FPV — The first build
#fpv/build · Note 5 of 7 · part of Drones
A 5" freestyle build, which is the standard first build for good reasons: parts are cheap, everything is documented, and it flies well enough to grow into.
The parts list
| Part | Notes |
|---|---|
| Frame | 5", 5–6mm arms. Replaceable single arms, not a unibody |
| Stack | FC + 4-in-1 ESC, 30×30mm. 45–60A is plenty for 4S/6S |
| Motors | 2207, ~1800–2000KV for 6S, ~2400–2550KV for 4S |
| Camera | Match the video system — analogue or digital |
| VTX | Analogue: 400–800mW switchable. Digital: comes as a set with the camera |
| Receiver | ELRS, matching your radio from FPV — What to buy |
| Props | 5×4.3×3 or similar. Buy ten sets |
| Straps, foam, zip ties | The build is 10% electronics and 90% strain relief |
The tools
- Temperature-controlled soldering iron, 60W+. A pencil iron from a hardware shop will not heat a battery pad and you will spend an hour cold-soldering it. A TS100/TS101 or a Pinecil is inexpensive and correct.
- Leaded solder, 60/40 or 63/37. Lead-free is harder for no benefit here.
- Flux. Not optional. Most bad joints are a flux problem.
- Helping hands, side cutters, hex drivers (1.5/2.0/2.5mm), tweezers.
- Multimeter with a continuity beep.
- Smoke stopper for first power-up.
Order of assembly
Doing this in the wrong order means desoldering things later.
- Tin everything first — pads on the ESC, wire ends. Never solder untinned.
- Motors to arms, then route the wires. Cut them to length now, while you can still reach the pads.
- Motors to ESC. Order does not matter electrically — you fix direction in software later.
- Capacitor across the battery pads. Low-ESR, 35V, 470–1000µF. It protects everything and cleans up video noise. Do not skip it.
- XT60 to the battery pads. Get polarity right. Check it twice, then check with the multimeter.
- Stack in, with the FC on soft mounts if the frame supports it.
- VTX and camera. Keep the VTX antenna clear of carbon.
- Receiver, antennas out at 90° to each other.
- Continuity check. Battery + to − should not beep. If it does, stop.
- Smoke stopper, then power. Only then, a real battery.
Betaflight, first flight
Order matters here too:
- Ports — set UART for the receiver and any telemetry.
- Receiver — protocol, then bind, then confirm all channels move.
- Modes — arm switch first. Set a failsafe and test it by turning the radio off with props removed.
- Motors tab, props off. Check direction and order. Fix in software.
- Rates — start modest, around 600–700°/s, matching your sim (FPV — Simulators).
- Do not tune anything. Stock Betaflight tunes are genuinely good. FPV — Tuning and flying explains when that stops being true.
The mistakes everyone makes once
- Reversed polarity on the XT60. Instantly fatal to the stack. This is what the smoke stopper is for.
- Cold joints — dull, blobby, and they fail in flight rather than on the bench.
- Unsecured wires near props. A prop finds any loose wire immediately.
- Props on the wrong way. They are marked; the quad will flip and you will blame the tune.
- Arming with props on, indoors, "just to check". Do not.
Batteries
LiPos are the genuinely dangerous part of this hobby, not the props. Never charge unattended, never charge a puffed pack, never leave one at full charge for weeks. Storage charge is ~3.8V per cell.
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