Incredible Achievement.

Posted on December 10, 2023  •  3 minutes  • 541 words  • Other languages:  Українська

Incredible Achievement: First Drone Assembled! Just Assembled.

The first drone is assembled, bringing an incredible sense of joy and a feeling that we’re finally seeing some results. Of course, not everything went smoothly, but as they say, no rain without clouds.

We had a tough time finding cable ties, especially black ones of the right length and at a suitable price, but we finally got them. So, the assembled version now includes these ties. But of course, that was the least of our problems. The drone frame also required some adjustments. It differed from what we had expected, and we had to position some parts slightly differently. But this wasn’t a critical issue.

Soldering the drone was a real challenge - so many tiny connections, each requiring precision and attention. It was frightening not to mix up the various colored wires. But it seems everything has been soldered correctly.

During the assembly, we encountered a new problem - we were missing some parts. One memorable moment was with the antenna holder made of PLA plastic, which simply cracked! The good news is that it happened during assembly, not in flight. That’s how we found out we needed a few more parts made of a stronger and more flexible plastic. It took about a week to find such plastic, but eventually, we got the necessary parts and managed to fully assemble the drone.

Yes, and here you want to say, at last, the first drone is ready to be shipped, and we can start working on the next one. But it’s not that simple. Now we need to check the drone, make sure everything works, that all the soldering is correct, and that the parts we received are indeed functioning. And finally, we need to program it correctly, but that seems to be the easiest part.

It seemed like it should be a relatively simple process, but again, there was a problem. First, to test the drone’s propellers, we need a battery, as we can’t test the motors without it. In one of our posts, we mentioned that the funds we’re raising don’t include batteries, and drones can be shipped without them. Some organizations specialize in batteries, which are quite explosive, so it’s safer to ship drones without them. Besides, batteries are an additional cost.

However, in our case, a battery was necessary. Yes, the battery is one thing, but we also need to buy a charging station to recharge it. We’ve ordered the battery, which was a bit pricey, but it should arrive in about a week. So, the testing process is on hold again.

Meanwhile, we decided to join the queue for cheaper batteries for the three drones we plan to ship, so we have a complete set ready to go. But that’s going to be a long wait - about a month.

So, that’s where we stand. But what’s encouraging is that we’ve almost reached the full amount we aimed to raise, with just about 20 percent left. Donations continue to come in, which helps maintain our faith in the project and its future.

Oh, there’s so much more to tell, about ordering the second drone, mistakes in soldering, and much more. But perhaps that’s for the next post.