I recently began embarking upon my first ever FPV drone buildout and let me tell you, it’s a lot of information to digest as a beginner. In fact, to give you an idea of just how difficult getting into building is, I’m only taking the time to write this blog post because I have to wait for a new part to come in because I smoked (blew up, ruined, destroyed) the part I had originally purchased because I apparently did something wrong — the jury is still out on what it is I did wrong, but I will keep you all posted.
As I sit here waiting to continue the buildout of this drone (my parts list for the drone I’m building is listed at the bottom of this article if you are interested in trying), I thought it might be helpful to others if I use my experience muddling through this process for the first time ever to share with you the tools and items necessary to making building a drone easier and more convenient. Whether you are getting ready to build your very first drone or if you are just curious as to what goes into building one, by the end of this article you will be better-prepared than I was to get started and have a much better chance at initial success.
1. Good Quality Soldering Station
I was fortunate enough to have one of these in my possession before I got started on my first drone build. I cannot stress to you enough how crucial it is to have a versatile and high-quality soldering station when dealing with electronics that are:
A. Expensive
B. Somewhat fragile in nature
C. Expensive (yes, that’s in there twice on purpose)
If your soldering iron can’t get the solder or pad on the board hot enough, the solder won’t adhere properly and you will have a potentially unreliable connection (if it even connects at all). If your soldering iron gets the solder or pad too hot, you’re liable to cause damage to the electronics with which you are working and ruin them all together, costing you more time and money.
Don’t run the risk of ineffective or inefficient soldering, go out and get a good-to-high quality soldering station like the one I have or something similar. This will save you a ton of headache in the long run.
2. Smoke Stopper Electronic Fuse
Unlike the previous item on this list, this is an item I did NOT have when I began working on my drone build and now wish I had taken the time to purchase before getting started. If you aren’t sure what a Smoke Stopper is, essentially think of it like a fuse that takes the hit in the event of any electrical shorts instead of the electronics on your drone. It costs around $10-15 USD and will potentially save you hundreds depending upon the shorting and/or problems that you may encounter upon first powering up your drone.
While it is unconfirmed to this point (I’m actually waiting on a Smoke Stopper before continuing my build), I am 99-percent certain I burned a motor when testing the motor directions in Betaflight as it let off a nice plume of smoke when I attempted to do so. That would be a best-case scenario…with a worst-case scenario being I absolutely smoked my ESC, which will cost me closer to $60 to replace…time will tell, but don’t make the same mistake I did — buy a Smoke Stopper before you even think about plugging a battery into that drone you’re building.
3. Helping Hands (w/ Magnifying Glass)
I cannot tell you how many times I lost my patience with the tiny parts I was attempting to solder throughout the course of my build. On several occasions I needed to set everything down and step away for an hour or two to regain my composure. My fingers, while not the biggest or meatiest (giggity) in the world were too big to practically work in the tighter spaces of the drone frame and lacked the overall precision and dexterity to solder in the smaller wires to the smallest pads.
That’s where a product like Helping Hands comes in to help bumbling oafs like myself. Another product I’m waiting to receive (it will arrive with my Smoke Stopper), Helping Hands should help to alleviate strain on my eyes via its built in magnifying glass with additional ring-light; upper-back and neck area via the elevated platform on which my electronics will rest; and even my wrists and fingers via the four (4) magnetic clamps that will allow me to place even the tiniest of parts into a position on which it makes it easier to work.
While Helping Hands are not abundantly necessary, they definitely make life much easier when it comes to working on small parts. If you don’t want to purchase something this “extra,” a great substitute that is a fraction of the price with a reasonable level of efficacy is tacking putty, which is great for holding wires in place while soldering onto a small chipset or board.
4. Tinning Flux
Quite frankly, this is going to be one of your most important purchases when preparing to build your first drone. Tinning flux is essential to successfully reworking your solder joints in the event of wiring something incorrectly or just having a poopy solder all together. There are a few different kinds of flux you can purchase, but lead-free tinning flux is the kind you want when soldering small electronics together.
Trust me, you may not think it’s necessary now, but I promise you will get backed into at least once corner during your first build that will require tinning flux to work out of and when you don’t have it, you will be very sad and cry…okay, maybe not, but you will wish you had it.
5. Flux-Cored Solder
You may be wondering why you need flux-cored solder if you already have tinning flux as recommended in the previous item on our list. The reality is, you don’t NEED it, but you will want it. Flux-cored solder is a type of solder that has…well…a flux core. This makes the solder easier to melt down and rework if necessary.
