Best products from r/diydrones

We found 21 comments on r/diydrones discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 80 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

11. Cheerwing Syma X5SW-V3 WiFi FPV Drone 2.4Ghz 4CH 6-Axis Gyro RC Quadcopter Drone with Camera, White

    Features:
  • 【Upgrade 720P HD Camera】Compared with old version, this New X5SW-V3 2021 ver is ugraded with 720P HD Wifi Camera, to take better aerial photos and videos. With Real-time FPV transmission, you can enjoy the first person view fun through the smartphone APP.
  • 【More Easily and Stable】Upgraded with One Key Take off / Landing and Altitude Hold function, make the camera drone more easier access to kids, beginners, newbies without any skill. Just tap the One Key Start button to start to fly the drone, it will auto hover at a certain height, easier to control and more stable for aerial photography. Ideal toys drone for kids and adults.
  • 【APP Control and Trajectory Flight】Through the APP, you can control the drone without remote controller. And the built-in Gravity Sensor also allows you to fly your drone without touching your mobile screen. You also can draw your flight plan on the screen and the drone will fly accordingly. Free of remote control, more fun to fly!
  • 【3D Flips and 2 Speed Mode】Features with High/Low Speed Mode, suitable for pilots with different skill levels, make this drone easier to control for kids and beginners.Plus 3D Flips and 2.4Ghz Remote Control system, start a racing game with your kids and family!
  • 【Full Protection and Durable】High-quality ABS material and Protection Propeller Guards provides more protection to the drone, make it more tough and durable.
Cheerwing Syma X5SW-V3 WiFi FPV Drone 2.4Ghz 4CH 6-Axis Gyro RC Quadcopter Drone with Camera, White
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Top comments mentioning products on r/diydrones:

u/Soukas · 2 pointsr/diydrones

As a big Arduino fan I kinda hate saying this but buying a purpose built board is going to be the most rewarding route until you've had enough drones that you wouldn't need to ask us. That is meant in a kind way.

https://www.getfpv.com/acro-naze32-flight-controller-rev6-w-pin-headers.html

Something like a naze is incredible for the weight to computational power, and efficiency ratings. Nothing you build by hand will beat it on all three factors until you start printing your own pcbs and custom components.



If you were like me, and wanted to just learn some shit, then first off the rpi lacks the inputs to get smooth servo inputs for a controller like this: RCmall Flysky FS-i6 2.4G 6CH RC Transmitter and Receiver FS-iA6 for Airplane Heli UAV Multicopter Drone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BXS0BWO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_prVOBbYFW6PDA


These controllers will help keep your WiFi channel clear and give you a range beyond the 300ft or so your rpi 0 w so you can fly beyond video and not just fall out of the sky. In theory you can increase the antenna on the pi to get signal even further. I am not very versed in that subject but it seems "possible".

The rpi 0 w can do some pwm outputs which are suitable for driving your escs. They may expect a higher voltage than 3.3v to function properly. I used an Arduino uno and then a Curie to run my quad. Both operated at 5v and the escs drove the motors as expected.

Protip, never learn to arm and use escs with the blades attached.

The Arduino line also had analog inputs which were great for taking the 6 channels in from the controller dongle. The Curie had a built in 6 dof (might have been 9) which is the next thing you will need for "stable" flight. You really want a 10 dof imu as you can do some extra fun physics homework by reliably knowing the change in time.


Additionally you will need a component for converting 12v down to 5 for the rpi, Arduino is tolerant of a 12v pack (6-18v).


So, in a shorter answer. Yeah, it could run a "drone" but it wont be super functional, especially at ranges, and it will need additional components beyond just a board. I could see a smartphone app and rpi pairing be pretty cool for a small indoor drone.



Back from a Google search, someone's done it already: https://hackaday.com/2016/02/16/a-quadcopter-controlled-by-a-pi-zero/

u/ChinaMan28 · 5 pointsr/diydrones

I never thought the flybrix was worth it...it's a gimick in my mind...

Look into the Eachine QX90...

http://www.banggood.com/Tiny-QX90-90mm-Micro-FPV-Racing-Quadcopter-BNF-Based-On-F3-Flight-Controller-FrSKY-Taranis-X9D-p-1069614.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=allison&utm_campaign=Smlrfpv-ds-58fpv&gclid=CMW10MXBrc8CFYpZhgodeW8M1A

For $55 bucks you not only get a pretty fun brushed quad, it comes with FPV too (you'll still need a video reciever for the video, but it will work the same if you don't use the FPV unit)

You will also need a Transmitter, something like a Devo7e will work...

http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-Walkera-Devo-7E-7CH-Transmitter-Mode-2-Without-Receiver-p-48117.html

Thats another 60 bucks...but it will bring more joy to flying than using a shitty bluetooth app...

Since the QX90 doesn't come with a reciever you'll need one...

https://www.amazon.com/Spektrum-9645-DSMX-Remote-Receiver/dp/B004M12GY6

Thats 34 bucks but I think you can find it cheaper...

I mean for a little more than the cost of the flybrix you get something that will be 100x more enjoyable to fly and not only that if you wanna spend a bit more on some FPV goggles you'll have an FPV miniquad too...So much more bang and fun for the buck...

