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Gather all necessary materialsGlue and install all the plastic and wood piecesGlue the foam pieces and the fuselage togetherInstall the servosCenter the servos and install the servo hornsInstall the servo linkagesInstall the motors and the ESCsSolder and install the servo and power connectorsCreate the complete wire harness for the CubeInstall the Cube and all electronicsClean up the wiring using the channels on the inside of the fuselage
Install the servosInstall the motors and escCreate the wire harness for the CubeInstall the electronics
Lab 05 Believer Familiarization
Introduction:
What is the Believer UAV?
The Believer drone is a fixed wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle made for surveying, mapping, photogrammetry, and a multitude of other applications. For the Purdue UAS major, we will be using it as a predecessor to the Windracer.
What did we accomplished in this lab?
Today we familiarized ourselves with the multitude of components the Believer aircraft is made up of. From the body pieces to the electronics, we were asked to assess and identify the applications of each piece.
Throughout this document there is a table listing the different Airframe components and their specs or applications, an electronics familiarization BOM, (Bill of Materials) and finally, build instructions and critical points.
We also learned how to successfully unpack and repack the believer into its storage box without damaging any pieces.
Airframe Components
Air Frame Part
Specs
Quantity
Image
Fuselage
Height: 180mm Length: 1070mm. Body of aircraft
1
Wings
Combined wingspan of 1960mm Wing area: 51.4 square decimeters.
2
V-Tail Empennage
Tail Assembly- Reinforced with carbon fiber spars. Help stabilize aircraft in flight.
2
Landing Cushions
Cushion/protect battery and flight control areas - Also used to cushion impact at landing.
2
Wing inserting carbon tubes
12x10x700mm 10x8x600mm Used to to connect wings to fuselage.
2
Servo Fixings
Contains Servo Installing base, Servo presser, and servo covering plate
2 Sets
Battery Fixing Board
Helps secure the battery into the fuselage
1
Cabin Cover Fixing Board
Helps secure the cabin cover where crucial flight components are contained
1
Antenna Fixing Board
Helps secure the antenna
2
ESC Cover
Used to protect the ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) from damage; slitted openings to enable cooling
2
Stud
Used to lock fixer in place
12
Cabin Cover Locking Pins
Lock the cabin cover into place
4
Servo Horn Attatchment
An adjustable attachment onto a servo
2
Latching Hook
Securely fastens a removable part
12
Fuselage Reinforcing Plate
Reinforcements for the fuselage
2
Tail Reinforcing Plate
Reinforcements for the V-Tail
2
Autopilot Locating Board
Provides flat location within the fuselage to mount the “Autopilot)
1
Parachute Servo Mount
Mount for parachute servo
1
Wooden Plate of Parachut Hatch Cover
1
Parachute Cover Hatch Stiffener
1
Motor Installing Base
2
Rudder Pins
Attaches rudder
Helmangle
4
Servo Ball Heads and Link Rods
Servo Cable
30cm*2 Extension
30cm*2 Male
35cm*2 Female
Y Splitter 10cm*2
8
Wire Wrap + Battery Stap
16 AWG Silicone Wire
2
Heat Shrink Tubing
2.5mm*15mm*20
6mm*15mm*12
There are no rows in this table
Electronics Familiarization
BOM
Component
Function
Blog Equivalent
MFE Believer – KIT
Airframe
Believer FPV Plane
T-Motor AT3520 Long Shaft 550 KV
Turns the props
T-motor MN3110 700Kv
T-Motor AT 55A – Fixed wing ESC with 5V/5A UBEC
Provides the motors with power
HobbyWing Platinum Pro 30A ESC
EMAX ES3054 17g Digital Servo with Bearing
Moves the control surfaces
Bluebird BMS-393DMH
Aero-naut CAMcarbon Light 126L CW /CCW
Provides thrust from the motor
APC Style 10x7E
UltraPower - UP1200+ 8CH Charger 2-6s 25A
Charges the batteries
TBS Tracer Micro TX Starter Set
Transmits the RC signal to the plane
FrSky R9M 868/900Mhz Long range Tx module
Taranis X9D Plus SE 2019
The controller allows the operator to input controls to the RC TX module
CUAV Pixhawk Nano Flight Controller
XT90H - 5 Pairs
Battery Connector
083 - 2-6s backup BEC for Pixhawk 2
Backup power supply for the Cube
Turnigy Multistar Twin Output 5v/12v SBEC
Digital Airspeed Sensor MS4525DO
measures airspeed to help with maintaining speed for autonomous flight controller
Not Specified in blog
Here 3+ with iStand
GPS, so the flight controller knows where it is
Not Specified in blog
RFDesign - PIXHAWK 2 to RFD900/868 Telemetry Cable
Not Specified blog
RFD 900x-US V2 Modem (FCC approved) - Bundle
Telemetry modules to get mission data from the plane and upload missions to the plane
Not Specified in blog
Cube ID-CAN
Remote ID for regulatory compliance
Not Specified in blog
45cm Male to Female Twisted Servo Extension – 22AWG Locking
Servo wires need to be longer to reach the servos
Not Specified in blog
The Cube Blue H7
The flight controller provides stabilization and autonomous functionality
Not Specified in blog
ADS-B Carrier Board -Only for The Cube
ADS-B allows the drone to detect where manned aircraft are
Not Specified in blog
Gens Ace G Tech Tattu HV 17000mAh 15C
Batteries to power the plane
Not Specified in blog
AM1021B-M
Shell/housing for JR-style servo (Male)
Not Specified in blog
AM1021B-F
Shell/housing for JR-style servo (Female)
Not Specified in blog
24 AWG Silicone Wire / Cable
For making the wire harness
22AWG, 28AWG, 26AWG Servo cables
16AWG, 14AWG Power cables
Ruko R111 FAA Compliant Remote ID Module for Drone, RC Airplane GPS Tracker, 5 Hours Battery Time, Light Weight RID Module for FAA Regulation, Spare Accessories for FPV Drones & RC plane & Helicopter
Remote ID for regulatory compliance
VELCRO Brand Heavy Duty Tape with Adhesive | 15 Ft x 2 In | Holds 10 lbs, Black | Industrial Strength Roll, Cut Strips to Length | Strong Hold for Indoor or Outdoor Use, 15ft x 2in
Helps hold the battery in place
Polyester Velcro Peel-n-stick
Tripp Lite Heavy Duty Computer Power Cord, 15A, 14AWG (NEMA 5-15P to IEC-320-C13), 10-ft. (P007-010) , Black
For the Charger
There are no rows in this table
Build Instructions
Critical Points
Reflection:
I now know and understand the different components of the believer and the type of UAV I will be working on in the future. I ave never created a BOM before, so it is good that I now know how to create one. The Believer airframe in itself was much more simply made than I thought, however, there are a lot more components and electronics that go into than I thought. I am looking forward to building upon my knowledge on the Believer and winged UAVs as a whole.
Created by: Andrew L., Andrew H., Aidan T., Lucas T., Hunter H.
Table 2
Name
Role
Andrew L
Helped with the Build instructions and the electronics familiarization
Andrew H
Found the blog equivalent for the BOM
Aidan T
Take photos of components, filled out Airframe component table
Lucas T
Identified the different air frame components and their uses, as well as captured images of some.
Hunter H
Portion of column labeling on tables; filled in various information fields inside the airframe specs and electronic components
There are no rows in this table
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