Introduction xiii Who This Book Is For xiiiHow This Book Is Organized xiii Chapter 1 A History of Drones 1 What Is a Drone? 2Three Terrrains 3Anatomy of a Drone 5Summary 7 Chapter 2 Showcase of Cool DIY Drones 9 Bicycle Rim Quadcopter 93D-Printed Mini Quadcopter 9Clothesline Racer 11Vessels 11Radio-Controlled Blimp 12FPV Quadcopter 12Open RC Trike 14Foldable Quadcopter 14Mini-Quadcopter 153D-Printed RC Boat 16Tricopter 17Mecanum Wheel Rover 18Summary 19 Chapter 3 Overview of Commercial Drones and Kits 21 Parallax ELEV-8 Quadcopter 21DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ 24OpenROV 26Actobotics Nomad 29Brooklyn Aerodrome Flack 31Summary 34 Chapter 4 Building a Quadcopter I: Choosing an Airframe 35 Which Airframe? 35Choosing Between Commercial Options 37Making Your Own Airframe 38Project #1: MakerBeam Airframe 41MakerBeam 41Parts 43Steps 44Summary 50 Chapter 5 Rocket Drone Project 51 Amateur Model Rocketry 51Quick-and-Dirty Arduino Guide 54Project #2: Data-Gathering Rocket 60Parts for Building the Data-Gathering Rocket 60Steps for Building the Data-Gathering Rocket 61Programming the Payload 65Summary 67 Chapter 6 Building a Quadcopter II: Motors and Props 69 Choose Your Motors 70Outrunner Versus Inrunner 70Brushed Versus Brushless 71AC Versus DC 72Choose Your Propellers 73Prop Adapters 74Project #3: Attach the Props and Motors 75Parts 76Steps for Attaching the Props and Motors 77Summary 80 Chapter 7 Blimp Drone Project 81 Radio Control 81Transmitters 82Receivers 83ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) 83Project #4: Blimp Drone 84Parts 85Arduino Parts 86Steps 86Autonomous Control with an Arduino 99Code 100Summary 102 Chapter 8 Building a Quadcopter III: Flight Control 103 Know Your ESCs 103Common ESCs 105Programming ESCs 106Receiver 109Flight Controller 110Flight Controller Examples 111Installing the Flight Electronics 114Parts 114Installing the ESCs 114Installing the Flight Controller 114Installing the Receiver 116Summary 116 Chapter 9 Drone Builder''s Workbench 117 Design It 117Drive It 118Measure It 120Cut It 120Wire It 121Attach It 123CNC It 124Summary 126 Chapter 10 Building a Quadcopter IV: Power Systems 127 Choosing a Battery 128Battery Types 128Adding Bullet Connectors 130Why Bullet Connectors? 130Parts List 130Steps for Adding Bullet Connectors 131Assembling the Wiring Harness 137Parts 138Steps for Assembling the Wiring Harness 138Wiring the Flight Controller and Receiver 143Summary 145 Chapter 11 Waterborne Drone Project 147 Realities of Waterborne Electronics 148Disadvantages of Waterborne Electronics 148Advantages of Waterborne Electronics 148Waterproofing Your Electronics 149Sandwich Container 150Pelican 1000-Series 151Sealing a Tube 152XBee Mesh Networking 153Project: Soda Bottle Boat 154Parts 155Building the Drone 156Building the Controller 166Programming the Soda Bottle Boat 170Summary 172 Chapter 12 Building a Quadcopter V: Accessories 173 Add Accessories to Your Quadcopter 174Camera 174First-Person Video (FPV) 175Landing Gear 176Parachute 176Protective Plate or Dome 177Prop Guards 178Project: Adding Accessories to the Quadcopter 179Install the Camera Mount 180Install the Landing Gear 184Install the Top Plate 186Summary 189 Chapter 13 Making a Rover 191 Advantages and Disadvantages of Rovers 192Advantages of Rovers 192Disadvantages of Rovers 192Chassis Options 1933D Printed 193Tamiya 194mBot 194Arduino Robot 195Actobotics Bogie 196Navigating with Radio Frequency Identification Tags 197Project: RFID-Navigating Rover 199Parts 200Steps 200Programming the RFID-Navigating Rover 217Summary 220 Chapter 14 Building a Quadcopter VI: Software 221 Flight Control Software 222OpenPilot 222MultiWii 223APM Planner 2.0 223eMotion 224AR.Freeflight 2243DR Solo App 226Configuring the MultiWii 226Examining the MultiWii Control Sketch 228Pre-Flight Checklist 229Summary 230 Glossary 231 Index 237.