DIY - ZMR250 Quadcopter

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Information

This is the build log for my ZMR250 Cloneout Quadcopter. This is the first multirotor I have ever attempted to build and as such it will be documented and treated as a learning experience. All of the information contained here-in has been gathered and processed into the information you see here.

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Websites

• RC Groups : ZMR 250 (Blackout Clone)
• RC Groups : PDB for ZMR 250 Mystery Carbon Fiber Frame
• RC Groups : FrSky Taranis "Howto" Thread
• RC Groups : FrSky Taranis with OpenTX 2.0 and Beyond
• RC Groups : Afroflight Naze32 Setup Guide for Dummies
• RC Groups : Get Your Technician's License. It's Easy. Here's Why And How.
• RC Groups : DYS BE1806 2300KV - Thrust Tests
• NazeWiki : Naze Wiki Howto FrSky Telemetry
• Firmware : Cleanflight
• Firmware : MultiWii OSD
• Calibration : MultiWii OSD | MWOSD + Cleanflight
• PID Tuning: Flite Test | Naze 32 Board Setup (@33:56)

Parts List

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Radio Transmitter (Tx)

• FrSky Taranis - 16 Channel, Full Telemetry Transmitter    Manufacturer
  172.25  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2014/08/15)

• OrangeRX DSMX/DSM2 2.4Ghz Transmitter Module (JR/Turnigy compatible)    Manufacturer
  29.99  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2014/10/13)

• HawkEYE DTF UHF OpenLRS Deluxe Transmitter Module Starter Kit    Manufacturer
  79.95  —  HobbiesFLY

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Radio Receiver (Rx)

• FrSky D8R-XP 2.4Ghz 8CH Receiver (w/telemetry)    Manufacturer
  27.23  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2014/08/15)

• FrSky D4R-II 4ch 2.4Ghz ACCST Receiver (w/telemetry)    Manufacturer
  18.71  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2015/02/05)

• FrSky USB Cable    Manufacturer
  7.74  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2015/02/05)

• HawkEYE DTF UHF MiniRX Long Range Receiver    Manufacturer
  45.95  —  HobbiesFLY

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Radio Accessories

• FrSky AC/DC Charge Adapter US Version    Manufacturer
  6.95  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2014/08/15)

• Alloy Anti-Slip TX Control Sticks Long (Red)    Manufacturer
  1.99  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2014/08/15)

• Alloy Anti-Slip TX Control Sticks Short (Red)    Manufacturer
  1.89  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2014/08/15)

• USB Simulator Cable All in One    Manufacturer
  8.99  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2014/08/15)

• 3ft USB 2.0 A Male to Mini-B 5pin Male 28/24AWG Cable w/ Ferrite Core (Gold Plated)    Manufacturer
  1.17  —  Monoprice (Purchased: 2014/10/14)

• CNC Metal Transmitter Stand, JR & Futaba    Manufacturer
  5.48  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2015/02/15)

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Battery Charger

• Turnigy Accucel-6 50W 6A Balancer/Charger w/ Accessories    Manufacturer
  24.10  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2014/08/15)

• Lithium Polymer Charge Pack 25x33cm JUMBO Sack    Manufacturer
  2.94  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2014/10/13)

• HobbyKing Power Supply 100~240v 5A    Manufacturer
  9.49  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2014/08/15)

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Case & Ground Station Accessories

• Condition 1 Watertight 100801 Hard Case (Black)    Manufacturer
  73.99  —  B&H (Purchased: 2015/05/20)

• Turnigy Transmitter Bag / Carrying Case    Manufacturer
  12.50  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2015/02/15)

• Folding Bag Chair (Blue)    Manufacturer
  7.88  —  Home Depot (Purchased: 2015/05/18)

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Frame

• H250 ZMR250 Carbon Fiber Mini Quadcopter Frame Kit    Manufacturer
  35.29  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2014/08/29)

• PDB for ZMR 250 Mystery Clone    Manufacturer
  17.54  —  RCGroups.com (Purchased: 2014/08/29)

• 30mm M3 Black Female/Female Nylon Standoffs, 10-pack    Manufacturer
  4.00  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/18)

• 10mm M3 Black Male/Female Nylon Standoffs, 10-pack    Manufacturer
  2.50  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/18)

• M3 x 12mm Black Nylon Screws, 10-pack    Manufacturer
  1.75  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/07)   |   4

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Flight Controller

• AfroFlight Naze32 Acro FunFly Controller - Soldered version (Vertical Pin)    Manufacturer
  29.99  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2015/01/06)

• Piezo Buzzer    Manufacturer
  2.00  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/16)

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Electronic Speed Controller (ESC)

