Latest Activity

Kenn Sebesta commented on lilvinz's blog post quanton flight control
"This is absolutely not what lilvinz would recommend, but here's how i did it: I just had to cut back the 5th and 6th header pins, which you can (barely) see in the photo. Note, wire lengths cannot be very long for flashing to work. It…"
1 minute ago
Magnus Wake posted a discussion

Bit of a melt down on my arducopter. Anythoughts

Glad I did enough bench testing for this not to have happened in the air!Cables going from outputs to  ESC Hobbywing Quattro 25Ax4and cable powering Ardu board melting down when the motors are powered up.Any thoughts on this?…See More
3 minutes ago

Wiki Ninja
Gary McCray commented on Jared Reabow's blog post 3 axis Camera Gimble connections.
"Hi Robert, OK maybe not typically, but by far the highest percentage. And a lot of the ones with pan also have an ability to see or preview what they are filming, because it is very difficult to know where the camera is pointing from the ground if…"
9 minutes ago
Paul Feely commented on Thomas J Coyle III's blog post Community -based Telerobotic Explorer
"Better link : http://www.arxterra.com/"
14 minutes ago

Developer
R_Lefebvre commented on Jared Reabow's blog post 3 axis Camera Gimble connections.
"I don't think the word "typically" is the right description for panning the whole copter.  There are lots of 3-axis servo gimbals in existence.  Only the simpler setups don't have a discrete pan control."
33 minutes ago

Developer
Olivier ADLER commented on OG's blog post Hybrid Penta Copter
"This one is a derivative of what we discussed in the forum two years ago. http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/tubine-quad?commentId=705844%3AComment%3A410275 @Gary: a generator would be quite heavy. Should have about 500W to 1 Kw power to feed the…"
35 minutes ago
Claudio de Paula Donate replied to Claudio de Paula Donate's discussion First quadcopter, first flights, first tweaks. Need some guidence
"Tom, I just did a test flight logging my RAW data. My z-axis values look quite good, I think. From 6053 samples, 43% are within -10 (from -10.00 to -10.99), 48% are within -9 (from -9.00 to -9.99), 3% are within -8  (from -8.00 to…"
36 minutes ago

Developer
John Arne Birkeland replied to Antoine Rennuit's discussion MCU vs RTOS
"Autopilots can be complex beasts, and their nature has many tasks running in parallel. So once you get past the initial learning curve of a RTOS, it is actually much more efficient and easier to make a autopilot with."
41 minutes ago

Wiki Ninja
Gary McCray commented on Jared Reabow's blog post 3 axis Camera Gimble connections.
"And as Joshua said, typically on a copter panning is done by yawing the copter. Because it is much easier to maintain orientation from the ground to where the copter is pointing than it is separately to where the camera is pointing. Of course with…"
46 minutes ago
Martin posted a discussion

Mission Planner drops connection

Hi,I am having a bit of trouble with APM 2.5 and MP 1.2.51 (I upgraded from 1.2.50 this afternoon). Yesterday I took my new APM 2.5 out of the box and loaded Arduplane 2.73 firmware. Everything worked great. I could connect and disconnect without any problems.Today I decided to change some settings, but could not because the connection between APM and MP was dropped right after downloading the parameters. Also, the "Connect" button changes from connect-->disconnect-->connect and no live…See More
48 minutes ago
Jim Johnston replied to Jim Johnston's discussion Swash Travel Bottom Value
"Got it to work now, thanks. Anyone know how to make APM 2.5 work with a Castle ESC set for fixed RPM (governor)?  I have the ESC plugged into channel 8 output with the throttle channel of the spektrum receiver (Ch 1) plugged into Input #8.…"
50 minutes ago

Wiki Ninja
Gary McCray commented on Jared Reabow's blog post 3 axis Camera Gimble connections.
"Hi Guys, The camera wiki(s) are not up to date and don't reflect what is actually currently working and what is not. I will try to update the new wiki to at least contain all the information currently in the old wiki, but some of these issues…"
53 minutes ago
Gerd Lobmeyer replied to Gerd Lobmeyer's discussion Now let's start the party: Skya 450 V2 with ArduFlyer 2.5 + u-Blox CN-06
"So, after some hours of testing I am little bit frustrated. I checked the transmitter many times to be sure that there are no setting which are indifferent to the APM. I think the arming is not the problem, although I don't find the trick to…"
58 minutes ago

