(Part 2) Top products from r/Quadcopter

I got an Eachine 250 racer about a month ago. It has been a lot of fun, but there are a lot of details. My next racer will probably be a smaller/lighter 180 frame.

For FPV goggles I have three ideas. One, is get the status quo Fatshark goggles at whatever level you can afford. Two, get the HeadPlay HD goggles I got. Three, get the Avegant Glyph, which has the really nice feature of letting you pop them up and down without a band. I do really like my HeadPlay HDs, but they are big and bulky. I haven't perfected how to adjust the straps to get them to stay on my head well.

Arms, managed to break one without breaking a prop.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016Y5U1JO/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Capacitors, they pop off very easily. I lost a capacitor at the same time I broke an arm. Or a hot glue gun, I Highly recommend putting hot glue over the caps next to each arm to help avoid the loss in the first place. You want a low temperature hot glue gun to not melt any plastic or traces. I consider the capacitor issue a design defect, but you can work around it with hot glue. The original revision seems to have lacked the capacitors, from pictures I have seen online.

Capacitors for Eachine 250 racer:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00W8YYMZA/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Youtube video exampling how to solder them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLYVZUpL0K0

Get a Taranis X9D Plus. It is a great transmitter. Also get a X4R-SB receiver, and use SBUS. The D4R won't let you control the lights too, because it can't do PPM and PWM at the same time. You can control them with the X4R-SB, SBUS+PWM. SBUS has great latency, 5-10ms. I was recently talking to a sponsored racer who told me that PPM, which is supposed to be 27ms with the D4R, is really more like 100ms. It averages the four last frames together. This link includes a case and X8R, which I think will work as well as the X4R, but you should do the research. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B014IYSXL6/ref=mp_s_a_1_5

To do SBUS+PWM, requires a special bind procedure. You want channels 1-8 as SBUS, and 9+ as PWM. The most relevant part is "jump S1&S3: SBUS, 9, 10, 11 or jump S2&S3: SBUS, 9, 10, 11 (No telemetry)" Here is a link that talks about it.

http://www.frsky-rc.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6793

Small tie wraps like the ones already on the arms to hold the ESCs. You break an arm, and you will need to replace the tie wrap.

Soldering iron, solder, etc, because you have to desolder the ESC from the motor to replace an arm, and then resolder it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000BRC2XU/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Qtips and rubbing alcohol for cleaning. Mix the alcohol 50/50 with water. The flying field was muddy after lots of rain.

Carrying case of some kind. You don't want it banged around in transport, and same with the transmitter. It is best to get the X9D with the case, because people price gouge on the case stand alone.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ABQS7YI/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Batteries, you can burn through them very fast. But watch out for their height. I bought some of the new "Graphene" 4S batteries, and they are really too tall to fit. Some people remove the back LEDs to make battery installation easier.

Battery charging/carrying bags to help with uncontrolled fires started by batteries. I have two, one for charging, and one for carrying.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005HTH78W/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A battery charger if you want to use 4S batteries. The included charger is 2S/3S only. I have a Hi-tech X1 which will only charge one battery at a time. You can also get the X4 which will do four at once.

Battery charger for 4S batteries:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005LH3392/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

XT60 banana plug cable for charging with the above charger:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XBSBYCG/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A V shaped antenna mount to get the receiver antennas up in the air. When over head the carbon fiber body blocks the signal well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00WV04P62/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A voltage monitor so you know to land when your battery voltage is low. The video signal includes the battery voltage as part of the OSD, but I prefer LoS while learning to fly. It lets me keep an eye on where I am in relation to trees. On the other hand I have yet to find a good place to mount a voltage monitor. With the length of the balance cable on batteries you are likely going to need a balance cable extension for 3S and another for 4S.

Voltage monitor:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EXPPF80/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3S balance cable extension:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XP4IO88/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

4S balance cable extension:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00JBP1RGG/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Double sided tape to mount things on the top of the body, like the antenna mount and receiver.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009NP1JQC/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Small x-acto knife to help remove the double sided tape.

Electrical tape to tape down wires for lights and receiver.

Size 2.0 hex wrench for the frame screws. It will be needed to replace arms.

Scale that can measure grams. You want to knowing and control weight.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B010HKEDPK/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sunglasses to avoid problems seeing on sunny days. Lets say you are flying LoS, and look into the direction of the sun. You can't see the quad well enough to control it, because of glare from the sun.

