Drone Aerial Charging System with Magconn

Before you start, let me know that this project will be supported by Magconn through the Magconn Idea Competition.

I was always dissatisfied with the short flight time of the drones. I once took the battery for a long time to fly the drones, but there was scene I wanted to take during the time of replacing the battery. So I wanted to develop a system that would allow the drones to fly for long periods without coming down. So I built a drones charging system by using Magconn's charger module.

These two pictures illustrate what I make. So let's start from now on.

1. Making drone (For charging, SKY to SKY)

I use 'TBS Discovery' frame and APM FC for making drone. The photo below is the process of making the drones. You have to prepare Frame, ESC, Motor, Receiver, FC (Flight Controller), and battery.

If you have finished assembling the drones, you should now make the settings. The APM settings are made using the mission planner and must be connected to the computer using a 5-pin cable.

When you have finished making the settings, you need to create a device for the power supply. First, you should connect the wire with Magconn charger. Next, find the thin pipe and put the wire inside.

Once you have the wires in the pipe, you should now secure the terminals to the pipe and connect them to the drones. Also the drones are sensitive to the electric field, so be sure to cover the silver foil to shield the electric field.

2. Drone modification (For charging, Ground to SKY)

This drone is a drone that is powered from the ground and charges the drones in the air. I can use the drones that I made first, but the drones charging the air from the ground do not need extra batteries, so I made them up with a small drones.

Before attaching the charging terminal to the drones, the camera was installed for smooth docking. Because of the small size of the drone, it utilizes a compact video transceiver.

I used the parrot mini drone and used a syringe to raise the charge port vertically.

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If you attach the charging port in the syringe, it's time to connect the syringe to the drones.

The wires that protrude downward should be used to receive electricity from the ground in the future, so they are arranged so that they do not get caught in the wings.

3. Attach Magconn charging module on CAM Drone

I use XK X380 for CAM Drone. The drones can fly for about 20 minutes, use brushless motors, and able to mount cameras.

Although not shown in the photo, a diode was installed to prevent reverse current. When you are finished, you should make sure that the power is being supplied normally.

Photo of SKY to SKY charging:

Photo of SKY to Ground charging:

I will update the flight video later because it is a non-flying area in front of my house.

After the project...

Of course, the limitations of my mechanism exist. First of all, a system that charges in the air can not have a better effect than increasing the capacity of the battery. Also, charging the battery by electricity from the ground can not help and just extend the flight time simply, unless the fast charge is applied. That's why I will try to apply fast charging. There are many disadvantages like this, but I think it has some advantages. If you need to take a still shot, you can change the extra battery, and if you have a lot of batteries you can fly for a very long time. In addition, if the data line of the magconn terminal is used, various attachments such as a camera and a sensor can be mounted, and it can be used for various purposes other than simply charging. I would like to thank you for reading my project and would like to press the respect button once. Thanks a lot!