Drone Design Parameter basics by Avionics Club, SVNIT

Drone design parameters

1. Drone Design Parameter
AkshPatel
S.V. National Institute of Technology

2. Drone Basic Component
•FC Controller
•Sensor
•BLDC Motor
•ESC
•Propeller
•Battery
•Frame
•GPS
•RC

3. Drone Motor
•SensorlessBLDCmotorisusedinDrone
•Selectionofmotor
•TotalWeightofDrone(IncludingallComponent)
•RequiredthrusttoliftDrone
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4. DroneMotor
•ThrusttoWeightRatio
•Ifthethrustofallmotorsisless,thedronewillnotrespond
welltoyourcontrolanditstake-off.
•Itisimportanttomakesurethatthemotorsusedinyourdrone
canproductaround50%morethrustthantheactualweightof
thedrone.
•Dronemotorshavetoremainstableandwellfunctionaleven
intimesofslightlywindycondition.
•Highthrusttoweightratio,adronewillhavegreateragility
andaccelerationbutitwillbehardertocontrolaswell.
•Forracingdrones,therecommendablethrusttoweightratiois
5:1
•Foraerialphotography,therecommendablethrusttoweight
ratiois3:1or4:1
https://robu.in/selecting-quadcopter-motor-a-detailed-guide-2021/

5. Drone Motor
•KV Rating
•KVratingmeanstherpmofthemotorproducespervolt.
•ifwechoosethemotorof1000KVanduse12Vlipobattery
forpower,thetotalRPMbecomes,1000*12=12000
•Aftermountingthepropelleronthemotor,theRPMdecreases
duetotheairresistance.ThehigherKVmotorsspinthe
propellerfasterandcandrawmorecurrent.
•Voltage and Current Draw
•Thevoltageofthebatteryhasalargeimpactonthemotor.
Thedronemotorspinsfasterwithahighervoltageanddraw
themorecurrent.
https://robu.in/selecting-quadcopter-motor-a-detailed-guide-2021/

6. Drone Motor
•Motor Movements
https://robu.in/selecting-quadcopter-motor-a-detailed-guide-2021/

7. Electronic Speed Controller
(ESC)
•ESCstandsforElectronicSpeedController.Itisan
electroniccircuitthatconnectsthemotor,the
battery,andtheflightcontroller,whoseprimary
purposeistochangethespeedanddirectionofthe
drone.

8. What is inside ESC?
https://www.tytorobotics.com/blogs/articles/what-is-an-esc-how-does-an-esc-work

9. ESC Protocols
•Standard PWM (1000us –2000us)
•Oneshot125 (125us –250us)
•Oneshot42 (42us –84us)
•Multishot(5us –25us)
•Dshot
•Dshot150 (106.8us)
•Dshot300 (53.4us)
•Dshot600 (26.7us)
•DShot1200(13.4us)
•ProShot
https://www.jouav.com/blog/electronic-speed-controller-esc.html

10. ControllerusedinESC
•ATMEL's8-bitsupportsSimonKfirmwareand
BLHeliESCfirmware
•SILABS'8-bitcanonlyexecuteBLHelior
BLHeli_S
•AtmelARMCortex32-bit(especiallySTM32F0)-
canexecuteBLHeli_32
https://www.jouav.com/blog/electronic-speed-controller-esc.html

11. ESC Selection Parameter
•VoltageandCurrentRatings
•ESCcanhandlethevoltageandcurrentrequirementsofyourdrone's
motors.
•Itisrecommendtoselect20-30%highercurrentratingthenmotor
required
•SizeandWeight
•ESCmustfitswithinthesizeandweightconstraintsofyourdrone's
design.
•SmallerandlighterESCsarepreferablefordronesthatprioritize
agilityandspeed.
•PWMFrequency
•ThePWM(PulseWidthModulation)frequencyoftheESCaffects
motorresponseandefficiency.
•Higherfrequenciesgenerallyprovidesmootheroperationand
reducednoise.

12. ESC Selection Parameter
•BEC(BatteryEliminatorCircuit)
•TheBECpowersyourdrone'selectronics
•Compatibility
•ESCiscompatiblewithyourflightcontrollerandother
componentsinyourdrone'ssystem
•ReliabilityandDurability
•ESCsfromreputablemanufacturersknownforquality
andreliability.
•Dronesaresubjecttovariousenvironmentalconditions,
sodurableESCsareessentialforlong-termperformance.

13. Propellers
•Dronepropellersprovidelift
fortheaircraftbyspinningand
creatinganairflow,which
resultinapressuredifference
betweenthetopandbottom
surfaceofpropeller.
•For multirotordrones
propellersarearrangeinpairs,
spinningeitherclockwiseor
anti-clockwisetocreate
balance.

