Mini 130 Quad Build

[LuMan]

I decided to take a bit of a break from my balsa T-10 build and throw a quick FPV jobbie together to boot around the back garden.

A load of stuff turned up from Amazon....



Oooh. These ikkle-wikkle bell-shaped motors are SO cute!!



A quick pre-fit, to see how it all hangs together.



I've never built a quad this small before, nor have I used AIO solutions for FC, Receiver, PDB, etc... so it's a bit of a learning curve.

Next bit... Out with the soldering iron!

[badger1]

aren't you missing some ESCs?

[LuMan]

So, next bit, squeeze the AIO FC and receiver module in.

It's quite a nice fit. I was a bit thrown by the power connectors being at the side, but according to a few internet reviews it does seem to make sense. I couldn't actually fit the power connector directly on the board, so fitted a bit of a tail. I suppose this would help prevent the bit being snapped off when I crash...



Annoyingly, the power for the 4-in-1 ESC is at the back of the unit... And it's mounting holes are only 20x20, instead of 30.5 square. Oh well... We'll just improvise. That's what we do! 



There we go. All the motors are in.



And we're ready to fly!!


It's not much of a build log, as I did ram the build over a couple of nights. In hindsight I perhaps could have picked more compatible components and made the build a bit easier, but part of the fun is working around these issues and finding your own way.

The maiden was interesting. At first the thing just skittered across the floor and went into full motor stop failsafe. No idea why, as it all looked sweet in Betaflight. But a quick firmware update had it flying lovely. I milled a couple of packs of 3S in Horizon Mode, just to get the feel of it. Next step is to fit a camera and get some footage.

I'll keep you posted... 

[LuMan]

aren't you missing some ESCs?

...and as if by magic!! 

TBH, I thought the AIO actually had the ESCs built in. I was probably confused by a 'full' AIO brushed set-up I looked at. Luckily I had a 4-in-1 kicking about in my bits and bobs box!!

[ched]

Looks good. The standoffs look really tall, it might just be an optical illusion as its a small quad.

[LuMan]

Thanks, ched. I'm actually really pleased with it for an initial mini-build. I did a few hover tests this evening in the back garden, followed by a bit of a LOS circuit, but I think it's a bit over-powered for the space. I nearly binned it twice!!

Also, the battery I was using went red-hot and bloated like a barrage balloon. It's a 50C 3S, so shouldn't have suffered too much - particularly as I was only milling around for most of the duration. Maybe I forgot to put the pack into Storage Mode before packing it away....

As for the height of the stand-offs; they do look tall. Possibly due to the small frame. They're 30mm long (or high). With the current (alternative) 3S pack strapped onto the bottom of it, the dimensions are 117mm x 130mm x 75mm (excluding props and antennae).



That Floureon 3S 2200mAh is about the size of a Mars bar in the 1970s!!!! 

[ched]

That Floureon 3S 2200mAh is about the size of a Mars bar in the 1970s!!!

That seems MASSIVE for a 3" quad. My 3" quad R349 runs 4S 650mAh and my X120 2.5" runs 4S 550mAh.
I do try and put batteries back to storage if I know I'm not using the next day. A few years ago I didn't put them in storage charge and when I came to use them they were very puffy. That reminds me they were 3S 1800mAh and 2200mAh and they were for my first 5" quad with 1806 motors 2300kv(we would never use that size of motor these days on a 5"    ) 12Amp esc if I remember correctly!!!!
I currently use a 3S 3300mAh Floureon to power my 1S lipo charger when flying in the garden. I can fly continuously with 9 batteries and 2 chargers    It was the battery I used on my F450 (10" props 920kV motors) and I used to get about 10 mins flight I think.

As for the posts they look fine next to the stack so probably just camera angle.

[Bad Raven]

2200mAh??    

