Questions tagged [hardware]
For questions about the physical parts and components that make up a UAV.
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Why is an MPU6000 more well suited for drones than an ICM IMU?
I have seen people say that the MPU6000 is the superior gyro chip, even though the ICM chip has a faster refresh rate and is technically superior in any other use.
Why is it better to have a lower ...
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How to tell if you have a brushed or brushless motor?
I understand there are 2 main types of motors: brushed and brushless motors. How can you tell visibly what type of motor you have without researching/reading the manual?
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How should one chose the correct motor KV for a build?
For a 5 inch, 4S build, the general advice is to go 2300-2750KV. For the same size but 6S, it should be ~1800KV. However the same motors could be used on a 4S 7 inch quad. And all of this scaling ...
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Why new/recommended MEMS IMU for AHRS for drones are 6-DOF instead of 9-DOF?
I'm developing an quadcopter as an DIY project.
I'm in nascent stage of development.
I've just finalized the design/working philosophy.
I'm planning to fuse data from 9-DOF (9-Axes) IMU + GNSS + ...
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How to build a buddy box cable for FlySky FS-i6X RC transmitters?
I have a couple of FlySky FS-i6X RC transmitters that I'd like to use to teach my brother how to fly. I've seen other people use "buddy box" cables that connect two transmitters and allow one person ...
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In the United States, what are the legal distinctions between a rocket powered RC plane, an actively stabilized model rocket, and a drone?
Model rockets launch and fly autonomously, and can be either actively or passively stabilized. Their powered flight is generally confined to vertical trajectories. Drones fly predominantly horizontal ...
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Can a push-prop model plane use control surfaces forward of the propeller, but which do not extend beyond the perimeter of the propeller's swept area?
While reading about various drone airframe configurations, in particular the trade-offs between various wing designs, I thought of a propulsion and control pairing which I have yet to find in the ...
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Using BMP280 as an altimeter for CanSat
Situation:
Me and my student team want to use a BMP280 air pressure sensor connected to an Arduino Nano to measure the altitude of a CanSat.
A CanSat is a coca cola can-shaped and can-sized aerial ...
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Could using a 2.4GHz controller frequency interfere with an onboard computer trying to access 2.4GHz WiFi networks?
My situation is this:
I will be building a quadcopter drone (and later a hexcopter) that will most likely use 2.4GHz RC with a Pixhawk. I will also have a computer onboard (Raspberry Pi, either 4B or ...
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Drones with attachments for cleaning windows
Newbie on drones.
Are any attachments that can added to the bottom of a drone to carry a 1/4 or 3/8 water pipes?
Thanks,
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Questions regarding drone components
I am wanting to build an ultra-light manned bi-copter from scratch, but I first must learn about the components, which is why I am here. I am working with a 43kv (24s rated, 192 max Amp) 70kg thrust ...
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BLDC Motors not spinning at commanded RPM
I have a F450 Quadcopter frame with BLDC motors of 1000Kv and ESC (simonk) 30A each. I am trying to verify if the bldc motor rpm output at a commanded rpm is same as commanded rpm. I am using ...
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What are controllers of Parrot AR drone 2?
I have a few questions about Parrot AR drone 2. Here is the official website
Q1:What are the controllers for the AR drone 2? Is there a position controller (GPS), velocity controller (accelerometer), ...
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Estimate position of a balloon attached to a quadcopter
I'm trying to measure/estimate the position of a balloon, for that I need the two angles shown in the picture below. enter image description here
The idea is to place a helium filled balloon on a ...
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How to keep my prop from flying off my motor?
After finally getting every piece on my plane to work, another piece decided to be a problem. Great.
My problem is pretty much already summed up in the title, my prop keeps flying off my motor, and I ...
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If AUW is 90 grams, will 4500Kv motors be better than 7500Kv?
I have a build that is 90 grams and runs great with 7600Kv motors. My question is, if everything stays the same and I put on 1204 4500Kv motors on it, would I get more flight time? More power or ...
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What is a ground loop and how does a common ground reduce video noise?
To reduce video noise, it is often recommended to add a common ground between VTX and camera to avoid ground loops. What is a ground loop, how does it add video noise and how can a common ground ...
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Beginner looking to try a DIY plane, any suggestions on a kit?
Title pretty much sums it up, but I would like to try to make my own RC plane. I'm looking for a kit or bundle I can get that would basically include all the supplies to make a plane, so I guess that ...
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Can I replace the switches on my taranis qx7s with switches from a X9D?
One of the switches on my taranis qx7s recently broke, and when looking at replacement switches I found two alternatives; X9D and X10/X12. The X9D switches are much cheaper than the other, so my ...
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Is there a method to wire a brushless motor to an ESC so it spins in the required direction first time?
So I know that three phase motors will reverse direction when 2 wires are swapped round, or that the direction can be changed in software (such as BLHeli).
But is there a method to get it right first ...
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What can I do with a LiPo whose balance lead has been destroyed?
I'm starting a bit of a collection of batteries which have been ejected during a crash and ended up with a destroyed balance lead. Is there anything other than disposing of them that I can do, ...
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Difference between a 3 and 6 axis gyro
When shopping for drones, I see a 3 and 6 axis gyro available, what is the difference between the two? Does one have a advantage when flying over another?
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How to determine the lowest safe ESC current rating for a drone build?
I was planning to build a quadcopter and was wondering how I should decide what ESC to get. I'm asking about ESC current ratings. I am building a 7 inch drone using 4s with 2306 1900Kv motors. I have ...
