Here are a list of tips and tricks for building the S800 FPV wing, and some mods and upgrades using 3D printing parts that are designed by the community to enhance the performance and user experience of the S800.

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There are other little build tips which are not mentioned here, please check out my S800 build log so you don’t miss out :)

Get the S800 V2 from:

• Banggood: http://bit.ly/2qddwDQ (45% off until 3rd Jan 2019)
• Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2rsa892
• Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2Ur5K7A

S800 Tips and Tricks

• Dry fit everything at least twice
• Laminate the wings with tapes. If you are not laminating, at least put some clear packing tape along the leading edges and elevon hinges, it does wonders for durability
• Use connectors for everything: motor to ESC, power to VTX and camera, etc…
• LC filter for FPV setup? For most cases you don’t need it, but doesn’t hurt to put one in, and it’s only a couple of bucks anyway
• I found the S800 a “tail heavy” wing, therefore I personally would choose a lighter motor if you don’t care about speed. With a powerful and heavy motor, you will need more weight in the nose to compensate, which makes the plane heavier overall and doesn’t perform as well as it should
• I haven’t tried this tip, but I was told to try and put VTX/RX as close to the centre as possible and not in the wing hatches. This could reduce pulling or waggle effects because of the antennas and drags

Enhanced Pushrods

The stock pushrods are quite flexible, it bends when you push the elevon too hard and too quickly. A solution to that is adding 2mm carbon rod to the pushrod and secured with heatshrink.

Motor Extension Mount

Motor extension moves the propeller further away from turbulent air moving over the airfoil, making your S800 more efficient, quieter and faster. It also allows you to use bigger props, and makes it easier to change motor.

However, there is no free lunch. The trade off is that it makes the S800 even more tail heavy than it already is, meaning you would have to add more weight to the nose.

You can buy the motor extension mount – http://bit.ly/2rpkINN

Or if you have a 3D printer, save a few bucks and print it yourself :) https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2486902

And it goes really nicely with this motor plate which replaces the original plywood and carbonfibre plates. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2698951

Buzzer

What is important but often overlooked would be the buzzer! Especially one that can be triggered by PWM signal since I am not using a flight controller in the wing.

My choice of buzzer is the Vifly Finder V2 – it has a built-in battery that allows it to continue to work even when the main battery is disconnected.

It goes to the 4th channel in the D4R-II receiver, which is a switch on my radio.

3D Printed Upgrades

Here are some mods using 3D printing parts which I have tried.

Clamps for Detachable Wings

This mod is probably my favorite on the list :) It really does work holding the wings securely, and you can take them off for easy transportation. It’s awesome for backpackers like me.

However, I recommend doing this mod on a brand new wing. Once you’ve glued the wings on the fuselage it’s really hard to take apart :) That’s why I bought a second one just for this!

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2086197

ABS (Scale 102%, Horizontal Expansion -0.14mm, infill 100%)

Detachable Winglets

This mod goes nicely with the previous one. It makes the winglets removable!

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2506307

ABS (Horizontal Expansion -0.14mm, infill 80%)

RX antenna holder

There are options for RX antenna mounts out there, but I wasn’t happy with any of them and decided to make my own. My design uses the good old mini quad method – zip tie and heatshrink tube.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3304017

Canopy for 4S Battery

Highly recommended if you want to use bigger 4S batteries such as 1500mAh. The only downside would be weight, it’s a few grams heavier than the original foam canopy.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2150771

ESC cooling cover

Not necessary but a good idea nonetheless, and it just looks cool!

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2495471

ABS (Scale 100.8%, Horizontal Expansion -0.14mm, infill 50%)

Vortex Generators

I can confirm these work! Vortex generators improve low speed handling, and makes it easier to land. It might affect top speed but I don’t really notice if in flight.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2039383

Someone made a tool for installing the VG more precisely, very clever idea.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2544706

Extra Wing Fences

I tried these and really couldn’t tell the difference. In fact it makes the wing more tail-heavy, as each of these wing fences are 10g+. So I removed them a few flights later.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2679034

HD and FPV Camera Mount

Not necessary, but makes the wing look neater and provides extra protection to the cameras. It’salso good extra weight given if your S800 is tail heavy :)

• Xiaomi Yi: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2535525
• GoPro Hero3: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2912589
• Cube cameras (Runcam 3, Session): https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2268271

I’ve only tried the mount for Xiaomi Yi.

Motor Cooling Air-intake

Not necessary, just thought it looks cool. I am not using this because my wing is already too tail heavy :)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2156450

VTX SMA connector cap

Help stress-relief the SMA connector on the VTX

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2721464

VTX cooling

I recommend this. Most people runs a high power VTX and it definitely needs extra cooling.

Universal: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2880571
30×30 VTX: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3013407

Replacement Wingtips

I designed these wingtips to be removable.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3343954