How to build a 5” freestyle drone

What is FPV？FPV means First Person View, drones are popular for their excitement and technical challenges. Today, we will show you how to build a 5" freestyle FPV drone, helping beginners with the whole process from choosing parts to building a drone.

 

Parts Select

1. Frame

For a 5" freestyle FPV drone, a sturdy frame is suitable. The frame is made of various materials such as carbon fiber, aluminum, and plastic. Carbon fiber frames are popular because of their light weight and high strength. When choosing a suitable frame for a freestyle drone, consider factors such as stack size, motor mounting options, and the ability to accommodate different battery sizes. We recommend our Photon frame for its compatibility, stability and suitability for beginners.

 

2. Stack

The stack consists of the FC and ESC. The FC is the "brain" of the drone, responsible for receiving remote control signals and controlling the flight attitude. Generally, there are F4, F7 and H7 types of flight controller, which are determined by the main controller chip.

1. F405: The F405 FC usually supports up to 6 PWM output channels, which is enough to support traditional X4, Y6 and X8. Support for X8 mode requires hardware and software configuration, but due to the fewer UART and I2C interfaces, there may be some limitations when connecting peripherals.
2. F722 flight controller: F722 flight controller usually supports more PWM output channels, which can be more easily configured and support X8. The hardware capabilities of F722 allow for greater flexibility, the ability to connect more peripherals at the same time, and perform complex flight control operations.

ESCs are important components that connect flight controllers and motors, and are used to control the speed and direction of the motors. When choosing ESCs, make sure they support the voltage and current requirements of the drone and have good heat dissipation performance.

For beginners or pilots with limited budgets, we recommend our Velox F7 V50A SE Stack

For advanced pilots or high-level pilots, we recommend our G4+P60A V2

 

3. Motors

The motor is the power source of the drone, and its performance directly affects the flight characteristics. Look for a brushless motor with enough thrust-to-weight ratio to ensure agility and acrobatics. Generally, our motors will choose the motor size and KV according to the frame size and battery voltage. For example, Pacer 2207 1950KV. 22 is the diameter of the stator, and 07 is the height of the silicon steel. For a 5" freestyle drone, we can give priority to 2207 or 2306 motors.

 

For beginners or pilots with limited budgets, we recommend our V2207/V2306 V3 motors

For advanced pilots or high-level pilots, we recommend our P2207/P2306 V3 motors

 

4. Propeller

The propeller are responsible for generating lift. The propeller need to be selected according to your frame and motor. Generally, we will mark the model of each propeller with size. For example, our F5146 propeller, 51 is 5.1 inches, which refers to the size of the propeller; the 46 behind it represents the pitch. Simply put, the pitch is the distance the propeller moves forward in one spin. The pitch size affects the pulling force and feel. Generally, the larger the pitch, the greater the pulling force. But the pitch is not the bigger the better. The propeller with a large pitch also brings a large load to the motor, while the propeller with a small pitch has the advantage of faster response and more linearity. Therefore, racing drones generally tend to choose propellers with large pitches, which are faster and more violent, while freestyle drones usually prefer to use propellers with smaller pitches to obtain smoother flight and fast response. We generally recommend P49436 propellers for 5" freestyle drone.

 

5. Battery

The battery is the power source of the drone. Choosing a suitable battery requires considering the drone's endurance requirements and weight restrictions. Generally, we have two options for batteries, 4S and 6S. We recommend using 6S batteries to ensure sufficient flight time and power output.

 

6. Camera and VTX

One of the important features of FPV drones is real-time image transmission, so the selection of cameras and VTX is crucial. The camera should be selected with high clarity and strong adaptability to the environment, and the VTX should ensure stable transmission and low latency.

 

7. Remote control and goggles

The remote control and goggles are key equipment for controlling drones. For FPV drones, it is recommended to use a remote control with multiple channels and high sensitivity.

 

8. Other peripherals

In addition, you need to prepare tools and accessories such as soldering iron, solder wire, screwdriver, screw box, digital multimeter, etc. for use during assembly and debugging.

 

Building steps

1. Assemble the frame

Assemble the frame step by step according to the frame's instructions to ensure that each component is tightly connected and stable. During the assembly process, pay attention to checking whether each screw is tightened to avoid loosening during flight. Generally, our frames will have instructions. Pay attention to polishing all sharp edges on the carbon fiber parts of the frame to prevent collisions. Sharp edges may damage the motor wires.

 

2. Install the motor

Fix the motor to the four corners of the frame and fix the base with screws. Pay attention to the screws to check whether the length is appropriate and do not contact the coil, otherwise the motor will burn easily. After installing the motor, you can use a cable tie or motor wire tube to cover the motor wire, and then try to assemble the ESC and FC to determine the length of the motor wire. You can cut off the excessively long motor wire.

 

3. Install the stack

Before installing the ESC and FC, it is recommended to read the instructions and wiring diagram carefully. Generally, when using a stack, the ESC and the FC can be directly plugged in. When installing the stack, please confirm whether the spacing between it and the frame is sufficient to prevent electronic products from directly contacting the carbon plate, which may easily burn during flight (generally, there are high and low shock absorbers in the accessories of the stack that can be used). After installation, you can check whether the installation is horizontal with the frame (if you cannot judge visually, you can try to use a screwdriver to compare whether the installation is horizontal). Otherwise, you will hear some propeller washing sounds during flight, and the motor will be very hot after flight. Or we can isolate the flight control directly. Because when we pull the motor wire, the ESC has a probability of tilting back and forth, and the tilt of the ESC will affect the tightness of the shock absorber column, and the flight control will also tilt. We can consider adding 4 nuts on the top of the ESC and 4 nuts on the top of the FC, so that the FC and the ESC can be in a perfect horizontal.

 

4. Soldering of other peripherals

Fix the camera in a suitable position on the frame and connect the VTX. Make sure the camera viewing angle is appropriate and the VTX signal does not interfere. Use the multimeter's continuous mode and test the positive and negative pads of the XT60 connector or pad to confirm whether there is a short circuit. If there is no short circuit, you can solder a capacitor to the ESC and then solder the power cable and motor wire. Plug in the short-circuit protector and battery, check whether the ESC's self-test sound is complete, and then install the FC and other peripherals.

 

5. After the installation

After the stack and peripherals are installed, we can use the short-circuit protector and battery to check whether the stack is working properly. First, the light of the FC is on, and second, whether the self-test sound of the FC is complete.

 

6. Debugging and testing

After the assembly is completed, conduct a comprehensive test and debugging. First, check whether the connection of each component is firm and reliable, and then perform a flight test to observe the flight attitude and stability of the drone. If there is a problem, debug and correct it in time.

 

6. Debugging and testing

After the assembly is completed, conduct a comprehensive test and debugging. First, check whether the connection of each component is firm and reliable, and then perform a flight test to observe the flight attitude and stability of the drone. If there is a problem, debug and correct it in time.

 

Through the above steps and precautions, we believe you have been able to successfully build a 5" freestyle drone. Cheer up! Keep flying in the air.