Blog - Oscarliang - Net - Build A Quadcopter Beginners Tutorial 1
This document provides an overview of the key hardware components needed to build a quadcopter from scratch, including the frame, motors, propellers, battery, sensors, microcontroller, and transmitter. It discusses each component in 1-2 sentences, focusing on essential details like the materials used for frames, how brushless motors work compared to DC motors, and examples of sensors and microcontrollers commonly used. The document aims to help readers understand the basic hardware choices involved in constructing their own quadcopter.
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Blog - Oscarliang - Net - Build A Quadcopter Beginners Tutorial 1
This document provides an overview of the key hardware components needed to build a quadcopter from scratch, including the frame, motors, propellers, battery, sensors, microcontroller, and transmitter. It discusses each component in 1-2 sentences, focusing on essential details like the materials used for frames, how brushless motors work compared to DC motors, and examples of sensors and microcontrollers commonly used. The document aims to help readers understand the basic hardware choices involved in constructing their own quadcopter.
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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L L o o g g ii nn R R e e g g ii s s tt e e rr
Build A Quadcopter From
Scratch Hardware OvervieW How To Build A Quadcopter Choosing Hardware In this article I will e tal!ing aout "uadcopter components and how to choose them# This is part o$ the tutorial series on how to uild a "uadcopter# In the ne%t post I will e tal!ing aout so$tware& how to go aout the algorithm and programming# I$ 'ou are planning on uilding a "uadcopter ut not sure how& this is the right place $or 'ou# (oing research is prett' oring& so I am tr'ing to put tutorial aout "uadcopter& hope it helps 'ou as much as it helped me# Building a "uadcopter $rom scratch ta!es a lot o$ time and e$$ort# I$ 'ou are inpatient& a$raid o$ programming)maths and has a good udget& 'ou can *ust u' a pre+uilt !it# ,ou could get it assemled within minutes e$ore it-s $l'ing .For e%ample& li!e t h i s on e /# But I have to sa'& 'ou are missing the $un part o$ uilding a "uadcopter# From choosing the parts& designing the circuits& to programming& 'ou will e involved in ever' aspect o$ uilding a "uadcopter& and it-s F012 For more tutorials& chec! out this li s t# I$ 'ou have an' "uestions& $eel $ree to as! on this "u a d c op t e r m e ss a g e o a r d # This log post is divided into a three parts What is a Quadcopter and How It Wor! Quadcopter Components Introduction Conclusion What Is A QuadCopter and How It Wor!s A Q uad C op t e r is a helicopter with $our rotors& so it-s also !nown as "uadrotor# Because o$ its uni"ue design comparing to traditional helicopters& it allows a more stale plat$orm& ma!ing "uadcopters ideal $or tas!s such as surveillance and aerial photograph'# And it is also getting ver' popular in 0A3 research in recent 'ears# The Quadcopters e%ist in man' di$$erent si4es# From as small as a C( up to something as ig as one meter in width# On a regular helicopter has one ig rotor to provide all the li$ting power and a little tail rotor to o$$set the aerod'namic tor"ue generated ' the ig rotor .without it& the helicopter would spin almost as $ast as the propeller/ 0nli!e a helicopter& a "uadrotor has $our rotors all wor! together to produce upward thrust and each rotor li$ts onl' 5)6 o$ the weight& so we can use less power$ul and there$ore cheaper motors# The "uadcopter-s movement is controlled ' var'ing the relative thrusts o$ each rotor# These rotors are aligned in a s"uare& two on opposite sides o$ the s"uare rotate in cloc!wise direction and the other two rotate in the opposite direction# I$ all rotors turn in the same direction& the cra$t would spin would spin *ust li!e the regular helicopter without tail rotor# .i$ 'ou are not sure what I mean& chec! out t h i s v i deo / ,aw is induced ' unalanced aerod'namic tor"ues# The aerod'namic tor"ue o$ the $irst rotors pair cancelled out with the tor"ue created ' the second pair which rotates in the opposite direction& so i$ all $our rotors appl' e"ual thrust the "uadcopter will sta' in the same direction# To maintain alance the "uadcopter must e continuousl' ta!ing measurements $rom the sensors& and ma!ing ad*ustments to the speed o$ each rotor to !eep the od' level# 0suall' these ad*ustments are done autonomousl' ' a sophisticated control s'stem on the "uadcopter in order to sta' per$ectl' alanced# A "uadcopter has $our controllale degrees o$ $reedom7,aw& 8oll& 9itch& and Altitude# :ach degree o$ $reedom can e controlled ' ad*usting the thrusts o$ each rotor# ,aw .turning le$t and right/ is controlled ' turning up the speed o$ the regular rotating motors and ta!ing awa' power $rom the counter rotating; ' ta!ing awa' the same amount that 'ou put in on the regular rotors produces no e%tra li$t .it won-t go higher/ ut since the counter tor"ue is now less& the "uadrotor rotates as e%plained earlier#<#+ control ecomes a matter o$ which motor gets more power and which one gets less# 8oll .tilting le$t and right/ is controlled ' increasing speed on one motor and lowering on the opposite one# 9itch .moving up and down& similar to nodding/ is controlled the same wa' as roll& ut using the second set o$ motors# This ma' e !inda con$using& ut roll and pitch are determined $rom where the =$ront> o$ the thing is& and in a "uadrotor the' are asicall' interchangeale; ut do ta!e note that 'ou have to decide which wa' is $ront and e consistent or 'our control ma' go out o$ control# For e%ample& to roll or pitch& one rotor-s thrust is decreased and the opposite rotor-s thrust is increased ' the same amount# This causes the "uadcopter to tilt# When the "uadcopter tilts& the $orce vector is split into a hori4ontal component and a vertical component# This causes two things to happen7 First& the "uadcopter will egin to travel opposite the direction o$ the newl' created hori4ontal component# Second& ecause the $orce vector has een split& the vertical component will e smaller& causing the "uadcopter to egin to $all# In order to !eep the "uadcopter $rom $alling& the thrust o$ each rotor must then e increased to compensate# This illustrates how the ad*ustments made $or each degree o$ $reedom must wor! together to achieve a desired motion# 1ow& uilding and $l'ing a "uadrotor $rom a remote control is simple and $un and stu$$& ut people noting the inherentl' stale $light .in theor' with e"ual speed o$ the motors the thing !eeps itsel$ level/ and ease o$ control .onl' three $unctions and the' are all asicall' ta!e speed $rom one and put in the other/& people love to ma!e them autonomous .$lies itsel$/ and semi+autonomous .at least !eeps itsel$ level ' responding to disturances and error/# Quadcopter Components Introduction There are sensors connected to a microcontroller to ma!e the decision as to how to control the motors# (epending on how autonomous 'ou want it to e& one or more o$ these sensors are used in comination# In this section& I will tal! aout these essential "uadcopter components7 Frame The structure that holds all the components together# The' need to e designed to e strong ut also lightweight# 8otors Brushless (C motors that can provide the necessar' thrust to propel the cra$t# :ach rotor needs to e controlled separatel' ' a speed controller# 9ropeller Batter' 9ower Source I?0 Sensors ?icrocontroller The Brain 8C Transmitter Optional Be$ore we go into e%plaining how to choose each components& we can ta!e a loo! some "uadcopters that people have uilt& and the parts the' used to get a rough idea# I didn-t uild these planes& so I can-t guarantee their per$ormance# ? u l t i c op t e r : % a m p l e s 9 a g e Frame Frame is the structure that holds all the components together# The Frame should e rigid& and e ale to minimi4e the virations coming $rom the motors# A QuadCopter $rame consists o$ two to three parts which don-t necessaril' have to e o$ the same material7 The center plate where the electronics are mounted Four arms mounted to the center plate Four motor rac!ets connecting the motors to the end o$ the arms ?ost availale materials $or the $rame are7 Caron Fier Aluminium Wood& such as 9l'wood or ?