Do a continuity check with a multimeter on the battery lead on the quad prior to plugging in again to make sure you don’t have a short.

Edit- it may beep initially and then stop beeping, that’s fine, it’s just the capacitor charging up. If it continues to beep, then you’ve got a short somewhere.

I check every time before I plug it in. Everything is normal, the multimeter does not beep

If your cable burned on connection, it is likely there was a short. Possibly some stray wire strands or loose solder blobs where the + and - are soldered close together. Another possibility is the + wire sheathing is damaged and shorted out against the carbon which is often grounded. Also if you have shrink wrap, I like to cover the capacitor leads so nothing is exposed. If you had a short, always good to inspect and see where it was even if the short was burned away.

Hi. No, there was no short circuit, everything works fine. Spark occurs when plugged in, but everything works fine.

I already set everything up and did the first tests on the outside).

Now I have two questions:
1. I want to set the LED on/off. This is set using the CLI. But so far I can't figure out what commands to write. 1) I need to activate USER1 in betaflight 2) Set parameters https://geprc.com/wp-content/uploads/202...0-quad.txt
In this video, he show how to do it, but first I need to activate USER1 and set parameters.


I solder led to TX3
Maybe someone can help figure out how to configure this, because the backlight has a lot of battery power and would like to turn it off.

2. The second point is the choice of goggle). As I understand, best solution - buy 1 analog and 1 digital).
If I understand correctly, the DJI 2 will only work with air unit 03. So I can't use it for tinywoop for example.

My final goal is to learn how to shoot landscapes. And I can't decide what is better to buy, as all at once will be expensive.
For analog - SkyZone 04x
For digital - DJI 2 or V2
I take it that the v2 is no longer worth considering?

Thanks

The first question was solved, I set up the led.
The question remains about the choice of goggle).
Now I think to buy SkyZone 04x. Learning to fly better with them, and then buy DJI.
Or is it better to go straight to digital?

Glad you got the led control figured out.

I can’t help you with any digital questions, as I’m still analog, but I do know that there is a BDI Digidapter that will allow you to put an analog module on dji goggles. However, I can’t tell you if it’s compatible with all versions of dji goggles or just some.

https://pyrodrone.com/products/bdi-digid...pv-goggles

(22-Apr-2023, 08:01 PM)Lemonyleprosy Wrote: Glad you got the led control figured out.

I can’t help you with any digital questions, as I’m still analog, but I do know that there is a BDI Digidapter that will allow you to put an analog module on dji goggles. However, I can’t tell you if it’s compatible with all versions of dji goggles or just some.

https://pyrodrone.com/products/bdi-digid...pv-goggles

Thanks. If it works, there really is no point in buying an analogue for my tasks. Thanks

(22-Apr-2023, 07:57 PM)Dorash Wrote: The first question was solved, I set up the led.
The question remains about the choice of goggle).
Now I think to buy SkyZone 04x. Learning to fly better with them, and then buy DJI.
Or is it better to go straight to digital?

Go straight to digital. If you can get a chance to try them out first, then I strongly suggest it. If you're going to be into smaller quads (<5") then go walksnail digital, if mostly larger quads (>5") then go DJI.

Congratulations on getting this far mate! Nothing is more satisfying than flying the quad after fixing it, after crashing it, after flying it and after fixing it!

Please post some video once you're done!

I don't know which ones I'm going to use yet. Right now I'm interested in cinewhoops, to take video of something not too far away, and small drones, just to fly around for fun.
But in future I want to try LR and freestyle.

So for now, I understand that best for me will be DJI V2, because I can use it with small drones (analog) and this goggle has i nice quality.
I can buy DJI goggle 2 but it's only for 5"+
So, I don't know what to do now)

I will try to do big post about my experience). I have already tested the drone and already repaired it twice). Maybe it would be interesting to people like me, because before this build, I had never even used a soldering iron.

Please post about your experience. It’s useful for new folks, and interesting for folks like me.

Well, I will try to describe my experience as a novice fpv pilot).
I will break the story into several posts and try to describe everything as clearly as possible.
First of all, I would like to thank all forum members who helped me understand the details and build my first drone.
Especially Lemonyleprosy. You helped me a lot with the building.

A short prehistory of how I came to this.

Now I live in England. The nature here is amazing. And once I came for a weekend with my family to a country hotel (an old manor house), I had a great desire to take video of the local landscapes from above. Without thinking too much, I went on the Internet to find out what kind of drone I could buy to begin with. To tell you the truth, I only knew about DJI. And I've never heard about FPV.

