A little note on how to build your own drone

These questions come up quite often in the forums

related to drones and remote control hobbies in general. You have seen one either live or on TV somewhere and you think it is cool to fly your own quadcopter so after a bit of google search you see several options, either readymade drones or drone kits made to help you build your own drone. So the important question is should you build your own drone? And if yes how do you go on building a quadcopter in the first place?

All of these questions and a lot more will be answered below, so read on!

To make things easier for you, the first question to answer is should you build your own quadcopter or not? If you have decided that the answer is yes, then I suggest you skip the first part of this article and get ahead to How to build your own drone?

Contents [hide]

• 1 How to build your own drone? And should you build your own drone?
• 2 Should I Build My Own Drone?
• 3 HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN DRONE – Part 1:UNDERSTANDING BASIC DRONE TERMINOLOGY3.1 BASIC ACRONYMS3.1.1 Drone
• 3.1.2 DIY
• 3.1.3 DFY
• 3.1.4 UAV
• 3.1.5 UAS
• 3.2 MECHANICS3.2.1 Size
• 3.2.2 CG
• 3.2.3 Dampener
• 3.2.4 Frame
• 3.2.5 Landing Gear
• 3.2.6 LED
• 3.2.7 Prop Guards
• 3.2.8 Shell
• 3.3 SENSORS3.3.1 Accelerometer
• 3.3.2 Barometer
• 3.3.3 Gyroscope
• 3.3.4 GPS
• 3.4 TYPES3.4.1 RTF
• 3.4.2 BNF
• 3.4.3 ATF
• 3.4.4 Multirotor
• 3.4.5 Tricopter
• 3.4.6 Quadcopter
• 3.4.7 Hexacoter
• 3.4.8 Octocopter
• 3.5 PROPULSION3.5.1 ESC
• 3.5.2 Li-Po
• 3.5.3 Motor
• 3.5.4 PCB
• 3.5.5 Prop Adaptor
• 3.6 VIDEO3.6.1 FPV
• 3.6.2 LCD
• 3.6.3 Gimbal
• 3.6.4 GoPro
• 4 HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN DRONE – Part 2: CHOOSING A FRAME FOR YOUR DRONE4.1 WHAT ARE THE FRAME CONFIGURATIONS USED FOR DRONES?4.1.1 Drone frame type #1 BiCopter – 2 Motors Multicopter
• 4.1.2 Drone frame type #2 TriCopter – 3 Motors Multicopter
• 4.1.3 Drone frame type #3 QuadCopter – 4 Motors Multicopter
• 4.1.4 Drone frame type #4 HexaCopter – 6 Motors Multicopter
• 4.1.5 Drone frame type #5 Y6 Copter – 6 Motors Multicopter
• 4.1.6 Drone frame type #6 OctoCopter – 8 Motors Multicopter
• 4.1.7 Drone frame type #7 X8– 8 Motors Multicopter
• 4.2 WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SIZES OF DRONES?
• 4.2.1 ARE SMALLER DRONES LESS EXPENSIVE TO BUILD THAN LARGE ONES?
• 4.3 WHAT MATERIALS ARE DRONES BODIES MADE OF?4.3.1 PLASTIC
• 4.3.2 WOOD
• 4.3.3 ALUMINUM
• 4.3.4 CARBON FIBER
• 4.4 WHICH FRAME TO USE FOR A DRONE?
• 4.5 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS WHEN CHOOSING A FRAME
• 4.6 Gimbal4.6.1 Payload
• 4.6.2 Landing gear
• 5 HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN DRONE – PART 3: MOTORS, PROPELLERS, AND PROPULSION5.1 THE MOTOR5.1.1 Which is better for a drone, a brushed motor or a brushless motor?
• 5.1.2 Thrust
• 5.2 PROPELLERS5.2.1 PROPELLERS’ SIZE
• 5.2.2 PROPELLER ROTATION
• 5.2.3 MATERIALS USED TO MAKE PROPELLERS5.2.3.1 PLASTIC
• 5.2.3.2 WOOD
• 5.2.3.3 CARBON FIBER
• 5.2.4 PROPELLERS GUARDS
• 5.3 THE ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROLLER (ESC)5.3.1 CONNECTORS
• 5.3.2 FIRMWARE
• 5.3.3 POWER DISTRIBUTION BOARD
• 5.3.3.1 How to build a drone? Understanding the ESC
• 5.4 BATTERY5.4.1 Voltage
• 5.4.2 Capacity
• 5.4.3 DISCHARGE RATE
• 5.4.4 Other things to consider
• 5.4.4.1 How to build a drone? Understanding the LiPo Batteries
• 6 HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN DRONE – PART 4: THE FLIGHT CONTROLLER6.1 Microprocessor
• 6.2 Power
• 6.3 SENSORS6.3.1 Accelerometer
• 6.3.2 Gyroscope
• 6.3.3 Compass / Magnetometer
• 6.3.4 Inertia Measurement Unit (IMU)
• 6.3.5 Barometer
• 6.3.6 GPS
• 6.3.7 Distance
• 6.4 Software
• 6.5 Advanced Features
• 6.6 Communication Protocol
• 6.6.1 Radio Control
• 6.6.2 Bluetooth
• 6.6.3 WiFi
• 6.6.4 Radio Frequency
• 6.6.5 Infrared IR
• 6.6.6 Final thoughts
• 6.6.7 Gabriel Yee
• 6.6.7.1 Latest posts by Gabriel Yee (see all)
• If you are unsure if you really should or should not build your own quadcopter then stick with me, but before even attempting to build your own quadcopter you REALLY need to learn how to fly and control a quadcopter. Controlling a remote drone is not that hard but it needs some training because drones can get pricey and crashing a $1000 quad is no fun. So if you still haven’t bought your first drone then I highly recommend that you read our best cheap drones roundup.

Another thing worth noting is whether or not you will need to register your drone (either ready made one or DIY) with the FAA, to found out more read our FAA Part 107 guide.