Absolutely no experience needed! Build your drone, step-by-step, with this full-color, hands-on guide! You’ve heard about drones. You’ve seen drones. Now, build your own—it’s a lot easier than you think! Drones are the newest frontier for the DIY/maker community, and you don’t need to be a technical expert to build one. John Baichtal, the #1 author of hardware hacking books for beginners, will teach you all the skills you need. First, Baichtal shows you the amazing drones others have built. Then, he walks you through several complete projects: quadcopters, UAVs, ROVs, and more. Not ready to start from scratch? No problem: Baichtal helps you choose from today’s best new kits. Hundreds of full-color step-by-step photos teach you every step, every skill. When you’re ready for more advanced concepts, Baichtal explains them in plain English. Discover what drones are and why they’re so exciting Explore today’s most imaginative projects, from 3D-printed mini quadcopters to floating robot armies Compare kits, from $200 up: Parallax ELEV-8, DJI Phantom 2 Vision+, OpenROV, Actobotics Nomad, Brooklyn Aerodrome Flack, and more Create your own practical Drone Builder’s Workbench Build complete rocket, blimp, waterborne, and automotive drones Construct both fully autonomous and radio-controlled drones Choose and assemble your chassis (airframe), motor, props, flight control, power system, accessories, and software Integrate Arduino to make radio-controlled drones operate autonomously Teach a drone to navigate via RFID tags Learn all the basic electronics and programming you’ll need

Within the last couple of years, the usage of drones in both the public and private (military) sector has exploded. People are talking about drones, building drones, and something most people didn’t know of a few years ago is now a household name. Build a Drone will not only teach you how to build your very own drone, but will explain their history in the military and the impact they will have—and are starting to have—on our everyday lives. Author Barry Davies has built drones for DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and AAI (one of America’s largest drone manufacturers), as well as six experimental ones for MIT. He not only understands their use in the world, but knows the ins-and-outs of how they can be created and handled. Explained in simple terms with full-color step-by-step directions, Davies will explain how to build your very own drone from ones created specifically for this book. Whether you plan on using drones for recreation or a more serious purpose (from search and rescue through farming to scanning construction work on a high-rise apartment buildings), Build a Drone will make sure that you not only understand how to construct a drone, but the proper and safe ways to maintain and handle them.

Inexpensive consumer drones that offer ease of flight and high-quality photography and videography have exploded on the market recently, creating what can only be described as drone mania amongst a diverse range of potential users. Because camera-carrying drones still really only exist on the edge between hobby and the mainstream, there is still a lot of confusion about what these small drones are capable of doing. The decision to purchase one is just the first in a long stream of things a new owner must think about. Aerial Photography and Videography Using Drones is designed to help you make the most of the opportunities these nimble, affordable, and accessible flying machines have created for aerial photography and videography. Within this definitive guide, you’ll learn about the following: • the current state of camera drone equipment • how to become a competent drone operator • tips for getting the best aerial still images and videos • stories from aerial photographers and videographers from around the world • the current regulatory state for drone usage in the U.S. • techniques demonstrated in several videos you can download from peachpit.com, along with pre-flight checklists and worksheets for flight training.

The fast and easy way to pick out, set up, and learn to fly your drone Ready to soar into the world of unmanned aircraft? Drones For Dummies introduces you to the fascinating world of UAVs. Written in plain English and brimming with friendly instruction, Drones For Dummies provides you with the information you need to find and purchase the right drone for your needs, examples of ways to use a drone, and even drone etiquette and the laws and regulations governing consumer drone usage. Plus, you'll discover the basics of flight, including how to use a drone to capture photos and video. Originally designed to assist in military and special operations applications, the use of drones has expanded into the public service sector and the consumer market for people looking to have a good time flying an aircraft remotely. Drones For Dummies covers everything you need to know to have fun with your UAV, and is packed with cool ways to expand your drone's use beyond simply flying. Pick the perfect drone to suit your needs Properly set up and fly a drone Use a drone to capture images and footage with a camera Tips for maintaining your drone If you're interested in the exciting new technology of unmanned aircraft vehicles, Drones For Dummies helps you take flight.

