hi there HK,
my name is gal and im a senior at the TAU.
I'm trying to build a quadcopter and i would like to know, from your experience, if it will work correctly.
The design:
Processor: Arduino Uno - Rev. 3
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11023
Communication system: Arduino Xbee kit
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9897
Gyro: tri-axes gyro breakout L3G4200D
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10612
Motors: 2725 brushless outrunner motor 1600kV
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__23769__2725_Brushless_Outrunner_Motor_1600kv.html
Propellers: 12x4.5 props 2pc standard rotation /2 pc RH rotation
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__25830__12x4_5_SF_Props_2pc_Standard_Rotation_2_pc_RH_Rotation_Black_.html
ESCs: turnigy multistar 20 Amp multirotor brushless ESC 2-4S
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__25364__Turnigy_Multistar_20_Amp_/Multi_rotor_Brushless_ESC_2_4S.html/
Adapters: propeller adapter (colet type) 3mm
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__5122__Propeller_Adapter_colet_type_3mm.html
Frame: Turnigy talon carbon fiber quadcopter frame
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__22397__Turnigy_Talon_Carbon_Fiber_Quadcopter_Frame.html
Battery: turnigy 2200mAh 3S 40C lipo Pack
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=10279
Charger: hobbyking 50watt 5A X-charger/balancer
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__14857__HobbyKing_50watt_5A_X_Charger_Balancer.html
and i have a few questions.
1) will it work correctly? do i need any other components?
2) do i need another shield for my arduino to allow the arduino to communicate with the ESCs?
3) are the motors powerful enough? will they give me enough thrust?
4) are the adapter i choose correct?
5) is the charger suitable for the battery?
6) do i need another battery for the arduino? what kind of battery?
thx =]
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Replies
Since you really want to use an Arduino board, you can use the MultiWii flight control software which uses a Wii Motion+ as an accelerometer and communicates using i2c with the ATmega328. I would recommend software version 1.7 as it is much easier for beginners to change the code however it only works with arduino 0023 software. There is a very good tutorial on youtube here and the google code website is here. Also, wiring up the quadcopter is simplified here. But I can't help with the decision of motors and ESC's and batteries etc
Also consider getting a Hubsan X4 or Ladybird as your first Quad. I know it sounds silly, but getting your brain used to flying a quad while it's facing you is very hard. And these little quads are fantastic for practice and will save you a ton of money in motor mounts and broken props.
Are you planning on writing your own software to run the quadcopter or are you going to use firmware from an existing project like ArduCopter? If you want to use something like ArduCopter you'll need the ArduPilot Mega board (which has integrated sensors).
I don't see a radio on the list, unless you plan to make your own transmitter you'll need some kind of radio. A Turnigy 9X is the best cheap radio with a lot of channels. There are other cheap radios with fewer channels and features like the Spektrum DX6i and DX5e.
As for the charger, it would get the job done. If you want to charge stuff from a typical AC outlet you'll need a power supply for it too since the charger is meant to run from DC (like a cigarette lighter outlet). Same goes for the battery, it would get the job done but there are better options with more capacity.
Overall based on the components it looks like you want a quadcopter while spending as little as possible. If that's the case maybe try something like this. The quadcopter kit is everything it needs minus the radio. The battery and charger are small and cheap to go with the size of the quadcopter.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__27899__Turnigy_Micro_Qua...
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__19207__Zippy_K_Flightmax...
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__22410__HobbyKing_B3AC_Co...
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__8992__Turnigy_9X_9Ch_Tra...
That would allow you to get started for cheap and learn the basics of a quadcopter like flying, tuning, crashing, etc. From there you could then decide where you want to go like a bigger quadcopter, a more featured controller, or something else entirely. The radio could be used on something else down the road too.
Props are too big.
Battery is to small.
Charger is to weak.
ESC are to small.
For a first flight controller, might want to buy one pre-built like an APM or a Multiwii.
You could go with 7 inch props then everything would look better, but how much will it weight? 7" will carry about 1kg, but not much more.