DIY Power Distribution
There are various power distribution boards out there but none really were able to accomplish what I wanted for a previous hexacopter build (six battery inputs, six ESC outputs, and a small power lead for the receiver). I'm in the process of building a new small quadcopter so I figured I document the power distribution this time around. This example is less complex than the first one I made for the hexacopter but it illustrates the same process.
The basic idea is to use copper washers to conduct the power and insulate them with rubber washers. This technique can be used with multiple inputs, multiple outputs, wired leads or only the connectors, made with readily available parts at the hardware store for a few dollars, and is scalable from very small to very large multirotors (or any other project that needs high current power distribution).
This pack of copper washers came from Harbor Freight and has enough washers for dozens of multirotors. If I remember correctly it was something like $6. Individual copper washers can be purchased from hardware stores or automotive stores (used for oil drain plug gaskets).
Everything soldered together and ready to be assembled with the rubber washers. I used a 50 watt soldering iron on this one but had to use a 200 watt soldering gun on a larger version for a hexacopter.
These rubber washers might be a little big but I wanted to be sure no metal was exposed on the outside. They came from Home Depot and were less than a dollar. The rubber washers come in many sizes to suit whatever size copper washers are used.
This is another view from the side to show how they sit together. One is positive and one is negative.
To hold everything together I used some small zip ties to make a power distribution sandwich. Rubber, copper, rubber, cooper, rubber. The layer closest to the camera is positive indicated by the red wire. Once in the frame it can be held down with another zip tie or just by the wires themselves.
Hopefully this will help someone out who either doesn't want to wait for a power distribution board to be shipped or who needs something in a configuration that isn't otherwise available. To be on the safe side check it for continuity with a multimeter before plugging in a battery!
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Comment by patrice.rance on December 20, 2012 at 10:05am -
You have more simple :) you can do that with a double side copper circuit !
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Comment by patrice.rance on December 20, 2012 at 10:10am
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Comment by Luke Olson on December 20, 2012 at 10:28am -
Patrice, yeah, same idea there. Though with the washers there are no exposed connections or surfaces and the washers can handle more current for very large multirotors. There are probably a hundred other ways to distribute power and all are good ways. Thanks for the photo!
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Comment by Marooned on December 20, 2012 at 10:38am -
This is mine octopus
It works well for me.
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Comment by Josh Potter on December 20, 2012 at 12:01pm -
Nice idea Luke. I like the idea of having the plugs on there.
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Comment by Martin Seven on December 20, 2012 at 12:06pm -
I'm flying power rails, the advantage is that you can have a current+voltage sensor on it. This one is for a hexacopter and either one or two batteries (in parallel).
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Comment by Steve on December 20, 2012 at 12:34pm
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Developer Comment by R_Lefebvre on December 20, 2012 at 12:57pm -
What a great idea, I approve! ;)
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Comment by Michael Pursifull on December 20, 2012 at 2:00pm -
I have done both the small copper disks from objects suspiciously similar to pre-1983 pennies and the "octopus" for lower ampere
They both work great. I'll find some photos, cannot upload here w/iPhone.
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Comment by healthyfatboy on December 20, 2012 at 7:12pm -
Regardless of all the nice methods here, just put some Plastidip over both sides when you are done to get a nice, clean look and keep shorts from possibly happening. I used it on a quad and it worked great.
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