About

Welcome to the largest community for amateur Unmanned Aerial Vehicles! 

This community is the birthplace of ArduPilot, the world's first universal autopilot platform (planes, multicopters of all sorts and ground rovers). Today the Pixhawk autopilot runs a variety of powerful free and open UAV software systems, including:

  • PX4, a pro-quality open source copter, plane, rover and VTOL software stack from the Linux Foundation's Dronecode Project
  • ArduCopter, open source multicopter and heli UAV software
  • ArduPlane, open source software for planes of all types
  • ArduRover, open source software for ground-based vehicles

Top Features of DJI Dock (Drone-in-a-box)


Drones have rapidly transitioned from being just recreational toys to becoming essential tools across various industries. Their versatility and range of applications have made them crucial in everything from search and rescue missions to agriculture. In recent years, advancements in drone technology have made drone operations safer and more efficient for pilots.

During the NestGen'23 keynote, Freda Peng, DJI Global Solutions Engineering Director, emphasized the importance of drone autonomy and its potential to revolutionize industries such as delivery and search and rescue. In this blog post, we will delve deeper into the exciting advancements made by DJI and how they are transforming the way we live and work.

DJI Keynote at NestGen'23

The DJI…

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t41IL5Fv47w

The latest resistance welding technology of T-MOTOR drone motors

The benefits of resistance welding are:
-High degree of automation means high production efficiency and no harmful gases since the welder does not need to worry about fumes or thermal radiation
-Environmentally friendly, generating little waste or pollution
-Different types of metals can be welded, and the heating time is shorter while the heat is concentrated, so the heat-affected zone as well as the deformation and stress are small. Usually, there is no need to arrange calibration and heat treatment procedures after welding
-Does not require filler metals or exotic materials, is environmentally friendly, and generates little waste or pollution

T-MOTOR specializes in motors, ESCs, and propellers used in…

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The FPV Brushless Motor SZ2207  is the best FPV motors for your first drone build. Here’s my top pick of FPV motors, and everything you need to know about choosing the FPV Brushless Motor SZ2207.

What FPV motor is right for your drone?

There are many drone motor products on the market, some are expensive and some are cheap. Expensive motors may not be right for your drone, and cheap motors aren't necessarily bad either. So, how to choose the right drone FPV motor for you?

A good drone motor can generate thrust that is at least 10 times the weight of the drone. Small UAVs require large KV motors and small stators, while larger UAVs require small KV motors and large stators. High thrust is critical for speed, while high torque increases acceleration. Extend flight time with high-efficiency motors.

What are the features to check when shopping for the best drone…

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Pampa Energía, Argentina's largest independent energy company, specializes in the electricity, oil, and gas value chains. Headquartered in Buenos Aires, it engages in intense oil and gas exploration and production activities. It has a presence in 13 production areas and 5 exploration areas in the most significant basins of the nation. 

Through its power plants, the company has attained the capacity to generate about 5,000 barrels of oil and 9 million cubic meters of gas per day. In addition, it produces 4,970 MW of electricity through wind, hydroelectric, and thermal power plants. Listed on the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange (BCBA) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), it thrives on the vision of becoming an emblematic company known for its commitment, growth, and operational excellence.

‍…

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In recent years, with the rapid popularity of drones, more and more agricultural drones have appeared in farmland. However, due to the high price of the finished drone, many people turn their attention to the assembled drone when purchasing.

For startups or DIY enthusiasts, there are currently two options to save money. The first option is to buy parts from traders, such as frames, flight control remotes, batteries, etc. You can choose different configuration models according to your budget.

This way is cheap, but you should study the configurations and find the proper components, as well as a long time to assemble and debug. You may also face the problems of scattered parts, single function, poor fit and much after-sale problems, which saves money but laborious.

The second option is to choose holistic system solution,which can refer EFT' Z series , It is full set with higher configuration ,but shipping…

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How Drone Autonomy and AI are Revolutionizing the Mining Industry: Advancements and Impact

Discover how autonomous drones and AI are transforming the mining industry with improved efficiency, safety, and accuracy. Learn about the latest technological advancements that are driving this revolution.

