Multicopter/Drone Building

Ever wanted to take to the skies, and see things from a different perspective? Perhaps you would like to test your skills in learning Acrobatic flight? Join us for an exciting workshop where you build your own drone!

 

Drones have exploded in popularity, and this Ballarat Hackerspace workshop is a fantastic opportunity to get into this exciting hobby. The rate of technological change in this field can make it daunting to get started, but our resident drone expert Brett James will be leading this workshop to get you started on the right track.

 

The prototype for this workshop was flown by one of the members at the Ballarat Hackerspace at the D1 Drone Racing Nationals and was able to reach the semi-finals with it - it has plenty of power to be controlled and applications from racing to photography.

 

Difficulty:

This workshop is aimed at intermediate levels, with a moderate amount of soldering, a significant amount of electronics and some programming. We provide all tools and equipment you need, and can assist with any skills that you need to learn to complete the project. It is strongly recommended to have flight time on simulators (which we show how to set up using your transmitter) to become used to the controls.

 

On completing construction, you will have a functioning multicopter, capable of Line of Sight flying and ready to be expanded as you see fit for Assisted Sensor flight, Racing, and Photography. You will have gained confidence in flying using a transmitter before taking off.

 

   Why build a multicopter/drone instead of grabbing one from the shelves?

Building one of these will give you great understanding of the amazing array of sensors capable of giving you flight, and an appreciation for the culture of building your own. Understanding these functions will make repairs much easier - all parts are replaceable, and a moderate bump or crash can be easily fixed. Further, you will learn skills that allow you to plan and build upgrades to your drone, and build new drones in the future. Further, the electronics and programming skills developed have a wide range of applications.

 

You can choose exactly what purpose your device is, be it racing or landscape photography and there is room on this for expansion in the future. The flight controller software, frame kit and many other parts of the build are open source.

 

As part of your workshop ticket, you’ll receive three months casual membership, allowing you to come to the space, use the tools, and get guidance from our other members at the space.

 

   What's included?

• Everything needed for Line of Sight flight

• 2.4Ghz Transmitter (9XR Pro) including the FrSky Module - both used for controlling the multicopter

• Full Carbon Fiber Quadcopter frame kit (Based on a ZMR 250) with screws, spacers and power distribution board

• Flight Control Board (The famous Naze 32)

• Four Motors each capable of generating up to 800 Grams of thrust in a package that weighs less than 25 Grams!

• Battery for flight, and for Transmitter

• Basic Charger for both

• Cabling to connect Transmitter to computer and simulation software for practice

• All electronics ready for assembly

 

We also provide access to all the tools you’ll need to build the drone, such as soldering irons and testing equipment, as part of your workshop ticket. You will need your own computer/laptop for flight simulation and some other components. If you don’t have access to one, please contact us before the course, as we can probably source one for you to use.

 

   Why a ZMR 250?

The "ZMR 250" Is one of the most versatile designs available that has stood the test of time. The size places it in the "Mini Quad" category. Not too big to require permits for flying, yet big enough to be forgiving during building and allowing room for expansion as your needs and experience grow. This frame is not a glass composite like some others, but full carbon fiber for the arms and structural frame - the same used by drone racers for the sturdiness during crashes.

 

Many racing pilots have begun on this frame and loved it for it's sturdy, predictable nature when flying at all speeds.

 

   What's the cost:

The total cost for the course is $495 - for a Four week course with Three Months of Casual Membership. Existing members will have the membership added to their current schedule.

 

   Class Size:

The first iteration of this course will be limited to 5 people - be quick!.

 

Groups of two are fine (and encouraged) to work on each kit, however we will not be able to accommodate more than this due to space limitations.

 

If you miss out on a ticket, please contact us here, as we will likely be organising another workshop in the near future.

 

   Running Time:

4 Weeks of time have been allocated, with a Dedicated session on Saturdays and recaps available on Mondays. This workshop also includes three months of social club membership, where you can work on your kit, as well as get inspiration and advice for other projects you are thinking of. Who knows, weather permitting once the kits are completed we may all be able to go pick a local location and do some test flights.

 

   Prerequisities:

No flying experience is needed.

Basic soldering skills will be needed to complete the Kit - various parts will need to be cut and soldered together.

We recommend strongly that you bring a laptop in if you have one available. A computer is used to program the various electronic components (Flight control, Transmitter, ESC ) with guidance given on how to operate them.

 

We follow, and enforce, safe building and flying practices. Joining this workshop means you agree to Ballarat Hackerspaces rules around safety.

 

   Technical Specs:

Full Carbon Fiber Frame - higher strength than a plastic or glass composite design.

   Frame Measurements:

Motor to motor diagonal: 250mm

Power to Weight Ratio: 6:1

Estimated All up Weight: 495grams

Estimated Maximum Thrust: 3.2KG

Maximum Safe Payload: 600 grams

Maximum Range: ~1.5Km

Motor Class: H2205, 5 Inch Propellers

High Quality Little Bee 20A ESCS (control the speed of the motors)

Charger: 800 mAh Balance charger

Estimated Maximum Speed: 80Km/H

Typical flight time: 8 minutes (expandable with larger batteries)

Expansion abilities: GPS Assisted flying, FPV Flight/Drone Racing, Light photography and 1080P Video.

Agenda

18/6/2016 - 18/6/2016	Session 1: 12-3pm Introduction to technology used in multicopters, an overview of how we will be building the frame and electronics. This meetings focus will be on learning to use, bind and program the transmitter. We will provide tools to help allow you use it on your own computer for training.
25/6/2016 - 25/6/2016	Session 2: 12-3pm Start your engines! After an overview for the session, This week will focus on the soldering needed to connect each motor to a Speed controller (ESC). Continue your practice in the simulators as we continue to build the frame.
8/7/2016 - 8/7/2016	Session 3: 12-3pm After a one week break, we will return to setting up the flight controller, and begin on the frame.
15/7/2016 - 15/7/2016	Session 4: 12-3pm Finalizing our builds, we will ensure the full stack is functioning and have all of the parts working together.
22/7/2016 - 22/7/2016	Optional overflow session: 12-3pm Depending on rostering, we may bump a session into this slot. Otherwise, we will make use of this session if we have all functional to practice some safe flying in Ballarat.