Although this is interesting, I think DIY multirotors are where the revolution really is. I've built my own and it really isn't that difficult, assuming you're buying a kit for the frame and not manufacturing your own it's hardly more involved than assembling a custom PC and can result in a drone able to carry a camera such as a GoPro for less than $200. If you are planning to do this though I'd recommend getting a small, cheap quadcopter like the Hubsan X4 to practise with first.
I have a Phantom and a Hubsan; I upgraded the Phantom with a new motherboard to install a gimbal; but I wouldn't have a clue of where to start for building my own from scratch?
The $200 figure sounds optimistic since the frame and the radio each cost around $100, and then you have to add the motherboard, flight controller, motors and props...?
Would you mind establishing a shopping list of what you built, and where you bought each part? I would love to give it a try! ;-)
- ESC's x4 (Turnigy 30A, $9.99, flash them with SimonK)
- Flight Controller (KK2.1, € 29.99)
- Transmitter + receiver (Turnigy 9x, € 59.99)
- Props (2CW, 2CCW, $2.46 per 2. Do get extras!)
- Battery (2200Mah 3S 25C, $10.57)
- Charger (Turnigy Balance charger, $22.95)
Total cost: a couple cents over $250. You can do even cheaper when shopping around Chinese webshops, but this should give you a pretty good idea. All of these parts are from Hobbyking, by the way.
(Edit: formatting)
If you're looking to get into this hobby I highly recommend a number of things instead of just putting those items in your shopping cart:
1. Instead of buying a cheap, easily-broken "flamewheel" frame (e.g. F330, F450, etc) get something that's much more difficult to break like a One-Piece Quad (OPQ) frame (http://witespyquad.gostorego.com/opq-one-piece-quad-frame.ht...) or learn how to make your own frame out of thin-walled PVC (which really is super quick and easy if you have a heat gun--takes a lot more time using the boiling water method; spend $20 and get a bog-standard heat gun). If you build your PVC frame with a "T fitting" field repairs usually take just two minutes to swap out a broken arm (flamewheel repairs take forever in comparison).
2. The Turnigy 9X Tx (aka "remote control" for the uninitiated =) is pretty good but the FrSky Taranis (~$200: http://www.alofthobbies.com/frsky-taranis-x8r-combo.html) is vastly superior. You will never "outgrow" a Taranis. It runs the open-source OpenTx firmware (infinitely hackable), supports 32 channels plus a new bi-directional communications system named, "Smart Port" (support for which was hacked into MulitWii by yours truly). Before the Taranis, to get a Tx that supported even 12 channels was a $1200-2000 investment. Not to mention one that does everything the Taranis can do (logging to SD card, audio feedback, jillions of switches/knobs/hats, etc). The Taranis has basically made every other Tx obsolete and every Tx over $200 is now a huge waste of money.
3. Get at least one LiPo "charge bag" (~$2). Lithium Polymer batteries, sitting by themselves on the shelf, hooked up to nothing, will occasionally EXPLODE INTO FLAMES THAT CANNOT BE PUT OUT. The chances are small, yes, but those chances go up every time you crash or if you let the charge of the battery get too low. They also go up every time you charge it. Stay safe: Charge your batteries in the bag and also keep them stored in the bag when not in use.
4. Always be aware of how much your quad weighs when flying. A 450mm frame outfitted with a GPS, 2200mAh battery, and a camera can weigh 5-6 pounds and yet can fly well above 400 feet (actually ~5x higher but don't do that!). It's enough to kill someone and/or do very expensive damage to a house, car, or whatever it happens to crash into. Always assume that at any point during a flight any ONE component could fail resulting in "death from the sky": A motor, a propeller, a speed controller, the battery, a connector, the flight controller, the receiver, the battery, the frame, etc. All it takes is just one of those components to fail and it's DOOM.
Admittedly for $200 you aren't going to be getting anything fancy, but you'll certainly get something that gets the job done. Since this was my first RC project I went with a $23 radio system, which for basic control is fine. You can get a decent frame for $60, I went with a wooden one since it's pretty sturdy and unlike something like carbon fibre, if you crash you only have to go to a DIY store for replacements. The rest of the parts added up to $120 and were from HobbyKing. At the moment I have mine carrying a Mobius camera which is great, but it could easily carry a GoPro too. I have a blog post about it if you want more detail:
I'm curious how easy is it to write software to control a multirotor you built yourself. One of the big appeals of the AR drone was a fairly easy to use Linux SDK.
Have a look at Rotor Bones from Flite Test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_bDJ-esG4A
Its a wooden kit you can buy, then have a look at Motors, ESC and a flight Controller and Tx/Rx you can pick them all up on Hobbyking.com.
If the aim is to reduce cost, is it wise to split the drone and the camera ? In a comment to this one, the DIY drone is around 250$, the GoPro itself is 200$, the Bebop drone (whose camera actually use the same sensor than a GoPro) includes drone and camera (allowing to use flight information to improve video, and video to improve flight control), cost does not seem to be the right reason to make DIY drone. Technical interest may be relevant, as well as specific requirements, but cost is rarely a benefit from DIY.
My comment isn't neutral, as I work at Parrot, but I think it is honest. I also make my comparison with an expected price of 500$ for the Bebop drone, but I have truly no idea of what the actual price will be.