(F .?edium+densit' $ireoard/ Caron $ier is most rigid and viration asorent out o$ the three materials ut also the most e%pensive# Hollow aluminium s"uare rails is the most popular $or the QuadCopters- arms due to its relativel' light weight& rigidness and a$$ordailit'# However aluminium could su$$er $rom motor virations& as the damping e$$ect is not as good as caron $ier# In cases o$ severe viration prolem& it could mess up sensor readings# Wood oard such as ?(F plates could e cut out $or the arms as the' are etter at asoring the virations than aluminium# 0n$ortunatel' the wood is not a ver' rigid material and can rea! easil' in "uadcopter crashes# Although it is not as important as $or the arms which o$ the three material to use $or the center plate& pl'wood is most commonl' seen ecause o$ its the light weight& eas' to wor! with and good viration asoring $eatures# As $or arm length& the term =motor+to+motor distance> is sometimes used& meaning the distance etween the center o$ one motor to that o$ another motor o$ the same arm in the QuadCopter terminolog'# The motor to motor distance usuall' depends on the diameter o$ the propellers# To ma!e 'ou have enough space etween the propellers and the' don-t get caught ' each other# @Aive e%ampleB Brushless ?otors A little ac!ground o$ Brushless motor# The' are a it similar to normal (C motors in the wa' that coils and magnets are used to drive the sha$t# Though the rushless motors do not have a rush on the sha$t which ta!es care o$ switching the power direction in the coils& and this is wh' the' are called rushless# Instead the rushless motors have three coils on the inner .center/ o$ the motor& which is $i%ed to the mounting# On the outer side it contains a numer o$ magnets mounted to a c'linder that is attached to the rotating sha$t# So the coils are $i%ed which means wires can go directl' to them and there$or there is no need $or a rush# Aenerall' rushless motors spin in much higher speed and use less power at the same speed than (C motors# Also rushless motors don-t lose power in the rush+transition li!e the (C motors do& so it-s more energ' e$$icient# Brushless motors come in man' di$$erent varieties& where the si4e and the current consumption di$$er# When selecting 'our rushless motor 'ou should ta!e care o$ the weight& the si4e& which !ind o$ propeller 'ou are going to use& so ever'thing matches up with the current consumption# When loo!ing $or the rushless motors 'ou should notice the speci$ications& especiall' the =C v +r a t i ng =# The Cv+rating indicates how man' 8 9 ? s .8evolutions per minute/ the motor will do i$ provided with %+numer o$ volts# The 89?s can e calculated in this wa'7 89?DCvE0 An eas' wa' to calculate rating o$ motor 'ou need& chec! out the online calculator e C a l c # It-s an ama4ing tool that helps 'ou decide what components to purchase depending on the pa'load that 'ou want to carr'# ?a!e sure 'ou u' the counter+rotating to counteract the tor"ue e$$ect o$ the props# I have written a more c o m p l e t e gu i d e o n ho w t o c hoo s e ? o t o r an d p r ope ll e r# 9ropellers On each o$ the rushless motors there are mounted a propeller# ,ou might not have noticed this on the pictures& ut the 6 propellers are actuall' not identical# ,ou will see that the $ront and the ac! propellers are tilted to the right& while the le$t and right propellers are tilted to the le$t# Fi!e I mentioned e$ore& G rotors rotates in the opposite directions to the other two to avoid od' spinning# B' ma!ing the propeller pairs spin in each direction& ut also having opposite tilting& all o$ them will provide li$ting thrust without spinning in the same direction# This ma!es it possile $or the QuadCopter to staili4e the 'aw rotation& which is the rotation around itsel$# The propellers come in di$$erent diameters and pitches .tilting/# ,ou would have to decide which one to use according to 'our $rame si4e& and when that decision is made 'ou should chose 'our motors according to that# Some o$ the standard propeller si4es used $or QuadCopters are7 :995H6I 5H diameter and 6#I pitch this is the most popular one& good $or mid+si4ed "uads A9C 5H6J 5H diameter and 6#J pitch much similar to the one aove :99HK6I K diameter and 6#I pitch regularl' used in smaller "uads :995G6I 5G diameter and 6#I pitch used $or larger "uads which re"uires lot o$ thrust :99HL<K L diameter