Hi everyone,
Just a quick update and apology for the lack of posts so far. I know I still need to finish the guide to building an FPV racing quad (Part 1 here, part 2 here and part 3 here) but I've been very busy with university work recently. It is coming though, along with a number of other posts.
I also want to release a YouTube video along with the final part of the guide but we'll see if that happens closer to the time.
Happy flying everyone!
A new blog for the multirotor community. Follow me as I learn more about the hobby and try to progress through it as far as I possibly can. Hopefully my experiences will serve as a good resource for others, or at least be a bit entertaining.
Thursday, 31 March 2016
Friday, 18 March 2016
3D mapping of land by a quadcopter / drone
Got another video that I found online and thought was really interesting. FliteTest showcase some cool software to enable 3D mapping of land. Even if you don't have a phantom or similar kit, the service they talk about will stitch any geotagged jpegs together to create a map. With a bit of ingenuity, even your 250 racer could be mapping your land in the future.
Thursday, 17 March 2016
Drones / multirotors TED talk
Hey guys, just a quick post.
Check out this TED talk that I saw today. Drones really are going to be the future, in so many ways.
Hope you enjoy it, the end of the video is beautiful.
Check out this TED talk that I saw today. Drones really are going to be the future, in so many ways.
Hope you enjoy it, the end of the video is beautiful.
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
What stuff do you need to build an FPV system on a quadcopter / drone? (Part 3 - Comprehensive guide to building an FPV racing quad)
This post will cover everything you will need to build a complete FPV system for your quadcopter / drone.
As well as another standalone post, this is also part 3 of the comprehensive guide to building an FPV racing quad (check out part 1 here and part 2 here). Part 4 will be the build guide and will be posted in the next few days.
As with the rest of these posts so far, you may already know some of these parts so just scan through and read the parts that are most relevant to you. This is your quad, remember that. Do it the way you want to.
So, what exactly will we need for an FPV system?
Camera - The camera you will want to get will vary depending on the type of quad you build. For example, for some aerial photography (AP) platforms it is perfectly acceptable to use a GoPro as the FPV camera, but for racers there will be too much latency (lag) between the image and what is actually happening. As this guide is mainly for racing quads, we will look at issues surrounding these. The number one concern you will want to think about when choosing a camera for a racing quad is latency. Latency is the time delay between when the quad moves and when you see it move through the camera. Although latency in pretty much any system is much less than a second, for racers, that is still far too much. Racing quads move fast and you have to be able to react to changes as soon as they happen. In order to make latency as little a problem as possible, make sure you choose a CCD board camera with a resolution below 800TV lines (600-700 is better). You will want to choose a CCD camera and not a CMOS, as CCDs react better to changing light conditions and are less prone to distort the image when vibrating. Another factor to consider here is also the field of view (FOV) and it mainly comes down to personal preference. Most people's favourite field of view is the one they use, because they're used to it; so don't stress over this topic too much. The field of view, measured in degrees or implied by lens size (mm (less mm = wider FOV)), shouldn't be so wide that you struggle to realise where you're facing due to the distortion; FOV also shouldn't be so narrow that you have no idea of what is happening in the space around you (especially in proximity flying). To provide you with more info, I use a 2.1mm lens and thats about as wide (smallest lens size) you will want to be using, I may even get a narrower FOV camera in future. But like a good shirt, as long as you feel comfortable, you're using the right size.
CCD board cameras are not very expensive so you'll have a good range to choose from no matter what your budget is. My recommendation is to get something like a Sony security camera, they're very good, a good name and it's what I personally use and I think it's pretty good. You can get a camera on an open circuit board or one in a housing. In the housing it may be easier to mount (especially when you progress to tilting it (more on that in another post)) but it may also be substantially heavier and take up a lot more space, so bare this in mind. As long as it follows the guidelines above though, no matter what brand and type of camera it is, you'll probably be just fine with it.
Video Transmitter (VTx) - The VTx is an important component of the FPV system, sending the signal from the camera to the receiver so you can see the image. The VTx also dictates what frequency the signal is sent at and that is the main factor to consider when purchasing one of these. Most racing quadcopters use 5.8GHz VTxs and if you don't know much about this kind of thing then stick with that and you'll be fine. In general the lower the frequency, the better the penetration of the signal, but the larger the antenna has to be. 5.8GHz allows slight penetration, such as through light woods, fences, thin walls etc. and the antenna is a nice small size.
Another important consideration for VTxs is legality. The multirotor / drone community has bloomed at a very sensitive time in the world and the last thing we want, is to add fuel to the arguments for restricting their use because we broke laws on issues such as VTx transmission. In the US, you are legally allowed to use the 5.8GHz frequency as long as the power of the Tx is below 1W. Here in the UK (and I believe the rest of the EU also) the rules are much more restrictive; we can use the 5.8GHz frequency but only at 25mW or less power. So when choosing a VTx at 5.8GHz make sure you follow the respective rules. As a Brit, I can tell you 25mW works just fine so don't worry about the drop in power. Extra benefits of a low power transmitter are that it has less weight, it's normally smaller and it uses less power, obviously. If you choose to use another frequency, I suggest you look up the rules for that frequency in your area before proceeding.
When choosing a transmitter there's a couple of things you will want to make a note of, firstly the bands it can use (small differences in frequency that give rise to the different channels of that frequency) and whether the antenna connecter is SMA or RP-SMA. If you have a specific pair of video goggles or a receiver already in mind, make sure the Tx you choose can broadcast on the bands that your receiver will pick up. SMA vs RP-SMA is a completely useless argument as they are both identically as useful as each other, so just make a note of which one your VTx is but don't worry about choosing a VTx because of this. As for recommendations, you can't really go wrong as long as you choose something in the frequency and operating power that you've decided with the bands that you want to use. I personally use a generic non-branded 25mW transmitter with Bands A, B, C and Raceband from banggood and it works just fine.
Antennae - The main reason why the power output of the VTx doesn't matter that much is because of the antenna. As long as you are using a good set of antennae, you will not struggle to receive a clear picture from your aircraft. Most VTxs come with a linear dipole / whip antenna... Please don't use it. It's not that they're useless, they definitely do work. They're just terrible. You should get a pair of circularly polarised (CP) antennae in order to make sure your signal stays clear and works well. I won't go into the details of why because many people have done that elsewhere on the internet, all you need to know for now is that CP antennae work and they work well, so use them. When choosing your antennae make sure that the one you put on the VTx and the one on the VRx are polarised the same way, either right-handed or left-handed (RHCP or LHCP) or you're antennae will be almost as useful as the linear dipole ones already mentioned. Also antennae are built with a specific frequency in mind so make sure you get 5.8GHz antennae if your system will be using 5.8GHz etc. As long as you satisfy all these points, you won't really be able to go too badly wrong here but as a recommendation, I use Fat Shark/ImmersionRC SpiroNet LHCP 5.8GHz antennae and they work brilliantly. I will probably always use them. As the antenna is so important however, maybe stay away from the low build quality generic ones for this section.
Video goggles / screen / VRx - I've decided to combine VRx and the displays for a few reasons. Most video goggles either come with a receiver or have one built in and even if they don't (or if you choose to use a screen) receiver choice is essentially dictated by your choice of transmitter so it's not hard to choose one (Just make sure it's the same frequency and bands as the Tx).
The main decision to make here is goggles or screen? There are some obvious pros and cons to each. Goggles are not cheap, they are very far from cheap and while LCD screens also can be quite expensive they tend to be cheaper and more versatile than video goggles. Video goggles can mean better immersion in the experience which is both more fun and (some would say) focus you more on the flying. Goggles are also normally easier to set up and use and will come with their own power source. Goggles will also either come with a receiver built in or a module bay for taking one. The choice here is up to you but, in my personal opinion, goggles are better and they're all I have experience with, so we will focus on them now.
Goggles have a few different things to consider other than price (although that is another big factor). Firstly, FOV is again an issue with goggles. In this instance, the larger the field of view the better as it will help you get better immersion in the experience instead of squashing everything onto a small screen. Screen resolution is also another factor and like any screen, more is better. The aspect ratio of most FPV cameras will be 4:3, so a 4:3 screen (or a screen with enough resolution to compensate for the wrong aspect ratio) will work best. And lastly, the receiver itself. Some goggles will come with built in receivers so make sure they will have the channels and bands you want to use. Others will come with a receiver bay, so make sure that they also come with the right module, or that you get the right module separately. In terms of recommendations, there is already a clear leader in terms of market share in this section... FatShark. I personally use the FatShark Attitude V3s and I think they are brilliant in most ways. Like all products, they have some drawbacks (such as the fogging issue) but I will cover them in later posts, including how they are easily fixed. FatShark aren't the only manufacturers of good quality goggles though so make sure you do your research and choose a product that is right for you. You don't want to make such an expensive investment without knowing it's the right choice first.
So this concludes part 3 of the comprehensive guide to building an FPV racing quad.
Remember, like all the other posts in this series, this is a guide and not a rulebook. Build your machine how YOU want it, it's yours. But the more you know the better, so I hope this is a useful resource.
If you haven't already, make sure you check out parts 1 and 2 as well as checking back here in the next few days for part 4, the build guide.
Happy flying everyone!
As well as another standalone post, this is also part 3 of the comprehensive guide to building an FPV racing quad (check out part 1 here and part 2 here). Part 4 will be the build guide and will be posted in the next few days.
As with the rest of these posts so far, you may already know some of these parts so just scan through and read the parts that are most relevant to you. This is your quad, remember that. Do it the way you want to.
So, what exactly will we need for an FPV system?
Camera - The camera you will want to get will vary depending on the type of quad you build. For example, for some aerial photography (AP) platforms it is perfectly acceptable to use a GoPro as the FPV camera, but for racers there will be too much latency (lag) between the image and what is actually happening. As this guide is mainly for racing quads, we will look at issues surrounding these. The number one concern you will want to think about when choosing a camera for a racing quad is latency. Latency is the time delay between when the quad moves and when you see it move through the camera. Although latency in pretty much any system is much less than a second, for racers, that is still far too much. Racing quads move fast and you have to be able to react to changes as soon as they happen. In order to make latency as little a problem as possible, make sure you choose a CCD board camera with a resolution below 800TV lines (600-700 is better). You will want to choose a CCD camera and not a CMOS, as CCDs react better to changing light conditions and are less prone to distort the image when vibrating. Another factor to consider here is also the field of view (FOV) and it mainly comes down to personal preference. Most people's favourite field of view is the one they use, because they're used to it; so don't stress over this topic too much. The field of view, measured in degrees or implied by lens size (mm (less mm = wider FOV)), shouldn't be so wide that you struggle to realise where you're facing due to the distortion; FOV also shouldn't be so narrow that you have no idea of what is happening in the space around you (especially in proximity flying). To provide you with more info, I use a 2.1mm lens and thats about as wide (smallest lens size) you will want to be using, I may even get a narrower FOV camera in future. But like a good shirt, as long as you feel comfortable, you're using the right size.
