iFlight RC XL7

By cjdavies on Feb 01, 2018

14  3,357  21

The next logical step after my recent 6" build is to do a 7" build, right?

Going for something a bit more modern this time; F4 flight controller w/ OSD, BLHeli_32 ESCs, etc. on a less oldschool looking frame. Using the same 1900kV F80 on 4S as my 6". I'm not a fan of bottom mounted batteries, but the body simply isn't long enough for a GoPro & a big 2200mAh 4S both on the top plate.

449g dry
781g AUW w/ Session 4 + 2200mAh 4S

Photos

Part List

Frame

XL7 V2 Long Range FPV Freestyle Frame (9 builds)
Iflight-rc.com
$36.99

Flight Controller

OMNIBUS AIO F4 V5 Flight Control (22 builds)
Store.myairbot.com
$29.99

ESCs

Typhoon32 4in1 ESC 4x35A v1.1 (13 builds)
Store.myairbot.com
$44.99

Motors

4 x (11 builds)
Banggood.com
See Site

Propellers

HQ Long Range 7x3.5x3 V1S PC Prop (18 builds)
Pirofliprc.com
$3.99

Propellers

Domain Parked With VentraIP Australia (6 builds)
Buzzhobbies.com.au
See Site

FPV Camera

RunCam Micro Swift 2 600TVL CCD FPV Camera (2.1mm or 2.3mm) - Orange (282 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$22.95

FPV Transmitter

ImmersionRC Tramp HV 5.8GHz Video Tx - (International Version) (141 builds)
Getfpv.com
$29.99

Antenna

Menace RC - Raptor Antenna - RHCP (34 builds)
Readymaderc.com
$9.99

Receiver

FrSky R-XSR 2.4GHz 16CH ACCESS/ACCST Micro Receiver w/ S-Bus & CPPM (937 builds)
Getfpv.com
See Site

Batteries

Turnigy Heavy Duty 2200mAh 4S 60C Lipo Pack w/XT60U Connector
Hobbyking.com
$27.00

Radio

FrSky Taranis X-Lite Pro ACCESS 2.4GHz Radio Controller (Deep Sea Blue) (26 builds)
Getfpv.com
$199.99

Goggles

Eachine EV800DM Varifocal 5.8G 40CH Diversity FPV Goggles with HD DVR 3 Inch 900*600 Video Headset Build in 2000mAh Battery (2 builds)
Banggood.com
$79.90

HD Camera

GoPro HERO8 Black - Waterproof Action Camera with Touch Screen 4K Ultra HD Video 12MP Photos 1080p Live Streaming Stabilization (18 builds)
Amazon.com
$298.99

Misc Parts

Aura 3 LED Strip (2 LED strips) (2 builds)
Unmannedtechshop.co.uk
See Site

Radio Module

Frsky R9M Lite Pro 900MHz Transmitter Module Up to 1W RF Power Compatible FrSky ACCESS Protocol for Taranis X-Lite Pro S and X9 (12 builds)
Banggood.com
$65.99

Soldering Iron

Hakko FX888D-23BY, 599B-02 Soldering Station with 599B Tip Cleaner, Blue/Gold (25 builds)
Amazon.ca
See Site
Show stores (12)

Discussion

Sign in to comment

Caminhao   Feb 23, 2020  

Hi friend, can you help me? I have a vibration in my xl7 long range that I cannot remove, I am using gopro camera session 5. could you please share with me your betaflight setup? PID’s etc. thanks for your help, friend

cjdavies   Feb 24, 2020 

Sorry, I don't have that quad anymore. I never got that far with tuning, the furthest I got is in this video;

But this was back with Betaflight 3.3 so probably isn't that relevant any more.

Caminhao   Feb 23, 2020  

Hi friend, can you help me? I have a vibration in my xl7 long range that I cannot remove, I am using gopro camera session 5. could you please share with me your betaflight setup? PID’s etc. thanks for your help, friend

slandolt   Mar 10, 2019  

Flight time?

cjdavies   Mar 10, 2019 

Easy 8 minutes on a 2200mAh 4S, landing around storage voltage.

BlueFish   May 02, 2018  

I just finished my XL7 fitted the props and they hit the front standoffs! I have replaced the standoffs with thinner ones that do not have the larger diameter at the top and bottom that are supplied with the kit but even now the clearance is less than 1mm. Any flex in a prop and its going to hit the top plate with potentailly disasterous consequences.

Did you have the same issue?

Show 1 more comment
BlueFish   May 02, 2018 

I have replaced with straight standoffs but still not happy about the minute clearance, also if I hit some scraggle and a prop flexes upwards its going to hit the top plate.

I noticed that the XL7 now comes with 294mm not 284mm motor to motor so I have asked for my arms to be replaced with the new variant which no doubt has been modified due to this issue.

cjdavies   May 02, 2018 

I've built & flown many different frames with similar clearances & it's literally not once been an issue for me. Like I said, if a prop does bend upwards the tip will in fact curve further away from the standoff & the top plate.

Kadal   Jun 13, 2018 

I'm having the same problem. I first bought "Gemfan 7042 Flash Propeller 7x4.2" and while they don't touch the standoffs, the clearance is less than a millimetre. As soon as I take off, I can hear them touching the top plate because that's a few millimetres wider and the props are flexing up. Once I move them by hand I see where they touch. I was hoping that other props would work and these did: "HQ Durable Prop 7035 7X3.5X3V1S". They are just that 0.3 mm shorter. Still the situation is a bit anoying. BlueFish, if you found a solution or want to exchange ideas, let me know.

QuadX   May 22, 2018  

Love the build! What are the blue props?

cjdavies   May 22, 2018 

Gemfan Flash 7042.

BlackbirdFPV   Mar 27, 2018  

Have you thought about putting GPS on it?

cjdavies   Mar 28, 2018 

Nope, I don't do any long distance.

Jodie Froster   Feb 02, 2018  

So tidy and thorough!

cjdavies   Feb 02, 2018 

Thanks! It's not my best work, but I found it surprisingly cramped considering it's a 7" frame! Guess I'm just not used to building with 28mm standoffs.

Jodie Froster   Feb 02, 2018 

I was suprised when I saw all the mounting on the top plate. 7" frame isn't really any bigger than a 220 from the looks of it.

cjdavies   Feb 02, 2018 

The actual body is substantially smaller than my 6" Armattan F1, but I guess the size of the body doesn't have to follow the size of the arms - you could have a 7" pod build with less space in the middle than a 5" Alien clone.

RZFPV   Feb 01, 2018  

what size cap is that

cjdavies   Feb 02, 2018 

2200uF, it came with the Typhoon32.

Booda3000   Feb 01, 2018  
1

Nice!

Guides & Reviews

Jun 21, 2021

AirbladeUAV has done it again and this time they've brought long range to the 5" class! Based on the popular Transformer Mini, the new Transformer 5" Ultralight adopts a lot of the same design philosophies with larger props and more payload capacity. It can fly upwards of 20 minutes on a 4 cell Li-Ion battery pack and in ideal conditions it's got a range of over 4 to 5 miles. In this guide I'll walk..

Read more
Mar 04, 2021

With the release of the DJI FPV Drone cinematic FPV has become a lot more accessible, but you certainly don't want to crash a $750 drone! The QAV-CINE Freybott is a compact, lightweight cinematic FPV drone that can take a hit and keep going. It's a lot safer to fly indoors and around people. With a naked GoPro or the SMO 4k you can capture some great stabilized footage. In this guide I'll show you..

Read more