Latest Activity

François LABAT replied to Randy's discussion ArduCopter-3.0 ready for wider use
"Hi great work. I m new with arducopter and i ve got one question. I used a quad with multiwii, and when  i arm, motors turns at low speed. But with the version 2,9b and 3 of arducopter. When throttle stick is at bottom position and quad is…"
2 minutes ago
Nathan replied to Thomas J Coyle III's discussion Looking Ahead to the Sparkfun 2014 AVC or Lessons Learned from the 2013 AVC in the group ArduRover User Group
"My solution is just to go straight, really fast for 20 or 30 ft at least. That should get you free of the crazies for the most part. I don't use GPS, but if I did, it seems like this would have the added advantage of getting a couple of…"
7 minutes ago

Developer
Olivier ADLER replied to Randy's discussion ArduCopter-3.0 ready for wider use
"Local magnetic field disturbance can become a problem because not only declination can change (often as high as 4 degrees but sometimes a lot more like 90 degrees in difficult areas !!) but inclination as well. Inclination is the vertical component…"
9 minutes ago
airmamaf replied to Randy's discussion ArduCopter-3.0 ready for wider use
"I reply to myself :), in fact I didn't saw there was two methods "AP_MotorsMatrix::output_armed()", I just replace motor_out[i]    = _rc_throttle->radio_min; with  motor_out[i]    =…"
11 minutes ago
Stephen Berke replied to Stephen Berke's discussion Ardupilot on PX4 + IO won't arm motors.
"I've tried trimming it way down, but not changing the actual range of values.  I'll give this a try to see if it works. "
12 minutes ago

3D Robotics
Justin Cunningham commented on Joshua Ott's blog post Thirty Days (#28): McMaster-116 lift
"Told you we'd beat you Josh!"
18 minutes ago
Vince Hogg replied to Randy's discussion ArduCopter-3.0 ready for wider use
"Oliver, will extract the log later. Originally I had auto dec and 3.0 loiter was working fine. Then did compmot and entered a published dec (-2.3). Bad loiter so put dec on CH6 but still cant stop the circles. I do have 3DR power mod and have…"
19 minutes ago
Tommy Larsen posted a discussion

Remove Geo-fence

Hi allI have succesfully made a geo-fence for the first time. Now i want to remove it.... But how do i delete the geo-fence uploaded to my APM2.5 ??See More
27 minutes ago
PX4 commented on PX4's blog post PX4FLOW Position Hold Beta and Source Code Release
"The tape markings are not part of the localization, those are there for a different project. The height is not limited regarding optical flow (the accuracy just scales linearly). However, if you do not provide a different altitude over ground…"
27 minutes ago

Admin
Thomas J Coyle III commented on Joshua Ott's blog post Engadget covers AVC 2013
"Nice overview of all of the competition! Regards, TCIII"
29 minutes ago

Developer
Olivier ADLER replied to Randy's discussion ArduCopter-3.0 ready for wider use
" Vince, witch interference value did compass mot report ? What is your local declination value from the declination web site ? Do you have a 3DR power module and did you enable battery current monitoring ? Do you have a telemetry log available ?"
30 minutes ago
theo van niekerk commented on theo van niekerk's blog post PhotoHigher H4 Quad
"Some Raw Video from this weekend it was quite windy http://youtu.be/TCQQfPTg1M8"
38 minutes ago

Developer
Olivier ADLER replied to Randy's discussion ArduCopter-3.0 ready for wider use
"Jo, version 3.0 has two major enhancements in this area : 1) It will make rigorous checks before entering GPS modes. For example if you ask RTL and GPS is not available or home position is not set, it will switch back to stabilize. 2) Version 3.0…"
41 minutes ago
Xander Zoolander posted discussions
42 minutes ago
Vince Hogg replied to Randy's discussion ArduCopter-3.0 ready for wider use
"My Loiter’s not happy with compassmot or dec.   When I first installed 3.0 rc6 (from 2.9.1) I didn’t really change much apart from reducing loiter rate. (All compassmot and dec were 0 in param list). All was fine, nice steady…"
44 minutes ago

3D Robotics
Joshua Ott commented on Joshua Ott's blog post Thirty Days (#28): McMaster-116 lift
"It should be more than just a contest of brute force. We should make it more useful. Maybe we pick a fixed weight and measure endurance while lifting it. Something like: How long can you hold McMaster in the air?"
45 minutes ago

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Forum

Ardupilot on PX4 + IO won't arm motors.

