Anyone else built a 250 size hi performance FPV quad?

[...guest...]

I built a 230 in CF, around an APM2.5.

View attachment 22387

That is friggin amazing!! How does that fly and are you not getting any interference with the GPS from the vtx? When I messed with my Naza Lite on a 250mm build, I found that it just didn't play well with the GPS assist and I'd always written that off to the tight confines of the build causing cross component interference. coot however has proven it is possible!

I'm doing window shopping right now trying to decide what frame to use for a revo w/ gps setup. I like the high adrenaline sport flying but wouldn't mind having a small form factor GPS assisted drone or better yet, autonomous like you've got.

I'm going to try to come up with some kind of FPV assembly, that I could easily move from one quad, to another. Like I've seen done for the planes. Anybody else done this for the mini's?

This has crossed my mind a lot more recently too. Currently, all my minis (yes, I am making an armada lol) share antennas and mobius. I was hoping I could get them to share vtx's but I can't find that balance between convenience (being able to swap quickly), security (secured to the craft well enough so it doesn't get damaged or fall off), and flight efficacy (respecting the COG and minimizing weight due to components I might need for convenience and security). It's like the old saying, "speed, cost, and quality - you get to pick two" LOL.

If I can quickswap the FPV cam and vtx, I'd already be a happy camper. I don't mind having dedicated motors, ESCs and FCs - I'd almost think those core propulsion and flight control components need to be specific to the build. The rest should be modular for sure.

 

[GotHeliRC]

I have changed it a little, the power lead exits uinderneath at the back now, also going to do a new harness for the camera-vTx link, will be much better, and going to reroute the shortened signal leads so it comes up through the middle of the frame.

All in one 4x ESC might be nice until you blow a single ESC, not sure to be honest, particularly on these little frames where the ESC's are mounted in between the layers.

What sort of pricing for the 4 way ESC do you think?

Pete

Don't have exact price yet, but hopefully it will be on the low side and make it worth it.

 

[PeteDee]

Look forward to seeing them.

 

[cootertwo]

Got my free props today! Thank you very much. GotHeliRC
I'll be making an order.

 

[...guest...]

What sort of things do I need to look out for when building my first 250 sized quad?

I was looking to build off a blackout h quad. I guess my biggest concern is what FC to get. I am running a Naza v1 in my F550 and I am not very happy with the results. I couldn't image how it would be in a 250.

Also, I ran across this 4in1 ESC http://witespyquad.gostorego.com/sp...rmal-esc-with-rapidesc-fw-for-multirotor.html

Everyone else please chime in but coming from larger (400-ish frames) having only flown Naza in GPS and attitude mode, jumping head first into the mini platforms with no such assists (i.e., Naze32, CC3D), it was quite a wake up call. Particularly for the smaller 230mm Blackout (which is what I started with), I was very surprised by how difficult these things were to fly. You are constantly making adjustments just to keep a decent hover. Now cooter has his setup with a Naza Lite but I (including myself) have seen more ditched attempts than successful ones (cooter's being really the only successful one). Complaints ranged from uncontrollable drift to constantly needing to rejigger the gains which is why I ended up going with CC3D and shortly will be using Naze32 or Tau Labs. Of course, you could opt for the full Naze32 or OpenPilot Revo which both have altitude hold out of the box. GPS assist is a bit more involved for either FCs.

You'll find the majority of minis are running Acro Naze32 or some derivation of OpenPilot.

As for the 4-in-1, your biggest concern is going to be fitment into your frame. Personally, I'd rather opt for traditional separate ESCs. Witespy's naked RapidESCs are pretty unbeatable for the price. I had an issue with the newer red series but his blue series are holding up pretty well.

 

[TheUFGadget]

Thanks

I have been flying for over 2 years now. I started off with a basic mQX quad and got hooked. I was flying that doing flips and rolls np. I moved to the F550 and was flying that manual until I stacked on all my gear. Flying is not my issue. The real issue is usage. I want something that can handle whatever I throw at it. I am super excited about a blackout h build. I have seen tons of videos and I am very impressed with how they fly. I was thinking of Naze32 or CC3D and leaning towards the Naze32. I am going for the KISS method with the blackout build. If the 4 in 1 is not conducive to the frame, I will opt for the 4 traditional ESCs.

