Description:
Important Notes
- The battery shown in some images is not included.
- The drone is hand-built and may show signs of that, though I've been meticulous to ensure it's as clean (or better!) as any factory build out there.
This Quad and I...
Hi! I'm Cam. Nice to meet you!
I'm the guy on the other end of your customer service queries, and I've worked on a lot of the stuff which keeps Unmanned Tech going behind the scenes.
This drone is my love note to FPV, Unmanned Tech, and the community. It's built to be the absolute best-of-the-best for Freestyle pilots.
Let's get this out the way early - this drone isn't cheap, and, if I'm being truthful, it isn't built for "the market".
I built it for me.
This is the drone I would put together, for myself, today, if I had an unlimited budget and all the spare time to get out flying it into brick walls. I know FPV's "secrets." I know which manufacturers will support you best, which components are worth their weight in gold, what's marketing fluff and, more importantly, what isn't. This build has every single high-end component I could throw at it, and I've been meticulous with every single wire run, all of the stack spacing, the component layout and selection - I even braided the ugly GPS cable. I designed the antenna mounts because I thought they'd look cool and provide the best reception for the receiver, and I even designed and printed a small piece to cover and protect a cable tie to make it last and look tidy. There's a custom 3D-printed mount hidden inside to keep your receiver and capacitor tidy and secure. I'm proud of this one, and I hope you, future owner, will be too.
I've never been much of a racing pilot, and I don't care much for saving every gram possible - I'm more of a "beef it up and smash it about" kind of guy. If that sounds like you, too - or if you just appreciate a good build - then you're in the right place with this quad. That's what it's all about. It's about my time with drones and what it is that I, specifically, enjoy doing.
I've really put in the time here to make this drone as clean as it can be, and once you have it in front of you, I'm confident you'll agree. I've become pretty good at this drone-building stuff over my years here, and this is what I'll consider the best 5" I've ever built. I can't wait for one of you to get hold of it and put it through its paces - I'm sure it won't disappoint.
I hope you enjoy this build. I loved every second of putting it together for ya. Don't go easy on it.
Very much love - Cameron, your UMT Support Rep and Drone Builder <3
Specifications
Summary:
- FC: F7 based flight controller
- ESC: 65A 4in1 ESC
- Motors: T-Motor/Aixis Flying/Xnova motors
- Frame: FlyFish Valador VX5 II
- GPS: Foxeer M10Q 180 GPS + Compass
- Propellers: T-Motor P49436
- LEDs: HGLRC Mini LED Strips
Full Detail:
- Flight Controller
- SpeedyBee F7 V3
- My Justification : SpeedyBee, these days, seems to have the entire market covered. They've got some of the cheapest stacks available, and some of the highest-spec stuff out there. The BMI270 gyro is, from my research and experience, the best and most reliable one on the market in a post-MPU6000 world. It wasn't long ago that we saw Bosch Gyros as a high-end feature with the likes of the Radix board from BrainFPV, and in my experience, they were right to go this route, so I've decided to as well. Couple that with a very clean layout for the board, all the connectors you could ever need, and wireless configuration from your phone and I really don't think there's a better alternative for most of us out there at the moment.
- Link Here
- ESC
- Foxeer Reaper F4 65A 128KHz
- My Justification : This ESC just won't die. It keeps on living and giving, delivering a preposterous current, which is absolutely needed for motors that can draw in excess of 55A. I needed something bomb-proof, and this is where I found it. If you're a numbers person, 128KHz and 65A are top of the range today for drones of this size - you won't find much better. If you're a real-world performance person, I can assure you this ESC will do you right.
- Link Here
- Motors
- T-Motor F60 Pro V 2020kV
- My Justification: While more and more high-end, high-quality motors are being released constantly into the market, T-Motor has for years maintained its position right at the top of the list. Efficiency, power and strength are all key features of any good motor, and you'll struggle to find better than T-Motor. I could've gone F40 here, but that didn't quite seem right for the no-punches-held approach I'm gunning for, so F60 it is. 2020kV will give you all the power you could need and then some more - be careful with the punchouts on this one! I love the rotor design too - it felt right at home here.
- Link Here
- Propellers
- Tmotor Pacer P49436 Freestyle
- My Justification: The motors I've picked for this build are punchy. Like, really punchy. They're probably best fitted to a racing quad, actually. However, I always find that more power = more fun (I'm a car guy), and it'd feel a bit odd leaving off the extra few kV for this build. So, in an effort to temper it just a little, I've decided upon these 4.9" props. That should help to keep the current down just a little, and, while I'm personally not a stickler for prop choice, I've been informed on my travels that the slightly smaller 4.9" size is actually good for propeller response. I'm not so certain it makes that much difference, but I'll let more knowledgeable advice win out here. You should get some very snappy rolls and flips from this combo, and enough power to set the ground on fire when you take off.