3D Robotics
Joshua Ott commented on Jared Reabow's blog post 3 axis Camera Gimble connections.
"The plane wiki has some more info on pan axis control. Typically with a copter panning is done by yawing the craft. https://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/wiki/Tracking"
1 hour ago
Travis Perry replied to Travis Perry's discussion APM2.5 connects but wont upload new fw PLS HELP
"Thanks for the suggestion Pieter, I followed the directions on one of these pages. It gave me a bunch of errors but every thing still works as before so i guess it worked.  Not really sure if it updated or even how to check what version i…"
1 hour ago
Søren Kuula replied to Eric Martin's discussion Newbie - possibilities of Drones/Planes ?
"Hi, I had a plane that could carry a GoPro 50 km total so that is possible. You should fly with some kind of telemetry. Home built drones are not super reliable, and with a telemetry or at least with a tracker, you can locate it when it doesn't…"
1 hour ago

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Forum

First quadcopter, first flights, first tweaks. Need some guidence

Started by Claudio de Paula Donate in ArduCopter 2.x (multicopter). Last reply by Claudio de Paula Donate 36 minutes ago. 5 Replies

MCU vs RTOS

Started by Antoine Rennuit in ArduPilotMega 2.x hardware. Last reply by John Arne Birkeland 41 minutes ago. 3 Replies

Swash Travel Bottom Value

Started by Jim Johnston in ArduCopter 2.x (traditional heli). Last reply by Jim Johnston 50 minutes ago. 2 Replies

Newbie - possibilities of Drones/Planes ?

Started by Eric Martin in Unassigned category. Last reply by Søren Kuula 1 hour ago. 5 Replies

Hexacopter Thermal FPV Research Project

Started by Andrew Boos in Video. Last reply by Guy Compton 1 hour ago. 10 Replies

Soanr MB 1240

Started by KANCHANA ATTANAYAKE in ArduCopter 2.x (multicopter). Last reply by Richard Boyhan 1 hour ago. 2 Replies

where is gone optical flow sensor from the store?

Started by renaud barbier in Sensors & IMUs. Last reply by Euan Ramsay 1 hour ago. 1 Reply

cooperative drone

Started by Jorge Antonio Saldaña Rosales in My Project. Last reply by Euan Ramsay 1 hour ago. 1 Reply

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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.

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

Community -based Telerobotic Explorer

Posted by Thomas J Coyle III on May 20, 2013 at 5:30am 3 Comments

 

Robot Magazine July/August 2013

Arxterra envisions Telerobotic Parks that can be explored from your living room, using your browser and the computing power that already exists in modern smartphones. High bandwidth wireless internet and rugged rovers "will intrigue and…

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Hybrid Penta Copter

Posted by OG on May 19, 2013 at 6:15am 14 Comments

This is a very interesting Hindered multi copter. I was thinking of this same concept using a weed waker motor on a large quad & kk board. But the guys in south Asia have beaten me to it. well it a nice job in any…

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3 axis Camera Gimble connections.

Posted by Jared Reabow on May 19, 2013 at 12:30am 18 Comments

NEW APM 2.5 Pin out and Wire Diagram And Camera Gimble explanation

Hey guys i recently got the APM 2.5, when looking at the pins, I saw A0 - A11 Pins werent being used and i did not know what they were for so i was googling and found a PDF that stated



A0- Sonar/ Ultrasonic A1- Voltage Sensor – Attopilot

A2-Current Sensor – Attopilot

A3- Optical Flow…

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Mapping Mission Ride Along

Posted by Matt Gunn on May 18, 2013 at 10:00pm 23 Comments

Here's my 1st mapping test flight with a Skyhunter twin-boom pusher. Im running Arduplane 2.73. Mapping camera is a Canon s95 running an intervalometer script via chdk. Its suspended from a single axis gimbal that keeps the camera pointing down regardless of aircraft bank angle. Video shot from a GoPro 3 Black Edition.

It took 120 photos during the 10 minute…

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Mechanical Hands From A MakerBot: The Magic Of Robohand (From Makerbot blog news)

Posted by Roberto Navoni on May 18, 2013 at 2:37pm 10 Comments

 

When Richard Van As, a master carpenter in Johannesburg, South Africa, decided to make a set of mechanical fingers, it wasn’t just for fun. He’d lost four of the fingers on his right hand in an unfortunate work accident. For a tradesman like Rich, having a disabled hand is a big professional…

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US House Crime/Homeland Security subcommittee hearing on domestic use of drones

Posted by Kyle Derkacz on May 18, 2013 at 2:30am 1 Comment

Domestic Use of Drones

...left with a cliffhanger: are you allowed to shoot down a drone if it's over your "airspace" (very end of the…

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Thirty Days (#13): Y6 in-flight motor failure tests

Posted by Joshua Ott on May 17, 2013 at 6:00pm 15 Comments

Testing out how the new Y6 responds to an in-flight motor failure. Not bad!

