GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE

CHITTORGARH

Department of Electronics Engineering

GROUP-04

DESIGN OF A RADIO CONTROLLED QUAD COPTER

SESSION: 2017-18

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY-:

Mr. JITENDRA KUMAR JAT 1.Vritika Mishra

LECTURER (ELECTRONICS) 2.Renu Baresha
GOVT. POLY. COLLEGE 3.Minal Upadhyay
CHITTORGARH (RAJ.) 4.Pooja Jat
5.Fiza Mansuri

[Approved by AICTE and Affiliated to BTER]

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 A
PROJECT
REPORT
ON
DESIGN OF A RADIO CONTROLLED QUAD COPTER

In Partial Fulfillment of Requirement for the Award of

Diploma of
ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING
2017– 18

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY-:

Mr. JITENDRA KUMAR JAT 1.Vritika Mishra

LECTURER (ELECTRONICS) 2.Renu Baresha
GOVT. POLY. COLLEGE 3.Minal Upadhyay
CHITTORGARH (RAJ.) 4.Pooja Jat
5.Fiza Mansuri

Department of Electronics Engineering

Government Polytechnic College, Chittorgarh (RAJ.)

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This report is submitted in the partial fulfillment of the major
project titled

DESIGN OF A RADIO CONTROLLED QUAD COPTER

It is with deep sense of gratitude and reverence that we

express our sincere thanks to our guide Mr. Jitendra Kumar
Jat for their guidance, encouragement, help and useful
suggestions throughout their untiring and painstaking efforts,
methodical approach served a valuable incentive for
completion of this work.

We would like to express our most sincere gratitude and

appreciations to our head of department Mr. Pankaj Kumar
Tailor for his continued support and encouragement. His
valuable expertise and advice made this work possible.

We shall ever remain indebted to all faculty members of

Govt. Polytechnic College, Chittorgarh.

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 CERTIFICATE
This is to be certify that project on the topic

DESIGN OF A RADIO CONTROLLED QUAD COPTER

Has been successfully completed and submitted by

GROUP – 04

Vritika Mishra
Renu Baresha
Minal Upadhyay
Pooja Jat
Fiza Mansuri

For the fulfillment of award of diploma of

ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING
GOVT. POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE, CHITTORGARH
(BOARD OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION RAJASTHAN)

During the course of project they have worked sincerely and were
good throughout the implementation and presentation of the
project undertaken.

Mr. Pankaj Kumar Tailor Mr. Jitendra Kumar Jat

(H.O.D. ELECTRONICS DEPARTMENT) (PROJECT GUIDE)

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 Abstract

A quadcopter can achieve vertical flight in a stable manner and be used to monitor or collect
data in a specific region such as mapping terrains. Technological advances have reduced the cost
and increase the performance of the low power microcontrollers that allowed the general public
to develop their own quadcopter. The goal of this project is to build, modify, and improve an
existing quadcopter kit to obtain stable flight, gather and store GPS data, and perform auto-
commands, such as auto-landing. The project used an Aeroquad quadcopter kit that included a
frame, motors, electronic speed controllers, Arduino Mega development board, and sensor boards
and used with the provided Aeroquad software. Batteries, a transmitter, a receiver, a GPS module,
and a micro SD card adaptor were interfaced with the kit. The aeroquad software was modified to
properly interface the components with the quadcopter kit. Individual components were tested and
verified to work properly. Calibration and tuning of the PID controller was done to obtain proper
stabilization on each axis using custom PID test benches. Currently, the quadcopter can properly
stabilize itself, determine its GPS location, and store and log data. This report also described the
auto-commands that can be implement at a later stage. Most of the goals in this project have been
achieved, resulting in a stable and maneuverable quadcopter.
 1. Basic Introduction

Over the last few years we have seen a massive growth in the
manufacture and sales of remote control airborne vehicles known as
Quadcopters. These Unmanned Aerial Vehicles have four arms and
fixed pitch propellers which are set in an X or + configuration with X
being the preferred configuration.

