Components of Quad rotor1. Frame2. Motor x43. Electronic Speed
Control (ESC) x44. Flight Control Board5. Radio transmitter and
receiver6. Propeller x4 (2 clockwise and 2 counter-clockwise)7.
Battery & Charger8. Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)9. Arduino
microcontroller
Frame
Every quadcopter or other multirotor aircraft needs a frame to
house all the other components. Things to consider here are weight,
size, and materials. The recommended DJI Flame Wheel F450 or one of
the many clones. These are great quadcopter frames. Theyre strong,
light, and have a sensible configuration including a built-in power
distribution board (PDB) that allows for a clean and easy build.
Quadrotor can be made of many materials but few of the common
materials used are as follows:Carbon Fiber Carbon fiber is the
lightest material available for quadrotor in the market It has les
vibrations, high strength and lesser weight as compared to any
other alternative available in the market. The only disadvantage of
this material is its less availability and high cost. This makes it
difficult to use in every situation.
Aluminium Aluminium is a good alternative of carbon fiber in
terms of cost, nut the disadvantages like high vibrations, and low
strength make it unsuitable to be used in every area especially
where cost is no issue.
Wood, such as Plywood or MDF (Medium-density fibreboard)Wood is
the cheapest alternative of both the above. It absorbs some of the
vibrations and possess little strength too. Thus, wood is commonly
used for the quadrotors for the testing/ prototyping phase. The low
cost of wood and easy availability makes it suitable for the
purpose.
Fiber plasticsFiber plastics is the most commonly used material
for the commercial quadrotors. The biggest advantage of fiber
plastic is the ability to be mold into any shape and size which
makes it suitable for aesthetic looks. Fiber plastics have
considerable tendency of absorbing vibrations as well.
Motors
The motors have an obvious purpose: to spin the propellers.
There are tons of motors on the market suitable for quadcopters,
and usually you dont want to get the absolute cheapest motors
available, but you also dont want to break the bank when some
reasonably priced motors will suffice. Motors are rated by
kilovolts, and the higher the kV rating, the faster the motor spins
at a constant voltage. When purchasing motors, most websites will
indicate how many amps the ESC you pair it with should be and the
size of propeller you should use. Generally a 1000kV motor is a
good size to start with.
Electronic Speed Controls
The electronic speed control, or ESC, is what tells the motors
how fast to spin at any given time. You need four ESCs for a
quadcopter, one connected to each motor. The ESCs are then
connected directly to the battery through either a wiring harness
or power distribution board. Many ESCs come with a built in battery
eliminator circuit (BEC), which allows you to power things like
your flight control board and radio receiver without connecting
them directly to the battery. Because the motors on a quadcopter
must all spin at precise speeds to achieve accurate flight, the ESC
is very important. These days if you are building a quadcopter or
other multirotor, it is pretty much standard to use ESCs that have
the SimonK firmware on them. This firmware changes the refresh rate
of the ESC so the motors get many more instructions per second from
the ESC, thus have greater control over the quadcopters behavior.
Many companies sell ESCs that have the SimonK firmware already
installed. The RCTimer 30A SimonK ESC, is a good option for a first
quadcopter build and pairs well with the RCTimer motors mentioned
previously.
Flight Controller
The flight control board is the brain of the quadcopter. It
houses the sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers that
determine how fast each of the quadcopters motors spin. Flight
control boards range from simple to highly complex. A great flight
control board for first time quadcopter builders is theHobbyKing
KK2.0.It is affordable, easy to set up, and has strong
functionality. It can handle just about any type of multirotor
aircraft so if you later want to upgrade to a hexacopter or
experiment with a tricopter, you wont need to purchase another
board.
Radio Transmitter and Receiver
The radio transmitter and receiver allow you to control the
quadcopter. There are many suitable models available, but you will
need at least four channels for a basic quadcopter with the KK2.0
control board. We recommend using a radio with 8 channels, so there
is more flexibility for later projects that may require more
channels. TheTurnigy 9xis a great choice for a first radio. Its
inexpensive yet still has some advanced functionality. There is
also a large community of 9x users out there, so troubleshooting is
easier.
Propellers
A quadcopter has four propellers, two normal propellers that
spin counter-clockwise, and two pusher propellers that spin
clockwise. The pusher propellers will usually be labeled with an R
after the size. For the quadcopter configuration using 94.7 props
is agood size for the motors and ESCs .
