Quad Copter frame advise

Hardware Multirotors
1

I’m about to venture into quad copters for the very first time and boiled down the choices down to two frames. The F450 flame wheel clone or an S500. At first the F450 seemed the best option however, I’ve seen the it is quite flexible and can have issues with vibration, on ther other hand the S500 is a heavy frame. (I like idea of being able to carry a camera.)

Any advice would be welcome.

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First you need to decide;

What camera and its weight
Battery and its weight
All the electronics and weight
Motors and their weight
Frame weight

Once you know the total weight next you decide the motor lift capacity and then add the new weight to above.

What prop size also important. The prop size will tell you if the frame is big enough or not.

Once you know what motor size u need then you decide what frame can handle it.

You can use 1:2 or 1:3 lift/thrust ratio for motors and props.

So first do all the math and you can come to a conclusion on your own…

I hope you catch my drift here. Frame alone is not a deciding factor.

3

Thanks Asim,

I’ve done that for the F450 and thought the S500 might be a better option

4

Both frames are good. It comes down to personal choice.

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This is my workings out - I had to attach an image as I could see no other that didn’t mess up the formatting

2020-05-02 09_26_17-C__Users_dave_Desktop_drone.txt - Notepad
2020-05-02 09_26_17-C__Users_dave_Desktop_drone.txt - Notepad1000×520 9.18 KB

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Try this.

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As Mallikarjun_SE says the Hexsoon 450 EDU all day long great flying machine,and 3DXR offer great service and support.

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What will be the main purpose of your drone? Very important to think it through up front unless you’re willing to build multiple drones down the road and it cost $$$.

If you are simply learning about quads then the deciding task is easier but if you have few main objectives and then certain factors have to be taken into consideration upfront.

A drone can be just to fly it
Fly it and have live video
Speed racing - whole different category of drones.
Someone wants to use them for photography
Some use it for object avoidance
List goes on

While you are deciding on a Frame and electronics, clarify your end game in your head first. You don’t have to have all the bells and whistles day one, but following factors will impact your future enhancements if not calculated correctly day one.

  1. Frame size. Can it accommodate all the electronics you are planning to put it on at the end?
  2. Motor size - Lift capacity and speed?
  3. Max battery size. Remember ESC, Motor, and battery voltage are related with each other and go hand in had. You can’t simply upgrade one later and expect dramatic changes and electronically it maynot be possible.

Here is the fun part :slight_smile:

  1. You selected a motor that has 1000 Grams of lift capacity x 4 = 4000 Grams of Thrust using X size Prop…perfect!
  2. This will tell you what ESC current size you need always go 10A higher than what you need. BelHeli ESC’s are the best for starters.
  3. Now, you know what max battery size can you use.

Once you know the above, and you know the prop size you need, you can determine frame arm lengths.

Now, you can search for a frame but keeping in mind does the frame has enough room to fit all of the above?

I am on purpose not recommending anything to you :slight_smile: The reason is that so you can analyze everything upfront on your own and you will make a wise decision by yourself at the end.

Lastly, your overall budget???

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9

Thanks Asim and others great advice,

It appears the parts I’ve chosen would fit my bill - I don’t want to ‘go cheap’ on toys. The ESC’s would be BLheli32

  1. Learning to fly.
  2. Photography and FPV on screen not goggles (to know what your photographing).
  3. Running missions and learning more about Mission Planner.
  4. Adding LEDs for at night
  5. Camera Gimbal

The Hexsoon seems pricey but I guess it comes with motors etc - anyone know what motors and props they use ?

I was thinking the my original idea of the F450 was a 3s 4000mAh or bigger.

My all up budget for everything including radio would be £500-£600

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Ok then first narrow down what camera You will use. That will change everything because it will determine the Gimbal you will need, the weight of the camera and gimbal will define motor size and then the rest.

So decide on a camera that you have used before and you like its features functionality.

I can make some suggestions but the real photography cameras are big, heavy and expensive.

Look into like RunCam or GoPro

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You can read one of my threads about Radios.

I think for you the Taranis brand is a good low entry radio and its cost effective. You may find one really cheap on eBay a slightly used one.

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On my list the camera would a Runcam 3 split, It’s a bit like ‘Moore’s Law’ the more you add you need bigger props, motors and battery. The radio would be Jumper T16 from what I’ve read it’s comes out rather well for the price.

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re check the motors you have selected. You probably want a bit more thrust ratio. else your drone will fly like a grandpa :slight_smile:

Once you learn to fly, I am positive you want speed as well.

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T-motors are the best motors in the market. Little pricey but they will last a long time… the motors you picked are like I think $18 US each x 4 = $72 dollars. Almost same as T-Motors.

Check specs, below are just examples…read the spec sheets and learn at what voltage, what prop size will give what thrust… Always read motor specs…

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I’m not that old :rofl: :older_man:

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I know that :slight_smile: thats why make a fun quad so you can enjoy some speed flying as well.

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Once you are hooked on to quads, next you will be building this

image
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What are the specs ?

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