Hi everyone.
I would like to apologise right away for any stupid questions, since I'm still new in FPV.
I would like advice on building my first drone (cinewhoop).

I bought a Cetus FPV Kit from BetaFPV as first try.
And now, I want to try to build my own drone to better understand what elements it consists of and how it all works.

So I have:
- VR02 FPV Goggles
- Radiomaster Zorro Controller (ELRS 2.4)

I plan to buy:
- GEPRC GEP-CT30 Frame
- SpeedyBee F405 V3 BLS 50A 30x30 FC&ESC Stack
- GEP-M8Q GPS Module
- GEPRC SPEEDX2 1804 2450KV/3450KV Motor 4s or 6s
- HQProp T76MMX3 Propeller

First of all, I need help choosing a camera. I'm not planning to buy new FPV Goggles yet. So I need some advice on what kind of camera I can use for VR02 FPV Goggles?
In the future, I plan to switch to the DJI.

Also, please advise which motors to take?
And in general, is everything okay with the choice of components and whether I'm not missing something? 
Like I said, this is the first one, a test version, to understand how everything works.

Thank you all for your advices.

It’s real hard to tell how much room is in that frame from the product page:
https://geprc.com/product/geprc-gep-ct30-frame/

However, it looks to me like it is designed to have a 25.5x25.5 aio flight controller sitting right above the base plate.

On the plate above that it looks like there is holes for 20x20 or 30x30- that room is going to be used by the digital vtx once you move on to dji. I think it might be very hard to fit a full stack in there as well as a digital video transmitter.

I’d suggest getting an appropriate aio flight controller instead of that Speedybee stack. You’re going to want one with more than 2 uarts if you’re planning on using gps, so I’d suggest one with an f405 or f7 processor.

Everything else looks good.
Any analog camera and vtx will work with your current goggles.
It can fit up to a 19mm camera, my favorite analog camera in that size is the Foxeer Toothless 2 Micro Starlight:
https://www.foxeer.com/foxeer-micro-toot...-hdr-g-281

You’ll also need an analog vtx. The Speedybee TX800 has proven itself to be very reliable in my experience:
https://www.speedybee.com/speedybee-tx800/
This is a 20x20 mount analog vtx, it’ll hang down from the top plate above the aio flight controller, where your digital vtx will eventually go once you upgrade.

You’ll also want to pick up a better vtx antenna, the vtx I linked to above needs one with an mmcx connector.

You’ll also need an ELRS receiver.

Regarding motors, it will depend on what cell count batteries you plan on using. Do you plan on using 4s or 6s?
If 6s, get the 2450kv version. If 4s, get the 3450kv version.

Edit- there’s no stupid questions. There’s a lot to learn in this hobby.
Also, welcome to intoFPV!

Thank you very much for this information. A lot has become clearer.
So I need to find out more about the frame or pick up another one.
Because I want to try this controller (SpeedyBee F405) due to its features.

I've looked at a lot of reviews and if I understand correctly, the frame from Geprc is well made for DJI.
So when I buy Goggles from DJI, I will use AIR O3 unit and then this frame will be good.

Thanks

Room to work is a factor! Cinewhoop frames are traditionally very tight for space, and usually are designed around the specific components installed and sold when set up as PNP/BNF.

This makes them a more challenging choice for a first build when you are getting your head around soldering items together for that tight a location. A more traditional non-ducted top and bottom plate freestyle frame in the 3.5" to 5" sizing is significantly easier to install. A 3.5" freestyle quad can also usually be arranged to be under the 250 gramme mark if that is important to you.

I also suggest you very carefully price everything you will be using in the build and compare against the BNF/PNP pricing. In recent times its frequently been found to be cheaper to buy the complete article, due several factors, not the least being the discount they get for buying the large quantity to sell a batch of quads against your one off or at best four off (motors) pricing. You also have to factor in the fact that rarely can you buy all you need from one source, so multiple shipping costs ensue.

Not trying to put you off, but trying to avoid you wasting your time and money. Do the maths and see.

(27-Feb-2023, 09:15 PM)Dorash Wrote: Thank you very much for this information. A lot has become clearer.
So I need to find out more about the frame or pick up another one.
Because I want to try this controller (SpeedyBee F405) due to its features.

I've looked at a lot of reviews and if I understand correctly, the frame from Geprc is well made for DJI.
So when I buy Goggles from DJI, I will use AIR O3 unit and then this frame will be good.