They are sometimes referred to as Drones, Quadrotors or

Quadrocopters. In the standard format two propellers will spin in a
clockwise direction with the other two spinning in an anticlockwise
direction allowing the craft to vertically ascend, hover in the air and fly
in a designated direction. The Quadcopters is a simple format with very
few moving parts and has rapidly become a favourite vehicle for remote
control enthusiasts and is widely being used as an effective Aerial
photographic platform. A large majority of the Quadcopters were
originally built by hobbyists who understood the simplicity of the
vehicle. By adding four motors and four propellers to a lightweight
frame constructed of light wood, carbon fibre, or fiber glass then
connecting it to a remote control transmitter via a small control board
fitted with a gyroscopic stabilization system and connected to a Lipo

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battery these craft were relatively simple to construct. Experimentation
has led to the configuration of variations of the Quadcopter by using
different amounts of arms we have seen Tricopters, Hex copters and
Octocopters (with eight arms). Other configurations include a V tail
and an H frame variation . The rapid advances in computing power, the
efficiency of the coreless or brushless motors, smaller microprocessors
the development of batteries and gyroscopic and accelerometer
technology has all led to a proliferation of Quadcopter designs. The
first Quadcopters were not designed for acrobatic flight as the
development was concentrated on simple stable flight patterns but now
this has all changed. Micro and even Nano Quadcopters are being
produced mainly in China that can perform intricate aerobatic moves,
flips and barrel rolls that years ago would have been unthinkable.
Chinese companies like Hubsan have made tiny Nano Quadcopters.
Quadcopters differ from conventional helicopters which use rotors
which are able to vary the pitch of their blades dynamically as they
move around the rotor hub. In the early days of flight, quadcopters (then
referred to as 'quadrotors') were seen as possible solutions to some of
the persistent problems in vertical flight; torque-induced control issues
(as well as efficiency issues originating from the tail rotor, which
generates no useful lift) can be eliminated by counter-rotation and the
relatively short blades are much easier to construct.

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 2. About the project

Quadcopter, also known as quadrotor helicopter or quadrotor, is a

multirotor helicopter that is lifted and propelled by four rotors.
Quadcopters are classified as rotorcraft, as opposed to fixed-wing
aircraft, because their lift is generated by a set of rotors. In a
quadcopter, two of the propellers spin in one direction (clockwise) and
the other two spin the opposite direction (counter clockwise) and this
enables the machine to hover in a stable formation. Firstly the motors
which we used have an obvious purpose: to spin the propellers. Motors
are rated by kilovolts, the higher the kV rating, the faster the motor
spins at a constant voltage. Next the Electric Speed controller or ESC,
is what tells the motors how fast to spin at any given time. We 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 ESC1s 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. Our Quadcopter uses four propellers, each controlled by its
own motor and electronic speed controller. Using accelerometers we
are able to measure the angle of the Quadcopter in terms of X<Y and Z
and accordingly adjust the RPM of each motor in order to self-stabilize
itself. the Quadcopter platform provides stability as a result of the

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counter rotating motors. For Hovering over the skies the flight
controller which is used is the ‘brain’ of the quadcopter.

3. Literature review

The quad rotor project required extensive research into similar systems.
By reviewing others work, we used this insight to develop our system.
To this end, research papers from various quad rotor groups were used
as guides in the early development of the dynamics and control theory.

4. Motivation

This project created a platform to learn about the unmanned aerial

vehicles such as a Quadcopter. This expands the scope of the
electronics engineering education to include the control and the
understanding of the mechanical components. The Quadcopter has
many applications that we are interested to develop like mapping and
video streaming especially in a disaster and dangerous area.
Quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicles are used for surveillance and
reconnaissance by military and law enforcement agencies, as well as
search and rescue missions in urban environments. The military use of
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has grown because of their ability to
operate in dangerous locations while keeping their human operators at
a safe distance. The larger UAVs also provide a reliable long duration,
cost effective, platform for reconnaissance as well as weapons. They

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have grown to become an indispensable tool for the military. One such
example is the Aeryon Scout, created by Canadian company Aeryon
Labs which is a small UAV that can quietly hover in place and use a
camera to observe people and objects on the ground. In addition to the
military uses of the small UAV, we were interested in evaluating
applications in the commercial and industrial sector. Our premise was
that if smaller and cheaper UAVs become readily available, new
markets and uses will emerge. Potential new markets in commercial
and industrial applications include inspecting pipelines or even
inspecting dangerous areas like a meltdown site at a nuclear power
plant. Disaster relief or crop assessment seems also to be likely areas
where small UAVs could be useful. We were also motivated by on-
campus uses such as monitoring parking or quick-look video of an
incident, or monitoring hard to reach locations, or exploration of a
collapsed building or other dangerous location

5. Need of Project

Personal Drones have been all the rage for the past few years, as toys,
and primarily as new devices for capturing amazing aerial photography.
As the technology has matured and become more mainstream, a
number of practical and very interesting uses of Drone technology have
emerged. In the past few months we have seen some amazing
developments in the flying drone industry. Amazon has announced a
service, which will deliver your orders right to your door, and 3D
Robotics, a commercial drone maker, has received $36 million in

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funding. The future of drones flying around everywhere is coming
closer and closer to us.

