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

my self-made tracking drone


This video describes shortly the hardware and software aspects of my self-made tracking drone. The major parts are: a holybro frame, a pixhaxk 6c flight controller, a raspberry pi 4, a oak-d camera and 8 sensors (gps, lidar, compass, ...). The tracking relies on a fine-tuned YOLOv8 object detector and a custom python tracking code. The yaw and the pitch of the drone are derived form the height and center of the detected object. A simple obstacle detection…

Read more…

As we know, Turkey is one of important international grain exporter. To enhance agricultural productivity and promote green farming, it is actively adopting agricultural drone technology and supporting local production. EFT, as a global drone solution provider, develop with local Turkish drone companies, offering comprehensive agri drone solutions and component support to advance agricultural drone technology and promotes the drone applications for local fields. 

 

Read more…

PX4 has its own unique advantages; it is preferred and liked by the majority of users. The TF series is a highly cost-effective LiDAR launched by Benewake, which is sought after by the majority of drone users. This tutorial introduces the connection method of TF series PixHawk and configuring over the PX4 firmware. The same procedure can be followed for other flight controllers as long as the right physical port is used. This document is based on QGroundControl v4.0.6 and firmware PX4 v1.11.0. If the ground station or firmware is not fully functional, please upgrade。

Hardware Connection

This article uses Pixhawk as an example to illustrate the connection, as shown below:

 12963694253?profile=RESIZE_584x

Please install the TF Series LiDAR on the multi-rotor, vertically downwards, and ensure that there are no obstacles in front of the lens. Then…

Read more…

Note:This is the High Performance 6S version which includes a 3668-1960Kv inrunner motor with 12-blade EDF and a thrust reversing 120A ESC. just add your own battery with EC5 Connector to begin flying.

in 2024,The Freewing F-16 V2 90mm EDF 6s PNP Jet from Freewing Model showcases a range of performance and design upgrades that elevate realism, flight capability, and convenience. Featuring a striking 64th Aggressors Livery, this model honors the distinguished 64th Aggressor Squadron, part of the legendary Aggressor program initiated in 1972. This squadron played a crucial role in training pilots through dissimilar air combat tactics, emulating potential adversaries.

With quick-release wings, an easier fuselage assembly, and a slide rail system for armament, the updated F-16C 90mm prioritizes ease of use. Additionally, the scale appeal and…

Read more…

How to Install EDF Motor System for Freewing RC Jet
Electric Ducted Fans have opened many doors in the Freewing RC jet, yet they remain somewhat intimidating. Here's how to use them.

For a long time, I stayed away from Freewing EDFs. Told horror stories of fast, expensive RC jets crashing on their maiden flights, the prospect of flying an electric ducted fan airplane was not one I fancied. However, when flown right, it turns out that jets aren't really that scary. All you need is a bit of knowledge of the essentials. As long as you have some experience of flying 4-channel airplanes, you should be good to go. This article covers what you need to know about building, tuning and flying Freewing EDF aircraft. First, though, let's start with the basics.

 

What is a Freewing ducted fan EDF?

A ducted fan EDF is a conventional arrangement of a fan (or multi-bladed propellor) and brushless motor within a shrouded duct. By shrouding the propellor, the ducted fan…

Read more…

Latest Activity

Nathaniel C Key Jr, Wouter Viljoen and Kumar AYUSHMAN joined diydrones
11 hours ago
Ben solara updated their profile
23 hours ago
Dave Cold updated their profile
yesterday
andre van calster posted a blog post
This video describes shortly the hardware and software aspects of my self-made tracking drone. The major parts are: a holybro frame, a pixhaxk 6c flight controller, a raspberry pi 4, a oak-d camera and 8 sensors (gps, lidar, compass, ...). The…
yesterday
dwv99 updated their profile
yesterday
Noah Beck updated their profile
yesterday
Jenny Eastwood updated their profile
Tuesday
John Gross, Lance Holmes, Kerry Gordon and 1 more joined diydrones
Saturday
Nadia Eira replied to AryaKumar's discussion Pixhawk Bicopter
"It sounds like you may be experiencing a problem with the motor and servo configuration. Double check that the motors and servos are connected to the correct channels on the pixhawk and that they are spinning in the correct direction.…"
Oct 3
Aidan Subacz, Lisa K and Cole Anderson joined diydrones
Oct 1
Eric Matyas replied to Eric Matyas's discussion Free Music / SFX Resource for Drone Videos - Over 1800 Tracks
"Happy October Everyone!

I've created a bunch of new free music tracks to share with you:

On my Chiptunes 5 page:

"COIN-OP LOW RIDER"
"COIN-OP LOW RIDER_v001"
https://soundimage.org/chiptunes-5/

On my Puzzle Music 7 page:

"LIGHT PUZZLES 12"…"
Oct 1
Gilson Andrade updated their profile
Sep 29
Nicolas Dunais, Gilson Andrade, Branden Patten and 1 more joined diydrones
Sep 29
Assembly Dronenthusiast posted a blog post
As we know, Turkey is one of important international grain exporter. To enhance agricultural productivity and promote green farming, it is actively adopting agricultural drone technology and supporting local production. EFT, as a global drone…
Sep 29
DRONE1 Vietnam updated their profile
Sep 28
Branden Patten updated their profile
Sep 28
Neil Cooper, Imadudin Harjanto, Michael Arlo and 1 more joined diydrones
Sep 27
Benewake LiDAR posted a blog post
PX4 has its own unique advantages; it is preferred and liked by the majority of users. The TF series is a highly cost-effective LiDAR launched by Benewake, which is sought after by the majority of drone users. This tutorial introduces the connection…
Sep 24
Michael Arlo updated their profile
Sep 24
Jamie Oliver, Eddie Mose, vina and 3 more joined diydrones
Sep 22
More…

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.

Hobbies?

Hello everyone! Recently caught myself thinking that time is merciless, it's consumed by tasks, work, family. And I have no hobbies left. Absolutely none, except PC and mobile games, Aviator of smth like from this. Can you suggest what you do in…

Read more…
1 Reply · Reply by Megan Fox Sep 19