ESC flashing adapters to change/upgrade the firmware. I am not sure these are the right ones for the ESCs on the Eachine. I think they are, but I haven't tried it yet.

Atmel socket flashing tool:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00V2W467I/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Atmel USB programmer:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0051SRZWC/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

USB cable to use with transmitters and simulators. It is best to learn the basics in a sim, instead of replacing lots of parts.

USB cable for simulators:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DFDTU9G/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Old post of mine on learning in a simulator:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Multicopter/comments/3zr8o0/cheap_fpv_acro_simulator_with_real_transmitters/

Be sure to set a fail-safe, which is very easy with the Taranis. I had a fly away with my first Eachine, because of a defective Spektrum DX6 and lack of fail-safe. After that I switched to the Taranis, which doesn't cost much more and has way more capacity.

I rock the E010 frame and really dig it. it is a little heavier but the bits that connect the fan duct to the motor mount are much larger and stronger. The Rakon I've seen but never used. The problem with that frame is that the metal will bend over time but people seem to really like it. Some CA glue can fix broken frames like a charm as well. I use it on the stock frame and it is able to reconnect completely separated motor mounts with great strength.

I really like this comment, and you seem both knowledgeable and kind, so if I might impose on you with two questions, I would be quite grateful.

• Do you (personally) have any recommendations for transmitters? You mention 6 - 9 channel in you post, but it looks like even those run the gamut from cheap to expensive. As someone who isn't made of money, I would prefer not to make a $100 mistake.
  
• Is there simulator software that I can get to give me more "stick time" even while batteries are charging? Bonus points on the transmitter question if it also hooks into a computer to give me more hands on experience.
  
  Thanks for making the internet a nicer place to live!

Hey bud, I think it's great that you're interested in this hobby and am happy you're doing some research before plunging in. Do you know how to solder yet? That's an important skill in building your a drone since nearly everything in the building phase will require it. I had to start out with a little soldering practice kit before I started building a quadcopter. Soldering with a quadcopter can be difficult because everything is so small!

If you've got soldering down though, and you want a good starting kit that comes with pretty much everything, you can find some on eBay for pretty good prices, I've built four ZMR250 DIY kits purchased on eBay over the last couple years and they've all flown great. (That kit isn't totally complete though, you'll still need a transmitter/receiver and batteries.)

That kit is about £61, you can get a FlySky FS-T6 transmitter which comes with the receiver for £35 which leaves you over £50 to cover a couple batteries, a LiPo Charger, other misc electronics/parts you might need like voltage regulators or connectors and shipping. (which might end up being a little over £150, but that's how this hobby tends to go..)

If you are looking for a cheap option that can record HDMI best option is to look for something designed for video game capture like this. https://www.amazon.com/AVerMedia-Portable-Recording-Definition-Streaming/dp/B00B2IZ3B0 This will work as a capture card or standalone recorder. Once you leave the hardware made for gamers the prices go up. The best HDMI capture cards I've used are the Epiphan AV.io USB capture cards. They only work to get HDMI/SDI video into a computer and don't do any recording on there own. Unlike the cheaper capture cards they don't require any device specific software or even drivers to work on a Mac or Windows Machine. There more stable and won't cause bluescreen and crashing like the cheaper capture cards can. You can also use more than one at the same time unlike the cheaper ones. https://www.amazon.com/AV-io-HD-video-capture-1080p/dp/B00ZH7HRKW is the cheapest one that will handle 1080p. They have a 4K version as will as a SDI version.

Thanks again for the help. Went with another battery as suggested. Another commenter suggested this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GF3B5Q7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Perfect flight and stable power output.

The Blade Nano is way fun and can easily be flown indoors or out (barring strong winds.) I have replaced literally every part on mine (frame, controller, props, engines) as I learned and when one got stuck in a try I was back to flying for $70 to get a BNF (bind and fly- meaning I just bought the quad, not a controller with it.) I bought this charger which lets me juice up 4 batteries at a time for pretty much non-stop flying.

I know it's not a cheap upgrade ... but you could bump up to the FatShark Predator v2 (with much better resolution) and get it from amazon:

• http://www.amazon.com/FATSHARK-Predator-Headset-System-Goggle/dp/B00I08F7UM
  
  
  For Flight controller you could go with the Dragonfly32 Acro (Naze32 Acro Clone). Multirotor mania will even solder on the connectors for you.
  
