How to Choose the Right Components for Your DIY Drone? Leave a comment

A good DIY drone is one with the right components. While buying a drone is okay, making one yourself gives a next level of happiness and immense satisfaction. The main attraction is it allows you to customize it the way you want. This freedom also comes with the responsibility of choosing the right drone components for your DIY Camera Drones. Now the question arises, how do you do that without any knowledge of the right components? You don’t need to worry about that because, in this article we have  covered all the major parts that are necessary for making your drone. 

The drones generally consist of various components, but some parts are the blood and heart of the drones. We shall explain in detail about the types or subcategories of the component, its prices and what is the function of that part in the drone, read till the end to make your custom drone and fulfill your photography and videography dream!  

Components of the drone

Frames of the Drone 

Frame refers to the skeleton of a drone. It accounts for the shape, its main body design and posture. It is also an indicator of the drone’s strength, durability, aerodynamics and stability. Therefore, it’s crucial to find the right type of material. 

Usually, frames are made up of four types of materials – aluminum, wood, carbon fiber and plastic. All of these materials have their unique characteristics serving different purposes. Aluminium is strong, cheaper, and easy to use but also quite heavy to handle.

On the other hand, carbon fiber is lightweight, durable and resistant to erosion. However, it’s a bit expensive and can get broken easily. In such a scenario, plastic can sound like a good option as it’s lightweight, long-lasting, cheaper and flexible. But sadly, it’s not stiff and can be damaged in high temperatures. 

So, choosing the right kind of material for a given frame is one of the most important drone components. Select the one that suits your requirements and purposes. 

Drone Battery 

Battery is the food of drones. All the drone components derive energy from this powerhouse. Therefore, it’s crucial to get a suitable battery. There are majorly two kinds of battery – Lithium polymer and Lithium-ion. Another one named – Lipo is well-known for its higher density, high flight time, and low discharge rate. The only disadvantage is that, it carries the high risk of catching fire. 

On the contrary, Li-ion yields lower density and power output but is inexpensive and lightweight. Further, it reduces the risk of fire. Thus, choose the battery to suit your model and match the criteria of your drone. 

Motor 

If the battery is the heart of a drone, the motor is the blood. The motor is responsible for the motion or the movement of the drone.  Again there are two types of motors available – brushed and brushless.

Brushed motors contain brushes that transfer electricity to rotors to move and fly; Whereas brushless motors consist of magnets producing a magnetic field to do the same thing. Brushed motors are simple, quiet and less expensive. 

The brushless motor is complex, expensive and also makes noise. However, it’s precise, reliable and easier to handle. You can choose the motor type that fits your drone’s weight, flight type and size. 

Propeller

Don’t confuse propellers with rotors. Propellers are the side wings of a drone providing support, balance, endurance and speed. Its efficiency is affected by its size and pitch. Its size is measured in terms of diameter which equals its length from tip to tip. 

Propeller’s size determines the drone’s lift and thrust. The larger ones provide better lift and thrust but also consume more power; while, the smaller propellers offer less lift and thrust but they can run on less power too. 

The pitch is the angle of the wing. If the pitch is higher, speed increases while efficacy and responsiveness lower, and vice versa. Therefore, it is important to choose the best propellers for your DIY drone. 

Flight Controller

Imagine you have all the body parts but your brain is missing. No part would be of use. Similarly, the flight controller holds the utmost value among all the drone components. It is responsible for controlling the navigation, stability and communication of the drone. 

Most flight controllers are based on open-source platforms such as Raspberry Pi, Pixhawk, Arduino, etc. These platforms allow you to customize your controller according to your requirements. 

Thus, choose the right flight controller which suits your drone’s mode, features, sensors, etc. 

Radio

You must know that in real life, radio is still a major communication medium between the speaker and the masses. It helps them stay connected and informed. Here, it plays the same role with the masses replaced with drones. 

Radio is one of the key drone components that allows you to control and monitor. There are two types of radio as well – FM (Frequency modulation) and SS (Spread Spectrum) radio systems. FM enables static frequency to encode and decode the messages while SS radio systems use variable frequency to avoid disruption. 

FM is cheaper, compatible and simpler but also less reliable and efficient. On the other hand, SS radio is a bit expensive and complex but also secure and more reliable. Further, they ensure stability by being less sensitive to noise. 

FPV Camera 

How can you assemble a drone without an FPV (First Person View) camera? This is one of the important drone components. The camera enables you to capture photos and videos of the views it scans. 

FPV cameras are used for various purposes such as aerial inspection, surveillance, monitoring the boundaries and so on. It is very helpful for military and security objectives. However, civilians use it to fuel their passion or profession of photography and videography. 

Nonetheless, you should check its image resolution, storage capacity, capturing capability even in night light, etc. First, think of your purpose for using it and then select which one fits well. 

Summary

Assembling a DIY drone is easy but finding the right drone components is the key to the success of your mission. To have a long-lasting drone with highly-equipped features and great functionality, it’s important to choose the right components. 

There are seven major parts – motor, frame, battery, propeller, flight controller, FPV Camera and radio. As per the criteria discussed above, choose every drone part mindfully concerning your requirements and preferences.

What are you waiting for? Grab your phone and order the best drone components and start making your custom DIY drone. To buy the best drone components that suit your requirement, visit the store and get your DIY drone kit.