Hi Havoc,

I am a Naza native and I would say for the responsiveness you need for the small quads you need a CC3D board. I would honestly say to go with the mini hex as you will want the upgrade later. If not get 2000kv plus motors with 12am esc. Make sure they have simonK as you will need some super high response times for extreme mini flying. Once you realize their durability you will be pushing the limits in no time!

Tips:
-Simon K esc's. Seperate (one for each motor)
-CC3D and go to the fpv labs website and pull all the PID's from the pros
-Make sure all your motors are level
-By lots of props!

 

[...guest...]

I'm going to guess you are having a hard time finding the motors? The popular ones, SunnySky 2300kv, TMotor MN1806, RCX can be hard to find. They always manage to come back in stock though (I think DIY Quadcopters and Heli Direct just recently got the MN1806s back) and there are newcomers like the Cobras which are proving to be as effective and just as affordable if not moreso. There are also relabaled (maybe even rewound but who knows) TMotors like Lumenier and Phoenix Flight Group and soon to be Armattan which have their own.

If it's the FC you are looking for, MRSS usually gets the Acro Naze32 in stock now and then. I think they still have the full Naze32. You could also just order directly from AbuseMark. As for CC3D, getFPV seems to be the only ones carrying them right now. Hopefully RMRC will get their $30 cheaper ones back in stock.

[edit] Oh, a word of warning on the SunnySky 2300kv's. You may have already read but just in case, some ESCs don't play well with these motors namely Lumenier's 12A's.

 

[tstrike]

View attachment 18268 I got bit by the mini bug this last winter. Here's my FPV250 (the 9 buck hk special).
It's flying a naza v1, I've got it dialed in alright for atti but manual still gets the jitters. It packs up into a small peli case with a dx6i, uno rec. velcro'd on and a cheap 17 dollar 5" monitor from ebay. Strictly for playing, no recording of flights. I've got the cage that came out for this frame. It works great for a mobius but could never get the gopro squeezed between the props with enough room.
I'm also working on a drq250 "mini d". That'll get a kk board running stevies fw. I'm using witespys red naked 12 amp esc's (did I hear a problem?) and running rcx's. This one will also carry my gp black or mobius.

The thing I dig about these mini's is their non threatening presence, they don't scare, they fascinate. I've yet to have any onlooker say "wow that thing could take your head off!" Don't know how many times I heard that with just my 550 quad.
The biggest challenge for getting into mini's right now is finding parts. This will clear up as more manufacturer's realize the potential. I remember when I got into quads a couple of years ago you couldn't get your hands on a set of Avartos. Now you can find a set cheaper than a set of sunny's.

 

[...guest...]

Havoc, no worries, people have and continue to be really helpful to me. Best place to start is OpenPilot's own website. They have step by step videos just be warned the GCS (the assistant software) has changed since some of those videos but it should generally be self explanatory.

tstrike, I'm curious what you did with the gains settings. I tried putting a Naza Lite onto a 250mm quad including GPS and it just didn't work out. Completely agreed with the attention factor. I'd initially gone into it with the thought of a small footprint video platform in mind but these things were really meant to just go fast and that's just a lot of fun.

 

[PeteDee]

I have loaded up Jus's settings settings for my CC3D from the QAV250 pages, quite lively but after five packs though on Sunday I am pretty happy with the way it flies, more twitchy than my bigger quads but getting into the fun groove.

 

[tstrike]

tstrike, I'm curious what you did with the gains settings. I tried putting a Naza Lite onto a 250mm quad including GPS and it just didn't work out. Completely agreed with the attention factor. I'd initially gone into it with the thought of a small footprint video platform in mind but these things were really meant to just go fast and that's just a lot of fun.

Dialed all the attie gains down under 80 which is half what I would have them on my larger quad. I got it flying alright for my style in atti and kind of let the manual mode slide, even with the manual gains low the mini still twitches like a crak addict...

