MAKE Terry Kilby

To Next Page

To Previous Page

Figure 3-18. Soldering up our ﬁrst female bullet connector.

Figure 3-19. Be sure to cut the heat shrink to the right length for

the female connectors.

Power Train 63

Main Page

Table of Contents5
Preface9
1/Introduction13
Some Definitions13
Who Is this Book for14
The Drone User Community14
Brief History of Autonomous Flight15
RC Model Airplane15
The Advent of Microchips16
The Technology of Drones17
The Launch of GPS17
Internet18
The Smartphone18
Small Autopilot Flight Controller18
Principles of Flight19
Weight/Gravity19
Lift20
Drag20
Thrust21
Flight Maneuvers: Aircraft Movement with Stick Mapping21
Throttle22
Yaw/Rudder23
Pitch23
Roll23
2/Airframes27
What Is an Airframe27
Thrust Vectoring27
Aircraft Designs28
Materials30
Keeping It Balanced31
Building the Little Dipper Airframe31
Step-By-Step Build Instructions34
Step 1: Install the Standoffs34
Step 2: Complete the Dirty Frame Assembly37
Step 3: Assemble the Clean Frame43
Step 4: Attach the Two Subframes Together50
3/Power Train53
Propellers53
Direction53
Size and Pitch54
Balancing Props56
Motors58
Sizes59
Kv Rating59
Pairing with the Right Props60
Total Lift60
Electronic Speed Controllers61
Flight Battery62
Step-By-Step Build Instructions64
Step 1: Mount the Power Distribution Board (PDB)65
Step 2: Solder on the Bullet Connectors68
Step 3: Mount the Speed Controllers77
Step 4: Solder up the Power Supply80
Step 5: Mount Brushless Motors84
Step 6: Connect Brushless Motors88
Step 7: Clean up88
Wrapping up89
4/Flight Controller91
What Is a Flight Controller91
Open Source Versus Closed Source91
Sensors92
Flight Characteristics94
Software Assistant94
Step-By-Step Build Instructions95
Step 1: Mount the Flight Controller95
Step 2: Wire up the Flight Controller Outputs98
Step 3: Attach the Two Subframes to each Other101
Wrapping up102
5/GPS, Compass, and Battery Monitor103
Gps103
Flight Modes104
Compass106
Battery Monitor107
Step-By-Step Build Instructions108
Step 1: Mount the GPS Puck108
Step 2: Connect GPS and Compass to the APM110
Step 3: Install the Battery Monitor114
Wrapping up118
6/Transmitter119
What Is a Transmitter119
Most Common Frequency Bands120
Different Modes Around the World120
PWM Versus PPM121
Step-By-Step Build Instructions122
Step 1: Identify What You Need122
Step 2: Mount the Receiver123
Step 3: Plug in the Receiver124
7/Telemetry Radios127
Software Monitoring and Control127
Step-By-Step Build Instructions128
Step 1: Mount the Ground Station Radio128
Step 2: Prep the Aircraft Radio for Mounting129
Step 3: Plug in the Radio131
Step 4: Mount the Aircraft Radio131
8/Camera and FPV Equipment133
Popular Drone Cameras133
Micro Four Thirds Cameras134
The Mobius Actioncam136
FPV for a Live Stream137
Step-By-Step Build Instructions138
Step 1: Fasten the Camera Mount138
Step 2: Attach the Vibration Isolation Plate140
Step 3: Place the Camera in the Quick-Release Mount141
9/Ardupilot Mega (APM) Setup143
Step-By-Step Build Instructions143
Step 1: Update Firmware143
Step 2: Connect and Complete Mandatory Setup148
Step 3: Optional Hardware160
Let's Explore the Rest of Mission Planner163
Flight Modes164
Geo Fence164
Basic Tuning165
Extended Tuning166
Standard Params167
Flight Data168
Flight Plan169
Preparing for Your Maiden Flight171
10/Safe and Responsible Flight173
Above All Is Safety173
Training and Education173
Resources174
Important Links174
Key Flight Safety Rules175
First-Person View176
Where and When to Fly177
Preflight Checklist and Flight Log Information178
Aircraft Inspection180
Flight and Maintenance Logs180
Laws and Regulations181
11/Real-World Applications183
Beneficial Drones183
Aerial Photography183
Mapping and Surveying185
Precision Agriculture186
Search and Rescue187
Infrastructure Inspection188
Conservation190
12/Expanding Your Drone's Abilities191
Add a Camera and First-Person View191
Collect more Data with Other Sensors193
Altering Speed: Ready, Set, Race194
Increasing Flight Times196
Troubleshooting in the Drone Community196
Thank You197
Index199

MAKE Terry Kilby - Page 75

Table of Contents