Roll

Roll moves your quadcopter left or right. It’s done by pushing the right
stick on your transmitter to the left or to the right. It’s called “roll”
because it literally rolls the quadcopter. For example, as you push the
right stick to the right, the quadcopter will angle diagonally downwards
to the right.

Pitch

Pitch is done by pushing the right stick on your transmitter forwards

or backwards. This will tilt the quadcopter, resulting in forwards or
backwards movement.

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 Yaw

This is done by pushing the left stick to left or to the right.

Throttle

Throttle gives the propellers on your quadcopter enough power to get

airborne. When flying, you will have the throttle engaged constantly.
To engage the throttle, push the left stick forwards. To disengage, pull
it backwards.

6. Types of Motors

6.1 Brushed DC Motor:-

Since this type of motor is driven by a DC power supply, it is also called

simply a DC motor. To distinguish it from a permanent magnet
synchronous motor (brushless DC motor), here we will call it a brushed
DC motor. Since it is comparatively economical and easy to drive, the
brushed DC motor is used for a broad range of applications. A brushed
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DC motor generates torque by mechanically switching the direction of
current in coordination with rotation using a commutator and brushes.
Shortcomings of a brushed DC motor include the need for maintenance
due to wear down of the brushes and the production of electrical and
mechanical noise. The PWM duty ratio can by adjusted using a
microcontroller, etc. to change the applied voltage, thus allowing the
speed of rotation and position to be controlled.

6.2 Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (Brushless DC

Motor):-

Take away the commutator and brushes that are the shortcomings of
the brushed DC motor and you have a permanent magnet synchronous
motor (brushless DC motor). Due to the lack of brushes, a brushless
DC motor has excellent device life and low-noise characteristics. Also,
it can achieve great efficiency, so it is used in a broad range of
applications including energy saving home appliances and long-
running industrial applications.

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1. Surface Permanent Magnet (SPM):

This type has a permanent magnet affixed to the outside of the rotor,
and magnetic permeability is constant through all positions.

2. Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM):

This type has a permanent magnet embedded inside the rotor, and since
the magnetic permeability varies with position, reluctance torque can
be used. Since there is no structure for mechanically switching the
direction of current, this needs to be performed electronically using an
inverter circuit. By driving an inverter circuit using a microcontroller a
three-phase alternating-current voyage is applied to the stator,
generating a rotating magnetic field.

6.3 Three-phase induction motor:-

A three-phase induction motor is an induction motor driven on a three-

phase alternating current power source. A rotating magnetic field is
produced by passing a three-phase alternating current through a stator,
and an induced current is generated in the rotor by electromagnetic
induction. This rotating magnetic field and induced current generate an

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electromagnetic force, which causes the rotor to rotate. Since the
magnetic field needs to move in respect to the rotor in order to generate
an induced current, the speed of rotation of the rotor is always slower
than the synchronous speed of the rotating magnetic field. The
difference between the frequency of the rotating magnetic field and the
frequency equivalent to the speed of rotation is called the slip
frequency. The generated torque is proportional to the slip frequency.
The structure of a three-phase induction motor is simple and sturdy.
Because it is easy to use for large power motors and has relatively good
efficiency, it is often used in industrial segments. However, due to the
aforementioned slip frequency, it is unsuitable for position control. In
many cases, the three-phase alternating-current used at factories and so
on is input directly to drive the motor at a constant speed. For
adjustable-speed energy-saving applications which value efficiency,
the motor can be inverter driven to control torque.

Figure:- Three phase induction motor

11.4 Single-Phase Induction Motor (Universal Motor):-

Single-phase induction motors are a type of induction motor which as

the name implies operate on a single-phase alternating-current power

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source. Since self-starting is not possible with single-phase alternating
current, the motor needs a way to start. Single-phase induction motors
can be divided into the following three main types, depending on the
way they start.

Capacitor: A capacitor splits phases to produce a two-phase

alternating current to obtain starting torque.

