First time using Betaflight, and it is AWESOME! This bird flies pretty well. Are there any improvements you guys can give me? I know that I can always improve this build, and I would like to get some feedback from everyone about this. I used a lot of parts from UAVFutures $99 quad build. Thanks!

The build list parts are as follows:
Lisam 210 carbon fiber frame-$15
20a Racerstar Blheli_s ESCs-$27
BR2205 2300 Kv Racerstar motors-$28
FLIP32 F4 FC-$20
4s 1800 lipo-$14
600mw VTx-$10
1000Tvl CMOS FPV camera (upgrading to CCD very soon)-$12
Flysky radio system-$36
Matek 2-4s PDB-$3
5x4.5x3 Kingkong props-$6

That a good looking build and I see your 3D printer has been busy making parts!

One thing that jumps out at me is that the wires from your PDB to your XT60 socket are too thin. They should be at least the same gauge as the wires on your battery. In this case, it looks like you've used 18 or 20 AWG wires and they really are too thin for that purpose.

I saw you mention thinking about flying this in the snow. If you are going to try that, I'd recommend that you get some conformal coating and thoroughly insulate all the electronics first.

For me, conformal coating worked well except on the ESCs. My quad-copter flew about 3 batteries fine, then one motor stopped working. Once the ESC dried out it was fine again by I had to resort to 2part 24hour epoxy to get something more robust. Heat becomes a concern with epoxy also.

(08-Nov-2017, 10:21 AM)McDee Wrote: For me, conformal coating worked well except on the ESCs. My quad-copter flew about 3 batteries fine, then one motor stopped working. Once the ESC dried out it was fine again by I had to resort to 2part 24hour epoxy to get something more robust. Heat becomes a concern with epoxy also.

I noticed that you'd sealed your ESCs in epoxy and heat dissipation was my first thought. I'm surprised that conformal coating didn't work for the ESC. Did you check for good coverage with a black light?

I didn't check, I was not aware of that. I did see in the older flight test waterproofing video that they found that for them ESCs coated in conformal coating would not work underwater (or soaked) but worked fine once dried off again.

My next waterproofing project I will experiment with thermal epoxying heatsinks on before I seal the ESCs in 2part 24 hr epoxy.

(08-Nov-2017, 10:53 AM)McDee Wrote: I didn't check, I was not aware of that. I did see in the older flight test waterproofing video that they found that for them ESCs coated in conformal coating would not work underwater (or soaked) but worked fine once dried off again.

My next waterproofing project I will experiment with thermal epoxying heatsinks on before I seal the ESCs in 2part 24 hr epoxy.

Most conformal coatings have a UV sensitive dye added to them for precisely the purpose of inspection under a black light to check for full coverage.

I think that cooling shouldn't be an issue as long as your epoxy isn't too thick. After all, ESCs are normally covered with heat shrink and that's not exactly a good conductor of heat either. I tend to avoid heatsinks as it's just extra height to increase the chances of a prop strike.

Excellent information. As for my heatsink experiment, I was planning on trying it on my talon 4-1 ESCs since they are sitting under my FC. I plan on being very cruel to my batteries with the talon in rain and snow and the extra weight could possibly be worth the weather-proofing and heat management. I do consider this experiment may end badly, but I'm too curious to play it safe.

Also, for the 2part 24 hour epoxy I used a heat gun to heat the ESCs before application of the epoxy and then after to remove excess epoxy, then tested each underwater before installing them.

It's certainly worth a try! Those 4-in-1 ESCs are at quite a disadvantage for cooling.

Then again, if you're going to be flying in snowy conditions, the fact that the air is freezing cold should mean that cooling is the last of your worries. The biggest problem I find with the cold is that you have to keep your batteries warm. Cold batteries don't work very well.

(08-Nov-2017, 10:07 AM)unseen Wrote: That a good looking build and I see your 3D printer has been busy making parts!

One thing that jumps out at me is that the wires from your PDB to your XT60 socket are too thin. They should be at least the same gauge as the wires on your battery. In this case, it looks like you've used 18 or 20 AWG wires and they really are too thin for that purpose.

