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Yes! This is another DIY quadcoptor drone guide 🤖
Why do we need another one?
The goal of this tutorial is to get down to the basics of the anatomy of a drone
Perhaps you are a student just joined a research lab, and you're facing to develop new feature or capability that no one has ever done before, but none of the drone systems would fit your need.
This tutorial covers.....
CRUCIAL COMPONENTS
1. MOTORThe very first step is to calculate the all up weight (AUW) and the weight of the payload to be carried along with the configuration/ type of drone you'll be buying. For instance if you're designing an X-type quadcopter with all up 1kg you'll need a motor that can carry at least twice the weight to generate a smooth lift (Thrust to weight ratio = 2:1). Usually the manufacturer provides a bench test sheet like the one shown in the figure below
T-motors is one of the most famous companies specialising in R&D, production, and sales of safe and reliable UAV power systems.
T-motors is one of the most famous companies specialising in R&D, production, and sales of safe and reliable UAV power systems.2. ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROLLER (ESC)
From this stage most components would be listed in the recommended section of the motor's description since the ESCs are selected according to the recommended rating of the motor. They must be chosen such that enough current is received by the motors.
To counter motor torque, quadcopters requires two clockwise and two anticlockwise rotating propellers. All the propellers used in the quadcopter should have the same diameter and pitch.
The most used type of batteries is Lithium Polymer (LiPo). The nominal voltage is approximately the average of the full charge Voltage/cell.. The number of cells determines the total voltage of the battery. Quadcopter Flight time = (Effective capacity * 60) Current drawn by 4 motors
Grepow is the parent company of its two leading brands, Gens Ace and Tattu leading lithium poymer manufacturers in China. They focus on providing high capacity, high discharge rate, pack assemblage, and battery manufacturing.
Grepow is the parent company of its two leading brands, Gens Ace and Tattu leading lithium poymer manufacturers in China. They focus on providing high capacity, high discharge rate, pack assemblage, and battery manufacturing.5. AUTOPILOT
The flight controller/autopilot is the brain of the drone. It is a circuit board which serves as a basic sensory system that detects the orientation of the drone and receives the user's commands and controls to the motors. The autopilot must be selected such that it fulfils all the requirements of the drone such as stability, response, failsafe provision etc.
Pixhawk is one of the leading open-source autopilots that can be used development. Holybro Is a reliable pixhwak manufacturer.
Pixhawk is one of the leading open-source autopilots that can be used development. Holybro Is a reliable pixhwak manufacturer.6. FRAME
Select a strong frame according to your multi-copter configuration.
Tarot provides strong an reliable frame kits and parts of various drones.
Tarot provides strong an reliable frame kits and parts of various drones.7. GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS)
Drones are equipped with a GPS module that allows them to know their location relative to a network of orbiting satellites. Connecting to signals from these satellites allows the drone to perform functions such as position hold, autonomous flight, return to home, and waypoint navigation.
Holybro M9N Is a simple plug-n-play GPS module with great results.
Holybro M9N Is a simple plug-n-play GPS module with great results.8. Transmitter & Receiver
The receiver on a drone is an electronic device that uses built-in antennas to receive radio signals. This information is then sent to the flight controller, which puts the information into action as indicated by the original radio signals. While choosing a remote controller check the frequency and range it provides along with the number of channels.
Taranis has gained immense popularity due to its compatibility in high-end drone projects.
Taranis has gained immense popularity due to its compatibility in high-end drone projects.
Note: Ensure that all components are compatible with each other and
COMPANION COMPONENTS1. COMPANION COMPUTERIncase you'd like to increase the compute capabilities of your drone depending on your application and computation power requirement select a companion computer. It must also support the operating system you need.
Raspberry pi is one of the most widely used companion computers especially the Rpi4B+ model because of it's high computational power and perfect compatibility.
Raspberry pi is one of the most widely used companion computers especially the Rpi4B+ model because of it's high computational power and perfect compatibility.2. VISION SYSTEM
The kind of vision system completely depends on the minimum clarity of video stream you need which depends on your test environment conditions.
A good starting point is the PX4 FLOW kit & intel realsense camera as multiple open-source projects have been made on these hardware.
A good starting point is the PX4 FLOW kit & intel realsense camera as multiple open-source projects have been made on these hardware.
Ideally you'll need all common tools as anything and everything is needed in the ugly times of debugging on-site. Here's a list of few-
A good practice is to buy all safety equipment such as lipo-safe bag, first aid kit and have all spares of almost all crucial parts since damage and contingencies are inevitable pains of testing.
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