The conquest of the skies is one of mankind's greatest battles since ancient times. Our ancestors warned us that the sky could be a dangerous enemy. Let us remember the legend of Icarus, a boy who wanted so badly to fly like a bird that his father made him wings out of bird feathers and wax. He flew higher and higher until the sun melted the wax and he fell to his death. This story teaches us two important lessons:

1. Always make a mechanical or functional prototype of the aircraft and test it carefully;

2. Try not to test indoors. Or at least get a parachute.

Fortunately, modern manufacturing and aerospace engineering give us the opportunity to do both. We can remotely control our aircraft prototypes and create prototypes in a short time.

What is a drone?

UAV, the full name of unmanned aircraft, referred to as "unmanned aerial vehicle" (UAV), is an unmanned aircraft controlled by radio remote control equipment and its own program control device, or completely or intermittently autonomously by an on-board computer. operate. UAVs can be divided into military and civilian applications according to their application fields. They have a wide range of applications, including aerial photography, agriculture, plant protection, express transportation, disaster rescue, observing wildlife, monitoring infectious diseases, surveying and mapping, news reporting, power inspections, disaster relief, Film and television shooting, etc.

What does a drone consist of?

 The drone mainly consists of the following parts:

1. Aircraft platform system: This is the main platform for UAV flight, which mainly provides flight capabilities and loading functions. It consists of body structure, power device, electrical equipment, etc.

2. Flight control and management subsystem: This is the core system for controlling and managing UAVs and completing the entire flight process including takeoff, air flight, mission execution, and return and landing.

3. Mission equipment subsystem: Installed according to the purpose of use. The mission loads that the drone can carry include tilt photography cameras, photoelectric pods, etc., and the ground control station can realize real-time monitoring and recording of mission equipment information to complete reconnaissance and communication intelligence. Analysis and distribution.

4. Communication and data link system: This includes ground data links and airborne data links, which mainly complete the sending and receiving of remote control commands from the ground control station to the drone, as well as the telemetry and payload data from the drone to the ground station. transmission.

5. Navigation system: mainly completes the path planning and navigation of the drone, which is achieved through inertial navigation, satellite navigation and other methods.

How to Make a Custom Drone Frame

Making a custom drone frame, which typically involves the following steps:

1. Design and demand analysis: First of all, it is necessary to clarify the goals and requirements of the drone, such as flight altitude, load capacity, flight time, etc. Based on the demand analysis, determine the technical parameters of the drone, such as size, weight, power system and sensors. The body design needs to consider factors such as structural strength, center of gravity balance, and aerodynamic characteristics. Factors such as flight time, range and carrying capacity need to be considered when designing the power system.

2. Manufacturing parts: Based on the design results, start manufacturing various parts of the drone, such as wings, propellers, fuselage, motors, circuit boards, sensors, etc. Manufacturing these parts requires material selection and processing using equipment such as CNC machines and laser cutters. The manufacturing of parts needs to be precise, durable, and lightweight so that drones can perform various tasks stably.

 3. Integrated assembly: Integrated assembly of manufactured parts, including installation of motors, sensors, execution units and power systems. During the assembly process, it is necessary to ensure that the connections between various components are reliable to avoid loosening or failure. In addition, the motor and steering gear also need to be installed, such as installing the motor in the motor compartment of the nose, installing the elevator and rudder inside the fuselage, and fixing them with a glue gun. 

4. Functional test: After completing the assembly, perform a functional test on the drone. The test content includes the calibration and testing of the flight control system, the performance of the power system, etc. Some problems may be discovered during the test, such as unstable flight, insufficient power, etc., which require corresponding adjustments and optimizations.

In the process of manufacturing drone mechanical prototypes, you may encounter some challenges and difficulties, such as high design complexity, high manufacturing accuracy requirements, and difficult assembly, etc. Therefore, you need to have certain technical strength and experience, and you also need to pay attention to safety issues to avoid accidents.

Overall, building a drone mechanical prototype is a complex and interesting process that requires constant learning and exploration. Through this process, we can gain an in-depth understanding of the design principles, manufacturing technology and application prospects of UAVs, laying a solid foundation for future research and applications.