CCD board cameras are not very expensive so you'll have a good range to choose from no matter what your budget is. My recommendation is to get something like a Sony security camera, they're very good, a good name and it's what I personally use and I think it's pretty good. You can get a camera on an open circuit board or one in a housing. In the housing it may be easier to mount (especially when you progress to tilting it (more on that in another post)) but it may also be substantially heavier and take up a lot more space, so bare this in mind. As long as it follows the guidelines above though, no matter what brand and type of camera it is, you'll probably be just fine with it.
Video Transmitter (VTx) - The VTx is an important component of the FPV system, sending the signal from the camera to the receiver so you can see the image. The VTx also dictates what frequency the signal is sent at and that is the main factor to consider when purchasing one of these. Most racing quadcopters use 5.8GHz VTxs and if you don't know much about this kind of thing then stick with that and you'll be fine. In general the lower the frequency, the better the penetration of the signal, but the larger the antenna has to be. 5.8GHz allows slight penetration, such as through light woods, fences, thin walls etc. and the antenna is a nice small size.
Another important consideration for VTxs is legality. The multirotor / drone community has bloomed at a very sensitive time in the world and the last thing we want, is to add fuel to the arguments for restricting their use because we broke laws on issues such as VTx transmission. In the US, you are legally allowed to use the 5.8GHz frequency as long as the power of the Tx is below 1W. Here in the UK (and I believe the rest of the EU also) the rules are much more restrictive; we can use the 5.8GHz frequency but only at 25mW or less power. So when choosing a VTx at 5.8GHz make sure you follow the respective rules. As a Brit, I can tell you 25mW works just fine so don't worry about the drop in power. Extra benefits of a low power transmitter are that it has less weight, it's normally smaller and it uses less power, obviously. If you choose to use another frequency, I suggest you look up the rules for that frequency in your area before proceeding.
When choosing a transmitter there's a couple of things you will want to make a note of, firstly the bands it can use (small differences in frequency that give rise to the different channels of that frequency) and whether the antenna connecter is SMA or RP-SMA. If you have a specific pair of video goggles or a receiver already in mind, make sure the Tx you choose can broadcast on the bands that your receiver will pick up. SMA vs RP-SMA is a completely useless argument as they are both identically as useful as each other, so just make a note of which one your VTx is but don't worry about choosing a VTx because of this. As for recommendations, you can't really go wrong as long as you choose something in the frequency and operating power that you've decided with the bands that you want to use. I personally use a generic non-branded 25mW transmitter with Bands A, B, C and Raceband from banggood and it works just fine.
Antennae - The main reason why the power output of the VTx doesn't matter that much is because of the antenna. As long as you are using a good set of antennae, you will not struggle to receive a clear picture from your aircraft. Most VTxs come with a linear dipole / whip antenna... Please don't use it. It's not that they're useless, they definitely do work. They're just terrible. You should get a pair of circularly polarised (CP) antennae in order to make sure your signal stays clear and works well. I won't go into the details of why because many people have done that elsewhere on the internet, all you need to know for now is that CP antennae work and they work well, so use them. When choosing your antennae make sure that the one you put on the VTx and the one on the VRx are polarised the same way, either right-handed or left-handed (RHCP or LHCP) or you're antennae will be almost as useful as the linear dipole ones already mentioned. Also antennae are built with a specific frequency in mind so make sure you get 5.8GHz antennae if your system will be using 5.8GHz etc. As long as you satisfy all these points, you won't really be able to go too badly wrong here but as a recommendation, I use Fat Shark/ImmersionRC SpiroNet LHCP 5.8GHz antennae and they work brilliantly. I will probably always use them. As the antenna is so important however, maybe stay away from the low build quality generic ones for this section.
Video goggles / screen / VRx - I've decided to combine VRx and the displays for a few reasons. Most video goggles either come with a receiver or have one built in and even if they don't (or if you choose to use a screen) receiver choice is essentially dictated by your choice of transmitter so it's not hard to choose one (Just make sure it's the same frequency and bands as the Tx).
The main decision to make here is goggles or screen? There are some obvious pros and cons to each. Goggles are not cheap, they are very far from cheap and while LCD screens also can be quite expensive they tend to be cheaper and more versatile than video goggles. Video goggles can mean better immersion in the experience which is both more fun and (some would say) focus you more on the flying. Goggles are also normally easier to set up and use and will come with their own power source. Goggles will also either come with a receiver built in or a module bay for taking one. The choice here is up to you but, in my personal opinion, goggles are better and they're all I have experience with, so we will focus on them now.
Goggles have a few different things to consider other than price (although that is another big factor). Firstly, FOV is again an issue with goggles. In this instance, the larger the field of view the better as it will help you get better immersion in the experience instead of squashing everything onto a small screen. Screen resolution is also another factor and like any screen, more is better. The aspect ratio of most FPV cameras will be 4:3, so a 4:3 screen (or a screen with enough resolution to compensate for the wrong aspect ratio) will work best. And lastly, the receiver itself. Some goggles will come with built in receivers so make sure they will have the channels and bands you want to use. Others will come with a receiver bay, so make sure that they also come with the right module, or that you get the right module separately. In terms of recommendations, there is already a clear leader in terms of market share in this section... FatShark. I personally use the FatShark Attitude V3s and I think they are brilliant in most ways. Like all products, they have some drawbacks (such as the fogging issue) but I will cover them in later posts, including how they are easily fixed. FatShark aren't the only manufacturers of good quality goggles though so make sure you do your research and choose a product that is right for you. You don't want to make such an expensive investment without knowing it's the right choice first.
So this concludes part 3 of the comprehensive guide to building an FPV racing quad.
Remember, like all the other posts in this series, this is a guide and not a rulebook. Build your machine how YOU want it, it's yours. But the more you know the better, so I hope this is a useful resource.
If you haven't already, make sure you check out parts 1 and 2 as well as checking back here in the next few days for part 4, the build guide.
Happy flying everyone!
Update on TheDroneSite YouTube channel
Just a quick update on the YouTube channel.
To cut a long story short, the weather, university and other commitments are pushing back the date of the first video. BUT I do intend to have it finished within the next 5 days, as soon as I'm finished with the "comprehensive guide to building an FPV racing quad" (check it out here). I'm sorry :/
I have a fair amount of footage that I could just upload raw, now. But lots of people upload flying videos to YouTube and I want my channel to be a bit different.
I have ideas for some mainly-indoor videos. These may be what my first uploads are due to the bad weather, but rest assured more outdoorsy videos will be coming soon.
In the mean time SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL >>>HERE<<<. I know there's no videos yet, but you never know, there might be good ones in the future!!
Thanks everyone,
Happy flying!
Saturday, 12 March 2016
What parts you will forget to buy while building a quadcopter / drone (Part 2 - Comprehensive guide to building an FPV racing quad)
This article will cover all the necessary parts you will need to build a quadcopter / drone that you might have forgotten to buy / that no one told you you'd need.
As well as a standalone article, this is also part 2 of the 'Comprehensive Guide to Building an FPV Racing Quad' (Part 1 linked here). Parts 3 and 4 will be posted in the coming days.
So, why is this article necessary? Well if any of you are like me, and I'm sure at least someone reading this is, you're going to have been very eager to build your quad. You did your research and you've bought everything you need. But then things arrive and suddenly it becomes clear, there's actually quite a bit more you're going to need. So how did that happen? Well there's a number of components and parts that a lot of other resources assume you already have or assume you won't need. But in reality, they're pretty essential. So here is my list of parts you might have forgotten.
PS. If you haven't forgot all the items on the list, great! That's good! Just scan through and see if you've missed something just in case.
Transmitter/receiver - Yes, believe it or not, people do forget to get one of these before starting their build. It's important to remember your Tx and Rx because your drone probably won't be much fun without them (in that, you won't be able to fly it at all). Choosing your transmitter is going to be one of the most difficult decisions you make and, if it's your first transmitter, it could end up shaping your transmitter preferences for the rest of your life in drones.
When choosing a transmitter, one of the most important decisions to make is whether you will fly mode 1 or mode 2. The difference here is that mode 1 has yaw and pitch control on the left stick, whereas mode 2 has yaw and throttle. Mode 1 does have some clear advantages (in that it separates pitch and roll across both sticks, meaning you don't accidentally roll when pitching forward) but in my personal opinion mode 2 is still far more convenient. My recommendation for any new pilot is to use a mode 2 transmitter - everyone else (mainly) uses mode 2 and it just makes more sense for anyone who's played a video game before (it's even more accurate to real aircraft). Essentially, unless you have experience with mode 1 and you know you prefer it, choose mode 2.
A second consideration with transmitters is the number of channels. Channels are the number of individual signals the transmitter can send; technically a 4-channel transmitter will be able to control a mini quad just fine but that is not recommended. Six channels or more is my recommendation here - with six channels you'll be able to program a switch to arm/disarm the drones motors (very handy), and another switch to flick between modes (such as rate or angle mode (more on this in a subsequent post), as well as still having the four channels required for throttle, yaw, pitch and roll.
After all of this, you still need to decide on exactly what transmitter brand and model you would like. The number one best way to choose is to try other people's and see what feels best for you. If, like me, that's not an option, you will have to research into different brands and see what they have to offer. Some main names in the transmitter region, known for good quality and reliability, are Futaba, Spektrum and FrSky (An entertaining review of the FrSky Taranis by Rotor Riot is linked here). The main issue with a lot of good quality transmitters is the price. If money is an issue for you then the FlySky FS-i6 is a very capable 6-channel budget transmitter. It is in fact the transmitter I use and I have seen a number of very experienced pilots also using this transmitter. Some people may dislike the feel of the gimbals but, if you're not too fussy, there are really very few issues with this Tx and it is therefore my recommendation.
LiPo Charger - Another essential tool is the charger. Without this, not only will you not be able to fly your quad again after its maiden use, you're also going to be at risk of destabilising the extremely temperamental and hazardous LiPo cells (but more on that in the LiPo safety post to follow). Choosing a LiPo charger is an important decision and you will need to make sure it has a few features. Firstly, unless you have a car battery to hand, make sure you obtain a charger with an AC input. A lot of chargers don't have this which can sometimes make it difficult to charge your batteries. You may also want to buy a charger with a storage charge function, this enables you to run your batteries down during a flight and recharge them to a safe storage voltage when you are finished (again, more on why this is important in a later post). Alternatively you can just discharge your batteries in the quad until they are at a storage charge voltage and then stop.