Battery Quadcopters typically use LiPo batteries which come in a
variety of sizes and configurations. We typically use 3S1P
batteries, which indicates 3 cells in parallel. Each cell is 3.7
volts, so this battery is rated at 11.1 volts. LiPo batteries also
have a C rating and a power rating in mAh (which stands for
milliamps per hour). The C rating describes the rate at which power
can be drawn from the battery, and the power rating describes how
much power the battery can supply. Larger batteries weigh more so
there is always a tradeoff between flight duration and total
weight. A general rule of thumb is that doubling the battery power
will get you 50% more flight time, assuming your quadcopter can
lift the additional weight. For a quadcopter, theTurnigy nano-tech
3000mAh 3S LiPo is good.
Battery Charger Charging LiPos is a complex process, because
there are usually multiple cells within the battery that must be
charged and discharged at the same rate. Therefore you must have a
balance charger. There are many chargers on the market that will do
the job, but be careful of cheap or off-brand chargers as many of
them have faulty components and can cause explosions or fires. In
general you should absolutely never leave LiPo batteries charging
unattended. Many people charge batteries outside on a cement area
or in a fireproof LiPo bag (although the effectiveness of these is
up for debate). TheIMAX B6 AC Balance Charger. It is affordable but
reliable.
Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU):The Inertial Measurement Unit
(IMU) is an electronic sensor device that measures the velocity,
orientation and gravitational forces of the quadcopter. These
measurements allow the controlling electronics to calculate the
changes in the motor speeds. The IMU is a combination of the 3-axis
accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope, together they represent a 6DOF
IMU. Sometimes there is also an additional 3-axis magnetometer for
better Yaw stability (in total 9DOF).
Arduino Microcontroller:The Arduino Mega 2560 is a
microcontroller board based on the ATmega2560. It has 54 digital
input/output pins (of which 14 can be used as PWM outputs), 16
analog inputs, 4 UARTs (hardware serial ports), a 16 MHz crystal
oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a
resetbutton. It contains everything needed to support the
microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable
or power it with anAC-to-DCadapter or battery to get started. It
will be our Micro Controlling Unit (MCU).
Arduino Mega 2560 board
Recent developmentsAn unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly
known as a drone and also referred to as an unpiloted aerial
vehicle and a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) by the International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), is an aircraft without a human
pilot aboard.The typical launch and recovery method of an unmanned
aircraft is by the function of an automatic system or an external
operator on the ground. Historically, UAVs were simple remotely
piloted aircraft, but autonomous control is increasingly being
employed. The Nazi-German V-1 flying bomb flew autonomously powered
by a pulsejet.Small scale unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have
become more commonly used for many applications The need for
aircraft with greater maneuverability and hovering ability has led
to current rise in quad copter research. The four-rotor design
allows quad copters to be relatively simple in design yet highly
reliable and maneuverable. Cutting-edge research is continuing to
increase the viability of quadcopters by making advances in
multi-craft communication, environment exploration, and
maneuverability.If all of these developing qualities can be
combined together, quad copters would be capable of advanced
autonomous missions that are currently not possible with any other
vehicle. Hence there is a need for combining all research together
as one.Various recent developments during the given time span
are:
Bell Boeing Quad Tilt Rotor:The Bell Boeing Quad Tilt Rotor
(QTR) is a proposed four-rotor derivative of the V-22 Osprey tilt
rotor developed jointly by Bell Helicopter and Boeing. The concept
is a contender in the U.S. Army's Joint Heavy Lift program. It
would have a cargo capacity roughly equivalent to the C-130
Hercules, cruise at 250 knots, and land at unimproved sites
vertically like a helicopter.Bell developed its model D-322 as a
quad tilt rotor concept in 1979. The Bell Boeing team disclosed in
1999 a Quad Tilt Rotor design the companies had been investigating
for the previous two years. The design was for a C-130-size V/STOL
transport for the US Army's Future Transport Rotorcraft program and
would have 50% commonality with the V-22. This design was to have a
maximum takeoff weight of 100,000 lb (45,000 kg) with a payload of
up to 25,000 lb (11,000 kg) in a hover.[2][3] The design was
downsized to be more V-22-based and to have a payload of 18,000 to
20,000 lb (8,200 to 9,100 kg). This version was referred to as
"V-44". Bell received contracts to study related technologies in
2000. Development was not pursued by the US Department of
Defense.
Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global HawkThe Northrop Grumman RQ-4
Global Hawk is an unmanned (UAV) surveillance aircraft. It was
initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop
Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. In role and
operational design, the Global Hawk is similar to the Lockheed U-2.
