A fun project in which you learn about drones by making one. Use the Pixhawk or Multiwii AIO flight controllers.
What you'll learn:
- Understand the different types of multi-rotor drones.
- Understand flight terminology.
- Understand the principles of drone flight.
- Understand the roles of propellers, motors, flight controller, ESC in drone flight.
- Understand the use of LiPo batteries and their use.
- Understand the use of GPS in drone flight.
- Understand how to bind a radio receiver and transmitter.
- Understand the necessary drone pre-flight checks.
- Understand the basic safety and legal requirements involved in recreational drone flight.
- Assemble a quadcopter from parts available in the market.
- Upload the MultiPirateNG firmware to the Crius V2 flight controller.
- Use the open source Mission Planner software to configure a drone.
- Practice flying their quadcopter and fun while becoming better pilots!
- Learn how to use the Pixhawk flight controller.
Please read: In August 2023, I have updated the course with new lectures and a new flight controller. In the new lecture I show you how to upgrade your drone to use the popular MATEK F405TE flight controller. I have also added lectures about batteries and drone classifications.
The MATEKSYS F405-TE is a perfect fit for our learning objectives. It's a minimalist yet powerful flight controller, making it an excellent device to explore.
Also, by transitioning to the MATEKSYS F405-TE, I can lower the overall cost of our drone without compromising its performance or capabilities. This will make our quadcopter design more accessible to hobbyists on a budget, which aligns with my mission to make drone technology more attainable and exciting for everyone.
Welcome to "Make an Open Source Drone", a course that will teach you how to build a quadcopter from scratch!
Playing with drones, and especially quadcopters, is fast becoming a very popular hobby. As a hobby, it combines state of the art open technology with large open spaces. It even gives me a great excuse to get out of my lab and get some sun!
While you can just go to a shop and purchase a drone that is ready to fly, by doing so you miss out on all the fun and knowledge that comes with building your own flying machine. I admit I have done that myself. Getting my ready-to-fly drone out of its box and flying it was fun, but only for a short period.
Soon after the first excitement settled, I realised that I didn't know much more than before I opened the box. I was also unable to do anything more than what the drone was programmed to do, to begin with.
That is why making your own open source drone is such a great way to have fun while learning.
In this course, my co-instructor Aristofanis and I will help you understand drones and how to build them. You will learn about their mechanical and electronic components and how they interact. You will learn about the software that provides semi-autonomous flight capabilities to drones.
Motors, flight controllers, Electronic Speed Controllers, batteries and chargers, receivers and transmitters, and so much more, will all make sense as you progress through this course and go through the process of assembling your drone.
By the end of the course, apart from being able to assemble your drone, you will have the confidence to perform repairs and to extend its capabilities.
Along the way, you will learn about the principles of drones and many design and performance details for each of the components and software. With this knowledge, you will be able to go on and construct your own drones, configure and program them, all while having a great time doing so.
Requirements
- Windows computer
- Basic electronics tools (please see free list of tools in section 1)
- Be comfortable working with electronic components
- Willingness to persevere despite set-downs (like broken propellers resulting from a drone rough landing)
- Intermediate-level maker looking for a fun outdoors activity
- Anyone interested in drones for recreational use
Introduction:
- What is this course about
- Parts and Tools
- Crius or Pixhawk? Read this before you continue
- Introduction
- Another drone classification
- Types of multi-rotor drones
- Roll, pitch, yaw
- Controlling the motors
- Procuring the right parts
- Terminology
- Propellers
- Battery and charger, Part 1
- Battery and charger, Part 2
- Flight controller and its peripherals
- Other tools and things
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- Preparation
- Attach the connectors to the ESC wires
- Attach connectors to motor wires
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- About the power distribution board
- Solder the ESC power wires
- Solder the battery wires and connectors
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- Attach the motors to the arms
- Attach the arms to the power distribution board, Part 1
- Attach the arms to the power distribution board, Part 2
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- The PWM and PPM signalling options, Part 1
- The PWM and PPM signalling options, Part 2
- Setup radio receiver and flight controller to use PWM
- Connect the GPS module to the flight controller, Part 1
- Connect the GPS module to the flight controller, Part 2
- Connect the GPS module to the flight controller, Part 3
- Connect the GPS module to the flight controller, Part 4
- Attach flight controller to chassis
- Connect ESCs to flight controller
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- A primer on batteries
- How to charge the battery
- Attach the battery to the frame
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- Clear the EEPROM
- Download and install the firmware
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- Binding receiver and transmitter
- Understand the transmitter basic operations
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- Download and install Mission Planner
- Mission Planner setup, Part 1
- Mission Planner setup, Part 2
- Test the GPS module
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- Calibrate the ESCs
- Attach the propellers
- Safety and legal issues
- Conclusion
- Introduction
- Pre-flight checks
- The first flight
- Conclusion
- 800 - Section introduction
- 810 - Why upgrade- The Pixhawk flight controller
- 820 - Disassembly
- 830 - A review of the upgrade components
- 840a - Assembly Part 1 - Propellers
- 840b - Assembly Part 2 - ESC red wire insulation
- 840c - Assembly Part 3 - Pixhawk base
- 840d - Assembly Part 4 - GPS antenna
- 840e - Assembly Part 5 - Pixhawk assembly
- 840f - Assembly Part 6 - Buzzer, safety button, power module
- 840g - Assembly Part 7 - Wirings
- 840i - Battery and power connections
- 840h - Verify wiring in Mission Planner
- 850 - Attach the propellers
- 855 - ESC calibration with the Pixhawk and safety switch
- 860 - Calibration and test flight
- Objectives of this upgrade
- The MATEK F405TE flight controller: an introduction
- Disassemble the Pixhawk drone
- Prepare for the assembly: what you'll need
- Soldering of wires and connectors
- Assembly Part 1
- Assembly Part 2
- Assembly - Extended version
- Wiring verification and first boot
- Upload Ardupilot firmware to the MATEK f405TE
- Pre-flight calibration with Mission Planner
- Calibration for new EMC and motors
- Pre-flight modifications
- Test flight
- What's next?
- Bonus Lecture