Talk to me about flight controllers

[Torque556]

Hello, first post here. I'm building a Tarot T960 hexacopter, and currently only have motors ordered. I'm taking my time on this build, as it's my first serious multi-rotor. I've flown the Blade MQx, and have gotten very proficient with it, as well as several types of helicopters. I will be using six Tiger Motor 3515-15s and 15x4 props. My big question is, what flight controller should I get? Naza-lite, Naza V2, ArduPilot Mega (2.5, 2.5.2, 2.6???) I have no idea!!! I've only decided not to go with the Woo-Kong simply because of price. I need GPS, auto-stability, return to home (or point), and altitude hold. Anything else is extra, which is always nice. In the future, I will be adding a FPV and gimbal setup. I also plan on picking up a Spektrum DX18 if it matters. Also, what about telemetry? Thanks!

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

Sadly, I won't be able to tell you about the ardupilot. Others will chime in I'm sure. But, from what I understand, the Naza's are better suited for out of the box operation and that the arduino-based FCs require more setup time and understanding.

As for the V2 versus Lite... The lite is self-contained and won't work with gimbals or telemetry modules that require interaction/connectivity with the FC, such as those sold by DJI. I.e. if you are considering the Zen H3-2D gimbal for the GoPro Hero3, or the iOSD telemetry overlay on your video, then you'll have to go with the Naza V2. I personally use both of those on my hexacopter, so that's why a Lite won't work for me. However, there are other gimbals (such as the Tarot for the GoPro) that do not interact with the FC making Lite a viable option. As for telemetry, it totally depends on what data ou are looking for. There are plenty of options that will give you battery info, altitude, and speed info. But if you want to know what mode the FC is operating under (GPS, Attitude, Manual, etc), or how many satellites are being received, then you would need a telemetry module that interacts with the FC. So if you go with a Naza, then it would be the V2 and the DJI iOSD.