After watching a few videos, I decided to start with the simplest set to see if I like it. So I bought the BetaFPV Cetuc Kit. https://betafpv.com/products/cetus-fpv-kit
As someone who likes to learn information first, the first thing I did was review the videos with tips for getting started, and like most people, I started with simulators.
I bought velocidrone and Liftoff and began to learn how to fly there. And tried to fly around the house a little bit on betafpv.
At that time, I started watching a lot of videos about what types of drones there are, how they are built, and so on.
Very helpful to understand the basics and not only such channels as anik fpv (Russian-speaking channel, since I am from Ukraine) and the channel Joshua Bardwell.

And one day I decided to try flying in the yard on a betafpv cetus). The result was expected). The slightest wind just blew it away.
Since my goal is to take video of landscapes, I decided to try something bigger.
In the city where I live, a lot of beautiful places where I can fly and a huge promenade by the sea. So to be safer for the people and things around me, I decided to start with cinewhoop.

I didn't want to buy ready-made for several reasons:
1. I didn't know anything about electronics and had never used a soldering iron. So for me it would be a big problem to repair something after a crash
2. Trivial Interest). I sometimes do ship modelling and wanted to try something new.
3. Programmer Background. Again I wanted to understand how it all works

And that's how I got to this forum).

It wasn't exactly a short prequel, but with it I wanted to convey two ideas:

1) Define your goals. Since this hobby is not cheap at all, a beginner should understand for what they are ready to spend several thousand dollars and tons of time. Everyone can have different goals. For someone it is commercial interest, and someone like me just wants to make beautiful videos.
2) To choose the path of self-assembly. I learned the hard way, if I had not figured out which wire is which, my introduction to FPV would have been over in 5 minutes. After the first crash I would not have known what to do and the drone would have been sitting on the shelf.

In the second part, I will already talk about the stages of construction)

Here is the second part.
Don't judge strictly, as I wrote above I had no experience with electronics)

The first thing that you will need, of course, tools for working with electronics.
Here's a list of must-have tools:

1. Soldering iron and all its accessories - perhaps the main tool in this hobby)
2. Multimeter - If you don't want to burn a new toy in a couple of seconds, you have to learn how to work with it)
3. Screwdriver - The components often come with a set of the necessary hexes, but it is still easier to work with a screwdriver.
4. Cutters
5. Wires, heat shrink, and wire stripper

I also bought a heat gun, but it's not necessary.
https://share.cleanshot.com/Sby4bJfx

But I can say one thing, you need to look very carefully at the size of the boards and the holes on them, because to collect this construction set, it is quite a task.
This is where the members of the forum helped me. I listened to their advice and bought all the necessary elements.

Here is a list of all components:
1. Frame - I bought GEPRC CT30 https://geprc.com/product/geprc-gep-ct30-frame/ I chose it for its design and for the many positive reviews.
2. AIO - Foxeer Reaper AIO V2 F745 45A
3. Camera - Foxeer Micro Toothless 2
4. VTX - SpeedyBee TX800 The first advice is to сheck the size of the holes. Because the size of the AIO under m2 and the TX800 under m3. Thanks to Lemonyleprosy, he warned me about that.
5. Antenna - Speedy Bee 5.8 GHz Antenna V2. The second advice is to buy the antenna after you have built the drone. Because I bought the MMCX-Straight and after many variants of elements arrangement I realized that it does not suit me and I should have bought MMCX-90°. So for now I use the antenna that came with the VTX
6. Motors - GEPRC SpeedX2 1804 2450KV
7. Props - HQProp T76MMX3
8. ELRS - Happymodel EP1 RX 2.4GHz ExpressLRS. I use ELRS because I bought a Radiomaster zorro controller on ELRS
9. Capacitor
10. GPS - GEP-M8Q GPS Module

I ordered all the components from Ali, since not everything was available at local stores.
You may also need to print some details on a 3D printer. In my case it was a GPS mount.

So that the posts were not too long, I decided to split them into three parts.
I will start the build itself in it

Part 3.
So, let's start to build the drone).

If you buy the parts and frame separately, be sure to put everything together before you solder the wires.
In my case, it was quite a challenge. It took me three evenings to place all the components and close the drone.