Started by Stephen Berke in ArduCopter 2.x (multicopter). Last reply by Stephen Berke 12 minutes ago. 2 Replies

Remove Geo-fence

Started by Tommy Larsen in APM Mission Planner 27 minutes ago. 0 Replies

Advantages to types of frames?

Started by Xander Zoolander in Quad/multicopter frames 42 minutes ago. 0 Replies

can i power my apm 2.5 with this?

Started by adriano nocenzi in Unassigned category. Last reply by adriano nocenzi 50 minutes ago. 4 Replies

First quadcopter need help.

Started by Kurt-Olav in AeroQuad 1 hour ago. 0 Replies

APM2.5 5V/Vcc Schematic

Started by R. D. Starwalt in ArduPilotMega 2.x hardware. Last reply by R. D. Starwalt 1 hour ago. 73 Replies

N00B Questions

Started by Dave Smith in ArduCopter 2.x (traditional heli). Last reply by R_Lefebvre 1 hour ago. 20 Replies

Total noob to traditional heli!

Started by Monroe Lee King Jr. in ArduCopter 2.x (traditional heli). Last reply by Josh Potter 2 hours ago. 26 Replies

Adding extra functions to MinimOSD

Started by Gábor Zoltán in OSD. Last reply by noeL 2 hours ago. 2151 Replies

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Welcome to DIY Drones!


This is the home for everything about amateur Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Use the tabs and drop-down menus above to navigate the site. (About us/Site rules)

This community created the Arduino-based ArduPilot, the world's first universal autopilot (planes, multicopters of all sorts and ground rovers). The APM 2.5 autopilot hardware runs a variety of powerful free UAV software systems, including:

  • ArduPlane, a pro-level UAV system for planes of all types
  • ArduCopter, a fully-autonomous multicopter and heli UAV system
  • ArduRover, a fully-autonomous ground-based vehicle system

I'm new to all this--where do I start?                    Are amateur UAVs legal? (yes)

Examples of civilian uses of drones                   Glossary of confusing terms

Blog Posts

Parrot releases GPS module for AR.Drone 2.0

Posted by Chris Anderson on June 18, 2013 at 1:20pm 1 Comment

MAVLink-compatible, which means it works with QGroundControl. All details here. Coverage from Engadget:

Starting next week, Parrot will be…

Continue

Engadget covers AVC 2013

Posted by Joshua Ott on June 18, 2013 at 1:00pm 1 Comment

From Engadget. This last paragraph really sums it up nicely:

And really, for all the prize money and ominous warning signs at the entrance, the AVC is ultimately a meeting space for hobbyists in what may some day become a much larger movement. It's a place to experiment, talk shop and occasionally crash along the way.

Man whose RC drone was shot down over Turkey protest returns to the skies

Posted by Matthew Schroyer on June 18, 2013 at 7:44am 1 Comment

Many of you might be aware of the situation in Turkey, where protests have been going on for longer than two weeks. Some of you on DIYDrones might also be aware that a man was flying a small RC drone above these protests, that is, until his aircraft was shot down by riot police.

I originally wrote about this on sUASNews,…

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PX4FLOW Position Hold Beta and Source Code Release

Posted by PX4 on June 18, 2013 at 7:30am 3 Comments

Our new video shows position hold (the position can be moved on the fly, so its actually full position control) using the PX4FMU autopilot plus …

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ASME Podcast - How Drones Can Help Predict Tornadoes

Posted by S.G. Sutter on June 18, 2013 at 6:30am 1 Comment

ASME presents a podcast on the application of small UAVs in the study of severe weather, especially tornadoes.

Here is the link to the ASME…

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A beginner's experience to the Copter world

Posted by Steve Monro on June 18, 2013 at 5:00am 6 Comments

My dad likes remote control cars. My brothers like remote control cars. I like them too. As a family, we grew up playing with train sets laid out on the family dinner table. As kids we also used to enjoy playing with a “Thunderloop Thriller AFX Slotcar Set” and making things out of Lego. The things that typical boys enjoyed playing with.

