Drone Parts: The Purpose of Different Components Leave a comment

How about being super-confident about building a drone, gathering drone parts, and then feeling yourself in a puzzle? Well, it’s pretty common, no matter how enthusiastic you are about tech. I’m a tech freak, and the first time I saw a drone, I felt like it was a next-gen technology. 

Yet, after a few years, when I was too much into drones, I watched some videos, followed people’s advice, and found myself in the puzzle. You might know various parts, yet understanding the intricacies with which it works and its purpose becomes overwhelming initially.

It’s a different world, from drone motors to Antennas, ESCs, etc. After multiple experiments and practical implementation, I excelled in the process, and it cleared my vision that following all directions leads to no direction. While you are judging with the same, I have covered you all about drone parts, their underlying working, and their intricacies. 

Which Are The Basic Drone Parts? 

There are various drone parts like drone frame, gimbal, antennas, batteries, motor, drone controller board, arms, antennas, camera, sensors and more. The list is long, from the batteries powering the drone to its frame, providing a working environment for all the parts. Yet merely knowing names would lead you nowhere. Hence, the following section covers everything, including its purpose, working intricacies, and more. 

1] Drone Frame or Chassis

As the name suggests, the drone or chassis is like a framework or skeleton that holds its components together. Each is connected to the other to work in cohesion, and the frame further withholds them for strength and sturdy flights. 

You cannot assemble a drone without the frame or chassis. Moreover, you must be careful that the chassis matches the size of the internal structures assembled. Every drone has propellers, which cause Interference, leading to flight failure, instability, poor, crashes, and more. Here’s where the drone frame further prevents interference from occurring to your drone during this time.

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2] Arms

As mentioned earlier, drones need stability from interference. But some of you would have thought the chassis alone would stabilize it. Well, you were suitable. The drone has longer arms and, in some instances, has better stability. 

Source: ResearchGate

However, various drones don’t have arms separately and are clubbed to the base. 

3] Motor: Creating Propulsive Force In Different Drone Parts

Motors are of utmost importance for a drone. This is because a drone has various components and needs power to operate all of them, which they would fly. Usually, at the ends of the arm, you would find motor(s). 

It provides propulsive force in the machine responsible for turning the propellers, which is why the drone starts flying. There are various types of drone motors, and they depend on different criteria. Yet the main types are three-phase and two-phase motors. 

Source: Superb Technologies

You would have known most people use lightweight three-phase motors that provide better power and precision during flights. The most beneficial part is that despite its power and precision, the three-phase motor uses less energy despite its high rotational frequency. Two-phase motors are much bulkier and heavier, increasing energy consumption. 

Therefore, people use three-phase motors for sustainable energy since they benefit you in every aspect. 

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4] Propellers 

You would have noticed the rotating blades of a drone as if it had given you the impression of a helicopter. Well, those are known as Propellers. Since a motor can’t directly lift drones in the air, it has rotating blades that create thrust and lift the drone off the ground with power from the motor. 

A good drone manufacturer selects the best material or customizes it per requirements. Accordingly, there are carbon fiber and plastic drones. While both are lightweight, fly to longer ranges, and support a silent operation, they ensure proper maintenance in the long run. 

Moreover, the condition of propellers influences your drone flight, so maintenance is crucial. Besides, these propellers are connected to the motor. The latter provides rotational power to propellers that lift them in the air. Every drone motor provides energy to two more propellers for greater stability and to avoid sudden falls.

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5] Battery: Powering All The Drone Parts

They need power to run and operate, whether a motor or any other drone part. Hence, batteries provide the required. Most people use lithium polymer batteries, though others also use them. The drone batteries are usually placed in the frame or chassis. Besides, drones are rechargeable, so that you can use them for a long time. 

Source: Electrorobotic

Batteries provide autonomy to a drone, yet when you buy it, you will know the purpose requirements and autonomy you wish to achieve. Accordingly, you must choose the battery type and ask for customization. 

Present-day drone batteries are revolutionized and akin to smart batteries. This is because they provide overcharging protection, monitor the temperature, and even log the number of charging times. These can even communicate power levels and thus ensure that the battery is safe for flight. 

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6] GPS

Drones nowadays mostly have a GPS, enabling them to travel along your desired route. With the help of GPS, you can get detailed information on its elevation, Cartesian coordinates of topography, and even the direction in which it moves. Therefore, you can control it remotely or mobile.

Besides, you get to know the exact starting point as well. So, if you fail to locate it during the trip, a control calls the drone back to its starting point. An accurate GPS is important whether you need drones for agriculture, photography, drone racing, or something similar. 