and <#K pitch used in smaller "uads Aerod'namics is *ust wa' too comple% $or non+academic ho'ists# It-s even unli!el' we can e%plain all that theor' stu$$ in a $ew words# But in general when selecting propellers 'ou can alwa's $ollow these rules7 1. The larger diameter and pitch the more thrust the propeller can generate# It also re"uires more power to drive it& ut it will e ale to li$t more weight# 2. When using high 89? .8evolutions per minute/ motors 'ou should go $or the smaller or mid+si4ed propellers# When using low 89? motors 'ou should go $or the larger propellers as 'ou can run into troules with the small ones not eing ale to li$t the "uad at low speed# Anal'sis o$ 9ropeller 9itch& (iameter& and 89? 9itch 3S (iameter7 the diameter asicall' means area while pitch means e$$ective area# So with the same diameter& larger pitch propeller would generate more thrust and li$t more weight ut also use more power# A higher 89? o$ the propeller will give 'ou more speed and maneuverailit'& ut it is limited in the amount o$ weight it will e ale to li$t $or an' given power# Also& the power drawn .and rotating power re"uired/ ' the motor increases as the e$$ective area o$ the propeller increases& so a igger diameter or higher pitch one will draw more power at the same 89?& ut will also produce much more thrust& and it will e ale to li$t more weight# In choosing a alanced motor and propeller comination& 'ou have to $igure out what 'ou want 'our "uadcopter to do# I$ 'ou want to $l' around stal' with heav' su*ect li!e a camera& 'ou would proal' use a motor that manages less revolutions ut can provide more tor"ue and a longer or higher pitched propeller .which uses more tor"ue to move more air in order to create li$t/# :SC :lectronic Speed Controller The rushless motors are multi+phased& normall' < phases& so direct suppl' o$ (C power will not turn the motors on# Thats where the :lectronic Speed Controllers .:SC/ comes into pla'# The :SC generating three high $re"uenc' signals with di$$erent ut controllale phases continuall' to !eep the motor turning# The :SC is also ale to source a lot o$ current as the motors can draw a lot o$ power# The :SC is an ine%pensive motor controller oard that has a atter' input and a three phase output $or the motor# :ach :SC is controlled independentl' ' a 99? signal .similar to 9W?/# The $re"uenc' o$ the signals also var' a lot& ut $or a Quadcopter it is recommended the controller should support high enough $re"uenc' signal& so the motor speeds can e ad*usted "uic! enough $or optimal stailit' .i#e# at least GHH H4 or even etter <HH H4 99? signal/# :SC can also e controlled through IGC ut these controllers are much more e%pensive# When selecting a suitale :SC& the most important $actor is the source current# ,ou should alwa's choose an :SC with at least 5H A or more in sourcing current as what 'our motor will re"uire# Second most important $actor is the programming $acilities& which means in some :SC 'ou are allowed to use di$$erent signals $re"uenc' range other than onl' etween 5 ms to G ms range& ut 'ou could change it to whatever 'ou need# This is especiall' use$ul $or custom controller oard# Batter' As $or the power source o$ the "uadcopter& I would recommend Fi9o Batter' ecause $irstl' it is light& and secondl' its current ratings meet our re"uirement# 1i?H is also possile# The' are cheaper& ut it-s also a lot heavier than Fi9o Batter'# Batter' 3oltage Fi9o atter' can e $ound in a single cell .<#J3/ to in a pac! o$ over 5H cells connected in series .<J3/# A popular choice o$ atter' $or a QuadCopter is the <S95 atteries which means three cells connected in series as one parallel& which should give us 55#53# Batter' Capacit' As $or the atter' capacit'& 'ou need to do some calculations on7 How much power 'our motors will drawM (ecide how long $light time 'ou wantM How much in$luence the atter' weight should have on the total weightM A good rule o$ thum is that 'ou with $our :995H6I propellers and $our CvD5HHH rated motor will get the numer o$ minutes o$ $ull throttle $light time as the same numer o$ amp+hours in 'our atter' capacit'# This means that i$ 'ou have a 6HHHmAh atter'& 'ou will get around 6 minutes o$ $ull throttle $light time though with a 5CA total