14. Propellers
•DronePropellerscanbeconstructedwithtwo,three
,orfourblades
•Propellerswithmorebladesprovidegreaterliftdue
tomoresurfaceareamovingthroughtheairper
rotation
https://www.thecoronawire.com/drone-propellers-explained-detailed-beginners-guide-to-drone-
anatomy/#:~:text=There%20are%20several%20different%20types,for%20each%20of%20these%20categories

15. Material used for Propellers
•Plastic
•Widely use
•Cheap and flexible
•Last longer even after a few crashes as they have the
potential to slightly bend
•Save money in long run
•Cause vibration while they are rotating which can affect
the stability and overall performance of your drone
https://www.thecoronawire.com/drone-propellers-explained-detailed-beginners-guide-to-drone-
anatomy/#:~:text=There%20are%20several%20different%20types,for%20each%20of%20these%20categories

16. Material used for Propellers
•Carbon Fiber
•Stronger
•Lighter in weight
•Cause less vibrations hence better stability
•More expensive
•May damage motor more in crash because does not
break easily
https://www.thecoronawire.com/drone-propellers-explained-detailed-beginners-guide-to-drone-
anatomy/#:~:text=There%20are%20several%20different%20types,for%20each%20of%20these%20categories

17. Type of Propeller
•Tapered propeller
•Morepronouncedtips
•Smallersurfaceareasmeansthattheyhavetorotateat
greaterRPMstocreateenoughthrustforthedroneto
operate.
•Props:-consumelesspowerthanbull-nosepropellers.

18. TypeofPropeller
•Bull-nosepropeller
•Bull-nosepropellersarearecentadditiontothedrone
industry
•Propshavetipsthatarethickerthantaperedpropellers
andareblunter.
•Highersurferareameansproducemoretrust
•Heavyinweightrequiredmorepower
•Primarilyusedforracingdrones
•Foldingpropellers

19. DronePropellerPitch
•Pitchofadronepropelleristheangleoftheblades
•Pitchofeachbladeistoolow,
•Thebladeisflatforexample,thenthepropellerwillbeableto
rotateataveryhighRPMbutwillnotgenerateasmuchliftas
therewillbelessoverallthrust.
•Respondquicklytoinputsanduselesspower
•PitchofeachbladeistooHigh,
•Thebladeismuchsteeperangled,thenthepropellerwillrotate
atamuchlowerRPMbutwillgeneratealotmoreliftasthere
willbemuchmorethrust.
•Respondslowlytoinputsandusemoreoverallpower.

20. Propeller Selection Parameter
•Factors to take into consideration when choosing
new propellers
•Size
•Pitch
•Blade Configuration
•Material
•Factor to considering to select the size propeller
•Weight
•Length
•Surface area
•Bore

21. PropellerSelectionParameter
•Pitch
•Thepitchofadronepropellerisalsoimportantwhen
decidingwhichtogetforyourdrone.
•Thehighertheangle/pitchofyourdrone,thefasteritwill
go.However,dronepropswithahigherpitchconsumer
muchmorebatterypowerandrequiremorerotational
speedthanpropswithlowerpitch.
•BladeConfiguration
•Morebladesincreasesthrustandpower
•Costisflighttimeduetoanincreaseduseofbattery
powerandyourdronewillbelessresponsivetoyour
inputs

22. Propeller Selection Parameter
•Material
•Probability of crash

23. PropellerSpec.fromPropeller
•Dronepropellermanufacturersusuallyspecifytwo
mainmeasurements,quotedintheformAxB.The
firstnumberisthetotallengthofthepropellerfrom
endtoend.Thesecondisthepitch

24. MotorKVvsPropellerSelection
•HigherKVmotorswilltrytospinthepropeller
faster,generatingmorethrustandpower(while
drawingmorecurrent).
•LargerpropsaretypicallypairedwithlowKV
motors,whilesmaller,lighterpropsworkbetter
withhighKVmotors.

25. Types of Drone Battery
•Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd)
•Lithium-ion (Li-ion)
•Lithium polymer (LiPo)
https://coastaldrone.co/drone-batteries-everything-you-need-to-
know/#:~:text=Drone%20batteries%20are%20rechargeable%20batteries,hazard%20if%20not%20handled%20properly.

26. Choosing a Drone Battery
•Find Out How Much Current Your Drone Can Draw
•Current draw from the drone motors
•Current draw from Other Components
•Decide the Battery Size
•Battery voltage
•The higher voltage rating motors will produce higher
power/RPM.
•The batteries with higher voltages ratings have more weight.
•Battery C rating
•Capacity
•Capacityisanotherimportantfactortoconsiderwhen
choosingadronebattery.Itreferstohowmuchenergya
batterycanstoreandismeasuredinmilliampere-hours(mAh)
https://robu.in/how-choose-lithium-polymer-battery-for-drone/

27. ChoosingaDroneBattery
•DischargeCapacity
•Dischargeratingreferstohowfastabatterycan
dischargeitsenergysafely.AlsoknownastheC-rating.
•C-ratingdefinehowmuchcurrentabatterycan
continuouslysupplyforitsgivenchargecycle.The
highertheC-rating,thebettertheperformance.
•MaximumDischargeCurrent=C-Rating*Capacity
https://coastaldrone.co/drone-batteries-everything-you-need-to-
know/#:~:text=Drone%20batteries%20are%20rechargeable%20batteries,hazard%20if%20not%20handled%20properly.

