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Building Multicopter Video Drones
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Table of Contents
Building Multicopter Video Drones
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Support files, eBooks, discount offers, and more
Why subscribe?
Free access for Packt account holders
Preface
What this book covers
What you need for this book
Who this book is for
Conventions
Reader feedback
Customer support
Downloading the color images
Errata
Piracy
Questions
1. What is a Multicopter?
How do multicopters fly?
A multicopter's yaw control
The principles of multicopter lift
How a multicopter moves
What's in a multicopter?
The airframe
Motors and propellers
The electronic speed control
The guidance system (the brain)
Camera gimbals and transmitters
Radio systems
Summary
2. Buying a Turnkey System
Why choose a turnkey system?
If someone is selling it, it probably works … right?
Where to look for reviews and advice you can trust
Online communities – the new consumer reports
RCgroups.com – the largest of the communities
YouTube.com – your source for user reviews, warnings, and tests
Other sites that can be used
What to expect for your budget…
Setting realistic expectations
Brands you can trust
For GoPro shooting
Bigger cameras
Summary
3. Choosing Your Components
What kind of drone should I build?
How many rotors should it have?
Redundancy versus stability
The calculations you'll need
Choosing your airframe
Carbon fiber versus aluminum
Choosing your propellers
Selecting your motor
Selecting the ESCs
Powering your multicopter – the battery
Tweaking your specifications for better results
Delving into camera gimbals
The multicopter brain – the guidance system
Multicopter guidance system sensor types
Global Positioning System
The compass
Measuring your altitude
Keep your attitude in check
The CPU of your brain
The final choice for guidance
X-Aircraft
ArduPilot (APM:chopper)
DJI
The human interface
The final component list and cost
Summary
4. Assembling Your Drone
Building the airframe
Connecting components
Connecting a brushless motor
What's a CAN bus?
Placing the sensors
Programming your guidance system and remote
Update!
Exploring the WooKong software
Setting your motor configuration
Mounting
RC calibration
Motor settings
Setting up your batteries
Summary
5. Flying Your Multicopter
Get a simulator!
Thinking in three dimensions
Safety
Where to fly
When to fly
How you should fly
The preflight checklist
Your multicopter's maiden flight
Battery calibration
Arming and flying your multicopter
What is ground effect?
Watch out for prop wash
Take it slow
Summary
6. First Person View (FPV) Gear
Components of an FPV system
The Camera
CCD versus CMOS
Onscreen display (OSD)
The transmitter and receiver
Video monitors
Some general guidelines
Rules for flying
Priority 1 – safety for the public
Priority 2 – follow the law
Priority 3 – safety for your aircraft and camera
Priority 4 – get the shot
Summary
7. Camera Flying Techniques
Executing camera moves
Crane shots
Dolly shots
Fly-through shots
Orbit-by shots
The 360 orbit
Indoor flying considerations
Experiencing an autonomous flight
Summary
8. Post Processing
Cutting your clips into segments
Using Adobe's Warp Stabilizer
Summary
Index
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Building Multicopter Video Drones
Copyright © 2014 Packt Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.
Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.
Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
First published: August 2014
Production reference: 1190814
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
Livery Place
35 Livery Street
Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.
ISBN 978-1-78217-543-8
www.packtpub.com
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Author
Ty Audronis
Reviewers
Taylor Coulthard
Lenz Grimmer
Dale Musser, PhD
Commissioning Editor
Edward Gordon
Acquisition Editor
Subho Gupta
Content Development Editor
Vaibhav Pawar
Technical Editor
Madhuri Das
Copy Editors
Roshni Banerjee
Dipti Kapadia
Deepa Nambiar
Stuti Srivastava
Project Coordinator
Kranti Berde
Proofreaders
Ameesha Green
Kevin McGowan
Lucy Rowland
Indexers
Mariammal Chettiyar
Rekha Nair
Tejal Soni
Priya Subramani
Production Coordinator
Kyle Albuquerque
Cover Work
Kyle Albuquerque
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Ty Audronis has over a decade of experience in radio-controlled videography and cinematography and over two decades as a professional in the entertainment industry. He has shot footage for Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, and countless other productions. He also runs his own production company, Audronis Media. Ty has also written many magazine articles on multicopter and drone videography and has acted as a consultant on many productions. He has also taught at several film schools and University classes on production and post-production processes (as well as the Internet technology). His education is in Computer Animation and Special Effects, and he has also written the book, Lightning Fast Animation with Element 3D, Packt Publishing. He is also an expert on visual technology and workflows. For more information on Ty, please feel free to visit http://www.audronis.com.
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Taylor Coulthard is an avid multicopter enthusiast, who has successfully incorporated quadrocopters into several high-level University courses. These project-based courses have a focus on the automation of the copter for personal use and performing repetitive tasks.
Taylor is very interested in the tech industry and has worked at Recon Instruments, developing wearable technology for alpine sports and triathletes. He has experience working with app development, software, and hardware.
Taylor plans to graduate in 2016 and will pursue a career in automated mechanical systems.
Lenz Grimmer lives in Hamburg, ...