Costa Concordia

Posted by trappy on May 17, 2013 at 10:38am 8 Comments

We went and filmed the repair works of the stranded Costa Concordia.

 
 
 

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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

X47 B Touch and Go

X47 B Touch and Go

An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator conducts a touch and go landing on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), marking the first time any unmanned aircraft has completed a touch and go landing at sea. George H.W. Bush is conducting training operations in the Atlantic Ocean. Next stop, the full stop landing amazing. Last Fridays touch and go comes one week after the first catapult launch from an aircraft carrier and was the first touch and go by a UA at sea. Bookmark It Hide Sites

The sUAS News Podcast Celebrates – Dies Natalis

The sUAS News Podcast Celebrates - Dies Natalis

May 9th 2013 marked the one-year anniversary of the sUAS News Podcast Series. We celebrated the occasion (and 200,000+ downloads) by airing a special “Really Big Show”, or episode #48 recapping the highlights and ground covered from the past year’s 47 information packed episodes. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/suasnews/2013/05/08/the-really-big-show The entire sUAS News team takes pride in the popularity of the show and all of the positive feedback. The numbers imply that folks from outside of the UA Kumbaya campfire circle are tuning in to hear about the technology applications and end-user aspirations. The Podcast Series was introduced as an additional content vehicle (manned). sUAS News believes in giving the public what the public wants, and multi-platform information distribution appears to suit this busy and technologically diverse audience. The ethos was to do more than just produce some Cavett-esque interview program, we wanted to try and build a groundbreaking experience. Part of that goal manifested itself by bringing the audience into the field for applications and conceptual firsts. Some, of those live locations are places that most people have only read about or imagined going to in person, and no, I’m not just talking about Vegas. We were all there together as hosts, participants [...]

Unmanned aerial vehicles spur demand for advanced foams

Unmanned aerial vehicles spur demand for advanced foams

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly in the spotlight in trouble spots throughout the world, but they are also finding increased use in civilian applications. In parallel, suppliers of advanced thermoplastics such as Sabic are addressing demands for aerospace grade materials that meet a number of stringent operational requirements. The UAV market has potential not only for military purposes, but also for civil aviation applications, including First Responder support, wildfire mapping, weather monitoring and telecommunications. It is predicted that, if the opening of the National Airspace to civil UAVs occurs in 2015 as planned, the market potential for UAVs between 2015 and 2017 will be around $13.6 billion according to the AUVSI Economic Report 2013. The U.S. military UAV market is similarly expect to expand in the coming years: a report conducted byMarket Research Media states that the U.S. military UAV market is projected to grow at a 12% compound annual growth rate, reaching $18.7 billion in 2018. The report finds that the U.S. military UAV market will generate $86.5 billion revenues over the period 2013-2018. With this market growth, there is an increasing need for advanced materials that will allow the range of UAVs to be extended and their air time to be [...]

Does Navy drone spell end of the Super Hornet?

Does Navy drone spell end of the Super Hornet?

By Tim Logan Something happened on the deck of an aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia on Tuesday that could eventually ripple all the way back to one of the biggest factories in the St. Louis area. The X-47B took off. It was a “watershed event,” said the Navy’s head of aviation, the first-ever launch of an unmanned combat drone at sea. While the Northrop Grumman-built X-47B hasn’t yet stuck a carrier landing — one of the hardest feats in all of aviation — Navy officials think that’ll happen this summer, and they hope that by the end of the decade drones will be a big part of their air combat fleet. All of which raises some big questions about the future of the plane that makes up much of the Navy’s air combat fleet today: The F/A-18 Super Hornet. http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/does-navy-drone-spell-end-of-the-super-hornet/article_93958ff4-3776-5132-aedf-db363c1ee8fa.html Bookmark It Hide Sites

Germany Scuttles UAV Program, According To Reports

Germany Scuttles UAV Program, According To Reports

Agence France Press is reporting that Germany has cancelled a planned ‘Euro Hawk’ UAV programme because it believes European authorities will not certify them to fly in civilian airspace. More from AFP: Germany had “no hope” of seeing the unmanned aircraft, part of a programme that would have cost more than one billion euros ($1.3 billion), approved for use, said the source speaking on condition of anonymity. The European Aviation Safety Agency has said it would only certify the drones to fly over unpopulated areas because of a lack of an anti-collision system to protect airliners, according to German press reports. “The equipment is not ready for approval without immense expenditure,” the source added. Bookmark It Hide Sites

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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