Recently, I saw a very interesting question in the FPV community. Is it possible to build an fpv drone within 150 dollars? What do you think of this?

I don't think it's possible。But  if you are experienced builder with all the extra odds and ends already on your bench, like offsets and extra lock nuts, solder gun, battery connections, etc. all the nickel and dime stuff that can quickly add to the budget of the project.Maybe there is still some possibility.

Of ANY size???

Including Radio???

(24-Nov-2022, 08:52 AM)BadRaven Wrote: Of ANY size???

Including Radio???

Yes, so I think it's impossible

If we're talking about 5" quads (which is generally considered the standard de facto quad size for freestyle and racing) then the answer is no based on current market prices for hardware which seems to just continue going up in price each week.

Joshua Bardwell already posted a video covering this and even with the cheapest components he manged to get to around $200 USD, but that didn't include antennas which means the reality is that today you can't even build a 5" quad for $200, so forget $150. Not possible, unless we are talking about a whoop or micro quad.

I guess I count as an experienced builder because most of my builds are composed of parts I have on hand- used bits, old bits, repaired bits- so my builds don’t usually cost anything.

But, even if you don’t have a pile of parts, it’s very doable to build an fpv drone well within that budget.

Here’s a 3” build (I’m not including shipping costs, because I don’t know where said buyer might live.) Will this be a good build? Hell if I know, but it will most definitely fly.

Frame: $11.74
https://m.aliexpress.us/item/32568043646..._shipto=US
This is some random 3” toothpick frame.

Motors: $23.73
https://m.aliexpress.us/item/32568032762...4d98aab793
This is a 4 pack of 1507 3800kv motors.

AIO flight controller: $42.99
https://m.aliexpress.us/item/32568042771...25ae4249f3
This is a JHEMCU F411 40A aio. The motors above pull something like 20A max, so this is overkill.

Vtx: $11.68
https://m.aliexpress.us/item/32568040788...b6a950d7f5
This is an HGLRC Zeus Nano. It’s actually a pretty damn good analog vtx.

Camera: $14.50
https://m.aliexpress.us/item/32568025025...3fc462021b
This is a Caddx Ant Nano.

Props: $2.99
https://pyrodrone.com/collections/3-inch...x-cw-2xccw
These are 3x5x3 props. Aggressive pitch, but those motors above shouldn’t have any problem spinning them.

We’re at $107.63 USD.
Add another $15 for an ELRS receiver, and we are at $122.63 USD, not including shipping, for an overpowered 3” quad. Some money could be potentially saved by buying smaller motors and a lower rated aio flight controller.

Those 1507 motors could easily spin larger props, so if you managed to find a cheap 3.5” or 4” frame that has 12x12 motor mount holes…

Am I forgetting anything? The vtx comes with a dipole antenna, so while it may not be great, it’ll work.

Considering Black Friday starts tomorrow, the answer is probably yes. But like Snow said, unlikely to be a 4" or 5". A 2" or 3" is definitely possible as Lemony illustrated. But it isn't just can you build a quad for $150, it's can you build something that will fly well and not need months of tuning to make it handle well. Also it isn't just the drone, it's the batteries, the charger and all the other things you need.

Nevertheless, this is a question i ponder on a lot, but my budget is £150 (UKP), so slightly more than $150. My current project is can i build a better version of the Sub250 Nanofly16 that doesn't have the potential issues of the original and can fly on both 1S and 2S, all for the same price. The short answer is yes, by using the cheapest components, so the much hated BetaFPV 12A AIO (that i have not had any issue with and supports 1-2S) £35, 4x RCinPower 1002 14000kv motors £38, Nanofly16 frame £9, OVX303 £14, Caddx Ant Nano £14, HQ Micro Whoop Prop 1.6/1.5mm £2, XT30 power lead £1. That gives a total of £113 ($136). If you lived stateside and had better access to parts, then I would probably substitute the BetaFPV FC for the DarwinFPV equivalent. It's roughly the same price and comes with SPI ELRS.

So if you just want a fun, small ripper, that runs on cheaper batteries and can be flown pretty much anywhere without causing issues or nuisance, is less than 250g to avoid all the problems that come with that, while still costing around $150, then maybe that would work for someone.

