How to Build a Micro Long Range FPV Drone - Transformer Mini

Ever want to just cruise around and explore? If so, this is the build for you!
Written guide: rotorbuilds.co...
=========== Part List ===========
Frame: bit.ly/32GUY3b
Flight Controller: bit.ly/2ZO1Uth
Motors: bit.ly/3caImEg
Propellers: bit.ly/35XUrfl
Camera & VTX: bit.ly/3mye9DW or bit.ly/3muOWdJ
Receiver: bit.ly/32JMOal
Battery: bit.ly/3jA6tP6
GPS Mount: bit.ly/35JWzHb
Hardware: bit.ly/2REEPEM
GPS: bit.ly/3hGYuhY
Battery pad: bit.ly/2FGGBmH
=========== Gear ===========
Radio: bit.ly/2Hbzp2j
Goggles: bit.ly/3hzbPsQ
Electric Screwdriver: bit.ly/2FK3uT7
=========== Software ===========
ReelSteady Go: bit.ly/31R5ZyH
Betaflight: github.com/bet...
FPV builds, photos and part lists:
rotorbuilds.com
TikTok: / rotorbuilds
Instagram: / rotorbuilds
Facebook: / rotorbuilds
Some links in this description are affiliate links and purchasing these products will help support this channel as well as Rotorbuilds.com

[@dimmer4955]

The links are dead

[@hzlin6655]

this should be a golden standard for a build tutorial. straight forward to what we need to know

[@barryfredrick2731]

And honest! 🤣 I was cracking up when he said he put the cam upside-down! I would have been too embarrassed but no, this dude is legit.

[@haganlife]

Gold standard for drone tutorials. Thank you.

[@troyerhoades4909]

Yo mama gold standard

[@haganlife]

@@troyerhoades4909 Indeed she is, basement king.

[@kwadkrazy6078]

I don't even fly FPV anymore, but this video was just so well-put together that I watched the entire thing. Very clean!

[@Hi-oq8tx]

Why you don't

[@AerialJohnny]

I honestly love the way these builds are done. I'm going to follow the QAV 2.5 build when my quad parts arrive.

[@flyaennessanan9579]

Did you bulid?

[@boldvoltage639]

Love those flat wide tweezers for holding wires as you solder, I lost mine and forgot how great they are... off to order some right after this video

[@doc777ga]

Under rated channel ! Amazing, clear and to the point tutorials ! Thank you !

[@vrj0]

Man just amazing! Your explanation is so clear and everything is inside in a short time. Best channel man

[@markus-ermert]

Explained really well and only as long as needed.

[@buddybarker1044]

Wow! That flight footage was amazing! I want to fly like that!

[@j.c.m5168]

Just received all my parts to build this quad, man. Awesome work. I went with the BetaFPV F4 35A instead though.

[@Dronythinggoes]

Where can i buy all the build parts needed?

[@j.c.m5168]

@@Dronythinggoes AirbladeUAV sells the stuff. But getting the frame seems challenging now.

[@simoneatough6391]

Nice work, I've built one similar in the Dave_C frame, but 3600kv motors. looking forward to your li-ion build guide Edit: i didnt know it was you who developed rotorbuilds, great work mate.

[@AerialJohnny]

I was shocked when I heard that as well!

[@paulr3556]

Good stuff, keep us updated on the homemade battery builds Cheers

[@arborsamurai]

Wow! Thank you soo much for this amazingly detailed info! 🙏

[@Gtx3R]

I love the content! Swift and detailed. Please make more!

[@mosesm.3431]

NOW...this...is what I call a tutorial!

[@mosesm.3431]

SUBBED!

[@diegocarral9106]

hello thank you so much for the vid supper helpful, i just had one issue with the links that don't work either way thank you

[@nitronut1723]

What a fantastic video tutorial. I just started flying DJI HD and I found video educational and very interesting

[@TwentyThrill]

What a clean build! 😍

[@bloodywolfphjeff9204]

Woohh very nice fpv mini drone...

[@rickflare6893]

Omg I love rotor builds ! New sub for sure and can’t wait to see the spot welding ion vid.

[@whiffles]

Not sure if you caught it but I posted the spot welding video the other day.

[@R.B_B]

Nice! That's a quad that I will build but with Walksnail.

[@troylee4171]

Nice and clean build video!

[@baggszilla]

Love it man!

[@angelovideo71]

Very clear build! Subbed 😉

[@R.B_B]

Will be good videos about the tune of these builds.

[@emanuel2cool1]

How awesome. Thanks for the info.

[@flipfpv]

Awesome build! Thanks for the info 😁

[@RGMGFitness]

Nice build!

[@VidarrKerr]

This is really cool. I just have one question, why don't you use thinner gauge wire?

