My F550 plan. Any problems?

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I'm getting ready to start an F550 build. Here are my plans and would like to know if I'm going to make any mistakes.

DJI E300 motors and DJI ESCs.

http://www.empirerc.com/dji-e300-tuned-propulsion-system-for-hexacopters-p-7873.html

A DJI F550 frame

One of these flight controllers

http://witespyquad.gostorego.com/flight-controllers/readytoflyer-2-8.html

http://witespyquad.gostorego.com/flight-controllers/rtfhawk-2-4.html

I will use Mission Planner, so I'll be adding GPS to either, of course.

Now here is where I'm having trouble.

Phantom 1 transmitter, 2.4 Ghz

Phantom 1.1.1 receiver.

The receiver is D-BUS, so I am unclear if it will work with the flight controllers.

I will eventually be adding a gimbal, GoPro and FPV.

So, any advice?

Thanks.
 
Question for you - why don't you use a NAZA v2 flight controller?

I have a 550 that has E300s, ESCs, Naza V2, IOSD mini, am using Futaba Rx & Tx and a Zenmuse H33D gimbal and it flies like a dream.
 
You are going to limit your capabilities with the DJI transmitter and receiver. You will need more channels. What are your flight time needs and which battery are you choosing? Once you get the gimbal,go pro and fpv you will be at max weight of the 550. Dji has a new motor out that they claim has more lifting capacity than the E300's.
 
EMCSQUAR said:
Question for you - why don't you use a NAZA v2 flight controller?

I have a 550 that has E300s, ESCs, Naza V2, IOSD mini, am using Futaba Rx & Tx and a Zenmuse H33D gimbal and it flies like a dream.

I am trying to keep costs down. My flight controller will cost either about $95 or about $170 and will do everything NAZA V2 plus on screen display and waypoints.
 
jimandsue60 said:
You are going to limit your capabilities with the DJI transmitter and receiver. You will need more channels. What are your flight time needs and which battery are you choosing? Once you get the gimbal,go pro and fpv you will be at max weight of the 550. Dji has a new motor out that they claim has more lifting capacity than the E300's.

The other motors may be E600s. They cost $449 as opposed to $179 for the E300s.

Flight times are flexible - I am not shooting for long range flights, so it will be easy to land whenever I need.

I am trying to decide between 3s and 4s batteries. 4s would give me more power, right?

My plan for channels are the equivalent of GPS, ATTI and Failsafe on S1 and the equivalent of Home Lock and the circle function on S2. I never use Course Lock.
 
"The other motors may be E600s.

Flight times are flexible - I am not shooting for long range flights, so it will be easy to land whenever I need.

I am trying to decide between 3s and 4s batteries. 4s would give me more power, right?

My plan for channels are the equivalent of GPS, ATTI and Failsafe on S1 and the equivalent of Home Lock and the circle function on S2. I never use Course Lock."

If you choose the E600 motors you will need a 6S battery, I use the E600 motors on a 450 using 2 3S batteries in series. Yes 4S will be a bit more responsive on the E300 motors. Don't you want to be able to tilt the camera on a gimbal or be able to turn lights on or off? If so you would need additional channels.
 
The question of using 3s or 4s batteries....

Why are smaller props recommended for 4s batteries? Does anyone know the rated thrust of E300 motors with each combination?

I know motors with higher KV values need smaller props, because of differences in the windings and the size of the motor, but cannot figure out why it makes a difference with the same motor.
 
I think that when you use a 4S battery the big props are to heavy as the motors are trying to spin faster with vs the 3S battery.
 
jimandsue60 said:
"

[color=#FF0000 Don't you want to be able to tilt the camera on a gimbal or be able to turn lights on or off? If so you would need additional channels.[/color]

Yes, I forgot about that, but the Phantom transmitter has the lever for that.

I may very well upgrade the transmitter and receiver later. I just want to get it in the air with the budget I have right now. I have the frame and maybe another $300-400 to spend right now. Motors, ESCs and props are $179.

No, I have no plans for extra lights at this point.

Flamewheels are never "done", are they?
 
jimandsue60 said:
You are going to limit your capabilities with the DJI transmitter and receiver. You will need more channels. What are your flight time needs and which battery are you choosing? Once you get the gimbal,go pro and fpv you will be at max weight of the 550. Dji has a new motor out that they claim has more lifting capacity than the E300's.
The new DJI motors are 2312 960Kv
 
darwin-t said:
jimandsue60 said:
"

[color=#FF0000 Don't you want to be able to tilt the camera on a gimbal or be able to turn lights on or off? If so you would need additional channels.[/color]

Yes, I forgot about that, but the Phantom transmitter has the lever for that.

