I've just started my UAV project and budget estimate seems to be not that small
Hope this will be useful for newcomers.
That's what you'll have to buy to get the full-functional UAV, assuming you already have something that flies:
- ArduPilot Mega – $60
- IMU Shield – $160
- 3×8 Angle Connector x 2 – $4
- Servo cables x 8 – $12
- GPS – $86
- XBee-PRO 868 x 2 – $140
- Xbee adapter x 2 – $50
- XBee ground antenna – $11
- FTDI cable for ground Xbee – $18 (really, too much for that simple piece of hardware)
Reasonable minimum. Without directional antenna, camera or FPV. $541 without shipping.
Would be good:
- Airspeed sensor – $20
- Tubes for airspeed – $6
Another $26.
Would be really cool:
- Magnetometer – $45
sAbout $600 total. Quite expensive hobby, I'd say. Add another $100-$200 for shipping if you live somewhere far from the US. I'm in Russia and my shipping estimate exceeds $200 for airframe and ardupilot gear.
PIf anybody knows cheaper ways to do the thing, please, tell me.