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Make an Open Source Drone

Name: Make an Open Source Drone
Rating: 4.7 (1911 reviews)

A fun project in which you learn about drones by making one. Use the Pixhawk or Multiwii AIO flight controllers

Created byDr. Peter Dalmaris

Last updated 8/2023

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Understand the different types of multi-rotor drones.
Understand flight terminology.
Understand the principles of drone flight.
Understand the roles of propellers, motors, flight controller, ESC in drone flight.
Understand the use of LiPo batteries and their use.
Understand the use of GPS in drone flight.
Understand how to bind a radio receiver and transmitter.
Understand the necessary drone pre-flight checks.
Understand the basic safety and legal requirements involved in recreational drone flight.
Assemble a quadcopter from parts available in the market.
Upload the MultiPirateNG firmware to the Crius V2 flight controller.
Use the open source Mission Planner software to configure a drone.
Practice flying their quadcopter and fun while becoming better pilots!
Learn how to use the Pixhawk flight controller.

Course content

15 sections • 102 lectures • 11h 17m total length

What is this course about3:39
Parts and Tools0:08
Crius or Pixhawk? Read this before you continue0:29

Introduction2:00
Another drone classification5:07
Explore toy, racing, photography, stunt, delivery, and gps drones and motor counts shaping performance. See how education drones integrate gps, Ardupilot firmware, and a ground control system for learning.
Types of multi-rotor drones12:04
Roll, pitch, yaw5:07
Explore the three fundamental flight motions—pitch, roll, and yaw—and how quadcopters use propeller speeds to achieve forward movement and turning.
Controlling the motors4:58
Discover how to control quadcopter motors using an electronic speed controller, a flight controller, and a transmitter and receiver, with pitch and other channels guiding signals to drive the propellers.
Procuring the right parts16:41
Learn to select and assemble a custom quadcopter by researching parts, evaluating frames, motors, ESCs, blades, and batteries from sites like eBay and Amazon, and prioritizing a reliable flight controller.
Terminology7:43
Propellers8:41
Discover how propellers influence drone performance by understanding diameter, pitch, and rotation direction; paired props rotate oppositely for stability, with larger props lifting more and smaller ones saving energy.
Battery and charger, Part 110:03
Battery and charger, Part 28:21
Explain battery capacity and C rating, showing how a 4000 mAh battery can provide 120 A continuous (30 C) and 160 A burst (40 C), and note JST plug connectors.
Flight controller and its peripherals4:22
Other tools and things5:56
Master drone assembly tools, including a 20-watt soldering iron, heat shrink tubes, hex bits for the f450 frame, and packaging materials to dampen shocks for the flight controller and accelerometer.
Conclusion1:08

Introduction0:48
Begin by wiring and connecting drone components, attach connectors to the wires, and protect them with shrink protection so you can confidently connect the drone's electronics.
Preparation3:54
Begin assembling the drone on a protective mat, preparing tools and motor packages, soldering wires, applying heat shrink, tinning exposed conductors, and securing joints for all three motors.
Attach the connectors to the ESC wires14:36
Learn to attach female esc connectors to drone wires by tinning exposed ends, filling connector cavities with solder, and covering joints with heat shrink for a secure, clean motor wiring.
Attach connectors to motor wires6:09
Conclusion1:10
Connect the three wires to the male and female connectors, then install the bottom plate to distribute power to the frame.

Introduction0:32
Attach the motors to the arms4:40
attach each motor to an arm with four screws, align before tightening, then route the three wires under the arm to the power distribution board and connect them directly.
Attach the arms to the power distribution board, Part 16:51
Attach arms to the distribution board, color red for front and black for back; tighten front screws lightly, leaving space for the top plate and flight controller.
Attach the arms to the power distribution board, Part 23:27
Conclusion0:45

Introduction0:59
The PWM and PPM signalling options, Part 14:25
The PWM and PPM signalling options, Part 29:12
Setup radio receiver and flight controller to use PWM7:11
Connect the GPS module to the flight controller, Part 110:19
Connect the gps module to the flight controller’s second serial port (rx2/tx2) and power it from the squits seaport. Secure the wires with shrink tubing to prevent shorts.
Connect the GPS module to the flight controller, Part 23:50
Connect the GPS module to the flight controller, Part 32:51
Connect the GPS module to the flight controller, Part 46:30
Attach flight controller to chassis9:04
Attach the flight controller to the chassis with foam vibration insulation and Velcro, ensure the front orientation, and dampen vibration to protect accelerometer data.
Connect ESCs to flight controller12:54
Connect the ESCs to the flight controller by wiring motors to pins 2, 5, 3, and 6 with the orange signal wire, red power, and brown ground.
Conclusion0:51

Introduction0:21
Begin section 7 of the course to assemble the open source drone by patching onto the chassis and attaching the propellors. Charge the drone using the charger to complete setup.
A primer on batteries24:40
How to charge the battery11:52
Learn how to safely balance charge a multi-cell lithium battery with a balance charger, set current and voltage by cell count, and monitor for safe operation.
Attach the battery to the frame5:13
Conclusion0:18

Introduction0:46
Clear the EEPROM2:40
Download and install the firmware3:48
Download and install the flash tool to fetch and upload the latest drone firmware, connect the drone via USB, and configure PWM input with the APM copter quad settings.
Conclusion0:26
Conclude section 8 by clearing air from flood control and uploading the firmware, then prepare for section 9's receiver work and transmitter feature walkthrough.

