Quadcopter Drone - UBEC Install and Prop Balancing

There is one part of the overall install that I forgot to post, so adding it now.  I had to add a UBEC (Universal Battery Elimination Circuit) to power the KK2.1 flight controller and the Reciver.  The ESCs and Motors can take the voltage directly from the 3S LiPo battery, but the Flight Controller and Receiver require a lower voltage.  So instead of having 2 different batteries (adding unnecessary weight), a UBEC will basically convert the 11.1v output for the 3S battery to 5V to be used with the flight controller.

This particular Turnigy UBCE can accept an input voltage of 6-23v, and output either 5.1V or 6.1V depending on the jumper position, both at 3Amps. This particular model also has a Ferrite Ring for interference reduction.  I am using the 5.1v setting for my components.

Since the ESCs draw power directly from the LiPo battery, the Servo Connectors that plug into the Flight Controller are actually only using 1 of the 3 wires which is the signal wire.

So to clean things up, I just took the 2 unused wires out of the 4th connector, and spliced in the Negative / Positive leads from the UBEC.  Also made sure to cover the unused connectors with heat shrink tubing to eliminate any possibilities of a short.

Then I just plugged the connector back into the flight controller, and we have power!

Now that we have that out of the way, on to Prop Balancing.  This is an important step in building a QuadCopter, especially if you are going to be shooting videos or photography. Unbalanced props can cause small "micro-vibrations" that can make videos have a Jello like effect. Luckily, balancing props is an easy task, only requiring a balancing shaft and some sandpaper.  You basically balance the prop on the stand (or even a drinking glass), and if one side dips down, sand a bit off until things even out.  Not going to go into much detail here, as there are lots of great tutorials on YouTube if you would like more info.  My balancing was pretty easy and took around 15min for all 6 props that I currently have.

 Next up we have a cool DYI hard-case storage for your Quad.  Stay tuned!