There are quite a few things others forget to add .. batteries and a charger .. can’t fly without “fuel”…
If ur new, the “ Emax ez pilot pro” is not a bad lplacecto start.. yes there are a few “negatives” with this kit.. but the positives out weigh them in my book

Batteries are the killer, especially given prices nowadays. When i started out I spent probably £250-300 for my initial setup (Beta85, Jumper T-Pro ELRS, Beta VR02 goggles, a bunch of 2S GNB 380mAh lipos and a SkyRC E3 charger). So you can with some cutting of corners probably keep the goggles, radio and batteries/charger to under £100 (Radiomaster T8 lite £30, BetaFPV VR02 £40, SkyRC e3 £14, 2x 2S 380mah GNB Lipos). But you won't be getting a lot of flight time with 2 Lipos.

But if you spend a little more on that side, you could get say a Jumper T-Lite 2 ELRS £54 and BetaFPV VR03 goggles £65, which would improve the experience a bit and maybe buy the 530mah Lipos or 660's. Both work fine in my Beta85, so should be fine for the Nanofly16 build too.

The things is the original question posed was "Is it possible to build an fpv drone for 150 dollars". You would assume from the question that the person would already have everything else given the fact they only want to build a drone.

Hi ifpv much,

Since you only asked "Is it possible to build and fpv drone within 150 dollars?"

The assumption is that you already have everything else such as a transmitter,
goggles, batteries, battery charger, tools, and other assorted bit parts. If not,
then absolutely NO since all of that stuff will cost more than 150 dollars and
you won't even have a quad yet.

Well, since you didn't specifiy a size, a goal, or any other criteria; 
I will assume that the size doesn't matter...or does it?

If size doesn't matter, then YES, you can just buy a tiny whooped FPV quad.

Although you did say "BUILD", you can BUY a 3 inch Darwin Baby Ape for $ 79 USD 
without receiver here in the USA. It is probably cheaper in China. So, for about 
100 dollars (USD), you can buy an FPV quad. This is about as cheap as you can get
for a 3 inch quad and you likely can't build a quad with those specs for the same
amount of money. Building is generally more costly than just buying a BNF quad.

If you have just got to BUILD it, then LemonyLeprosy has lined out a pretty good
list of components. If you search around, you might get a better price on some of
them. However, that is a really good price on motors. On average, motors start
at about $10 each.

Yeah, you didn't say what the goal of the quad is. Do you want a high performance
craft that will burn the skys and push a lot of adrenaline through you or something
a bit more tame for cruising. I would say cinematic, but I doubt that you could get
one of those built for $ 150 USD. 

In summary, YES it is possible depending upon what you want from the quad.
In fact, you can buy one for that cost. The bigger question is what you intend
to do with it. Once you start setting criteria, then things might change a bit and
the answer might change as well. 

If you really wanna go nuts with the savings, some things could be repurposed or handmade, but it's one of those "you get what you pay for" sorts of things. There's things like building your own frame out of aluminum or scrap wood, going retro with MultiWii, and building your own antennas. All of these things work, but you'll probably suffer a number of deficiencies.

On the one hand, I agree with Suros that you can fabricate or make some of the things,
however, I am not sure how much money that you would actually save. It sort of depends
on your skillset and what you have just laying around that would work. If you have to buy
much of the raw materials or don't have the tools or don't have the skillset...WELL...

Just remembered the Darwin baby ape comes in at a good price point.. and u can build from there..
Already posted.. never mind sorry

(24-Nov-2022, 05:45 PM)Suros Wrote: If you really wanna go nuts with the savings, some things could be repurposed or handmade, but it's one of those "you get what you pay for" sorts of things. There's things like building your own frame out of aluminum or scrap wood, going retro with MultiWii, and building your own antennas. All of these things work, but you'll probably suffer a number of deficiencies.

I’ve been meaning to build an old school wooden H frame but with more modern electronics for a while now… thanks for the reminder!
Now I’ve just gotta figure out how to do it while making it 250g or less.

The Eachine E010 quadcopter, or in the UK at least the more commonly available "badge engineered", JJRC H36, can be bought including shipping from some EBay sources for £16 to £20. The transmitter is included.

Add an Eachine or similar AIO VTX/Camera £14 to £20



There you go, a brand new FPV quadcopter complying to your minimally stated speciification for £30 to £40.  (Under $50 worst case)  


You can have three and a stack of batteries for your cost limit.    

And before someone says that's not building, transfer the electronics to a 3D print frame, simples.........................