[@MrZeek101]

Great little unit I think I am going this route great video take care

[@radtheinspiration]

fantastic video

[@vancebiro7378]

your zip tie to cloth wrap then remove ties is brilliant hit the subscribe because you blew my mind lol

[@whiffles]

Works great!

[@mosti1987]

Thanks for this great video. When it comes to mounting your capacitor, it needs to be as close as possible to the board. Having it near the battery end makes it pretty much useless.

[@jmillerfpv]

Nice video!

[@theinkmen6177]

My dream drone

[@archer4922]

Sweet build 👍

[@monajafi5020]

thank you, this is awesome.

[@mustaphasalimadam5049]

Amazing build I like it

[@bounzig]

Question: I would like to have at least 10km range with fpv goggles. What is the cheapest solution? Goal is to inspect my land without using my car. Could I use BetaFPV VR02 and boost the signal for longer range? Image quality isnt a priority right now, I just want to get started with something long range.

[@xelerator2398]

Bottleneck is battery time , hardly 15 mins , there is some kits allows to 22km (max 30) at 150-180ms but there is no battery invented for it , even large battarys has small range due its weight

[@bwasfpv]

awesome bro..i want to build one for sure

[@saihtet1815]

awesome video it's perfect !

[@davidallen6918]

Awesome concept bro! Gonna be building something very similar very soon I think 😀

[@parshvapatel8484]

David Allen would you plz convert it into analog

[@davidallen6918]

@@parshvapatel8484 Nah 😀

[@parshvapatel8484]

David Allen you are planning it digital

[@davidallen6918]

@@parshvapatel8484 built this in digital with a Dave C variant months ago 😜

[@parshvapatel8484]

David Allen with cross fire nano if it is give me the U.K. Link plz wanna purchase it

[@barnstormrcsessions2951]

Nice ! Thank's for sharing 👍👍new subscriber 🤙

[@rhein-sondler]

Hi, thank you very much for the awesome assembly instructions. Where can I buy the frame? Your link doesn't work anymore. Greetings Ronny

[@chrisnoren777]

Great video. I subscribed.

[@강주명-l3z]

You are DAMN GOOD AT SOLDERING :)

[@whiffles]

That's the magic of editing! I cut out all the parts where I messed up ;)

[@강주명-l3z]

@@whiffles It would be better then my one even you didn't edited HAHA :)

[@quitsmile5096]

What is maximum range in kilometers in this setup?

[@nickschuster7618]

Any chance of you retesting this after printing the frame and components with PLA Aero filament? BE very interested in the results.

[@vanair]

Perfect Build! You can save 11g with a nacked Vista.

[@marcogonzalez9890]

Great content!

[@niji19]

Hey. I really like your videos. They are very well made and i appreciate the diversity of you drones. I have a question about the gogles. Does the gogle from you budget gogle video also work with this kind of drone? Or does only the dji gogle work?

[@npa4863]

would this build be suitable for someone super new to the hobby? or do you have a another recommendation?

[@nathanhunter9891]

Ever have issues with your cloth tape coming undone? That looks super clean. Thanks for the vid!

[@whiffles]

Hasn't come off yet, but it does get a little dirty over time.

[@carlosfuhrer]

Hello whiffles just one question, would you think this build will be enough for mountain surfing and long range? Or would you say that o should stick with a 7 inch?

[@whiffles]

@@carlosfuhrer It depends on what you want to carry. This won't carry a full size GoPro very well, but it handles a naked GoPro just fine.

[@carlosfuhrer]

Whiffles thanks

[@McSlappin1]

hey you said you could skip the reciever step if you're using the dji fpv controller. what did you mean by that? I'm going to basically create this exact micro long range build just with a dji air unit. do I use a different reciever?

[@aaryanx1809]

Awesome. How max distance did this model went?

[@roy1792]

Hello i was wondering what tune are you running on it pid and filters

[@obtusemage2262]

What would be the estimated price for this drone. Beginner here want to build my first mini drone. Some of the product links do not work. Excellent video! Love the content. 🙏🏻🤘🏻

[@duffyp.weberva5612]

Can you use this FC and telemetry to control a very large drone? (Multi-KG?) Or would something like a Pixhawk 4 be more suitable?

[@divingfalconfpv4602]

Oh nice. Curious to see flight times in the future.. how much time u give up for double the power..

[@whiffles]

I just put out a video about the Li-Ion batteries and I've got some flight time info in there. Using a 3S Li-Ion battery on these motors I'm getting about 15-20 minutes, but 3850kv will get a bit more.

[@jankyfpv4081]

Dude. can i have this? hahaha. clean build

[@carlosfuhrer]

Niceee build

[@jonyvilla23]

I want to use HD for LR but I can't see the home distance or the home direction, any advice?

[@tj1961]

What is your preference/recommendation for soldering iron?