By far the most important thing about a LiPo charger though is that you must make sure it has a balance charge feature. This means the charger will need to have a balance plug on it for the LiPos balance plug to go into whilst charging. And again, for reasons I will explain in a later post, this is ESSENTIAL. Just make sure it has a balance port and you'll be okay for now though.
Allen / Hex Keys or screwdrivers - Frames and motors almost always require allen keys to assemble. Don't get too excited to build your new quad if you don't have a set of these lying around, you might find it hard without them.
Soldering Iron - You are going to have to do some soldering when you build your quadcopter. Don't be intimidated by this, soldering is both easier and cheaper than most people expect. When buying a soldering iron you don't need to get anything fancy, just something that works. If you have the time and money to shop around, smaller tips are easier for the small and precise soldering required here, but don't worry about it too much, anything will work fine.
Solder - Nobody likes the idea of lead products. We all know the risks associated with using lead products. But with solder, a 60/40 tin/lead alloy is the only way to go. You can pick up lead-free solder quite cheap, but anyone who's ever used lead-free solder will tell you, it's just not very good, especially for this type of soldering.
Just make sure you have good ventilation while soldering and everything will be fine.
Heat Shrink - Another essential piece of equipment a lot of people fail to mention is heat shrink tubing. Make sure you get enough of this in a variety of sizes (and colours if you would like that). Its very cheap and infinitely useful, even beyond just insulating your soldered wires, heat shrink can be used to hold things in place. If you plan on mounting your ESCs on the arms of your quad, a large size heat shrink is especially useful as its very good at holding them securely in place.
Nuts - Before I started flying my quad regularly I saw that most experience pilots fix there props to their motors using nuts as oppose to the nice-looking heads that come with the motors. I wondered why they did this until I was flying one day and had a minor crash (it really was very minor). When I retrieved the quad two of the props had came off, they hadn't broken, they had just unscrewed the head and came off. Of course, in long grass I had no chance of finding those tiny little heads on the top so had to rush over to a hardware store and pick up some nuts to screw my props back on. Not only are nuts great for being spares, they also seem to be less likely to unscrew themselves so I would recommend picking up a few of these before flying.
Double-sided tape - Another infinitely useful material for constructing these craft. Double sided tape can be used to secure your components in specific position inside the frame of your quad. I personally use double-sided foam tape to secure my Rx, my VTx, my power distribution board, my ESCs etc. Double-sided foam tape has the benefit of providing vibration dampening as well as adhesion and is one of my top recommendations in building a quadcopter.
Velcro - Like double-sided tape, velcro is used by different pilots in different ways. I think most would agree however that it is a useful material to have available to you during building. I personally use velcro to secure my HD camera (not that camera I use for FPV) to the top of the quadcopter. It holds it in place, provides a bit of vibration dampening and also allows me to remove it when I need to. I also use the fluffy side of the velcro on the top deck of my quad frame, which is where I mount the battery. I use this to provide a softer surface for the battery as well as to help the battery not get crushed into the top of the bolts of the frame when I secure the battery straps tightly. Some people like to add velcro to the batteries themselves and secure them in place in the same way I do with my HD camera, the choice is down to the individual but velcro is still a must-have for everyone.
Battery Straps - Another overlooked necessity. You are going to need to secure your battery in place on the frame and a battery strap is the best way to do this. After hearing that Lumenier battery straps offer high levels of grip, I bought a pack of 3 straps from them. Although I use them and they are very good, I feel that they are probably no better than any other battery strap. So my recommendation here is to make sure you purchase battery straps, but not to worry too much about which ones. As long as it holds your battery in place, you have nothing to worry about.
Cable Ties - Another excellent material, cable ties can be used for so many things on quadcopters and many pilots use them in different ways. Personally I use cable ties to hold my motor wires down against the arms of the quad, as well as to support the antennae on the top. I also use them as a system to ensure my HD camera doesn't fly off the top of my quad in a crash, you don't want to lose a GoPro or mobius in long grass for no reason, so make sure you secure them some way somehow. Some other pilots fashion landing gear from cable ties and also use them to hold components in place. I assure you, you will find a use for them and they are a must-buy for your build.
FPV Antenna - I know I've yet to cover the FPV materials yet in this guide mini-series. But the FPV antenna for the VTx is something you could very possibly forget, so it belongs in this section. If you buy decent video goggles you are likely to get at least one circularly polarised antenna for them, but maybe not necessarily two. You might not even get any at all if purchasing from some manufacturers. VTxs often come with terrible little dipole antennas that are (almost) worthless so don't waste your time using them. If you don't know whether or not you are going to have enough antennae, then pick up some more RHCP or LHCP antennas for the frequency you will be using. Especially if, like me, you live in the EU where 25mW VTxs are the maximum we're allowed, a good set of CP antennae make all the difference. Don't worry though, there will be much more on this topic in the next section of this guide, "choosing the FPV equipment".
HD Action Camera / Accessories - Not essential but always fun. Having something to record your flight footage on is a great bonus in my opinion and I love the ability to look back over my flights in HD. Obviously, the best choice in this section is almost definitely a GoPro, but this doesn't mean it's the only choice. For this you will want to choose a HD, wide-angle lens action camera. GoPros, though brilliant, are expensive. I have a GoPro, I've had it since before I built my drone and I love it, but I would never mount it on my drone. I don't want to risk damaging such an expensive camera, especially as I would have to mount it without it's case. Another brilliant choice in this section is the Mobius action camera. It is substantially cheaper than a GoPro (I got mine for less than £60) and it is also quite a bit lighter. It can record in full HD at 30fps or 720p at 60, while this isn't as good as a GoPro it is still very good. So like most things, the choice here is again up to the individual. GoPros will provide better footage but it is a larger risk, is it worth it for you? (There will be a whole post dedicated to camera equipment for filming your drone flights, both on the quad and on the ground, so look out for that in the next week)
Spares - Obviously spares are optional. But if you really want to enjoy your flight then please make sure you get spares. This extends to almost every component but the main things you'll want spares for are props, buy lots. Props will break almost every flight as you begin so having plenty of spares is a good call. You may also want to have a spare motor or two as they can often take a beating in crashes. A spare ESC or two will also be helpful in the case of blowing an ESC in a particularly aggressive flight. One more component to make sure you have at least one spare for is your battery. You want to make sure you have another battery so you can make the most of your flight times and also incase you damage a LiPo, you won't have to call it a day and go home feeling sad.
This list is not exhaustive but I think I have covered the main things. If you can think of anything else then please leave a comment to let us all know!
I hope this post has been useful to you and if you will be following the "Comprehensive Guide to Building an FPV Racing Quad" series then keep an eye out for part 3 - "Parts for an FPV system" which will be posted tomorrow.
Happy flying!
As well as a standalone article, this is also part 2 of the 'Comprehensive Guide to Building an FPV Racing Quad' (Part 1 linked here). Parts 3 and 4 will be posted in the coming days.
So, why is this article necessary? Well if any of you are like me, and I'm sure at least someone reading this is, you're going to have been very eager to build your quad. You did your research and you've bought everything you need. But then things arrive and suddenly it becomes clear, there's actually quite a bit more you're going to need. So how did that happen? Well there's a number of components and parts that a lot of other resources assume you already have or assume you won't need. But in reality, they're pretty essential. So here is my list of parts you might have forgotten.
PS. If you haven't forgot all the items on the list, great! That's good! Just scan through and see if you've missed something just in case.
Transmitter/receiver - Yes, believe it or not, people do forget to get one of these before starting their build. It's important to remember your Tx and Rx because your drone probably won't be much fun without them (in that, you won't be able to fly it at all). Choosing your transmitter is going to be one of the most difficult decisions you make and, if it's your first transmitter, it could end up shaping your transmitter preferences for the rest of your life in drones.
When choosing a transmitter, one of the most important decisions to make is whether you will fly mode 1 or mode 2. The difference here is that mode 1 has yaw and pitch control on the left stick, whereas mode 2 has yaw and throttle. Mode 1 does have some clear advantages (in that it separates pitch and roll across both sticks, meaning you don't accidentally roll when pitching forward) but in my personal opinion mode 2 is still far more convenient. My recommendation for any new pilot is to use a mode 2 transmitter - everyone else (mainly) uses mode 2 and it just makes more sense for anyone who's played a video game before (it's even more accurate to real aircraft). Essentially, unless you have experience with mode 1 and you know you prefer it, choose mode 2.
A second consideration with transmitters is the number of channels. Channels are the number of individual signals the transmitter can send; technically a 4-channel transmitter will be able to control a mini quad just fine but that is not recommended. Six channels or more is my recommendation here - with six channels you'll be able to program a switch to arm/disarm the drones motors (very handy), and another switch to flick between modes (such as rate or angle mode (more on this in a subsequent post), as well as still having the four channels required for throttle, yaw, pitch and roll.
After all of this, you still need to decide on exactly what transmitter brand and model you would like. The number one best way to choose is to try other people's and see what feels best for you. If, like me, that's not an option, you will have to research into different brands and see what they have to offer. Some main names in the transmitter region, known for good quality and reliability, are Futaba, Spektrum and FrSky (An entertaining review of the FrSky Taranis by Rotor Riot is linked here). The main issue with a lot of good quality transmitters is the price. If money is an issue for you then the FlySky FS-i6 is a very capable 6-channel budget transmitter. It is in fact the transmitter I use and I have seen a number of very experienced pilots also using this transmitter. Some people may dislike the feel of the gimbals but, if you're not too fussy, there are really very few issues with this Tx and it is therefore my recommendation.
LiPo Charger - Another essential tool is the charger. Without this, not only will you not be able to fly your quad again after its maiden use, you're also going to be at risk of destabilising the extremely temperamental and hazardous LiPo cells (but more on that in the LiPo safety post to follow). Choosing a LiPo charger is an important decision and you will need to make sure it has a few features. Firstly, unless you have a car battery to hand, make sure you obtain a charger with an AC input. A lot of chargers don't have this which can sometimes make it difficult to charge your batteries. You may also want to buy a charger with a storage charge function, this enables you to run your batteries down during a flight and recharge them to a safe storage voltage when you are finished (again, more on why this is important in a later post). Alternatively you can just discharge your batteries in the quad until they are at a storage charge voltage and then stop.
By far the most important thing about a LiPo charger though is that you must make sure it has a balance charge feature. This means the charger will need to have a balance plug on it for the LiPos balance plug to go into whilst charging. And again, for reasons I will explain in a later post, this is ESSENTIAL. Just make sure it has a balance port and you'll be okay for now though.
Allen / Hex Keys or screwdrivers - Frames and motors almost always require allen keys to assemble. Don't get too excited to build your new quad if you don't have a set of these lying around, you might find it hard without them.