What problems can be encountered:

1. Board size - https://share.cleanshot.com/0cB5zc0r As you can see in the screenshot, this one has closed sides. So not all boards can fit in there. My AIO only fit at a 90 degree angle https://share.cleanshot.com/zSClVsd2 But with this arrangement, it was impossible to get to the USB port on the AIO. Because this bar was blocking the access of the wire to the port. And I didn't want to cut the frame. https://share.cleanshot.com/ThhHNJ5v https://share.cleanshot.com/pRkP0TJf
As a result of numerous trials, I decided to place the AIO on the top cover. https://share.cleanshot.com/ZPCcB1MS

But here too, there were some difficulties. I had to choose the height of the board to within a millimeter, because the drone would not close when positioned like that.) The corners of the board were against the side walls. And I needed more space to stick the cable to the USB.
I still managed to find the optimal height, using different spacers to make everything close. https://share.cleanshot.com/ZvRHk0Mn

2. Temperature - It turned out that the VTX is very warm. Without blowing air, its temperature reaches 80 degrees Celsius. I can't say with certainty, but I think when placed close to the AIO, such a temperature would not be good for her. https://share.cleanshot.com/D2hlRMTx

3. Wires and antennas - I can't say that it was a big problem, but I did encounter some difficulties. I can say that at the assembly stage, you have to think about how the wires will be routed and especially where the capacitor will be located.
So are the antennas. As I wrote above, I bought an MMCX-Straight antenna and tried to put it in. But I failed, because the VTX was placed low enough to easily put the antenna straight.

After installing all the parts, you can finally get down to soldering the wires.

And I'll give one more advice. If you, like me, have never soldered before, I highly recommend buying training boards from manufacturers. They cost $2-3, but can save you a lot of money). I bought 2 boards from Mamba and I'm still practicing on them.

Now let's start putting it all together.

1.The first thing I did was to assemble the Led lighting. Since it is powered by 11v I immediately tested it with a battery. https://share.cleanshot.com/wqGMVK8R
I'll be honest, I was happy when it worked). Because it was my first chip that I built). This frame has a special pocket just for this board. Therefore, it does not interfere with the main assembly. But you have to take into account that you have to solder it to the power pads https://share.cleanshot.com/MQBpkMH6

2. Second step was VTX https://share.cleanshot.com/ddHhDDDB I soldered all the wires according to the diagram I made beforehand.

3. Then I built the power cable https://share.cleanshot.com/lh54vv4C I still don't understand the difference between soldering the capacitor closer to the board or on the wire. https://share.cleanshot.com/0bT7YhRl But looking ahead, I can say that this part caused me the most difficulty, namely, to solder it all to the AIO.

4. The next step was the motors and the power cable. For the bolts on the motors, I used thread locker. Where it was not in contact with the plastic. https://share.cleanshot.com/RDqY6Wfq There were no problems with the motors, but I struggled with the power cable. First of all, it was the lack of soldering experience, and the second problem was the placement of the capacitor. As a result, I placed it outside the frame. But even in this case there were problems). I will add one detail. When placing the AIO, I made a plexiglass plate because I didn't like the strap rubbing against the board. I also put all the soldering points of the capacitor and the XT30 in a heat shrink, for greater safety https://share.cleanshot.com/ddYJb3Z7 Please do not judge the quality of the soldering) I really struggled with soldering the power cable, because in addition to him, there had to solder a capacitor and LED-lighting.

5. Then, according to the diagram, I soldered all the other elements. https://share.cleanshot.com/8tTSqdNh https://share.cleanshot.com/Zgr6WF0c
https://share.cleanshot.com/Lfc2yPPz I would like to point out right away that two wires were soldered at this point. One from the camera and the second TX for the LED backlight. And it was a mistake to solder them at this angle, because just in this place the board was in close contact with the sides of the frame. Because of this, the wires could break quickly. So after the first test on the street and the first drops, I re-soldered them at a different angle.

After each soldered part, I checked the entire chain with a multimeter. That way I could quickly determine at what point I made a mistake that could lead to a short circuit.

6. And finally, after all the elements are assembled and checked with a multimeter, comes the most exciting moment - connecting the power).
https://share.cleanshot.com/J1TmY9dM For more safety, I bought a smoke stopper. Very useful. https://share.cleanshot.com/hQ5VZkX2

7. After a successful check, I went over MG Chemicals 422C silicone conformal coating for boards. On Lemonyleprosy's recommendation I did it carefully, trying not to touch the tops of the microchips so as not to interfere with the release of heat.

8. And finally the final step is to close the drone with all the elements). I can tell you this is not an easy task either.) As I wrote earlier, the main problem was the placement of the capacitor. It just didn't want to fit inside. So I had to re-solder these elements and put the capacitor behind the frame. https://share.cleanshot.com/CNTXTlx3
But the result was excellent. I was really happy when I put everything together and plugged in the power. https://share.cleanshot.com/dDQ4qMjL

This is what my assembly process looked like).
I can't say it was very difficult. There are moments that require certain skills and knowledge. But even these did not make me very uncomfortable. The process itself was so exciting that I sat for 10 hours without a break until I got it all together.

So I can say with confidence that absolutely anyone can do it). And it's really funny).

In the final post, I will talk about the first tests and the first repairs)

Thanks for sharing, I’m enjoying the read so far.

