Falcon 185 x

By aliimam on Mar 19, 2016

1 206 20

Got my frame thru lazd - falcon 185.

Big update.

Ended up remaking this with RS2205S 2300kv. 30A esc and a hyperlite f4 board.

BTW, also coated everything in Acrylic conformal coating. Its easy to just add during the build process.

Photos

Part List

Frame	Falcon 185 (10 builds) Fpvheadquarters.com	$15.00
Flight Controller	PyroDrone HyperLite F4 Flight Controller (16 builds) Pirofliprc.com	$21.99
ESCs	4 x Spedix ES30A HV 3-6S ESC BLHeli_S (154 builds) Pirofliprc.com	$47.80
Motors	4 x EMAX - RS2205-S Race Spec - 2300KV - www.readymaderc.com Readymaderc.com	$79.60
Propellers	DAL Indestructible 5 Inch T5040 V2 Tri-Blade Getpropsman.com	$2.79
FPV Camera	Pixafy Instant Heli-nation.com	See Site
FPV Transmitter	Heli-Nation Team BlackSheep TBS UNIFY PRO 5G8 V2 (SMA) Video Transmitter RX/TX (154 builds) Heli-nation.com	$39.95
Antenna	Aomway 5.8GHz 4-Leaf Clover Antenna Set for TX/RX (SMA) (RHCP) (23 builds) Getfpv.com	$9.99
Receiver	FrSky X4R-SB Receiver (19 builds) Fpvheadquarters.com	$26.99
Power Distribution	RROSD Pro V2 (28 builds) Redrotorrc.com	$10.00

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Discussion

FLOpv May 21, 2017

I have the same flight controller and a matek PDB. Where did you end up soldering the VTX too?

aliimam Jun 06, 2017

vtx can only take 5V, but i skipped the camera being powered form the Unify and went to get power from the 10v out on my pdb.

FLOpv Jun 08, 2017

cool thanks for the input

aliimam Apr 04, 2016

Got the idea to use auto vinyl wrap on my rig from @clutzz

It's subtle, but protect?

lazd Mar 28, 2016

Note that the 185 does not support 1806, 22XX only. The 160 does support 1806s, though. Nice choice on the Cobra 2204/2300kV and Littlebees, it's a killer combo and what I run!

I'd say look at other FCs, the Naze32 rev6 is a F1. Consider the Dodo or Lux.

I wonder if the camera you chose will be easy enough to mount, and I also wonder if you'll be able to change channels on that VTX once mounted.

aliimam Mar 28, 2016

Yea, i could mount the 1806's I have with only 2 bolts, but thought against.

Why other FCs? I couldn't find decent reasons otherwise.

I'll get back to you on the VTX channels issue. as for camera - its 17x25mm with the lens protruding 32mm it might be a little tight, but should work till i upgrade

lazd Mar 28, 2016

2 bolts is usually OK, but 22XX is the way to go for 5" props.

As far as reasons to get something other than a Naze32:

Built in 5V regulator makes external voltage regulators a thing of the past. The Dodo on my 130 powers my RX, camera, and VTX.
Faster CPUs make more features possible. You can't run Luxfloat on a Naze32 rev6 and keep the barometer on.
Supporting other hardware manufacturers helps foster innovation. Baseflight has been stagnant for years, so giving timecop money supports nothing

The Dodo is my FC of choice right now. It has the fast CPU, the good layout, the 5V regulator, a good company behind it, and a cute bird on the silkscreen. That said, I have qualms about QC on the Dodo, having seen a few that had problems with traces being cut, ESC headers not working, etc. Also, I had to design around the fact that some of the pads are too close to the standoffs, this is a major reason why Falcon uses standoffs with a 5mm outer diameter -- 6mm would short pads on the Dodo. Every FC has its problems, but the Dodo is the winner in my book for now.

aliimam Mar 29, 2016

Was able to dry mount the camera - still figuring out the vtx, it can go right underneath if I use larger standoffs, otherwise i'll have to figure out how to sandwich in the main compartment.

As for FC - I'll definitely keep that in mind - just got the naze, so I'll stick with that a little bit (using cleanflight on it). Had even thought of the flip32+, but again, wasnt aware of the points you made above.

lazd Mar 28, 2016

You still need a regulator for the Naze32 rev6, it does not provide the 5V your RX needs.

aliimam Mar 24, 2016

Edit (2016/3/23) After doing some web research at http://www.miniquadtestbench.com I found I should probably go with Xrotor escs. Thinking cobra motors, but DYS SE2205s seem good too... Biggest problem is escs are not found on the US based sites I go to (not getting direct from China). Any pointers?

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aliimam Mar 25, 2016

If you take a look at the esc benchmarks on miniquadtestbench you'll see the X rotors out perform all of the other esc's being tested. They also go for $9 each if you don't mind going thru bang good or other direct from China.

I ended up buying some littlebees anyway tho.

Whiffles Mar 25, 2016

Good to know! Do they come with the BLHeli bootloader?

lazd Mar 28, 2016

Yeah it does look like those ESCs are outperforming Littlebees... Let us know how they work for you!

aliimam Mar 25, 2016

Any pointers to waterproofing options? Should I get a big tub of liquid e-tape or plastidip?

lazd Mar 28, 2016

Silicon conformal coating is the way. I've done epoxy + heatshrink and Corrosion-X and it works, but when the heatshrink takes an impact, your water barrier is compromised.

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