I was looking at the Devo 7e transmitter as an affordable option, which was ~$60. It would be my first drone build, but I have soldering tools and have built things like battery chargers for cell phones (before they were commercially successful), an overdrive pedal for my guitar, and a couple of other projects. I know that initial build/set up will be a time suck compared to the out of the box experience of the Phantom 4, but I'm thinking more along the lines of what happens when an adjuster inevitably finds a way to crash $1500 worth of pre-built drone that might not be covered under insurance.

Also, we're looking at using more than one. So $200/per unit adds up after awhile.

What products were you thinking of as far as the transmitter, charger, inverter, etc.? I've glanced at the SkyRC Charger, and it looks like it can handle just about any battery I could possibly buy. I know I'd eventually need multiple batteries/chargers, and would actually probably get 3 batteries and a charger to start. If there are any specific products you'd recommend towards this build idea, I'd be happy to hear them.