Getting into the world of FPV quadcopter flight might seem a little intimidating. What kind of hardware

will I need? What is it going to cost? Are there are premade solutions?

RTF vs ARTF vs Kits The first thing you’ll need to understand is the difference between RTF, ARTF, and kits. You wouldn’t

want to buy an ARTF setup thinking you had everything you needed to fly, only to find that a transmitter

wasn’t included, would you?

If you’re an absolute novice and just want something you can take out of the box and fly, you’ll want to

pick up an RTF quadcopter. RTF stands for Ready to Fly and will include absolutely everything you need

to fly right out of the box. The only exception may be the batteries needed for your transmitter (the

controller), however, these are usually included too.

ARTF stands for Almost Ready to Fly. These packages are perfect for those who already own radio

transmitters. Why buy a setup with an extra controller if you already have one handy? Typically, ARTF

offerings will simply require you to pop your radio receiver into the quadcopter. Everything else you

need will be included.

You might also consider purchasing a kit which includes all of the parts you’ll need to build an FPV

quadcopter yourself. These kits usually require some technical knowledge, along with some soldering to

complete. It’s best to avoid kits unless you’re highly experienced.

You may even go the route of building a completely custom FPV setup. We’ll go over the parts you’ll

need next.

Parts Needed for a FPV Quadcopter The first thing you’ll need is a frame to build your quadcopter on. These are readily available, and if

you’re extra handy, you might even choose to build one yourself. The frame will hold all of the parts and

accessories needed for flight, so it needs to be light and durable.

You’ll also need 4 motors, hence the name quad. Two of these motors should operate in a clockwise

fashion, while two of them should operate in a counterclockwise fashion. Motors will be either brushed

or brushless. Brushless are more dependable and longer lasting, but you will pay a premium for them.

Your motors will connect to 4 ESC devices (electronic speed control). These will essentially regulate the

amount of power being fed to each motor in order to control flight. You should match the maximum

amperage of the ESCs to the amperage of the motors. Too high of an amperage on your ESCs can

damage your motors.

Your ESCs will connect to a flight controller which is basically the brains of your quad. Flight controllers

have gyros installed (much like modern smartphones) that help to balance your craft during flight.

There’s a variety of flight controllers available that run a lot of different software. You can even build

custom flight controllers using an arduino if you feel really froggy.

The flight controller will need a PMU (power management unit) to help keep track of battery usage.

Usually, the PMU will have an LED light on it to indicate low power. This is important, because if you run

your LiPo batteries down below 80% charge you can damage them. Damaged batteries puff up and can

even be a potential fire hazard.

Your flight controller will also connect to your radio receiver. Your radio receiver is paired with your

transmitter (your controller) and feeds the flight controller the commands you transmit by moving your

controller sticks around. Obviously it would be near impossible for you to control 4 motors at once

yourself. That’s what the flight controller is for.

Of course your FPV quadcopter will also need a camera and a video transmitter. It’s important to make

sure that your video transmitter doesn’t operate on the same frequency as your controller or they may

interfere with each other.

You will also need a video receiver that pairs with the video transmitter. This wireless receiver will feed

your base station, whether that be video goggles, your tablet, a video monitor or your computer. This is

the heart of the FPV operation.

Conclusion Your best bet for a beginner is to get a hold of an RTF kit in order to avoid the headaches of building

your own setup. Once you get comfortable with the hardware you can expand your knowledge and try

different projects.

If you’ve never flown at all before you might want to pick up an inexpensive quadcopter to learn the

ropes. If you’ve never flown before you WILL crash. You don’t want to scrap a $1000 copter, do you?