Not sure if a quadrotor count as a robot, but that's somethting i have been working on and I would like to share with you guys.
There is quite a lot of stuff to learn and take in, in order to build a quadcopter from scratch: buying parts of your favourite choice, select a multicopter software, build the frame yourself, assemble the parts, PID gain tuning, countless test flights and crashes, and finally improving your fly skills :-)
A flying machine doesn't has to be huge. It can be smaller enough to fly in your room. It's now winter and it rains a lot in England, so I definitely wouldn't be able to spend too much time outdoor. Flying a quadcopter in my room would be a perfect spare time activity.
This micro quadcopter I built is 19cm x 19cm, and the weight is 230g with battery, flight time is about 10 mins.
Because I have never built a quadcopter this small before, I bought everything from Hobbyking including the frame to make sure everything is working, before I do any crazy customization. Although it might cost more, but by saving money on something that doesn't work, doesn't sound like a good deal to me either. Later on I DIY a much lighter frame using fibre glass rods and styrene sheets, so I have more room to carry a FPV system and GPS module in the future.
I built this quad at about £80. Parts I used:
- Flight controller: Arduino Nano + GY80 (and sometimes KK2.0)
- Prop: 5030
- Motor: 18-11 2000kv Brushless Outrunner (10g)
- ESC: TURNIGY Plush 6A
- Battery: 950mah 2S
I will keep updating my project post on my blog.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://community.robotshop.com/robots/show/micro-quadcopter-does-that-count-as-a-robot-p