Latest Activity

Hugues replied to William Burkert's discussion compass_orient in the group ArduCopter User Group
"You should look in the documentation of this magnetometer to know where is the front (north). Only then can you choose the orientation. Let's say north is same side as where the pins are, then you have two choices: -either you mount the…"
5 minutes ago

3D Robotics
Joshua Ott commented on Lorenz Meier's blog post QGroundControl Update
"Thanks, I'll get the new one."
8 minutes ago
Lorenz Meier commented on Lorenz Meier's blog post QGroundControl Update
"@Joshua: I just realized I didn't update the link on the downloads page yesterday - its now up to date. You got 1.0.5 which already works to a great deal the same way, but version 1.0.9 is what is on the screenshots."
12 minutes ago
Georacer commented on Georacer's blog post Altitude Comparison: barometer vs GPS
"Oh, I didn't notice the x axis label. It is noted in Sample Number. It counts how many sample measurements the APM has taken. So, for you, the second flight happened at 24000 samples (or log lines). How much time that is, depends on the…"
12 minutes ago
Hugues added a discussion to the group ArduCopter User Group
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Is it a known bug that servo/camera trigger does not work on RC5 to RC8?

I have been following the wiki for APM2.5 camera gimbal setup (using firmware 2.9.1b, quad X).I have no problem to use RC10 or RC11 to trigger a servo as camera trigger (using receiver ch7 as manual input).However i do not get any joy using the other APM pins, from RC5 to RC8.I tested both analog and digital servos, absolutely no effect.I then took a voltmeter to test the pins and it confimrs that voltage stays at zero on these pins. That at least explains why the servo does not move...Testing…See More
16 minutes ago
Ondřej Bylok commented on Georacer's blog post Altitude Comparison: barometer vs GPS
"I have APM 1, around 24 was second fly. So there was reset to Zero.I dont understant the time line in log graph, bud it was 15min flytime at all."
20 minutes ago
Jordi Orlando commented on SkyrisFX's blog post Building a unique GoPro Gimbal for the 3DR Hexa - Part 2 (video below)
"@SkyrisFX Thursday evening I decided to lasercut my quad parts out of acrylic at the local fablab. I assembled everything Friday, and flew for the first time that evening. Amazingly, it flew great the first time, and there were no crashes! I am…"
21 minutes ago

3D Robotics
Joshua Ott commented on Lorenz Meier's blog post QGroundControl Update
"I added a link to the download page. I also downloaded it! Thanks."
24 minutes ago
Hugues replied to Forrest Frantz's discussion Building Copters with Round Tubes - Stronger, Lighter, Easier to Mount Motors than Square Tubes in the group ArduCopter User Group
"Did you also test the APC slowfly 11x4,7 props versus the gemfan? I started my first quad with the apc coming in the 3DR kit. Of course i ceashed a few times breaking the props. I then got gemfans. Gemfans are obviously more flexible than APC, but…"
30 minutes ago
Georacer commented on Georacer's blog post Altitude Comparison: barometer vs GPS
"Sonar is undisputedly the better choice below 10-5m. But over that, just like in your graph, its measurements cap. I 'm curious. Did you start flying and measuring right after you powered your multirotor (I presume you are flying a…"
35 minutes ago
Ondřej Bylok commented on Georacer's blog post Altitude Comparison: barometer vs GPS
"This is my graph of Baro and Sonar Alt. I prefer sonar and GPS calculation then baro."
43 minutes ago
Simon commented on Lorenz Meier's blog post QGroundControl Update
"Grüezi Lorenz This is really great news! Not everybody is running windows, having a qt based cross platform ground station is very nice. Best -S"
1 hour ago
Павел Ардашов posted a discussion

Questions about the flight copter in RTL mode

Hello I have two questions about the flight copter in RTL mode 1) why, if the GPS is disabled and enters RTL copter goes to a height of 200 m and there is still a chaotic movement? 2) What happens if the motion mode RTL copter GPS loses the signal from the satellites?See More
1 hour ago
Ben Discoe replied to Ben Discoe's discussion How to attach the 3DR camera mount to a 3DR Hexa-C?
"Thanks Stefan!  That is very good info and I may end up using the 3DR camera mount in some way. But I am now realizing that the 3DR camera mount is really for a side-facing camera.  My entire use case is ortho aerial imagery - as straight…"
1 hour ago
Monroe Lee King Jr. commented on Joshua Ott's blog post 3DR is one of CNBC's Disrupter 50
"I think it's ok if Chris smiles once in a while? lol Seriously I'm trying to find way's to incorporate similar tactics. I just think it's so awesome watching this grow for 5 years. I was sooooo skeptical in the beginning I almost…"
1 hour ago