So where do I begin with this flying journey? How about this last Christmas. It was the year of… strangely enough remote control…

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Know your sky!

Posted by Monroe Lee King Jr. on June 18, 2013 at 4:16am 3 Comments

I talk a lot about the FAA and such and my concern for our community so I thought I'd give everyone a look at what's going on in the sky from the view of the FAA. Explain some basic things about flight charts and flight planning. 

You can get a look at what's going on above your head and plan better and safer…

Continue

Tarot T810 build log

Posted by Wesley Versfeld on June 18, 2013 at 3:30am 7 Comments

I have been searching high and low for a good affordable large hexa system, with the main objective to lift 500gr (camera, FPV transmitter, etc) for as long as possible, and have the video stabilized. 

The S800 looked ok, but due to some issues around the boom flexibility and cost, I ditched that idea. The…

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Thirty Days (#30): Tour of 3DR North

Posted by Joshua Ott on June 17, 2013 at 8:00pm 0 Comments

This was shot on a couple of different days, with a couple of different states of tune. Nothing fancy, just a hard mounted GoPro 2. It gives you a quick view of our sweet little office in the corner of the Swerve Co compound. 

 
 
 

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Contests

Season Two of the Trust Time Trial (T3) Contest has now begun. The fourth round is an accuracy round for multicopters, which requires contestants to fly a cube. The deadline is April 14th.

A list of all T3 contests is here

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UAV news from sUAS News

PSNI on G8 drones: ‘They actually look like big model aircraft’

PSNI on G8 drones: ‘They actually look like big model aircraft’

THE POLICE SERVICE of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have revealed details about the unmanned aerial vehicles or drones they will be using during the G8 summit, which gets under way in Fermanagh tomorrow. As part of an unprecedented security operation at the Lough Erne golf resort near Enniskillen, the PSNI will be operating three of the unmanned aircraft over the next two days to give them an “eye in the sky” view of their operation. The drones will be used primarily for surveillance purposes during the summit and will deliver high quality images to police commanders. The PSNI will have 8,000 officers in the field over a 24-hour period with the existing force supplemented by over 3,600 officers brought in from police forces in England, Scotland and Wales. http://www.thejournal.ie/psni-g8-drones-953869-Jun2013/ Bookmark It Hide Sites

Trimble’s new UAS targets big survey, geospatial projects

Trimble’s new UAS targets big survey, geospatial projects

Holding thumbs that the FAA will come through for them in 2015, Trimble unveils its latest wing. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based, publicly traded (Nasdaq: TRMB) Trimble, with $2 billion in 2012 revenue, uses positioning technologies – GPS, lasers and optics – to focus on applications requiring position or location, including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. Like the X100 but better  Just like its predecessor, the Gatewing X100 – the market’s first commercial aerial imaging rover – incorporates mission planning, automatic field image acquisition and fully digital and automated image processing software. Trimble acquired privately-held Gatewing, a Belgium-based manufacturer of lightweight UAVs for photogrammetry and rapid terrain mapping, in April 2012. The UX5 carries a Sony NEX-5R mirrorless, 16.1-megapixel camera with a fixed focal-length external lens, which has a surface area nearly nine times that of the Ricoh camera carried on the X100, which was already 1.5 times larger than the biggest on the market at the time. The large field of view from the camera allows the rover to cover 50-75 percent more area to enhance efficiency and reduce operational costs. In addition to the increase in flight efficiency, the Trimble UX5 is capable of producing [...]

