Building your own DroneBuilding your own Drone
I’ve outlined an example build of a RoboCat 270mm racer. The links are not recommendations but rather a way of allowing you to drill into more detail on a specific item. I order from AliExpress.com and am familiar with their site so I linked to products on their site but may not have actually ordered from the vendor so the links are not recommendations.
Minimal parts:
Frame
⦁ Racer – RoboCat 270 (as an example)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/FPV-Racing-Robocat-270-Carbon-Fiber-Mini-Drone-RC-Quadcopter-Frame-with-Hood-Cover/32663806620.html
Motors x 4 – 2204 2300KV
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4pcs-Readytosky-MT2204-2204-2300KV-Brushless-Motor-for-Mini-210-QAV-R-220-250-280mm-Quadcopter/32693452262.html
⦁ Electronic Speed Controls (ESC) x 4
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/LittleBee-Little-Bee-20A-ESC-BLHeli-OPTO-2-4S-Supports-OneShot125-For-ZMR180-Quadcopter-Rc-4/32697873599.html
OR
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Racerstar-RS20Ax4-20A-4-in-1-Blheli-S-Opto-ESC-2-4S-Support-Oneshot42-Multishot-for/32791030879.html
⦁ Power Distribution Board (PDB)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Robocat-270-PDB-Power-Distribution-Board-w-XT60-plug-soldered-for-Robocat-270mm-frame-5V/32622123938.html
OR
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hot-Sale-Matek-Systems-PDB-XT60-W-BEC-5V-12V-2oz-Copper-For-RC-Helicopter-Quadcopter/32808769606.html
Flight Controller
OmniBus F4 Pro with PDB and OSD
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/OMNIBUS-F4-Pro-Corner-V4-Flight-Controller-with-OSD-Flight-model-OSD-PDB-ICM20608-MPU6000-IMU/32860012665.html
OmniBus F4 Pro with OSD and 12V BEC
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Betaflight-F4-STM32-Flight-Controller-Board-Built-in-OSD-With-12v-Power-Supply-For-Mini-Racing/32794486759.html
⦁ Battery
3S 65c Lipo Battery
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/ZOP-Power-LiPo-Battery-11-1V-1800mAh-65C-3S-Lipo-Battery-XT60-Plug-For-RC-Quadcopter/32811818441.html
Optional Addons
LED Lights
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Matek-LED-Blue-X2-5V-Motor-Mount-light-For-RS2205-1806-2204-2206-FPV-Quadcopter-Frame/32663143188.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2016-New-Mini-Ublox-M8N-GPS-W-Built-in-Compass-For-APM2-6-2-8-Pixhawk/32589806047.html
FPV Parts
Camera & Transmitter (More later)
Any camera that you can mount in the drone.
A standard 5.8Ghz transmitter, and for racers one with ‘racing bands’.
Transmitter
There are many choices in transmitters. The Taranis X9D Plus is good if you want a lot of switches but probably overkill. The Taranis QX7 comes in with a smaller form factor and unless you need more channels is a money saving option. Either way, the IRangeX module allows you to fly Hubsan, Eachine, and other brands with your Taranis making it one controller to fly them all;)
Taranis X9D Plus
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/FrSky-Taranis-X9D-Plus-2-4G-ACCST-Transmitter-With-X8R-Receiver-For-RC-Multicopter-Part/32812064412.html
Taranis Q X7S
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/FrSky-ACCST-Taranis-Q-X7-QX7-2-4GHz-16CH-Transmitter-Without-Receiver-For-RC-Multicopter/32839454348.html
IRangeX 4 IN 1 Multiprotocol IRangeX 4 in 1 Module for FrSky Transmitters
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/iRangeX-IRX4-2-4G-CC2500-NRF24L01-A7105-CYRF6936-4-IN-1-Multiprotocol-STM32-TX-Module-W/32852267390.html
Indoor Trainer
With the knowledge of parts involved in a build you are ready to put together a racer drone. However, flying a racer is not the same as flying a commercial drone with altitude holding and hovering. Racers fly in Acro mode and have told me that the horizon mode is ‘bad’.
After completing building my drone I read up on Acro mode and realized I needed a trainer. Apparently you will crash a lot while learning to fly Acro mode. A simulator may work but I haven’t found simulators that really work for me.
Luckily the Eachine E011 can be flashed with ‘SilverWare‘. This is significant because the little Whoops can be easily converted to FPV by simply adding an All in one camera/transmitter that works on 3 volts.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Newest-FPV-Camera-Z01-AIO-FPV-Tiny-Whoop-Camera-5-8G-40CH-25mW-Transmitter-Blade-Inductrix/32808326919.html
Finally select some goggles. I like box goggles and Eachine has a nice unit that can also be used as a monitor. The Eachine EV800D 5.8G Diversity Goggles.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/In-Stock-Eachine-EV800D-5-8G-40CH-Diversity-FPV-Goggles-5-Inch-800-480-Video-Headset/32840632761.htmlEachine EV800D 5.8G 40CH Diversity FPV Goggles
Eachine E011
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Newest-Eachine-E011-Mini-2-4G-Headless-Mode-With-60000RPM-716-Coreless-Motor-Toy-Brick-RC/32802473410.html