- Link Here
- Frame
- FlyFish Valador VX5 II
- My Justification: I wanted a tank. I wanted a good-looking tank. This frame is a good-looking tank. That's pretty much it - but I do also enjoy the fact that this frame has *everything* accounted for - space for every component, and a satisfying build process. Semi-quick arm replacements - it's very much a chef's-kiss from me. If I had asked a company to design and build a frame specifically for me, this is the one I'd have ended up with. Luckily for me, and for your wallet, I didn't have to do that - the Valador already existed.
- Link Here
- Receiver
- HappyModel EP1 Dual TCXO ELRS 2.4GHz
- My Justification: There's no justification here - this is overkill. Or perhaps that is the justification. Actually, almost everything on this quad is overkill, so I suppose that really *is* the justification. You absolutely do not need two antennas for a freestyle build like this, and you equally do not need the immense precision that TCXO provides for a reliable link. But you have it. And if you're like me, you'll be grateful that above all else, you can absolutely rely on this receiver to keep you in the air even in some of the worst RF conditions. No failsafe here, just the way I like it.
- Link Here
- GPS / Compass
- Foxeer M10Q 180 5883 Compass GPS Module
- My Justification: You don't need a GPS, but the frame had a mount for one, so I went ahead and filled it out! Now you can have co-ordinates in your video feed, or maybe you want to try out Betaflight's GPS features - whatever the case, the option is there, and I even braided the cable for you so it's pretty, too.
- Link Here
- Battery Straps
- 2pc TheFPV Beefy Battery Strap (Kevlar) (210x15mm)
- My Justification: I helped to conceptualise TheFPV as a brand. I could've used the straps that came with the frame, but I know these straps well - I know they'll last longer than the drone, you, or I will, I know they look good, and it just felt right putting some TheFPV into this. They're grippy, so your battery will quite literally stay locked in place, and they're ready for a beating.
- Link Here (210x15mm)
- Pretty LEDs
- HGLRC Mini RGB LED Strips
- My Justification: Oooooohhhh, shiny! Also, my good friend Cerberus is a fan of them, so here they are.
- Link Here
- Pretty Hardware
- M3 Coloured Knurled Aluminium Spacer Standoffs (M3x3 and M3x5, silver)
- My Justification: It was this or plastic spacers! I like the look :)
- Link Here
Build Notes and Details
- Overcomplicated, Controversial Motor Wiring
- I've always been obsessed with trying to make the motor wires in my builds look pretty. It's my fault that "TheFPV Motors" ended up with a single wire in the middle with a different colour - I liked the look, it was something different that stood out without being too busy. Because of this obsession, I always do something which some drone builders consider a heinous crime - I route my motor wires around behind the stack and then loop over to the ESC motor pads. Some will tell you that this will introduce interference and cause ESC issues. I, for one, have never experienced this, and you won't either. In this case, though, I've routed the wires under the ESC instead, so if you do have to have that argument with someone, it's more complicated now because the wires are still away from the MOSFETs - have fun with that one. Also, if you do have to have that argument, just show them how the drone flies and they'll be quiet pretty quick. I just think this routing looks cool - sort of like an exhaust manifold on a V12 engine. It was probably more effort than it's really worth.
- Stack Spacing and Hardware
- One thing I hate is trying to make sure everything in a flight stack (Nowadays just the 4-in-1 ESC and a Flight Controller) is properly spaced and positioned clear of any problems. I've seen many, many builds die simply because of a bad flight stack. That won't be the case here - I tried using the bolts which came with the frame, but everything was much too squished. The rubber grommets became more like solid pancakes, and the ESC and FC connectors were touching each other - that just wasn't good enough. So, I grabbed some M3x35mm bolts from [insert large online retail entity here] and gained a few more millimetres to work with. That was enough to properly space the FC away from the ESC, letting everything breathe, and for good measure, I spaced everything apart with some very small M3x5 and M3x3 silver, knurled standoffs. Now we have a stack that sits comfortably in the frame, with plenty of space for wire runs and battery straps, without being crushed into the ground. Pretty, functional, and reliable - it's a win-win-win.
- Braided GPS Cable
- GPS cables are ugly, and on a very monochromatic build, a 6-colour length of wire running from the centre to the rear of the frame would've been absolutely criminal. So, I grabbed some 6mm wire mesh from here , as well as some heat shrink, and covered the ugly wire mess with a nice, tidy braid to finish it off. It'll leave you plenty of room for your video solution, be it HD or analogue, and should still look pretty after a few "minor incidents" involving high speeds and solid structures.
