Lumenier QAV250 Quadcopter

The QAV250 is a small and nimble quadcopter platform. It is made by Lumenier which is a team of engineers and pilots from around the world and is available at getfpv.com. It is very durable and has most of the same flight characteristics as the bigger quadcopters.

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Specifications

Released: 2013-11-19
Manufacturer: Lumenier (GetFPV, FPV Manuals)
Type: Symmetric mini H-type quadrotor
Airframe: G10 material - glass-reinforced epoxy laminate sheets
Frame size: W204.78 x L218.78 x H51.00 mm
Drivetrain voltage: 3S to 4S
Max. current consumption: approx. 30 Amps - 3S 1806 motors [1]
- Current per motor: 7-8 Amps
Airframe weight: 145 grams (no equipment)
All-up-weight: 450-550 grams
Flight time: 5-8 min (2000kV, 1300mAh)
Center of Gravity: Center of frame, mid-point
Camera mount: 32 mm board camera
HD camera support: Mobius, Key camera, GoPro possible
Behaviors like: R/C fighter jet, R/C racing car
Recommended flying area: small park, forest, garden, football field
Kit contents: 1x QAV250 G10 airframe, board camera mount and screws, 1x Power distribution board, 2x LED boards (1 red, 1 white), 1x aluminum landing gear and vinyl feet, 5-inch Anti-Vibration neoprene tape, 1x Lumenier Lipo strap, 1x Hardware set
Product pages:
- QAV250 Mini FPV Quadcopter product page - further details, equipment
- FPVLAB QAV250 discussuion thread - Lumenier team is active here
Similar models:
- Blackout Mini-H
- Spanky Mini Quadcopter
- DRQ250 Mini-H
- Minion H-Quad
- Spidex

Revisions

v1.0 - 2013-11-19
- Initial release
v2.0 - 2014-01-30
- New motor mounting holes, more options for different bolt patterns
- Thicker G10 material for the motor mounting plate
- Bumpers edge on the end of the arms to protect the motor during a crash
- Flight controller cover plate includes cutouts for SMA connectors and adapters for the video transmitter.

Equipment

Recommended gear to get a nicely balanced and capable quadcopter.

Flight controller: OpenPilot CC3D
1. OpenPilot CC3D Flight Controller - Lumenier Edition
2. Naze32 Arco [2]
3. MultiWii NanoWii Micro Flight Controller [3]
Battery: 3S 1300-1800mAh 30C+ LiPo pack recommended
- Size: approx H212 W35 x L72 mm, 80-120 grams
- C rating: 30 Amps x 1000mAh = 30C (Max amp x Batt capacity)
1. Lumenier 1300mAh 3S 35C LiPo battery - recommended by the manufacturer
2. Thunder Power 1350mAh 3S 25C G8 Pro Lite Plus LiPo battery - light-weight, expensive
3. Glacier 30C 1300mAh 3S LiPo battery - comes with Deans connector [4]
4. Zippy Compact 1000mAh 4S 25C LiPo battery - 4S same flight time as 3S 1300mAh, extreme pull-out power
5. Zippy Traxxas 1400mAh 3S 30C Lipo battery - leads exits on middle-end
6. Zippy Compact 1300mAh 3S 35C LiPo battery - 25C also available but too low
7. Kypom KT1300/20-3S 1300mAh LiPo battery
8. Turnigy nano-tech 1300mah 3S 45C LiPo battery - 25C also available
Motors: 2206 class, 2000kV, 100-150W, 20-40grams, nylon lock nut instead of spinner
1. Lumenier FX-2206-13 2000kV - handles 3S-4S nicely on small props (5x3)
2. SunnySky X2204 2300kV - excellent performance, perfect match for 5x3 props, great value
3. T-Motor Navigator Series MN1806-2300kV - quality, rips but limited pull-out power [5] [6]
4. T-Motor Navigator Series / Team Black Sheep MN2206-2000kV
5. Cobra C-2204-32 1960kV [7]
6. RCX 1804 2400kV micro Motor - cheap [8], magnets come loose [9]
Propellers: 5x3-inch - 2xCW 2xCCW
1. Gemfan 5x3 propellers - 5mm bore, black/white/yellow/green, soft but no balancing needed - get them for 1.67USD at rc-fans88.com
2. Tiger Motor 5x3 CF propellers - for aerial photography, video, vibe-free smoothness, expensive
3. Gemfan 5x3 Carbon Fiber propellers - stiff but most times unbalanced, jello-effect, relatively expensive
4. HQ 5x3 Carbon/Nylon props - stiff, more pop [10]
5. RCTimer 5x3 Carbon Fiber props - cheap, stiff
Speed controllers: 4x 10-15A 3S LiPo Speed Controllers
1. Lumenier 12 Amp ESC with SimonK Firmware - only 2S-3S
2. HobbyKing Blue Series 12A ESC (flash it to SimonK BS N-FET V2013-05-15, guide) - 4S capable [11]
3. Quadrysteria 20 Amp PRO RapidESC (SimonK) - just as small as 12A ESCs, 4S compatible [12]
4. Afro 12A ESC - 4S compatible [13]
5. RCX 10A G Series ESC - cheap [14]
Receiver:
1. FrSky D4R-II 2.4GHz 4ch receiver - small, PPM and RSSI compatible
2. ImmersionRC EzUHF 4ch receiver - great range, transmitter module required
Transmitter radio:
1. FrSky 2.4GHz Taranis X9D radio - JR-type module compatible
2. Futaba 8FG Super 2.4GHz radio - quality
Pilot camera:
1. Sony 600TVL CC1333-B IR Block Board Camera 2.8mm lens - Get it here - Setup using this guide and this guide
2. Sony 600TVL PZ0420 IR Sensitive Board Camera 2.8mm lens - great for night flying, faded colors during daylight
OSD:
1. TBS CORE PNP50 - integrated OSD and 5V/12V voltage regulator
2. Skylark Tiny OSD III
Case:
1. Lumenier QAV250 Professional Travel Case
2. JR DSM Double Pro Transmitter Case JRPA710
Video transmitter:
1. ImmersionRC 5.8GHz 600mw video transmitter
2. Foxtech 1.3G 200mw video transmitter - with Lawmate 1.2GHz receiver [15] [16]
Accessories:
1. Deans T-connectors - smaller than XT60
2. Mini Deans T-connectors - only on 180x motors, smaller than XT60
3. TBS CORE PNP50 voltage and OSD package - easy to install
4. HPI Z682 M5 black flanged lock nut [17] - replace spinner with proper nuts
5. Rapstrap Black 300mm cable-ties
6. Black Rubber Grommets Nipples [18]