 

[TheUFGadget]

Yeah, my F550 turns heads but I have had some people call it "blades of death"... and I do agree with that. There is no way I would want to get nicked by one of those 9" carbon fiber blades.

I have had people talk to me about my 350qx because they liked how light and agile it is, so I can only imagine what they say about a 250 sized quad.

Thanks for the advice on build items. I am going to go with the CC3D board. I just now have to find the right version / manufacturer. Also, have to find motors.

I think the hex is much more stable and you are going to get good flight times even with your gopro on there. It helps when you punch full throttle out of scenarios (and trust me you will ) The quads are FANTASTIC but I would spend the $$ for a hex if you can afford it. My other advice is go with blackout, tiger, or lumineer motors. High quality motors are key for ANY kind of video here. Also I can vouch for the Ready Made RC CC3D boards. I have 3 and they all are flawless. Bout a lumineer CC3D and had to send two back with faulty gyros but the ones I got back worked fine.

 

[...guest...]

Quick question: I see out there "T-Motor ESC - SimonK 12A 2-4s, 1A BEC"

I dont understand does this mean it has a 1A output BEC in it as well? Is that more weight for a mini build or should I jump all over it because I see somewhere that has it in stock?

I've got T-Motor 12A Simonk's on my BO but honestly, the Blue Series RapidESCs from Witespy are so far just as capable and literally a fraction of the price.

 

[...guest...]

Bout a lumineer CC3D and had to send two back with faulty gyros but the ones I got back worked fine.

Hmmm ... the only Lumenier CC3D I have conked out on me (stopped recognizing my transmitter). My RMRC CC3Ds are hanging in there. How did you determine they were faulty gyros? Was it as obvious as the thing not flying no matter what?

 

[PeteDee]

I've got T-Motor 12A Simonk's on my BO but honestly, the Blue Series RapidESCs from Witespy are so far just as capable and literally a fraction of the price.

There is also now the V3 of the Afro 12A ESC, very nice and under $10 each and are probably the smallest and lightest 12A ESC out there. The Blue series do work well with the SunnySky 2204 2300kv's though with standard firmware, I suspect the Plush 12A will too but I have not tested them yet.

Pete

 

[...guest...]

There is also now the V3 of the Afro 12A ESC, very nice and under $10 each and are probably the smallest and lightest 12A ESC out there. The Blue series do work well with the SunnySky 2204 2300kv's though with standard firmware, I suspect the Plush 12A will too but I have not tested them yet.

Pete

Thanks for the heads up Pete! Do you have a link for these v3 afros?

For what it's worth, I got my Blue Series ESCs from Witespy flashed with SimonK 5-15-13 and they work just fine with the Sunnys.

 

[TheUFGadget]

Hmmm ... the only Lumenier CC3D I have conked out on me (stopped recognizing my transmitter). My RMRC CC3Ds are hanging in there. How did you determine they were faulty gyros? Was it as obvious as the thing not flying no matter what?

It was actually the Yaw Gyro. I started having random uncontroller yaw after I power cycled the devise. When I sent it back they identified that it was. chances are I got a bad batch in both orders but Tim Nilson has Grade A customer support. It has not pushed me away from their products but I just tend to order my CC3D boards from RMRC.

 

[Jake Bullit]

Sorry accidentally sent a spam report there ,don't know how to undo it.

 

[Jake Bullit]

Was about to say I just finished a HK 250 frame quad.
Pain in the ar5e to build, should have picked up the version with the cage.
Using RCX 2400,AFRO 12A esc, CC3D, IMMERSION VTX, X8R, SC2000 cam,3S 1000mah .

Flies nice though, just gotta find time to tune it.

 

[PeteDee]

Thanks for the heads up Pete! Do you have a link for these v3 afros?

For what it's worth, I got my Blue Series ESCs from Witespy flashed with SimonK 5-15-13 and they work just fine with the Sunnys.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...eed_Controller_SimonK_Firmware_Version_3.html