUST ME. you WANT to record yoour GS flights, so that you can play it back if you go down in the bush. Even though it may not be far from your launch point, you may have a hard time finding it without playing back the GS. HK sells an AOMWAY GS that is almost liek the one in the kit but has a DVR built in. Along with that, consider an on-board beeper- the one that starts beeping if it senses no control input from your TX after 60 seconds. Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress! 
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| 05-10-2015 10:28 PM | |
| Recursion |
Re: First Multirotor (+FPV) Build Critique 1. Big/heavy motors for 9 inch props. I'd suggest skipping the hobbyking motors and finding yourself a set of SunnySky X2212 980KV motors. 1047 props work well on those too for more thrust (for 9 inch you should be using 4s batteries or higher KV motors). 2. I'd skip the KK2.0 controller and go for a Naze32 (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...ontroller.html - Or soldered: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...ical_Pin_.html) or Flip32 (clone Naze) board. The price is about the same as the KK2 board, making the KK2 board obsolete. 3. That frame is quite expensive when shipping is calculated. If you want a cheap DJI Wheel clone you're better off with something like this: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/LS4G-...012839348.html ESCs look good. Just make sure to get an Afro USB programmer so you can easily change the config/firmware on them. Edit: Sunnysky motors - http://www.aliexpress.com/item/LHM03...953044013.html |
| 05-10-2015 09:11 PM | |
| Sky High |
First Multirotor (+FPV) Build Critique EDIT: Please see my updated build here Hello everyone. I'm relatively inexperienced with RC, limited only to a Zephyr V-70 that I've killed and need to rebuild, as well as a Bixler 2. I've been flying them with a Spektrum DX6i I picked up second-hand a couple years ago, which I'm hoping I'll be able to continue using for my multirotor. I've only flown them a handful of times due to having limited locations nearby where I'm able to do so. I'm interested in building my first multirotor and have parts selected (listed below), and would appreciate a critique on the build, especially concerning anything I may have missed, or mismatched. I'm also wanting to get an entry level FPV setup with it that I can use with my Bixler 2 as well. Frame: Quanum Venture or SK450 (+Lower PCB Board, Black & Bright Green replacement arms) - haven't decided which as of yet, but leaning toward the SK450, though I really like the look of the Venture. I'm also open to other frame and size class suggestions, including hex (maybe a Thorax Mini FPV?) builds. Flight Controller: KK2.1.5 (+USBasp AVR Programming Device for ATMEL proccessors) Receiver: OrangeRx R610 Spektrum DSM2 6Ch 2.4Ghz Receiver (w/ Sat Port) (all ready owned) Motors: 4xNTM Prop Drive Series 28-26A 1200kv (+Accessory Pack & Carbon Fibre Motor Mount), also considering Turnigy Multistar 2213-980Kv 14 Pole Multi-Rotor Outrunner V2 ESCs: 4xAfro ESC 30Amp Multi-rotor Motor Speed Controller - I'd probably use the Afro 20A with the 2213-980Kv's. Props: 4x9047 SF CCW (4 pc - Green) & 4x9047R SF (4 pc Right Hand Rotation) Battery: 2xTurnigy 2200mAh 3S 25C Lipo Pack (all ready owned) FPV: Quanum Complete FPV Bundle Set w/ Goggles, 5.8GHz 32ch Video TX & RX, CP Antennas and Camera (PNF) - I'm intending to use this in my Bixler 2 as well Misc/Accessories: 3cm Male to Male Servo Lead 26AWG (10pcs/set) Any feedback is appreciated, thanks! |
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