Toss-launching drones is hard — this automatic launcher does it better

Typically, consumer drones take off from the ground or some other solid surface. But that isn’t very cinematic and toss launches — when the pilot throws the drone up into the air — are a lot more interesting to watch. Sadly, NickFPV isn’t very good at tossing his drone and that invites ridicule in his videos’ comment sections. To redeem himself, he built this automatic drone launcher triggered by an Arduino.

When developing the launching mechanism, NickFPV found inspiration in his kitchen. Or more accurately, he found inspiration in the kitchens of cartoons, where toasters rocket charred bread to comical altitudes. He figured that if it works for toast, it could work for a micro drone. He just needed more stored kinetic energy.

As with a toaster, NickFPV’s mechanism stores kinetic energy in a spring. When released, that spring pulls up a platform riding on hardened steel rods. The spring and rods attach to a 3D-printed frame and a pin latch holds the platform in place until the launch. The drone sits on that platform and when the platform reaches the top, it stops while the drone continues skyward. 

NickFPV could have tugged a string to pull out that pin, but the launcher is pretty small and that pin requires some force to pull. Doing that while standing safely a few feet away would inevitably drag the entire launcher. To solve that problem, NickFPV added an Arduino to trigger the launch.

That is an Arduino UNO R4 WiFi board and it controls a servo motor mounted on the launcher. At the press of a button, the servo yanks the string that pulls the latch pin. Power comes from a portable USB battery pack, so any location can become a launch pad.

The launcher proved to be a success and it throws the drone a good six feet up, where its motors can take over to achieve flight. Now, NickFPV’s viewers won’t see his poor throws.