The RQ-4 provides a broad overview and systematic surveillance
using high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and long-range
electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors with long loiter times
over target areas. It can survey as much as 40,000 square miles
(100,000 km2) of terrain a day.The Global Hawk is operated by the
United States Air Force and U.S. Navy. It is used as a
high-altitude platform covering the spectrum of intelligence
collection capability to support forces in worldwide military
operations. According to the United States Air Force, the superior
surveillance capabilities of the aircraft allow more precise
weapons targeting and better protection of friendly forces. Cost
overruns led to the original plan to acquire 63 aircraft being cut
to 45, and to a 2013 proposal to mothball the 21 Block 30
signal-intelligence variants. Each aircraft was to cost US$60.9
million in 2001, but this had risen to $222.7 million per aircraft
(including development costs) by 2013. The U.S. Navy has developed
the Global Hawk into the MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance
platform.
Qinetiq ZephyrZephyr is a series of lightweight solar-powered
UAV originally designed and built by the United Kingdom Company,
QinetiQ. And is now part of the Airbus High Altitude
Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) programme. The Zephyr 7 holds the official
endurance record for an unmanned aerial vehicle for its flight from
9 July to 23 July 2010, lasting 336 hours and 22 minutes (2 weeks /
14 days). Record claims have been verified by the Fdration
Aronautique Internationale (FAI) for both duration and altitude, at
21,562 meters. It more than doubled the previous endurance record
for unmanned flight.
UsesBeyond the military applications of UAVs with which "drones"
became most associated, numerous civil aviation uses have been
developed, including aerial surveying of crops, acrobatic aerial
footage in filmmaking, search and rescue operations, inspecting
power lines and pipelines, counting wildlife, delivering medical
supplies to remote or otherwise inaccessible regions, with some
manufacturers rebranding the technology as "unmanned aerial
systems" (UASs) in preference over the military-connotative term
"drones." Further uses include reconnaissance operations, border
patrol missions, forest fire detection, surveillance, coordinating
humanitarian aid, search & rescue missions, detection of
illegal hunting, land surveying, fire and large-accident
investigation, landslide measurement, illegal landfill detection,
and crowd monitoring.Commercial aerial surveillanceAerial
surveillance of large areas is made possible with low cost UAV
systems. Surveillance applications include livestock monitoring,
wildfire mapping, pipeline security, home security, road patrol,
and anti-piracy. The trend for the use of UAV technology in
commercial aerial surveillance is expanding rapidly with increased
development of automated object detection approaches.
JournalismMany journalists are interested in using drones for
newsgathering. The College of Journalism and Mass Communications at
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has established the Drone
Journalism Lab. The University of Missouri also has created the
Missouri Drone Journalism Program. The Professional Society of
Drone Journalists was established in 2011 and describes itself as
"the first international organization dedicated to establishing the
ethical, educational and technological framework for the emerging
field of drone journalism." Drones have been especially useful in
covering disasters such as typhoons. A coalition of 11 news
organizations is working with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership
at Virginia Tech on how reporters could use unmanned aircraft to
gather news.Law enforcementMany police departments in India have
procured drones for law and order and aerial surveillance.UAVs have
been used for domestic police work in Canada and the United States;
a dozen US police forces had applied for UAV permits by March 2013.
In 2013 the Seattle Police Departments plan to deploy UAVs was
scrapped after protests. UAVs have been used by U.S. Customs and
Border Protection since 2005. with plans to use armed drones. The
FBI stated in 2013 that they own and use UAVs for the purposes of
"surveillance".Search and rescueUAVs were used in search and rescue
after hurricanes struck Louisiana and Texas in 2008. Predators,
operating between 18,00029,000 feet above sea level, performed
search and rescue and damage assessment. Payloads carried were an
optical sensor and a synthetic aperture radar. The latter can
provide images through clouds, rain or fog, and in daytime or
nighttime conditions, all in real-time. Photos taken before and
after the storm are compared, and a computer highlights areas of
damage.[68][69] Micro UAVs, such as the Aeryon Scout, have been
used to perform search and rescue activities on a smaller scale,
such as the search for missing persons.Armed attacksMQ-1 Predator
UAVs armed with Hellfire missiles have been used by the U.S. as
platforms for hitting ground targets. Armed Predators were first
used in late 2001 from bases in Pakistan and Uzbekistan, mostly
aimed at assassinating high profile individuals (terrorist leaders,
etc.) inside Afghanistan. Since then, there have been many reported
cases of such attacks taking place in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen,
and Somalia. The advantage of using an unmanned vehicle rather than
a manned aircraft in such cases is to avoid a diplomatic
embarrassment should the aircraft be shot down and the pilots
captured, since the bombings take place in countries deemed
friendly and without the official permission of those
countries.Disaster reliefDrones can help in disaster relief by
gathering information from across an affected area to build a
picture of the situation and give recommendations to direct
resources. T-Hawk and Global Hawk drones were used to gather
information about the damaged Fukushima Number 1 nuclear plant and
disaster-stricken areas of the Thoku region after the March 2011
tsunami.