Racing Drone Upgrade

This is my step by step process on how I upgraded a racing drone!

Step 1: Getting Started

I started off with an old drone that someone had made but did not have a use for anymore.

Everything on the frame worked, but I wanted to upgrade the frame as the 3d print was heavy and very fragile.

In addition to that, I wanted to rework the positioning of the devices like the flight controller.

Step 2: Making a Frame

After looking at the prices of frames online and how expensive they were, I opted instead to go and get a sheet of carbon fiber at Lowes.

With a bit of ingenuity I took a 3d printed file of a qav250 and got the sheet cut at the cities library.

Step 3: New Frame, New Life

Now with my new frame, I set out to

move all of the components over.

This is where the fun begins…

I started by attempting to solder my escs onto the power distribution board, and after several tries and one esc that caught on fire, I ‘successfully’ finished soldering my escs.

Now onto the motors

Step 4: POWAHHHH

Now for motors.

I transferred over the motors and soldered them to the escs.

One motor died on transfer and upon replacement an escs completely stopped working.

After trying many different things I decided to reach out to the local community and see what advice they had.

Step 5: Reaching Out

Reaching out to the surrounding

community was the best thing I could’ve done.

I leaned so much that I did not know.

- I learned that my flight controller was a horrifically old device.

-My motors were really weak

- My build was all wrong

Step 6: Restart

After visiting a very generous

local drone enthusiast, I was given 4 much better motors and escs, and instructed on how to put the build together.

Step 7: New Foundation

Here is my drone after my new

motors and escs have been installed.

Looking much better!

Step 8: So Close

After about a week I finally got

the general skeleton down. However I had an issue with connecting my esc to the flight controller.

Back to meet with the guy I met with a couple of weeks ago!

Step 9: Final Touches

When I went back he changed my

second motor over to my 6th port and programed the flight controller to recognize 6 as 2.

After that, it worked!!!

Step 10: Done

Here it is, the final result!

After about two months I finally finished!

I will attach all 3d files below.

Let me know what I could’ve done better.

Hope you enjoyed