FPV gear

Mobius HD action camera - excellent ligth weight 1080P 30FPS footage
- Download EU (50Hz) SYSCFG.TXT - no date code, 1080P, 720P modes, 50Hz no flicker
- Download EU (60Hz) SYSCFG.TXT - no date code, 1080P, 720P modes, 60Hz no flicker
- Check the Mobius manual on how to upload the new config
GoPro HD 3/3+ action camera - a bit bulky but amazing footage
- Resolution 1080P 60FPS, medium viewing angle
Sony 600TVL CCD 32mm board camera - Securitycamera2000 CMQ-1993 with IR filter - great value, good quality image
ImmersionRC 5.8GHz 600mW video transmitter - small and powerful, works fine with 2.4GHz R/C transmitter
ImmersionRC 5.8GHz Circular Polarized SpiroNet Antenna set - small and good antennas, protecting casing
Fat Shark Attitude V2 FPV goggles - integrated video receiver, good quality, no wires

Tips and Tricks

Use double-sided adheasive foam to secure the ESC to the power-distribution-board - prevents the wires from breaking
Mount the flight controller with velcro or dampening foam to reduce vibrations/noise from disturbing the controller
Add a small drop of blue/purple thread-lock to keep all the frame screws and posts in place
Sand down the edges of the board camera mount to make it slide in easier
Feed the battery connectors inside and out the top to minimize the chance of the propeller touching
For a peppier ride, change to 4S batteries and 4S compatible speed controllers
Replace the motor spinners for M5 locking screws - reduces probability of unscrewing and vibrations
Use PPM to reduce the number of wires going from the receiver to the flight controller
Set failsafe on the receiver to be zero or low throttle to minimize damage
Get some nice video transitions for the editing, search for "film burn transitions" or get them here [19]
Use 16AWG for the main battery leads, 20AWG for the ESCs and regulators, 24-26AWG for all signal and other low current wires [20]
For fast forwad flight (FFF), position the battery as as close to center or on the top plate to make the platform tilt/front heavy [21] [22]
Avoid spinning the GemFan 5x3 propellers over 26000 RPM (2400kV x 11.1V = ~26600 RPM), else they could disintegrate [23]
Add 2x 10mm heat-shrink tubing over the SpiroNet antennas to strengthen it against crashes - it still bends but can take a crash better [24]

Settings

Tweak the PID settings for the flight controller and set the transmitter to have 40 to 60% expo on the aileron and elevator stick inputs to give a smooth flight. For maximum flexibility and acrobatics, use rate mode.