I'm going to pull the trigger!

[RPR]

Hello gang,

Lately, I have been spending a lot of time in my garage and also been staying up late fixing things that are not broken or just watching Youtube FPV videos. Then I got the thinking............. And this crazy idea of me building my first quad, but I don't know how or where to start. Any suggestions?

 

[tevek]

If it were me:
1. Budget for a build and buy from a local dealer where parts are common and easily sourced.
2. What size frame do I want to run with (bigger may be better dependent on your soldering skills)
3. What tools do I need.
4. Use the search engine on this forum for similar posts - there are many.
5. Binge watch Joshua Bardwell videos on the subject.
6. Decide on whether to build your own from scratch or buy a kit style quad.
7. Make sure that whatever I build is compatible with my current Tx and goggle setup.
8. Fill fridge with beer and clear my work bench.

 

[Roadking]

I think building is a good idea. You'll learn a lot and have a better understanding of how things work, plus it opens up a whole new element to the hobby.
I never built a quad. maybe someday. Right now I'm stuck on repairs! ?
Good luck if you decide to go for it.

 

[Wr4ptr]

I highly recommend rotorbuilds.com

Folks post their builds with pics and videos as well as links to the parts. I've built two 5" quads and both were patterned after builds on that site. The two I've built are this iFlight freestyle rig and this TransTec Laser 6S racing build (although, I bought higher kV motors and made this one a 4S rig). I've been super happy with both. Each of those was posted by "Whiffles" who was also personally very helpful and responsive to my questions as I was completing my builds. It's a great site and I was able to successfully build my first two quads without any "local" help.

 

[RPR]

I highly recommend rotorbuilds.com

Folks post their builds with pics and videos as well as links to the parts. I've built two 5" quads and both were patterned after builds on that site. The two I've built are this iFlight freestyle rig and this TransTec Laser 6S racing build (although, I bought higher kV motors and made this one a 4S rig). I've been super happy with both. Each of those was posted by "Whiffles" who was also personally very helpful and responsive to my questions as I was completing my builds. It's a great site and I was able to successfully build my first two quads without any "local" help.

Thank you so much for the link, bro!

I pulled the trigger on the iFlight XL5 V3 based on your experience as well as others.

 

[Roadking]

Thank you so much for the link, bro!

I pulled the trigger on the iFlight XL5 V3 based on your experience as well as others.

Nice. Good luck with the build. Looks like a good first build selection.

 

[RPR]

Nice. Good luck with the build. Looks like a good first build selection.

Thanks, bro. I’m excited and prep my workbench for it.

 

[Wr4ptr]

Thank you so much for the link, bro!

I pulled the trigger on the iFlight XL5 V3 based on your experience as well as others.

Did you get your iFlight rig built? If so, how'd the build go? Are you enjoying the quad?

 

[RPR]

Did you get your iFlight rig built? If so, how'd the build go? Are you enjoying the quad?

I got the frame and the stack, I haven’t started. I’m still doing a lot of research in terms of best motor. BTW I went with the Magnum F4 stack since I’m familiar with it.

 

[Wr4ptr]

I've put iFlight Xing motors on all my quads so far. Bardwell loves them and I'm quite impressed. Great quality. Nice looking... Just a solid choice. I think I got 2450 kv for 4s. Have them on a freestyle rig and a racing rig. Just my 2 cents. I also like the idea of using the same motors across several rigs because then you've always got a backup. Speaking of backup... If it's in the budget, buy 5 motors. More than likely, you'll end up needing the spare. If they are sold out or not available at that time, you'll then have to replace FOUR motors just because one was damaged. Also, you'll get back in the air the next day since you'll have eliminated shipping time.