Or you can look into the Induxtrix FPV....not released or shipped yet, but it's all the rage for indoor fun...

Your tech director seems like he thinks he's a "know it all" kinda guy...but he's pretty wrong if he thinks the flybrix is cheapiest and most robust...

Also, I know you want the ability to control via iOS/Bluetooth, but honestly you really don't. It's pretty terrible to fly anything via a phone and it teaches you bad habits. why not just go with proper equipment and not teach your students bad habits when it comes down to it? it's not much more expensive, and in the end it's gonna be a lot cheaper..as you'll still be able to use a proper Transmitter if you decide to upgrade the quads pretty much forever..with the flybrix you are kinda stuck with the app, and what happens when they stop support for the app?

Edit: the ready to fly inductrix is even cheaper and if you wanted you can get a proper transmitter for less than the flybrix...

Blade Inductrix RTF Ultra Micro Drone with Safe Technology https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011UDQYSC/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_3Mv6xbTVS308F

Just look up Tiny Woop FPV and you can see how much fun and more safe it is to fly than the flybrix...i mean you weren't looking for fpv flying but it's till a cheap option if you want to move to fpv too..

Edit2: also you should know that brushed motors for these kinds of quads have a finite lifespan before the brushes wear out and you need to replace the motors...the lifespan is generally around 5hrs of use... So yeah take that into account too...

u/kamnxt · 1 pointr/diydrones

Haha, nice to teach someone ;)

You have it the wrong way around. This is how it's supposed to look. And if you unsolder the wires, you also save some space, which is pretty nice on small builds. And it looks nicer.

The nice plastic wrapping is probably some kind of heatshrink tubing. Want to heatshrink your own stuff? Get this. You just heat it up with a lighter and it shrinks to half the size. There is no problem if you take the plastic off and leave it without it, but it's more likely to short on something, a bit less water resistant (in case a drop of water lands on it), and it doesn't look as professional ;)

If you want to solder the motors directly to the ESCs (which I recommend, as it's lighter and looks neater), you can heatshrink them with this heatshrink afterwards.

The balance charger connects to the balance plug and (usually) the main plug on the battery. There are some cheap, low-power chargers that only use the balance plug. The balance plug has thinner wires, so it can't handle a high current like the main plug (which also uses a connector that handles higher current). On batteries the size of your battery, the wires will be almost the same size, but on bigger batteries the main wires are usually quite a bit thicker. The higher-power chargers use the main plug for charging/discharging (several amps) and the balance plug for balancing (usually under 2A). You should charge your batteries at around 1C, which is 1A in your case, so you don't really need a higher power charger unless you want to be able to charge several batteries at once or plan on getting something that needs bigger batteries in the future. Also, most of the lower-power chargers only have a fixed current and can't discharge the batteries or show other useful information. Most of the higher-end ones can show you the current charging current, voltage, time since starting, mAh recharged etc, and can also discharge your batteries to around 40% which is the level it's best to store batteries at.

The LiPo alarm plugs into the balance port in order to be able to measure every cell individually. This means you can't over-discharge any cell (for example if one of them is faulty and discharges faster than the others). You unplug it when you're done flying, and connect the balance charger to the same connector when you're charging.

When you want to buy a balance charger, you have a lot of different options, depending on whether you want a really cheap charger (something like this), an OK all-around charger (like this one), a charger that can charge 4 different batteries at once (like this one), or a charger that can charge 40 of the batteries you're using in parallel at once (this one). Also note that some of them only have a DC input, so you need an external power supply for them. You can for example make one out of a server power supply, or you can just buy a ready to use one.

u/fluffyponyza · 2 pointsr/diydrones

It's unfortunately not the same as with a PC.

One of the main things that has changed the way computing works was the creation of influential hardware standards, most especially in the 90s and 2000s. Things like the ISA standard would eventually lead to the development of PCI, AGP, and eventually PCI-e and its variants. Part of the reason for this is that the PC industry, even in the 90s, was a multi-billion Dollar industry with massive global players who couldn't afford to have their equipment not work all the peripherals.

The multicopter / RC industry is, by and large, still a hobby-driven industry. Even though there are some amazing applications of it across various sectors, there simply isn't enough of a market to create and enforce standards unilaterally. Manufacturers are so used to doing their own thing that they'd be hard-pressed to put in the time and effort to retool and redevelop to support a standard.

What I'd suggest you do is buy a small quad to learn to fly, something like the Hubsan H107D, which is ~$190. You'll have a lot of fun, you'll learn the basics of FPV, you'll learn how to fly, you'll film some crazy videos, you'll learn about antennae and interference and all sorts.

Then when you're a confident flyer pick up a Taranis transmitter, should set you back ~$150 - $200, and you'll learn about radio binding, transmitter configuration, the nature of open-source RC software, and so on.

Finally, if at that stage you're still interested, sell the Hubsan and build a 250mm - 450mm sized quad. The parts list that /u/dicknuckle is an excellent start, although you'll already have a transmitter and so you won't have to buy a radio set (just a receiver).

u/propwashedsite · 1 pointr/diydrones

Looks like a fantastic build to me. I don't know what the MT2205 motors are, although I can vouch for the RS2205s. I'm sure either will be fine. You might have trouble fitting the RC RX into your quad, but perhaps not.

