newbie H build

[Poppy Ann]

hi this is my first time trying to build a quad and i based it on the :-

Hobbyking H4 Copter Multi-Rotor Quadcopter Frame 470mm
using Turnigy D2836/9 950KV Brushless Outrunner Motors
and Turnigy Multistar 30 Amp Multi-rotor Brushless ESC 2-4S (OPTO)
and put in a MultiWii MicroWii ATmega32U4 Flight Controller USB/BARO/ACC/MAG

i am still not sure what all the settings are for on the Multi Wii so i am just leaving them all alone except for setting it to arm the board on one of the Aux channels.
i am using a Turnigy 9X 9Ch Transmitter w/ Module & 8ch Receiver (Mode 2) (v2 Firmware) as it seams a decent radio for the price, once i know it fly';s ok i may fit some lights to it so i can see which way it is  moving as i remember getting confused in the past trying to see which way one of my RC planes was moving when up in the air so if i put white lights on the front and red at the back it should make it a little easier to tell.

at the moment i have on 10x45 props but i have two other sizes to see which is the better one to use.

[teslahed]

That';s an interesting looking folding H shaped frame that hobbyking does quite cheap. I hope it works well for you.

Your ESCs would work a lot better if you flashed them with SimonK firmware. It';s a bit of a fiddle to get sorted but it makes a very big difference to basic stability and flight performance;

http://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php?topic=1079.0 (guide to flashing ESCs)

Other than that anything you can do to minimise vibrations will help.

Better prop adapters should make a difference with the motors you are using;

http://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php?topic=276.0

And even cheap carbon fibre props will perform MUCH better than the plastic props you have now;

http://www.rctimer.com/index.php?gOo=goods_search_list.dwt&gcat=191&gtype=

although i would leave the plastic ones on for the first few flights or so.

LEDs will definitely help with orientation (and look pretty!) but one of the advantages of the H quads is that they only have 2 way symmetry, not 4 way, so you can already get better orientation just from the shape in the air. If you use carbon fibre props which only come in black then LEDs become an even more attractive feature.

Default settings should be ok on your multiwii board to start with but after your first few flights or so you are likely to feel a bit dissapointed with the performance. You';ll need to flash the ESCs and then PID tune the multiwii board to get the best out of it.