Build your own FPV – Here is some great expert advice
Quadcopter racing is hot, learn how to build your own FPV
National Geographic Voices ran an outstanding article yesterday titled “So You Want to Fly an FPV Racing Mini Quadcopter?“. Not only should you read the article, you should bookmark it and refer to it often if you want to get involved with FPV racing.
Here is a brief segment from the article, focused on how to build your own FPV, we hope you will enjoy it and, as we already noted, go read the entire article.
”
(The video above is fantastic and, if you can set through the entire 30 minutes you will have come a long ways towards your goals. – The Best Drone Info)
Build your own FPV:
“It is easy to get sucked into buying the cheapest thing possible when getting started,” says Graber. “While this can help save a little money up front, in the long run you end up replacing cheap parts much sooner. Often times a critical piece will fail early and it will potentially trash your whole quad. I’d suggest looking at the medium-high range in most of the gear, on items like motors, ESCs and airframe.”
Motors (x4)
Make sure the motors you choose are the correct size and KV for the aircraft. Too big/small or too high/low of a KV can be very inefficient. Take a look at what others are running on a similar setup.
ESC (Electronic Speed Controllers)
Make sure your ESCs are rated for enough amperage as well as voltage. If you are running 4s, make sure your ESC can handle that voltage and amperage. A larger prop will have more thrust, but also require more amps.
Batteries
For these fast mini races a high “C” rated battery is important. The higher the C rating means the battery can discharge more energy faster. Also, size is important. Too big will weigh down the quad and make it feel very sluggish, too little will not have long enough flight times. A popular size for – 1800mAh in the 3-4s range.
Flight Controller
The Naze32 and CC3D board are currently the two most popular flight controllers for minis. They have a large, supportive community behind each, and the software is constantly updated.
Radio and Receiver
You’ll want a radio with at least 5 channels, and having more is nice for added functionality. 2.4GHz digital radios are the best all around and give good range of up to 1km away in most cases. The FrSky Taranis is one of our most popular advanced radios and at a great price.
Propellers
While flying minis, you’ll break a ton of propellers, so this is one area where having lots of spares is important. The size and the pitch of the propeller – prop – is important when it comes to your setup. Most people start with a 5×3″ prop and eventually move up to a more aggressive and powerful prop like 5×4 or 6×4.5.”
If someone were to ask you for advice on how to build your own FPV, what advice would you provide?