28. Choosing a Drone Battery
•Battery Connectors
•Power connector
•Balance connector
•WhytheLIPObattery’salwayscomewithfemale
connectors.?
https://robu.in/how-choose-lithium-polymer-battery-for-drone/

29. Choosing a Drone Battery
•Battery Connectors (Power Connector)
https://robu.in/how-choose-lithium-polymer-battery-for-drone/

30. ChoosingaDroneBattery
•Balanceconnector
•Thebalancelead/connectorismainlyusedfor
balancechargetoensureallcellvoltagesareequal.
https://robu.in/how-choose-lithium-polymer-battery-for-drone/

31. Drone Battery Voltage Rating
with Series Configuration of cell
https://robu.in/how-choose-lithium-polymer-battery-for-drone/

32. DroneBatteryVoltageRating
withSeriesConfigurationofcell
https://robu.in/how-choose-lithium-polymer-battery-for-drone/
Balance
Connector
PowerConnector
Discharge
Capacity
3SBattery:3cell
inseries

33. Drone flight time formula
•Flight Time
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•Omni Flight Time calculator
https://www.omnicalculator.com/other/drone-flight-time#drone-flight-time-formula

34. FlightTimewithDrone
Movement
•Actualflighttimemaybedifferthencalculated
flighttime
•Ifdroneonlymovesaroundslightly–forexample,
duringaerialphotography–theflighttimewillbe
about75%ofthecalculatedtime.
•Ifdronefliesinstrongwindormovesaroundalot,
theflighttimewilldecreasetoaround50%.
•IfDroneinFPVracingorflyingathighthrottle
levels,theflighttimewilldecreaseto25-30%ofthe
calculatedvalue.
https://www.omnicalculator.com/other/drone-flight-time#drone-flight-time-formula

35. Quadcopterframe and lipobattery
and motor and propeller size
matching table:
https://genstattu.com/blog/how-to-choose-quadcopter-frame

36. Drone Frame Selection Parameter
•Material
•Carbon fiber
•Lightweight and durable but can be more expensive
•Aluminium
•Strength and stability but may be heavier
•Plastic
•Lightweight and inexpensive but may lack durability.
•Size and Weight
•Frame Type
•Quadcopter
•Hexacopter
•Octocopter
•Compatibility
•Assembly and Customization
•Vibration Dampening

37. GPS Selection Parameter
•Accuracy
•GPSmoduleswithhighaccuracy,typicallymeasuredinmeters.
•Thelowerthemarginoferror,thebettertheperformance.
•UpdateRate
•UpdateratedetermineshowoftentheGPSupdatesitspositiondata
persecond.
•Higherupdateratesprovidesmootherandmoreaccuratetracking,
crucialfordronesrequiringreal-timepositioning.
•SatelliteCoverage
•EnsuretheGPSreceivercanconnecttoawiderangeofsatellitesto
providereliablepositioning,especiallyinareaswithobstructedor
limitedsatellitevisibility.
•SizeandWeight
•ChooseaGPSmodulethatiscompactandlightweighttominimize
impactonthedrone'spayloadandflightcharacteristics

38. GPS Selection Parameter
•PowerConsumption
•GPSmodulewithlowpowerconsumptiontoextendthe
drone'sflighttime.
•Integration
•howeasilytheGPSmodulecanbeintegratedintoyour
drone'sexistinghardwareandsoftwaresystems.
•Compatibilitywithyourflightcontrollerandautopilot
softwareiscrucial.
•SignalStrengthandSensitivity
•AGPSmodulewithhighsignalstrengthandsensitivitycan
maintainastrongconnectioneveninchallenging
environmentssuchasurbancanyonsordensefoliage.

39. GPS Selection Parameter
•Multi-Constellation Support
•Support multiple satellite
•Price
•GPS Used In Drone
•Positioning
•Navigation
•Return-to-Land (RTL)
•Geofencing

40. Drone RC Type
•Compatibility
•Range
•Frequency Band
•Number of Channels
•Mode of Operation
•Ergonomics and Comfort
•Battery Life
•Telemetry and Feedback
•Additional Features
•Price

41. Drone RC Type
•Generally Available RC
•6 Channel
•10 Channel
•Communication Protocol
•PWM
•PPM

42. THANK YOU