[@Jerry1212ish]

Awesome build! So im trying to build the same setup, but Im using 20a HAKRC Aio. Do you have a certain pid tune you use? Mine shakes so bad when I use throttle I can barely fly, thanks!

[@whiffles]

What battery are you flying? 4S, 3S and 2S all need different tunes.

[@k1ortia]

With the gummies on the Fc or any other stack. Put some dental floss around the middle of each one, feed the floss through the Hole on the Fc, give it a gentle pull...Bingo. Thank me later

[@aidilshazwan]

Hi can i use betafpv radio to control it? Or it need specific model?

[@Kahweekah2o2f]

I’ve got the betafpv starter micro drone kit. Any way to upgrade the goggles range and feed

[@daich]

awesome build. that's a cool spot to fly. any reason why using crossfire instead of the dji controller? (besides not having a controller?) You'd save some weight the rx and extra antenna/mounting bits

[@whiffles]

I just prefer the Tango 2 form factor and the peace of mind of flying with Crossfire. Plus, this whole kit fits into one Lowepro QuadGuard Transmitter case.

[@daich]

@@whiffles ah, good point. portability/transportation is quite significant for me being in the city

[@paytonfredricknelson]

Nice

[@michaelbibby8636]

Having your crossfire antenna right up against the video antenna will effect the radiation pattern (and swr) of your video antenna (and possibly also crossfire antenna).

[@whiffles]

Yes, it's ideal to use a tall SMA antenna for the Caddx Vista instead.

[@michaelbibby8636]

@@whiffles It would be handy if TBS, or anyone, made a 1/2 wave, ground-independent, end-fed vertical antenna for 900mhz (I guess it would need a matching circuit to swr it in).

[@aemarkov]

How good does your GPS work? I have Matek M8Q installed at the same position on my 4" quad (with analog VTX) and it could find only 6 sats. I got GPS works only when I moved it to the front of the quad (where GoPro is usually placed)

[@whiffles]

It works pretty well. I think I had 14 sats last time I flew. You may need to wrap the wires where they pass by the VTX with some copper tape.

[@manuelhuber7294]

What is the technical alternative if I don't want to use the DJI system?

[@whiffles]

You'll want to use a traditional analog FPV system. Lots of them on the market.

[@Uteshev1]

подскажите как можно подключить на прямую такой дрон как Darwin fpv используя пульт FlySky i6s? и как подключается FPV камера?

[@minpros3049]

Anyone have a rough idea of total cost for this build? Suggestions on radio?

[@nerdCopter]

+1👍 nice and clean 💪 look forward to lion vid(s)

[@TAPSSebas]

can this do stuff like flips and barrel rolls

[@onceamantwiceaboy]

Is this frame available to ship to the UK?

[@MarkGrob]

Whats the prop in the video? Its triblade not two tip prop?

[@larssmith2170]

Is a capacitor always necessary for the Vista build? My 4 inch project is pretty short on space and I thought Barwell once commented that it wasn't that important on the DJI system.

[@whiffles]

You can always make it part of the battery lead like this one.

[@raganhayes4924]

What is the total average cost to build one of these?

[@rodrigogiffoni480]

Nice video! I tried to fly a light setup with mavic mini motors and a 2s battery ( 18650 lion). I used a 2-4s capable flight controller. It did not work, probably because of some voltage drop or not enough bec. Probably the ideal would be a 1-2s capable flight controller, similar to a recent video made by David C. What is your opinion on how to deal with 2S batteries and the correct flight controller for them? Best regards!

[@whiffles]

Why use 2S? It's very difficult to tune something this size on 2S. You want at least 3S or 4S.

[@rodrigogiffoni480]

@@whiffles ask DJI why they used 2s on mini 2 ;-)... On my setup, I used 5 inch propeller and 2s as well, to reduce weight. Unfortunately, I had to use 3S lion 18650 and got 25 min+. I suppose my flight controller cannot hold 2S because of voltage drop using lion.

[@cgmiller82]

The drone footage was quite poor. Is that a limitation of the Insta360? or a low bitrate in post? (I'm not bashing your video, it's an honest question)

[@whiffles]

That was a naked Hero6 and I think it was mainly just poor low-light performance. I tried my best to color grade but the footage was just too dark.

[@quoka3.013]

I am thinking about building it but how fast is it

[@grupomexcomer]

What is that blue dough that you use to placed the receiver over the FC?

[@whiffles]

It's called Fun-Tak

[@gullivergimeno7586]

How much did it cost you to build?

