Introducing the SubMini 200mm FPV quad, a custom designed multirotor. As the name indicates, is has a motor-to-motor diagonal measurement of 200mm, perfectly suited for 4″ props. The frame was designed and 3D printed in black ABS and is 4mm thick.
Components (with links).
Motors: RCX 1306 2300kv
Props: 4045 CW & CCW from MyRcMart.com
ESCs: RTF HUGESC 12AMP SIMONK-(RAPIDESC)
Flight Controller: Flip32 Racing Edition
RC Receiver: FrSky VD5M
FPV Transmitter: TS5823 5.8GHz 32CH Mini FPV Video Transmitter
Camera: RunCam PZ0420M 2.8 mm lens
Battery: ZIPPY Flightmax 1000mAh 3S1P 25C
Antenna: Off-brand CP RP-SMA antenna.
Here’s a quick rundown of the costs, but please note that not everything needed is included: I already had 4 batteries and the FPV antenna. Also, its a good idea to get a spare motor and ESC, just in case. You don’t want your project to be halted because of a faulty motor. But, on the positive side, Shipping from MyRCMart was suprisingly quick: the package took exactly a week to arrive from China to my doorstep in California.
Soldering the HugESC wires was a bit tricky, you need a fast and steady hand. The ESCs where shrink-wrapped to the frame itself for additional protection.
I was initially going to use a regular Flip32 fullsize controller, but the spare one I had wasn’t working quite right, so I ordered the Flip32 Racing controller, which is less than half the size of a standard Flip32 (35mm x 35mm). I decided to use the FrSky VD5M because it was what I had lying around, and it worked quite well. I removed the connectors and soldered the wires directly from the receiver to flight controller. Again, you need a fast and steady hand to pull this off, the solder points are tiny. I epoxied the receiver wiring to ensure durability.
The 1306 motors are tiny! They are really 1706 (17mm in diameter), but they perform quite well when paired with 4 x 4.5 props.
The all-up-weight (AUG) is 246g (165g for the frame alone). It was tuned and maidened at night and it was a blast to fly, going inside the house and over the sidewalks while I just stood there in the garage. Flight times are about 4-5 minutes of fast FPV flying, a bit more if you’re just cruising.
Overall I’m very happy with this SubMini quad, which is what I’m going to call it, since it is smaller than what is considered a mini quad (250mm) and not quite a nano or pico quad. So, SubMini it is!
Photo Gallery:
