DIY Quad Build for Deviation, with Telemetry

Hello, all!

I have, up to this point, flown only "RTF" Quads. Ready for the next step.

I have an interest in "roll your own" quad construction, using off-the-shelf motors, ESCs, props, flight controllers, and frames. I am COMPLETELY overwhelmed by the HUGE quantity of different products on the market, and I'm having a hard time narrowing down to some "buy" decisions.

Quad builders here... can you help me out?

My requirements:

1 - Deviation compatible, with battery, RSSI, and GPS telemetry. I would like the receiver to be compatible with either the stock Walkera module, or nRF24L01 module, but I'm willing to add another module if that's what I really need in order to get the telemetry features I want. The GPS telemetry needs to at LEAST support Altitude reporting, but full coordinates and speed would be desirable!

2 - 250 to 350 sized frame. I want to be able to carry a camera and 5.8GHZ FPV transmitter. This will mainly be a camera platform, but I'm not against it also having some "race" performance and maneuverability if that is also achievable!

3 - I don't necessarily need GPS right away, but I would like to be able to eventually add it in the future. I would like GPS "Waypoint" and "Return Home" autopilot control eventually. Auto-landing and collision avoidance are not within the scope of this build, let's keep it real!

4 - Brushless motors are a MUST for this build. I want motor reliability and no prop gearing. The KISS principle rules!

5 - I want to source as few parts from China as possible... I'm impatient and HATE 2-3 week shipping times. I want to buy everything from U.S. sourced/shipped vendors if possible.

6 - Low cost as possible, but I don't want to "cheap out" on important features and end up with junk. However, I have a max budget around $200, maybe $250 if I really stretch it.

7 - 2S or 3S LiPo power source. As long a flight time as possible without getting "crazy with it" and carrying $60 10,000mAH packs and such! . I'm shooting for 15-20 Min. flight time, but I'd be happy with 10-15 Min. if the former isn't achievable. I have a ton of 2S and 3S packs in the 1500-2800mAH capacity range, it would save me some $$$ if I could base the build on one of those.

8 - I have an extensive electronics, soldering, software engineering, and mechanical background. This stuff doesn't scare me, don't make your suggestions based on "beginner friendly" or "snap together no-soldering" criteria.

Anyone here built something like this? What do you recommend?

Thank you for reading!

There is really only one item on this list that will determine Deviation compatibility, the receiver. Many of us choose the DSMX or Flysky receivers with telemetry and there are a few choices, but in the end you can use pretty much either protocol for similar features. Most flight controllers will connect to either CPPM/PPM or Sbus with a single signal wire to simplify cabling.

So the rest of the Quad is up to you... really, there are thousands of posts on RCG and other sites describing "the best" one or another. I like my APM stuff, someone else likes the naza, and so on. I bought an RTF APM quad to start and made all kinds of mods to learn the craft, and I think a lot of us have had success that way. Cost will play a big factor and if you have the budget there are great providers in the US, with awesome products. If time matters, many Chinese companies have US warehouses. It's a great hobby with a million decisions.

Good luck in your choices and happy flying!

i think you'll be pushing it to get all your wants for $250 buying in the US, and although it's a bit bigger than your after (it could use your 3s2800's or 3s2p1500) at 500mm i think a good choice would be the fpv bundle from mrm, but you'd be nearer $350-400 for a full setup. the fpv bundle is here >> www.multirotormania.com/multirotor-packa...ete-wfpv-bundle.html that's on sale for $238, but you'd still need to add a decent flight controller, something like an APM mini >> www.multirotormania.com/ardupilot/1056-mini-apm.html at $48 and a gps/compass module to suit >> www.multirotormania.com/gps-modules/1217...ase-for-apmhawk.html at $25. that will give you most of the telemetry you're looking for over the osd, but then on top of that i'd use a flysky receiver (and rf module to suit) that will work well with the mini apm and add the final pieces of telemetry data

granted going with something smaller will save you some cash but as i said i think you'll be hard pushed for what your after with your budget unless you go for cheap quality stuff from US stores

You might consider the Emax 250 I have one with full size APM2.6 and it performs very well once correctly tuned, it has no problem carrying a board camera with 5.8 vtx and still has tons of power on 3s 2200 pack..I got it used from RCG forums BNF with cc3d but i wanted to use APM cause that is what i am used to so removed the cc3d and added the APM and camera and use a Lemon dsmx receiver..total invested is around $300
There's a seller on ebay selling APM boards for $25 and i have bought 3 from him and all work perfectly they are bar boards with no case but the case can be bought separately if desired..board works fine without as long as the baro is properly covered ..
Or you could get this... www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2671086