Make: Drones will help the widest possible audience understand how drones work by providing several DIY drone projects based on the world's most popular robot controller--the Arduino. The information imparted in this book will show Makers how to build better drones and be better drone pilots, and incidentally it will have applications in almost any robotics project. Why Arduino? Makers know Arduinos and their accessories, they are widely available and inexpensive, and there is strong community support. Open source flight-control code is available for Arduino, and flying is the hook that makes it exciting, even magical, for so many people. Arduino is not only a powerful board in its own right, but it's used as the controller of most inexpensive 3d printers, many desktop CNCs, and the majority of open source drone platforms.

Build Your Own Drone Manual provides practical advice and step-by-step procedures to enable the reader to build a basic, affordable, DIY drone. Suggested designs for two drones will included - both fixed wing and multiple-rotary wing.

FPV Flight Dynamics is the in-depth handbook designed to catapult Rookies and Intermediates into the Advanced levels and beyond! Whether you’re new to UAVs, a camera drone operator looking to dive into Acro, or an experienced miniquad ripper stuck in FPV purgatory, this guide will arm you with the skills and knowledge that you’ll need to break through plateaus and master your instrument. This visual manual spans 30 chapters and features over 220 full-color illustrations, including stick schematics, 3D diagrams, photos, and infographics. You’ll be presented with actionable strategies that can be employed immediately to make the greatest leaps in skill level with the least amount of time, money, and frustration possible. Master all three of FPV’s disciplines (racing, freestyle, and professional cinematic) by learning what to practice, how to practice it, and, most importantly, in which order! This book offers detailed analyses on more than 50 unique tricks, maneuvers, and flight techniques, including: 31 FUNDAMENTAL MANEUVERS Static Climbs and Drops, medial and lateral Dynamic Climbs, ascending Half-Loops, Convex Climbs, Pullbacks, Parachutes, Diving Helixes, Two-Dimensional Sweeping Turns (2D Sweeps), S-Turns, 180° Hairpin Turns, 3D Sweeps, Coils, Rippled Turns, Elliptical Orbits, Textbook Power Loops, Parachuting Power Loops, Aerial Corkscrews, Barrel Rolls, Stunted Barrel Rolls, Aileron Rolls, the Textbook Split-S, Vaulting Split-S, and Sliding Split-S, Level Orbits, Knife-Edge Orbits, Immelmann Turns, Half Cuban Eights, High Jumps, and Hammer Throws 19 FREESTYLE TRICKS Frontflips, Backflips, Level Yaw Spins, Snap Rolls, Wallkicks, Kamikazes, Juicy Flicks, Vanny Rolls, Proxy Knockbacks and Slingshots, Rewinds, Wall Rides, Stall-Slide Corkscrews, Rubik’s Cubes, Inverted Yaw Spins, Mattyflips, Trebuchets, Inverted Orbits (aka Cyclones/Trippy Spins), Keeling Turns, and Windmills Learn how to: Manipulate your quadcopter’s speed and momentum with techniques like Sprints, Coasts, Stalls, Short-Rooks and Full-Rooks, Rook-n-Rolls, and Blips Negotiate advanced racing complexes like Chicanes/Slaloms, Gated Corkscrews, and coiled obstacles like Ladders Manage your LiPo batteries, including charging, discharging, and storage strategies Dissect your quadcopter, and understand each of its components, their technical specifications, and how they’re all related and interact with one another Chase mobile subjects like drift cars and downhill skiers with advanced cinematic shot-framing techniques, like Sidewinding Sweeps via the quadcopter’s secondary flight stance, the Outside Stance Prioritize visual references in your field of view, so you always know what to be looking at and when This is THE definitive guide to FPV, and a must-read for all newcomers to the hobby! Pick up a copy today and take your skills to the next level! BECOME THE MACHINE