HOW TO BUILD A QUADCOPTER TIMELAPSE
The frame - Turnigy Talon Carbon Fiber Quadcopter Frame
This is an awesome frame that I found for a relatively inexpensive price considering its almost full carbon fiber. Its sturdy as hell and so far there are no obvious design flaws. 30$
Motors - Turnigy L2210A-1650 Brushless Motor
These motors are fantastic. They produce plenty of lift if you plan on carrying a GoPro or any other sort of camera and they are relatively cheap compared to some other high end ones. The real bonus though is that they come with prop adapters so they should fit just about any size props you want to put on this drone. You need at minimum 4 of these but i recommend buying a couple extra just to be on the safe side. 11$ each
Electronic Speed Controllers - 25amp Speed Controller
These ESC's are rugged and work really well. ESC's control the motors by varying the amount of current that is sent to them, these are a must for any RC vehicle using brushless motors. Don't buy any that go bellow 25amp because they need to be able to take the high current that the battery is going to be putting out. You need 4 of these and it is optional if you want to buy extra but they are securely attached to the frame so it is unlikely you will damage them in any crashes. 12.50$each
EDIT #1 The propellers I have listed bellow are slightly too big for the motors I previously listed above. This is an issue that has come to my attention and that needs some sorting out. If you want to use the props that are listed below all you need to buy are heftier motors. Likewise, If you choose to use the motors listed above all you need to is buy some smaller props, most likely 9*4.7. AsFlyingsurfer848 pointed out (in the comment section) it is optimal to instead use motors with a KV rating closer to 1000 and 9*4.7 props. However if you are like me and have already got the props listed bellow and the motors previously listed above, they WILL still work! The risk is only noticeable when you max the throttle and frankly I have never taken it up past half because that's already plenty of power. So there is no reason to panic.
Propellers - 10x4.5 SF Props 2pc Standard Rotation/2 pc RH Rotation (Black)
10 inch pros work well with the size of the Turnigy frame. They produce plenty of thrust combined with the motors above and they fit the prop adapters. Feel free to also buy these in different colors Stock up on plenty of these! Because these are what tend BREAK THE FASTEST if you are new Quadcopter pilot like myself. 3$(set of 2CWR 2CCWR)
EDIT #1 Propeller Balancer - Just Google search some of these. They are very useful in getting all your props weighted nicely so they cause less vibration. Buy some high grit sandpaper to lightly file the props down with. 10 - 25$
Flight Controller - Hobbyking KK2.0 Multi-rotor LCD Flight Control Board
After scouring the Hobbyking website for more than a couple days I found this board. It comes jam packed right out of the box with all the software needed to fly the quad. Through this board it is also possible to calibrate all ESC's within 30 seconds which i found most impressive since it saves a lot of tedious programming. The LED screen also makes navigating the board a cake walk. I highly recommend purchasing this board if you are new to Quadcopters and multi-rotor craft because it truly simplifies life. 30$ (worth the price)
Transmitter/Receiver - Turnigy 6X FHSS 2.4ghz Transmitter and Reciever (Mode 1)
At minimum to fly a quad you need 4 channels but I'm going to tell you now that it will be much easier if you get one that has 6. This remote also lets you reverse the channels which makes it easy to configure and control your quad. 30$
ESC Programming Card - BESC Programming Card
There are a bunch of ways to program ESC's but I figured that this is the simplest way to do it. Make sure that which ever card you purchase is compatible with your ESC's. This turnigy card is compatible with all Turnigy plush speed controllers. 7$
Battery - 2200mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack
Of course a battery is essential for your Quad. Feel free to choose whatever brand you want as long as it does not exceed 4S (meaning 4 cells). The higher the C rating the higher the current your battery will put out which gives more power to your Quad but also discharges your battery faster. 8$
Velcro Straps - VELCRO U.S.A. INC 3/4-Inch 12-Feet