  
• http://multirotormania.com/32-bit-/296-dragonfly32-acro.html
  
  The kit comes with a Simple power Dist Board.
  
  
  FrSky D4R-II receiver on amazon. A bit overpriced, but Amazon with US shipper.
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/D4R-II-Receiver-Channel-Telemetry-Firmware/dp/B00SWHWFWO/
  
  FrSky XJT module
  
  
• http://www.getfpv.com/frsky-xjt-16ch-radio-transmitter-module-jr-graupner-type.html
  
  IMHO that Solder Station is overkill unless you plan to do lots of electronics work and repair.

This is a cheap one that works well: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KT314AS

You'll also need: http://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Male-Coupler-Connector-Adapter/dp/B007PQ0K1G/

You'll need to make something to connect the goggles and receiver to the battery (you'll want a 3s 11v) or two of these should do the trick: http://www.hobbyking.com/mobile/viewproduct.asp?idproduct=18869

If you have an Android device and really want to save money and don't mind some latency you could do this instead of goggles, but goggles will be a much better experience: http://copterwars.com/blog/?p=64

Any old iron will work. I used this $9 iron to fix my Hubsan many times.

I have a Hako now and it is MUCH nicer and easier to use but a pencil iron will get the job done for small projects like the Hubsan. If you plan on doing scratch builds or other projects that require soldering I highly suggest getting a variable temperature iron with integrated thermostat.

Assuming you know about the trim functions and different speed modes yes?

And the GoPro is right on the edge of the payload capabilities for those motors.

Here was/is my setup.

I got the taller wider landing legs to give the GoPro clearance.

And later I actually added a piece of stiff/dense foam between the belly and the GoPro mount. This greatly reduced "jell-o" to near zero. Best pic I can find right now

Another thing that really helped out with Jell-o and over all stability was balancing the props. You'll be amazed how unbalanced those props are. Aftermarket props too. I bought this Prop balancer and use it for all my quads even my Carbon fiber props. Just keep adding pieces of scotch tape to the under side and remove excess with a razor until it's balanced.

I've crashed, repaired, and modded this little thing so many times so if you have any questions just hit me up

This is what I use and it's been great so far. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002XKF71C/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1449390936&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=Transmitter+case&dpPl=1&dpID=41zrEqameyL&ref=plSrch

I definitely wouldn’t attempt to charge it in my house. Not for the first few times, at least. If it’s cool enough tomorrow, I might string an extension cord out to the middle of the concrete patio and try charging it in the shade.

When I checked it earlier with this little guy, it read 4.13v and 4.14v. I just checked it again and it reads the same. So it hasn’t dropped

I'm not that good at making videos, but I'm learning.

The clips with waviness are when I was using the stock camera.

All of the better quality vids are filmed with the mini 808 cam linked below:

http://www.amazon.com/808-Lens-Camera-Pocket-Camcorder/dp/B00CTO0Y06

Yep, those are good to have! I stick my battery in the bag when charging and I also store them in the bag and the bag goes in an ammo can. I don't know if you have read this yet, but if you charge your battery to full, and you are not going to use them for a couple days, make use to use the "battery store" on the B6, it discharges the battery to a safe voltage to be stored. They shouldn't be stored at full charge for more then a couple of days.

Also, look into getting one of these. It lets you check each cells voltage. Sometimes the charger can screw up, so this is a cheap doulbe check to make sure the batteries are balanced. It also doubles as a warning buzzer for your quad. When you are flying, it will start to buzz when your battery gets down to a certain voltage so you do not discharge the battery too much, which also causes damage.

I have a Syma X1 with a 1S 600mah battery and get 15 minutes of flight time per battery.

Link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0096SJU3U/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0096SJU3U&linkCode=as2&tag=hardphot-20&linkId=I4PDVYRONGEWGQRH

Battery Link: http://www.buddyrc.com/glacier-25c-600mah-1s.html

Takes a little bit of modding but works well.

I should be getting http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XHS4BKM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01 tomorrow, but the batteries I ordered were out of stock until the weekend, so they won't be coming in until next week http://www.amazon.com/Tenergy-Battery-Channel-QuadCopter-Walkera/dp/B00HS5Y6G4/ref=pd_bxgy_21_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JAY6NC0TAPFCTAF2GMD

Edit: Just noticed you have the x5sc which doesn't look like this particular charger would work for either...