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How can I run 2207 2450Kv motors on 4S with 7” props?
I’m looking to use some spare motors I have to build a 7” rig.
The problem is that they are 2450Kv, and I don’t want to burn out my other components. As I understand it, if I set a motor output limit ...
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What do the numbers mean on a brushless DC motor?
Brushless DC (BLDC) motors can have a range of numbers on them:
A four-digit number (e.g. 2212)
A Kv number (already explained on this site)
A number with N and P (e.g 12N14P)
What do they mean?
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When evaluating the weight of a multirotor, is there a standard way that the components are grouped?
Let's say we can all agree on that the frame and landing gear are one group, would you group the motors, props, ESC, and Batteries together, or split them out as four separate items? Does the wiring ...
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Does motor KV requirement scale linearly with voltage?
There have been myriad questions regarding motor KV, such as this one. Many of these come close to answering my question, however none have given me a definite answer.
If I am picking motors for a ...
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How useful is knowing the torque generated by a motor prop combination?
I'm designing a series of small drones for use in a swarm configuration in combination with terrestrial / marine / submarine robots. As part of the process, I've designed a test rig to measure the ...
CommunityBot
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How fragile are the SMA connectors used in FPV equipment?
I've heard that it is a terrible idea to install and remove SMA antennae from my goggles every time I need to pack it away after a flight session. I know that this is because the SMA connector is ...
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Flying a UAV with a banner?
I want to attach a banner to a UAV like this:
I have two questions:
Firstly, is it even possible to fly a UAV like this with the banner visible?
What sort of design considerations would I have to ...
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How does a propeller with more blades create more "grip"
I have heard that the more blades a prop has, the more "grip" it has in the air at the expense of speed.
How do more blades create more grip but lose top speed?
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What propellers should I get for my drone?
How do I know what type of propellers to get for my drone and what do the specific numbers for each propeller mean?
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When I power up my flight controller and ESC's, I hear a series of beeps. What do all of the beeps mean?
How can you use the series of beeps you hear when powering up to diagnose issues with your equipment? Should all of the beeps be synchronized or is it ok if they are slightly off? Are there ...
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What is the advantage of a stretched-X frame over a true-X or squished-X design for racing?
Most racing frames on the market appear to be stretched-X (longer than they are wide).
I have heard the argument that a stretched-X allows better airflow to the rear props due to physical distance, ...
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How do you waterproof your electronics?
I fly FPV drones a lot in the winter where it is wet and snowy. What is the best way to protect your equipment from shorting out from water?
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What should I look for when buying FPV goggles?
What features should I look for when I’m buying a new set of FPV goggles?
CommunityBot
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One motor on quadcopter broken
I have a small quadcopter and I realised one of the motors does not turn electronically, meaning it can't fly properly. There is no visible sign of something stuck in the motor, like some string or ...
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Can I salvage a 4in1 ESC?
I have a 4in1 Brushless ESC that only one ESC burned out on, but the rest should still be usable. Is there a way to salvage it and use a single ESC to replace the burned one or something? If so, how ...
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How can I configure a servo in Betaflight?
I’m looking to make a drone capable of deploying a parachute, so I need a servo release mechanism.
How can I configure a servo and map it to a switch in Betaflight?
Thanks.
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How do I pick my gear when getting started with FPV multirotors?
There are a large number of beginner and starter kits out there for people looking to get into multirotor FPV flying, all touting their various advantages over the competition.
What should I look for ...
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What affects the total flight time for a drone?
What factors would affect a drone's flight time? Battery capacity? Weight? Anything else?
CommunityBot
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What are good specifications for a intermediate medium priced quadcopter?
What are good specifications for an intermediate medium-priced quadcopter? I have flown a smaller quadcopter before and developed a bit of an understanding of how they work and how to control it.
I ...
CommunityBot
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Storing drones during the winter
Up here in Canada, it can get kinda cold during the winter. And just because of where I tend to use my drone, it can be easier for me to store it in an outdoor (dry, but unheated) shelter than to haul ...
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What are the typical methods of constructing a large airframe?
When building a 5 feet wingspan UAV, what building techniques:
used on smaller aircraft can't scale to aircraft of this size?
are best used on aircraft of this size?
Ideally, I want a simple ...
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How to restore LiPo-powered aircraft that have not been flown for years?
I have a bunch of relatively inexpensive battery-powered radio-controlled aircraft that I haven't flown in over a year. I haven't flown some of them in over 3 years.
The aircraft are airplanes, ...
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What should I keep in mind when picking my first drone?
While I don't know much about drones yet, I've seen people use them to make awesome photographs and videos, and I want to be able to do that too.
Since I've never flown a drone, I'm looking for a ...
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What should I look for when choosing an FPV camera?
I know that cameras are applicable to lots of fields, but FPV cameras are a special category with a very specific set of requirements - what should I look for when picking an FPV camera?
CommunityBot
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Differences between brushed and brushless motors - advantanges and disadvantages of each
When buying a drone I have 2 options to consider: brushed and brushless motors. Are they much different from each other? Does one have advantages over the other?
CommunityBot
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FS RX2A Pro Receiver Not Working
I'm building a drone for the first time following the Prusa tutorial (https://blog.prusaprinters.org/how-to-build-a-3d-printed-micro-drone/) but couldn't get the RC receiver to work. I got my receiver ...
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How important is the plastic coating around a coax? [closed]
I was swapping over my pigtails and part of the plastic coating around the coax came off.
The coax is still firmly soldered to the SMA connector - is this salvageable with some heat shrink, or do I ...
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