4 ms·
This is a good story, but really the airframes are the cheapest part of fixed wing drones. You can build them out of dollar store foam if you'd like, people hav
by diego 5y ago
This is a good story, but really the airframes are the cheapest part of fixed wing drones. You can build them out of dollar store foam if you'd like, people have been doing it for years [1]. The expensive part are the electronics, in particular if you'd like the drone to do something useful. The motor, servos, speed controllers, flight controller, gps, receiver, antennas, payload can be 99% of the cost.
[1[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAd5Zbb-p6I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAd5Zbb-p6I
- itsyaboi 5y agoAbsolutely. In fact, just gluing a $30 flight controller + servos/motor to a foam board can work [1]. I am curious about the "custom SMS" solution used to control the plane. Shame that wasn't expanded on. [1[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhNWSxHbFjw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhNWSxHbFjw
- jacquesm 5y agoI read that as instrumentation, not control.
- stavros 5y agoIt probably was, but it's pretty simple to add waypoints to a mission via SMS, just text it the coordinates (and altitude) you want it to go to.
- Ancapistani 5y agoWith a local operator with a radio - and granted, that's not super cheap - you can omit the FC and wire the radio receiver directly to the servos. Then you'd only need an ESC and a motor.
- stavros 5y agoA cheap FlySky radio costs $30 or so. The receiver costs another $15. It's really not expensive at all.
- Ancapistani 5y agoThat's true, but if you're operating on-site that far away you'd need an FPV receiver. Granted I'm coming from a position of privilege, so when I price this in my head I think "$200 for a RadioMaster TX16S, $600 for a Skyline 04X". You could totally use a much cheaper setup and have it work just fine. For video feed, you can get COTS solutions for ~$50. You could probably build it for $30.
- stavros 5y agoYeah, if you want the good stuff, you'll spend a lot of money, but a TX16S is way overkill for what they're doing. Plus, if you're going to spend $600 on goggles, might as well get digital ones :P
- Ancapistani 5y ago> Plus, if you're going to spend $600 on goggles, might as well get digital ones :P That's bait :)
- stavros 5y agoOh man I got the DJI ones and now I can't fly my analog planes because I don't like having my image composed of three blobs. Seeing this from the goggles is fantastic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn9th3C1XDI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn9th3C1XDI
- Ancapistani 5y agoAs a drone nerd, the very first thing I saw was that the wings they pictured were using a Pixhawk. That model is around $100 by itself, and you're not going to be finding them in trash. Meanwhile, a complete wing from some manufacturers with an autopilot, is ~$150. On further inspection, they're using a 3D-printed fuselage, and presumably 3D printed wing supports. In that case, the only thing that might be made from "scraps" is the cardboard skin.
- stavros 5y agoFoam: $10 Flight controller: $15 GPS: $15 ESC: $20 Motor: $20 Receiver: $15 Two servos: $5 If you want video, that's another $30 for camera+vtx. That's it, $130 for the whole thing, with FPV video.