Soldering Iron - You are going to have to do some soldering when you build your quadcopter. Don't be intimidated by this, soldering is both easier and cheaper than most people expect. When buying a soldering iron you don't need to get anything fancy, just something that works. If you have the time and money to shop around, smaller tips are easier for the small and precise soldering required here, but don't worry about it too much, anything will work fine.
Solder - Nobody likes the idea of lead products. We all know the risks associated with using lead products. But with solder, a 60/40 tin/lead alloy is the only way to go. You can pick up lead-free solder quite cheap, but anyone who's ever used lead-free solder will tell you, it's just not very good, especially for this type of soldering.
Just make sure you have good ventilation while soldering and everything will be fine.
Heat Shrink - Another essential piece of equipment a lot of people fail to mention is heat shrink tubing. Make sure you get enough of this in a variety of sizes (and colours if you would like that). Its very cheap and infinitely useful, even beyond just insulating your soldered wires, heat shrink can be used to hold things in place. If you plan on mounting your ESCs on the arms of your quad, a large size heat shrink is especially useful as its very good at holding them securely in place.
Nuts - Before I started flying my quad regularly I saw that most experience pilots fix there props to their motors using nuts as oppose to the nice-looking heads that come with the motors. I wondered why they did this until I was flying one day and had a minor crash (it really was very minor). When I retrieved the quad two of the props had came off, they hadn't broken, they had just unscrewed the head and came off. Of course, in long grass I had no chance of finding those tiny little heads on the top so had to rush over to a hardware store and pick up some nuts to screw my props back on. Not only are nuts great for being spares, they also seem to be less likely to unscrew themselves so I would recommend picking up a few of these before flying.
Double-sided tape - Another infinitely useful material for constructing these craft. Double sided tape can be used to secure your components in specific position inside the frame of your quad. I personally use double-sided foam tape to secure my Rx, my VTx, my power distribution board, my ESCs etc. Double-sided foam tape has the benefit of providing vibration dampening as well as adhesion and is one of my top recommendations in building a quadcopter.
Velcro - Like double-sided tape, velcro is used by different pilots in different ways. I think most would agree however that it is a useful material to have available to you during building. I personally use velcro to secure my HD camera (not that camera I use for FPV) to the top of the quadcopter. It holds it in place, provides a bit of vibration dampening and also allows me to remove it when I need to. I also use the fluffy side of the velcro on the top deck of my quad frame, which is where I mount the battery. I use this to provide a softer surface for the battery as well as to help the battery not get crushed into the top of the bolts of the frame when I secure the battery straps tightly. Some people like to add velcro to the batteries themselves and secure them in place in the same way I do with my HD camera, the choice is down to the individual but velcro is still a must-have for everyone.
Battery Straps - Another overlooked necessity. You are going to need to secure your battery in place on the frame and a battery strap is the best way to do this. After hearing that Lumenier battery straps offer high levels of grip, I bought a pack of 3 straps from them. Although I use them and they are very good, I feel that they are probably no better than any other battery strap. So my recommendation here is to make sure you purchase battery straps, but not to worry too much about which ones. As long as it holds your battery in place, you have nothing to worry about.
Cable Ties - Another excellent material, cable ties can be used for so many things on quadcopters and many pilots use them in different ways. Personally I use cable ties to hold my motor wires down against the arms of the quad, as well as to support the antennae on the top. I also use them as a system to ensure my HD camera doesn't fly off the top of my quad in a crash, you don't want to lose a GoPro or mobius in long grass for no reason, so make sure you secure them some way somehow. Some other pilots fashion landing gear from cable ties and also use them to hold components in place. I assure you, you will find a use for them and they are a must-buy for your build.
FPV Antenna - I know I've yet to cover the FPV materials yet in this guide mini-series. But the FPV antenna for the VTx is something you could very possibly forget, so it belongs in this section. If you buy decent video goggles you are likely to get at least one circularly polarised antenna for them, but maybe not necessarily two. You might not even get any at all if purchasing from some manufacturers. VTxs often come with terrible little dipole antennas that are (almost) worthless so don't waste your time using them. If you don't know whether or not you are going to have enough antennae, then pick up some more RHCP or LHCP antennas for the frequency you will be using. Especially if, like me, you live in the EU where 25mW VTxs are the maximum we're allowed, a good set of CP antennae make all the difference. Don't worry though, there will be much more on this topic in the next section of this guide, "choosing the FPV equipment".
HD Action Camera / Accessories - Not essential but always fun. Having something to record your flight footage on is a great bonus in my opinion and I love the ability to look back over my flights in HD. Obviously, the best choice in this section is almost definitely a GoPro, but this doesn't mean it's the only choice. For this you will want to choose a HD, wide-angle lens action camera. GoPros, though brilliant, are expensive. I have a GoPro, I've had it since before I built my drone and I love it, but I would never mount it on my drone. I don't want to risk damaging such an expensive camera, especially as I would have to mount it without it's case. Another brilliant choice in this section is the Mobius action camera. It is substantially cheaper than a GoPro (I got mine for less than £60) and it is also quite a bit lighter. It can record in full HD at 30fps or 720p at 60, while this isn't as good as a GoPro it is still very good. So like most things, the choice here is again up to the individual. GoPros will provide better footage but it is a larger risk, is it worth it for you? (There will be a whole post dedicated to camera equipment for filming your drone flights, both on the quad and on the ground, so look out for that in the next week)
Spares - Obviously spares are optional. But if you really want to enjoy your flight then please make sure you get spares. This extends to almost every component but the main things you'll want spares for are props, buy lots. Props will break almost every flight as you begin so having plenty of spares is a good call. You may also want to have a spare motor or two as they can often take a beating in crashes. A spare ESC or two will also be helpful in the case of blowing an ESC in a particularly aggressive flight. One more component to make sure you have at least one spare for is your battery. You want to make sure you have another battery so you can make the most of your flight times and also incase you damage a LiPo, you won't have to call it a day and go home feeling sad.
This list is not exhaustive but I think I have covered the main things. If you can think of anything else then please leave a comment to let us all know!
I hope this post has been useful to you and if you will be following the "Comprehensive Guide to Building an FPV Racing Quad" series then keep an eye out for part 3 - "Parts for an FPV system" which will be posted tomorrow.
Happy flying!
Tuesday, 8 March 2016
What do you need to build your own quadcopter / drone? (Part 1 - A comprehensive guide on how to build your own FPV racing quad)
This article will be a comprehensive guide of every part needed to make a quad that can fly. Feel free to skip to the subheadings you care about if you know enough about some components already.
As well as a standalone guide to the parts needed to make a flying quad, this will also be the first article in a multi-part series of building your own FPV racing quad. The other parts will be "What do you need to build an FPV system", "What parts you've forgotten to buy/ that no one told you you'd need" and "How to assemble a fully functioning FPV racing quad".
The aim of this guide isn't to tell you what to do, it's just a resource. I will make sure I tell you areas where you are free, even encouraged, to do your own thing. This is going to be YOUR quadcopter, so make sure you build it with yourself in mind.
So, without further ado, what are the materials you're going to need to build your quadcopter?
Frame - You're going to need to make some decisions at this point. And they should probably be your first decisions. For example, what size quadcopter do you intend on building? I think the most popular size to build is still the 250 quad (meaning 250mm diagonally from motor to motor), so for the purposes of this article the 'virtual quad' we'll be building will be a 250 quad. Of course feel free to choose a different size based on your own preference, this guide should still be just as useful. There's been an increase in popularity recently with smaller quads, mainly 210s and 180s. A lot of people find that these quads are more aerobatic and can roll and pitch faster. The downsides to quads of that size is they can't really use 5-inch props, especially 180s. And they certainly can't use 6-inch props, which a number of 250s can. This can lead to stricter weight requirements and when you want to strap a GoPro/similar camera on top, you're really going to notice it. A nice little video from Rotor Riot (linked here) touches on some of these points.
Another important consideration about your frame is the material. This is what will really separate the race quads from other platforms. For a race quad there is really only two options, fibreglass or carbon fibre. Obviously weight is a large reason why those materials are the best options but there are other, arguably more important, reasons too. Racing quads need to be stiff, really stiff. You want all the thrust from your motors being used to push your quad through the sky, you don't want some of that thrust being used up by flexing the frame. Even slight flexing can cause a noticeable difference in power. Another reason why these materials are the best is because racing quads crash. They crash a lot, and they crash hard. Other materials just wouldn't handle that punishment. That being said, it's not impossible to break these frames and this is one of the main reasons why carbon fibre is the better of the two options. Both are tough but both can still break, carbon fibre just takes a lot more force before it gets to that point.
So after choosing the size and the material what are the options we have to pick from. Well in my opinion there's two categories, premium and cheap. My best suggestion is to decide on an amount you're willing to spend on a frame and then go and see what that can get you. Check some reviews of the frame on YouTube etc. and then buy it at the cheapest price you can find. Personally, when I built my first race quad, I went cheap. I bought a ZMR250 V2 frame. It's carbon fibre but very cheap (I think it was around £25 but I'll check that later (regardless it was super cheap compared to the £200+ premium frames)). The main differences in premium and cheap frames is build quality and customer support. Generic Chinese made frames like the ZMR will have no support beyond that of the sellers own policies whereas a name such as Lumenier, Blackout or Alien will offer you a bit more support. You might find (as I did) that not all the holes on a ZMR frame line up. But a bit of persistence and improvisation and you can make the holes bigger by twisting allen keys (hex keys) through them. Problem solved. Of course, like everything else in this build, the choice is entirely yours. After you've selected your frame, the next thing to think about is the power pack (the motors, props, ESCs and LiPo battery).
Power pack - I will give a separate guide to choosing each of these components in a moment. But first it's important to understand that you can't choose these components entirely independently, they must work together. The reason for this is to do with the electronics of the machine, bigger and more aggressive props will work a motor harder (can the motors cope?), a harder working motor will draw more current and potentially need higher voltage (can the ESCs cope?) and demanding ESCs need to pull much more current (can the LiPo cope?). So, Now to explain exactly how to choose these components...
Props - The propellors of your mini quad, though important, shouldn't be what you spend most of your time worrying about. You're going to break your first propellors, you're going to break your second propellors and you're going to break every set you ever own. Not cause you're a bad pilot, but because that's just the nature of these types of drones. So with that said, what is there to consider when buying props?
