Building Your First Drone

A step-by-step overview of what it takes to build a 5-inch FPV drone from scratch.

What You Need

Tools

• Soldering iron (TS100 or Pinecil recommended)
• Solder (63/37 leaded or lead-free)
• Flush cutters
• Hex drivers (2mm, 2.5mm)
• Heat shrink tubing
• Loctite Blue (thread locker)
• Multimeter

Components

• Frame (5-inch, e.g., iFlight Nazgul5 V3)
• Motors × 4 (e.g., iFlight XING2 2207 1800KV)
• 4-in-1 ESC (e.g., SpeedyBee F405 V4 stack)
• Flight Controller (included in stack)
• Propellers × 4+4 spares (e.g., HQProp 5x4x3)
• Battery (e.g., Tattu R-Line 6S 1300mAh)
• FPV Camera (e.g., RunCam Phoenix 2 SP)
• Receiver (e.g., ELRS EP2)
• Antenna, XT60 pigtail, zip ties

Build Order

1. Assemble the frame — arms to bottom plate
2. Mount motors — one per arm, apply Loctite
3. Install ESC — solder battery lead and motor wires
4. Stack the FC — connect ESC-to-FC cable
5. Install receiver — solder to a UART on the FC
6. Mount camera — connect video and power
7. Flash firmware — Betaflight via USB
8. Install props — verify motor directions first
9. Maiden flight — open area, Angle mode first

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting Loctite on motor screws (they vibrate loose)
• Wrong motor direction (verify in Betaflight motor tab, props OFF)
• Not adding a capacitor across battery pads (causes noise)
• Overtightening standoffs (cracks carbon fiber)
• Flying without configuring failsafe (dangerous)

Cost Breakdown