Introduction0:40
Download and install Mission Planner4:48
Mission Planner setup, Part 17:33
Mission Planner setup, Part 27:47
Configure flight modes for channel five switch across positions one to three (stabilize, altitude hold, loiter) and review failsafe options, RTL, and altitude fencing within legal limits.
Test the GPS module1:25
Test the GPS module to fix satellites and connect to the mission plan, monitoring six satellites and the drone’s position and front orientation on the map before arming the motors.
Conclusion0:27
Close the section by showing how open source software calibrates the various senses, and preview the next section on speed controllers and propellers before field testing.

Requirements

Windows computer
Basic electronics tools (please see free list of tools in section 1)
Be comfortable working with electronic components
Willingness to persevere despite set-downs (like broken propellers resulting from a drone rough landing)

Description

PLEASE READ: In August 2023, I have updated the course with new lectures and a new flight controller. In the new lecture I show you how to upgrade your drone to use the popular MATEK F405TE flight controller. I have also added lectures about batteries and drone classifications.

The MATEKSYS F405-TE is a perfect fit for our learning objectives. It's a minimalist yet powerful flight controller, making it an excellent device to explore.

Also, by transitioning to the MATEKSYS F405-TE, I can lower the overall cost of our drone without compromising its performance or capabilities. This will make our quadcopter design more accessible to hobbyists on a budget, which aligns with my mission to make drone technology more attainable and exciting for everyone.

Welcome to "Make an Open Source Drone", a course that will teach you how to build a quadcopter from scratch!

Playing with drones, and especially quadcopters, is fast becoming a very popular hobby. As a hobby, it combines state of the art open technology with large open spaces. It even gives me a great excuse to get out of my lab and get some sun!

While you can just go to a shop and purchase a drone that is ready to fly, by doing so you miss out on all the fun and knowledge that comes with building your own flying machine. I admit I have done that myself. Getting my ready-to-fly drone out of its box and flying it was fun, but only for a short period.

Soon after the first excitement settled, I realised that I didn't know much more than before I opened the box. I was also unable to do anything more than what the drone was programmed to do, to begin with.

That is why making your own open source drone is such a great way to have fun while learning.

in this course, my co-instructor Aristofanis and I will help you understand drones and how to build them. You will learn about their mechanical and electronic components and how they interact. You will learn about the software that provides semi-autonomous flight capabilities to drones.

Motors, flight controllers, Electronic Speed Controllers, batteries and chargers, receivers and transmitters, and so much more, will all make sense as you progress through this course and go through the process of assembling your drone.

By the end of the course, apart from being able to assemble your drone, you will have the confidence to perform repairs and to extend its capabilities.

Along the way, you will learn about the principles of drones and many design and performance details for each of the components and software. With this knowledge, you will be able to go on and construct your own drones, configure and program them, all while having a great time doing so.

The course starts by explaining the basic principles of drones.

You will learn about the types of multi-rotor drones, flight terminology, principles of drone flight, and we will introduce the basic drone components like propellers, motors, the flight controller and more.

Then, you will get into the actual construction of the drone. You will solder the Electronic Speed Controllers to the motors and assemble the drone arms.

You will then solder the ESCs and battery to the power distribution board, and start the assembly of the drone frame.

After that is the radio control subsystem. You will learn about the different types of signalling, connect the radio receiver to the flight controller, and connect the GPS module.

Next, you will learn about LiPo batteries and battery chargers, safety and maintenance.

With a fully charged battery, you will continue with the firmware and software. You will learn about the MegaPirateNG firmware and how to upload it to your drone.

You will learn how to bind your radio transmitter and receiver, and then how to calibrate your new quadcopter using the open source Mission Planner software.

As always, we save the best for last! At the end of the course, you will learn how to calibrate the Electronic Speed Controllers and attach the propellers.

And in the end, you will be able to take your drone to a field and launch it, starting to build-up your pilot skills!

As with all Tech Explorations courses, we are here to help you in this exciting learning journey. As a student of this course, you will have access to the Questions and Answers board and interact with the instructors. You can ask questions, and make comments or suggestions.

Please continue by having a look at the list of parts that you will need in this course. You can find it as a document download in the next lecture

Who this course is for:

Intermediate-level maker looking for a fun outdoors activity
Anyone interested in drones for recreational use

Make an Open Source Drone

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction3 lectures • 4min

Multi-copter drone basics13 lectures • 1hr 32min

ESC and motors5 lectures • 27min

Power distribution board assembly5 lectures • 31min

Main body assembly5 lectures • 16min

Flight controller and peripherals11 lectures • 1hr 8min

Battery and charger5 lectures • 42min

The firmware4 lectures • 8min

The transmitter4 lectures • 13min

Mission Planner6 lectures • 23min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: