Posting my first build to share my learning experience. Im sure there are many things that can be improved, but I am pretty proud of getting my Droner up in the air with only minimal hair-pulling. Given this is my first venture into this wonderful hobby, I would love any constructive feedback avilable.
I live in a fairly tight urban area, so a full size drone was not in the cards. Using other rotorbuild aritcles and the assistance of some friends, I was able to create the parts list below. I have gotten about 2 full flights on my RDQ 3S 650mah batteries and it seems to be working well! So far no specific Pid or Rate changes, still figuring out where I can improve control.
I don't have a ton of confidence yet in the Xing nano motors, but man do they look cool!
10/25/19 Added the following 3d parts.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3375121
Firmware Used:
Kakute F7 Mini - Latest as of Betaflight 4.1 (Non Legacy)
Tekka32 ESC - 32.7
R9MM - 190201 2019-02-13
R9M Lite - 190201 2019-02-13
While I dont have any experience for comparison, I would say this came together fairly easily. Any problems I encountered were software/Firmware related and were resolved after a few hours of troubleshooting.
Problems Encountered:
R9MM On the latest ACCESS firmware was not connecting correctly with my R9 Lite module. It would also not take a downgrade to the pre-access firmware. I had to purchase a second R9MM and load the legacy firmware. After that everything worked like a champ! I'm still not sure if this was a RX/TX binding issue, or that I was trying to use Fport.
Motor direction was reversed on 3 of my 4 motors. After some fighting with the Blheli Chrome app, I discovered that my ESC requires the Belhli PC suite. Once I got that connected and updated, reversing the appropriate motors was a breeze.
Thank you to Rotorbuilds for providing the guidance I needed! I also want to thank Oscar Lian and Joshua Bardwell, as I could not have done this without their excellent documentaton and video tutorials!
Edit 11/8/19: Added new photos of improved pigtail.
Frame |
Massive Droner 2.5 inch (backorders allowed)
(23 builds)
Catalystmachineworks.com
|
$32.99 |
Flight Controller |
Kakute F7 Mini / Tekko32 F3 45A Mini ESC Combo
(2 builds)
Getfpv.com
|
$99.99 |
Motors |
4 x MOTOR XING NANO X1105 FPV NextGen Motor
(2 builds)
Iflight-rc.com
|
$55.16 |
Propellers |
Gemfan Flash 2540 Tri-Blade 2.5" Prop 8 Pack - Choose Your Color
(172 builds)
Racedayquads.com
|
$3.69 |
FPV Camera |
RunCam Micro Eagle - Lumenier Edition (White)
(14 builds)
Getfpv.com
|
$46.99 |
FPV Transmitter |
RUSHFPV Tank Mini 20x20 25-800mW 5.8GHz VTX - MMCX
(91 builds)
Racedayquads.com
|
$39.99 |
Antenna |
Lumenier Micro AXII Shorty U.FL 5.8GHz Antenna (LHCP)
Pyrodrone.com
|
$19.99 |
Receiver |
FrSky R9MM Long Range 915MHz RC Receiver - Get Yours Today! - RMRC
(114 builds)
Readymaderc.com
|
$20.80 |
Batteries |
RDQ Series 11.1V 3S 650mAh 80C LiPo Micro Battery - XT30
(8 builds)
Racedayquads.com
|
$14.99 |
Radio |
FrSky Taranis X-Lite Pro ACCESS 2.4GHz Radio Controller (Deep Sea Blue)
(26 builds)
Getfpv.com
|
$199.99 |
Goggles |
SKYZONE SKY02C 5.8Ghz 48CH Diversity FPV Goggles Support DVR HDMI With Head Tracker Fan For RC Racing Drone
(22 builds)
Banggood.com
|
$265.99 |
Radio Module |
Frsky R9M Lite - Radio Transmitter Module (Black)
(11 builds)
Getfpv.com
|
$47.99 |
Battery Charger |
iSDT D2 Smart Balance Charger
(11 builds)
Getfpv.com
|
$129.99 |
Tools |
Hakko FX888D-23BY Digital Soldering Station FX-888D FX-888 (blue & yellow)
(34 builds)
Amazon.com
|
$115.00 |
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That's a great looking build! I do reccommend that you cover your cap leads... its possible to short across them during a crash or just working on the bench.
Thank you! appreciate the feedback! I was a little concerned about the pigtail/cap in general myself, I will definitely get those leads protected.
You're Welcome! And welcome to the hobby! I haven't tried installing the cap to the battery lead, I usually use a wafl's cap cap, seperate lead, heatshrink the whole thing, and then ziptie it to the frame (away from props).