QAV210 4S 5" - a total newbie to FPV quadcopters...

The build itself, see longer background story below:

QAV210 unibody frame. It has been a fairly no-nonsense frame, could allocate 30 mm stack, and mini size camera. Had no idea of what I want really, this seemed like a better choice compared to ZMR250 frames.

For the camera I have gone RunCam Swift 2, in mini size. Big camera, CCD sensor and larger field-of-view. CMOS cameras have just started to become the new trend, but I have gone conservative

For the motors I have chosen EMAX RS2205 ones. Black bell, red bottom. I had no idea of the kv, but 2600 kv for 4S after consulting a friend.

The power electronics were built up from a flight controller, a PDB (power distribution board) and 4 individual ESC’s.

Matek F405 flight controller, Matek PDB and Spedix ES30 HV BlHeli-_S 30A ESC’s.

FrSky D4R-II receiver for the RC link and Eachine VTX03 25-200 mW video transmitter.

The long story behind:

I have been flying aircrafts and helicopters from 2009 to 2015’ish. Have got my first child 2014 and the available time for flying aircrafts have basically vanished. So, I had to put the hobby on the shelf for some time.
When flying aircrafts at the local hobby club some of the guys have already started with FPV. Those first generation Fatshark goggles, that have been more similar to swimming goggles than modern FPV equipment. Nevertheless, I have had a spectator experience, when a friend has offered to fly around the field with his wooden (!) tricopter and I could spectate the view from the goggles. It has been a revelation, I have been totally attracted by the experience.

I have got myself 2 of those cheap keychain cameras, the ones that could record 640x480 quality and the cost has matched the weight in grams, 8 USD (and 8 grams). I have attached them to my foamy Multiplex Easystar (a pusher semi-glider) and have experienced with “offline FPV”, as I have called it.

A couple of years later in 2018 I could not restrain myself anymore and started to build a 5” FPV quadcopter. Had not much clue about the details, so I have watched a lot of tutorials and read articles. In the end I have managed to get a fairly decent parts list and have started to solder.

With retrospect I should have done the entire thing differently, but what can you do… Mistakes have been made…

I should have invested in a better soldering iron for a start. Have used a really crappy 30W one, which was totally useless when soldering the large battery poles on the power distribution board. After some struggle I have fetched a 45W one, that could at least handle the large pads.

I also should have done a lot of simulator practice, so that I don’t get wrong habits and extremely flat learning curve. Should have, would have, could have…

To add insult to injury I have never got myself proper goggles, have flown the quad with a 7” FPV screen fabricated on my radio transmitter. This has been the worst idea ever, I have to say. Not only you get extremely bad viewing angles, but all the scenery around you is distracting your focus. As well as the low brightness of the screen in bright sunlight, which means that you can hardly see anything. To make the situation worse the weight of the screen on top of the radio is seriously offsetting the balance of the radio and you need to grab hard, while you would rather have a softer grip to enable more precision in the steering.

Later on I have managed to get myself a used pair of Fatshark Dominator v3 goggles, which I have upgraded with a Eachine Pro58 module and flashed Achilles FW on it. From that point on the reception has become flawless and I could finally enjoy the FPV immersion that I have been seeking for.

When it comes to transmitter, I have started with a Turnigy 9X, which I have modded with a DIY FrSky transmitter module. I have used it extensively with my aircrafts in this form, but when I have started my quadcopter journey the transmitter has given up. Fortunately, not during flight, which I am eternally grateful for.
As a replacement I have got myself a FrSky Taranis Q7, which has worked okay. Never really managed to get comfortable with it, since I have had the stupid bracket and FPV monitor attached to it, so the balance has been terrible and the level of enjoyment rather low…

The lack of simulator practice has really shown in my flying. I have been too afraid to push myself, have “bounced around” in the air in STAB mode, only much later I have tried AIR-mode.

I have been so slow in learning to fly, that I have actually built myself a 3” quad to have a much tamer 3S setup. It has been a good step, after flying a lot on the 3” I started to feel that the 5” is not sooo scary any more.

Much later during 2020 I have sat down and have had a rethink. I am doing it all wrong. Flying much too slow and cautious, with quads that I have built totally unaware of the correct building principles. Such as motor size, ESC size, camera type, frame size and type, as well as battery dimensioning. Not speaking of props, which I had really not a single clue about.

So in 2020 I have sold all my gear and started from scratch. With simulator practice and 1-cell 3” setup. A quad, that is actually already listed under my profile with ID 29931.
URL: https://rotorbuilds.com/build/29931

I went Crossfire with a Tango 2, and the largest investment of all my FPV adventures: a Skyzone 04X goggle. I have started to use AIR-mode finally and have enjoyed flying on a new level, at last…