I am a complete noob to RC ( the most experience I had was a few chuck gliders and control line planes). After doing an edX course on Autonomous Navigation for Flying Robots, I became obsessed with quadcopters. I finally decided to build one since I don't have the space or regular transport to get to a flying field for planes. I did a lot of reading and ordered a Reptile 500 Kit from quadkopters.com this Tuesday and received it today in perfect condition. The quadkopters team was extremely helpful and answered all my doubts. I unpacked all my stuff today since I also received a package from RCmumbai and picked up some stuff from RCBazaar. I am waiting for a charger power supply from Indian.Hobby.Shop but I will try to post a build log (of sorts) soon. For now, here is my setup:
Reptile 500 frame (clone of TBS Discovery)
Sunnysky 2212 980 kV motors
SimonK 30A quadkopters ESCs
kk 2.1 board
Wolfpack 2200 mAh 25C and Wild Scorpion 3500 mAh 30C
Avionic RCB6i

Kudos to RCBazaar, QuadKopters and RCMumbai who have made this possible. Thanks also to Mr. Bhavesh from Indian.Hobby.Shop who called to answer my doubt within 15 minutes. I am very happy with all these stores. This a long post and I will wind up by saying that any tips, suggestions or advice will be greatly appreciated.
Siddharth

Good luck, all parts seem good

I just completed d same kit ,from quadkopters ,its great,d kit is awesome, and highly stable, just make sure u have space 2 mount d battery before u start wiring d stuff up ,  careful during ur first flight d quad is very powerful , with minimum throttle it just zooms up , I ended up breaking a prop , make sure u use thread lock 2 lock d props in  , good luck

Thanks a lot guys. I was very impressed with this combo in particular since the kit included the frame, motors, ESCs, the flight controller, props and all accessories at the impressive price of Rs 9500. I have started my build by mounting the prop adapters to the motors (using a drop of Anabond Blue on each screw) and soldering bullet connectors to the ESCs. I also attached the top plate of the frame (again using a little Anabond on each screw). How do I post photos? The fie size is over an MB each?

First make d power distribution cable , then mount escs , then connect it 2 ur pwd , then mount d motors, then hook up ur escs 2 d motor, then connect kk board ,after u confirm d direction of d motors. , calibrate ur escs , then mount d props ...

Thanks. I am having a bit of trouble soldering to the power distribution board since the 50W soldering iron I got was faulty and I am stuck with a 25W one. I have already assembled the upper half of the frame and mounted the motors.

go to sp road n get a Solderon Brand soldering gun. this is really a really good one. also use a lot of flux while soldering the PDB this ll help u out.

Still suffering with the PDB. I will try to pick up a new iron this afternoon or make my own wiring harness (in the worst case scenario)

trouble soldering ?
Well first clean your Iron tip.
then heat the parts to be soldered with the iron
heat it together for enough time apply lead from a side, it should flow evenly to make a perfect joint - in this meathode no flux required - the joint will be perfect
Btw, are you soldering ESC wire to PDB or gold connector ?

I am soldering the power wires to the PDB. I think my soldering iron cools down the moment i touch it to the board and I get a lumpy cold solder joint. Do you think 25 Watts is enough for the job? I was also planning on soldering female bullet connectors to the board later. Any tips on how to go about it?
Thanks

well soldering wires is easier for a beginner.
25W is enough in normal condition - ensure you have enough supply voltage from mains.

1) first apply some rosin free flux to the wire and if needed to the PDB and heat it.
2) make sure solder tip is clean , and have a coating of lead on it (this is importent)
3) heat the wire and soldering pad together for few secs, and apply lead from one side, then the lead will flow to form the joint - apply enough lead.
If lead does not flow- heat is insufficient.

Btw to solder ur connectors to the escs u need , a pointed soldering tip ! , ND yeah  I had the same problem , 25volt solder will be really slow to heat up .., u need a more powerful one

Thanks guys. Looks like power is the problem here. The solder flows beautifully at first but when it touches the PDB it soldiifies instantly and no matter how long i touch the iron to it it does not melt again.

Quote from: Immanuel on November 16, 2014, 12:28:51 PM
Btw to solder ur connectors to the escs u need , a pointed soldering tip ! , ND yeah  I had the same problem , 25volt solder will be really slow to heat up .., u need a more powerful one

well, that is lack of skill
25W chisel tip (45 degree) soldering iron is enough for almost any common works.
no need of pointed tip, for soldering bullet connectors, first fix the connector vertically on something and place the iron tip to the small hole on one side of connector (here chisel tip is better than point tip) close that hole with soldering iron tip - heat for few secs, and apply lead from top - fill the connector with lead up to 75% now dip the wire to the Lead - the Iron is placed on the hole through out the process.
Now just move the wire up and down - for lead to enter the strands and make a perfect joint, take back soldering iron and allow the joint to cool.

Quote from: SK1701 on November 16, 2014, 12:38:31 PM
Thanks guys. Looks like power is the problem here. The solder flows beautifully at first but when it touches the PDB it soldiifies instantly and no matter how long i touch the iron to it it does not melt again.

first apply flux to your PDB, then make a thin layer of solder, and attempt again, .
25W is enough.
place the iron for the time needed for the lead to flow evenly- don't be frightened it won't damage anything.
is it first time ?

First time soldering 14 AWG wire and a PDB. I have soldered everything from resistors to ICs on protoboard earlier.

ya, me too had some problem with these wires, But I did make it beautifully with my low power iron.

you should first coat the wire tip and solder pad completely with lead - can't upload a video don't have cam now.
But it can be done .

Thanks for the tips. I coated the wire and pad with solder. The problem is that I can't melt it afterwards. Anyway, I will try again later.

now , there after coating wire and pad with solder, don't try to solder with that,
Now return to reply 10.

Oops looks like I misunderstood. i will try what you suggested  . Meanwhile, I have been balancing my props.

the problem of solder quickly solidifies is because our Iron tip is small - but with some tweaks like this we can make it happen with any iron.
The first time, we may have to spend tens of minutes for a single joint, but once got the trick it's a breeze.

yup, it's a good habbit always balancing new props, and after crash.

Bro very first look at the solder gun tip, if it has turned black then there is carbon deposition onto it. so it may pose problem in soldering. if u ve a sand paper then rub the tip, until all the carbon deposit is removed. also take some thick sponge dip it into water n place it over the solder gun stand. Keep your solder tip rubbing it over the sponge every time u solder a spot. this ll keep your tip clean. Also its better to get a branded iron rather than going for cheap alternatives. PS get a Solderon brand Iron its really good I am using this one since 3 years, n ve replaced only one tip so far. Moreover its not like I use it once in a while. I am an Electronics Professional, so I ve to use it almost all the time. The sponge technique ll help u a lot. Try it. The best way to solder is, take someones help, tell them to hole the wire onto the board itself, then apply some flux over the spot as well as to the wire to be soldered. hold the wire onto the board, then hold the lead in one hand n the gun in other hand n directly apply the lead to the spot, rather than applying it to the gun tip.

I have a Soldron iron and I am also using a Mr. Grippy Soldering jig so I don't need anyone to hold the wire  . I will try what you guys have suggested and post soon.

Well in that case U might ve three hands. My Mistake to Suggest you.