Split Phase: A starter coil with low inductance is used to obtain a

starting torque.

Shaded Pole: A shaded pole produces an induced current, which is

used to obtain a starting torque. In many cases, the single-phase
alternating-current used in homes and so on is input directly to drive
the motor at a constant speed. The AC voltage phase can be controlled
using a triac to control the speed of rotation.

Figure:-Single phase induction motor

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 7. Propellers

Here in this project quadcopter there arises the need of two types of
propellers to need the purpose of flight. A pair of clockwise (CW) and
anticlockwise (ACW) propellers are needed. The care should be taken
in finalizing the dimensions of the propellers. A propeller is a type of
fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A
pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces
of the air foil-shaped blade, and a fluid (such as air or water) is
accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modelled by
both Bernoulli's principle and Newton's third law. A marine propeller
is sometimes colloquially known as pitch of the screw. Generally,
increased propeller pitch and length will draw more current. Also the
pitch can be defined as the travel distance of one single prop rotation.
In a nutshell, higher pitch means slower rotation, but will increase your
vehicle speed which also use more power. When deciding on length
and pitch, you need to find a good balance. Generally a prop with low
pitch numbers can generate more torque. The motors don’t need to
work as hard so it pulls less current with this type of prop. If you want
to do acrobatics, you will need torque propellers which provide more
acceleration and it puts less pressure on the power system. Lower pitch
propellers will also improve stability. A higher pitch propeller moves
greater amount of air, which could create turbulence and cause the
aircraft to wobble during hovering. If you notice this with your
quadcopter, try to choosing a lower pitched propeller. When it comes
to the length, propeller efficiency is closely related to the contact area

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of a prop with air, so a small increase in prop length will increase the
propeller efficiency. (Pretty much like swimmers with larger hands and
feet can swim faster, but also more tiring for them)

8. Fly sky Transmitter and Receiver

Fly sky Transmitter and Receiver which we are using is CT6B which
has 6 channels. It Requires a PC to change the channel variables,
mixing and servo reversing. The radio transmitter and receiver allow
you to control the Quadcopters. There are many suitable models
available, but you will need at least four channels for a basic
Quadcopters. In electronics and telecommunications a radio transmitter
is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio
waves.

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8.1Transmitter:-

The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current,

which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating
current, the antenna radiates radio waves. The term transmitter is
usually limited to equipment that generates radio waves for
communication purposes; or radiolocation, such as radar and
navigational transmitters. A transmitter can be a separate piece of
electronic equipment, or an electrical circuit within another electronic
device. A transmitter and receiver combined in one unit is called a
transceiver. The purpose of most transmitters is radio communication
of information over a distance. The information is provided to the
transmitter in the form of an electronic signal, such as an audio (sound)
signal from a microphone, a video (TV) signal from a TV camera, or
in wireless networking devices a digital signal from a computer. The
transmitter combines the information signal to be carried with the radio
frequency sial which generates the radio waves, which is often called
the carrier. This process is called modulation. A radio transmitter is an
electronic circuit, which transforms electric power from a battery or
electrical mains into a radio frequency alternating current, which
reverses direction millions to billions of times per second. The energy
in such a rapidly reversing current can radiate off a conductor (the
antenna) as electromagnetic waves (radio waves).

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8.2Receiver:-

A radio receiver is an electronic circuit that receives its input from an

antenna, uses electronic filters to separate a wanted radio signal from
all other signals picked up by this antenna, amplifies it to a level
suitable for further processing, and finally converts through
demodulation and decoding the signal into a form usable for the
consumer, such as sound, pictures, digital data, measurement values,
navigational positions, etc. The receiver is the receiving end of a
communication channel. It receives decoded messages/information
from the sender, who first encoded them. Sometimes the receiver is
modelled so as to include the decoder. Real-world receivers like radio
receivers cannot be expected to receive as much information as
predicted by the noisy channel coding theorem.

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 9. Principle of Operation

1. Frame principle: Frame is the structure that holds all the

components together. The Frame should be rigid, and be able to
minimize the vibrations coming from the motors. Quadcopter frame
consists of two to three parts which don’t necessarily have to be of the
same material: The center plate where the electronics are mounted.