The diameter is the single most important thing with choosing props. You want to choose a prop big enough to provide enough lift to your quad but not so big that it doesn't fit the frame. Generally the best thing to do is to choose the biggest props that fit your frame. Bigger props are more efficient and therefore use less battery power to provide the same amount of thrust (or more thrust for the same amount of power). For most race quads, you will use 4, 5 or 6 inch props. 4 inches is what you'll use for 180s and some 210s. Some 210s are also able to support 5 inch props. 250s will almost always use 5-inch props or 6-inches if they fit. I can't speak for every frame, but I know the ZMR250 V2 does support 6-inch propellors as it's what I use, they clear the frame and each other with a few mm spare. (Be warned, a lot of people have had trouble with 6-inch props on the ZMR V1 (the props overlap) as you can see in many videos on YouTube). The second thing to consider with props is their pitch. Pitch is the distance the prop would travel through a gel in one full revolution, if it were a screw. Essentially, the larger the pitch, the more aggressive the propellor. Aggressive props are great for speed and acrobatics but terrible for power consumption (they're much less efficient at low speeds)but using them will require motors with higher torque and all the downstream effects of that (ie. bigger ESCs and a higher C battery). Another consideration with props is the number of blades. Like pitch, the more blades a prop has, the more powerful it is but it is also much less efficient. The options are mainly 2 or 3 blade props and you should try both to see what works best for you. If you don't know, I would recommend 2 blades unless its a really small 180. While material does play a part in a props performance, I have found that the brand of prop is far more important and can affect the props characteristics more than material. So with that, my advice for a beginner, or someone who wants just a good all-round prop, would be to get the Gemfan 5x3 (5x3/5030 etc. All means the same) for a 250 quad. The Gemfan 5x3 is a cheap prop that still manages to arrive well balanced and ready to fly. They're a bit more flexible than a lot of other props and while this means a little less punch and responsiveness, it also means a bit more durability and forgiveness. If your frame is able to take 6-inch props, try the HQ 6x3. Gemfan's 6-inch props are just too weak; the flexibility that makes them so great as a 5-inch means they can break mid flight as a 6-inch. The HQ prop is much more rigid and is great fun to fly. With prop choice, bare in mind a 3-inch pitch is the lowest you want to try. It's a great pitch for learning and even after you become Charpu-level good! But anything lower and the 'punchiness' to the quad might disappear.
Motors - The motors are a very important component to a racing quad, or any multi rotor for that matter. Motors used in the hobby are almost exclusively brushless; this means the rotor (the bit that moves) isn't in direct contact with the stator (the bit that stays still), reducing friction. Theres a number of different options when it comes to motors, such as 1806 2300kV or 2204 2100kV. But what does any of that mean? The first number (e.g. 1806) tells us the size of the motor. In the case of an 1806 motor, it is saying the stator diameter is 18mm and the stator height is 6 mm. Broadly speaking, the larger the motor (especially diameter) the more torque it will have. High torque is necessary to swing larger props. So if your quad is running anything bigger, or with a more aggressive pitch, than a 6x3, you will need a 2204 or more. 6x3s and most 5-inch props on a 250 quad will run well on 1806s and smaller props, on smaller quads, may need even smaller motors. The reason small props actually require smaller motors is due to the second number, the kV rating. kV is how many thousand revolutions per volt the motor can produce. In order to produce enough lift on a smaller prop, the motor has to spin faster and therefore have a higher kV rating. Its easier to spin a smaller motor faster and with less torque than a bigger motor and therefore, a small prop might need a small motor just because the bigger ones won't spin fast enough. For a 250 quad, anything between 2000-2300kV should be pretty perfect, though you may want to research more into motor sizes and speeds if you plan on making a different sized quad. Motors are sticking out on the arms of your quad and they WILL take a beating when you crash. When choosing your motors, think about the price it will cost to replace them if you need to and also read reviews to see if they are durable at all. I personally use DYS 1806 2300kV motors on my ZMR and have put them through hell. I just pick the mud out and they're ready to fly again in no time. I know I don't treat them as well as I should but they still are doing well, so they're definitely a good motor in my opinion. But of course, choose your own motor based on what you want from your quad.
ESCs - The main consideration when choosing ESCs is the amount of current they can handle. Now that you know what prop you're going to be using and you've chosen an appropriate motor, you can work out the current each motor will draw. Each motor will come with (or have online) a max current rating. This could be 7A, 10A, 12A etc. When buying your ESCs, you will need to make sure they are rated for a current ABOVE what your max motor draw will be. You could probably get away with having 10A ESCs for a 10A motor, but they'll probably get quite warm after a hard flight and it's not worth the risk of blowing them out in my opinion. After knowing what the max current of your ESCs will be, all the other features of this component are completely personal preference. I don't want to talk much about electronic firm/software in this guide as I could probably write a whole other article just on that topic however there is a firmware choice to make when choosing your ESCs. ESCs for multirotors all essentially run one of two different firmwares, BLHeli or SimonK. For most people, it really doesn't matter, both will work just perfectly. However there is a definite benefit of BLHeli ESCs to SimonK ESCs for those of us who really care - Oneshot and active damping. I believe SimonK also supports oneshot (essentially a way to speed up and increase accuracy in the response of the motors to your commands) but active damping (actively slowing the props when you lower the throttle as oppose to freewheeling the props down), which is a significant advantage in racing and aerobatics, is only on BLHeli (I believe). So you may want to consider the firmware when choosing your ESCs.
One final ESC consideration is whether or not they are 'opto' ESCs. A 3-cell LiPo provides up to 12V to the circuitry of the aircraft. A lot of flight controllers (as well as other electronics you may wish to put on the drone) will only be able to take 5V inputs. Some ESCs contain 'polulu' or 'BEC' circuitry which 'steps down' the 12V to 5V and enables your flight controller to take power from the ESCs in order to function. So called 'opto' ESCs do not contain these circuits. This may seem like a negative at first but it means that the ESCs are smaller, lighter, less likely to overheat and importantly, cheaper.
I personally use DYS 10A opto ESCs running BLHeli (with Oneshot and active damping enabled), but of course, like everything else, what you choose is up to you.
LiPo - The lithium polymer (LiPo) battery is the part of your drone that supplies all of the power to every component while airborne. LiPos have to be able to store large amounts of energy and they also have to be able to release large amounts of energy very fast. These properties make this battery something that MUST be respected (as can be seen here), but I will cover LiPo safety in a later post. When choosing your LiPo you will need to consider three things - the C rating, the capacity (mAh) and the number of cells (S number / Voltage). Firstly, don't choose a voltage higher than what your ESCs or motors can handle. If the other components want a 3S battery, don't put a 4S battery on. For most 250 quads you will use a 3S or 4S (if the components/you can handle the power). In order to choose the capacity and C rating you must first understand that they are linked. Using the max current your ESCs can draw, and adding it all up for each ESC, you can calculate the max current the battery will be required to deliver. For example, 4 10A ESCs will mean a battery must provide at least 40A. In order to work out how many amps a battery can deliver safely you must take its capacity (in Ah(e.g. 1500 mAh becomes 1.5Ah)) and multiply that by the C rating (if the C rating is a range, use the smaller number). So a 1500mAh 35-70C battery will deliver 52.5A (1.5Ah x 35C = 52.5A). Because these numbers are linked, the smaller the batteries capacity, the higher the C rating will need to be. Another thing to remember when choosing batteries is that more capacity = more weight = more power consumption, so a bigger battery doesn't always mean longer flights. My recommendation is choosing a battery somewhere in between 1300-1800mAh and working out the C rating you need based on your own system. My recommendations are essentially all the batteries I currently use: Nanotech 1500mAh 35-70C 3S, Turnigy 1600mAh 20-30C 3S. Both of these batteries work absolutely perfectly although I do prefer the extra punch of the nanotech. I will be getting a Turnigy Graphene 1500mAh 65C 3S tomorrow though and will be making a video featuring its use as well as writing about it here in the coming days (subscribe to TheDroneSite YouTube channel here and keep checking this blog for more). My batteries are all very good though I have no experience with true 'premium' batteries.
Now that we've covered the 'power pack' theres only a couple more components required for the actual quad itself
Power Distribution Board (optional) - This component doesn't need such a long explanation. It does exactly what it says. You plug the battery to this board and then it supplies power to each ESC, your FPV system, LEDs and (if it contains a BEC/polulu circuit) your flight controller. Its not a necessary component but I would recommend it. I tried to build my ZMR super cheap and did not buy a power distribution board. I got fed up with the wiring though and decided it'd be better to spend the £2 it cost me to get a little distribution board with built in BEC. Its dramatically saved weight, due to less wiring, saved time and saved me from having to use bigger ESCs (I can use opto ESCs as this has a BEC to power my flight controller with 5V). As for recommendations, it's hard to go wrong with this one. Get a PDB that is cheap and that you think will fit well within your quad.
Flight Controller - There's a lot of options here. Flight controllers are very much personal preference and theres only really one big quantifiable difference. F1 or F3 boards. Broadly it effects the speed at which the board can work and how well the quad is tuned but the difference won't be noticeable to all but a few. I personally use the Naze32 acro, it's an F1 board with brilliant functionality on a racing quad. It has a very good gyro, accelerometer and barometer as well as the ability to add other functions such as GPS/telemetry. In my opinion there is no need to get anything better than this board for a racing quad although if you feel like you want to do more then research other boards with features such as magnetometers etc. Much more will be said about this component in a following post about software/firmware so keep checking back on the blog for that.
So that's it for this post, this was a comprehensive run down of the components actually needed to build a quad that can fly. Of course, if you're up to following the series of posts I am doing on building your own racing quad, this was only the beginning and there will be at least 3 more posts on the subject - "Parts for the FPV system", "Parts you will forget that no other guide ever tells you that you'll need" and of course, "The Building Guide".
I hope you found some of this useful to you, remember to stay tuned in to this blog for the following parts of this guide as well as other topics and (forgive me for yet another plug to my YouTube channel) subscribe to TheDroneSite YouTube channel here to see some more tips as well as my upcoming 'Drone vlog' series, following me as I try to learn more about the hobby.
And of course, Happy Flying!!
As well as a standalone guide to the parts needed to make a flying quad, this will also be the first article in a multi-part series of building your own FPV racing quad. The other parts will be "What do you need to build an FPV system", "What parts you've forgotten to buy/ that no one told you you'd need" and "How to assemble a fully functioning FPV racing quad".
The aim of this guide isn't to tell you what to do, it's just a resource. I will make sure I tell you areas where you are free, even encouraged, to do your own thing. This is going to be YOUR quadcopter, so make sure you build it with yourself in mind.
So, without further ado, what are the materials you're going to need to build your quadcopter?