To attach the battery to the bottom of my Quadcopter I used these Velcro straps. Its efficient and the straps fit perfectly in the slots on the bottom of the frame. There is probably tons of other ways to accomplish attaching the battery but i found this way to be quick and easy. 6$
Battery Charger - Turnigy Accucel-6 50W 6A Balancer
Most chargers will work with just about any type of battery so you kinda have free reign over choosing your own. This Turnigy one works really well and it allows me to program the number of cells and type of battery i'm charging. (It is also optional to buy a power supply for this charger so you don't need to use a car battery.) 23$
Power Distribution Board - Hobby King Quadcopter Power Distribution Board
I highly recomend getting one of these. It makes connecting your ESC's to the battery simple and reduces the mess of wires you will have dangling around the Quadcopter. 4$
Bullet Connectors - 3.5mm Bullet Connectors - 10 Pairs
Its nice to be able to disassemble your quad if you have a malfunction or you accidentally make a wrong connection so use these to make all of your connections on the Quadcopter with the exception of the battery. Buy a couple sets at least because it will be nice to have some extras in the event that one comes off due to a bad soldering job. 5$ (for 10 pairs)
Wire - Wire 16AWG (1mtr)
Its up to you if you think you'll need it or not but it helped me out cause it meant I didn't have to stretch the ESC's as much on the frame. If you get some extra wire, purchase 1mtr of Red and Black (It helps differentiate + and -) plus its cheap. 1$(for 1mtr)
Servo Leads - Male to Male Servo Lead
You will absolutely need these (if you don't already have any) to connect the receiver to the KK 2.0 Flight Controller. 5$ (set of 10)
Above is the list of all the parts I needed to order but just in case (bellow) this is a second smaller list for all the extra stuff I used that i'm assuming you already have:
- Heat shrink to clean up soldering connections and prevent short circuiting the system.
- Helping hands to make soldering easier.
- A Dremel to cut off long screws. This is optional but i had to use it on a couple occasions.
- Allen Wrench set because you will not receive any with the frame kit.
- Ratchet for tightening nuts.
- Loctite to make sure nothing would come loose.
- EDIT #1 Gorilla glue works great instead of loctite for the frame, ensures that you wont have any legs moving around.
- Soldering Iron and SolderThe frame - Turnigy Talon Carbon Fiber Quadcopter Frame
This is an awesome frame that I found for a relatively inexpensive price considering its almost full carbon fiber. Its sturdy as hell and so far there are no obvious design flaws. 30$
Motors - Turnigy L2210A-1650 Brushless Motor
These motors are fantastic. They produce plenty of lift if you plan on carrying a GoPro or any other sort of camera and they are relatively cheap compared to some other high end ones. The real bonus though is that they come with prop adapters so they should fit just about any size props you want to put on this drone. You need at minimum 4 of these but i recommend buying a couple extra just to be on the safe side. 11$ each
Electronic Speed Controllers - 25amp Speed Controller
These ESC's are rugged and work really well. ESC's control the motors by varying the amount of current that is sent to them, these are a must for any RC vehicle using brushless motors. Don't buy any that go bellow 25amp because they need to be able to take the high current that the battery is going to be putting out. You need 4 of these and it is optional if you want to buy extra but they are securely attached to the frame so it is unlikely you will damage them in any crashes. 12.50$each
EDIT #1 The propellers I have listed bellow are slightly too big for the motors I previously listed above. This is an issue that has come to my attention and that needs some sorting out. If you want to use the props that are listed below all you need to buy are heftier motors. Likewise, If you choose to use the motors listed above all you need to is buy some smaller props, most likely 9*4.7. AsFlyingsurfer848 pointed out (in the comment section) it is optimal to instead use motors with a KV rating closer to 1000 and 9*4.7 props. However if you are like me and have already got the props listed bellow and the motors previously listed above, they WILL still work! The risk is only noticeable when you max the throttle and frankly I have never taken it up past half because that's already plenty of power. So there is no reason to panic.
