Preface:

Hello and welcome to the world of RC hobbies! You are only one eBook away from
knowing all you need to know about building your very own Quadcopter drone!

In this eBook, you can expect a step-by-step guide on building Quadcopters. I just recently
built my very own Quadcopter for the first time and wanted to share my knowledge with
you. Yes, you!

I remember when I first wanted to build a Quadcopter. I had no idea where to start, what
to do, or what I needed. So I researched online, talked to RC Hobby stores and RC
specialists. Eventually, I figured it all out, and now I enjoy flying a Quadcopter I built.

Ive also been able to fly it multiple times through FPV (first-person-view). In this eBook,
I will tell you everything you need to know. I will show you exactly what I did with
pictures for a step-by-step guide. As they say, a picture is worth a 1000 words.

One thing to remember as you read through this eBook is that there are several different
parts for Quadcopters. I will be guiding you as best I can with each basic part and its
function. I will instruct you how everything assembles together as simply as possible. This
way it is clear to you, and if you have different types of parts than me, you will know
enough to figure it out on your own.

Also, remember that there are tri-copters, quad-copters, hexa-copters, and even octa-
copters. So if you are building a copter other than a quad, follow the same steps for the
quad, but apply it for the number of motors that you are building for.

I also highly suggest reading through this entire eBook before starting your project. It will
help you identify any issues that might occur later. Keep in mind while you are reading, to
stop and think. This is a detailed subject and I promise that if you slowly read and ponder
the detailed information, it will soon click.

I hope you enjoy reading this eBook, and by all means, if you have ANY questions, dont
hesitate to email me at russonscott@gmail.com, Enjoy!
About The Author
Scott Russon loves the outdoors, recreation, and flying RC aircraft! Although the sparks
he had as a kid flying an RC helicopter didnt strike a flame, he later caught onto the RC
hobby and now has a growing blaze of passion.

Scott has always had an interest for the outdoors. He enjoys camping, ATVs, and of
course, RC aircraft. He also loves playing sports, especially basketball.

As of March 2016, Scott has been focused on flying RC aircraft for about one year. His
passion began after he purchased his first beginner RC airplane in the summer of 2015.
Then he immersed himself into the hobby and now has an unending desire to fly!

Scott started RC Plane Fun in January of 2016. It was created to help beginning RC pilots
get into the hobby and not give up. He hopes to inform and spread knowledge about the
RC hobby so others can enjoy it as much as him.

Table of Contents (Clickable):

PREFACE:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
WHAT YOULL NEED:
PART ONE: ASSEMBLE FRAME AND ATTACH MOTORS
PART TWO: SOLDERING THE ESCS AND PDB
PART THREE: MOUNT THE ELECTRONICS
PART FOUR: CONNECTING WIRES
PART FIVE: SETUP AND TESTING
PART SIX: SETTING UP THE FPV
RESOURCES: PARTS LIST
COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
THANK YOU!

What Youll Need:

1 X Frame
4 X Motors
4 X ESCs
1 X Receiver
1 X Flight Controller
1 X Battery
1 X Transmitter
1 X FPV Camera
1 X FPV Headset
Miscellaneous Items described below.

Understanding the basics

Frame: The Quadcopter frame holds all of the parts together. Its what gives the
Quadcopter character. Smaller frames tend to be for racing while larger ones are usually
for aerial photography.



Motors: This is what powers your Quadcopter to fly in the air. They spin the four
propellers to fly.

ESCs: This is what controls the speed of each motor (Electronic Speed Controller). It
tells the motor how fast to run. You can get different ESCs for different cell counts and
amps. The ones I have are 2-4s (cell) 18 Amps. So that means I can run 2-4s batteries and
up to 18 amps.

Flight Controller: This works along with the ESCs. It determines how fast or slow each
motor spins simultaneously.


Receiver: This receives the signal from the transmitter, which controls the Quadcopter.
It determines what the transmitter is saying and responds accordingly. Its up to you how
many channels you want. For this Quad, all you need is a basic four channel receiver, but
if you want to add more features like lights, than get a receiver with more channels.

Transmitter: This is the controller that communicates to the receiver on the
Quadcopter. This is how you fly your Quadcopter.

