I have built a custom quadcopter frame with the intent of a full UAV, but as with all things you start one piece at a time. For now I want to get it flying of coarse! I've done a lot of research and theres so many options!! I want have plenty of thrust when needed and have as much flight time as possible. I've been reading a thesis on endless flight and wanna adopt it to a quadcoptor, again, one piece at a time. Can someone help me out with good start-up list of motors(I was thinking 1000kv range), quality/cost eff. ESC's, Optimal power supply (would like 1hr flight time), PDB, etc. wouldnt mind it having infrared or sonar with basic ardu functions, do I need an IMU??? Please Help! lol, Any and all feedback will be appreciated!! Thanks, - J.Bass
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My first three quads are scratch built + the ArudPilotMega/IMU, Xbee (I assembled, but did not build my own controller, and used ArduCopter code, did not write my own.) But I did design/build the frames, selected motors, ESCs, etc.
I have had good success, but I would also recommend getting a kit as your first foray. In fact, I have purchased the 3DR and standard parts (motors, props) to build a "reference" platform so I can better participate, compare performance, and know what to expect while working with my custom platforms.
But if this does not dissuade you, then rock on. You'll want that determination to do it yourself to get you past the challenges that can come with building your own design. So if that is the case (or when that is the case, and because this input is needed for the 3DR kit until it comes in an "everything included" kit) here are some answers to your original questions. (The quad kit that others are talking about is not [yet] the 3DR frame, which is not a full up kit just yet)
You will need an IMU. The ArduPilotMega kit includes the IMU "oilpan". It has the gyros, accelerometers, baro sensor, and the FTDI/miniUSB, and other stuff you will need.
If you are building from parts, and if you plan to get a GPS (included in the APM electronics kit) then you will need a magnetometer. It is included in the uDrones/jDrones/etc store all-up kits, but it is not included in the APM electronics kit because it is not needed for planes as they have forward airspeed. The quad can move in any direction, and so if the GPS is the only input for vector, then the quad will yaw, thinking its heading is something that it is not. If you disconnect the GPS, you will resolve this, but lose position data, thus making your AudoPilot far less useful.
You should not expect to achieve 1 hour flight time, not in your first quad. If you achieve a 1 hour flight time, please write up a nice blog, because many people would like to see how you achieve it. Realistic times for your first quad, if you do some math, is 8-18 minutes. You can do better, but that is a general range.
For PDB, I have a do-it-yourself design that works very well for me. Let me know if you want a write up on it. If you have a soldering iron, some deans connectors, some heavy gauge wire, it is easy to do. I am too happy with it, in fact.
Sonar is an expensive option, at $24-$45 for the unit. I get them in batch orders of five, Maxbotics sells discounts in volume (not to steal away a sale from the diydrones/uDrones/jDrones, but they are pricy components) and I use as many as I can get. But you can save money if you do not want to shoot for very accurate alt-hold experiments ... at least at first. Save the money for spare parts, unless you have the cash for both. If you are building custom, unless you have it already, I recommend a servo cable kit like Hanson Hobbies Deluxe Servo II. I am not affiliate with them in any way, I found them from a recommendation on HappyKillmore's OSD page, and I have made dozens of cables from it. It will not solve all, or even half, your connector-needs, but it will handle almost all of your central electronics, and makes creating programming cables, adaptors, sonar cables, rx-to-amp cables, easy. You'll need to develop your own tastes for what type of connectors to use between battery and power distribution, distribution and ESC, and ESC to motors. I can tell you want I came up with and why, if you are interested. Most people, probable you included, have more experience with these RC connectors than I do, so it was all learning/experimenting for me. Expensive, too, since I had to have many of them to try them.
Happy hacking
First off, thanks to everyone for there feedback it is always appreciated! After looking around and thinking about everyones feedback I believe saner heads prevailed!! I'm gonna go with the new 3DR kit, it looks pretty awesome. I like the suggestions on the 12x4.5 880kv, what is the max flight time I can get on that setup?? (in terms of what mah batt. and how many do/can I link to aid in flight time) As always thanks for any and all feedback. -J.Bass
Do yourself a favour. Get the latest Quad Kit from DIY Drones or Jdrones, and work with the official kit untill you have a thorough understanding of it.
The Stock quad flies brilliantly, especially on the latest code, and is easy to program.
from there you can start with upgrades and additions
Wessie