After completing my first Quadcopter with APM 2.52 and ST360 kit alongwith FPV (
http://www.rcindia.org/multirotors/building-apm-2-52-quadcopter-with-st360-kit/), this is my second effort at building a quadcopter.
This time I plan to build an
FPV Racer Quad with the
QAV280 ARF kit available at Quadkopters.com at
http://www.quadkopters.com/product/arf-kit-rtf-kit-and-frames/qav280-arf-kit-w-sunnysky-2204-and-emax-12a-esc/The reason for selecting this kit instead of choosing the parts separately is that it is much cheaper to go for this kit (at Rs.8500) instead of sourcing similar components separately.
The kit consists of the following components:
- QAV250-280 Black out Carbon-fiber frame
- SunnySky 2204 2300KV motors x 4
- 12A EMAX SimonK ESC x 4
- FLIP32 Flight controller (6DOF version) x 1
- 2 pairs of 5030 2 blade propellers (black and green)
- CC3D mini Power Distribution board x 1
- Heatshrink 3mm 50cm long (black and red)
- LED Strip (3 led per strip) x 2
I am not sure whether the frame is 250mm or 280mm at this point of time. @satyagupta would be able to explain. Purchased separately, a carbon-fiber frame, Sunnysky 2204 2300 KV motors, Emax ESC and Flip32 FC would have cost much more.
The motors come without bullet connectors. I have leftover 3.5mm bullet connectors from my previous build which I plan to use here. The kit also includes a few servo cables. Since I am not yet familiar with Flip32 FC, it remains to be seen whether more connectors would be needed or not.
I already have a Flysky 9X radio. I ordered a Flysky 8 channel receiver to go with the quad from
http://rcmumbai.com/index.php/product/flsyk-8-channel-receiver-fs-r8b/For the battery, I ordered one 1300 mAH, 40C Zippy Compact battery from
http://robu.in/shop/zippy-compact-1300mah-3s-40c-lipo-pack/ and a few Haiyin 1300 mAH 20C batteries from eBay.
For FPV, I can use my Boscam TR1 camera-cum-transmitter from the other quad or a Fatshark PilotHD V2 camera with a Boscam Tx, which I already have as a surplus. I plan to use Quanum DIY goggle+Boscam Rx or a Boscam GS920 goggle for FPV. The Boscam TR1 camera takes decent videos. The Fatshark one is not that good. But both include recording capability on SD Card which means that I won't have to use separate cameras for FPV and for recording videos as the video latency time of these cameras are similar to FPV cameras. That would help in saving the weight. In small quads like these where motors with high KV are used, the lifting capability is limited. So, every bit of weight saved means increased flight time.
I don't yet have a clue on how to proceed with the build and will have to find a few videos first. I am not sure whether there is a specific assembly video for this particular kit but I think the videos on assembling similar carbon fiber frames may help.
Next, I'd proceed with the frame assembly.