Stage 5 of 6, week 8
Complete systems
Your goal: See how everything so far comes together in a complete machine.
A drone is electronics, a microcontroller, motors, drivers and sensors working at the same time. If you made it here, you already recognize each part.
Loading the 3D scene
What to learn
- 1How the flight controller, ESCs, motors and battery share the work
- 2Why the accelerometer is calibrated before flying
- 3How a legged robot walks: three motors per leg
- 4How motion is passed along in a gear mechanism
A word doesn’t ring a bell? Look it up in the glossary.
Resources
Open
DJI drone: how it flies without a rudderOpenBefore flying: why the propellers spin in opposite pairs.
Visual Learning machineMade with Claude@elvar_officialEnglish
Spot: how a robot dog walksOpenA legged robot: three motors per leg and cameras everywhere.
Visual Learning machineMade with Claude@elvar_officialEnglish
Atlas: an electric humanoid from the insideOpenAn electric humanoid: joints that turn further than yours.
Visual Learning machine@elvar_officialEnglish
Robot vacuum with an arm: how it picks up a sockOpenA home robot: a laser sensor to map and a gripper arm.
Visual Learning machine@elvar_officialEnglish
Mechanical watch: a spring released a little at a timeOpenHow motion is passed along a gear train.
Visual Learning machineMade with Claude@elvar_officialEnglish
Launch BenchOpenHow the stages of a complete machine fit together.
LabMade with Claude@LunarResearcherEnglish
Visual LearningOpenThe 40 machines, to keep going after the roadmap.
CollectionMade with Claude@elvar_officialEnglish
Common mistake
Mounting a propeller backwards or leaving a motor spinning the wrong way. The drone doesn’t take off straight: it flips. Drone Lab has a step to check spin direction before flying; don’t skip it.
Did you get it?
Question 1 of 3
What does a drone’s IMU measure?
Practice
Build the 5-inch quad in Drone Lab and make a table with each part: what it is, what it does and at which stage of the roadmap you saw it. Hint: the accelerometer you calibrate is the same kind of sensor as the MPU-6050 from stage 3.