• Afro ESC 12Amp Ultra Lite Multi-rotor Motor Speed Controller (SimonK Firmware) Version 3    Manufacturer
  9.99  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2015/01/06)   |   4

• Afro ESC USB Programming Tool    Manufacturer
  7.57  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2015/05/20)

• Mini 3A DC-DC (buck) Converter Adjustable Step Down Switching Regulator    Manufacturer
  5.00  —  MultiRotorMania (Purchased: 2015/05/31)

• DYS SN20A Mini 20A SimonK ESC OPTO 2-4S 20-500Hz    Manufacturer
  11.06  —  Banggood   |   6

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Batteries

• Turnigy nano-tech 1300mah 3S 25~50C Lipo Pack    Manufacturer
  10.86  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2015/02/15)   |   1
  * Purchased for FPV gear

• Turnigy nano-tech 1300mah 3S 45~90C Lipo Pack    Manufacturer
  13.45  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2015/01/07)   |   4

• Turnigy nano-tech 1500mah 3S 35~70C Lipo Pack    Manufacturer
  16.45  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2015/02/05)   |   4

• XT60 Male w/ 12AWG Silicon Wire 10cm (5pcs/bag)    Manufacturer
  6.89  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2015/01/06)

• Battery Strap 20x200mm - Blue    Manufacturer
  2.00  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/16)   |   2

• Turnigy Battery Strap 330mm    Manufacturer
  1.75  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2014/10/13)   |   2

• On-Board Lipoly Low Voltage Alarm 2s~3s    Manufacturer
  2.17  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2014/10/13)

• HobbyKing Cell Checker with Low Voltage Alarm (2S-8S)    Manufacturer
  3.78  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2015/02/15)

• Low Voltage Alarm    Manufacturer
  3.75  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/21)

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Motors

• DYS BE1806 2300KV Brushless Motor    Manufacturer
  9.79  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2014/08/29)   |   4

• DYS BE1806 2300KV Brushless Motor - Black Edition    Manufacturer
  12.69  —  Banggood (US)

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Propellers

• HQProp 5x4.5 Orange Bullnose x2 (Normal)    Manufacturer
  2.70  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/05/13)

• HQProp 5x4.5 Orange Bullnose x2 (Reverse)    Manufacturer
  2.70  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/05/13)

• HQProp 5x3 Black x2 (Normal)    Manufacturer
  2.40  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/18)

• HQProp 5x3 Black x2 (Reverse)    Manufacturer
  2.40  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/18)

• HQProp 5x3 Green x2 (Normal)    Manufacturer
  2.40  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/18)

• HQProp 5x3 Green x2 (Reverse)    Manufacturer
  2.40  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/18)

• Gemfan 5x3 Inch Plastic 5030 Propeller CW/CCW For 240 250 Frame    Manufacturer
  2.72  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2014/08/29)   |   5

• Gemfan 5x4 Inch Plastic 5040 Propeller CW/CCW For QAV250    Manufacturer
  2.64  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2015/02/21)   |   4

• Simple Prop Balancer    Manufacturer
  1.58  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2015/01/07)

• Black M4 Nylon Lock Nuts, 6-pack    Manufacturer
  2.25  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/16)

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Video Recording & FPV

• Mobius HD Action Camera    Manufacturer
  75.99  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2015/02/05)

• Boscam FPV 5.8G 8CH 200mW AV Wireless Receiver RC305    Manufacturer
  19.99  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2015/02/05)

• Boscam FPV 5.8G 200mW AV Wireless Transmitter TS351    Manufacturer
  19.99  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2015/02/05)

• 600TVL SONY SUPER HAD CCD D-WDR Color Board Camera OSD Menu DNR-US    Manufacturer
  37.00  —  SurveilZone (Purchased: 2015/02/05)

• MinimOSD, Right Angle Soldered    Manufacturer
  14.00  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/07)

• ImmersionRC 5.8 GHz SpiroNET Omni RP-SMA Antenna Set (RHCP)    Manufacturer
  27.99  —  Ready Made RC (Purchased: 2015/02/05)

• Quanum DIY FPV Goggle Set with Monitor (KIT)    Manufacturer
  26.99  —  HobbyKing (Purchased: 2015/02/05)

• FTDI Programmer    Manufacturer
  5.50  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/18)

• RP-SMA Male to RP-SMA Female Coaxial RF Extension Cable RG316 4in    Manufacturer
  7.04  —  ebay (Purchased: 2015/02/06)

• 100g Rubber Vibration Isolation Balls 7mm, 2-pack    Manufacturer
  1.25  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/21)   |   4

• 200g Rubber Vibration Isolation Balls 10mm - Blue, 2-pack    Manufacturer
  2.00  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/02/16)   |   4