I may very well upgrade the transmitter and receiver later. I just want to get it in the air with the budget I have right now. I have the frame and maybe another $300-400 to spend right now. Motors, ESCs and props are $179.

No, I have no plans for extra lights at this point.

Flamewheels are never "done", are they?
You can buy the F550 kit with E300 propulsion system, Naza Lite with GPS for about $400.

I do prefer the new 2312 motors and Mark II Esc's, but they cost more. I am using the DJI Phantom 1.1.1 transmitter and Phantom 2 (2.4 ghz) receiver on my two waterproof Dex quads. If you already have this transmitter and receiver, it is a no brainer to get started on the cheap.
 
darwin-t said:
The question of using 3s or 4s batteries....

Why are smaller props recommended for 4s batteries? Does anyone know the rated thrust of E300 motors with each combination?

You can try the same props if you already have them. Just do some short flights and check the motors for over-heating. Larger props with larger batteries (greater RPM due to KV) means the motor will work harder. Weight has little to do with it usually - it is the amount of air the larger props are slicing. On RC airplanes it is very noticeable and I'm sure it is the same for multi-rotors. Having said that, I've run larger props on my P1 and it worked fine. Nothing wrong with trying one size up - just don't overwork it until you check the heat.

Someone may have done a test stand with 4S and published it as a forum post somewhere, but I have not seen official thrust measurements for E300 and 4S. It will be more, obviously. Given similar pitch but longer props, your wattage out will be more and that is 'normally' a sign of more thrust. The same type motor as the E300 will swing a bigger prop with a 4S but it does get warm. I base that on my experience with single motor airplanes.

re: 550s are never finished

Yep. You will be wanting a bigger airframe after you play with this one, too. It is like drinking from a spittoon ... once you start, you can't stop
 
syotr said:
You can buy the F550 kit with E300 propulsion system, Naza Lite with GPS for about $400.

I do prefer the new 2312 motors and Mark II Esc's, but they cost more. I am using the DJI Phantom 1.1.1 transmitter and Phantom 2 (2.4 ghz) receiver on my two waterproof Dex quads. If you already have this transmitter and receiver, it is a no brainer to get started on the cheap.

I ordered the F550 with E300 propulsion, Naza-M V2, GPS, and Landing Gear kit through B&H for $549 (free shipping and no tax). I opted to go with the FrSky Taranis X9D PLUS and FrSKY X8R receiver. I'm still deciding on what Gimbal to use. I may opt to move my H3-2D from the Phantom 2 but I would rather keep that intact.
 
OBX Kevin said:
I ordered the F550 with E300 propulsion, Naza-M V2, GPS, and Landing Gear kit through B&H for $549 (free shipping and no tax).

I have $454 in mine, and I think I am done. I really wanted to go a different direction with the flight controller, though. This Pixhawk (clone, actually) is amazing. It has autonomous flight via waypoints and I just discovered the logging capabilities. It gives you the chance of logging several different things and you can pull charts up to see exactly what happened while flying it. You can even connect to it with an Android device and tell it to follow you.

I wrote to the people I'm buying it off of to ask them about the S-BUS - D-BUS thing. If that doesn't work, I will go with a Turnigy 9X, I guess.

I made a simple GoPro mount for it, a simple Kydex plate that runs between the front arms. I'm making landing gear for it, too. Extensions for the ones at the ends of the arms. The battery will be underneath, so I need more clearance.
 
I got propulsion system today - the motors, ESCs, and propellers. I have the frame almost ready to go, waiting on the flight controller and receiver now.

I have a question:

How does one attach a battery to the bottom of an f550?? Can slots be cut into the bottom plate for a strap as long as care is taken to keep the top and bottom surfaces aren't connected in any way?
 
I put mine on the top. It was easier all around. On the 550, most of the electronics fit in the middle deck so there is plenty of room. On my 810, which has little room in the middle so I had to pile the electronics on top, I put the battery on the bottom and it is a PITA to change out compared to the 550. For the 810, I attached bottom rails for a fore and aft deck - put a Velcro base and then a Velcro strap attached to the rails. For any bottom mount, I would do a 'belt and suspenders' job. The 810 uses a 10 amp 6S battery so I made a cocoon of Velcro (essentially). It works well... had a bad landing last year and it still held the battery in place.
 

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