[@mosephina]

Hi...awesome job in producing this video. thank youl. This will be my winter build. I have DJI M2P Zoom, so I don't want long range. Instead, I want the longer flight time for highly maneuverable FPV flights with the Li-ion batteries. So, I won't need the gps unit. I found this video about 1.5 months after being uploaded, so I'll look for the Li-ion battery build. I have the DJI controller for use with simulator, so I won't be needing the crossfire either. I found this video about 1.5 months after being uploaded, so I'll look for the Li-ion battery build. I intend to fly this at larger local parks, and school grounds. With that in mind, how loud is this quad? Please reply

[@whiffles]

This is probably the quietest quad I've built. I love that about it!

[@mosephina]

@@whiffles Thank you

[@jayones584]

Great content! would you recommend mounting a GoPro hero 7 (not naked) if so, what do you think the flight times would be with the varying battery setups?

[@whiffles]

You can probably get away with it if you use a small battery like a 550mah 4S. I put a 200g 4S Li-Ion on there and it flew but it was heavy. You'll probably only get 3-5 minutes carrying a full size GoPro. This is much better suited for a naked GoPro. With a naked GoPro and a 3S Li-Ion battery you can easily get 15 minutes.

[@jayones584]

@@whiffles Ahh ok i see, thanks dude, chasing longer flight time/range (15min+) is always a must for me. Just thought a non naked gopro would be nice, purely because it's expensive and didnt want to strip down and then not be able to use for other things like water sports, ahh tough choices...

[@whiffles]

@@jayones584 It really depends on how you fly. I put a 2S Li-Ion pack on this and flew quite slowly without a naked GoPro and got 28 minutes. If I had 3850kv motors I could probably do the same with the 3S Li-Ion. Once you add a GoPro and start flying a little more aggressively you lose flight time. It's all a fine balance.

[@jayones584]

@@whiffles interesting, guess I need to do less browsing and more time building/testing. Keep up the good world tho, other youtubers never comment on these critical bits for newbies like me eager to start

[@raspberrypimilitant2242]

which dji remote works with this?

[@blue1105moon]

whats that cloth tape in german? Can i buy it from Amazon? Thanks for ur Guides really good !!

[@whiffles]

I'm not sure what it is in German, but you can find it on Amazon as "cloth tape" or "fabric tape". There's all sorts of options.

[@fcass]

Thumbs up, but why should people build this instead of just buying a Flywoo Explorer LR? Ok Nebula, a smidge lighter, what other differences, price? Range? Power? Thanks for answering my question. Nice Velocidrone sfx at the beginning....

[@whiffles]

It's really a matter of whether or not you want to build. I think these parts are more readily available than the Flywoo at the moment, so I guess you could be flying quicker if you build. I'd recommend the full Caddx Vista for this as I'm not entirely impressed with the Nebula camera. The weight savings is negligible. In terms of price, range and power they're both very comparable. This is a slightly lighter rig due to the frame and the use of a toothpick AIO. You also have a variety of HD camera mounts to print.

[@silencedsilenced3781]

How much is the total building cost ?

[@martinbremer4068]

The product links seem to not work!!

[@johannr282]

Hey! How did you build that balance lead adapter for the naked gopro?

[@whiffles]

It's just an adjustable BEC with a capacitor. Nothing special. I just didn't want to risk any voltage spikes.

[@lucalive1302]

What soldering iron you use, SEQURE SQ-D60B?

[@whiffles]

I use the Hakko 888D

[@barryfredrick2731]

You make it look so easy... *Which it's NOT!* 😭

[@whiffles]

Just takes practice!

[@barryfredrick2731]

@@whiffles I know bro, it's just that I'm scared of failure so I don't even try

[@goktugkaplan3367]

İ think this will be my next project thx for the video and how much far could you go with it ? :) Thanks for the video again . And what are you doing in 3:38 i couldnt understand because of my English can u explane easily if you can i will ve happy thanks :)

[@whiffles]

It can go as far as about 4-6 miles in theory, but depending on the restrictions in your country your observer still needs to maintain visual line of sight. At 3:38 I'm just downloading satellite data to the GPS. It can sometimes take a while for the GPS to get a 3D fix.

[@SandyClamberg]

How long range is it?

[@j.c.m5168]

Did you get around to making a 2S 21700 4500maH pack for this? :) I have been slacking hard-core and haven't had time to assemble my Transformer yet! 😆

[@whiffles]

Yes, but I had a hard time tuning 2S, so 3S is the way to go.

[@j.c.m5168]

@@whiffles good to know. I've got the 4850kv motors to put on mine.

[@whiffles]

@@j.c.m5168 Those will be perfect for 3S or even 4S. Lots of oomph on 4S.

[@j.c.m5168]

@@whiffles another quick query....realistically what gauge wire do we need for this setup for an XT30 plug? I'm running the flywoo 3000MaH 4s LiIon as one option, and Apex 1100MaH 4s LiPo as a lighter weight option to have around and try out. Thanks.

[@junsal4]

Where do you buy those cloth tape?

[@whiffles]

Home Depot