• FR632 Diversity 5.8GHz 32ch Auto Scan LCD A/V Receiver    Manufacturer
  55.86  —  HobbyKing

• HawkEYE Mini 5.8GHz 200mW 32ch Wireless A/V Transmitter    Manufacturer
  30.95  —  HobbiesFLY

• ImmersionRC 5.8GHz Circular Polarized SpiroNet Atenna V2 (RHCP SMA)    Manufacturer
  39.99  —  HobbyKing

• Mini D1 1ch SDCard 7-16V DVR    Manufacturer
  65.99  —  Foxtech Hobby

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Other

• M3 Female x M3 Female 35mm Black Nylon Hex Standoff, 10-pack    Manufacturer
  3.60  —  Ebay (Purchased: 2014/10/11)   |   2

• M3 Female x M3 Female 10mm Black Nylon Hex Standoff, 25-pack    Manufacturer
  3.80  —  Ebay (Purchased: 2014/10/11)

• M3 Male x M3 Female 6mm Black Nylon Hex Standoff, 25-pack    Manufacturer
  3.50  —  Ebay (Purchased: 2014/10/11)

• M3 x 6mm Black Nylon Philips Head Screw, 25-pack    Manufacturer
  3.40  —  Ebay (Purchased: 2014/10/11)

• M2 x 8mm Stainless Steel Philips Head Screw, 50-pack    Manufacturer
  1.09  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2014/08/29)

• M3 x 12mm Black Nylon Pan Head Screw, 100-pack    Manufacturer
  3.99  —  Ebay (Purchased: 2015/03/09)

• M3 x 12mm Steel Hex Head Screw, 50-pack    Manufacturer
  4.90  —  Ebay (Purchased: 2015/05/15)

• M3 Black Nylon Washer (3mm x 8mm x 1mm), 50-pack    Manufacturer
  2.90  —  Ebay (Purchased: 2015/05/15)

• 3 Pin 20cm 2.54mm Jumper Wire Cables DuPont Line For Arduino, 5-pack    Manufacturer
  1.56  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2014/08/29)   |   2

• 3.2mm Polyolefin 3:1 Heat Shrink Tubing Tube Sleeve Wrap    Manufacturer
  1.00  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2015/01/06)   |   2

• 6.4mm Adhesive Polyolefin 3:1 Heat Shrink Tube Sleeve Wrap 1.6ft    Manufacturer
  1.13  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2015/01/06)   |   2

• 7.9mm Polyolefin 3:1 Heat Shrink Tubing Tube Sleeve Wrap    Manufacturer
  1.60  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2015/01/06)   |   2

• 4mm Braided Expandable Auto Wire Cable Sleeving High Density Sheathing (2M)    Manufacturer
  1.38  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2015/01/06)

• 8mm Braided Wire Cable Gland Expandable Sleeving High Density Sheathing (2M)    Manufacturer
  1.50  —  Banggood (Purchased: 2015/01/06)

• HK-171 Thread Locker & Sealant Medium Strength (Blue)    Manufacturer
  5.13  —  HobbyKing (US) (Purchased: 2015/01/07)

Build Log

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Pre-build Checklist

• First pull everything out and make sure you have all the parts necessary.
  
• Then check the frame and PDB to make sure you have all the parts necessary, you might also want to select which of the two bottom plates you are actually going to use as one will be replaced by the PDB.
  

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Motors

• Unbox all of the motors and separate the long vs. short screws.
  
• Install the propeller shaft adapters onto each motor using four short screws per motor.
  
• Finally assemble the motors to the carbon fiber arms. Use 2 long screws and 1 short screw for each motor (unless you want to use a dremel on the arm holes to accommodate all four, however this it is entirely optional) using loctite blue as a sealant. To determine which holes get the long vs short screws look inside the motor where the screw punctures through into the motor shaft you will see the motor lead wires in there as well. If the screw hole is directly above the motor leads you have to use a short screw as in using a long screw you would short out the motor leads.
  

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Battery

• Plug in your soldering iron (medium tip) to get it readyfor the battery connector.
  
• While waiting for the soldering iron, start charging one of the batteries that was bought for the quad. Remember to charge using the balance mode!
  
• Cut down to size (eventually shortened the wire to about 1.5" long, not shown in picture) and then solder the connector to the PDB board.
  

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Electronic Speed Controller (ESC)

• Plug your soldering iron back in, this time with a fine point tip.
  
• Now to get started on the ESCs, pull them all out of their packaging and strip the sticker and current heat shrink off of all four of them.
  
• Desolder all of the motor leads on all four ESCs.
  
