We disassemble a radio-controlled paper airplane PowerUP 3.0 for spare parts

Probably, many have heard or even played already with PowerUp 3.0 - a kit that allows turning almost any paper airplane (we all did this in childhood) into a gadget controlled from a phone.

The author of the project is a pilot with 25 years of experience, who managed to gather around him a team of specialists, and then receive a whole million dollars on Kickstarter instead of the requested 50 thousand. The review of this kit was published on Habré , and material with comments and advice from those who have already tried the device in work was published here. Today, I want to show that there is a plane inside - more precisely, what is an electronic “filling” (carefully, a lot of photos).
')
The only thing we recall from past materials is the way to bring the device into a working form. Everything is simple here:

1. Make a paper airplane (the author of the project attaches to the kit even instructions on how to fold different airplanes);
2. Attach the appropriate module with special clips to the axis of the aircraft;
3. Install and run a special smartphone application (free);
4. We launch a paper airplane with our hand, and begin to control our fighter / attack aircraft, simply tilting the smartphone.

Well, and now - anboxing and dismantling, with comments of the electronics engineer.


In this form, the airplane arrived at the office


View from above


And this is without packaging and without a cover


Now front


Control module, carbon base and propeller


Control module with a clip that attaches to the paper


Fastened like this


Well, and the assembled airplane with the Medgadgets logo, where without it :)


Smart module with clip


MicroUSB connector for smart module charging. Next to the connector is a black switch (gate) to turn on and off the power


Smart module disassembled. Case + battery + control board


1. Left - Bluetooth Smart CC2541 www.ti.com/product/cc2541 (left).
2. In the middle - the antenna.
3. On the right - the power switch (on / off).
4. Below - ultra miniature highly stable crystal in a ceramic package for surface mounting ( abracon.com/Resonators/ABM8X.pdf ). Most likely you need to control the frequency.


Bluetooth Smart CC2541


On the left - microUSB connector
Black wire (-) - cathode. Goes to the battery "-".
Red wire (+) - anode, goes to the "+" battery


On the left, the 3 elements labeled “EBC” are most likely voltage regulators. Just to the right of them are soldered wires that go through the carbon frame to the tail of the aircraft


Battery with a rated voltage of 3.7 V. Capacity 75 mAh


The tail of the aircraft. Control board for propeller (propeller), automatic propeller for rotating propeller and regulator of flight accuracy




Place of passage of wires extending from the carbon frame

Actually, that's the whole disassembly, as we see, there are not very many things inside. The control module is assembled and the whole kit is generally good. Nothing backlash, does not fall off. By experience, the control module withstands well, ooooochen a lot of strikes on the ground. So far, the experimental airplane that has passed through the hands of a large number of people who want to play with it has not broken. This makes me happy :)


This is how it works.


Some more drawings


Control is made from a smartphone, for a normal start you need to practice

Power Up 3.0 captures for a long time, and it is clear why - after all, here is a combination of childhood, the very same airplanes that we all let in, and the most advanced technologies, even if they are not the most complex. Yes, and a smartphone involved. In general, what the doctor prescribed for entertainment in front of the office or in the park, with the kids (you can with adult children, they like it even more).

The author has already released kits for creating radio-controlled paper boats, as well as various aircraft patterns. In principle, the templates are not needed, everything works if you make an ordinary airplane from the most ordinary thick paper.