Another newbie saying hi (and sneaking in a request for a little guidance)

[hammerste1n]

Hi Guys. Newbie here from sunny West Wales. My 17 yr old son and I have been flying a Hubsan h107d and my brothers Syma X5 for a few weeks and are now looking to progress further as we are both hooked. We are interested in just a bit of low level freestyle fpv flying so I had been considering getting an Eachine wizard as seemed to have some decent reviews as a starter model for this type of quad despite some issues. After reading around on here a bit it seems the general consensus is that I might be better off building my own to get experience to repair after crashes etc?

I have watched some self build videos on youtube from painless, uavfutures and andyrc and have a decent soldering iron and some experience with basic soldering. I was wondering if I should just get the parts from one of the painless video series and follow along, (does anyone know if it is a decent build?) or would I get better value for money getting better equipment now and growing into it a bit?

I don';t have any experience with any of the Chinese stores so I guess I';ll also have to factor in VAT and import charges etc on top of my purchases there? Is there a go to recommended retailer people generally use or any good ones in the UK? Sorry for the ramble and all the questions. Sorry if its in the wrong place.

[Cheredanine]

Hi and welcome.
The wizard is a cheap quad. For a beginner it would be fine, but you will grow out of it quickly.

And quad you will crash. It will break sooner or later. At that point you need to diagnose and repair.  The best way to do that is to build it yourself.

If you have a soldering iron and have soldered before, even just a little, you are ahead of the game

Chinese suppliers:
These are slow to deliver, offer no real customer support and have other issues, a fair proportion of the time that isn';t a problem, but when it is, it is massive, there are uk suppliers who are very helpful, many will pick up the phone to you and help with problems, most are also hobbyists so are very good at solving stuff
I would recommend only buying cheap stuff from the Chinese route,

Some considerations:
Radio - I would suggest avoiding cheap and cheerful, get one that will do all you want and last,
Cheap = flysky, it will work, it is a budget model, but if you can afford it, look for the new frsky taranis qx7 or turnigy evolution radio
For the frsky get an XSR or X4Rsb or one of the new xm+ recievers.

Frame wise for a beginner wouldn';t go for the really small light.
Cheap Chinese frames would be fine:
Something like this:
http://www.banggood.com/Lisam-LS-210-210mm-Carbon-Fiber-Frame-Kit-Mini-Quadcopter-p-1001216.html?rmmds=search
From the uk, a lumenier qav210 charpu edition which is what that Chinese thing is a clone of, but miles more expensive, or something like a tsx220

I would, because I am an arrogant ar5e, suggest the following extra components:
Spedix escs:
https://www.electricwingman.com/spedix-es20-lite-esc
(Very good and very cheap escs)

Cobra champion motors:
https://www.electricwingman.com/cobra-champion-2205-2300kv
(You could get cheaper ones, but those are very reasonable and very good, you can use them with 3s as a begineer but they will perform as you move up the ability trail

Lumenier pdb:
http://www.hobbyrc.co.uk/lumenier-4power-mini-pdb
And a 12volt pololu to power the fpv kit:
http://www.hobbyrc.co.uk/pololu-12v-600ma-step-down-voltage-regulator-d24v6f12

Flight controller is interesting, there are loads around at the moment, you want an f3 which does not use an mpu6500 or 9250
My best suggestion on a budget would be the RG-SSD:
http://rotorgeeks.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=676

Camera wise this:
https://www.electricwingman.com/foxeer-arrow-v2-fpv-camera-with-osd

And vtx:
http://www.hobbyrc.co.uk/foxeer-tm25-switcher-58ghz-40ch-video-transmitter-sma
Although you could use an fx799 if you are tight on cash

Antenna: menacerc raptor

Good charger:
http://www.hobbyrc.co.uk/imax-b6-compact-2-6s-lipo-and-nimh-ac-charger

Lipos,
1500mah starting on 3s will keep it tame but I would suggest go straight to 4s and use less aggressive props to tame it
These are good, cheap lipos:
http://www.hobbyrc.co.uk/hobbyrc-race-spec-1400mah-4s-45-90c-lipo-battery

Props, aim for triblades when you get some time under your belt, hq, racekraft or dal but timstart with if you get 4s lipos get a 2blade 5030 non bullnosed, something like:
http://www.hobbyrc.co.uk/4pcs-dal-j5030-super-durable-propellers-2x-cw-2x-ccw-green

You need to figure out how you are gonna monitor the voltage, that cam can put it on the video feed if you are going to fly fpv, so that is sorted, if you use the frsky radio you can use telemetry, otherwise get a buzzer

I have tried to spec that lot so a beginner can build, and fly, but it won';t go stale as you get better, all you need is more aggressive but light props (hq) and you would have a damn good racing quad

Otherwise take a drive round the 259 build subsection, it contains loads of quads, their components and usually pictures

This is my qav210, this is the sort of thing I am listing above although components above are cheaper
http://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php?topic=18791.0



Ps nice ABC warriors reference :)

[hammerste1n]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply Cheredanine. That is some great stuff to look into there, really appreciate it. I get such a buzz watching the fpv stuff on youtube that I was getting in a bit of a headspin. It makes you just want to rush out and grab a quad and fly.

