GEPRC GEP-VX Series 250mm Carbon Fiber Frame Kit
We are going for a freestyle/cruiser build here so a decently large frame is in order here. I will admit that this frame was not my first choice. The Raggio Lungo was my first choice however it was out of stock when I places my order. The GEP-VX series will have todo. I can’t seem to find replacement arms for the VX series anywhere so I might have order another frame. It’s only a matter of time before a crash landing breaks one of the arms.
HAKRC BLHeli_32 Bit 35A 2-5S ESC
While some opt for the 4 in 1 ESC board, I still like individual ECS per motor. These ones are cheap, have a max amperage of 35 amps and run BLHeli. For those that don’t know, BLHeli_32 is an ESC firmware that run on a 32 bit ARM MCU. There are many different versions of hardware that run BLHeli_32 and they range in price and features.
Upgrade DYS 30.5×30.5mm F4 Pro V2 Flight Controller
Choosing a fight controller is alot harder these days. 4 years ago there were only F1 controllers on the market that used the ARM Cortex-M3 processors. The most popular being the Naze32. But long gone are the days of simplicity. Now we have a whole array of choices we can pick from. One of the main reasons I picked the DYS F4 Pro is that is has power distribution built into the board. While it will make the board a bit more cramp, it cuts a board off the stack and the wiring to and from the flight controller. The F4 version of the flight controllers allows for a beefy ARM Cortex-M4 processor running at a blistering 168MHz clock rate. This allows Baseflight to run easily at a 8K looptime while still having throughput left over to run some of the other peripherals. Refer to the table below for a quick look at the differences between the different flight control families.
| Processor | CPU Model | Processor Speed | Flash Memory |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | ARM Cortex-M3 | 72MHz (90 DMIPS) | 64/128 Kbytes |
| F3 | ARM Cortex-M4 | 72MHz (90 DMIPS) | 128/256 Kbytes |
| F4 | ARM Cortex-M4 | 168MHz (210 DMIPS) | 1 Mbyte |
| F7 | ARM Cortex-M7 | 216MHz (462 DMIPS) | 1 Mbyte |
FrSky ACCST Taranis Q X7 Transmitter 2.4G 16CH
This transmitter is one of the best entry level radios on the market. It runs open source firmware known as OpenTx which has a simple yet intuitive interface. The transmitter has a USB port which allows for easily upgrading the firmware and flying around in a simulator like Liftoff. It also allows for aftermarket modules to be installed, like TBS Crossfire Micro TX which operate on a different frequency, allowing the remote to go further in range.
Racerstar Racing Edition 2403 BR2403 2300KV
Honestly I wish I had gone with different motors. For those who do not know, Racestar is a Chinese company with known quality control issues. On paper these motors look great. 2300kv, 3-4s input voltage, and they only cost $30.00 for a set of 4, what a steal! However, after only 5 flights I have already had a motor go bad on me. Do yourself a favor and invest in a good motor. Doing so will save you the time, money and headache of motor replacements.
