i was wondering if one of you well informed multi rotor guys(i know theres a few of you!) might be able to tell me how much a decent quad copter might run me? after seeing john fly his machine i became intrigued with them. thanks in advance for any info you guys give me!
You will probably get more opinions than there are fast food resturants, but....... A quad will be the easiest to build, about the cheapest as well, for the most fun and utility your controller should offer self leveling, there are mixed reviews on the KK2, most of us have one now, from what I have seen they can be setup to fly decent, and the self leveling can be made to work. That is the cheapest SL control board out there. With that you can build a quad for just over $150.00 these days. $5 Orange Rx (close range) $20 motors x4=$60 $30 KK2 $30 fake flame wheel $12 ESC x4 ~$50 $2 colored props =$8 if you already have a Tx? = 0$
I agree with Pelagic on his pick for a first quad. He did miss a couple small items (we all have at times) and they are also listed below. I put all items into my "cart" at HobbyKing.com and below is the result. Also, add $28 for standard shipping This also assumes you already have compatible batteries. 3s lipos between 2200mah and 3300mah would work as long as they can handle constant 100 amp current draw. You'll also need some 14ga silicone wire to extrend the motor leads from the outward mounted motors to the inward mounted ESC's (or, if you mount them all outboard, you'll need to extend the battery leads from the internal frame connections to the outward mounted ESC's).
You could also go to UAV Products and get a DJI F450 (quadcopter), or F550 (hexacopter) like mine, and a Naza flight controller.
If any of you guys have one you would like to sell I am in the market for at least a quad. What are the benefits of a hexacopter over a quad?
Looking at the list above, there are a few things I would at least consider doing different. These are not a big deal, but if it were me, I'd consider it. Motors: Almost all of us are running the KDA20-22L motors (not KDA20-20). The 20 has a higher kv and draws a little more power. The 22L seems to have more thrust than you can use for sport flying and they have been excellent so far. Frame: The "real" DJI 450 frame kit is only $32 from uavproducts.com and others. It's not that much more than the clone if you consider the freight. I have both the "real" and "fake" frames and the real one is definitely nicer, as are the small accessories that come with it. You can also get extra arms for the DJI (after the crash) for just $4 each. As far as I know, HK does not sell replacement arms, although for $18 you could just buy an extra frame kit. Props: This is what I feel the most strongly about. Get the GemFan colored (green and orange) 10-4.5 props. I buy them from innov8tive.com for $2. The colors will really help with orientation in flight and the props have been exceptionally reliable. In-flight prop failures have caused some serious damage. I have not used the props that Mike listed, but I don't think you can do any better than the GemFans for price and reliability. You definitely don't want to buy DJI props! ESC's: Not a huge issue, but I'm a big fan of HobbyWing ESC's. I think they are some of the best out there for the money. HobbyPartz in California has the 18A ones for just over $11 right now. That said, I have Turnigy ESC's on my ELEV-8 quad and they are just fine. My understanding is that some of the Turnigy boards are actually made by HobbyWing. I just think that for the same money, I'd rather know I'm getting the real thing. Just stay away from the super cheapo HobbyKING ESC's. They are pretty junk. Chris just had one of those fail on his quad last week and he replace all four with HobbyWing. He said he was going to save the remaining three that work for something with wings. Final thought: "Quads don't glide very well when something goes wrong". ;D ...Tiger
I get my Hobbywing ESC from HobbyCool. They are in USA with quick shipping. Check the stores on eBay, the multiple deals are good like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-Hobbywing-Pentium-18A-ESC-Speed-Controller-Rc-Heli-Airplane-Quadcopter-/150861631203?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item23200dcee3 One time I saw 4x 18A for $36.00
After giving it much thought I have decided I can sell my Blade MQX quad with a near-new Spektrum DX6i transmitter and six high-capacity flight batteries (plus the stock one) and the charger for $250. That's almost $400 worth of goodies all in excellent condition. Even still have the extra props that came with the MQX, and the box and manual. This is a micro quad and not well suited for camera use, although I have successfully flown it with my HD keychain cam If flies great indoors and won't hurt your LCD TV ;D Also flies easily in a mild wind outdoors without issue. I have enjoyed flying it but am turning my multirotor-attention to my new Scorpion 8) If anyone is interested and already has a Spektrum Tx I will sell the quad and extras for $125. But I won't sell the DX6i seperately
