I've always wanted to learn a little about electronics/robotics so this seemed like a fun and challenging place to start. In building this drone, I learned how to read circuit diagrams, solder, code hardware (e.g. interrupts), and more.
The TED-Copter5000 is an Arduino-based 4-motor/propeller quadcopter controlled by a radio transmitter/receiver. It uses sensors (a breakoutboard with a gyroscope and accelerometer) to automatically orient itself to stay upright.
- frame with integrated PCB wiring
- accelerometer/gyroscope breakout board
- 4 motors and ESCs
- 4 sets of propellers
- battery and charger
- radio transmitter and receiver
- arduino UNO board
- standard electronics components (resistors, diodes, wire, LEDs, etc)
NOTE: I did not come up with this design myself. I heavily referenced this source for the first iteration of this build.
- fine-tune the PROPORTIONAL/INTEGRAL/DERIVATIVE (PID) settings for better auto-leveling and stability
- add first-person view capability
- mount a camera on the frame (using a gimbal for stability)
- mount the camera receiver on the frame and try to use same battery as everything else
- optional: map a lever on the drone's controller (transmitter) to the gimbal so that the camera gimbal can be rotated by the person on the ground with the controller
- home GPS location so that if it goes out of range, it returns to home automatically
- add voice-activated movements
- start with "up" and "down", where "up" causes the drone to take flight and stall at, say, 5 meters up from its take-off position, and "down" causes the drone to land. If these two fundamental commands work, others will be easy