7] Drone Control Station: The Brain Of All Drones

The drone control station is a comprehensive component that further contains various sub-components. It consists of a radio transmitter and receiver (drone remote), data management components, a flight controller board, and a remote controller board. 

The drone remote consists of joysticks like video games to turn the drones in your desired direction. There are two joysticks, out of which the left one moves the drone left, up, down, and even turns it left or right. Besides, the right one will help the drone move forward, backward, and sideways. 

A pilot uses the drone remote to control the drone, which sends signals to the drone and receives them back. Besides, data management components ensure transmission between the drone and its controller. The latter is crucial to control the drone and communicate with it. 

A flight controller board works like the brain of the drone and is one of the most important parts. This is because it controls all the data that the drone collects and even receives and works according to the commands of the drone pilot. 

Source: Quartz Components

The controller board has many subcomponents that work in cohesion for proper functioning. 

It includes: 

• Gyroscope
• Compass
• Position and Velocity Sensors
• Height and altitude sensors 

All of these elements collect data about the drone’s location and related. Further, the controller board records it from these components and transmits it to the required parts of the drone or to the Antennas that help drone pilots for effective control. 

Besides, the main remote controller board is a part of the drone remote. When joysticks give commands, the remote controller board sends them to the flight controller, and accordingly, the drone travels. 

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8] Power Port Module

The power Port module is the least talked about. Yet, it’s crucial as it analyzes the incoming power through the battery and distributes it to the ESC and controller. 

9] Landing Gear

The landing gear, also called drone legs, is a structure that extends from its frame downwards. It helps to keep your drone stable and, most importantly, provides a safe landing and take-off. Moreover, drone legs protect its internal components, which can be damaged upon touching the ground. 

The landing gear ensures that the drone body is safe from the ground. Besides, if your drone has cameras, sprayers, or related equipment as attachments, then landing gears are vital. 

10] Drone Antennas

Drone antennas inside the landing gear transmit information from the drone to its controller and vice versa. These also contain compass sensors that the controller will use to know the drone’s direction. 

Source: Amazon

11] Flight LED

A drone has LED lights that flash in different colors to point in different directions. Mostly, two red lights flash, which specifies where the front side of the drone is facing, while two green lights flash to demonstrate the direction of the rear side. 

12] Main Camera Board

Though drones without cameras exist, those with cameras are most common. But have you ever wondered how these drones keep moving yet capture stable video?

The main camera board fetches data from the gimbal motors and cameras to process it into proper information. Hence, they are stable during flights. It also saves the images to the memory. 

13] Sensors

Your drone specifications would vary from that of your friend. Yet, many sensors are common to most drones, while some are optional.

These are: 

• Speed Sensors: These measure your drone’s speed considering the air pressure surrounding it. 
• Height and Altitude Sensors: The height and altitude sensors analyze the changes in pressure and figure out the height of drone flight. These further ensure that you fly the drone within specified and at legal altitude. 

Besides, some GPS Drones also have position sensors that track their accurate location in real-time. 

14] Camera

Most drone applications need a camera. Especially if you want to do photography or film in nearby areas, where cameras capture the photographs and film videos as required. Depending upon your needs, you can get an average camera as high-end as a 4K camera. Even the photography and filming features differ depending on your drone’s specifications. 

Besides, check out the best drones for wedding photography! 

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15] Gimbal

The drone’s camera must be stable during flights, which is where Gimbal comes in. You could find it between your drone chassis and camera. It minimizes motor vibrations’ effects on image and videography quality. 

16] Variable Speed Drivers

Variable Speed Drivers are often referred to as Electronic Speed Controllers or ESCs. The latter helps you control and vary the drone’s speed and direction while ensuring smooth flight. 

17] Add-ons: Drone Accessories

Drone’s applications have diversified, and you won’t find certain essential parts for varied applications commonly in your drone. Instead, you would have to install them additionally as per your requirements. 

For example, agricultural or performing arts drones need some installation. These would be add-ons depending on your purpose. 

Final Words On Drone Parts

The list of parts of drones is quite long, yet they differ according to the drone’s application and your purposes. Apart from having basic knowledge, you must ensure you utilize it correctly by maintaining those drone components per their build and purpose for optimum performance. 

Moreover, drones need to fly, so they should be lighter in weight. So, drone manufacturers usually build drones with plastic or carbon fiber. Yet the latter withstands impact and is durable in the long run. If you are interested in assembling their parts by yourself to make a complete working drone, you can check out our DIY Drone Kits.

Which additional parts do you want in your drone? Do let me know your preferences!