Frame - You're going to need to make some decisions at this point. And they should probably be your first decisions. For example, what size quadcopter do you intend on building? I think the most popular size to build is still the 250 quad (meaning 250mm diagonally from motor to motor), so for the purposes of this article the 'virtual quad' we'll be building will be a 250 quad. Of course feel free to choose a different size based on your own preference, this guide should still be just as useful. There's been an increase in popularity recently with smaller quads, mainly 210s and 180s. A lot of people find that these quads are more aerobatic and can roll and pitch faster. The downsides to quads of that size is they can't really use 5-inch props, especially 180s. And they certainly can't use 6-inch props, which a number of 250s can. This can lead to stricter weight requirements and when you want to strap a GoPro/similar camera on top, you're really going to notice it. A nice little video from Rotor Riot (linked here) touches on some of these points.
Another important consideration about your frame is the material. This is what will really separate the race quads from other platforms. For a race quad there is really only two options, fibreglass or carbon fibre. Obviously weight is a large reason why those materials are the best options but there are other, arguably more important, reasons too. Racing quads need to be stiff, really stiff. You want all the thrust from your motors being used to push your quad through the sky, you don't want some of that thrust being used up by flexing the frame. Even slight flexing can cause a noticeable difference in power. Another reason why these materials are the best is because racing quads crash. They crash a lot, and they crash hard. Other materials just wouldn't handle that punishment. That being said, it's not impossible to break these frames and this is one of the main reasons why carbon fibre is the better of the two options. Both are tough but both can still break, carbon fibre just takes a lot more force before it gets to that point.
So after choosing the size and the material what are the options we have to pick from. Well in my opinion there's two categories, premium and cheap. My best suggestion is to decide on an amount you're willing to spend on a frame and then go and see what that can get you. Check some reviews of the frame on YouTube etc. and then buy it at the cheapest price you can find. Personally, when I built my first race quad, I went cheap. I bought a ZMR250 V2 frame. It's carbon fibre but very cheap (I think it was around £25 but I'll check that later (regardless it was super cheap compared to the £200+ premium frames)). The main differences in premium and cheap frames is build quality and customer support. Generic Chinese made frames like the ZMR will have no support beyond that of the sellers own policies whereas a name such as Lumenier, Blackout or Alien will offer you a bit more support. You might find (as I did) that not all the holes on a ZMR frame line up. But a bit of persistence and improvisation and you can make the holes bigger by twisting allen keys (hex keys) through them. Problem solved. Of course, like everything else in this build, the choice is entirely yours. After you've selected your frame, the next thing to think about is the power pack (the motors, props, ESCs and LiPo battery).
Power pack - I will give a separate guide to choosing each of these components in a moment. But first it's important to understand that you can't choose these components entirely independently, they must work together. The reason for this is to do with the electronics of the machine, bigger and more aggressive props will work a motor harder (can the motors cope?), a harder working motor will draw more current and potentially need higher voltage (can the ESCs cope?) and demanding ESCs need to pull much more current (can the LiPo cope?). So, Now to explain exactly how to choose these components...
Props - The propellors of your mini quad, though important, shouldn't be what you spend most of your time worrying about. You're going to break your first propellors, you're going to break your second propellors and you're going to break every set you ever own. Not cause you're a bad pilot, but because that's just the nature of these types of drones. So with that said, what is there to consider when buying props?
The diameter is the single most important thing with choosing props. You want to choose a prop big enough to provide enough lift to your quad but not so big that it doesn't fit the frame. Generally the best thing to do is to choose the biggest props that fit your frame. Bigger props are more efficient and therefore use less battery power to provide the same amount of thrust (or more thrust for the same amount of power). For most race quads, you will use 4, 5 or 6 inch props. 4 inches is what you'll use for 180s and some 210s. Some 210s are also able to support 5 inch props. 250s will almost always use 5-inch props or 6-inches if they fit. I can't speak for every frame, but I know the ZMR250 V2 does support 6-inch propellors as it's what I use, they clear the frame and each other with a few mm spare. (Be warned, a lot of people have had trouble with 6-inch props on the ZMR V1 (the props overlap) as you can see in many videos on YouTube). The second thing to consider with props is their pitch. Pitch is the distance the prop would travel through a gel in one full revolution, if it were a screw. Essentially, the larger the pitch, the more aggressive the propellor. Aggressive props are great for speed and acrobatics but terrible for power consumption (they're much less efficient at low speeds)but using them will require motors with higher torque and all the downstream effects of that (ie. bigger ESCs and a higher C battery). Another consideration with props is the number of blades. Like pitch, the more blades a prop has, the more powerful it is but it is also much less efficient. The options are mainly 2 or 3 blade props and you should try both to see what works best for you. If you don't know, I would recommend 2 blades unless its a really small 180. While material does play a part in a props performance, I have found that the brand of prop is far more important and can affect the props characteristics more than material. So with that, my advice for a beginner, or someone who wants just a good all-round prop, would be to get the Gemfan 5x3 (5x3/5030 etc. All means the same) for a 250 quad. The Gemfan 5x3 is a cheap prop that still manages to arrive well balanced and ready to fly. They're a bit more flexible than a lot of other props and while this means a little less punch and responsiveness, it also means a bit more durability and forgiveness. If your frame is able to take 6-inch props, try the HQ 6x3. Gemfan's 6-inch props are just too weak; the flexibility that makes them so great as a 5-inch means they can break mid flight as a 6-inch. The HQ prop is much more rigid and is great fun to fly. With prop choice, bare in mind a 3-inch pitch is the lowest you want to try. It's a great pitch for learning and even after you become Charpu-level good! But anything lower and the 'punchiness' to the quad might disappear.
Motors - The motors are a very important component to a racing quad, or any multi rotor for that matter. Motors used in the hobby are almost exclusively brushless; this means the rotor (the bit that moves) isn't in direct contact with the stator (the bit that stays still), reducing friction. Theres a number of different options when it comes to motors, such as 1806 2300kV or 2204 2100kV. But what does any of that mean? The first number (e.g. 1806) tells us the size of the motor. In the case of an 1806 motor, it is saying the stator diameter is 18mm and the stator height is 6 mm. Broadly speaking, the larger the motor (especially diameter) the more torque it will have. High torque is necessary to swing larger props. So if your quad is running anything bigger, or with a more aggressive pitch, than a 6x3, you will need a 2204 or more. 6x3s and most 5-inch props on a 250 quad will run well on 1806s and smaller props, on smaller quads, may need even smaller motors. The reason small props actually require smaller motors is due to the second number, the kV rating. kV is how many thousand revolutions per volt the motor can produce. In order to produce enough lift on a smaller prop, the motor has to spin faster and therefore have a higher kV rating. Its easier to spin a smaller motor faster and with less torque than a bigger motor and therefore, a small prop might need a small motor just because the bigger ones won't spin fast enough. For a 250 quad, anything between 2000-2300kV should be pretty perfect, though you may want to research more into motor sizes and speeds if you plan on making a different sized quad. Motors are sticking out on the arms of your quad and they WILL take a beating when you crash. When choosing your motors, think about the price it will cost to replace them if you need to and also read reviews to see if they are durable at all. I personally use DYS 1806 2300kV motors on my ZMR and have put them through hell. I just pick the mud out and they're ready to fly again in no time. I know I don't treat them as well as I should but they still are doing well, so they're definitely a good motor in my opinion. But of course, choose your own motor based on what you want from your quad.
ESCs - The main consideration when choosing ESCs is the amount of current they can handle. Now that you know what prop you're going to be using and you've chosen an appropriate motor, you can work out the current each motor will draw. Each motor will come with (or have online) a max current rating. This could be 7A, 10A, 12A etc. When buying your ESCs, you will need to make sure they are rated for a current ABOVE what your max motor draw will be. You could probably get away with having 10A ESCs for a 10A motor, but they'll probably get quite warm after a hard flight and it's not worth the risk of blowing them out in my opinion. After knowing what the max current of your ESCs will be, all the other features of this component are completely personal preference. I don't want to talk much about electronic firm/software in this guide as I could probably write a whole other article just on that topic however there is a firmware choice to make when choosing your ESCs. ESCs for multirotors all essentially run one of two different firmwares, BLHeli or SimonK. For most people, it really doesn't matter, both will work just perfectly. However there is a definite benefit of BLHeli ESCs to SimonK ESCs for those of us who really care - Oneshot and active damping. I believe SimonK also supports oneshot (essentially a way to speed up and increase accuracy in the response of the motors to your commands) but active damping (actively slowing the props when you lower the throttle as oppose to freewheeling the props down), which is a significant advantage in racing and aerobatics, is only on BLHeli (I believe). So you may want to consider the firmware when choosing your ESCs.
One final ESC consideration is whether or not they are 'opto' ESCs. A 3-cell LiPo provides up to 12V to the circuitry of the aircraft. A lot of flight controllers (as well as other electronics you may wish to put on the drone) will only be able to take 5V inputs. Some ESCs contain 'polulu' or 'BEC' circuitry which 'steps down' the 12V to 5V and enables your flight controller to take power from the ESCs in order to function. So called 'opto' ESCs do not contain these circuits. This may seem like a negative at first but it means that the ESCs are smaller, lighter, less likely to overheat and importantly, cheaper.
I personally use DYS 10A opto ESCs running BLHeli (with Oneshot and active damping enabled), but of course, like everything else, what you choose is up to you.
LiPo - The lithium polymer (LiPo) battery is the part of your drone that supplies all of the power to every component while airborne. LiPos have to be able to store large amounts of energy and they also have to be able to release large amounts of energy very fast. These properties make this battery something that MUST be respected (as can be seen here), but I will cover LiPo safety in a later post. When choosing your LiPo you will need to consider three things - the C rating, the capacity (mAh) and the number of cells (S number / Voltage). Firstly, don't choose a voltage higher than what your ESCs or motors can handle. If the other components want a 3S battery, don't put a 4S battery on. For most 250 quads you will use a 3S or 4S (if the components/you can handle the power). In order to choose the capacity and C rating you must first understand that they are linked. Using the max current your ESCs can draw, and adding it all up for each ESC, you can calculate the max current the battery will be required to deliver. For example, 4 10A ESCs will mean a battery must provide at least 40A. In order to work out how many amps a battery can deliver safely you must take its capacity (in Ah(e.g. 1500 mAh becomes 1.5Ah)) and multiply that by the C rating (if the C rating is a range, use the smaller number). So a 1500mAh 35-70C battery will deliver 52.5A (1.5Ah x 35C = 52.5A). Because these numbers are linked, the smaller the batteries capacity, the higher the C rating will need to be. Another thing to remember when choosing batteries is that more capacity = more weight = more power consumption, so a bigger battery doesn't always mean longer flights. My recommendation is choosing a battery somewhere in between 1300-1800mAh and working out the C rating you need based on your own system. My recommendations are essentially all the batteries I currently use: Nanotech 1500mAh 35-70C 3S, Turnigy 1600mAh 20-30C 3S. Both of these batteries work absolutely perfectly although I do prefer the extra punch of the nanotech. I will be getting a Turnigy Graphene 1500mAh 65C 3S tomorrow though and will be making a video featuring its use as well as writing about it here in the coming days (subscribe to TheDroneSite YouTube channel here and keep checking this blog for more). My batteries are all very good though I have no experience with true 'premium' batteries.