Using flux-cored solder will help you to minimize the total amount of tinning flux used and will give you peace-of-mind during any reworks you have that things don’t have to get super messy like they sometimes can with standard flux.
6. Toothbrush and Rubbing Alcohol (91% Isopropyl at minimum)
Yes, yes, this is technically two items, but I make the rules around here, so you better get used to inconsistencies like this! All joking aside, this is another item set that I would not deem abundantly necessary, but will definitely leave you feeling happy you purchased them. When utilizing any type of flux in a solder project, that flux will burn off when it heats up. When the flux gets too hot, it will melt and sometimes leave a brownish residue that is harmless, but unappealing to the eye. Additionally, leftover flux that was not burned-off will, over time, corrode solder and leave you with potentially volatile solder joints that could break loose during flight or even when the drone is just being moved around or picked up.
The combination of a toothbrush with 91% isopropyl alcohol will not only clean up the residue left by burned-off flux, but it will also remove any additional flux that was not burned-off during the soldering process, giving you peace-of-mind as you work through your build and prepare to fly it.
7. Standard Lighter
A seemingly silly thing to include on this list, but the lighter did come in clutch when it came to effectively applying heat shrink (spoilers). That said, the same thing can be accomplished with an actual heat gun or solder rework pump, heck even a hair dryer…but if you don’t want to spend the money on those things you can go right down the street to your local 7-Eleven and buy one for just a couple of bucks.
Even though it’s that easy and lighters are metaphorically a dime a dozen, here’s a link to purchase some on Amazon if you’re a real online shopping addict.
8. Heat Shrink
Going hand-in-hand with our last item (Are you sensing a trend? These all play together some way or another.), heat shrink is going to be a handy little tool for things such as your receiver, which is usually just a free-floating chip that needs secured to the drone in some manner or another. An idea that I found which makes a ton of sense is to wrap the receiver in heat shrink, shrink it down using an intense heat source, and then zip tie it (spoilers) to the frame of the drone somewhere out of harm’s way.
There are many other things you could theoretically heat shrink such as the motor wires to the arms on the drone, but ultimately that will be up to you to decide.
9. Multi-Colored Electrical Tape (At Least 3)
This is an all-around good idea to just have lying around the house — you never know when you might need electrical tape. I am being a little bit “extra” by suggesting you buy at least three different colors, but hear me out:
Having multi-colored electrical tape gives you the option to identify directional headings, polarities, and other important things on the drone via color-coding…plus you can pimp it out and make it look cool with your favorite colors.
Whether you go my route and purchase a few different colors of electrical tape, or just stick to one color, you’re going to need electrical tape at some point down the line — whether it is for repairs or for securing parts to the frame. Invest in some now and it will last you a while.
10. Zip Ties
Ya know em’, ya love em’, zip ties! Perhaps one of the world’s most versatile products, zip ties can be used for a variety of things, including but not limited to:
- Securing loose items to a grounded point.
- Repairing and securing PVC piping.
- Holding hostages’ hands behind their backs.
- Hog-tying your cat for shredding your favorite couch.
- And much more!
Okay, don’t actually use them for hog-tying your cat or holding hostages (though I won’t say they aren’t effective for those purposes, just immoral), but definitely DO use them for securing parts to your drone’s frame. As I stated earlier, the receiver chip that you will need to create a link between your drone and your radio is going to be floating independently from the flight controller and ESC. You will need to secure the receiver to the frame in some manner and zip ties are what I have found to be the most effective means of doing that.
I hope you found this list helpful and that you have some of the items you need ordered already. As a general premise, the items I have recommended are not absolutely necessary to a successful buildout, but they will make the process a heck of a lot easier and more convenient. As a full disclaimer, the links included in this article are affiliate-based. I do receive a kick-back from Amazon for every purchase made, but I only selected the items and brands that I use and trust. Don’t hate the player, hate the game — I’m just trying to pay my rent, but why not help others out in the process, am I right?
My Drone Build Parts List (non-affiliate links):
Frame: SpeedyBee Master 5″ Analog/HD Frame
FC/ESC: SpeedyBee F7 V3 Stack
Motors: iFlight XING-E Pro 2207 Motor (1800KV)
VTX: Caddx Polar Micro Digital FPV Vista Camera Kit
RX: Happymodel ExpressLRS Nano 2.4GHz EP1 RX
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