Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Building a quadcopter platform
Quadcopters are a unique subset of flying platforms that have become very popular in the
last few years. They are a flying platform that utilize the same vertical lift concept as heli-
copters; however, they employ not one but four motor/propeller combinations to provide an
enhanced level of stability. The following is an image of such a platform:
The quadcopter has two sets of counter-rotating propellers, which simply means that two of
the propellers rotate clockwise and the other two rotate counter-clockwise to provide thrust
in the same direction. This provides a platform that is inherently stable. Controlling the
thrust of all four motors allows you to change the pitch, roll, and yaw of the device. The
following is an image that may be helpful:
As you can see, controlling the relative speeds of the four motors allows you to control the
various ways in which the device can change position. To move forward, or really in any
direction, we would combine a change in roll/pitch with a change in thrust so that instead
of going up, the device would move forward, as shown in the following diagram:
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