MRM 225 custom race quad build

After the introduction of Henry's quad about 2 months back I have been bitten by the fpv quad bug. I like the fact that they are so versile and you can do almost anything you want with them from ripping to air to air. 

I wanted nothing that would cost me more than £140 or around $170. So it would be relitavly cheap but would have high performance and wouldn't limit my progress as a pilot. In other words I wanted to be the limiting factor. Not the quad. 

Anyway after much browsing on hobbyking I settled on a set up. The grand total came to £125 or around $150. Here is a picture of all the componant parts,

The coponants I chose consisted of,

• 4x DYS SE2205 2300kv motors

• 1x afro Esc's with CC3d FC built in

• MRM 225 Frame

• Multistar 3s 65C

 Spektrum AR610 

I chose this kit because it was cheap. The motors cost me £8 each which was an absolute bargain considering they were £12 to £15 everywhere else. Its not like there absolute rubish either. They can pull over  1kg of thrust on 4S with decent props on. The all in 1 board was cheaper than buying componant parts and the battery was good value for money. The frame was good aswell. It has a single piece bottom plate which is 4mm. The top is 2mm so its built like a tank so no worries on the frame front.

Running the quadcopter on 3S to start off with is a good idea because it will be nice and docile. Then you can upgrade to 4S which will feel like you have upgraded the entire quad. This is a good sugestion for begginers as you don't have to worry about your quad been over powered but then underpowered in the long run.

We put together a time lapse of the quadcopter build,

It went together really nice and we are very pleased with the end result. I origionally ran it (first couple of flights) on King Kong 5x4's but after upgrading to DAL's the power and response is much better even on 3s. I have also started to mount the battery on the bottom as it gives a lower center of gravity and it balences better than before. 

My personal favorite thing to with the quad at the moment is to get air to air shots of planes. We have put together a video of me filming Roberts scout and it is here,

This seems so much easier compared to LOS mini arrow air to air (link at bottom of article) as you can actually see what you are doing and get closer than ever before. 

there is also some pictures from our recent air to airs,

The possibilities don't stop there either. We have raced with our quads now and the other thing I really like is photography. One of the things which makes me like racers over photographers is that you can take all the camera angle off and use it for photography but you can't turn a photogapher into a racer.

I have had about ten to fifteen flight now and I would say that the response is good and the power is also. There is still some tuning to be done but apart from that I'm very happy. Can't wait for more flying.

I would like to thank you all for reading this article on my MRM 225 build. I really enjoy it as a model to fly (and crash) On the theme of crashes I tried to hit the middle sized gate (dark picture) at some fair speed. I went slap bang into the tree at very nearly full throtle and I expected carnage. There was no damage at all apart from a bent DAL, which I bent back and still use today!

Thanks for reading and good luck with all your quad stuff in the future,

Dan from PS/RC