weight 'ou will get around 5N minutes o$ hover# Batter' (ischarge 8ate Another important $actor is the discharge rate which is speci$ied ' the C+value# The C+value together with the atter' capacit' indicates how much current can e drawn $rom the atter'# ?a%imum current that can e sourced can e calculated as7 ?a%Current D (ischarge8ate % Capacit' For e%ample i$ there is a atter' that has a discharge rate o$ <HC and a capacit' o$ GHHH mAh# With this atter' 'ou will e ale to source a ma%imum o$ <HC%GHHHmAh D NHA# So in this case 'ou should ma!e sure that the total amount o$ current drawn ' 'our motors won-t e%ceed NHA# This t u t o r i a l a ou t a tt e r ' I $ound ver' in$ormative# I?0 Inertial ?easurement 0nit The Inertial ?easurement 0nit .I?0/ is an electronic sensor device that measures the velocit'& orientation and gravitational $orces o$ the "uadcopter# These measurements allow the controlling electronics to calculate the changes in the motor speeds# The I?0 is a comination o$ the <+a%is accelerometer and <+a%is g'roscope& together the' represent a N(OF I?0# Sometimes there is also an additional <+a%is magnetometer $or etter ,aw stailit' .in total L(OF/# How does I?0 wor! The accelerometer measures acceleration and also $orce& so the downwards gravit' will also e sensed# As the accelerometer has three a%is sensors& we can wor! out the orientation o$ the device# A g'roscope measure angular velocit'& in other words the rotational speed around the three a%is# 0sing Onl' AccelerometerM With the accelerometer alone& we should e ale to measure the orientation with re$erence to the sur$ace o$ earth# But the accelerometer tends to e ver' sensitive and unstale sometimes& when motor viration is ad& it could mess up the orientation# There$ore we use a g'roscope to address this prolem# With oth the accelerometer and g'roscope readings we are now ale to distinguish etween movement and viration# 0sing Onl' A'roscopeM Since the g'roscope can tell us the rotational movement& wh' can-t we *ust use the g'roscope aloneM The g'roscope tends to dri$t a lot& which means that i$ 'ou start rotating the sensor& the g'roscope will output the angular velocit'& ut when 'ou stop it doesn-t necessaril' go ac! to H deg)s# I$ 'ou then *ust used the g'roscope readings 'ou will get an orientation that continues to move slowl' .dri$ts/ even when 'ou stopped rotating the sensor# This is wh' oth sensors has to e used together to calculate a good and use$ul orientation# ?agnetometer The accelerometer cannot sense 'aw rotation li!e it can with roll and pitch& and there$ore a magnetometer is sometimes used# A magnetometer measures the directions and strength o$ the magnetic $ield# This magnetic sensor can e used to determine which wa' is south and north# The pole locations are then used as a re$erence together with the ,aw angular velocit' around $rom the g'roscope& to calculate a stale ,aw angle# I am tr'ing to !eep the theor' and maths minimal here& and I will go into more detail in the ne%t couple o$ tutorials# Bu'ing an I?0 These three sensors are availale individuall' on the mar!et# But it is easier $or development to get an I?0 sensor oard with the $irst two sensors .N(OF/ or all three sensors .L(OF/# The raw sensor oards can communicate with the microcontroller via IGC or analogue# (igital oards that support IGC is easier and $aster $or development& ut Analogue ones are cheaper# There are even complete I?0 units with processor availale# 0suall' the processor is a small K+it microprocessor which runs computations some !ind o$ algorithms to wor! out the 9itch& 8oll and ,aw# The calculated data will then e put out on a serial us or sometimes also availale ' IGC or S9I# The choice o$ I?0 is going to narrow down what t'pe o$ controller oard 'ou can use# So e$ore purchasing an I?0 oards 'ou should $ind out in$ormation aout the controller oards# Some controller oards even comes with uilt+in sensors# Some commerciall' availale I?0 sensors oards7 S p a r ! $ u n L ( O F s t i c ! S p a r ! $ u n N ( O F c o m o o a r d F r ee I ? 0 I?0 with processor7 S p a r ! $ u n L ( O F 8 a 4 o r ? ongoo s e L ( O F .5H ( O F / A r du I ? 