PaperQuad DIY Quadcopter

http://3ng.io/sl/VBftvU#http://www.instructables.com/id/PaperQuad-DIY-Quadcopter-Background/

A few months back, my friend, Kevin, came up with the brilliant idea of melding the art of papercraft with his newfound interest in quadcopters. Naturally, being an engineer myself, I quickly fell into the rabbit-hole that is the multirotor hobby and together we began developing paper frames for our small micro-scale quads.

The basic idea went something like this: After flying the factory-built quads for a while, we began to get curious about altering the configuration -- what would longer arms do? What if we flipped some motors upside down and ran them backwards? What if we made a long and narrow quad? Short and wide? We figured that folding up some paper and gluing it together would be a great way to test these different configurations quickly and cheaply.

After some tinkering, we thought that this could actually become a great activity for kids of all ages (including distinctly adult-looking ones) -- it's inexpensive, offers endless possibilities for customization, and is incredibly fun! What's more, if the quadcopter crashes and breaks, you aren't dead in the water -- just recycle the old frame, print out a new one and you're off to the races again.

This Instructable is meant to be a getting-started guide to making paper quads. Feel free to share designs, knowhow, and let's see what comes out of it! Kevin and I have started a website dedicated to this project where we will post more PaperQuad-related content: PaperQuad.com

Notes on contests:

We've entered this Instructable into a couple of contests. If you happen to think this project is particularly awesome, We'd be very appreciative of your votes!

One of the contests I've entered this into is theEpilog Contest VII -- We are competing to win an Epilog laser printer, which we would absolutely LOVE to have. We would use it to help speed up the design of more awesome PaperQuad templates. A laser cutter would save us loads of time, eliminating the need to cut each piece out by hand. This would be huge for us!

Many thanks to all of our supporters thus far. We never imagined finding such a great group of people!

Step 1: Getting started: What you'll need.

Getting started making a PaperQuad is pretty easy and inexpensive. Kevin and I have developed a kit with everything you need to get started:

Click the button below to get a kit:

If you want to use your own parts, you'll need:

Flight controller

2x clockwise motors & matching props

2x counter-clockwise motors & matching props

Battery

Transmitter (remote control)

LEDs (optional)

We recommend salvaging the above components from an existing toy-grade micro-quadcopter (look for 7mm or 8.5mm direct-drive motors). Brands like Hubsan, UDI, or Blade, etc. are great parts donors.

Some tools and materials you'll need if you're planning on using your own electronics:

• Small Phillips screwdriver
• Soldering Iron
• Solder
• Small wire clippers

Paper-related:

• Card Stock (we use 110lb)
• Printer capable of printing on the card stock
• PaperQuad template (Download a basic one HERE)
• Scissors
• X-Acto knife
• Toothpick
• White craft glue
• Double-sided foam tape
• Clear Tape