Scratch-built Quadcopter Maiden Flight

by Spectre | May 15, 2013 | (5) Posted in Projects

This is a video of the first "real" flight of my scratch-built quadcopter. It's debatable as to whether this was an actual maiden or not because I did have a few moments of hovering/bouncing in my basement while trying to do some initial tuning of the KK2.0 board, but nothing that I would classify as sustained flight. You will notice that my flying is a bit timid. This is actually my first rotorcraft of any sort, so for the first flight, I was really just trying to get a feel for it. Also, sorry about the dirt on the camera lens... noob mistake. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The frame for the quad is constructed from 1/2" x 1/2" square poplar dowels sandwiched and hot-glued between "decks" of dollartree foamboard. The top deck holds the receiver and KK2.0 board, while the bottom decks protect the speed controllers and hold the battery. I also plan on using the quad for FPV in the future and the top deck has plenty of room for adding the needed electronics. I designed the canopy to streamline the visual profile a bit as well as to protect the electronics in the case of a crash.
 
Here's a list of the rest of my gear:
 
Turnigy NTM 28-26 1000kv motors
APC style 9x6E props
Turnigy Plush 25amp speed controllers
Turnigy Nano-Tech 2200mah 3S battery
Hobbyking KK2.0 flight controller (stock firmware)
Turnigy 9X transmitter (stock firmware)
 
The next steps will be to upgrade the KK2.0 firmware, install a voltage alarm, and rig up some FPV gear. Then I've got a few things I want to try out, but I'll let those be a surprise. ;) Thanks for checking out my post. Any constructive criticism or input is welcome. If enough people are interested, I might do a build log with plans. As this was a kind of prototype, I made up a lot as I went, so there aren't any pictures of the build.
 
Enjoy!
 
 
P.S. Special thanks to dhdsracer for his videos explaining the various functions of the KK2.0. Also thanks to all those who have posted other build videos and tips. The whole FliteTest community has been very inspiring on this project and many others.

COMMENTS

jerimiah85 on May 23, 2013
now this I like :)
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Spectre on May 23, 2013
Thanks!
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DigitalRambler on May 23, 2013
Very nice simple budget build!
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colorex on June 2, 2013
Thank you, I was searching for info on the NTM motors, what props could be used. Do your motors run hot to touch? What about flying time?
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Spectre on June 5, 2013
Glad you dropped by. The motors have not been too hot to touch, just warm. They actually cool off pretty fast after use. When I was installing the electronics, I tested one of the motors at full throttle with a 9x6 prop and 3S battery using a watt-meter. It was well within the maximum ampre and watt rating specified by Hobbyking. On a 4S battery, it might get a bit warmer. So far, my longest flight has been five and a half minutes. Since I don't yet have a voltage alarm installed, I had to start with an estimate based on my electronics and add a little time each flight. So far, I don't think my post-flight voltage has dropped below 10.5v. Unfortunately, it is quite windy here in Colorado and I'm a bit of a newbie, so haven't flown as much as I would like.
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colorex on June 5, 2013
Thanks, I was doing some research on those motors for my own quad - but I'll end up buying SunnySky motors instead.
I'm going to use two 2200mAh 3S 25C to power my quad for longer flight times.
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Spectre on June 5, 2013
Cool! Be sure to post some photos/video. I'd like to see how your setup works out.
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colorex on June 5, 2013
It'll be quite some time as it's still not 100% funded, but I'll be sure to share!
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Scratch-built Quadcopter Maiden Flight