Notice: Much of this quad was assembled from parts I had laying around. While there is nothing inherently wrong with any of the selections, If you wish to use this build as a template, I would advise researching your potential options. Particularly, the Paragon UAV motors (no longer available for sale), and the VGood ESCs (just get some BLHeli/BLHeli_S based ones instead).

Build Objectives:

Winter is here, and that means finger numbing cold and short dark days. It also means that after my daily tasks of "responsible adulting", there isn't enough daylight remaining for any real flying. In an attempt to gain as much flight time as possible, this build grabs Old Man Winter by the throat and squeezes...

1. Night Vision: Well... as much as possible at a reasonable weight and cost. Ideally, illumination from the stars will be sufficient, and additional lighting sources, such as parking lot lights will not be required. While the RunCam Owl and Foxeer Night Wolf are both excellent low light cameras, they are not suitable for this task. Currently the only option potentially capable of meeting this objective is the RunCam Night Eagle.

2. Durability: Regardless of the effectiveness the camera, flying in total darkness is still going to result in less than ideal visibility. As such, I anticipate increased attacks from ninja branches and various other gremlins. That means crashes... more of them than usual. Elemental RC's Pyro frame was selected for its stiff mono-plate design, high quality unidirectional carbon construction, and.... well... I had one sitting around, so it fits the bill perfectly.

3. LEDs: More crashes also means more searching for a lost quad. While a buzzer is useful (and included with this build), it would shortsighted to not equip LEDs and turn the entire quad into a glowing search beacon. Also, TRON and acid flashbacks seem cool.

4. Waterproof: Snow and rain are not known to be kindred playmates of electronics. To reduce the chances of a short, silicone conformal coating (don't bother with liquid electrical tape) was used to protect all electronics. If you choose to go this route be careful to keep it out out of moving parts and connectors like USB ports or channel buttons.

Things of Note:

• Although I am not sure which version of the RMRC Dodo flight controller I used, it was older than the Rev.b listed above. That being said, I'm not aware of any breaking changes that could cause issues between versions. If you opt to use the Dodo, be sure to buy from a legit vendor as the clones of this board are known to have problems.

• Unlike the HS1177 series cameras, the RunCam Night Eagle does not have the ability to display a call sign. To accomplish this I instead opted to use a Seriously DOGE OSD running MWOSD (which is either a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on who you ask). While this board makes for a really clean build (connecting directly to the flight controller using pins), it's a difficult product to recommend. In comparison to a standard Micro MinimOSD it's expensive and quite large. Additionally, there are now many other OSD options available that are capable of fulfilling multiple functions within the same footprint of the Seriously DOGE board.

• The LEDs require a 12v input. I used a Pololu to step down the battery voltage and ran this to a small switch on the PDB. If I need every last drop of the battery for flight performance, or I'm just out day flying, the switch is used to turn the LEDs off.

• I replaced the standard black wire leads on the motors with colored wires to give this build a unique look and enhance the overall color scheme. Be warned, performing such a mod is not to be attempted by the inexperienced, the meek, or the impatient. You run the possibility of destroying the motor by cutting/desoldering the leads connecting the copper windings.