This is my F450 quadcopter. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

I have a lot of experience with RC airplanes, but I’m new to quadcopters, so I want to document the build in case it is useful to others. I learned on the excellent and incredibly affordable Syma X1, which is serious fun for the money and a perfect trainer when flying indoors. I put a number of flights on an ARDrone, until it went berzerk and parked itself in a very tall tree. At that point. I decided something with a real, proper RC system was in order.

A few abbreviations:

ESC – electronic speed control. Converts control inputs from you (through the flight controller) into a throttle output to one of the motors.

FC – Flight controller – a small microprocessor board with gyros and accelerometers that stabilize your quadcopter in flight. It handles the mechanics of keeping the machine in the air by making small adjustments to the motor power many times a second, and turns your stick input into your desired motion.

BEC – battery eliminator circuit. Steps down the main flight pack’s 12.6 volts to the 5V the receiver and flight controller needs. A regulator.

3S – a 3 cell lithium polymer battery.