Source One 7" Deadcat - Long Range

By blade1496 on Dec 09, 2020

33  1,534  13

I recently decided to build a long range rig capable of carrying a GoPro to attempt to do some cinematic mountain flying. I am very satisfied with my choice of frame and motors. The Source One frame is ridiculously sturdy and the deadcat style arms help keep the props out of the view of the GoPro. The motors have plenty of power, especially on 5S, but they are also pretty efficient.

The TPU mounts for the GoPro and GPS were found on Thingiverse and printed using RaceDayQuads custom 3D printing service. I think they turned out really well.

I seem to be getting 10-12 minute flight times with the 5S 2200mAh battery cruising at 30-40 mph. I may try to build a Li-Ion pack if I decide I want longer flight times, but for now I am satisfied with the LiPo packs.

I am having some issues with my RSSI dropping below 50% with the R9 system when I'm only a few hundred feet away, so I might end up switching to Crossfire. I'd rather not lose signal while flying up a mountain... Besides that, the quad seems to fly great. There's such a difference in feel compared to my 5" quads. I can't wait to take a trip up to the mountains to do some long range flying!

Photos

Part List

Frame

PYRODRONE SOURCE ONE 7" Long Range Frame - 6mm V0.2 Deadcat Arms (4 builds)
Pyrodrone.com
$29.97

Flight Controller

Diatone Mamba Power Tower MK2 F405 & F40 30x30 Stack Combo (193 builds)
Pyrodrone.com
$65.00

Motors

4 x BrotherHobby Avenger V2 2507 1850Kv MotorDefault Title (19 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$95.96

Propellers

HQ Prop Durable 7x4x3 Tri-Blade 7" Prop 4 Pack - Grey (20 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$3.99

FPV Camera

Caddx Ratel Starlight HDR 1200TVL Micro FPV Camera - Choose Your Color & LensRed / 2.1mm (114 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$29.99

FPV Transmitter

RUSHFPV RUSH TANK II 5.8GHz VTX w/ Smart Audio (75 builds)
Pyrodrone.com
$36.99

Antenna

10CM Foxeer Lollipop 3 RHCP 5.8G Antenna For LONG RANGE FPV(2pcs)
Pyrodrone.com
$19.99

Receiver

FrSky R9MM OTA 900MHz Micro Receiver - ACCESS (87 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$23.49

Batteries

CNHL G+PLUS 2200mAh 18.5V 5S 70C Lipo Battery
Chinahobbyline.com
See Site

Radio

FrSky Taranis QX7 ACCESS 2.4GHz RC Transmitter - Choose Your Color (263 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$129.99

Goggles

Fatshark Dominator HD3 Core 3D FPV Goggles with HDMI DVR Support Head Tracker (87 builds)
Banggood.com
$399.00

HD Camera

GoPro HERO7 Black Action Camera (102 builds)
Getfpv.com
$399.99

Misc Parts

Beitian Dual BN-220 GPS GLONASS Antenna Module TTL Level RC Drone Airplane (68 builds)
Banggood.com
$18.99

Video Receiver

Furious True-D Diversity Receiver Module 5.8GHz System V3 Firmware 3.9 (30 builds)
Getfpv.com
$62.99

Radio Module

FrSky R9M 2019 900MHz RC Transmitter Module w/ Super 8 Antenna (ACCST/ACCESS)Default Title (17 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$45.99
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Discussion

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LynxFPV   Feb 07, 2023  

hahaha i have build this same build. a few years ago actually an still one of my favorite quads! curious though, how is it you are able the get the flight time can reach? only difference between our quads is i am currently using a akk race ranger and the mamba mk3 with pro 55a esc. i can average maybe 5 minutes of cruising time on a 2200mah 5s and maybe 6 minutes using a 1500mah 6s.
I'm not at all sure why flight time is so much lower than most, yet have a feeling the motors are not strong enough for the auw of the build and something like 2806.5 or 2808 might be a better fit.
so very cool to see a build So similar to something I've built and truly enjoy flying.

Rayz   Jan 21, 2023  

Thats a clean looking bird. Thanks for posting the build.

runner769   Feb 16, 2021  

did you have any issues with betaflight reading signal from your receiver? it seems like every step of the way i cant get things to work on this FC

runner769   Feb 08, 2021  

whered you wire your gps/receiver? i used the standard receiver port but not sure if i shouldve used another. also did you ignore the fact the motor screws seem a bit short for the frame??

QuadX   Dec 23, 2020  

Very nice! Can you share the thingiverse link for your 3D printed GPS/antenna mount?

blade1496   Dec 23, 2020 

Thanks! Here's the link to the GPS/antenna mount I used. They have variations for different GPS models, so I used the BN-220 one.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3183475/files

DrewFPV   Dec 12, 2020  
1

Nice build! Looks clean!

blade1496   Dec 12, 2020 

Thanks!

NightBoat   Dec 13, 2020 
1

Agreed! A very clean looking build indeed!

izzlateFPV   Dec 13, 2020  

Nice build! Very close to my 7" source one build. I went with the BH avenger v2 1500kv motors, an F7 Mamba stack and 6s batteries. I've gotten 2 miles out with it on my R9 but im using the r9 slim+ RX with diversity. One horizontal antenna on the back of the frame and one vertical. (I do want to switch to crossfire when I get the $$$)

fmcprogrmr   Dec 12, 2020  
1

Nice build! I'd get rid of that R9 junk and go crossfire. It was very unreliable for me. Great signal a few miles out and all of a sudden failsafe. Switched to crossfire and I just fly without worrying about signal. The R9's natural habitat is in a trash can.

blade1496   Dec 12, 2020 

Thanks for the advice! I definitely think I will end up switching as everyone seems to love using Crossfire.

Keeph   Dec 12, 2020  
1

great looking build. I agree with fmcprogrmr, get rid of Frsky altogether. Go crossfire and be done.

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