Working Principle (Gimbal)
How does our gimbal work?
Our gimbal is mounted onto the top and bottom of our drone. They are controlled by the joysticks which transmit information through the NRF24L01 modules (programmed using Arduino). The 2 servo motors are attached onto a 3D printed mount and they are rotated on 2 orthogonal axis which then covers a hemisphere. This is for one gimbal. Combining the top and bottom camera footage, we then have a 360 degree view of the drone’s surroundings.
How does Arduino work?
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/what-is-an-arduino/all
Arduino is a programmable microcontroller which is capable of controlling different external modules or electronic components through electronic signals. As it is an open-source platform, documentation is strong and community support is huge. It is also easy to interface and control electronic components unlike other prototyping tools like raspberrypi.
What are the different modules?
| Module | Function |
| nRF24L01 | The nRF24L01 module allows us to communicate between the joystick and the gimbal. It acts as a control system for us to send a signal from our joysticks to the on board gimbal. |
| Servo | Once the signal from the joysticks is being transmitted to the nRF24L01 module, the signal is being transmitted to the servo in order to make it move. This therefore moves the camera and gives us our desired footage. |
How does a servo motor work?
https://www.jameco.com/jameco/workshop/howitworks/how-servo-motors-work.html
A servo is usually made of a DC motor, potentiometer and a control circuit. As the gear moves closer to the desired position, the speed gets lower, also known as proportional control. The control circuit receives PWM signals (Pulse-width modulation) which is affected by the potentiometer to tell the actual position of the servo. At the desired position, any external force exerted to change the position is countered by the servo and this maximum force is called torque rating.