For antennas I would suggest the aomway antennas - they have been shown to be the best for the price by many reviewers:
https://www.amazon.com/Aomway-5-8GHz-Clover-Transmission-Antenna/dp/B018JZ8ZXG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1466632623&sr=8-2&keywords=aomway+5.8ghz

You may be able to find these cheaper elsewhere, look around. Also make sure that your video RX and TX accept the right connectors for the antennas (RP-SMA or SMA)

You'll have a blast with this build!

u/UAVHaven · -6 pointsr/diydrones


The safe but costly approach would be to get something like a Crazepony's EMAX RS2306 2750KV motor. That motor is very powerful and should handle the weight of the Gimbel, camera, frame battery and components. If you want to be exact you need to do the math for lift, thrust and weight of the components to figure out exactly how much KV or power is needed in the 6 motors.

Assuming you are using a frame like dji f550 you should be ok with the above or a cheaper solution like the MakerFire d1104. Whichever one you pick don’t forget to post your success or failure so we know what happened.

u/RajelAran · 1 pointr/diydrones

Another option is to get a off-the-shelf quad like a Syma or some such, that'll give him something to start with that isn't too bad, under or around the $100 mark.

I've got a Syma X5SW, had some great fun with that for awhile, but now it's on my bench with a SPRacingF3 Deluxe wired up and a flysky-compatible tx/rx setup. The brushed motor driver board is $5 off RTFQuads, controller board $30 on Amazon, and the tx/rx combo is about $50 as stated earlier in the thread.


My current build parts:

https://www.amazon.com/Cheerwing-X5SW-V3-Explorers2-Headless-Quadcopter/dp/B011JV9HA2/ - base quad

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E58V09W/ - FC

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0P8Q8U/ - tx/rx

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LW57OUM/ - 5v boost convertor, 2pack because they were cheap

http://www.readytoflyquads.com/brushed-motor-driver - The Syma motors wire into this, this wires to FC channel outputs

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M75FQIO/ - tiny PPM/iBus-capable receiver because the stock one in the tx/rx bundle is unweildy


It's all wired up on my bench now and running, original motors and all.

Overall it comes out about $150-ish, but you get something to start with to understand how it flies, and then you have all the pieces so you can take it apart and upgrade it. When you want to go bigger, you have the core parts already all paired up and ready to go, just need to tweak the FC for the new platform.

u/woooden · 1 pointr/diydrones

Soldering is one of those tasks where it really pays off to invest a little bit more in your tools at the beginning. /u/1-11 mentioned the Weller WLC100 - I second this recommendation. I've had one for almost 8 years and it's never let me down, though I bought a nicer iron a few years ago (Aoyue 968A+) and the Weller hasn't seen much use since.

The kit you posted is probably not very high quality. I would steer away from it and spend the extra money to get something you know will perform well for years. You do want some of the things from that kit, though:

  • Solder sucker

  • Solder wick

  • Tweezers

  • Various tips

  • Flux (I use a flux pen similar to this one for most things as it's a little easier to apply)

    A good way to practice is to get some perf board (the tan-colored breadboard-looking PCB prototyping boards), a pack of random wires and/or resistors/capacitors, and just start soldering things in. SparkFun sells some good kits for beginner soldering, and they have a few good tutorials as well.

    Always use flux, always tin your wires before soldering them to anything, and always hold the iron on the solder long enough for it to completely flow. Learn how to use solder wick and you'll be able to repair just about anything. Finally, always tin your tips before storing the iron - don't want the tips to corrode!
u/kerowhack · 1 pointr/diydrones

Then in the interest of getting you in the air in two months, I'd look for a similar frame on Amazon instead of the HK one. The ones in that price range all come from about 4 factories in China and are rebranded for whomever is selling them anyway; there are equivalent frames on Amazon for a few dollars less that will likely ship faster and cheaper (although I haven't dealt with the US HK warehouses yet). Also, I've had good luck with these motors; I think EMax is the best buy for budget motors, and they are priced the same as the ones you have listed.

Good luck with your project. I hope it's educational, and while I don't mean to sound discouraging or disparaging, I also am trying to be realistic. There is a reason you don't see a lot of posts about DIY flight controllers beyond ones like yours, but as long as you understand what you are getting into, I hope you get a lot out of it.

u/kwaaaaaaaaa · 1 pointr/diydrones

The quanums v2's can run on 2s lipos, so any cheap 2s lipo in the 500mah+ should do the trick. These nano-techs 850mah 2s works well and gives decent power time.


For charging, I personally like the Turnigy Reaktor it can do 10A, plus this 12v power supply and a parallel charging board, you can quickly charge 4 or 5 lipos at once. In the future if you plan to get another Reaktor charger, you can hook it up to the same power supply. I have 3 Reaktors hooked up to my power supply.

On a cheaper end, this B6AC can do 6A and doesn't require a separate power supply.


This is what my setup looks like.