To get funding for this project, we have been required to log our progress. This is what occurred before building.
So, at the new ideas meeting, we talked about making a quadcopter. Part of the purpose of these projects is to provide interesting and instructional activities for members. As such, I thought we should build our quadcopter from scratch. Searching google for 'diy quadcopter', I came across this. While it is technically a DIY build, it's more like a kit than I want. So I started thinking about what we would need to build our own quadcopter. Obviously, propellers, motors, and a chassis; having no reason not to, I added the ones from the oddcopter.com guide. Other than that, I figured we would need:
- Remote Control - we have various microcontroller systems
- Local Control - no reason not to use a computer for now
- Communication - XBee radios are feature rich, Series 1 is suitable for our purposes
- Stability - an inertial measurement unit, aka a gyroscope and an accelerometer
- Power - a lithium ion polymer battery should work
I decided to add a second IMU and a couple of joysticks for a possible hand-held controller, the idea being tilting the controller tilts the copter. Also, we need a board for computer-to-XBee, a XBee breakout, a lipo breakout/charger, and a couple of motor drivers. The final parts list:
-
HobbyKing.com
- Turnigy H.A.L. (Heavy Aerial Lift) Quadcopter Frame 585mm
- [4] D2830-11 1000kv Brushless Motor
- Slow Fly Electric Prop 9047R SF (4 pc Right Hand Rotation)
- Slow Fly Electric Prop 9047SF (4 pc)
-
SparkFun.com
- [2] Triple Axis Accelerometer & Gyro Breakout
- [2] XBee 1mW Trace Antenna - Series 1 (802.15.4)
- XBee Explorer Dongle
- XBee Explorer Regulated
- [2] H-Bridge Motor Driver 1A
- Polymer Lithium Ion Battery - 6Ah
- Power Cell - LiPo Charger/Booster
- Thumb Slide Joystick
- Thumb Joystick
- Breakout Board for Thumb Joystick
Now we just need to wait for parts (we got approval contingent on weekly blog posts).
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