QuadCopter Help ?

[SamS]

So, I have decided to ditch the idea of a 500 and perhaps go for a Quad instead, reason being is due to their great stability. Tbh, I don't like the look of Quads very much, but at the end of the day, I'm using it for video.

Quad airframe will be the HK BumbleBee - $160

4 x 20A ESC's - $10 each

And most likely the HK Multirotor control board v3 - $22

Ar6110e


What am I missing, I have little knowledge of Quads so don't know what electronics are used, he Quad comes with motors. Is a Power Distribution board needed ? Any other advise welcome

[paulsouthport]

20A ESCs may be a bit small if you're building a camera ship. Obviously depends on the motors you choose though. You'll want motors with 1000kV +, but again, choice will depend on anticipated AUW, power source etc.

Basic components:
Frame
Controller board
4 * ESC
4 * motor
4 props, 2 CW and 2 CCW
4 prop adapters
RX
Batteries
Various wires etc.
Some form of orientation display, the LED strips from HK are good for this, in different colours

And of course, you don't have to stick with quad, you could go tri, hex, oct etc.

So, some decisions to make:
What payload weight
Size of quad - ie. diameter, bigger is generally more stable and wind tolerant
What if any additional functions you want/need - GPS, return to base, self level, telemetry, FPV etc....

[Mslater]

TBH if you are serious about video then that's completely the wrong kit. If you just want a few short shots then fine.

what is it you want to achieve, professional video or just YouTube style ?

[Geek]

SWRCH Fly-in 2012 - YouTube
some of Sam's work
Thanks again Sam

[AlastairC]

QuadCopter Help ?

Sam this is my quad build thread on here: http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/uavs-g...uad-build.html

Some links and parts list might help. Also my YouTube channel has some footage from my gopro on it.

[SamS]

Mslater, I am not looking for a top of the range professional Quadcopter setup. I'm just looking to build a fairly cheap model that will allow me to get some decent video.

As long as there are no vibes and the video is stable then IMO I think the kit I wrote about is adequate for the job.

Of course I welcome your opinions and help though.

[asomaro]

There are several things to think about:

- Your budget

- How much payload you want to lift - ie a go pro - obviously the heavier it is the larger more powerful the quad needs to be to achieve a useful flight time

- What quality of image you want - as Mark said (mslater, an enormously experienced multi rotor pilot) do you just need it to be good enough for a bit of fun on you tube or something better. The killer for video is high frequency vibration and poor / unstable mounting - oh an poorly balanced and floppy props!

- How stable you want/need it to be - the better controllers offer things like better stabilisation control (hands off sticks will give immediate stable level flight), gps locked position, return to home, auto landing etc etc.

I've built and flown all sorts of quads and hex's and I have to say you really do get what you pay for. One of the primary disappointments for me was that the cheap controllers never performed very well and took quite a bit of fiddling about to get anything like a stable and reliable performance. So no matter how good the airframe is or how well its built, if the controller is pants it will fly like a wet fart and you will most likely be very underwhelmed by the camera performance. I kept trying gimbals, better motors, better esc's, balanced carbon props but nothing really made a difference until I shelled out for a GPS enabled controller - in my case a Naza. Having said that, the first point on my list was budget, so if the more expensive controllers are out of range then you are a bit more restricted with what you can realistically do!

What you have described will get you into the quad world, and no doubt you will get airborne video footage. However the example I would give is that it will be a bit like buying a budget 450 and then spending a ton of cash on upgrades that never really give you what you want and then going out and buying a proper 450 that actually does what it was designed to do and delivers what you expect. Give it a go with your plan with the thought that it will give you a taster for what you could do rather than give you what you actually want, especially as you obviously have a good eye for video judging by your SWRCH vid!

Good luck with your build,

[Mslater]

The video is not bad Sam.

my advice would be to stay away from the HK stuff. The ESC you buy will need new firmware to get a stable platform (look up SimonK firmware in google.

There are much better frames and controllers for not much more money. Best thing you can do is talk to Martin at DIY drones. He's a uk supplier and one you can trust.

BYOD | DJI Innovations, JDrones, 3DR, SparkFun UAV Auto Pilots & More

[SamS]

So you would say don't buy the HK frame : Bumblebee Carbon Fiber Quadcopter Frame 550mm ???

Im now understanding the need for decent electronics, and had a look on the BYOD website, there's so much choice on there though and it doesn't state the sis of each Quad.