Battery: Provides power to all of the electronics on board, mainly the motors.

FPV Headset and Camera: This allows you to see a live video feed from the camera on
your Quadcopter, to your headset.

Miscellaneous: You will also need propellers, zip-ties and/or rubber bands, battery
strap, power distribution board, a few electrical wires, and a soldering iron. You may also
need a Battery Eliminator Circuit (BEC) and a few other things which I will mention
throughout this eBook.

Part One: Assemble Frame and Attach Motors
Step One: Once you have acquired all of the necessary parts, the first step is to assemble
the frame, if needed. Some frames come ready-to-go while others require some assembly.
The frame I ordered is a 250 class FPV Racer, and I had to connect the bottom frame to
the top with some screws, it only took about 30 minutes to complete.

One thing to be aware of is the power distribution board (PDB). If the PDB is easily
accessible when attached to your frame, then go ahead and attach it. But, if you cant use a
soldering gun on the PDB when it is attached to the frame, you need to solder the PDB
board before it is placed on the frame. Skip to the next part on soldering the PDB. Then
once it is soldered, come back here and follow the next step.

Step Two: The next part is to attach the four motors to the frame. Look at the motors
first and see if there is any assembly needed. All I had to do was screw one bracket on
each motor. Then I was able to secure the motors to the frame with screws that were
provided. Side Note: The four motors and ESCs were a package deal for ~$80. They also
came with a few extra screws.

Part Two: Soldering The ESCs And PDB
With each motor, there should be three colored wires attached. On mine, they are red,
black, and blue. The red wire is for positive, the black wire is for negative, and the blue
wire is what I call the signal wire (it lets the flight controller tell how fast the motor to
spin).

On each ESC, there should also be three wires coming out of both ends. One end should
have the same red, black, and blue wires as the motor does (mine actually has three black
wires instead of being color-coded, as you can see below). The other end of the ESC
should have a red and black wire for positive and negative as well as a signal plug wire
coming out. This is the signal wire that plugs into the flight controller.

SOLDERING:

I like to think of soldering as a mini version of welding. You are connecting two pieces
together and creating a secure connection. If you have a loose connection, it could
disconnect causing your Quadcopter to crash. Follow these steps for proper soldering (If
you dont want to solder anything, you could attach all the wires with connectors and
power the Quadcopter that way, but it adds more weight and takes up space, so I would
solder instead):


1. Tin the wire before soldering. This is done by melting solder onto the wire, which
makes it easier when you connect the two parts.

2. Tin the other wire or circuit board (PDB) as well.

3. Hold the tinned wires/circuit board together and touch them with the solder gun.
This will heat the solder on both connections to join and bond together.

4. Let the solder cool and then gently check for any loose connections.



Step One: From the motor, match the wire colors with the same wire colors from the
ESC and connect them. If they are all black like mine, look at the other end of the ESC to
figure out which one is the positive, negative, and signal wire. You can buy some plug
connectors to attach them. I didnt have any, so I soldered them together along with
electrical tape for a secure connection.

Step Two: Next, you need to solder the red and black wires from the ESC to the PDB
(Power Distribution Board). This is probably the hardest and most time-absorbing task. So
be glad once youve finished soldering because youre that much closer!




The PDB is how the battery powers everything. Each of the four motors is soldered onto
the PDB with a female plug for the battery. There is also a connection from the PDB to the
flight controller and receiver for power. So when the battery is plugged into the PDB, it
can power everything up.

Step Three: Lastly, solder the battery plug onto the PDB. Choose a specific battery plug
for the type of batteries you want to use. I chose the XT-60 plug for my 3s (cell) batteries,
shown in the picture to the right.


Once youve finished soldering/connecting the motor, ESC, battery plug, and PDB
together, you can leave the signal wire (from the ESC) alone until a later step where we
will plug it into the correct location.

Part Three: Mount The Electronics
Now you need to mount the rest of the parts onto the Quadcopter frame. You will need the
Flight Controller, Receiver, and potentially a BEC.

Step One: The first step is to mount the flight controller. Look for a spot on your frame
that is designed specifically for your flight controller. Use nylon screws to mount it to the
frame or anything that wont put too much tension on the flight controller. Its important
that you cushion or provide support to the flight controller. If there is too much tension on
the controller and you crash, it could crack in half. Side Note: You can use zip ties to
secure most anything on your Quadcopter frame. Theyre easy, strong, and cheap.