Now that we've covered the 'power pack' theres only a couple more components required for the actual quad itself
Power Distribution Board (optional) - This component doesn't need such a long explanation. It does exactly what it says. You plug the battery to this board and then it supplies power to each ESC, your FPV system, LEDs and (if it contains a BEC/polulu circuit) your flight controller. Its not a necessary component but I would recommend it. I tried to build my ZMR super cheap and did not buy a power distribution board. I got fed up with the wiring though and decided it'd be better to spend the £2 it cost me to get a little distribution board with built in BEC. Its dramatically saved weight, due to less wiring, saved time and saved me from having to use bigger ESCs (I can use opto ESCs as this has a BEC to power my flight controller with 5V). As for recommendations, it's hard to go wrong with this one. Get a PDB that is cheap and that you think will fit well within your quad.
Flight Controller - There's a lot of options here. Flight controllers are very much personal preference and theres only really one big quantifiable difference. F1 or F3 boards. Broadly it effects the speed at which the board can work and how well the quad is tuned but the difference won't be noticeable to all but a few. I personally use the Naze32 acro, it's an F1 board with brilliant functionality on a racing quad. It has a very good gyro, accelerometer and barometer as well as the ability to add other functions such as GPS/telemetry. In my opinion there is no need to get anything better than this board for a racing quad although if you feel like you want to do more then research other boards with features such as magnetometers etc. Much more will be said about this component in a following post about software/firmware so keep checking back on the blog for that.
So that's it for this post, this was a comprehensive run down of the components actually needed to build a quad that can fly. Of course, if you're up to following the series of posts I am doing on building your own racing quad, this was only the beginning and there will be at least 3 more posts on the subject - "Parts for the FPV system", "Parts you will forget that no other guide ever tells you that you'll need" and of course, "The Building Guide".
I hope you found some of this useful to you, remember to stay tuned in to this blog for the following parts of this guide as well as other topics and (forgive me for yet another plug to my YouTube channel) subscribe to TheDroneSite YouTube channel here to see some more tips as well as my upcoming 'Drone vlog' series, following me as I try to learn more about the hobby.
And of course, Happy Flying!!
Sunday, 6 March 2016
About TheDroneSite
TheDroneSite is a blog and (soon-to-be) a YouTube channel following my experiences in the quadcopter / drone / multirotor / whatever-you-want-to-call-it community.
I have a lot to learn in the hobby and decided that by sharing my experiences with the rest of the community, maybe others could also learn from my mistakes too. Or failing that, at least be entertained by them!
I will be posting on this blog (hopefully) every day. Maybe I'll miss one or two days, we'll see. And I'll update the YouTube channel as often as I can.
Some things to expect on the YouTube channel will be my attempts at learning new manoeuvres and things like tuning PIDs. I will also be trying to provide tips, thoughts, and reviews of all things drone on the YouTube channel and this blog. I've even planned some challenges for myself which should be fun to watch.
So, follow this blog and subscribe to the YouTube channel here. I hope you enjoy it.
Happy flying!
I have a lot to learn in the hobby and decided that by sharing my experiences with the rest of the community, maybe others could also learn from my mistakes too. Or failing that, at least be entertained by them!
I will be posting on this blog (hopefully) every day. Maybe I'll miss one or two days, we'll see. And I'll update the YouTube channel as often as I can.
Some things to expect on the YouTube channel will be my attempts at learning new manoeuvres and things like tuning PIDs. I will also be trying to provide tips, thoughts, and reviews of all things drone on the YouTube channel and this blog. I've even planned some challenges for myself which should be fun to watch.
So, follow this blog and subscribe to the YouTube channel here. I hope you enjoy it.
Happy flying!
Why I like drones and the quadcopter / multirotor hobby
I'm tempted to just write the short answer I give to people when they ask this question in real life.
They fly... What's not to love!?
But of course it's so much more than that. So this is my story of how I came into this hobby and why I plan on staying here.
Like many others, when I was still only very young, I received toy RC helicopters and planes for my birthdays. Obviously I was never any good at them, they'd not last me too long until they were stuck at the top of a tree or smashed into approximately 492038 pieces. But that wasn't the point, they were fun! And I loved them.
Then I got older, despite my insistence that I would still love to receive toys for my birthday (we all know we would), my presents became more and more centred around £10 notes and clothes. Then when I had all but forgotten my desire to play with things that fly, a new invention managed to spark my interests again. On the TV every now and then, and on the internet, I'd come across videos of people flying these new crazy inventions, quadcopters (or as they soon became known, drones). They seemed to gain ground really fast, before long I remember watching this video(below) about drone swarms and how they could communicate with each other.
They fly... What's not to love!?
But of course it's so much more than that. So this is my story of how I came into this hobby and why I plan on staying here.
Like many others, when I was still only very young, I received toy RC helicopters and planes for my birthdays. Obviously I was never any good at them, they'd not last me too long until they were stuck at the top of a tree or smashed into approximately 492038 pieces. But that wasn't the point, they were fun! And I loved them.
Then I got older, despite my insistence that I would still love to receive toys for my birthday (we all know we would), my presents became more and more centred around £10 notes and clothes. Then when I had all but forgotten my desire to play with things that fly, a new invention managed to spark my interests again. On the TV every now and then, and on the internet, I'd come across videos of people flying these new crazy inventions, quadcopters (or as they soon became known, drones). They seemed to gain ground really fast, before long I remember watching this video(below) about drone swarms and how they could communicate with each other.
I thought these machines were incredible... but still out of reach. In my head, only top electrical engineers and computer scientists could use them. But then things started to change. I remember hearing about photographers using drones to get that perfect shot, hearing about the launch of the DJI Phantom (which, love it or hate it, we can all admit increased drone awareness exponentially) and seeing quadcopters featured in a TED talk (below).
Suddenly these were no longer the things of legend. They became real. I had to get one. I remember Googling DJIs Phantom with such enthusiasm!
I don't remember what the exact price was, but to me, it may as well have been £1 million. I'm a student, there was no way I was going to get one of these. Yet again I found myself admiring these machines from afar.
Then, years had passed again. Drones were really gathering momentum now. I remember learning Amazon wanted to deliver parcels by drone and all the legal battles this would cause. I remember first hearing about privacy issues and all of those controversial topics drones threw up (to be covered in a later post). And once again, my interests were ignited. It was at this moment I, like so many others, stumbled upon Flite Test (For those of you who don't know, YouTube Flite Test and thank me later). Flite Test became my go-to option for procrastination. It became my go-to option before bed. Basically it became my most watched channel on YouTube, by a long way. It was obvious to everyone that I loved the idea of these flying machines and thankfully, due to the lower prices of quads these days, the accessibility of them, and probably also due to my own constant pestering, my girlfriend bought me a Hubsan X4 for my birthday last year.
Now obviously a Hubsan X4 is not a normal quad. For those who don't know, it's a micro-quad, mainly used indoors and too small to lift anything other than its own self. But considering you've made it this far through the post, I'm sure you can all appreciate that even something like that was amazing for me. I loved, and still do love, my Hubsan X4 and I couldn't recommend it more for someone just starting out in the hobby (but more on that in a later post also). Within weeks of my birthday, and through obsessive watching of Flite Test, RCModelReviews and of course Charpu. I was ready to start ordering parts to build my own 250 race quad. Thanks to the infamously snail like shipping from Banggood (as well as other issues I will also cover in a future post) it took me a few months, but I got there. I built my first quad. It was a ZMR250 (V2) frame, DYS motors, generic Chinese props and basically every other cheap component I could find (other than my FPV system which, for some reason, I decided to go all out for).
Just like that, I had my own drone. I didn't care that it was cheap and I didn't care that I couldn't fly like Charpu. I finally had one of these machines and I loved it.
My ZMR has gone through a lot, as you'll see on TheDroneSite YouTube channel soon enough. I've had it free fall from a huge height, I've had it cartwheel through thick wet mud and I've lost it in brambles many times. But every single time I get it back, I can clean it up, replace the props and it will fly again, every time.
So that's why I got into this hobby and why I love it so much. It has been something I've wanted to do for a long time now. And I've done it. I'm here.
I still have a lot to learn but thankfully, the community is great. You can see on forums, on YouTube and in person, people who love drones love people who love drones! Even at big competitions, the top competitors are top friends! Thankfully, or the Rotor Riot YouTube channel wouldn't exist.
And with that, I will end this post with a video from Chad Nowak (FinalGlideAus). Not only is Chad's flying almost therapeutic to watch, but the words in the description are very meaningful and deserve a read by everyone who wants to fly in this hobby. Unfortunately, I've not yet got to fly with another pilot in the real world, but the comoradery between pilots online is something I have experienced many times. So give this video a watch, read the description (follow my blog, cough) and always remember to value that community spirit every time you fly. It's exactly what makes it so great.
Happy flying!
Update 3 - 6/3/16
Ok, so I know my ideas for TheDroneSite have been changing a lot but I think I've finally settled on something that I'm happy with.
TheDroneSite.blogspot.com (i.e. here) will continue to be the home of TheDroneSite. I will use it to blog my own experiences through the hobby and hopefully anyone who decides to read my posts will learn something through them.
TheDroneSite YouTube channel will show what I'm getting up to in a sort of drone vlog. I intend to go out and teach myself some new manoeuvres and learn new things by doing. Hopefully we can learn together, but if not, I hope it'll be entertaining enough for people to watch anyway.
As for the Tumblr, I'm gonna keep it up for now but probably won't use it for a while. The YouTube and this blog will take priority.
So, I think these are my final ideas. As always, feel free to contact me if you have any ideas yourself?
Happy flying!!
TheDroneSite.blogspot.com (i.e. here) will continue to be the home of TheDroneSite. I will use it to blog my own experiences through the hobby and hopefully anyone who decides to read my posts will learn something through them.
TheDroneSite YouTube channel will show what I'm getting up to in a sort of drone vlog. I intend to go out and teach myself some new manoeuvres and learn new things by doing. Hopefully we can learn together, but if not, I hope it'll be entertaining enough for people to watch anyway.
As for the Tumblr, I'm gonna keep it up for now but probably won't use it for a while. The YouTube and this blog will take priority.
So, I think these are my final ideas. As always, feel free to contact me if you have any ideas yourself?
Happy flying!!
