- How high does it go?
- Did you build it yourself?
- How much does it cost?
- Do you let your kids fly it?
I'll touch on the "How much did it cost" question. This is clearly an "it depends" answer. If you're already flying RC planes, you may be able to build a tricopter for under $100. If you have absolutely nothing, you'll need ~$700-1,000. I'm sure it could be done for less, but you'll want multiple batteries ($15-20 each), you'll go through a lot of props ($1-2 each), and I picked up some spares and other things I thought I might need.
Costs are in four or five categories:
1. Structure ($50)
This is the wood, nuts/bolts, G10, foam, servo mounting, and something to contain/protect the electronics. I sourced most of this from my local hardware store and more exotic things from McMaster Carr.
2. Electronics ($250-450)
Controller, ESC, motor, Transmitter and Reciever, servo. Optional: lights, camera, simulator
3. Power ($120)
Batteries, charger, charger cables and power supply.
4. Tools ($100-400)
Soldering iron, drill/bits, heat gun, multimeter, misc hand tools.
5. Supplies ($100)
Wire, solder, propellers, connectors, shrink tubing, zip ties, glue, rubber bands.
6. Shipping: If you buy from HobbyKing.com you'll end up spending at least $100 in shipping.
I started from almost-scratch. (Had the tools, but had been out of RC for a while, so needed new transmitter, batteries, etc.)
Here's the list of everything I bought from Hobby King and McMaster. Add some wood for arms and some connectors and you're more than ready to go. Again, thanks to David at RCExplorer for a great build log and parts list. This is really just his list expanded for newbies.
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| Shipment | EMS Express to USA (under 500g) $18.95 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxes | $0.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $69.68 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Order 3: Lighting and more extras
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| Shipment | International (Registered) Air Mail 201-300g $6.99 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxes | $0.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $25.90 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Credit Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Shipment | USPS Priority Mail 2-3Day US-PM $6.36 08cdce62-b9cd-4b38-afb9-9c600a07282c | |||||||||
| Taxes | $0.00 | |||||||||
| Total | $28.74 | |||||||||
Order 5: After my batteries were getting dinged up, I decided to shrink wrap them. Picked up a few more things as well.
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| Shipment | International (Registered) Air Mail 201-300g $6.99 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxes | $0.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $18.74 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Order 1b: From McMaster Carr:
| 1 | 9910T15 | 1 Each | Multipurpose Garolite (g-10), 1/16" Thick, 12" X 12" |
| 2 | 88625K63 | 1 Each | O1 Tool Steel Tight-tolerance Rod, 4 Mm Diameter, 3' Length |
| 3 | 7132K784 | 1 Pack | Chemical-resistant Pvc Heat-shrink Tubing, 1" Id Before, 1/2" Id After, 6" Length, Clear |
| 4 | 7130K12 | 1 Pack | Standard Nylon Cable Tie, 4"l, 7/8"bundle Dia, 18# Tensile Strength, White |
| 5 | 30565A263 | 1 Each | Metric Black&gold Oxide Hss Jobbers Drill Bit, 4.2mm, 83mm Oal, 49.2mm Drill Depth, 135 Deg Point |
| 6 | 7132K73 | 1 Pack | Chemical-resistant Pvc Heat-shrink Tubing, 3/16" Id Before, 3/32" Id After, 6" Length, Black |
