Page 16 - Build Your Own Quadcopter_ Power Up Your Designs with the Parallax Elev-8

Preface

t was a bit of a surprise to me when my editor, Roger Stewart, asked me if I was interested
in writing a book about building and flying quadcopters. It seems Roger had been
Iinterested in having a book written about this hot topic for some time. I remember
mentioning to him that I had recently built a good-sized quadcopter, just because it was a
fun thing to do, and I was quite interested in the technology that permitted these aircraft to
not only fly but also be manually controlled precisely, or even be set to fly autonomously. I
accepted his offer, and the book you now have in your hands or are viewing on an electronic
device is the result of that chance discussion.
I must admit I am somewhat of a multirotor geek hobbyist, having two Parallax Elev-8
units, one octocopter and one micro-sized quadcopter. I must also warn you that this hobby
is addictive and you will soon see yourself surrounded by quadcopters and, more likely,
pieces and parts of quadcopters, which is just part of the price you pay to enjoy this hobby.
But have no fear, it is perfectly possible to minimize damage yet thoroughly enjoy flying
your quadcopter for many, many enjoyable hours.
I would like now to give you my high-level view (pun intended) of this book and what
I hope you will gain from reading it. First, and most likely foremost, in the minds of readers
is that you will be able to successfully build the Parallax Corporation’s Elev-8 quadcopter
kit by following the instructions in this book, which are detailed in Chapter 3. I will honestly
say that these instructions are mainly from the Parallax assembly instructions with plenty
of additional information that I have provided to clarify and amplify the company-provided
instructions. Having said that, I will emphasis that this book is a lot more than a “missing
manual”–type book. As an educator, I feel somewhat responsible that my readers get not
only what is needed to build a quadcopter but also a lot more in terms of an education
about all the technologies that make up today’s sophisticated quadcopters. With that in
mind, I will explain all the principal components that constitute a modern quadcopter
in sufficient detail so that you should feel comfortable deciding which components you can
or should modify to suit your own needs and desires. I would also like to mention that the
quadcopter that is being discussed in this book would likely be classified as professional
or semiprofessional in nature so as to be distinguished from the flood of very cheap
manufactured “toy” quadcopters. I am not being derisive toward the toys, as they have
their place, but it is totally wrong to lump the two types together, as you will see as you
progress through this book. Now, I will gently step down from my “soapbox” and proceed
to tell you what to expect in this book.
The first chapter starts with a history of the quadcopter or, as it was known in historical
times, a multirotor aircraft. Back in the 1920s, there was no concept of unmanned aircraft;
therefore, all the experimental multirotors were large-scale units, fully capable of carrying
one person airborne. How those flights turned out are other stories you will find in the
chapter. I then progress rapidly through the twentieth century to the 1990s, where rapid
progress, mainly in terms of semiconductor and battery technologies, makes the modern
quadcopter a real possibility.

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