3D Robotics
Joshua Ott commented on Joshua Ott's blog post Thirty Days (#18): NIR camera conversion
"Mark, Let my clarify then, please make a blog post about your project as you move forward, your project looks really interesting. I think a lot of people will want to know more about it. Thanks for sharing it! :-)"
1 hour ago

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Google Earth flight reconstruction

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Arduplane 2.73 HIL and Sim Issues

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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

QGroundControl Update

Posted by Lorenz Meier on May 25, 2013 at 4:30pm 4 Comments

After investing most time into PX4 for quite a long time now, the PX4 native stack has made it into a shape where we can fly fixed wing in autonomous mode with it, and there is also progress on multicopters. This put QGroundControl back into the development focus, since the field tests…

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3DR is one of CNBC's Disrupter 50

Posted by Joshua Ott on May 25, 2013 at 12:00pm 8 Comments

3D Robotics is one of the five manufacturing companies in CNBC's Disrupter50 list; along with Makerbot, Quirky, Shapeways, and Rethink Robotics.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100727789…

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(Acro Mode Anyone?) Today in 1927, Lt. James H. Doolittle performed the first known successful outside loop.

Posted by Drone Savant on May 25, 2013 at 6:28am 9 Comments

In 1927, Doolittle was the first person to successfully execute an outside loop — previously thought to be a fatal maneuver. Carried out in a Curtiss fighter at Wright Field in Ohio, Doolittle executed the dive from 10,000 feet, reached 280 miles per hour,…

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How to connect 3DR GPS uBlox to Raspberry Pi

Posted by Rogelio Nunez on May 25, 2013 at 5:45am 2 Comments

Here is my connection (You can check GPIO pinout here):

I used theFTDI GPS adapter cable, solder pads can be used also, just have…

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3 axis brushless gimbal

Posted by Jack Crossfire on May 25, 2013 at 3:56am 9 Comments



The key…

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First test of targeting system.

Posted by vis.asta on May 24, 2013 at 3:30pm 10 Comments

First test of targeting system. All calculations are done in the air.

Camera provides two streams. Highly compressed (rigth window) and detailed (left).

3 axis BL gimbal. In low light conditions and excessive vibration.

 

test at…

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Thirty Days (#18): NIR camera conversion

Posted by Joshua Ott on May 24, 2013 at 3:30pm 20 Comments

John modified a point-and-shoot camera to capture near infrared images. This is half the puzzle in building NDVI images for analyzing crop health.

Information on the conversion can be found here: …

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Understanding Fly-By-Wire B Mode Altitude Behaviour

Posted by Bill Bonney on May 24, 2013 at 2:44pm 2 Comments

A couple months ago I was testing ArduPlane and some of the different modes. I was not getting on very well in FBW-B* mode. If you look at the image below. You will see the purple track. I was loosing altitude and I couldn't understand why. You can see just before the path goes red, I'd lost a lot of…

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My two birds...ready for flight now

Posted by Euan Ramsay on May 24, 2013 at 1:30pm 5 Comments

Nicknamed "Laurel and Hardy", for reasons that should be obvious.

Everything calibrated...time to get the PID's done! Well..once it stops raining and snowing here in Switzerland. :-(

Some build annoyances, which I'll go into in an additional post.

 

 

 

Laurels bits…

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B go Beyond Quadcopter/Car convertable

Posted by Joshua Ott on May 24, 2013 at 1:00pm 15 Comments

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2017062404/b-go-beyond

Another cool Kickstarter project. It looks like it works well on the ground, the video doesn't show very much of the flight performance. It does appear to be quite robust at least. Thanks to…

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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

CU-Boulder organizing effort to establish unmanned aircraft test site in Colorado

CU-Boulder organizing effort to establish unmanned aircraft test site in Colorado

Jim Scott, CU-Boulder media relations A state application organized by the University of Colorado Boulder has been submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration for the development of one of six unmanned aircraft systems test sites slated to be established across the United States. Submitted this month, the seventh and final volume of the Colorado application is one of 50 proposals from 37 states for designated Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or UAS, test sites. UAS come in various sizes ranging from hobby airplanes to aircraft with wingspans as wide as commercial jets. While they can be used for tasks ranging from forest fire support and search and rescue missions to oil and gas exploration and military operations, a growing number of science efforts are being undertaken using UAS, said CU-Boulder aerospace engineering sciences Associate Professor Eric Frew. CU-Boulder has one of the most comprehensive UAS science programs in the nation, said Frew, who directs CU’s Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles, or RECUV. CU-Boulder’s UAS projects have included monitoring seal populations in the Arctic and charting sea ice changes near Greenland to intercepting storm cells associated with tornadoes in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska and measuring gaping holes in Antarctic sea ice known as [...]