- Hidden Power Cables
- One of the things I dislike about many builds is how difficult it can be to make a nice, clean run for the power cables without risking them to your props. The FlyFish Valador, however, seems to have provisions for this that I've been very glad to take advantage of - the power cables run right through the bottom two plates of the frame, freeing up the space above for a chunky Air Unit or VTX setup with lots of room to breathe. They poke out the back a little, so I've chosen to stick with the white-and-black theme, which I think looks awesome from below. The XT60 connector is sunk into the frame, meaning you can guarantee zero devastating power cable prop strikes will happen here!
- Capacitor and Receiver mount
- I could've just 3M taped everything to the frame, but that didn't seem to fit quite right with the point behind this quad. So instead I spun up my favourite CAD software and designed a pretty simple, but functional mount which holds the receiver and capacitor in place, just behind the camera mount. It's tidy and secure, just like it should be. Even the internals are pretty here.
- ELRS Receiver Antenna Mounts
- Receiver antennas don't like being too close to carbon. They also don't like being too close to each other, or being too obscured. I could have got to work with some cable ties or adhesive and started making some junkyard style mount, but because I decided to go with the dual-antenna overkill receiver, I decided to also make my own mount for the antennas to keep it all looking awesome, while providing some of the best reception possible. Once again I fired up my CAD software and got to work - and after a few minutes of printing time, out popped a dual antenna mount made one-off just for this quad. The antennas are at a 60 degree angle to one another, either side of the top plate - you'll be hard-pressed trying to find an angle at which this build doesn't have a direct line of sight between your radio and at least one antenna. They're swept back about 25 degrees so they should be almost vertical during most of your flight, again keeping that reception as good as possible. I've included some cable runs for the antenna wires in the mount also, to keep everything clear of the props for peace of mind.
- Cable-Tie Protector
- That capacitor and receiver mount came with one downside - it's cable tied in place, and that left an ugly cable tie poking out the bottom of the frame, ripe for damage in a hard landing. To rectify these issues, I designed and printed a small piece which covers over the cable tie on the underside of the frame - it finishes off the look, and provides some much needed damage protection, meaning that tie should last as long as you need it to!
- Custom Taller Feet
- With the addition of LED's, some awkwardly long stack hardware, and just generally having a lot going on on the bottom of the frame, I thought it'd be best if we raised it up a little to keep everything safe from the ground. A short design and 3D printing session later, and now the quad has 4 raised feet to keep everything safe and clear from the dirt.
- "Cam's Farewell" Centrepiece
- Nothing too special here - but a nice finishing touch, I thought. The original frame does include a small piece that slots in the underside of the frame where all four arms meet, but the colour wasn't right for the build, so I quickly whipped up a black TPU piece with my initials (CF) as my signature on the build. It's subtle, so if you're like me and you don't like logos everywhere, it shouldn't be too offensive to your eyes!
- LEDs
- More LEDs = More performance, it's just a fact of life. They look awesome, and you can set them to any colour you like. Enjoy!
- Fabric Tape
- A staple of all clean DIY builds - fabric tape is very handy when you're mounting things to the arms of your frame, or if you're just looking to tidy up your motor wires. I've used it here to help keep the LED wires and connectors safe from the ground and elements, and I think it looks pretty good.
- Motor Wire Protection
- The Valador frame includes some hard plastic motor wire protectors - I'll be honest here and let you know that I lost one, so two of them (to keep it even) are actually iFlight pieces, but you can't tell! It was either this or braided wires, but if you're going to be crashing or are liable to prop strikes, these are the best way to keep your wires tidy and protected with a clean look overall.
- Hand-Built, with Love, By Me
- This isn't some factory-built drone. I spent the best part of 2 days considering every piece, every placement, every wire run, designing, revising and printing parts to make everything exactly as I wanted it to be. You might find some minor imperfections (dust or flux splatter around the stack - I cleaned up as well as I could but who knows!), but I pride myself on the quality of my builds and I'm certain that whoever gets their hands on this will not be disappointed. Much time and love has gone into this drone, and, while I'm biased, I think it shines through. I really do hope you love it as much as I do.
Battery Recommendations
The motors on this drone are BEEFY. They're going to be capable of sucking back some real current, so you'll want some batteries capable of handling that. If you're like me, you might be happy to compromise a little flight time for the overall look of the drone, but I'll provide some options below:
- Best Price, decent Looks: CNHL 1100mAh black series 6S
- Best Looks / Price Balance: TheFPV 1100mAh 6S
- Best Looks / Performance Balance: TheFPV 1200mAh 6S
- Best Performance Overall: Tattu R-Line 1400mAh 6S
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