iFlight DC5 HD – DJI FPV build log

Back in October 2019, I have built my first DJI FPV quadcopter. Then I decided to give a try to another frame – the iFlight DC5 HD. It is specifically designed to fit with the DJI digital FPV system. It is great for freestyle flying and you would not see any props in your video.

So, let´s get an overview of the parts, which I will be using for this build log.

I decided to use the Aikon F7 Mini V2 flight controller, because of the F7 processing power and its compact size and weight. It is designed to easily connect to the DJI FPV air unit, so I don´t need to worry for any soldering – just plug and play.

At first, I was not sure if the 35A 4in1 AIKON ESC would be fine for a 5-inch quad, but then I looked at my previous testing of the F40 Pro III motor and realized the max. current was at 37A. First of all, I am never constantly flying at 100% throttle and second, the ESC can handle up to 45A for about 10sec, so I should be perfectly fine.

The frame is well designed and the quality of the carbon parts seems to be very good. There are not so many parts, so it is pretty easy to assemble: start with mounting the arms to the bottom plate. Then put the aluminium spacers on it and pay attention there are two sizes. The longer ones come on the front and back, while the shorter are in the middle.

Next, you can mount the four motors on the arms. I haven´t cut the cables before I mounted the AIKON 4in1 ESC, so I am sure, these are neither too long nor too short.

Now is the time to mention something I don´t like about the frame or at least the specs from the manufacturer: the 20x20mm mounting holes are not M3, but M2. This is why I needed to get a 3D printed 30.5×30.5mm-to-20x20mm adapter, so I can mount both the AIKON ESC and AIKON FC (20x20mm M3 holes).

Once you have mounted the ESC, you can cut the motor cables to the desired length and solder these. At first, I have also soldered the battery power cable (supplied with the 4in1 ESC). However, later on, I noticed the XT60 adapter cannot go through the holes of the upper frame plate. So pay attention to this and put the cables through the holes first and then solder to the ESC battery pads. Below is a picture of how it looks now after I fixed it:

Once ready with this you can mount the flight controller and connect to the ESC using the supplied cables. It is really convenient to use 4in1 ESC designed to work with a specific flight controller. Next is to mount the DJI FPV camera and DJI air unit.

One thing which took me a lot of time was mounting the DJI FPV antennas through the 3D-printed antenna mount part… The space is not much and the antenna cables are not flexible enough. It was a fight to get it done properly…

The last thing to do is to put the top plate (with battery strap) and mount the screws. Props on and the new FPV quad is ready!

The total weight of the quadcopter is 386g (without battery). Currently, I am using it with a 6S 1300mAh battery and it is amazing. It makes a lot of fun flying freestyle and flight time is around 4-6min (depending on flying style).

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