Step Two: Next, you can mount the Receiver. Just look for any open place on your
frame that you can secure the receiver and have the antenna out in the open. Make sure its
in a good spot for the antenna to communicate with your transmitter.

Step Three: The last thing you need to think about is how youre going to power your
flight controller and transmitter. If your ESC signal wire has three little wires twirled
together that come to a plug, then you have individual BECs in each ESC. This means
that you can use one or all of your ESCs to power the flight controller and receiver. You
dont have to worry about anything.

However, if you dont have three wires, but instead have two little wires twirled together
that come to a plug, then you need a separate BEC (Battery Eliminator Circuit, shown
below) to power the Flight Controller. The BEC is a regulator that switches the voltage
coming off the battery from 11.1v (or whatever voltage your battery is) to 5v. This will
safely power your flight controller and receiver.

All you have to do is solder the BEC to your PDB and then plug it into your receiver. I
soldered it right onto female battery plug (as you can see to the right). This provides
power to the receiver. Then the wires from the receiver to the flight controller provide
power to the flight controller.

Part Four: Connecting Wires
Now that everything essential is on board, its time to plug everything together and tie
everything down. In this section youll need data wires and zip ties, Velcro, and/or rubber
bands.

Step One: Check to make sure your motors, ESCs, battery plug, and BEC are properly
connected or soldered to the PDB. If you notice a loose connection, take the time to re-
solder it, you will be thankful in the end.

Step Two: Plug in each of the signal wires from the ESCs into the flight controller from
top to bottom in this order; refer to the diagram below. The motor one signal plug from the
ESC (top left) plugs into the M1 slot on the right side of the flight controller.

You can also see in the picture below how the ESCs plug into the flight controller. Start
with the top left, then top right, bottom right, and bottom left. They plug into the flight
controller from top to bottom on the right side. Make sure you plug them in correctly with
the negative (black) wire towards the outside, the power (red) wire in the middle (only if
you have a BEC in your ESC), and the signal (white) wire towards the middle of the
flight controller.


Step Three: Now youll need to connect the flight controller and the receiver together.
They have nifty wiring now that saves time, space, and money! Its a data wire with nine
wires stuck together (shown below), perfect for Quadcopters. It comes with 7 plugs; the
first plug carries the power and throttle signal, while the other six are basic data wires that
dont need to be individually powered!

Plug in the throttle data plug into the flight controller on the left side. Place the negative
wire at the bottom, the power (red) wire above that, and the throttle signal wire above that.
Then simply plug in three more single data wires right next to the throttle/power plug, and
tear off the remaining wires that you dont need from the group. These data wires are for
rudder, ailerons, and elevator.

Once these are plugged into the flight controller, go ahead and plug the other ends into the
receiver. Start with the throttle data plug and plug it into the throttle slot on the receiver.
The negative (brown) wire should be facing down, the power (red) wire in the middle pin,
and the throttle signal (pink) wire in the top slot. Then plug in the next three single data
wires in order on the top slots. Yellow in the aileron, green in the elevator, and blue in the
rudder.


The last thing to check is if you are using a separate BEC. If you are, then that needs to be
plugged into the receiver to power the receiver and flight controller. The negative wire
plugs in the bottom, the power wire in the middle, and the signal wire in the top. It does
not matter which slot the BEC plugs into. I have my BEC plugged into the AUX slot. If
youre not using a separate BEC, then the Rx and FC are powered by the BECs in your
ESCs through the signal wire that plugs into the flight controller.


Step Four: Now that everything is plugged in, connected, and/or soldered, its time to
strap everything down. Make sure that there arent any loose wires, connections,
electronics, etc. Everything needs to be secure and away from the propellers when
running. Its important that everything on the Quadcopter is properly secured down so that
nothing comes apart or is damaged by the propellers.



Part Five: Setup and Testing

In this section, you will finish the final touches of your Quadcopter. The last step is setting
up the FPV. Its important that you test everything to make sure its working before your
maiden flight. Once everything is finalized, you are ready to fly!


