Everything You Need to Build Your Own Drone

There are hundreds of drones available to buy in the store and online, but you may still be on the lookout to find one that can do exactly what you need it to. The good news is that you can build your very own by following the right steps. This will mean that your drone can be tailored to your own needs.

Building your very own drone will make an exciting project to work on over a few months, so we have put together a list of the most important tools you need for building your very own drone:

Choose the right frame

In terms of what you would like your drone to achieve, you need a frame that can be specifically tailored to your needs. Here are some of the options you may like to consider:

• Quadcopter frame: Is one of the most common and versatile frames, it features four arms – each with their own motor.
• Tricopter frame: This option comes equipped with three arms – each with their own motor.
• Hexacopter frame: This frame would be ideal for those who are interested in getting much more accurate shots. It features six arms with their own motors.

Choose the right material

Drones are made from a range of different materials; therefore, you need to think about which would be most suitable for you.

• Aluminum: is lightweight and flexible.
• Wood: Ideal for small budgets and can be easily replaced if it gets broken.
• PCB (Printed circuit board): Extremely similar to fiberglass, PCB is ideal for drones under 600mm in size, as the electrical connections within it mean that the number of parts needed is significantly reduced. You can design your very own printed circuit board on Altium’s Circuitstudio software.

Propellers, electronic speed controllers and motors

The propellers, electronic speed controllers, and motors are ultimately the foundations of your drone and need careful consideration. If you’re unsure about choosing the right pieces, it would be worth visiting a specialized store for advice.

You should always opt to purchase multi-rotors, as they are capable of much faster speed and are steady when flying. For propellers, the metal 9-inch sets are some of the most affordable on the market and are promised to last, even when your drone crashes on multiple occasions. Finally, in terms of the ESC, you could purchase the 4 in 1 controller to save having to buy four different sets.

Flight controller

Quite simply, the flight controller is the intelligence of the drone and analyses the speed of the motor, as well as sending those all-important indicators to the ESC on what to do next.

Battery

Batteries come in an array of shapes and sizes; therefore, it’s important to find the right size for your model. When purchasing a frame, there is usually a suggestion on which size is suitable. There are several aspects to consider determining which battery you need, such as the number of cells, capacity of the cell, and the c-rating.