Most available materials for the frame are:

(a)Carbon Fiber

(b)Aluminium

(c)Wood such as Plywood or MDF (Medium-density fiberboard)

Carbon fiber is most rigid and vibration absorbent out of the three
materials but also the most expensive. Hollow aluminium square rails
are the most popular for the Quadcopters’ arms due to its relatively light
weight, rigidness and affordability. However aluminium could suffer
from motor vibrations, as the damping effect is not as good as carbon
fiber. In cases of severe vibration problem, it could mess up sensor
readings. Wood board such as MDF plates could be cut out for the
arms as they are better at absorbing the vibrations than aluminium.
Unfortunately the wood is not a very rigid material and can break easily
in Quadcopter crashes. As for arm length, the term “motor-to-motor
distance” is sometimes used, meaning the distance between the centers
of one motor to that of another motor of the same arm in the Quadcopter
terminology. The motor to motor distance usually depends on the

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diameter of the propellers. To make you have enough space between
the propellers and they don’t get caught by each other.

2. Flying Principle:-

A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting motion

into thrust. Propeller dynamics can be modelled by both Bernoulli’s
principle and Newton’s third law. The principle and working of a
propeller is based on Bernoulli’s Principle and Newton’s Third Law
Bernoulli’s principle states that for an in viscid flow, an increase in the
speed of the fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or
a decrease in the fluid’s potential energy. Newton’s third law states that
every action has an equal and opposite reaction. An aero foil of a
propeller is shaped so that air flows faster over the top than under the
bottom. There is, therefore, a greater pressure below the aero foil than
above it. This difference in pressure produces the lift. Lift coefficient
is a dimensionless coefficient that relates the lift generated by an
aerodynamic body such as a wing or complete aircraft, the dynamic
pressure of the fluid flow around the body, and a reference area
associated with the body.

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 Figure:- Take Off Motion Figure:- Landing Motion

Figure:- Forward Motion Figure:- Back ward Motion

Figure:- Right Motion Figure:- Left Motion

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 Figure:- Pitch direction Figure:- Roll direction

Figure:- Yaw direction

10. Applications

1. Pick and drop:

This is the modern era application of drones, they can carry weights up
to certain limit and delivery them to the destination. Best example
amazon and DHL are considering drone based delivery services for
their products.

2. Toy for children:

Micro or mini drones are specially designed for kids that are easy to
control and use.

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3. Air inspection:

Drones are used in aircraft companies in inspecting the aircraft before

take-off & landing.

4. Communication Purpose:

Now a days drones are used for Telecom relay and signal coverage
survey.

5. Aerial Photography:

This application is widely used now a days. Music concerts or any

functions where there is a large gathering of people, they can be
photographed using aerial only.

6. Ambulance Drone:

Ambulance drones was implemented successfully in Finland, these

drones carry the equipment necessary for emergency condition. The
basic fir aid kit will also be present in this drone.

7. Military Applications:

(a)Tracking

(b)Drones with the help of gps can track particular person or vehicle
movement.

(c)Identifying enemy movements

(d)In search and rescue operations

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(e)Many military operations uses drones for live coverage of the
mission .Rescuing hostages and civilians is the main objectives of these
operations. Drones are used to check the condition of the hostages

(f)Video surveillance

8. Fire Control:

Fires caused in forests due to various reasons are very difficult to

control. These can be controlled effectively by means of drone. Drones
will carry water of some sort of solutions. Drone installed with gas
sensors helps to detect the amount of gases present in the particular area
in the atmosphere.

9. Wild life surveillance:

Many wild life species are going to extinct now a days due to radiation,
hunters etc. . .this can be prevented by tracking and surveillance of wild
life animals.

10. Industrial Applications:

(a)Inspection in areas where humans can't go

(b)Spotting leakages

(c)Construction/Surveying

11. Pesticide sprinkler:

The revolutionising concept of drone farming was being developed in

many countries in which drones with the help of sprinklers sprinkle the
pesticide in the fields and also used for video surveillance of the fields.

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 11. Limitations

They do however, have a few disadvantages. Not having a pilot on

board means that human intuition is lost which can sometimes be a
helpful tool in a number of the UAVs uses. Also in warfare, not being
on the aircraft and seeing the destruction and killing first hand has been
argued to desensitize the UAV operators as they see people only as a
blip on a screen and therefore can become ‘trigger happy’ and not
worry so much about the civilian casualties. ‘Analysis by an American
think tank The Brookings Institution on drone attacks in Pakistan has
shown that for every militant leader killed, 10 civilians also have died.

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