Thanks

Yes, you’ll need to verify the height between the bottom and top plates to make sure that there is enough room for a 30x30 stack and an O3 unit.

If there is not enough room, you’ll have to pick a different format flight controller, or a different frame if you want it to be upgradable to dji as is. If there is room, don’t get the Speedybee tx800 that I recommended, as if you go with that 30x30 SpeedyBee f405 stack the 20x20 mounting holes will be inaccessible.

And yes, GEPRC makes quality gear.

Edit- I just double checked the mounting size for the O3 unit. It is 25.5x25.5. There *might* be enough room to place the O3 unit on the bottom plate and hang the 30x30 Speedybee stack from the plate above it, but I can’t say for sure- and if it will fit, it is going to be really tight, and difficult. That frame is clearly designed for an AIO 25.5x25.5 flight controller.

Perfect to want to build your first quad. I did the same after initialy buying a bnf cinelog 25. I already got some hardcore experience from this 'bnf' as it arrived with broken aio, so had to take it appart and put in a replacement aio. Learning the hard way as they say.
As mentioned above , a stack wont fit, stick with a fat aio for this frame. It is made for an aio plus a dji vtx. You can squeeze some stuff in the sides like in my case crossfire nano, bluetooth etc. But as a first build it will require some serious skills as it comes together like some magic puzzle with little space to manouvre and cable/antenna connections management is super tricky. I cut out some parts of the center piece to put all my stuff in there and allow some sort of access, but i have lots of experience with micro build so working with extreme tight spaces. Its an a amazing quad but would not necesarily recommend as a first build. For a first build having some nice spacy frame is the best. But again i also started the hard way so never let it stop you. Just realise what you are getting into.
My build log you can find here if interested https://intofpv.com/t-cinebot-30-frame-build

I believe GEPRC has two versions of the frame, one specifically for O3. O3 camera mounting is quite different than most analog cameras and the O3 VTX also requires some mounting solution. If you plan to swap in an O3 soon, you might want to get that version of the frame and adapt your analog camera to it with some custom printed mounts.

If this is your first drone build, keep in mind cinewhoop builds can be more challenging, because of the tight spaces there are more chances the components you use will not simply fit in and more things to consider (like access to usb port) and you will need to utilize your creativity/puzzle solving skills and some frustration maybe waiting for you. Also if you are new to soldering, the AIO boards typically have cramped tiny pads to solder to, stacks are friendlier but some whoop frames weren't designed for them especially if you plan to also add a digital VTX.

As for analog cameras, I like the Toothless as well and the Caddx Ratel is also very similar.

Thanks for the advice. I want to take the cinewhoop, probably because it's safer and has protection, which will keep it from being killed after the first flight).
Then maybe it makes sense to buy such a drone, but in parts?
https://geprc.com/product/geprc-cinebot3...fpv-drone/

I understand that it will come out more expensive than off-the-shelf, but like I said, I have the task now of figuring out how everything works, so I'm willing to overpay for it.

Buying all the parts from a bind and fly individually is certainly a way to know that everything will fit and work.

Here’s a crash course in picking a frame and parts for it:

Decide how you want to use the quad and what size:
You’ve chosen a cinewhoop style for protection, and 3” size.
Cool.

Find out what will fit in the frame that you like:
In this case, you’ve chosen the cinebot30. Cool.

It has the following important measurements:

Flight controller mounting holes: 25.5x25.5. This corresponds to a “whoop style” all in one (aio) flight controller.

Vtx mounting holes: 20x20, 25.5x25.5. Not all frames have this measurement. You’ll find it on frames that have two different mounting areas, for instance a front and a back mounting area, or in this case, a bottom plate and a top plate mounting area. Depending on the configuration of the frame and room available, you can typically decide which set of mounting holes you want to use for what, and that can give you more freedom in choosing your components, such as using the 25.5x25.5 “flight controller” mounting holes for a vtx, and then having the 20x20 free for a stack. This frame doesn’t appear to have the room for that kind of freedom. You also need to look at where those mounting holes are located- ie: if you mount a 25.5x25.5 component, are you then covering the 20x20 holes making them inaccessible and no longer available for use?

