How to Build a Tiny RC Flying Bug Robot
As everything electronic gets smaller these days, it's only natural that robots should follow suit. To that end, it might be a desire of yours to build a remote-controlled, or RC, flying mini-robot bug of your own, because nothing brightens up a house or workspace like a little buzzing, hovering drone that will float higher or lower at your command. Luckily, with the availability of highly-efficient, fairly cheap hobby electronics, you can build your own floating friend relatively easily.
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Things You'll Need
- Lightweight pyramidal airframe
- High-output, low-voltage motor
- Propeller
- Basic two-way RC control circuitry
- Power source and frame
- Soldering iron & solder
Instructions
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1
Mount your motor to the very interior top of your pyramidal airframe so that the entirety of the turning shaft is external, and won't be obstructed by the airframe even when a propeller is added. Ensure that your motor is secure in its moorings, as a wobbly flight motor can cause disastrous flight problems later on.
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2
Attach the propeller to the motor's turning shaft securely, and level it properly to avoid problems in your drone's flight pattern. Once you're finished, turn the propeller around several times to look for uneven mounting and to ensure that the blades won't hit any part of your airframe during flight.
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3
Affix your RC circuitry below the motor, but above where the power source will be, and ensure that the added weight is distributed evenly across the robot's airframe to avoid in-flight imbalance. As this circuitry will do nothing more than increase or decrease the rotation speed of a single motor, the only outputs you'll have to solder will be to the motor itself, which you should do at this point.
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4
Mount your power source to the bottom of the robot's airframe. As the heaviest component on your robot bug, the battery frame will utilize gravity to act as a stabilizer, ensuring that your propeller always remains as level as it can. Solder the outputs from the power source frame to the inputs of the control circuitry.
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5
Test your robot bug's flight pattern by attempting a low-altitude hover above a soft landing surface like a pillow or cushion. Look for any wobbling or tilting in the direction of flight; this is most likely the result of imbalanced components or propeller. Make adjustments and try again until you get a stable, straight up-and-down flight pattern.
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Tips & Warnings
Expect your robot will circle horizontally during its flight. Modern technology doesn't allow us to add a gyroscopic stabilizer to a robot this small, so the rotation of the propeller will act on the airframe to spin the robot's body in circles.