I saw you mention thinking about flying this in the snow. If you are going to try that, I'd recommend that you get some conformal coating and thoroughly insulate all the electronics first.

Thanks Unseen! I'll make the change as soon as possible! Congratulations on the Toad 90! Have fun with it in Sweden!

(08-Nov-2017, 04:27 PM)raspberrypi33 Wrote: Thanks Unseen! I'll make the change as soon as possible! Congratulations on the Toad 90! Have fun with it in Sweden!

Thanks!

It's the first time I ever won any kind of giveaway.

I think I'll probably have to waterproof the Toad if I want to fly it outside once the winter really starts. The forecast is for a really cold one this year and if the snow is too deep, I won't even fly a waterproofed quad outside as finding a downed quad in three feet of snow is near impossible!

(08-Nov-2017, 10:07 AM)unseen Wrote: That a good looking build and I see your 3D printer has been busy making parts!

One thing that jumps out at me is that the wires from your PDB to your XT60 socket are too thin. They should be at least the same gauge as the wires on your battery. In this case, it looks like you've used 18 or 20 AWG wires and they really are too thin for that purpose.

I saw you mention thinking about flying this in the snow. If you are going to try that, I'd recommend that you get some conformal coating and thoroughly insulate all the electronics first.

What coating should I get to waterproof the electronics?

I can't really advise you on which coating to get as I'm not familiar with the names of the products available to you in the USA. McDee may be able to help you with products that are available where you live, even though he's based in Canada.

A silicone conformal coating is probably best as it has a bit of flexibility, but I've also had good results with an acrylic coating as I couldn't find any silicone based coating here in Sweden.

Before applying any coating, make sure that you mask off things like USB connectors and any other connectors that you are using. Also, if your flight controller has a barometer, make sure that you mask off the tiny little hole in the barometer's case if you still want it to work after coating the flight controller.

I documented one of my waterproof builds here: http://intofpv.com/t-wicked-wingman-cric...-build-log

(09-Nov-2017, 02:10 PM)unseen Wrote: I can't really advise you on which coating to get as I'm not familiar with the names of the products available to you in the USA. McDee may be able to help you with products that are available where you live, even though he's based in Canada.

A silicone conformal coating is probably best as it has a bit of flexibility, but I've also had good results with an acrylic coating as I couldn't find any silicone based coating here in Sweden.

Before applying any coating, make sure that you mask off things like USB connectors and any other connectors that you are using. Also, if your flight controller has a barometer, make sure that you mask off the tiny little hole in the barometer's case if you still want it to work after coating the flight controller.

Thanks! Yesterday, instead of using a larger wire fr the XT60, I directly soldered the XT60 onto the PDB. Is that OK?

(08-Nov-2017, 07:37 PM)raspberrypi33 Wrote: What coating should I get to waterproof the electronics?

I may have made an error in waterproofing my ESCs the 1st time I tried with conformal coating. I ended up 'potting' them with epoxy (any slow cure 2 part clear epoxy should suffice) but as long as you are careful and thorough you may be fine with only conformal coating on your quad-copter electronics. I did also run a bead of liquid electrical tape along the seam of my camera back and where the lens meets the camera base just in case.

 This is the product I'd recommend for conformal coating. 
         Amazon.com, MG Chemicals Silicone Modified Conformal Coating, 55 ml Glass Bottle, with Brush Cap
         
This is what I used instead, still ok but try the recommended product 1st.
         Amazon.com, MG Chemicals Acrylic Lacquer Conformal Coating, 340g (12 Oz) Aerosol Can, Clear

This is the liquid electric tape.
         Amazon.com, Gardner Bender LTR-400 Liquid Electrical Tape, Waterproof, Indoor and UV Resistant, 4 Oz. Jar, Red

Don't forget to inspect your work with a black light as Unseen mentioned. Also remember that your radio and googles are not waterproof!
I did use some of this to waterproof my radio, though I still try very hard to not rely on it.
         Amazon.com, Corrosion-X 90101 6oz Aerosol