I wanted to put together some builds that differ from my usual setup - to showcase some build options and to better inform myself for future designs. Now, I'm really late to the 4-in-1 game so I was on the search for something along those lines. When I spotted the F4 Alpha, a full-bore AIO at a decent price, it became the core of this build.
So all I really had left to put inside were a VTX and a receiver. The receiver is pretty much decided upon from the start - I use crossfire. For range and responsiveness. The micro Rx fits sorta awkwardly so nano is definitely the way to go. I chose the VTX, honestly, because it's pretty & white.. Haha sort of. Usually I like the Mach 2 or TBS Unify, and there was plenty of room up front for either of those. However I like that the Lumenier (made by Matek) board has 30x30 holes and thought that I'd be able to mount it up front. Also, while I'm used to pumping out 800mw on other builds - I've flown some lower-powered units in my day, and it really comes down more to component quality than raw power output. All in all, I trust Matek's 500mw just about as much as any other VTX, including at range.
I 'thought' I could mount it up front because the Raven's pod has a good bit more room up there for your VTX & things like that. In terms of height, it was more than fine. Plenty of room! However even with the included right-angle connector, the MMCX protruded a bit far out of the side & stopped the pod from comfortably lowering into place. To get around this I mounted the VTX in the center of the stack running front to back with dual-sided tape.
The Monster cam came along with the motors from the first Raven build. I've said it before but I'll say it again - I love this camera. I'm irreversibly a 16x9 person & since V1 these have delivered really extraordinary detail, if at the slight expense of dynamic range (not as good as some runcam offerings in that respect). Sharpness is great & colors are very accurate - almost cinematic. Really hope Foxeer keeps this line moving forward.
When it came to putting everything together, the pieces fell into place pretty well. Nothing out of the ordinary, place your stack, cut your motor wires, solder some stuff..
The ALPHA board sat just where I wanted it to - with the big lipo tab fitting nicely out of the rear opening. This took away the option to secure the lipo lead with a ziptie the way I like (I'd just be grabbing the board), so I later added the optional strap plate for a little bit of insurance with dual straps. I've been mounting buzzers on the lipo lead lately which is working pretty well. I've mounted them inside the pod and it's usually no problem, but is louder when on the outside.
Bonus: The USB port is located in just the right spot in the front, so that I can access it just by tilting the camera up. Pretty sweet!
Dry weight is 290g
It flies like this:
Photos
Part List
Show stores (10)
where do you source your gray tpu and do you have a link to that seesion armor you're using?
Sure thing! I use Sainsmart TPU (available from Amazon) and the session armor can be found here https://nomaduav.com/product/session-sun-butter-case/ and here https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3192143
I am following this build but using RSII 2306-2400kv motors and R-SXR receiver, should I go with the 5 or 6" frame and props for longest flight time? not looking to fpv race, though agility/punch/speed could still be nice
Coming from a babyhawk-r on 3s, which I think is more speed/agility than I really can utilize most places I can fly
would this be a good beginner freestyle drone? I wanna build a freestyle drone and i'm looking for a good first one that would support my gopro hero session
Guides & Reviews
AirbladeUAV has done it again and this time they've brought long range to the 5" class! Based on the popular Transformer Mini, the new Transformer 5" Ultralight adopts a lot of the same design philosophies with larger props and more payload capacity. It can fly upwards of 20 minutes on a 4 cell Li-Ion battery pack and in ideal conditions it's got a range of over 4 to 5 miles. In this guide I'll walk..
Read more
With the release of the DJI FPV Drone cinematic FPV has become a lot more accessible, but you certainly don't want to crash a $750 drone! The QAV-CINE Freybott is a compact, lightweight cinematic FPV drone that can take a hit and keep going. It's a lot safer to fly indoors and around people. With a naked GoPro or the SMO 4k you can capture some great stabilized footage. In this guide I'll show you..
Read more
What's it weigh?
290g dry
Just got my parts (Thanks!) and I'm working on a very similar build, and I'm coming up at 324g, which includes everything including props, but NOT the Session, Session mount or battery.
When you say 290g, what's included?
Thanks,
What motors are you running? That's where I usually see the most differences in weight. I think these Steeles come in at a little under 28g once the wires are cut to length.
I don't have this exact setup anymore, but I just put my current Raven build on the scale @303g (props ON with no session or battery) including:
Same as main post -
Raven Frame (5" with strap mount, straps in)
Steele V1 motors (hard-mounted, 2 screws per motor)
T-Motor 5143 props
Crossfire Nano/Immortal T
Lumenier TX5GS
Swapped in since this post -
Speedybee F4 AIO
Bullet 30a ESC
Foxeer Monster Micro + Spacer
Foxeer Lollipop Stubby
I've got 16g more weight it motors than you had, so that's that.
Why did you ditch the ALPHA?
It was a great board for a while, but eventually the gyro gave out. Lasted maybe 6 months, was still happy with it overall :)
Just posted my build! Love it - it flies dreamy.
Wound up at 317g dry w/ props, no GoPro.
Well, that first ALPHA's gyro went screwy on at least the pitch and roll axes. GetFPV swapped it out for me, and the replacement was perfect -- for about 4 months, and then the pitch axis (only?) went. So I guess we've both had bad times with ALPHA gyros. After getting burned by the ALPHA twice, now I'm running a Matex F722-SE.