Hello all,
So I'm building my first Quadcopter for a school project and I've decided to base it off the arduCopter linked to at the top of this site. This project is for a design course so its supposed to be a prototype and therefore doesn't have to be perfect.
The parts so far are as follows:
1 x Ardupilot Mega Kit from http://store.diydrones.com/ArduPilot_Mega_kit_p/kt-apm-01.htm
4 x 480/500 Brushless Outrunner Motor & ESC (Gh2217 Series) from http://www.graysonhobby.com/catalog/brushless-outrunner-motor-gh2217-series-p-337.html
4 x GWS Direct Drive Props size 9x5 (yes I know they're smaller then recommended for the above motors but the selection was limited and cost was good) from http://www.graysonhobby.com/catalog/direct-drive-pack-p-928.html
We also have a few xbee modules, arduinos, and a XL-MaxSonar MB1200 range finder, (maybe a CMos camera too) to work with and possibly add on.
This leads me to my last 2 items, The battery and Frame. The frame we plan to build from scratch out of Aluminum tubing and Plexiglas or whatever matterials we can get a hold of that are strong enough and light weight (Kinects maybe just for the fun of it :-p ) Any suggestions on this would be appriciated.
Finally the battery and battery charger. The first We're looking at the ZIPPY Flightmax 4400mAh 3S1P 15C found here http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6504 Does this seem like a good choice? any suggestions for a lighter one or smaller capacity. Not sure what the power requirements are going to look like but it seems like our weight will be about a Kilogram and I'd feel more comfortable with any extra overhead I can get. Whatever I'll get I'll likely get 2 so lets try to keep it inexpensive please. Finally suggestions on a Battery Charger? I'm completely lost here.
Thanks,
A Complete Multicopter Noob
Replies
Hi
Maybe i'm missing something, but i think you need different props. For quad you need 2 "normal" and 2 "reversed" rotating prop unless you are going to make somekind of mechanical solution for yaw control.
Basic answer for all the charger questions is cheap Imax B6 http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/__5548__IMAX_B6_Charger_Di.... For this price it's unbeatable (i'm having one also). If want to say something negative of B6, it's only 50W output and if you have bad luck, balancer port accuracy can be not that good resulting batterys to die more quickly over the time. Better and more costly choice would be one of the Ichargers like http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/__6792__iCharger_106B_plus.... It's better quality with more accurate balancing, updatable firmware and 250W out. See more from here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=839657.
Good luck to your cool project! :) ps. sorry my english, i'm not native ;)
If you plan on using the GPS included in the APM kit, you will need a magnetometer. In the absence of a compass, the APM can only use vector/heading information from the GPS, and since your new rotor aircraft can move in any direction, the GPS bearing data is unlikely to reflect "forward" at any specific time. And so, your copter will tend to spin around.
If you do not use a GPS, then you don't need the compass, but your autonomous flight options get quite limited.
The recommendations here are quite solid, as far as chargers and connectors and general parts. I prefer the battery you have mentioned over the 2200 mAh batteries mentioned on that page.
I'm expecting your build to creep to 1.3-1.5 Kg.
What are your plans for power distribution?
I assume you are selecting the motor/ESC combo with the lower Kv rating. It looks reasonable, certainly in the right ball park. You will be better served with 10x4.5 props, they will be more efficient at your hover lift RPMs.
Respect your props... even experienced multicopter operators get their hands sliced up because they skip some of the safety steps. The standard ArduCopter props are a tiny bit more forgiving, and might just give you a nasty cut and then they might break away. But when you go to other props, especially, many of which are stiffer and more massive, they could remove fingers, break bones, in addition the standard "penalty for inattention" you can expect with any medium sized multicopter prop - giving you a nasty cut and possibly ripping apart your tendons. Respect your gear. It only looks like a toy ;)
I hope you enjoy the build. Be sure to read the manual many times, then, before you fly, read a dozen or so of the "problem" threads on this site. It will give you a sense for all the things that need to be done and all the things that can go wrong before you get that hunk of parts to hover in one place like a princess.