Hello there!

I put this in the beginner section as most of these questions are probably pretty basic. In 2018 I tried to put together a Mr Steele Alien quadcopter with Kiss but never came around finishing it as life got in the way. My dad passed away and I had to move, so FPV was put on hold undefinetly. A couple days ago I got asked by my cousins son if I could repair his toy quadcopter and thus I thought why not break out the old Alien 5 and finish what I started years ago and use that instead. I did spend a few hours on velocidrone a while ago. But never could find the time to get back to the build. So much to catch up on and there were more important things to do. So I figured if I don't start now it will never be done.

I do need a bit of guidance as so much has changed in the FPV market/industry that I am a bit lost. I lost oversight of what stuff is compatible and what isn't. Plus there is a plethora of new gear out there that confuses me. I had to read up all the basic stuff like prop pitch and motor kV etc ... again as I have been out too long.

What I have:

• Frame : Impulse RC Alien 5" version (not chamfered carbon)
  
• Motors : Mr Steele Silk (v1) 2345 kV
  
• PDB : Impulse RC Mr Steele PDB (first version)
  
• FC : Kiss v2 32 Bit
  
• ESC : Kiss 32 Amp 32 Bit
  
• Tx : Taranis Q X7 FrSky (Modified to fit 2 18650 Li-Ion cells)
  

What I have no clue about:

• Rx : I have no clue what kind of receiver I can put on this build that is compatible with the Taranis. There was no Rx included in the box anyways.
  
• Vtx : Same, no idea what is currently recommended or compatible. I will probably use some FatShark goggles, but not yet decided on a model (Its all new as well)
  
• FPV : Initially I planned on using a RunCam but I dont know if they are still current or if there is better stuff out there now. I just don't know.
  
• Battery : What would be better, using 4s or going directly to 5s LiPo? Before I buy batteries, that I am going to change later on.
  
  

I do have rewatched the steele alien 5 build video but most of the stuff is either outdated or NLA. Since this is my first FPV build I want to avoid wasting money or damaging parts because stuff is incompatible. I have no issue with the physical build itself, just been out for too long to know whats current anymore. Funny fact, the Kiss v2 and ESC are out of stock from Flyduino. They have been out of stock as far as I remember.

Best Regards,
Steve

Hi,

First of all I have limited experience, just over one year in FPV, so this is my personal opinion, maybe someone more experienced will have another one!

AFAIK Kiss FC is something very different from other FPV FC software like Betaflight or INAV, it runs on its own firmware and hardware and I dont't know anything how often it is updated, tuned etc. So my first idea would be to switch to some other more popular FC choice. Something like Matek F405 SE. It has a bulilt-in amp meter and PDB so will be perfect to use with 4 separate ESCs. You can also run latest Betaflight on it.

ESC: Currently the tendency is to use 4in1 ESC, but 4 ESC is also OK. A quick search suggests that your ESCs support D600 protocol, so will be ok to use with Matek FC. But you'd better double check it.

Frame, motors - a little outdated but wouldn't worry about that.

RX: Your radio probably has a multi-protocol module built-in, so you just need a Frsky D16 compatible receiver. A lot of information how to connect it to a FC and bind to the radio. If you want more reliability/range, then go for Express LRS or Crossfire. For both ELRS or Crossfire you will need to buy both a TX module and a receiver.

FPV: you need a camera (example: Foxeer Toothless 2, Caddx Ratel). Check for frame installation option, whether you need a mini, micro or nano size camera. VTX: for example, AKK Race VTX, AKK FX2 etc., again check if you want a 20x20 stack or 30x30 mm stack VTX. Again lots of information how to connect your cam and VTX to FC. Antenna for both VTX and goggles has to be both RHCP either LHCP. Example: Pagoda 2. Check your antenna connections/pigtail are SMA or RP-SMA. And then goggles of course, Fatshark or Skyzone are a good choice.

Battery: 4S 1350-1550 mAh, whatever available with >50 C rating.

Again I don't know anything about Kiss, people say it's great for flying, so maybe someone can suggest how to reuse it. But for compatibility, possibility to run Betaflight and other hardware options I would go with a more popular FC choice.

Regards,

Everything you currently have will work together, even if it is a little out-dated. Not that out-dated means bad, but you might be missing out some convenience features. If your FC or ESCs poop themselves then you can swap out modern alternatives - your KISS ESCs should work with Betaflight FCs, and you can hook up any ESC that supports DSHOT if you need to change out the ESCs but want to keep the KISS FC.

Is there silver label on the back of the Taranis? Let us know what that says and we should be able to work out what RXs are compatible. That said, Frsky did some crazy stuff with their product line since you got that radio and so it might be easier to pick up a module to fit in the bay at the back and then you can escape the Frsky ecosystem. The control link world is an interesting place right now. ExpressLRS is making a lot of waves.

For that motor kV you'll need 4S. Most new builds are 6S now, but to combat battery sag - the kV is scaled down so that amount of power is basically the same.

This hobby has a tendency to be gear obsessed, but don't listen to anyone who tells you your gear is obsolete. For the record, I use old 4S packs, my main quads use F4 flight controllers, and I still use individual ESCs ;-)