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Hardware

Overview

In order for your drone to fly, a bunch of subsystems will have to work together. Broadly, you will need:

  • Flight controller -- your drone's brain, which contains an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), which computes what direction is up and by extension what thrust is needed to stay aloft.
  • Flight controller interface -- a board to allows the FC to communicate with hardware and other sensors. On most small drones this will be integrated.
  • Compass -- Most flight controllers have one built in, to provide a frame of reference using the local magnetic field. More advanced designs often combine the results of multiple compasses to reduce noise and normalise the results. Remember to calibrate!
  • Barometer -- this provides a backup altitude reference while in flight. Many flight controllers will have one built in.
  • Receiver -- this relays messages from a transmitter radio to control the drone in the field. This provides a backup for autonomous modes when bringing a device online and emergencies.
  • GPS -- this provides the primary navigation data. GNSS for redundancy, RTK for higher resolution.
  • Battery -- A large 6S LiPo provides a decent amount of power (~1/2 hour) in the field.
  • Power management unit -- this receives signals from the flight controller to regulate voltage states and report battery health. DShot is a popular protocol.
  • Motors / propellers / frame / ESC -- Your choice here!

For development/field:

  • Laptop to run your control layer
  • Telemetry radio -- SiK is a common starter here, but more powerful radios and repeaters can dramatically improve the range and the amount of data that can be transmitted.
  • WiFi -- we can also interface with the drone over a local or remote network.
  • USB -- you will be required to connect the flight controller to your computer (eg run Ardupilot in serial mode) at some point.
  • Transmitter -- for manual control of a drone in the field via radio.

NDAA

As of 2024, NDAA hardware is required for drone operations in the United States in certain locations.

  • Cube Orange+ -- This ecosystem requires more tinkering with settings, but the hardware available is standardized, making it a good general choice. Comes with ADS-B, an important safety tool.
  • 3DR -- US made drone and radio hardware.
  • NWBlue -- NDAA drone hardware vendor.

Non-NDAA

  • Holybro -- Very up to date hardware that implements the Ardupilot and PX4 specs, with an ecosystem of sensors similar to the above.
  • NewBeeDrone -- California drone supplier.
  • Heewing -- VTOL with good endurance.