My first build :)

I really enjoyed the building process - so much so I just ordered a 5" frame to have a go at the supposed best in class size wise

I only flew tiny whoops till now and also loads of sim time so was looking for my next step up - I got hold on some T-Motor AIO and 6S 1604 motors on offer so decided to have a go at building my first drone - using nothing else but the brand new AOS 3.5 V5 frame.

Original plan was to go for a Walksnail Avatar Pro VTX - but when all put together with the TPU parts that came witht the frame I got to 194g so a rethink was needed as I want to be able to keep it as a sub250 to sometimes fly in urban parks.

Decided to go for a Nano v3 instead to shave nearly 15g (also allows to get rid of a BEC as the T-motor AIO only offers 3.3V & 5V)
Also found out that you do not need per say the 'heavy' tpu mounts for the antennas so followed the advice and tied them to the arms

Next assembly I realised the nano v3 vtx is using M3 for the 20x20 mounts - so frame would need drilling in quite a few places to accomodate...
Also center of gravity was always too far back once the battery was on - and this meant ditching the xt30 holder to move the battery forward. I was already kind of committed to the xt30 holder as used to support the capacitor assembly so decision needed...

Last ditch at reviewing other mounting options and realised that by putting the vtx at the bottom of the stack using the 25.5x25.5 mounts - with some nylock golden nuts and then the AIO on gromets on top would just fit and still provide plenty of aiflow (gap is 6-8mm). Just needs adding a TPU 'strap shield' attached to the stand offs to allow to all fit nicely using the 20mm stack screws. Putting it all in the middle helps with weight as shorter motor cables and also move the center of gravity towards the front.

Now the weight is down to 164.3g without battery - or just over 250g with a 550MaH Tattu battery (the smallest 6s I have)

I want to add a skid plate and some arm protectors so sub250 would mean a 450mAh battery (just ordered a couple)

With those extra TPU bits on and a 650mAh battery - the drone is 283.4g and now nicely balanced -- this will likely be my go to config when I fly out of town.

Shout out to Joshua Bardwell, Oscar Liang and Chris Rosser for infectiously sharing their passion - I feel I am embarquing on a very special journey :)

Also Lee (3daqua on ebay UK) - ready to 3d print anything - very good quality / price / turnaround

Will post flight times with the different battery config as soon as the British weather calms down a bit -- for now, back to practising with my suddenly very boring whoop ;)

Update 08/05/2024 -- been flying it quite a lot in the last few weeks and this thing is a beast tbh. I have also just completed a 5" version and jumping onto it did not feel that much of a step up - a testament to how powerful this 3.5" is! Had a few issues with video transmission but new antennas and moving the vtx one in a more vertical position did solve those (mounting on the arm really impacted the range and penetration in my tests - so now antenna is cable tied to one of the rear standoff). Downside of all this power is flight time though - I get 3mn30 of energetic flying on a 550mAh (right on the 250g mark) and 4:30mn on the 650mAh. If cruising, times are quite a bit longer - I reached 8mn on the 650 without problems. I also seem to slightly prefer the 3520 props to the 3525 I originally chose. Close call though. If I was to rebuild it now - only thing I would change is to for the new mini vtx - identical to the nano but decased - should shave another 10g all together and allows a bit more TPU protection while keeping sub 250 with the 550mAh battery.