How do drones work!?

Recently, I had a bit of trouble with my drone and a tree. Now, I'm not new to the occasional "unscheduled rapid landing" but I haven't ever really thought to take a look and see what's INSIDE!

So, I got myself some precision screwdrivers and started unscrewing stuff.

Now, if you've ever seen the inside of a DJI you're probably not going to be too excited, OR learn much about how drones work - most of the important stuff is covered by heat sinks and plates.

SO my plan is to use a few different components and types of drones to explain how ALL drones work - because there are some differences between types of drones but most are all the same!

Lets get started.

The Frame - The frame is like the skeleton....and skin of the drone. It really does three key things:

Structure:

It provides the basic structure, holding the components and ensuring their secure placement during flight, but it also needs to keep certain antennas and components separate or reduce vibration.

Aerodynamics:

The frame has aerodynamic effects, and DJI has done this really well these days - if you take a look at drone designs and shapes over the past 10 years you can see how far they've come. When you're fighting for each minute of extra flight time, extra lift or reduced drag can be a BIG deal.

Strength:

The strength of the frame affects the payload weight that the drone can carry.

Think of it like if you’ve got weak bones, you might not be able to carry a gigantic backpack - or hang on to a drone!

Frames can be made from various materials, including plastic, aluminum, and carbon fiber, each offering different benefits in terms of weight and durability.

The Propulsion / Motors / Propellers:

These are the driving force of the drone, creating the lift needed for flight.

Propulsion systems can vary widely, from basic petrol engines with props to ionic thrusters.

However, most multi-rotors today use electric DC motors with propellers, powered by batteries.

The choice of motor and propeller affects the drone's efficiency, speed, and maneuverability.

I've got a DEEP dive on propulsion systems you can find out more here:

INSERT LINK TO PROPULSION BLOG ARTICLE

The Battery

The battery is the drone's energy source, supplying power to all components, including the motors and onboard systems.

Most multi-rotors use lithium batteries due to their high energy density and rechargeability.

This area of technology is advancing rapidly, with new battery types and power management systems being developed to extend flight times and improve safety.

I’m excited to introduce you to some interesting people that I'll be talking to on the Podcast and YouTube who are doing great things in this area.

I've got a bunch more detailed articles on batteries – because they’re REALLY important for drones and you can find out more here:

LINK TO BATTERY ARTICLES

The Flight Control System (FCS)

Acting as the drone's brain and balance; the flight control system interprets input from the controller, gyroscopes, accelerometer, Inertial Measurement Units and other sensors and converts that into speed controls for the motors to adjust the drone's orientation and power as needed.

*insert picture of Pitch/Roll/Yaw diagram

Some Flight Control Systems (FCS) are simple, like those you see in FPV’s being used in the Ukraine. Generally, these types of FCS don’t have the ability to autocorrect and stay upright, so to control them you need to be a much more skilled pilot.

The drawback of this is that one person has to fly one drone – and I’ll get into more complex drone operations like ‘one-to-many’ or Swarms in posts soon

*insert link.

*insert picture of ukranian FPV drone

*insert picture of FPV Pilot

On the flipside, there are some more advanced FCS; for example the Australian made Cube Pilot can function as autopilots, allowing drones to fly almost autonomously by simply dropping GPS waypoints on a map.

*insert picture of Cubepilot orange

This is one of the most important and fastest-evolving areas of drone technology.

I’ll be chatting with some very interesting people working on cutting-edge developments in this field.

Just remember, even with autopilot, it's not smart enough to avoid flying into trees – yet.

If you found that interesting or want to learn more check out the Flight Controller series:

LINK TO FLIGHT CONTROLLER  ARTICLES

The Telemetry and Remote Control system (aka C2 - Command & Conrol)

C2, or Command and Control, refers to the communication system of the drone. It relays information between the operator and the drone or between the drone and a base station during a waypoint mission. Reliable telemetry is crucial for safe and efficient drone operation, providing real-time data on the drone's status, location, and environment. In other words, it’s the difference between a controlled flight and an impromptu game of hide-and-seek with your drone.

I've got a bunch more detailed articles on this topic – because they’re a hot topic right now with jamming in Ukraine and counter-uncrewed systems being used to prevent dangerous or illegal drone use - you can find out more here:

LINK TO FLIGHT CONTROLLER ARTICLES

The GPS (GNSS)

Most smarter drones have a Global Positioning System (GPS) which is the OG of global positioning – it’s US-owned and controlled and uses a bunch of satellites orbiting the earth that send signals to a receiver on your drone or phone so that you can know precisely where you are in the world.

There’s other versions of GPS owned by different countries – for example, China runs Beidou, Russia runs GLONASS, Europe runs GALILEO, Japan runs QZSS, India runs NavIC aka IRNSS. All of these systems fall under the umbrella of GNSS, and they all generally use the same principle of triangulation to figure out your position, so if you can’t see the sky your GPS might not work, depending on a few things.

This has become hugely important for operating drones across the world, but as shown in the Ukraine this has become a target for jamming. This means that the drone doesn’t know where it is and unless you can see the drone it can be difficult to return home – BUT more recently, there’s been some drones that can navigate without GNSS, and this is also known as GPS-Denied.

This is a HUGE topic and really interesting when you get into the guts of it – so click here if you want to read or learn more.

LINK TO GNSS ARTICLES

The Payloads (Camera, Lasers, Rockets etc)

Payloads refer to the equipment that the drone carries to achieve its main job. In the Ukraine for example, they use Camera drones to and collect intelligence, or watch (surveillance) or conduct reconnaissance on suspected Russian positions.

Other ‘bomber’ drones are now being fitted with smaller cameras, and larger munitions like Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG’s) to fly precisely into the weak spot of a tank or missile launcher, crippling them almost instantly.

For most drones, this includes cameras for capturing high-resolution footage or sensors for various applications such as surveying, mapping, and inspection.

The type of payload can significantly affect the drone's performance and capabilities – for example if its big and heavy its going to reduce the flight time and distance you can fly. Also, the further the weight is from the Centre of Gravity, the more difficult it is for the drone to control and the more power it needs to compensate.

For example, pick up a weight close to your body and hold for 30 seconds. Now hold it at arm’s length away from your body for the same time – you’ll notice that you get tired much faster – this is what we’re talking about.

There are so many different payloads and they’re effectively the tools of the drone - for example, thermal cameras are used to search for lost people,

LIDAR sensors are used to measure and generate 3D scans and maps for infrastructure and mining.

Some drones have flamethrowers to de-ice powerlines!

Farmers use some drones to spray their crops,

and in some countries they’re using drones to carry solar panels and cement into hard to reach locations!

Payloads are so crucial to the future of drones, and a VERY fast-growing topic, and I find new payloads almost every day.

I’ll be regularly updating a LOT of detailed articles at the link below.

LINK TO Payload ARTICLES

Conclusion

There’s SO much more to talk about across all of these components, so I’ll be breaking them down into bite-sized chunks, and if you don’t learn through reading PLEASE Subscribe to our YouTube channel below – I’m an experiential learner and I love to see things so I can understand how they work so much faster and in more detail than a bunch of words on a screen!

*YOUTUBE link