My nearest sized

FULL RANGE

EMax Babyhawk Race  135mm 1106  650mAh 75C 4S or 850mAh 3S

Diatone ET 160 162mm (Dead Cat) 1306/4000, 3025bi, 1300mAh 3S (1500mAh rarely as too heavy)

EMax Hawk 5"  210mm  2206/2300 5"AVAN Tri, 1500mAh 75C 4S (NOT garden)

PARK/GARDEN


BetaFPV HX115  115mm 1105 300mAh 4S (field), 450mAh 3S, 650mAh 2S (Garden)

Diatone ET 150  150mm (Dead Cat) 1106/4000, 450mAh 65C 3S,  370mAh 3S (Sports Hall, Garden)


I have an eighty foot long quite wide garden, and really 90mm is the biggest that is comfortable and allows banked speed circuits and flips.


I do not use 2200mAh on anything less than a full size 250ish frame with 22xx motors and with the right kV and props for either 4S or 3S.

You may well be finding it a handful as its over heavy, so using a lot of revs/power, and as a result will instantly "take off" away from wanted trajectory if not perfectly angled and powered all the time.

 
What is your motor spec?  size?, kV?, what is the weight without battery?  What props do you have on it currently?

[LuMan]

Ah... Perhaps my picture was a bit misleading.... I would never normally fly a drone of this size with that Floureon battery. I have flown my 240 Ghosts with it, and it seems perfect for nice, 'cruise-y' flights. I'm not a full-on FPV seat-of-the-pants pilot by any measure. I've got a couple of those batteries and they are used almost exclusively for my 'planes.

I took the photo with that battery to show scale more than anything else, although I did lap the garden a few times with it, 'cos I REALLY wanted to fly...

Here is the battery I was using originally:


A little smaller and quite light. The mini banged around the garden quite nicely with it, but it did puff a bit and get red hot (the battery, not the quad). I need to do a 'battery shop,' so I'll be looking at some decent, lightweight 3S packs for this little 'un.

If you're interested, here's the kit list:
MissBirdler Mini 130mm CF frame
Matek AIO F405 FC <-- I REALLY like this FC!!
iFlight XING Nano 1204 2-4S Brushless Motor 6500kv
Avan Mini 3" 3-blade props
Spedix IS40 40A 4in1 ESC (2-6S)
LiteBee Flysky FS A8S Mini Receiver

I've got a nifty FPV Micro AIO Camera, too, but the props are sized just right for them to foul the frame's camera bracket, so I'll fashion some sort of holder for it. I get my bonus on Wednesday and a new 3D printer will be acquired!! 

[LuMan]

Just a little update on this for anyone who's interested.

I had an issue with the props fouling the supplied camera mount, so set about designing and printing my own. After a number of prototypes were cast out for STILL getting in the way of the props I finally settled for the following:




The AIO camera/Tx unit sits snugly in the cradle, but I'll still hold it fast with a cable tie or rubber band. Or I may print a nice clip for it.....

I'll post footage as soon as I can get to the field.

[Bad Raven]

I generally use AIO units only up to 90mm frames, as beyond that their more limited range becomes an issue. I use Loom Bands in "matching" colours (!), at least two per installation, and monitor them for stretch/failure. A packet containing ooodles (tech description) came for £1 from Poundland.

Your install puts the antenna up above signal obstructions, which is great, but also makes the camera and antenna more impact vulnerable.  A 130's weight nosing over on landing (or worse) will very likely wave the AIO goodbye, possibly separating the antenna from the PCB.

I have similar sized frames I fitted out and used a separate camera from the VTX/Antenna, located inside the front of the frame on the lower plate. You could still do that with an AIO but might have to alter/extend the antenna co-ax (suitable lengths available cheaply from Ham Radio places and not difficult to solder).

Your camera would then be much better protected and be looking under the prop arc.

I suggest you better route that top wiring to prevent scraggle grabbing it, and if nothing else, "pot" the antenna wire to PCB with silicone or hot glue to make the antenna cable take the impact strain not the PCB.

Best of luck for the maiden flight.