I will have a look at the Taranis  QX7 I think. I had been looking at the X9D+ with the thought that investing in a decent transmitter will stay with you through whatever you are flying but its nice to see there';s a cheaper version. Does this still let you connect to sims? Is that worth doing? I';ve heard mixed feelings on them.

Thanks again for the help so far.

Ah yeah I was raised on 2000ad.  Such a great comic :)

[ched]

What has been suggested will get you a very good quad but might be beyond peoples budget.
For tx I have a FlySky i6 and I find it a great basic tx. It is small, used 4 x AA batteries, has enough switches (inc 3 way for flight modes) and can be updated to a 10 channel receiver by uploading a new firmware.
the i6 can be connected to sims and I have used FPVFreerider (free demo, full version about £5, PC and Android, you can connect your tx via OTG cable on some phones). While its physics are not real life it does LOS (Line of Sight) and FPV. You can adjust cameras and weight etc but to me the real advantage is that you can use your actual tx and get your hand eye co ordination practice. It wont make you a brilliant flyer but will help you start off.

Above all Have Fun, Happy Flying.

[Cheredanine]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply Cheredanine. That is some great stuff to look into there, really appreciate it. I get such a buzz watching the fpv stuff on youtube that I was getting in a bit of a headspin. It makes you just want to rush out and grab a quad and fly.

I will have a look at the Taranis  QX7 I think. I had been looking at the X9D+ with the thought that investing in a decent transmitter will stay with you through whatever you are flying but its nice to see there';s a cheaper version. Does this still let you connect to sims? Is that worth doing? I';ve heard mixed feelings on them.

Thanks again for the help so far.

Ah yeah I was raised on 2000ad.  Such a great comic :)

The taranis x9d is, as has been for a while, the de facto radio of the quad world.
I use that and a tbs tango with an frsky module.
The qx7 should be around by the end of the month, I can';t answer the sim thing absolutely because I don';t use them but it has a micro USB and a jr jack, software wise it is pretty identical to the x9

Primerally it is budget led usually, as per chefs statement, if you are on a really tight budget the flysky radio will work
If it was me starting from scratch I would get the qx7 and look to upgrade to the new Hall effect gimbals

[Elmattbo]

I would add another tip to all that as been said - keep it simple. If you';ve seen the videos you';ll be desperate to get telemetry working, upgrade to dshot, program some LEDs, try different props... the most important thing is to fly. Get a battery beeper to start with and although your radio will do telemetry you';ll spend so long getting your head around setting it up that it will be frustrating. It';s confusing enough when everything is new and you';ve got a big learning curve ahead even without all the extra stuff.
Good luck and if you have any questions just ask (Cheredanine!).




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hammerste1n]

Thanks again for the advice all. There';s a lot to think about for sure. I will keep watching the vids and do a bit more research. It seems easy to get exciteable and carried away and before you know it you';ve doubled your budget.

[hoverfly]

Thanks again for the advice all. There';s a lot to think about for sure. I will keep watching the vids and do a bit more research. It seems easy to get exciteable and carried away and before you know it you';ve doubled your budget.

Double the budget ... I wish. try quadruple..(no pun intended) but now i think about it...

[ched]

One other thing to be aware of is how fast things move in the quad world. Technology is changing at a rapid pace. Like now you can get fpv cameras with a build in osd (On Screen Display) that will relay battery voltage back to your goggles. These cams are not very expensive and solve the issue of knowing the flight battery voltage.
While the taranis has very useful alarms it can be a bit of a learning curve setting it up but as it';s so popular there are lots of people to help.
The i6 does very basic telemetry in that you get rx signal on the tx display and with a hack or a £3 little ad on you can get flight battery voltage on the tx display.
So there are lots of ways of achieving the same thing.

Last thing, sometimes you think you know how you want to fly but after building a quad for that purpose something else comes along and you understand lots more and know better what you want. So dont be afraid of going for a budget built on the understanding that you may want to upgrade in a few months.
Some things like chargers, as long as you get one that can take 1S to 5S, wont need upgrading, neither will tools (as long as you buy decent ones). Same as tx, a taranis will do every thing you ever want but an i6 is only £40 and may last you for your first year before realising the advantage of the taranis extra features.

[guest325]

Thanks again for the advice all. There';s a lot to think about for sure. I will keep watching the vids and do a bit more research. It seems easy to get exciteable and carried away and before you know it you';ve doubled your budget.

Ah, you';re not aware of MAS (multi rotor acquisition syndrome) !!!
Welcome to empty bank account and maxed out credit cards ::)

[inspire.clone]

Hi and welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of Multirotors. It';s always a minefield when you start out on a new hobby. FPV looks amazing and seems so easy. Now for a reality check

STOP!

As you will be aware, there is rarely a week goes past without the media banging on about drone conflicts. Being flown near airports.

I personally would suggest if you haven';t already done so, search for the CAA';s drone code! From your message we can sense your excitement. Flying a Multirotors is great fun done right, They are not a toy! They are aircraft in every sense of the word.
They weigh anything from 1lb to many. Please remember if you have little flying experience to go straight to FPV is in my experience very difficult, also remember if you hit someone or something it can get expensive. You should always have insurance the BMFA does insurance for a very reasonable £32, so long as you abide by the CAA guidance you will be covered against any potential claims.

Fly safe and stay safer.........

Stuart

[nub]

nae tips just saying ::)