Propellers - 10x4.5 SF Props 2pc Standard Rotation/2 pc RH Rotation (Black)
10 inch pros work well with the size of the Turnigy frame. They produce plenty of thrust combined with the motors above and they fit the prop adapters. Feel free to also buy these in different colors Stock up on plenty of these! Because these are what tend BREAK THE FASTEST if you are new Quadcopter pilot like myself. 3$(set of 2CWR 2CCWR)
EDIT #1 Propeller Balancer - Just Google search some of these. They are very useful in getting all your props weighted nicely so they cause less vibration. Buy some high grit sandpaper to lightly file the props down with. 10 - 25$
Flight Controller - Hobbyking KK2.0 Multi-rotor LCD Flight Control Board
After scouring the Hobbyking website for more than a couple days I found this board. It comes jam packed right out of the box with all the software needed to fly the quad. Through this board it is also possible to calibrate all ESC's within 30 seconds which i found most impressive since it saves a lot of tedious programming. The LED screen also makes navigating the board a cake walk. I highly recommend purchasing this board if you are new to Quadcopters and multi-rotor craft because it truly simplifies life. 30$ (worth the price)
Transmitter/Receiver - Turnigy 6X FHSS 2.4ghz Transmitter and Reciever (Mode 1)
At minimum to fly a quad you need 4 channels but I'm going to tell you now that it will be much easier if you get one that has 6. This remote also lets you reverse the channels which makes it easy to configure and control your quad. 30$
ESC Programming Card - BESC Programming Card
There are a bunch of ways to program ESC's but I figured that this is the simplest way to do it. Make sure that which ever card you purchase is compatible with your ESC's. This turnigy card is compatible with all Turnigy plush speed controllers. 7$
Battery - 2200mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack
Of course a battery is essential for your Quad. Feel free to choose whatever brand you want as long as it does not exceed 4S (meaning 4 cells). The higher the C rating the higher the current your battery will put out which gives more power to your Quad but also discharges your battery faster. 8$
Velcro Straps - VELCRO U.S.A. INC 3/4-Inch 12-Feet
To attach the battery to the bottom of my Quadcopter I used these Velcro straps. Its efficient and the straps fit perfectly in the slots on the bottom of the frame. There is probably tons of other ways to accomplish attaching the battery but i found this way to be quick and easy. 6$
Battery Charger - Turnigy Accucel-6 50W 6A Balancer
Most chargers will work with just about any type of battery so you kinda have free reign over choosing your own. This Turnigy one works really well and it allows me to program the number of cells and type of battery i'm charging. (It is also optional to buy a power supply for this charger so you don't need to use a car battery.) 23$
Power Distribution Board - Hobby King Quadcopter Power Distribution Board
I highly recomend getting one of these. It makes connecting your ESC's to the battery simple and reduces the mess of wires you will have dangling around the Quadcopter. 4$
Bullet Connectors - 3.5mm Bullet Connectors - 10 Pairs
Its nice to be able to disassemble your quad if you have a malfunction or you accidentally make a wrong connection so use these to make all of your connections on the Quadcopter with the exception of the battery. Buy a couple sets at least because it will be nice to have some extras in the event that one comes off due to a bad soldering job. 5$ (for 10 pairs)
Wire - Wire 16AWG (1mtr)
Its up to you if you think you'll need it or not but it helped me out cause it meant I didn't have to stretch the ESC's as much on the frame. If you get some extra wire, purchase 1mtr of Red and Black (It helps differentiate + and -) plus its cheap. 1$(for 1mtr)
Servo Leads - Male to Male Servo Lead
You will absolutely need these (if you don't already have any) to connect the receiver to the KK 2.0 Flight Controller. 5$ (set of 10)
Above is the list of all the parts I needed to order but just in case (bellow) this is a second smaller list for all the extra stuff I used that i'm assuming you already have:
- Heat shrink to clean up soldering connections and prevent short circuiting the system.
- Helping hands to make soldering easier.
- A Dremel to cut off long screws. This is optional but i had to use it on a couple occasions.
- Allen Wrench set because you will not receive any with the frame kit.
- Ratchet for tightening nuts.
- Loctite to make sure nothing would come loose.
- EDIT #1 Gorilla glue works great instead of loctite for the frame, ensures that you wont have any legs moving around.
- Soldering Iron and Solder
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