r/diydrones • u/1108susiep • 6d ago

Testing a spray drone before building more. What should I check besides full load?

My parents grow corn and soybeans, and I’m helping them look into building a couple of spray drones. They know the farming side, so I got assigned motors and ESCs lol.

I want to test one build before ordering parts for the others. A full tank seems like the place to start, but I’m curious how you test it as the tank empties.

Do you run separate tests at full, half-full, and near-empty, or log a whole spraying run? I’m planning to watch current draw and motor temps. Anything else that made you rethink your setup after testing?

If yall built one, I’d appreciate hearing what you missed the first time.

9 Upvotes

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11

u/Ready_Cheek_9759 6d ago

I would log the whole run. Note the wind and temperature too. You'll want that written down when you come back to compare flights a week later.

8

u/arcdragon2 6d ago

If you are building from scratch you have a lot more than motor logs to do. A shit load more.

3

u/firiana_Control 6d ago

One thing that has personally bitten me. is the vortex wake, and the spray going through the leaves.

It was the case in Maize. Soybean, I do not know.

2

u/pedrogalopp 5d ago

Ask for data on the exact motor, ESC, and prop combo you're considering, and check the test conditions. I'd use that to narrow things down, then test one complete build before buying the rest. T-Motor is one option to look at.

2

u/gwenbeth 6d ago

Wind. Lots of wind. Also test low battery with a heavy load. You will want it to safely land back at the barn than crash in the middle of the field with 5 gallons of chemicals. And think of some of the operational issues. Can you change the battery with a half full tank? What about an easy mode to cleaning out everything?