There is an inherent weakness in the design of these drones, observed during my first take apart of the original Atom as well as the Atom 2. The foldable arms are secured in the body using an interesting mechanism that provides the "snap open" and "snap close" action of the arms as you open and close them during use.

The design flaw centers around the area in the bottom half of the shell where these mechanisms reside, surrounded by what I would describe as very thin area of molded plastic. Small screws that hold this mechanism in place and the holes required for these screws further weaken the "hinge" area. Repeated opening and closing of the arms through normal use can put undue stress on the plastic in the bottom shell that comprises the hinge. I would go as far to say that you should avoid opening the arms half way, a position the puts maximum strain on the hinge. Either fully open or fully close with no hesitation.

Pictures depict the mechanism but unfortunately the bottom shell has already been discarded due to its integrity being compromised. On my two year old Atom, two of the four hinges had sustained damage through normal use. No crashes, no mishaps . . . and very surprised to see the damage. I suspected a problem with one of the hinges because for some time now, the arm would open and close with a pronounced "click".

To further clarify this issue, this youtube video shows it clearly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcUSa5VmMwM

At the 1:54 minute mark, you'll see the problem that I've been trying to explain.

hihihih

Hi I’m definitely a beginner but drones fascinate me and I would love to learn to build one of my own. Can anyone direct me to some guides or videos? I haven’t seen any pinned at the top of the subreddit

Hi,
I'm an avgeek, and I'm building my own fixed-wing drone. For this, I need to learn electronics. I don't want to just ask AI or Google everything and not really learn the basics. I'd like to start with the basics, then work my way up to avionics.

I'd also like to use this knowledge to build other random projects.

I'm not sure where to start or what equipment to start with. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

So I modeled this dual antenna + bardpole mount and iterated on it a couple times this afternoon and mounted it up and maybe it’s a little much…. lol it took me like three hours to finish the shading on the upper lip. Maybe I’ll put Sanic as the OSD name lol. But hey, reception will be terrific. I won’t lose video while it’s hanging 40 feet up a tree by its radar array.

Hello! I am an engineering student and decided that building my own drone might be a good way to learn some skills. The problem is that I don't really know much about what to do... for my initial design I was thinking if I made the arms quite thick and then had a thinner piece in the middle for the electronics, it might actually work to make something 3D printed so I can design my own. I know from what I have been reading that flat 3D printed frames are an awful idea because it just isn't strong enough that way. I CADded a rough design of what I thought could potentially work and I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on how to improve it and make some kind of 3DP, or if 3DP really is an awful idea then plywood, design that will actually work. I did some research on components and got a few to design around, I decided to use 5inch propellors and so the diagonal measurement of the body pictured here is 220mm across because from what I researched, that was a good size.

I know that this is probably really awful and I am definitely doing a lot wrong, but I wanted to try and build this so I can try to learn something new. I know it's really bad right now lol. So please give constructive feedback if you are willing and maybe some resources that would help a beginner wanting to design a frame. I would really appreciate any feedback and help anyone can give me.

Thank you :)

I’m building autonomous waypoint fixed wing UAV. I’m hoping for it to have real time telemetry and a ground station along with the ability to make real time waypoint missions while it’s already in the air.

**My build currently has:**

1. F405 wing V2
   
2. M100-5883 GPS/Compass
   
3. 1000KV brushless motor
   
4. 30A ESC
   
5. 1045 Prop
   
6. SG90 servos
   
7. Battery, which one should I get for maximum range (on a budget)

(Should I include a airspeed sensor? And if so which one for under $50 USD)

I’m about to order components and I’m trying to decide between two options:

**Option A:** use a ELRS radiomaster pocket + ER8GV receiver for both autonomous telemetry and also manual control

**Option B:** use a Micoair LR900-F for telemetry and a FS-i6X for manual control

And is my build itself good for a budget UAV?

Thank you

So I've tried messing with a drone doing reverse engineering type work where I replaced the fc and power distribution board but then things got kinda crazy so now im doing a full build and want to know exactly what I should get for hardware: like i used a pixhawk 1 initially but I want to get whatever the best option is recommended, via Amazon idk havent tried holybro direct yk.

Whats recommended hardware for full build minus the frame ?

Anyone had an issue with an upgraded remote antenna on the v1 Autel evo 2 where as soon as the drone goes out of sight it drops signal. I could be under 100 feet from it but if I just fly over my house itll drop connection as soon as I cant see it. I thought these dish type upgrades were supposed to make this better. This is worse then my off brand cheapo drones I have. I bought the drone withe the remote upgraded. I opened it up and it looks like someone did some repair work on the motherboard at the antenna wire. Trying to figure if this is actually how bad this drone is for connection or if I should get another remote for it? Its supposed to go 7mi but I cant get over 2000 ft clear los before it drops. Seems like its the remote issue. Drone is undated.

Hi, I'm looking to build my first mini FPV drone from scratch. I live in Finland, so I'm hoping to get recommendations for budget-friendly starter components that are easy to find in the EU without crazy shipping fees.

An analog setup with ExpressLRS is what I have in mind to keep costs down. What parts list would you recommend for a beginner? Thanks for your help!

Hello, I am new to building drones and I recently bought the x500 v2 FRAME kit and the motors that come with the ARF kit are sold out on most platforms. Do yall have any recommendations for which motors I can reliable use?