Something about me: my hobby is electronics, and by profession I am a computer programmer. I built a few things, like DIY CNC, and a small robot (Ultrasonic obstacle avoidance robot). I like to play with PIC micro-controllers.
The reason I started with this copter thing, is because I got the AR Drone 2.0 for fun, and I find it very addictive. I discovered the love of flying :) but AR Drone is a toy, I want something more serious, more stable, with FPV, Gimbal, and the GoPro. I looked at already made quads/hex out there, but they are way... way... too expensive with the options I want! this is why I want to build my own since I have electronics skills, and programming skills, I think it should be easy to build for me.
I am building my first hexacopter from http://www.hobbyking.com See the list below, do the parts match? is there anything missing?
Other questions:
Since I am using a Gimbal, what landing gear should I use? or should I just try to make my own?
For the battery charger: can it charge the FatShark battery, and also the Turnigy 9X 9Ch Transmitter battery? also, can it charge more than one battery at the same time?
While typing this, I realized I also need props balancer, any recommendations?
Anything else missing from the list below?
| Quantity | code | description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 297000031-0 | H550 V2 Glass Fiber Hexcopter Frame 550mm - Integrated PCB Version | $19.99 |
| 1 | 297000032-0 | Tarot T-2D GoPRO 3 Brushless Camera Gimbal and ZYX22 Controller | $146.99 |
| 6 | NTM2826-1200 | NTM Prop Drive Series 28-26A 1200kv / 286w | $89.70 |
| 6 | SHT008 | NTM Prop Drive 2826 Series Replacement Shaft | $4.92 |
| 6 | NTM28-ACC | NTM Prop Drive 28 Series Accessory Pack | $11.10 |
| 6 | TR_P30A | TURNIGY Plush 30amp Speed Controller | $78.78 |
| 2 | 9329000207-0 | Turnigy 8x4.5 Props For DJI and Walkera Standard Rotation (Black) (4pcs/bag) | $5.56 |
| 2 | 9329000208-0 | Turnigy 8x4.5 Props For DJI and Walkera Reverse Rotation (Black) (4pcs/bag) | $5.56 |
| 2 | T4000.4S.30 | Turnigy 4000mAh 4S 30C Lipo Pack | $95.76 |
| 1 | TX-9X-M1 | Turnigy 9X 9Ch Transmitter w/ Module & 8ch Receiver (Mode 1) (v2 Firmware) | $54.00 |
| 2 | T2650.3S.1C | Turnigy 2650mAh 3S 1C LLF Tx Pack (Futaba/JR) | $25.50 |
| 4 | Turnigy-HKLP | Turnigy Battery Strap 330mm | $6.36 |
| 1 | ACC6 | Turnigy Accucel-6 50W 6A Balancer/Charger w/ accessories | $22.99 |
| 1 | 253000025-0 | FatShark Teleporter V3 RTF FPV Headset System w/Camera and 5.8G TX | $199.95 |
| 1 | 253000022 | Fatshark FPV - Headset Battery 7.4V 1000mah w/Banana Charge Lead | $18.21 |
| 1 | 9387000008 | MultiWii MicroWii ATmega32U4 Flight Controller USB/BARO/ACC/MAG | $33.99 |
| 2 | 258000077 | GoPro Hero 3 to FPV Transmitter Lead - 200mm | $3.98 |
| $823.34 |
The reason why I picked the MultiWii Flight Controller is because it is open source, and I would like to be able to make modifications to the software if needed.
For GPS, I decided to opt out of it for now, because it makes the whole package too expensive, maybe I will add it later.
Replies
Thank you for your help so far :)
I made some changes to my order:
Changed the motors to short shaft, because I saw a YouTube video how to mount the propellers, and noticed that they actually mount to the Accessory thing, not to the actual shaft, and removed the Replacement Shaft since the props don't mount on it... Do I still need the Replacement Shaft ?
Other changes: Polarized spiroNet Antenna, 5000 mAh battery, MultiWii PRO Flight Controller, 1450mAh battery for transmitter, Thread Locker for motor screws, Prop Balancer, extra battery straps, and extra wires
I still want to make my own OSD, but I got the Minim OSD because it takes time to make my own OSD with my own features, and I will need something to use while building and testing my hexacopter.
The OSD needs 12V max, and the battery I use is 4S - 14.8V. So, 6 diodes in series should drop the voltage to 10.6 volts to make it safe enough even when the 4S battery is fully charged. I will do the same with the Tarot Gimbal since they say it can do 14.8V, but recommended is 12V.
Can the Accucel-6 charger, charge more than one battery at the same time?
Are the motors good enough? did I get the correct props for it?
I hope there are no more major changes because this is getting really expensive :(
But I have to ask: is there anything missing?
You know, at the price that frame is, I'd order another one. You will break arms, and when you try to buy a single arm with shipping, it'll be much more than $20/6. You can buy one-off DJI F- arms from US-based suppliers, but you'll end up paying $18 for one.
You can see how this hobby gets expensive ;)
Buy more tthan a few props. They are cheap and you will most definitely break a few. The Video Tx doesnt need 2650, 1000 or 1500 is more than enough. This will provide more time by some margin than the 4000 which is in itself no long enough. I would upgrade those to 5000. The 5.8G kit with the standard antennas doesnt give much range. A few trees or a few hundred meters and you wont have any picture. You should try 1.2 which has more range and get some proper antennas.
You might also want an OSD, Minimosd is really rich and provides a lot of info. You can setup the battery usage, altitudes, distance from home, heading to home and lots of helpful info that really helps. If you see this and the features of the APM against the competition not only will you be impressed you will quickly realise which ones are serious and which ones are toys. One can only use this OSD with an APM flight controller. The combination costs more but your getting so much more its amazing.
I reaplaced the MultiWii MicroWii with the "MultiWii PRO Flight Controller w/MTK GPS Module", that should fix the GPS problem
I forgot to mention, for OSD, I want to make my own using a PIC microcontroller, I already made one on a test PCB board and it worked fine, so I just have to make it smaller
Just my 2 cents - get the GPS. If you have to give something else up, save the FPV or gimbal for later.
Having Return to Launch could end up saving you $823.34.