Dear All,

Am from Kolkata, for past few weeks I have been reading through some of the threads in this awesome forum and gone crazy about this hobby. I am a banker by profession but always wanted to work with electronics since school days and now I find nothing better than aeromodelling after joining RCIndia forum.

Due to my locality and available nearby open space for flying, I have chosen to build a quad-copter.

For the frame I have planned to build from aluminum bars and aluminum plates in the middle which I will source from Chandni Chowk in Kolkata, for other parts I need some guidance with the calculations and prop sizes, SCDs, Control board, Radios as well as the suitable size of the frame since am a total novice In this hobby.

Appreciate if some Kolkata RC friend can help me on this and guide me through the right path.

Waiting for your reply and experts comments.


Thanks & Regards,
Sourav

Welcome to this forum and to our Awesome Hobby, Sourav

I assume you have already gone through the basics of Multirotors.
Glad that you are keen on making your Own Quadcopter out of scratch rather buying a RTF - Only few people do it in this way, But I can guarantee you will be happy with your own build than any RTF can be.

I would recommend to go with a 450 to 600mm (motor to motor diagonally) 'X' type frame.
For this you can use 3/4" Aluminum square tubes as arms, and some light weight but Rigid substance as center plates (Don't go for aluminum center plates)

For such a Frame you can use 1000Kv or lower motors coupled with 1045 props on 3S LiPo .
I would recommend 2212/13T 1000Kv motors (I personally use this and I love these motors ) - This is available for as cheap as 500/- per motor.
For the ESCs, get 30A SimonK ones.
I would recommend a KK2 flight control board for a beginner - it is too easy to set up and run.
For battery you have to get at least a 2200mAh 30C 3S . for higher flight time you can use high capacity batteries.

After all there are two long time investments - A Radio Transmitter and a Battery charger - Selection of these completely depend on your budget and your commitment to the Hobby !

Feel free to ask out your doubts

You can refer this build thread of my First quad (Scratch built) for more Information
www.rcindia.org/multirotors/custom-fpv-quadcopter-build/

Welcome Sourav!

Firstly, I'd like to suggest that you should buy a quad frame rather than designing and building your own. Not only will you save a lot of headaches, but eventually, a lot of money!
I've built wooden, aluminum and acrylic frames but none of them give good results. A lot of people on different international forums suggested me the same thing when I started with quadcopters. It's not a good idea for a newbie to build their own quad frame! Once you've got your quad in the air and can fly it comfortably, you can build your own custom frame for adding cameras, rocket launchers etc!

To save money, buy a quad kit. That way you won't have to worry about compatibility of the various parts.

Here's the best site in india for buying quads and related accessories: http://quadkopters.com/. The owner 'Satya' is an old RCI member and a great guy! You'll never have problems with your stuff!   

The APM is one of the best flight controller boards around. It has 'simple' and 'super-simple' modes which are great for beginners. It is a bit costlier than the other boards but you'll never regret buying it.

Good luck with your build!

@Swapnil Sir, I have completely different views regarding the Frame !

@Sourav - If you are not in to any risks, and keen on getting a Multi in air as fast as you can , this is a time for reap !! Satya sir of www.quadkopters.com is offering a 360 ARF kit at 5500/- (I think it just went out of stock) and Chintal sir of www.rcmumbai.com is offering 450 ARF kit at 6000/-

Sooraj, my suggestion takes in account the fact that Sourav is new to aeromodeling in general. He should invest more time in understanding RC electronics and flight principles than in building a frame. Trust me, a lot of seniors and professionals have given me the same advice! It's a bad idea for a newbie to build a quad frame!

Not in to start an argument or mislead this thread - But in my case I entered this wonderful hobby around May last year with out any prior knowledge in RC or even basic working of aircrafts ! . But my first rc craft (quad) was scratch built frame and parts from different places (wherever it was cheap !) . It is not that big task to make a quadcopter frame atleast for me

Hence I don't discourage Sourav from building his own frame Moreover, he can learn much more than building a Kit version .

@Sooraj- Thanks a ton for your swift reply, yes I will go for a DIY structure for my Quadcop but I will further need your advice and guidance on the same.

@Swapnil- Many thanks for your valuable advice and appreciate your guidance for the beginners but in my case flying is not only the primary motto. I would love to see a quad flying which is made from scratch by my own hand and it will be a immense satisfaction of a hobby to me although I also knew that it will going to give me a lot of trouble but I am sure that it will not be so difficult to achieve with your support and guidance.

