The parts I am going to use are Arduino Pro Mini 3.3V, MPU6050, MLT-BT05 bluetooth module, 260mAh 45C lipo battery, 8520 brushed dc motors, SI2300 mosfets and SS14 diodes.
Is this going to fly? I am coming from software development background with limited experience in electronics, did I miss something important when it comes to circuit design?
mackos:
Is this going to fly? I am coming from software development background with limited experience in electronics, did I miss something important when it comes to circuit design?
Its best to ask such a question in a forum where quadcopters are discussed.
Whether it flies will depend on all up weight, the power of the motors and the propellers used.
srnet:
Its best to ask such a question in a forum where quadcopters are discussed.
Whether it flies will depend on all up weight, the power of the motors and the propellers used.
Hi @srnet, thank you for your response. I have searched for some thrust tests and found this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtKI4Pjx8Sk With 65mm propellers and comparable 45C battery, each 8520 motor has ~37g thrust, so if the total weight is below 80g it should be more than enough to fly smoothly. This question is answered, now I have a few more.
What about the components used - transistors, diodes? Are they appropriate for the project?
I plan to order PCB for the drone at some PCB manufacturing company. Can the copper layer of the PCB handle enough current to power the motors or should I connect them directly via wires to the battery?
Probably. What maximum current will the motors take? There are lots of 8520 motors with all sorts of different characteristics so you need to know what yours will do.
Again what current do the motors need? How can anyone tell if PCB tracks will be adequate without seeing the PCB design? If you just mean is it possible to design a PCB that will take the current for those motors once you've discovered what current that is then yes it is possible.
I'd guess some capacitors somewhere will be needed if only for supply decoupling. I can't imagine why you might need chokes but although I've built lots of things with small motors I've never built a drone.
When you know the currents you can also work out if your battery will be adequate for the flight time you want.
You’ve jumped into a real challenge. Unless you’ve built some quadcopters, this is unlikely to satisfy you. And even if you have…
Using one cell with those big motors is the main problem. Thrust calculations notwithstanding, this design is likely to give poor performance and short flight times, and be murder on those little batts.
I am curious about your plans for the frame and software. I had to look again to see, you are planning to use bluetooth for control? I don’t see a real radio. What is the range of the bluetooth?
Why are you approaching quadcopters from this angle? It’s 2019 - building this way some few years ago might have made sense, but these days there are lotsa options that will leave plenty of room for you to play with whatever aspect of the hobby you want to sorta DIY.
@alto777 I want to have a simple but working project I can build upon, for now I will be satisfied even with 30 seconds filght time. Once this works I can add a camera for FPV, go with brushless motors, 2,4GHz TX/RX or try something like this Building Arduino One Hand Transmitter For Quadcopter, Code +Schematics - YouTube with gesture control. But first start small
Programming - MSc in software development and working full time as java developer.
Microcontrollers and hardware - done a few projects as a hobby e.g. with ultrasonic sensor, e-ink display, thermometer and humidity sensors, interfacing these things via bluetooth to a smarthphone.
Electronics - next to nothing, can calculate resistor value for a LED though 8)
