Hi to all DIYDrones.com forum members,
my name is Angel and I'm a racing drone enthusiast (still a newbie).
After a couple of big crashes and major repairs of my first drone model JJRC X1, I decided to build up myself a budget friendly drone with a carbon frame and a better transmitter.
I'm still learning and thus not yet competent enough to understand whether a part is compatible with another one. As I'm sure there are many people here who are already deep into it, I decided to ask for help.
My budget is really tight so I looked for parts at banggood.com. I consider buying the following frame and transmitter:
Frame - Eachine Falcon 210 210MM ( banggood.com/Eachine-Falcon-210-210MM-DIY-Frame-Kit-with-10-Degree-Inclined-Motor-Base-Fast-Speed-For-FPV-Racer-p-1070345.html )
Remote Control Transmitter & Receiver - FlySky FS i6 ( banggood.com/FlySky-FS-i6-2_4G-6CH-AFHDS-RC-Transmitter-With-FS-iA6-Receiver-p-922606.html)
I already have the following parts from my first drone:
Motors - D1806-2280KV - I have 6 of these - banggood.com/JJRC-X1-RC-Quadcopter-Spare-Parts-D1806-2280KV-Brushless-Motor-X1-008-p-1030123.html)
Battery - I have 5 of these: 7.4V 1300mAh ( gearbest.com/rc-quadcopter-parts/pp_288700.html )
What do you think? Are all the above parts compatible with each other?
I guess that the suggested transmitter can’t be used to track the drone if I install a GPS module too, but maybe there’s a way to track it using a smartphone. If so, what cheap GPS module would you recommend for the purpose?
Thanks in advance to everyone who will take time to help me with my questions.
Replies
Hi Matej,
thanks again for your reply.
I found this ESC which is quite cheaper:
banggood.com/BL20A-OneShot-125-OPTO-2-4s-Mini-Brushless-20A-BLHeli-ESC-For-FPV-QAV180-250-p-1023318.html
You suggested this one:
banggood.com/DYS-XM-Seris-XM20A-BLHeli-mini-20A-ESC-For-High-KV-Power-Electronic-Speed-Controller-p-1021885.html
To be honest, I can't understand what is the difference...
I also found this product which includes 4x ESC + some other parts:
banggood.com/4-PCS-Kingkong-20A-BLHeli-Mini-ESC-UBEC-and-USB-Module-p-1046765.html
As for the flight controller - you suggested a model that as far as I understand is quite good:
banggood.com/Upgrade-NAZE32-F3-Flight-Controller-Acro-6-DOF-Deluxe-10-DOF-for-Multirotor-Racing-p-1010232.html (in case I decide to get this one, I will need the deluxe model) But this model is quite expensive for my budget.
A user on banggood recommends getting some of the following models which are customized for the frame that I'm going to buy and are much cheaper. I'm just not sure whether they are good enough.
1. banggood.com/Eachine-Falcon-180-Falcon-250-Customised-NAZE32-Flight-Controller-p-1053923.html
2. banggood.com/Eachine-Falcon-180-250-New-Customised-CC3D-Flight-Controller-p-1050999.html
3. banggood.com/Eachine-Falcon-180-Falcon-250-Customised-F3-Flight-Controller-p-1053924.html
Not sure how to proceed after all the info. Any ideas?
A pcb could be anything, it us probably just a voltage regulator and power distribution board that is built in.
You will need escs and a flight controller. 2s won't give you enough lift i think so go for 3s or if you wobt go with huge propellers maybe even 4s LiPo batteries.
You can get pretty much any blheli/simonk esc but keep in mind that some are bigger than others, what will depend is if you are using 3s or 4s, some cheaper escs don't support 4s. Also make sure they are 12A+ if 3s or good 20A+ if 4s. Yes you will need 4.
For flight controller look at some you like, SP Racing F3 is popular but cc3d and naze32 aren't much worse than it and in my opinion better to start with as they don't expect you to direct solder,they have pins although there are versions without them.
So, you asked which one to get.
http://m.banggood.com/Upgrade-NAZE32-F3-Flight-Controller-Acro-6-DO... looks nice, never used that one but i have naze32 rev5 and rev6, awesome boards. If you want to just race then get acro if you want to have the option to hold altitude/direction etc. you need deluxe.
http://m.banggood.com/DYS-XM-Seris-XM20A-BLHeli-mini-20A-ESC-For-Hi... look really good but I know that dys had one bad lineup but i don't think it is this one.
Don't forget the batteries and charger. You might also need nylon standoffs to mount the flight controller but try to find a build log video to see if they are included with the frame. Additionally, various heatshrink tubing, zip ties, fine solder, velcro( or dual lock), a xt60 and extra wires(14-16awg and 20-28awg) just in case you are a tad to short.
Also, check if the frame pcb has a built in 5v regulator if not you either need a pdb or just a bec. The flight cobtroller that i linked is based on the seroiuslypro f3 and there are tons of guides how to connect what. Check out Painless360 on youtube, he has a playlist for that flight controller that might help you when you build.
Which of the following parts would you recommend?
banggood.com/search/esc-20a-mini-esc.html
banggood.com/search/flight-controller.html
*Edited
Hi Matej,
Thanks for taking time to write such a detailed answer, much appreciated!
I'll skip the gps and camera for now and will buy the remote control (FlySky FS-i6 2.4G 6CH AFHDS RC Transmitter With FS-iA6 Receiver).
The seller confirmed (if trustworthy...) that the motors (D1806-2280KV) are compatible with the suggested frame.
According to the seller the diy kit includes 1 x Soldered PCB. Is this the same as PDB?
I'm going to buy the recommended by the seller ESC 20A. If I understand correctly, I'm going to need 4 of them?
What else do I need? Do I need only a separate flight controller? If yes, what should I look for?
Thanks
Sorry but, oh my.
The parts are compatible (sort of, read on) but you will like to fly with at least 3s LiPo Batteries and after those things you will need a flight controller. If you want to use gps then I'd say either a pixracer or an apm mini. Some other, simpler, flight controllers are used for racing but i am not sure about the gps support.
I am not sure if the flight controller is built into that frame but I doubt it. Aside from that you will need ESCs for the motors if you don't have them, and a battery charger.
To send gps information to your phone you can use radio telemetry like 3dr radio or something similar.
With that transmitter I'd recommend something like the FS-A8S (with it you get rid of a lot of cables and bulk for the cost of battery voltage monitoring, but I think there is another one for flysky that has battery monitoring but I don't remember it's name) and you can get a cable to upgrade that transmitter to be able to use 8 channels which can come in handy for autotune and such.
Almost any gps module is a nice buy and you can get them quite cheaply but i think that this is now getting out of your budget. check something like this out (banggood.com/PX4-Pixhawk-Lite-V2_4_6-32bit-Open-Source-Flight-Controller-Combo-with-NEO-M8N-GPS-PPM-PM-p-993850.html?rmmds=search). I've had no experience with these kits but they might be a nice place to start.
If you want a racer then make a racer, if you want gps, maybe to add a gimbal later on, to control from your computer and such then make it bigger. 210mm is really small if you plan to use jr style connectors and pin headers, people usually direct solder to boards in miniquads.
But most of all start by watching a build by someone on youtube or something, just then plan your parts list. It may seem cheap in the beginning but you will quickly get in the 200+USD range especially if you want fpv.