Thanks & Rgds,
Sourav

Dear All,

Have planned to build the centre plates from PBC board (switch board material). Pls guide what will be the size of the cut out for the centre plate for installing a 2200mAh 30C 3S, KK2 FC and receiver.
Kindly also help me in getting a 2nd hand Radio controller since am a newbie in this hobby.

Rgds,
Sourav

Sourav, What is this PBC ? and what is the weight of this material per square unit ?

Shall I suggest you a Perfect material for Center plates ? Go to nearest electronics parts dealer, and get Copper clad board, which is used to make electronics circuit boards (PCB) . With this thing as center plate you have added benefit of being able to integrate Power distribution as in many ready made frames

And regarding sixe of center plate, are you going to use round plates or Square/ rectangular plates ?

Sooraj, have checked with our local Electrician Shop and have found one material which is basically the board on which the light and fan switches are screwed on house walls which they called as PBC board don't know what's the exact term.
Secondly thats a great advice of Copper Clad Board but its bit difficult to source in our  area. Also I don't want to build the integrate power system on the centre plate itself as it will be bit complicated for me rather I need your help to do this job with cables and connectors only. Pls guide wih the same.
Will go for square centre plates.

Rgds,
Sourav

If you are making Integrated power dist. or not, Glass fiber Copper clad is IMO, the best material for center plates

And integrated power dist. board is not that complicated to make .

The Ugly PDB :


After Painting, and soldering :

Thanks a lot Sooraj for sharing the pics of your circuit board but somehow I am not comfortable with making the same  hence pls guide me with some alternate options.
Have found one as below, pls suggest.
http://rcmumbai.com/index.php/product/power-distribution-board-pcb/

Rgds,
Sourav

Yeah, you can use something of that kind, but it is out of stock in RCmumbai.
Check this : http://www.quadkopters.com/product/multirotor-accessories/xt60-to-4-x-3-5mm-bullet-power-breakout-cable/

Hi All.
I am Also New To aeromodelling.But Not New To Electronics.i Get That The Power Distribution Board is nothing but a pcb which can be easily designed in Cadsoft eagle.and then etched with ferric chloride.
Can ANy one guide me through a quad building.i am new and have no experience (except for simulator and also have orderd a Hubsan X4).can any one tell me how much is This mini quad close to real quads(The Big Boys  Toys,that u guys  are flying).
Thanks.
@Sooraj That Distribution board is ugly.I Think you Designed it by hand and not some eda tool.

Hi Atanu, good to see a hobbyist of Kolkata. I am in process of making my own Quadcop from scratch build and will share the pics soon. As you have already bought a Hubsan x4, otherwise we could have make our own quadcop together.
Anyways do contact me on my below number to catch up on the field for flying.

Regards,
Sourav

SOURAV you could have sent your no. in personal messages.as  it is an open forum every one can see your mob. no now.
any ways i will follow this post to see how your first quad (real one. .)comes up.

hey Sourav,

This is Rahul here i am from kolkata too.. i too want to build a quadcopter and going crazy abt this. let me know your experience of what you have done so far and help me out in building one.

Finally some interest being showed towards this hobby by the bong brigade.
Would be happy to meet up and help.

Hehe @Ashimda truly. We definitely need all the help. I am being pulled by this hobby very deeply. I have been searching all the net to get started. I am even planning to visit the Indian hobby Center and Chandni Chowk to get started.

Wow! Finally some interests among the people of Kolkata about RC stuffs! Good to see you guys. Keep it up. Let us know about your problems. There are very very knowledgeable and experienced people in this forum to help you out. I have learnt a lot from here. So go ahead.

Guys here is my update. i have finally started assembling my first quadcopter. I brought an air frame from rc bazaar. Hiller Q450 - PCB version (kit) I opted for the cheapest option as this is the first one and also the PCB version.
http://www.rcbazaar.com/product.aspx?productid=1823

Guys please suggest me where to get the next set of parts. and is there any shop in kolkata where i can go to.

Hello Rahul,
You can buy your motors and escs from vibrant hobbies which provide COD(cash on delivery), You can also buy your parts from rcmumbai.com,quadkopters.com..all these stores are reliable!
Here's also a list of stores...you may find a store in kolkata
http://www.rcindia.org/rc-outlets-and-resellers/mega-list-of-all-rc-outlets-in-india/
Hope it helps!
And please post photos of your build!