Quadcopter and UAV Workshop –
Sunday, 2nd March 2025
1. UAV: Unmanned aerial vehicle has no pilot and is completely
controlled on autopilot, there possibly are different types of UAVs.
2. Most drones are made by DGI, however, if used for professional
reasons, you would possibly need a license to operate and if for
personal use, you can use without license.
3. Such drones are not used in movies because of the sensors that
would have stopped between
Construction and Components in a drone
1. Frame: Drone frames serve as the structural backbone of UAVs.
They hold all the essential components together. Frames are Made
of lightweight materials like carbon fiber or plastic to minimize
weight and enhance maneuverability during flight.
2. Flight controller: The flight controller is the brain of the drone. It
processes data from sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes, and
barometers) and adjusts motor speeds to maintain sustainability.
Flight controllers use software algorithms to stabilize the drone and
execute flight commands.
3. Electronic speed controllers (ESC): Electronic speed controller
are essential components in drone technology, serving as the bridge
between the flight controller and the motors. Their primary function
is to regulate the speed of the motors, translating electrical signals
into precise commands that dictate the drone’s movement.
4. Motors: Motors used in drones are sophisticated electromechanical
devices designed to deliver efficient and reliable propulsion. With
their brushless design, three-phase configuration, KV rating, and
various sizes and features, these motors play a vital role in
achieving stable, maneuverable, and high-performance flight
capabilities for a wide range of drone applications.
5. Motor KV provides a way to describe the relationship between the
peak voltage and rotation speed in a brushless motor in a no-load
condition.
The KV rating provides an estimate of how many rotations a
motor will undergo for every volt applied to it.
Higher KV means less thrust, and lower KV means more thrust.
6. Propellers: Propellers, or props, provide the thrust of the flight
system. Attached directly to the motors via the motor shaft, they
spin just as fast as the motors do. There are many different styles
and sizes of props out there, all made with different materials,
different blade pitch, different blade shapes, and different number of
blades.
7. Radio Receiver and Radio controller: The radio receive (Rx) is
the component that makes that takes the commands from the
pilot’s radio controller (Tx) and feeds that information into the flight
controller. Here, you want to choose an Rx that matches up with
your radio controller, often determined by brand and or model of
controller. There are many brands of radio controllers out there, and
this is often up to a pilot’s preference. The receiver should be
placed in an open space, for it to work better.
8. Video Transmitters (VTx’s): VTx’s transmit the video from your
flight camera out in a way that your goggles or ground station can
capture it. They range in size, power, and features, and provide the
pilot with the wireless technology that makes the entire FPV system
possible. The VTx is rated in terms of milliwatts (mW), which gives
the pilot an idea of how far the VTx can transmit. Proper
management of your VTx is one the finer points of learning to fly in
groups, as well as just good manners.
9. Flight Camera: Flight cameras, a derivative of security camera
tech, offer a bird’s eye view from your multirotor. They come in
various sizes and qualities, from basic 600tvl standard definition to
1080p HD, with some specializing in low-light conditions. However,
the higher the camera’s information output, the greater the
potential latency. So, while choosing an FPV camera, it’s crucial to
balance your need for image quality with the system’s overall
latency.
10. Goggles: VTx’s transmit the video from your flight camera
out in a way that your goggles or ground station can capture it. They
range in size, power, and features, and provide the pilot with the
wireless technology that makes the entire FPV system possible. The
VTx is rated in terms of milliwatts (mW), which gives the pilot an
idea of how far the VTx can transmit. Proper management of your
VTx is one the finer points of learning to fly in groups, as well as just
good manners.
11. Batteries: Batteries are the primary power sources of your
multirotor and can have a huge impact not only on how long you fly,
but how powerful your total multirotor is. Multirotor are generally
powered by a battery technology call lithium polymer battery and
are made up of individual cells. Each cell has a voltage rating of 3.7
volts, and by adding more cells to the battery, you add more
voltage. Choosing the right battery is also a very fine balancing act
in terms of weight vs. power. The more weight you add to the
multirotor, the shorter the flights, and the more weight the motors
must push around.
Assembling a drone frame: Flight system and software
Flight Control System
PROPORTIONAL INTEGRAL AND DERIVATIVES (PIDs)
The working principle behind a PID controller is that the proportional (“P”), integral (“I”),
and derivative (“D) terms must be individually adjusted or ‘tuned’. Based on the
difference between these values a correction factor is calculated and applied to the input.
1. Proportional tuning involves correcting a target proportional to
the difference. Thus, the target value is never achieved because as
the difference approaches zero, so too does the applied correction.
Can be said as the reactor.
2. Integral tuning attempts to remedy this by effectively cumulating
the error result from the “P” action to increase the correction factor.
For example, if the oven remained below temperature, “I” would act
to increase the head delivered. However, rather than stop heating
when target is reached, “I” attempts to drive the cumulative error to
zero, resulting in an overshoot. Can be said as the one who keeps in
mind the past incidents.
3. Derivative tuning attempts to minimize this overshoot by slowing
the correction factor applied as the target is approached. It predicts
what could possibly happen to take a reaction.
INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNIT (IMU)
An Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is a device capable of
estimating and reporting specific dynamic states such as angular
velocity and accelerations. From these measurements other
dynamic states can be inferred, such as attitude angles (roll and
pitch), or velocity and position increments of the platform.
COMPONENTS OF AN IMU
1. Accelerometer: An accelerometer is a device that measures the
vibration, or acceleration of motion, of a structure. The force
caused by vibration or a change in motion (acceleration) causes
the mass to “squeeze” the piezoelectric material which produces
an electrical charge that is proportional to the force exerted upon
it.
2. Gyroscopes: measure angular velocity. A mechanical gyroscope
includes a spinning wheel or disc. Thanks to conservation of
angular momentum any change in the orientation of the axis of
the spinning wheel will be registered by the sensor; the change in
orientation of the platform may therefore be calculated.
3. Magnetometers: measure the local magnetic field. A simple
type of magnetometer is a compass, which measures the
direction of the Earth's magnetic field in 2D. In recent years,
magnetometers have been miniaturized (e.g. MEMS sensors).
The Earth's magnetic field is a 3-dimensional vector that, like
gravity, can be used to determine long-term orientation.
Software platforms for the drone
1. Beta flight
2. Ardupilot
3. INAV
4. Kiss Ultra etc.
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