So Instructables has a rainbow contest and I thought of something cool to do with my drone.....Have it drop a rainbow. Not a real rainbow but one made of ribbons. In this Instructable I will show you how to add one part to your drone to be able to drop a rainbow. I got the kids involved from the start. Sometimes crazy ideas are the best learning experience and it is fun to do crazy stuff with the kids.

Step 1: Warnings!

Like most of my Instructables, This could be dangerous or against the law (depending on the laws where you live) It is your responsibility to be safe and check with local laws pertaining to drone usage. The ribbons do not clear the props every time so they sometimes get tangled and cause the drone to crash. I also recommend not being bare footed while using hot glue.

Step 2: Flipping Drone

You will need a flipping drone. A lot of the lower price drones have a
flipping function. It is usually a button that you push that makes the drone flip. Sometimes it takes a series of button pushes or a combination of button push and joystick input. The flip is important because that is what will drop the rainbow. The drone I used was a Syma X5SC but there are many flipping drones that can be had for between $20 to $60. There are more expensive drones capable of doing flips but you could run the risk of crashing your drone.

Step 3: Tools and Materials

The only tools you need are a hot glue gun and a pair of scissors (I used the scissors on a small Swiss army Knife).

The Materials I used were a used Keurig cup (super light weight and easy to cut) and some colorful small ribbons like the ones used for decorating wrapped presents.

Step 4: Cut the Top of the Cup

To prepare the cup just cut the top off. The first cut I made was rough, so I made a second smoother cut. You could experiment with different cuts at different angles that might release the payload better, but I found that just a straight cut near the top worked well. You will also want to clean out the inside of the cup.

Step 5: Hot Glue the Cup to the Top of the Drone

I used just a small dab of hot glue, on the bottom of the cup, to glue it to the center of the top of the drone. You want to make sure that the props can spin without hitting the cup.

Step 6: Cut the Ribbons

The kids and I cut the ribbons into pieces about three feet (one meter) long.

Step 7: Roll Up the Ribbons and Load the Drone

Gather the ribbons together and roll them up so that they fit in the cup. Push them into the cup and you are ready.

Step 8: Flip the Drone and Drop the Rainbow

Fly the drone and do a flip. The ribbons should fall out of the cup and float to the ground. I say should, because sometimes they might not fall out or they might get tangled up with the props and come crashing to the ground.

Step 9: Add Weight As Needed

I found that adding some weight to the ribbons helped it fall better and not get tangled in the props. You could also cut the ribbons into smaller pieces but that would make clean up harder.