Step One: The first thing to do is take your propellers off. If the propellers are on the
motors while youre testing the Quadcopter, the motors could start spinning and injure
you. I highly recommend you remove the propellers and keep them off until you are
completely setup and ready to fly.

Once the props are off, plug in your battery and power up the flight controller. It is
recommended that you update to the latest version of your flight controller. I didnt on
mine because I dont have the cable to plug it in. But, Ive been flying it for a while now,
and I havent experienced any issues without updating.

Step Two: Once youre into the flight controller with the battery plugged in, scroll
through the menu and calibrate the sensor. It should be under something like, Sensor
Calibration (make sure the Quad is on a level surface before calibrating). After the
Quadcopter is calibrated, you can adjust any other settings youd like to. But, at this point,
your Quad should basically be ready to fly. If for some reason it isnt, contact me or
google; how to setup (your specific flight controller).


Step Three: Now its time to bind your transmitter to your Quadcopter. Take the bind
plug and stick it into one of the receiver slots (a bind plug is a plug with one wire coming
out the top and going back into the bottom of the plug. Its really small). Then plug the
battery into the Quadcopter. You should see a flashing light coming from the receiver.

Next, turn your transmitter on into bind mode. This is usually done by holding the trainer
switch while turning the transmitter on. Stay in bind mode until the transmitter binds with
the receiver (the flashing light should quit and become steady). Once youve connected to
the Quadcopter, you shouldnt ever have to bind it again.

With the Quadcopter and transmitter connected and both powered on, arm the Quadcopter
(usually done by pushing the rudder all the way right. Disarm it by pushing the rudder all
the way left), and give it some throttle without the propellers on. Ensure that the motors
and everything else are working properly.

Step Four: With the Quadcopter disarmed and grounded, go to the motor layout
section in the flight controller menu. This should give you a diagram of which direction
the motors are programmed to spin. Two motors will spin one way while the other two
spin opposite. This helps stabilize the Quadcopter during flight.

Note which ways the motors are supposed to spin, and check to see if the motors spin the
correct way. If they dont, you will have to switch two of the wires from the motor to the
ESC. Take the positive and negative wires that come from the motor and switch them with
the wires from the ESC. This will reverse the direction of the motor.

Side note: After flying a few times, it may be necessary to adjust some settings. Also, if
you are having a hard time controlling the Quadcopter because its moving too fast and out
of control, you can lower the dual rates on your transmitter. I did this and it helped a ton!

Step Five: Now that the motors are spinning correctly and everything seems to be
operating properly, put the props on! There are specific propellers for each motor. Two
props should be different from the other two. Look at one motor and note which way it
spins.


Take a propeller and place it on the motor. The propeller needs to be angled upwards as
the motor spins. In the picture below, the top propeller is meant to spin clockwise, and the
bottom prop counter-clockwise. Do this for each motor and be sure to tighten the
propellers down securely.

It is now time to truly test your Quadcopter! Take it outside for a test flight. Be extra
cautious on the maiden flight. Look for any issues with the Quadcopter and correct them.
Otherwise youre now done and ready to have several adventures with your very own self-
made Quadcopter. Happy flying!
Part Six: Setting Up The FPV
This is where your Quadcopter turns into a drone. You will need a headset, camera,
transmitter, receiver, and a few miscellaneous parts. For my setup, I bought a package deal
that comes with everything on Hobby king for $100. It claims a range of up to 1500 km
(almost one mile), without any interference. For the price, this is a really good deal.


Step One: Assemble the video ground station (the headset). Whatever brand or type of
FPV headset you get, it may require some assembly. If you get Fat Sharks, there isnt
much you need to do except plugging in wires. However, my setup required more
assembly, heres what I did.

First, I had to glue/tape foam pieces on and around the video screen. Then I had to plug in
cords from the receiver to the video. Next, I put on Velcro for a battery location. Lastly, I
secured everything to the headset to make it portable. One thing I dont like is how heavy
my headset is. With everything attached, it probably weighs about five pounds!

Step Two: Connect everything else together. Take the camera, plug in the cord to the
transmitter, and then screw on the transmitter antenna. Its extremely important that you
dont power on the receiver or transmitter without the antennas on. Its like an exhaust
pipe, without it, the receiver or transmitter would fry up and get damaged.