 
Last updated on
March 13, 2023…
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Drones have rapidly transitioned from being just recreational toys to becoming essential tools across various industries. Their versatility and range of applications have made them crucial in everything from search and rescue missions to…
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 A surveillance drone is used by governments, private companies or military organizations to enhance security and defense missions.The security and defense industry was one of the first to embrace drone technology, with the first military drones…
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Jessica Ma posted a blog post
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t41IL5Fv47wThe latest resistance welding technology of T-MOTOR drone motorsThe benefits of resistance welding are:-High degree of automation means high production efficiency and no harmful gases since the welder does…
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Mar 26
byron posted a blog post
The FPV Brushless Motor SZ2207  is the best FPV motors for your first drone build. Here’s my top pick of FPV motors, and everything you need to know about choosing the FPV Brushless Motor SZ2207.What FPV motor is right for your drone?There are many…
Mar 26
byron updated their profile
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Otschi updated their profile
Mar 26
Otschi posted a discussion
I think it should be possible to have one powerful motor in the center of the drone and distribute its power over the four rotors, the speed of every individual rotor could be varied via a tiny CVTI think I could build the mechanical part all on my…
Mar 26
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Mar 26
Evan Bradley replied to Jim Sci's discussion Dirt-cheap throwaway cargo drone
"The concept of using cheap materials to create a disposable cargo drone is definitely a unique idea and one that could have a lot of potential. I appreciate how you broke down the materials and costs in your article, making it easy for readers to…"
Mar 26
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Site Rules

"Because $10,000 $5,000 $1,000 is too much to pay for an autopilot, especially one that doesn't do exactly what you want."

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV, colloquially known as a "drone") is basically an aerial robot. As we define it, it is capable of both remotely controlled flight (like a regular RC aircraft) and fully-autonomous flight, controlled by sensors, GPS, and onboard computers performing the functions of an autopilot. Our UAVs include airplanes, helicopters, quadcopters and blimps. Most of them are under five pounds, and some of them (especially the blimps) can be used indoors.

We are focused on non-commercial ("recreational") projects by amateurs, although pros are always welcome too. Reasons to make your own UAV range from a fun technical challenge, student contests, aerial photography and mapping (what we call "GeoCrawling"), and scientific sensing. We are primarily interested in civilian, not military, UAV uses here.

If you're new to all this, start here.

DIY Drones is a community based on the Ning social networking platform, and anybody who registers (it's free and easy) can post their own blog entries like this one on the front page, along with starting discussions in the sidebar at left or uploading videos below that. Your registration gives you the ability to do a lot on the site--so feel free to post anything you think will be of interest to this community!

There are other amateur sites out there, from the discussion forums of RC Groups to individual blogs, but DIY Drones is explicitly built as a social network, which means that the community is as important as the content. We're also focused on the most accessible end of the amateur UAV world, with the aim of potentially including high school students.

This means we emphasize amateur UAV projects that are:

  1. Simple: The aim of this project is to create new amateur UAV platforms, including those that could be used for a FIRST-like contest appropriate for students. While we're at it, we'll make amateur UAV development easier for everyone.
  2. Cheap: The target cost of all of our platforms is less than $1,000. You can buy a very good autopilot system for $10,000, but that's not our approach. Cheaper is better, especially with students and schools.
  3. Safe: We follow the current interpretation of the FAA guidelines on small UAVs. Recreational use (non-commercial), under 400 ft altitude, line of sight, "pilot in the loop" and onboard safety systems that always allow for manual control in the case of malfunction. We're building experimental platforms that demonstrate autonomy and the capacity to do real useful UAV work, but we test them in controlled settings. If you want to fly miles out of sight or map cities, we're going to assume you've got the proper FAA clearance or we don't want to know about it.
  4. Participatory: Share and others will share with you. That means that whenever possible, we open source our code and post it online. Everything on this site is published under a Creative Commons "attribution" license, which means that anyone can use or repost it, as long as they give credit to the original author.
  5. Civil: This is a community site of peers helping each other. Bad behavior, from rudeness to foul language, will be deleted. Generosity and kindness is often rewarded with reciprocal behavior and help.

