Page 32 - Build Your Own Quadcopter_ Power Up Your Designs with the Parallax Elev-8
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Quadcopters 11
Figure 1.12 LED strip.
between the two Delrin boards that comprise the main structural boards of the Elev-8. The
LED power distribution prototype board is located beneath a small cardboard piece with
Elev-8 printed on it.
The DB-9 connector visible in the photo is used only to program the Stamp chip and is
not needed during normal operation.
One of the LED strips mounted on the bottom of a boom tube is shown in Figure 1.12.
Each strip has six LEDs mounted on an integral plastic backing strip that needs only two
wires to power and control it.
I also added an R/C servo-control kill switch that was the ultimate fail-safe feature,
just in case the quadcopter went out of control. This servo-control switch is shown in
Figure 1.13.
Remotely activating this switch immediately cuts off all power to the quadcopter and
causes it to drop to the ground. Remember, it is always preferable, and a lot less expensive,
to accept damage to the quadcopter than to cause personal injury and/or property damage to
an innocent party.
Figure 1.13 Servo-control kill switch.
