Build Your Own Quadcopter: Power Up Your Designs with the Parallax Elev-8

Build a custom multirotor aircraft!

Build and customize radio-controlled quadcopters that take off, land, hover, and soar. Build Your Own Quadcopter: Power Up Your Designs with the Parallax Elev-8 features step-by-step assembly plans and experiments that will have you launching fully functioning quadcopters in no time. Discover how to connect Elev-8 components, program the microcontroller, use GPS, and safely fly your quadcopter. This fun, do-it-yourself guide fuels your creativity with ideas for radical enhancements, including return-to-home functionality, formation flying, and even artificial intelligence!

• Understand the principles that govern how quadcopters fly
• Explore the parts included in your Parallax Elev-8 kit
• Follow illustrated instructions and assemble a basic 'copter
• Connect the Parallax chip to a PC and write Spin and C programs
• Build radio-controlled systems that minimize interference
• Add GPS and track your aircraft through Google Earth
• Beam flight information to smartphones with WiFi and XBee technology
• Mount cameras and stream real-time video back to the ground
• Train to safely operate a quadcopter using flight simulation software

1 Introduction to Quadcopters
A Brief History of Multirotor Helicopters
A Matter of Definition
How Are Quadcopters Used?
Design of the Elev-8 Quadcopter
Main Electrical/Electronic Elev-8 Components
Summary
2 Quadcopter Flight Dynamics
Flight Basics
Flight Axes
Basic Quadcopter Configurations
Flight Controls
Quadcopter Controls
PID Control
PID Theory
Tuning
LabVIEW PID Simulation
Summary
3 Building the Elev-8
Introduction
Safety
Tools and Additional Materials
Bill of Material
Additional Materials
Optional Additional Materials
Beginning the Build
Motor Set Screws
Solder the Motor and ESC Connectors
Motor Mount Assembly
Boom Accessories
Attach Motor/Boom Assemblies to the Bottom Chassis Plate
Solder the Power Harness Together
Installing the Quad Power-Distribution Board
Configure Your Transmitter
Programming the Electronic Speed Controllers
Connect the Motors and Synchronize the ESCs
Chassis Top-Plate and Control-Board Assemblies
Mount the Control-Board Assembly onto the Chassis
Control-Board Connections
Mounting the Propeller Blades
Mounting the Battery
A Few More Comments
4 Programming the Parallax Propeller Chip
Introduction
Prop Architecture
Prop Software
Spin Language
Propeller Spin Tool
Porting to the Propeller QuickStart Board
Clock Timing
RC Oscillator Operations
Crystal Oscillator Operations
Reducing Dependence on Absolute Clock-Cycle Times
Pulse-Width Modulation and Servo Example
Summary
5 Quadcopter Propulsors
Introduction
Motors
Electronic Speed Controller
ESC Waveforms
Propeller, Motor, and ESC Experiment
Running the Experiment
Experimental Results
Battery Eliminator Circuit
Propellers
Comprehensive Quadcopter Analysis
ESC_Motor_Control_Demo Analysis
A Brief Introduction to the C Language
Summary
6 Radio-Controlled Systems and Telemetry
Introduction
Evolution of Model R/C Systems
Carriers and Modulation
Noise
Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum
Automatic Selection of Dual Transmit Channels
Switching Channels for Every Data Frame Transmitted
Transmission of SOP and PN Packets
Transmission of Two Sets of Cyclic Redundancy Checks
Transmission of the GUID
Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum
Binding or Pairing
Experimental R/C System Demonstration
Measuring R/C Channel Pulse Width and Rate with the BOE
BOE Pulse-Width Measurements
BOE Pulse-Rate Measurements
Telemetry
Summary
7 Servo Motors and Extending the Servo Control System
Introduction
Exploring a Standard R/C Analog Servo Motor
The Digital Servo
Continuous Rotation Servos
R/C Signal Display System
Elev-8 LED-Lighting Controller
Tilting Mechanism for a First-Person Viewer
Summary
8 GPS and a Real-Time Situational Display
Introduction
GPS Basics
Brief GPS history
How GPS Functions
Quadcopter GPS Receiver
GPS Receiver UART Communications
Initial GPS Receiver Test
NMEA Protocol
Latitude and Longitude Formats
Parsed GPS Message
Propeller Mini
Radio-Frequency Transceiver Module
XBee Hardware
XBee Data Protocol
XBee Functional Test
XBee Range Check
Complete GPS Systems
Portable Display
Mounting the Transmitter XBee Node
Moving Map System
Monitoring the Quadcopter Position with the Google Earth Application
Summary
9 Airborne Video Systems
Introduction
GoPro Hero 3 Camera System
Hero 3 WiFi-Range Test
Ground Station
Economy Video System
Post-Processing Software
RoboRealm
Field Test of the RC310 System with Post Processing
Higher Resolution Test Image
Geotagging GoPro Hero 3 Photos
Geotag Test Run
Summary
10 Training Tutorial and Performance Checks
Introduction
Developing Fundamental Quadcopter Piloting Skills
The Trainer Cable
Running the SIM
The Buddy Box
Wireless SimStick Pro
Performance Measurements
Determining Maximum Payload
Test Results
Kill Switch
Estimating Flight Time
Summary
11 Enhancements and Future Projects
Introduction
Position Location and Return to Home Operation
Electronic Compass Module
Computing Path Length and Bearing Using Latitude and Longitude Coordinates
Computing Longitudinal Length
Computing Bearing
Return-to-Home Flight Scenario
Swarm or Formation Flying
Motion Capture
Close-Proximity Detection
Near-to-Ground Altitude Measurements
Ultrasonic Sensor Concerns
Maneuvering the Quadcopter to Maintain Its Formation Position
Other Close-Proximity Sensors
Writing to the EHO-1A LCD Screen
Communicating with Peripheral Modules
Autonomous Behavior
Artificial Intelligence
Some Basic FL Concepts
Quadcopter FLC Applications
Matlab®
ViewPort™ Fuzzy Logic Functions
Summary
Index