0 Flight Controller Controlling electronics ,ou can either u' a controller oard that is speciall' designed $or "uadcopter or u' all the parts and assemle one 'oursel$# Some o$ the controller oards alread' contain the re"uired sensors while other re"uires 'ou to u' these on a separate oard# Here is a comprehensive list o$ read' to go $light controller oards7 h tt p 7 )) r oo t +! i ngdo m # c o m ) e s t +$ li gh t +c on t r o ll e r +$ o r +"uad c op t e r +and +m u l t i c op t e r ) The AeroQuad ?:AA Shield The AeroQuad oard is a shield $or the Arduino& either the Arduino 01O or the Arduino ?:AA# The AeroQuad oard re"uires the Spar!$un L(OF stic! which is soldered to the shield# The Ardu9ilot oard contains an AT?:AA<GK& the same as on the Arduino 01O# Fi!e the AeroQuad shield this oard doesn-t contain an' sensors either# ,ou would have to u' the ArduI?0 and connect it to the oard to use it# The Open9ilot is a more advanced oard which contains a JG?H4 A8? Corte%+?< processor& the ST?<G# The oard also includes a <+a%is accelerometer and <+a%is g'roscope# Together with the oard comes a great piece o$ so$tware $or the 9C to calirate& tune and especiall' set wa'points $or 'our QuadCopter i$ 'ou have installed a A9S module which I will e tal!ing more aout in the ne%t section# ?a!e ,ou Own Quadcopter Controller Board Alternativel' 'ou can also use general purpose microcontroller& such as Arduino# @Coming soonB 8C Transmitter QuadCopters can e programmed and controlled in man' di$$erent wa's ut the most common ones are ' 8C transmitter in either 8ate .acroatic/ or Stale mode# The di$$erence is the wa' the controller oard interprets the orientations $eedac! together with 'our 8C transmitter *o'stic!s# In 8ate mode onl' the A'roscope values are used to control the "uadcopter# The *o'stic!s on 'our 8C transmitter are then used to control and set the desired rotation speed o$ the < a%es& though i$ 'ou release the *o'stic!s it does not automaticall' re+alance# This is use$ul when doing acroatics with 'our "uadcopter as 'ou can tilt it a it to the right& release 'our *o'stic!s& and then 'our "uadcopter will !eep that set position# For the eginners the 8ate mode might e too di$$icult& and 'ou should start with the Stale mode# All the sensors are used to determine the "uadcopters orientation in the stale mode# The speed o$ the 6 motors will e ad*usted automaticall' and constantl' to !eep the "uadcopter alanced# ,ou control and change the angle o$ the "uadcopter with an' a%is using the *o'stic!# For e%ample to go $orward& 'ou can simpl' tilt one o$ the *o'stic!s to change the pitch angle o$ the "uadcopter# When releasing the *o'stic!& the angle will e reset and the "uadcopter will e alanced again# Chec! here $or a m o r e d e t a il e d 8 C t r a n s m i tt e r a r t i c l e# Optional Components A$ter u'ing all the necessar' parts& and 'ou are still not ro!e& 'ou might consider other popular optional components such as A9S modules& ultrasonic sensors& arometers etc# The' can enhance the per$ormance o$ 'our "uadcopter& and ring more $eatures# A A9S module tal!s to the satellite and retrieve accurate location in$ormation# We can use this in$ormation to calculate speed and path# It is especiall' use$ul $or autonomous "uadcopters which needs to !now its e%act position and which wa' to $l'# An ultrasonic sensor measures the distance to the ground& i#e# altitude# This is use$ul i$ 'ou want to !eep 'our "uadcopter a certain distance $rom the ground without having to ad*ust the height it-s $l'ing at constantl' 'oursel$# ?ost o$ these sensors has a range etween GHcm to Jm# When 'ou gets higher& 'ou might want to use a arometer# This sensor measures humidit' and pressure to wor! out the altitude& so when the "uadcopter is close to the ground .where these two $actors doesn-t change much/& it ecomes ine$$ective# There$ore it is also common to use oth o$ them at the same time# Conclusion Hope$ull' this article has given 'ou a etter understanding what each part o$ the "uadcopter does& and how to go aout selecting the right product $or 'our "uadcopter# 9lease do not hesitate writing a comment or giving us some $eedac! on this article# The ne%t post will e aout the so$tware side o$ the "uadcopter# I$ 'ou are into F93 and 3ideo ta!ing& 'ou might $ind this c o ll e c t i o n o $ F 9 3 v i deo s interesting#