The quadcopter / multirotor dictionary
After my last post "Are quadcopters / multirotors drones?", I thought it might be beneficial to people new to the hobby to have a dictionary. There's a lot of alien words for someone new to the area, I know cause that's exactly what I was thinking a few months ago.
So, here's a few to start off, but I will continue updating this list everyday. Contact me or leave a comment if you can think of some essential extras to add.
Accelerometer - Sensor able to detect acceleration in a certain direction.
Autonomy - The ability to operate without human input.
Barometer - Sensor to detect altitude through sensing air pressure
Brushless Motors - Low friction motors to produce motion from electrical energy.
Control Surface - Flaps, rudder, aileron etc. Surfaces that control aircraft motion through interaction with air.
Drone - A autonomous or semi-autonomous aerial vehicle. (For the purposes of this blog, drone only refers to recreational drones)
ESCs - Electronic speed controllers. Receives signal from flight controller and produces appropriate patterns of power for spinning a brushless motor in response.
Flight Controller - The 'brain' of the multirotor. Receives input from receiver and on board sensors. Produces output to ESCs to control the motors.
FPV - First person view. Normally when a camera is mounted to the aircraft to give the pilot a view as if flying onboard the vehicle.
Frame - The chassis to which all other components are mounted. Forms the shape of the craft and can affect flight characteristics. Strength and rigidity are important, so normally made from fibreglass or carbon fibre though some hard plastics or light metals can be used.
GPS - Global positioning system. Uses satellites to triangulate exact position, within three-dimensions, on Earth.
Gyro - Sensor able to detect which way is up and down.
LiPo - Lithium polymer battery. High power batteries that must be treated with respect.
Power Distribution Board - Non-essential but highly useful component that distributes power to ESCs and other on board systems such as flight controller, FPV system, LEDs etc. Can often contain a voltage regulator circuit if different voltages are required for different components.
Props - Propellors used to create lift. Defined by their diameter and pitch.
Receiver - Receives signal from transmitter and sends signal to flight controller.
RC - Radio controlled.
Rx/Tx - Short for Receiver/Transmitter.
Transmitter - Receives input from person and sends signal to receiver on board the aircraft.
VTx/VRx - Short for video transmitter/video receiver.
So, here's a few to start off, but I will continue updating this list everyday. Contact me or leave a comment if you can think of some essential extras to add.
Accelerometer - Sensor able to detect acceleration in a certain direction.
Autonomy - The ability to operate without human input.
Barometer - Sensor to detect altitude through sensing air pressure
Brushless Motors - Low friction motors to produce motion from electrical energy.
Control Surface - Flaps, rudder, aileron etc. Surfaces that control aircraft motion through interaction with air.
Drone - A autonomous or semi-autonomous aerial vehicle. (For the purposes of this blog, drone only refers to recreational drones)
ESCs - Electronic speed controllers. Receives signal from flight controller and produces appropriate patterns of power for spinning a brushless motor in response.
Flight Controller - The 'brain' of the multirotor. Receives input from receiver and on board sensors. Produces output to ESCs to control the motors.
FPV - First person view. Normally when a camera is mounted to the aircraft to give the pilot a view as if flying onboard the vehicle.
Frame - The chassis to which all other components are mounted. Forms the shape of the craft and can affect flight characteristics. Strength and rigidity are important, so normally made from fibreglass or carbon fibre though some hard plastics or light metals can be used.
GPS - Global positioning system. Uses satellites to triangulate exact position, within three-dimensions, on Earth.
Gyro - Sensor able to detect which way is up and down.
LiPo - Lithium polymer battery. High power batteries that must be treated with respect.
Power Distribution Board - Non-essential but highly useful component that distributes power to ESCs and other on board systems such as flight controller, FPV system, LEDs etc. Can often contain a voltage regulator circuit if different voltages are required for different components.
Props - Propellors used to create lift. Defined by their diameter and pitch.
Receiver - Receives signal from transmitter and sends signal to flight controller.
RC - Radio controlled.
Rx/Tx - Short for Receiver/Transmitter.
Transmitter - Receives input from person and sends signal to receiver on board the aircraft.
VTx/VRx - Short for video transmitter/video receiver.
Are quadcopters / multirotors drones?
I want to talk about why I like drones, what their best features are and where I see it all going.
In order to do that though, we're first going to have to define 'drone'. Everyone seems to hear that word and think of different things. So, to me, drone means a flying vehicle that has some level of autonomy. That is an ability to control, at least part of, their flight with no human input. So are most toy RC planes also drones? No, almost always not. They're controlled by simple electronics, responding to inputs from the transmitter and moving a control surface accordingly. Most toy planes don't even have gyros.
What about the predator and reaper drones that we hear about, flying over the middle east. Would I say they're drones? Yes, of course I would. They are able to loiter in the air for hours and follow GPS coordinates with little to no human input.
But, this blog isn't to talk about those kind of drones. This blog is for multirotors so, the question that everyone seems to answer differently, are multirotors drones? Yes. In my opinion, 100%. Unlike a toy RC plane, multirotors have 'brains' (so to speak) they're not dumbly following human command with no input from their own decisions. Most flight controllers for multirotors are capable of auto-level flight, using their onboard gyros to tell them what is up or down. They will spin up or down specific motors in order to maintain this level flight with no input from people and, in my opinion, this is autonomy. Even in rate mode, where there is no auto-level function enabled, the multirotor still calculates how to control each of its motors to produce the response the pilot is after. In other words, because multirotor pilots are not controlling each motor themselves, spinning each up and down as necessary, they are not the only 'brain' flying the vehicle. To me at least, this makes them drones.
In order to do that though, we're first going to have to define 'drone'. Everyone seems to hear that word and think of different things. So, to me, drone means a flying vehicle that has some level of autonomy. That is an ability to control, at least part of, their flight with no human input. So are most toy RC planes also drones? No, almost always not. They're controlled by simple electronics, responding to inputs from the transmitter and moving a control surface accordingly. Most toy planes don't even have gyros.
What about the predator and reaper drones that we hear about, flying over the middle east. Would I say they're drones? Yes, of course I would. They are able to loiter in the air for hours and follow GPS coordinates with little to no human input.
But, this blog isn't to talk about those kind of drones. This blog is for multirotors so, the question that everyone seems to answer differently, are multirotors drones? Yes. In my opinion, 100%. Unlike a toy RC plane, multirotors have 'brains' (so to speak) they're not dumbly following human command with no input from their own decisions. Most flight controllers for multirotors are capable of auto-level flight, using their onboard gyros to tell them what is up or down. They will spin up or down specific motors in order to maintain this level flight with no input from people and, in my opinion, this is autonomy. Even in rate mode, where there is no auto-level function enabled, the multirotor still calculates how to control each of its motors to produce the response the pilot is after. In other words, because multirotor pilots are not controlling each motor themselves, spinning each up and down as necessary, they are not the only 'brain' flying the vehicle. To me at least, this makes them drones.
Friday, 4 March 2016
Update 2 - 4/3/16
Today has been a very busy day so I've not had too much time to work on TheDroneSite.
This weekend will be good though, I've decided to push forward with the YouTube account as soon as I finish setting up both this site and the tumblr (and get at least one good post on each).
The first post on this site will likely be an overview of the quadcopter/multirotor hobbies and why I like them/exactly what do I do. The second post will probably be straight after and be a guide to designing and building your first race quad (on a tight budget, 'cause that's what my experience was).
For now, the tumblr will mainly be a place to show content from other sources. Sorry, original content will follow! But until the YouTube channel and this website are fully running, tumblr will be very boring unless I do something like that.
I'm currently planning a couple of videos to start the YouTube channel. The weather in southern England is pretty poor for flying at the moment so "top tips for new guys" and "top mistakes new guys make" (both from my own experience as a new guy) will have to do until the weather clears up and I can go fly.
Check back tomorrow (Saturday) for another update and Sunday to see the first posts!
This weekend will be good though, I've decided to push forward with the YouTube account as soon as I finish setting up both this site and the tumblr (and get at least one good post on each).
The first post on this site will likely be an overview of the quadcopter/multirotor hobbies and why I like them/exactly what do I do. The second post will probably be straight after and be a guide to designing and building your first race quad (on a tight budget, 'cause that's what my experience was).
For now, the tumblr will mainly be a place to show content from other sources. Sorry, original content will follow! But until the YouTube channel and this website are fully running, tumblr will be very boring unless I do something like that.
I'm currently planning a couple of videos to start the YouTube channel. The weather in southern England is pretty poor for flying at the moment so "top tips for new guys" and "top mistakes new guys make" (both from my own experience as a new guy) will have to do until the weather clears up and I can go fly.
Check back tomorrow (Saturday) for another update and Sunday to see the first posts!
Thursday, 3 March 2016
Update - 3/3/16
Obviously neither this website nor the thedronesite.tumblr.com currently have much/any relevant content but I promise it's coming soon!
In the mean time, to help along the way, please contact me either through email (thedronesite@gmail.com), through Google+ or the ask box on thedronesite.tumblr.com/ask. I would appreciate any thoughts, suggestions or questions about TheDroneSite. I have a lot of great ideas about this site but the best ideas will come from the community I'm sure.
My current intentions are to run this online resource over both thedronesite.blogspot.com and thedronesite.tumblr.com (I will also be running TheDroneSite YouTube channel within a few months but first thing's first). Each website will have roughly similar content, although I intend this one to be the main home of TheDroneSite. The content will be centred around mainly text/image posts acting as guides/tutorials/reviews/my general thoughts, with the occasional video of my own flight footage (mainly for the YouTube channel). Essentially, I love the hobby and I wanna learn more so why not share everything I'm learning with the whole community! If anyone has any ideas for content that fits in these areas (or even if it doesn't) please contact me through one of the methods mentioned above, I'd love to hear from you!
As for now, please follow this blog as well as thedronesite.tumblr.com, check out The Drone Site on Google+ (linked in the About Me section) and if you're really eager, subscribe to the very empty and lonely The Drone Site YouTube channel.
I promise I'll do my best to make TheDroneSite as good a resource as I possibly can, I hope you all enjoy it.
Welcome to The Drone Site
There's a lot of information on the web today about drones (or whatever you choose to call them), but it's all spread out in forums, YouTube channels and the odd tech-centric website.
This site is going to attempt to provide you with a one-stop-shop for most of the basic information you want to know about multirotors.
The information here will come from my own research as well as my own opinion being thrown in every now and then. Don't worry though, I'll let you know if what I'm saying is based on fact or just my own thoughts!
I hope that there'll be something here for everyone across all levels of experience. And I hope we can all learn something here, I know I'm already learning new things just from research for this blog!
So, happy flying everyone and I hope you enjoy The Drone Site.
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