The key to soldering your main power wires to the board is:
-a higher wattage soldering iron, or cranking the heat up all the way
-a larger tip (or laying your tip on its side so more of it is in contact with the copper pads)
-lots and lots of flux paste or liquid flux

Especially for the negative battery pad. It’s connected to the ground plane in the esc or aio, and it sinks a lot of heat.

If you ever need to remove the conformal coating, 99% isopropyl alcohol works well (91% works also). If you ever have a warranty issue, don’t mention the conformal coating, and scrub the board down with a toothbrush and iso alcohol if they want you to send it in. If they know you’ve applied conformal coating, they’ll void your warranty. But, your warranty will also be void if you crash into water, and if I recall correctly, you fly in a potentially wet environment- so the protection from conformal coating sounds like it’s worth it.

Regarding your question about capacitor placement, here’s a short video:

I didn't think it would be so long, but I tried to cover everything.

In the final part, I'll talk about the first tests and what breakdowns I encountered.

I will not describe the setup process in betaflight, I will only say that without understanding what it is necessary to configure, it is quite difficult to do. But thanks to Joshua Bardwell's video, I got it all figured out.

I will start with the first problem.
When I was tuning the motors, one of them jammed. The problem turned out to be a piece of solder, which somehow miraculously got caught in it. But I successfully extracted it and thank God the motor was undamaged.

Next, I started trying to take off in the house so the drone wouldn't get damaged in the fall.
I'll leave out the fact that flying a tinywoop and something bigger are completely different things. After the betafpv cetus, the new drone seemed to me something out of control with huge power.

In general, the first attempt to take flight was unsuccessful). The drone made unimaginable figures in the air and fell down in a second.

As it turned out later, the problem was in the motor settings. Namely, the wrong rotation. Since I used reverse when setting up, I had to readjust all the motors. But I solved this problem and have already made the first test in the house).

While still testing at home, I noticed a weakness in the assembly. And it turned out to be the same capacitor). Because I took it behind the frame, it started to cling to the propeller. But there was still enough space before the neo, so I didn't pay attention to it yet.

The next stage was testing outside. Since I planned to just hold the drone in front of me, I went to the backyard of my house to try it out.

And after several attempts, I had my first crash, after which the drone stopped working). It fell on a small piece of paved road from about three meters away.
But after taking it apart, I quickly discovered the problem. The power (ground) cable had come off. And then I realised that I made the right choice, building the drone myself, rather than buying a ready-made one.

But in this crash, there was another breakdown, which I did not notice immediately, but discovered after several flights.

Having fixed up the drone, I went to fly it in the field, where I could test its flying qualities.

If you don't have wifi or bluetooth on your flight controller, I recommend buying this adapter. https://www.speedybee.com/speedybee-adapter-3/
Turns out to be a very useful thing for quick setup and troubleshooting in betafligh right from the phone.

After the first flights in the field, I finally felt the pleasure of flying a fpv drone). It is an indescribable sensation).

But that's what tests are for, to find all the faults).
When I got home, I found that my GPS receiver was broken. And it had broken on the propeller of the drone itself. https://share.cleanshot.com/TRHTD0Z0
I think after the first crash, one of the clips on the printed part broke off, which caused the whole structure to move from the GPS and so it hit the propeller. https://share.cleanshot.com/spFLCKw4

So I removed the GPS from the drone, and hid the wires inside, having previously hidden them in a heat shrink.

After that I secured the capacitor and the antenna with cable ties. https://share.cleanshot.com/gVBWP17z

Since the repair, I've already flown in the field twice and so far everything is fine. The drone has even survived quite a hard crash. But I was able to enjoy flying both in horizon mode and in Acro mode.

I guess that's it).
This is the way I went from the idea to the first flights on the drone I built myself.
Now I continue to train on the simulator and fly on the street.

Here is a video of my first day in the street https://share.cleanshot.com/KBB4wzdH
There are still some problems with the settings, but this will all come with time.

And my first betafpv cetus went to my daughter, who also really enjoyed flying the drone. And the funny thing is that she was able to do it after two hours spent in the simulator. https://share.cleanshot.com/ttrxWkp2

Some additional information I didn't mention earlier:
1. I use these batteries https://share.cleanshot.com/tJlRKpGr
2. I bought this charger https://isdtshop.com/en-gb/products/isdt-k2-air Very handy and simple to operate

Flight time on a single charge was 12 minutes in horizon mode and 9 minutes in acro mode. Sounds like great numbers to me.

This concludes my story of the first assembly). Once again, I want to thank all forum members for their help.

I'm already collecting a batch of new questions, so I'll need your help again soon.)