Camera mounting size: 19mm

Motor mounting size: 12mm x 12mm

Pick the bits that you want to put in the frame and make sure they’ll fit and work together without burning something out:

Your chosen motors have a 12x12 mounting pattern, so they’ll work. Depending on which version you get, they pull a little over 25A max, so you’ll want to make sure that your esc or aio fc can handle 30A minimum, personally I’d go with one rated 35A or higher.

We know from fpvapnea’s build of this frame that there is not room for a stack, so your chosen Speedybee stack won’t work. You’ll need a 25.5x25.5 aio flight controller, with a minimum 35A rating so that your motors don’t burn it out. You’ll also need enough uarts for everything, so an f411 that only gives you 2 uarts is probably out (your receiver will use one uart, your vtx will use one uart, your gps will use one uart- we’re already at 3), f405 or f7 is good.
There’s lots of options for these, such as:
https://pyrodrone.com/collections/whoop-...5-5x25-5mm
^^something to be aware of with this one is that it only has a 1A 5v bec. This bec is what will be powering your 5v accessories such as an analog video transmitter, camera, receiver, gps, potentially LEDs. 1A is not a lot for all of that.
https://pyrodrone.com/collections/whoop-...5-5x25-5mm
^^this board has a large footprint, might want to double check with fpvapnea to make sure it will fit.
https://pyrodrone.com/collections/whoop-...ic-version
^^this could be a good choice.

And I’ve already given you a cam and analog vtx recommendation.

There’s a lot more that goes into proper part selection, such as motor size and whatnot, but hopefully this gives you an idea of how to determine if certain parts will or won’t fit.

Edit- fixed the broken link for the GEPRC aio fc
Edit edit- I had it in my head that this frame had 30x30 mounting holes on it somewhere, but it doesn’t, just 25.5x25.5 and 20x20. Changed stuff above to reflect this.

You've just given me more information than I've learned in the last month trying to figure it out myself).
Thank you very much!

(27-Feb-2023, 11:07 PM)Dorash Wrote: You've just given me more information than I've learned in the last month trying to figure it out myself).
Thank you very much!

I was trying to figure it all out on my own in the beginning- I ended up getting a lot of things that didn’t work together or fit.

Once I found this forum, all the helpful folks here helped me to get a solid grasp on things and helped to significantly cut down on my frustration level. Pretty sure I would have walked away from the hobby without their help.

It is one hell of a steep learning curve when you’re just starting out in this hobby.

Anyhow, if you’ve got more questions, ask away- it’s what this section of the forum is for.

Thanks a lot. From your information, I will pick up the components again and write what I was able to find out)

To simplify the choice of components, I bought a frame GEPRC GEP-CT30 and measured everything.

https://share.cleanshot.com/nzNp7vCf Width 40 mm and height 22 mm. So there are many FCs that size.

I chose these three:
https://pyrodrone.com/collections/flight...-25-5x25-5
https://pyrodrone.com/products/geprc-gep...3255884843
https://pyrodrone.com/collections/flight...5-5x25-5mm

In terms of size and basic characteristics they are almost the same. So I need your advice, which of your experiences is better to choose?
I also need advice on which ELRS to choose. I have a Radiomaster Zorro ELRS

Camera: Foxeer Toothless 2 Micro Starlight
VTX: SpeedyBee TX800
Antena: Speedy Bee 5.8 GHz Antenna V2 (MMCX-Straight)
ELRS Receiver: RADIOMASTER RANGER NANO 2.4GHZ ELRS MODULE - STARTER COMBO
Motors: GEPRC SPEEDX2 1804 2450KV
Propeller: HQ PROP DURABLE 75MM PROP DUCT-3
Battery: ?

This is the set. Is there anything else you need? Like charger connector?
And please advise me which battery to take? I read that with 6s can fly longer

Thanks

Just a quick observation on your list.

"ELRS Receiver: RADIOMASTER RANGER NANO 2.4GHZ ELRS MODULE - STARTER COMBO "

Isn't that a module for the TX rather than a receiver for the drone?

The happymodel receivers are cheap and work, should be fine for your build. There are a few options available, with ceramic antenna or ipx connecto. The range should be longer with the ipx antenna version, but depending how far you are planning to fly, the one with ceramic antenna should be fine (EP2), it goes quite far as well...

https://pyrodrone.com/products/pre-order...rter-combo
If I understand correctly this is the kit for controller and for the drone.
I don't plan to fly far on this build. It's for practice.