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First DIY Drone with Raspberry Pi Zero W

Posted by Lenin on April 5, 2017 at 6:42pm

Dear All,

First of all, thanks for your help on this request. I'm looking to put together my first drone. I'll use a kit that includes a Robocat frame (270mm), motors and SimonK 12A ESCs. I'm planning to use a Raspberry Pi Zero W, not necessarily as a flight controller, but to run and experiment with Python code. I'd like to:

- Stream video over WiFi (through the RPi Camera module)

- Operate the drone over WiFi instead of a radio controller.
- GPS
- The usual altimeter, magnetometer and accelerometer.
- Capability to connect to a ground station (for trip planning, GPS monitoring, etc.)

All links point me to using the combination Rpi Zero + XPFMini from Erle robotics, but I was wondering if that's really the best option. I wouldn't mind using a dedicated controller if performance will be better (and price goes down). However, I don't know what flight controllers would be compatible/operable from the Rpi Zero.

Any comments or links pointing me to the right direction will be really appreciated.

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Tags: pxfmini, raspberry pi, raspberry pi zero
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Replies

  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson April 5, 2017 at 7:53pm

    1) Yes

    2) Use the one that comes with PXFMini

    3) Mission Planner, APM Planner or QGroundControl are all good

    3) Use the Wifi

    4) No

    There is great documentation here

    Archived Topic: PXFmini — Copter documentation
  • Lenin April 5, 2017 at 7:34pm

    Chris,

    Thanks for your quick response and advice, it makes sense. I have experience with some DIY projects, programming and soldering, but this will be my first drone. Any recommendations on the following items?:

    - Transmitter/receiver combo (do I really need one if I'm going to operate the drone over WiFi)?

    - GPS

    - Needed software for ground control

    - Telemetry

    - Do you have a camera installed?

    Any tutorial/links will be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks!

  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson April 5, 2017 at 7:06pm

    All the advice you're getting is right. The PXFMini is by far the best option. If you try to spin your own it will take you a year of hard work and cost more than the PXF, or you'll just be cobbling together a tangle of wires and outdated APM boards that will not work as well as the PXF and will still cost as much.. 

    I've been using the Zero with a Wifi dongle (ie, works just like the Zero W) and the PXF for years and it works great. 

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