• Cut the motor leads to length for placement of ESCs at the midway point on the arms. Solder the ESCs to the motors.
  Note: Remember to connect two motors in a '1:1 / 2:2 / 3:3' configuration and the other two motors in a '1:1 / 2:3 / 3:2' configuration.
  
  
• Next we need to test the motors, for this use the original ESC leads that we de-soldered previously and solder two of them to one of the spare JST60 battery connectors to act as a wire harness so that we can spin up the motors with just the connector, a receiver, and a transmitter. Mark which direction each motor spins so that we can make sure to have two CW (clock-wise) and two CCW (counter clock-wise) motors. If this is not the case then go back and re-solder what ever is needed.
  
• Finally use heat shrink to protect the ESCs from the conductive carbon fiber arms.
  

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Overcraft Power Distribution Board

• First we will need to solder two separate servo leads, one for the vbat and the other for the buzzer. Make sure to cut them to length before you solder them.
  
• Mount the flight controller onto the PCB using the nylon standoffs.
  
• Attach all of the arms and the bottom plate using only two out of the four screws on each arm for the time being. Then pre-tin the pads on the PDB to prep them for attaching the ESCs.
  
• I next put labels on my table to coorespond to the proper motor numbering given left is the front of my quad and right is the rear.
  Note: This information was obtained from page 4 in the Acro Naze32 Manual. | Acro Naze32 (rev5)
  
• Cut down to length and solder all of the ESCs onto the PDB, make sure you attach them correctly (polarity).
  
• Cut the power and ground wire down to size for ESCs 2-4 leaving only the BEC from the first motor attached to provide power to the flight controller. Then connect all four of the motors to the flight controller.
  Note: This information was obtained from page 3 in the Naze32 Manual. | Naze32 (rev3)
  

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Flight Controller

• Install the USB Driver for the flight controller. If you lack the driver for the Naze32 you can download it here.
• Make sure you have Google Chrome installed, and install the App Cleanflight.
• Launch Cleanflight and then connect your flight controller to your computer via usb (with the quad powered off).
  
• Cleanflight will not auto-connect, click on the "Firmware Flasher" tab on the left.
• Choice #1: Make sure the latest firmware is chosen from the dropdown list. Click "Load Firmware [Online]".
• Choice #2: Download the latest Betaflight and select "Load Firmware [Local]", then choosing the firmware .hex file you downloaded
  Note: make sure the only period in the filename is for the extension.
• Click "Flash Firmware" and Wait a few moments for your flight controller to update (you should see confirmation of completion) and then click the "Connect" button in the upper left, you should now be connected to your flight controller.
• Navigate to the "Configuration" tab and enable the features: PPM, VBAT, MOTOR_STOP, FAILSAFE & TELEMETRY according to the screenshot and then click "Save and Reboot".
  
• Navigate to the "Ports" tab and setup your telemetry soft-serial port according to the screenshot and then click "Save and Reboot".
  
• Navigate to the "Modes" tab and setup as follows:
  
• Last navigate to the "CLI" tab and enter in the following commands:
  

set telemetry_inversion = ON

set yaw_jump_prevention_limit = 350

set deadband = 2

set yaw_deadband = 10

• Click "Save and Reboot".

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Pre-FPV / Maiden Flight

• With the quad now fully working (aside from FPV gear) you can now check the battery voltage alarm by taking it on your maiden flight and running the battery down to low in a hover.
  

4S Upgrade

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Frame

• MRM 3mm ZMR250 CF Replacement Arms x2    Manufacturer
  10.50  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/11/30)   |   2

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Flight Controller

• Bluetooth Module    Manufacturer
  7.50  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/11/30)

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Electronic Speed Controller (ESC)

• MRM Zeus 20a ESC    Manufacturer
  12.00  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/11/30)   |   4

• MRM Zeus USB Linker    Manufacturer
  10.00  —  MultiRotor Mania (Purchased: 2015/11/30)

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Motors

• Cobra 2206 2100kv Brushless Motor    Manufacturer
  25.99  —  Multirotor Superstore (Purchased: 2015/11/20)   |   4

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Batteries

• Lumenier 4S 1800mAh 75/150c    Manufacturer
  36.99  —  GetFPV (Purchased: 2015/11/30)

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Video Recording & FPV

• Quanum DIY FPV Goggles V2    Manufacturer
  53.75  —  HobbyKing

• FR632 Diversity 5.8GHz 32ch Auto Scan A/V Receiver    Manufacturer
  53.07  —  HobbyKing

• ImmersionRC 5.8GHz Circular Polarized SpiroNet Antenna V2 (RHCP SMA)    Manufacturer
  39.95  —  HobbyKing (US)

• Davis & Sanford EXPLORERV Vista Explorer 60" Tripod with Tripod Bag    Manufacturer
  19.99  —  Amazon

References