Here are the full set of Site Policies:
 
  1. Civility is paramount. Treat others with respect, kindness and generosity. Some of our most expert members are people who were once total n00bz but were helped and encouraged by others, and are now repaying the favor with the next generation. Remember the Golden Rule. Don't be a jerk to anyone, be they other members, moderators or the owners. This is not a public park, and you have no constitutionally-mandated right to free speech. If you're creating a hostile or unpleasant environment, you'll be warned, then if it continues you'll be suspended.
  2. No discussion of politics or religion. This is not the place to discuss your views on the wisdom of military use of UAVs, any nation's foreign policy, your feelings about war, or anything else that is inclined to turn into a political debate. It is our experience that the rules for good dinner party conversation--no discussion of politics and religion--apply to online communities, too. DIY Drones aims to bring people together, and we find that discussions of politics and religion tend to polarize and drive people apart. There are plenty of other places to discuss those topics online, just not here.
  3. Ask questions in the discussion forum; inform others in blog posts. Submitted blog posts that are just questions and should have been posted in the discussion forum will not be approved. The moderators may or may not message you with the text so you can repost in the right area. To avoid losing your post, put it in the right place from the start.
  4. Blog posts are for informative topics of broad interest to the community. They must start with a picture or video, so the image appears on the front page on the site and gives a sense of the topic as well as inviting people to click in for more. Videos should be embedded (paste the embed code in the HTML tab, not the Rich Text tab). The post should also include links where appropriate. Don't make people do a Google search for what you're talking about if you can provide a link. 
  5. The Discussion Forum is for questions and tech support. We prefer to do all tech support in public, so that others can follow along. If you have a problem, please describe your particular system setup completely, ideally with a photograph, and pick the right forum tags so that others can find the thread later.
  6. No discussion of military or weaponized applications of UAVs. This site is just about amateur and civilian use.
  7. No discussion of illegal or harmful use of UAVs will be tolerated. Responsible use of UAVs is at the core of our mission. That means conforming with all laws in the United States, where this site is based, and insisting that our members elsewhere follow the laws of their own countries. In addition, we feel that part of our responsibility it to help the relevant authorities understand what's possible with amateur UAVs, so they can make better-informed policies and laws. So we have encouraged all relevant regulators, defense agencies and law enforcement agencies to become members here and even participate to help them do that, and many have. In addition, if we see any discussion of UAV use that we feel is potentially illegal or intended to do harm, we will bring it to the attention to the relevant authorities, and will comply with any legal request they make for information about users (although we don't know much that isn't public; see the next item).
  8. Promote safe flying. Moderators may delete postings that they decide are unsafe or promote unsafe activity. This is a judgement call, since it is also healthy to have public discussion about why certain activities are unsafe, but the decision as to whether to leave a post or edit/delete it is at the moderators' discretion. 
  9. Your privacy is protected, up to a point: This is a social network, so everything you write and post here is public, with certain exceptions: 1) Your private messages are private. Administrators are unable to see them, nor can anyone else other than the recipient. Members must not make private messages public without the explicit permission of everyone involved. 2) Your IP address is private. We are hosted on Ning, which controls the server logs. DIY Drones administrators can only see your username and email address; they cannot see your password and do not have access to your account.
  10. Do not publish personal emails or PMs without permission. This is a violation of expected confidentiality (that's why they're called "personal messages") and is grounds for banning.
  11. Do not type in ALL CAPS. It's considered SHOUTING. Posts in all caps will be deleted by the moderators.
  12. Absolutely no personal attacks. It's fine to disagree, but never okay to criticize another member personally.
  13. Share. Although we are not limited to open source projects, the ones that tend to get the most participation tend to be open source. Don't wait until your code or design is "finished"--post it as it is, and you may find that others will help you finish it faster. The best way to contribute is with your creativity--we love data, code, aircraft designs, photos of UAV projects, videos of flights and build logs. Post early and often!
  14. Keep comments open: Authors of blog posts and discussion threads technically have the option to close their comments or approve them before they appear, but we ask members not to do that. We want to encourage a free flow of conversation and blocking or delaying comments only interferes with that. The Moderators are standing by to ensure the conversation remains on-topic and civil, so please leave your comments open and let them do their job.

Single Motor Quadcopter

I think it should be possible to have one powerful motor in the center of the drone and distribute its power over the four rotors, the speed of every individual rotor could be varied via a tiny CVTI think I could build the mechanical part all on my…

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DJI supports Russia

When you buy DJI, you're supporting Russia's war against Ukraine. I've owned several DJI drones, but I will never own another. ... DJI, sent drone parts — like batteries and cameras — via the United Arab Emirates to a small Russian distributor in…

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1 Reply · Reply by OG Mar 23