Time your Drones with an Awesome 3D-Printed Arduino-Powered Landing Pad!

Ever fancied giving your quadcopter drone a cool landing area, or wanted to time its progress running circuits around your garden? Sure, a stopwatch is one option, but if you're busy controlling the drone you’re not going to be able to get an accurate timing.

Well, unless you have more than one pair of hands.

The sensible solution (as these things go) is to combine both purposes into a single device. That’s exactly what YouTuber DIY Machines (aka Lewis) has done with this very impressive 3D printed landing pad. Complete with a seven-segment LED timer, and ultrasonic sensors, this device has an Arduino at its heart, with a recipe designed to detect the presence (or otherwise) of the quadcopter, and time the interval.

Like DIY Machines’ previous BB8 build, what stands out most about this landing pad is the quality of production. There is an attention to detail in the final design that boasts simplicity, despite the wires, LEDs, and battery pack underneath. Sure, there is liberal use of hot glue, but thanks to good quality 3D design and printing, the end product looks like something you could pick up at your local electronics retailer.

Basically, it doesn’t matter what you’re building. Not how you start, or how you finish; as long as you get the job done. But when you can make your builds look as polished as this, you know you’re at the top of your game.

The Electromaker team reckon this is one of the best builds we’ve seen, so much so that several of us want to try it ourselves! Here’s your chance to do just that, following Lewis’ drone landing pad instructions right here on ElectroMaker. Let us know how your build goes!