My new project : HJ Alien FPV Quadcopter

Hello dear friends…

I don’t know if all rc heli fliers end up flying FPV multirotors or not, but it seems maybe as the next step in the hobby ?

Don’t know the answer, but I know that since I assembled my 450 heli, I tried to hang my smartphone to the landing skids and try filming the flight:)

Later on, after getting my Walkera Ladybird V.1, I was surprised on how easy an indoor hover is compared to a 6 channel genius cp, which is anyway a  very stable and smooth heli…I think that then, I had the “click” and decided on building a new quadcopter, a 450 size one, against my wife’s opposition

If you are into the quadcopters (or multirotors) already, maybe this info is not useful for you, but if you’re a newbie like me, figuring out all the pieces of this puzzle, then I hope that this info is useful to you…

So, it should all start, like any other project with your requirements: what should your new multirotor do? (quadcopter in my case?)

If you need a heavy lift platform to carry a heavy D-slr camera, then a hexa(6) or even a octo(8) platform is needed.

This is the list of parts I used in my quad project:

-frame : HJ MWC x-mode alien quadcopter 

-FC : the Crius All In One Pro V.20

-bluetooth : FC Bluetooth module

-Gps : - N-06 GPS receiver v.2.0

-UBEC : I choose to use and UBEC for powering the FC, I got this 3A one from here since the 5A version had much higher voltages then specifications;

-ESC : Hobbywing Pentium 30A ESC for quadcopter

-motors : Sunnysky x2212 KV980

-propellers:orange in the back same like my ladybird, hopefully will help my orientations;

-power : XT60- to 4 x ESC cables , instead of the power board used in standard quad designs, this is an direct spliced cable to power the ESC’s;

-various : foam sponge for FC mounting, white/red led stripes and spacers/stand-offs 

Off course, I already had 3S 2200 mAh batteries and balancing charger, a walkera RX-1002 receiver and my Devo 10 transmitter.

In my case a 4 motors(quadcopter) will fit my bill, and if needed able to carry a small camera for DVR purposes(maybe the 808 #16 V2), but also not be very expensive to repair a crash.

There are many quad frames from more or less famous brands, but I choose the HJ 450 alien or locust/flycat/alien or whatever name it might have frame. What’s special about it is that is not symmetrical like the typical 450 frame, but it’s longer and can fit a camera gimbal in the front and the battery on the back to compensate for the weight. Also the front arms are spaced, so that the front blades don’t show up in the field of the camera. I also liked that it has a lot of fixing points and gives you more options to install later add-ons.

Moving on, the main component or the “heart” of the quad is the FC or flight controller. Again, based on your target budget you can choose several types, but the most popular one’s in terms of software used would be the MultiWii and the Megapirate versions. You can search more about each one of these great open source projects in the links. Considering the price vs. features, my choise was the Crius AIOP(All In One Pro) V2.0 flight controller from the RCtimer site. It has all the nice features that more expensive FC’s have but comes to a under 60 usd price tag. Together with it I ordered the N-06 V2.0 GPS module and the FC Bluetooth module for Android.

Since the FC is quite sensitive to powering voltage, I choose to use an UBEC that provides a 5V with maximum 3A current only for the board.

I also have FPV equipment, 5.8Ghz tx/rx, and a SONY 600 VTL cam.

Anyway I will add the FPV stuff only after setting up the quad fully, and getting used to it, since now I can practice only with my Ladybird V1 micro quad…

Now, let’s get to the funny part, where actually I put the “bits and pieces” of this puzzle together to create a new flying machine J

I will structure the build in x main categories :

1.     FRAME
2.     MOTORS & ESC
3.     FC and related connections
4.     Gps and related
5.     Later add-ons
6.     CRIUS AIOP tuning, and my working setups
7.     FPV gear

Please stay tuned for the following parts and enjoy the overview of all the parts I got for this challenging build...