Latest Activity

Monroe Lee King Jr. replied to William Burkert's discussion SPOTTY SUPPORT FROM DIYDRONES in the group ArduCopter User Group
"Did"
3 minutes ago
Jon Stockman posted a discussion

Props & rotors Vs EDF

Hi folks,I'm new here and to the RC community in general so go easy.I'm planning a quadcopter build, I was initially thinking of using 4 EDF's.  I'm not looking to make something crazy agile, more looking for stability but with a moderate level of manoeuvrability.I want the finished build to be roughly 500mm at it's widest point and 450mm in length. I plan on building it from modelling/sculpting foam. powered by an 11.1V 6200mAh 35C hardcase lipo battery and ofcourse all essential avionics and…See More
9 minutes ago
Neil Baker replied to Dale Charnock's discussion APM Project vs DJI NAZA and WOOKONG
"Thanks for the tips leonardthall.  I'll be putting the APM back on and working on those settings until they are perfect.   I own a Wookong H on a camera ship and it flies great with no complaints. I like the DJI…"
15 minutes ago
Bruno Bedard replied to Randy's discussion ArduCopter-3.0 ready for wider use
"Look at Randy's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOQPrTdrQJM. You might not see the parm in MP, "
17 minutes ago
William Burkert replied to William Burkert's discussion SPOTTY SUPPORT FROM DIYDRONES in the group ArduCopter User Group
"thank-you."
17 minutes ago
HeliStorm commented on Chris Anderson's blog post Parrot releases GPS module for AR.Drone 2.0
"Very interesting."
20 minutes ago
anton plauche replied to Damien Fitzgerald's discussion land voltage in the group ArduCopter User Group
"that depends on a lot of factors. mainly weight of the craft and capacity of the battery. get yourself a voltage monitor with alarm to put on your quad. they cost like $5 max and they make a horrible screeching when your battery drops below a preset…"
24 minutes ago
Monroe Lee King Jr. replied to Dale Charnock's discussion APM Project vs DJI NAZA and WOOKONG
"Well most people that own Zaza or DJI don't talk about the things they don't like because they paid so much for it in the first place! It like a base model Ferrari owner comparing his car to a ZO6 Corvette with nice wheels and a kick ass…"
46 minutes ago
Bot Thoughts 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
"That's my current solution as well. Out-accelerating other fast robots isn't easy to do, though. When our two robots run together, and if they get too close...then what??  Boom/crunch :)  Which is why I said I don't have a…"
47 minutes ago
Xander Zoolander replied to Xander Zoolander's discussion Advantages to types of frames?
"So having a geometric plate build-up isn't the best because it can come apart with crashes and such?I like the cleanliness of it (wires inside the arms) and I would make sure everything is secure before flight, so if I got a material like…"
51 minutes ago

Developer
leonardthall replied to Dale Charnock's discussion APM Project vs DJI NAZA and WOOKONG
"I have been hearing this a lot lately :) As for the loiter being softer in naza. You can soften up the APM loiter by dropping the HLD_P term. And you can reduce how aggressively it reacts to gusts by dropping the Rate P term. And unless you…"
53 minutes ago
R. D. Starwalt replied to Xander Zoolander's discussion Advantages to types of frames?
"Multirotor airframes...an interesting subject. I discuss the subject of airframe contruction types in a document currently under development. Here's how I classify the current state of multirotor construction methods. They are not listed in any…"
57 minutes ago
Monroe Lee King Jr. replied to Jason's discussion Mission Planner Problems
"I have an idea that there may be a possible issue. I am working on it with another droner. I have to break it down and see if it's repairable. I have noticed lately there are a few similar issues where communication has been lost. I have not…"
59 minutes ago
Richard replied to Richard's discussion Using Flying wings for aerial mapping
"Better results with Microsoft ICE after removing some of the Opaque images...It has successfully stitched quite a few more of the images, however the roads and tree lines still don't join up as nicely as i'd like....I think it's…"
1 hour ago
Neil Baker replied to Dale Charnock's discussion APM Project vs DJI NAZA and WOOKONG
"Hi guys, I just stumbled across this thread after spending two days of frustrated tuning with the NAZA V2.  The naza has performed HORRIBLY for me.  Any wind and its almost uncontrollable. Two days at the field tuning the…"
1 hour ago
mikel-ange Adelson commented on Steve Monro's blog post A beginner's experience to the Copter world
"i am an elite member but i still get the same slow service as everyone."
1 hour ago

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Forum

Props & rotors Vs EDF

Started by Jon Stockman in Airframe design 9 minutes ago. 0 Replies

APM Project vs DJI NAZA and WOOKONG

Started by Dale Charnock in ArduCopter 2.x (multicopter). Last reply by Neil Baker 15 minutes ago. 40 Replies

Advantages to types of frames?

Started by Xander Zoolander in Quad/multicopter frames. Last reply by Xander Zoolander 51 minutes ago. 2 Replies

Mission Planner Problems

Started by Jason in ArduCopter 2.x (multicopter). Last reply by Monroe Lee King Jr. 59 minutes ago. 10 Replies

Motors spinning on arming

Started by Steven Tisseyre in ArduPlane 2.x software 1 hour ago. 0 Replies

Adding GPS

Started by Edward Hall in GPS 1 hour ago. 0 Replies

SOLAR PLANE

Started by mosquito in ArduPlane 2.x software. Last reply by avi 2 hours ago. 1 Reply

Remove Geo-fence

Started by Tommy Larsen in APM Mission Planner 2 hours ago. 0 Replies

can i power my apm 2.5 with this?

Started by adriano nocenzi in Unassigned category. Last reply by adriano nocenzi 2 hours ago. 4 Replies

First quadcopter need help.

Started by Kurt-Olav in AeroQuad 3 hours ago. 0 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

DJI has officially released the H3-2D Gimbal for $699!

Posted by Adam AKAV8R on June 18, 2013 at 3:00pm 0 Comments

Well the price has finally been released for the new DJI Phantom gimbal @ $699.00 and comes complete as shown below. The nice features are the ability to charge the GoPro while flying and the ability to output video to your video Tx all contained inside the arms of the gimbal.  Full details …

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Parrot releases GPS module for AR.Drone 2.0

Posted by Chris Anderson on June 18, 2013 at 1:20pm 4 Comments

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

Starting next week, Parrot will be…

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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 8 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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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.

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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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