Infragram: the Infrared Photography Project

Infragram: the Infrared Photography Project

A simple, cheap infrared camera which can measure plant health — for geek gardeners, farmers, and open source DIY scientists. What could farmers, gardeners, students or environmental activists do with an infrared camera that costs as little as $35?What is Infragram? Infragram is a simple, affordable near-infrared camera produced by the Public Laboratory community in a series of collaborative experiments over the last few years. We originally developed this technology to monitor wetlands damages in the wake of the BP oil spill, but its simplicity of use and easy-to-modify open-source hardware & software makes it a useful tool for home gardeners, hikers, makers, farmers, amateur scientists, teachers, artists, and anyone curious about the secret lives of plants. What can you do with Infragram? Take pictures to examine plant health in backyard gardens, farms, parks, andnearby wetlands Check on the health of your crops, especially from a balloon or a kite Monitor your household plants Teach students about plant growth and photosynthesis Create exciting science fair projects Generate verifiable, open environmental data Check progress of environmental restoration projects Document unhealthy areas of your local ecology Pretend you have super-veg-powers Near-infrared photography has been a key tool for planning at the industrial and governmental level: it is used on airplanes and satellites by vineyards, [...]

Google acquires kite-power generator

Google acquires kite-power generator

Well I did’nt see this coming. Using lots of UA tech Google invests in yet more cutting edge stuff (ed) Google has acquired a US company that generates power using turbines mounted on tethered kites or wings. Makani Power will become part of Google X – the secretive research and development arm of the search giant. The deal comes as Makani carries out the first fully autonomous flights of robot kites bearing its power-generating propellers. Google has not said how much it paid to acquire Makani, but it has invested $15m (£9.9m) in the company before now. In a statement posted to its website, Makani said the deal would “provide Makani with the resources to accelerate our work to make wind energy cost competitive with fossil fuels”. Rather than use fixed turbines to generate power, Makani has been experimenting with “flying wings” adorned with several smaller turbines that act as propellers as the craft takes off. Makani claims that mounting the turbines on a wing is more efficient as large numbers can be built with fewer materials than traditional tower-based turbines. In addition, the robot wings can land to avoid damage if wind speeds are too high or during bad [...]

Unmanned aircraft can protect crops from locusts

Unmanned aircraft can protect crops from locusts

by Gabino Martinez Serrano The world population is growing at a rapid pace. Today we are almost seven billion people and it is estimated that the figure will exceed 10 billion in 15 years. The world’s need for food will double, but the world’s arable land remains the same. Experts say that to increase performance, it is important to plant each crop where it can best develop, increase the yield potential of plant varieties and to reduce adversity posed by pests which have become a real problem. Failure to protect crops from pests would reduce harvests to just over half. Locusts are unique because they undergo a phase change. This means that under certain circumstances related to climate and population density, their behaviour changes and they move, eat and behave as a group, forming gigantic clouds and can travel great distances devouring crops in their path. These pests can affect 20 per cent of the surface of the earth, spreading through Africa, the Near East, and Southwest Asia. More than 65 countries may be at risk of swarms, invasion and reproduction. The last powerful plague occurred in 1988-89, threatening as many as 43 countries, one fifth of the world as [...]

ESCC to use donated unmanned aerial vehicles for science

ESCC to use donated unmanned aerial vehicles for science

Ted Shockley MELFA — Launching unmanned aerial vehicles from the Eastern Shore could be a financial plus for the area, and Eastern Shore Community College is positioning itself for an associated educational and training partnership. A link between the two was seen recently when an Aerosonde aerial vehicle donated to the college was unveiled in front of a gathering of staff members and industry experts. “We have something tangible, real, that the students can see,” said College President Linda Thomas-Glover of the unmanned airplane, which from wing to wing was bigger than a typical dining-room table. The particular model was used for years out of Wallops to gather weather data and has flown into hurricanes, said Jon Borcik, a program manager for AAI Corp., which oversees the Aerosonde program. He called it a “coming home mission” for the plane, a fitting place for an aircraft based at Wallops to continue its ­service. The plane will be used to stimulate an interest in science and also be studied by various college classes. The donation was arraigned by Peter Bale, board chairman for the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and a former program manager for Aerosonde North America at Wallops. At a [...]

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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