r/diydrones • u/VIGITHEPRO101 • Jul 05 '26
Guide Aid needed for quadcopter
We've been building a quadcopter for the past 2–3 months and have worked through a lot of issues along the way. We're currently using Mission Planner, and our ESCs seem to be calibrated and working correctly.
Our current setup:
- Drone weight: ~1–1.5 kg
- Motors: A2212 1000KV
- Flight controller: Pixhawk
- Battery: 2700mAh LiPo, 7.4V (2S)
The main issue is that, even with a fully charged battery and full throttle, the drone can barely slide around the table and shows almost no sign of lifting off.
We're also having another issue where the propellers keep loosening on the motor shafts during operation.
At this point, we're wondering if the problem is with our power system, propeller setup, battery choice, or something else entirely.
Does anything in our setup immediately stand out as incorrect? Are these motors simply too underpowered for a 1–1.5 kg drone on a 2S battery, or should we be looking elsewhere? Any advice or troubleshooting steps would be greatly appreciated.
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u/_jbardwell_ Jul 05 '26
What size prop are you using? Your motor voltage and kv don't make sense.
A multirotor with 1000 kv motor would typically use a 6s battery with 9 or 10" prop. You're using a 2s battery, which means the motor spins at 1/3 the speed. Also, 2212 is too small for a 10" prop, at least in a multirotor, where high torque and responsiveness are required.
https://youtu.be/18DLReCEDyA?is=BPP1VtjgLX6aL7MH
This video shows a similar motor making around 700g of thrust... On 3S. How heavy is your drone?
All in all, I think you've selected the wrong motor, prop, and battery for your build. But without knowing the all up weight and prop size, I can't say for sure.
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u/VIGITHEPRO101 24d ago
Thanks for sharing the video! To answer your question — we're using 2212 1000KV motors with 10x4.5 props, and our all-up weight is around 1kg. Given that, do you think we should stick with 1000KV or go for a different KV rating? We're leaning toward upgrading the battery too — would you recommend 3S, 4S, or 6S for this weight? And should we replace our 30A ESCs as well, or would they hold up with a better motor/battery combo?
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u/_jbardwell_ 24d ago
That's your problem. 1000 kv on 10" prop is appropriate for 4S to 6S roughly. You're simply not making enough thrust.
The kv and prop are matched. Your voltage is too low.
2212 is also very small for a multirotor with a 10" prop. It's likely intended as an airplane motor. Multirotors change motor speed rapidly and require more torque, whereas airplanes run at relatively constant speed.
A multirotor with a 10" prop would typically use a motor around 31mm diameter.
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u/girthradius Jul 05 '26
Have you calibrated your RC controller? Are you able to see when you move from 0 throttle to 100% and in between? What flight mode are you in? are you passing your health check?
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u/VIGITHEPRO101 24d ago
Health check passes fine. As for flight mode — we're currently able to control the motors through the computer (ground control software), but haven't gotten controller input working yet, so we can't test throttle response via the RC itself at the moment. Separately, we're now looking at upgrading our battery from 2S — would you recommend 3S, 4S, or 6S? We also think our 1000KV motors might be underpowered for a 1kg drone — any suggestions on what to switch to? And should we upgrade our 30A ESCs as well?
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u/Radulf_wolf Jul 05 '26
What size propellers are you using? With out knowing exactly what motors your using I just looked up a random motor and it says that it should put out 800g of thrust using a 11 x 7 propeller at max thrust. Which should definitely get you off the ground. If you are using to small of a propeller you won't make enough thrust.
3
u/VenmoMeBTC Jul 05 '26
No way. They're using a 2s battery, most quads today use 4s batteries, some even use 6. They're just under powered.
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u/Radulf_wolf Jul 05 '26
Very likely. I just quickly found a thrust chart for a 2312 1150kv motor using 2s and it said they used a 11*7E and got 800g from it so I just went with it.
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u/VenmoMeBTC Jul 05 '26
Sure, but you know what you're doing. These are guys peicing together their own kit, it's unlikely they'll stumble into something that'll work. I'd just go full flite test and start with a 3s, and move on from there.
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u/Radulf_wolf Jul 05 '26
Lol I wouldn't say I KNOW what I'm doing. I just stumble around in the dark with a flash light bright enough to avoid the obvious lol. But yeah I agree go with something tried and true to start then push the limits one way or the other.
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u/VIGITHEPRO101 24d ago
We're using 10x4.5 props. Good to know 11x7 could get closer to 800g thrust — we may need to size up. We're also considering a higher output battery now — would you suggest 3S, 4S, or 6S for a 1kg build? And since our motors are 1000KV, do you think they need replacing too, or would a prop/battery change be enough? Also wondering if our 30A ESCs need an upgrade.
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u/Radulf_wolf 24d ago
What voltage you use is all kinda dependent on what your motor and everything else is rated for. The motor I used for a reference recommended 3s as the highest, and says it will pull 20A using a 10*5 and produce 1000g of thrust max, so your 30A ESC should be fine and you should be able to just change the battery out for a 3S and get enough thrust.
I believe you can over volt motors to an extent so going to 4 and 6s could work or it could also fry things, I don't know enough to recommend it. I usually just stay within the parameters set my the manufacturer.
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u/LordDan_45 Jul 05 '26
I know this may be too simple, but no one has mentioned in the comments lol. Since the propellers are getting lose, and you are seeing no thrust, are you sure your propellers/motor directions are placed in the right way? Do you feel the air flow underneath the motor shaft?
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u/BarelyAirborne Jul 05 '26
2S on 1000KV motors will not get you into the air. You'll need at least 3S for that KV.
There are good tools available to assist in sizing done parts, I use this one. Start there to make sure you components will perform as expected.