Washington’s $10B Unmanned Industry

Washington’s $10B Unmanned Industry

By Rick Anderson Tad McGeer, multimillionaire godfatherof the state’s drone industry, was heading home the other day from his office in the rain-swept Columbia River Gorge town of White Salmon when he picked up his cell phone and dialed a Seattle reporter. In an earlier e-mail exchange, the reporter had asked about the growth of drone manufacturing in Washington, and McGeer had written back, “Are you jumping on the hype bandwagon, or do you want to discuss reality?” The hype he referred to was the drone-phobia that hovers over any discussion of unmanned flying vehicles, from the small model-sized planes that buzz Seattle neighborhoods to the multi-ton aerial robots that are used in war and prowl Washington’s northern border. To McGeer’s dismay, the public doesn’t seem to like them much—the airborne snoops fly right up and peek through your window, don’t they?—even though civilian drone use is growing and the Pentagon is expanding its drone air force, including four bases in the Evergreen State. Assured by the reporter that reality rocks, McGeer agrees to call. “I’ve got about a 20-minute drive,” said the 56-year-old Stanford aeronautical engineer, steering towards Hood River, Oregon, across the old two-lane toll bridge stretching three-quarters of [...]

GA-ASI successfully demonstrates enhanced sensor dissemination capability in U.S. Navy exercise

 GA-ASI successfully demonstrates enhanced sensor dissemination capability in U.S. Navy exercise

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), tactical reconnaissance radars, and electro-optic surveillance systems, today announced its successful participation in the recent U.S. Navy Trident Spectre experiment conducted at the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va. During its May 8-18 participation, GA-ASI operated a Predator® B surrogate (King Air 200) equipped with Predator B-type sensors including GA-ASI’s Lynx® Multi-mode Radar and FLIR’s Star SAFIRE 380HD Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) imaging system. The Predator B surrogate leveraged Lynx to detect ground-based moving targets, and GA-ASI’s Claw® payload control software automatically cross-cued, or slewed, to the Star SAFIRE for target visual identification. This next-generation data dissemination capability allowed naval commanders to review data rapidly, modify follow-on mission flight planning, and demonstrate ad-hoc mission re-tasking of the aircraft directly by commanders based in the Tactical Operations Center (TOC). Sensor imagery was also simultaneously streamed to a host of U.S. government entities in real-time. “Our primary goal was to provide all-weather, day/night Lynx radar and EO/IR data on moving ground targets and disseminate that information to the Navy’s shore-based TOC,” said Linden Blue, president, Reconnaissance Systems Group, GA-ASI. “The mission was successfully executed and marked a historical milestone by demonstrating the [...]

Teal Group Predicts Worldwide UAV Market Will Total $89 Billion in Its 2013 UAV Market Profile

Teal Group Predicts Worldwide UAV Market Will Total $89 Billion in Its 2013 UAV Market Profile

Despite near-term U.S. budget cutbacks, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) continue as the most dynamic growth sector of the world aerospace industry this decade, report Teal analysts in their latest integrated market analysis, during the opening of the 50th Paris Air Show. Teal Group’s 2013 market study estimates that UAV spending will more than double over the next decade from current worldwide UAV expenditures of $5.2 billion annually to $11.6 billion, totaling just over $89 billion in the next ten years.  (For further details and study availability, contact the respective Teal sales representative in your area at http://www.tealgroup.com/). “The UAV market is evolving, it is becoming an increasingly international market as it grows,” said Philip Finnegan, Teal Group’s director of corporate analysis and an author of the study.  “UAVs have proved their value in Iraq and Afghanistan and are being sought by a growing number of militaries worldwide.” “The Teal Group study predicts that the US will account for 65% of the worldwide RDT&E spending on UAV technology over the next decade, and 51% of the procurement,” said Teal Group senior analyst Steve Zaloga, another author of the study. The tenth edition of the sector study, World Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems, Market Profile [...]

UAV news from Flight Global

Maritime Heron UAV supports European airspace trial

Europe has advanced a project to prove the feasibility of using satellite communications to enable UAS operations in non-segregated airspace ...

Brazilian navy begins UAS evaluation

The Brazilian navy has begun to evaluate two Israeli-made unmanned air systems for maritime surveillance missions ...

Indian air force to launch micro UAS evaluation

The Indian air force is to evaluate several micro unmanned air systems from around 10 companies in early May ...

VIDEO: Eurocopter demonstrates unmanned EC145

Eurocopter has unveiled an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV), based on its EC145 light twin, which has been in development since September 2011.

Israeli F-16 downs another Hezbollah UAV

An Israeli air force Lockheed Martin F-16 has shot down an unmanned air vehicle launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah militants ...

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