After your headset assembly is done, screw on the antenna for the receiver. Now, plug in a
battery to the camera and headset to power everything up.

In order to receive live video from the camera, both the transmitter and receiver need to be
on the same channel. I wont go in depth on the best channel to use, but, the lower the
frequency means the farther the range. 5.8 Ghz is the most common frequency for FPV,
and there are usually several sub channels that you can tune to. For more information on
FPV, look at my webpage, http://www.rcplanefun.net/learn-rc/fpv-first-person-view/

Once everything is connected, powered on, and tuned to the same channel, you should see
live video on your headset. If not, check for loose wires and anything that appears out of
the ordinary.

Step Three: Attach the FPV camera. Now you need to place your FPV camera on your
Quadcopter. I placed mine in the very front, facing straight forward. If you plan on fast
FPV racing, then I suggest you angle your camera upwards. This way you can still see
where youre going when the Quadcopter is at a steep forward angle.


Now you are completely finished with your Quadcopter drone. Its an exciting and
different experience when flying FPV. It may take some getting accustomed to. Here are
some tips to help you fly well.

Know your aircraft I highly recommend flying your Quadcopter regularly at first.
Figure out how it likes to fly, especially speed. Master your Quadcopter first and
then try out the FPV.
Fly the Quad into the air first, and then pull the goggles down over your eyes to fly
FPV.
Always move forward, dont let your Quadcopter fly backwards while in FPV. Its
hard to know your quadcopters orientation through FPV.
Dont fly out of signal range. You can do a range check to see exactly how far away
you can fly FPV. If your video gets blurry or starts cutting out, fly closer to home
base.


Resources: Parts List
In this section I will provide you with a complete list of everything I used on my
Quadcopter. I purchased everything but the BEC from Hobby King online. My Quad is
basically a 250 class FPV racer. I love the design; its small, powerful, fast, and fun!

Frame

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__79469__H_King_Color_250_Class_FPV_Racer_

Motors and ESCs

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__82987__DYS_BE1806_2300KV_Combo_set_wit

Flight Controller

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__65211__Hobbyking_KK2_1_5_Multi_rotor_LCD
strSearch=Kk%20con

Receiver

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__46632__OrangeRx_R615X_DSM2_DSMX_Com

BEC

http://www.horizonhobby.com/product/airplanes/airplane-accessories/other-
accessories/castle-bec-cse010000400

Battery

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__21340__ZIPPY_Compact_1500mAh_3S_25C_Li

Battery Plug

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__10254__XT60_Male_w_12AWG_Silicon_Wire_1

Flight Controller to Receiver Data Plugs

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__64627__HobbyKing_Super_Clean_RC_Male_to_

FPV Headset and Camera

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__63646__Quanum_Complete_FPV_Bundle_Set_w

Copyright and Disclaimer
Copyright 2016 by Scott Russon

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any
manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the
use of brief quotations in a book review.

No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

The information provided within this eBook is for general informational purposes only.
While we try to keep the information up-to-date and correct, there are no representations
or warranties, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability
or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics
contained in this eBook for any purpose. Any use of this information is at your own risk.

The methods describe within this eBook are the authors personal thoughts. They are not
intended to be a definitive set of instructions for this project. You may discover there are
other methods and materials to accomplish the same end result.

The information contained within this eBook is strictly for educational purposes. If you
wish to apply ideas contained in this eBook, you are taking full responsibility for your
actions.

The author has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information within this
book was correct at time of publication. The author does not assume and hereby disclaims
any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or
omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from accident, negligence, or any other
cause.
Thank You!
I want to personally thank you for supporting me and reading this eBook! I truly hope I
have been able to guide you through building your own Quadcopter as easily as possible.

Please contact me if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, tips, or ideas. Even
if you just want to say thanks, feel absolutely free to email me at russonscott@gmail.com
and I will do my best to respond quickly!

Once again, thank you very much for your support and I hope you can enjoy the thrilling
hobby of RC flying. If you want to learn even more about RC aircraft, check out my
website, RC Plane Fun at rcplanefun.net! Its a very intuitive site all about flying RC
planes, helicopters, quads, drones, etc.