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Permalink Reply by Team SD-RAM on June 7, 2011 at 4:20pm

Until there is more documentation, one place where you might start is with the Android SDK to simulate the functionality of the ArduIMU AHRS(Might as well focus on what needs to be done anyway and is already well documented).

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Permalink Reply by peterjdolan on June 7, 2011 at 6:43pm

You mean simulating the output of this library in an Android library?: http://code.google.com/p/ardu-imu/wiki/HomePage?tm=6

 

As far as I can tell, that functionality isn't present on the PhoneDrone board.  Do you have in mind connecting the PhoneDrone board to a sensor that would give the phone accelerometer readings, instead of using the phone's accelerometers directly?

 

Can you point me to some more basic information on the PhoneDrone board, like what is involved in getting started developing with it?  I haven't been able to find any code or information about it from the developers of the board, but I assume there is something somewhere.

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Permalink Reply by Adrian Ryan on June 7, 2011 at 7:27pm

hi before i start i will just let you know i am new at this and am only learning this stuff myself so i could be wrong.

 

how is it connected to the plane's control surfaces?

servos are run by the PWM pins that are pinned out one end of the board.

 

How does one handle switching control of the plane from traditional RC to drone mode?

the code is always listening on the last ch of the autopilot and you then tell the code PWM it will recieve if you want it to be in auto or whatever.

 

Why do the documents recommend an 8-channel RC controller? What are the channels used for other than power, ailerons, rudder, and elevator?

 

ailerons, rudder, elevator, motor, and one more to tell it the mode (as per last Q "AUTO", etc)

as far a i can work out 8ch is recommended for extra stuff like taking photos and stuff.  plus it is hard to find a controller that will allow you to send all the codes for the modes.  untill your in the 7ch+ range.

 

p.s i have just got a turnigy 9x 9ch (actually 8ch not sure were they get the 9 from) its a good cheap $60 radio that should do everything you need.

 

hope this helps.

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Permalink Reply by peterjdolan on June 23, 2011 at 9:50am

Thanks Adrian, that helps a lot with the general questions.  I picked up a powered glider and a 5-channel radio, so I expect I have the necessary bits to at least get off the ground manually, and the extra toggle to switch between manual and autopilot.

 

I still haven't been able to find any information whatsoever on the phonedrone board.  It's sitting in my living room, and I'm not sure even how to power it up in development mode.  It's a bit disappointing that there are literally no pointers on the board, nor even any information on who to contact, or who developed it.  I'd be totally happy with the archives of a mailing list used by the developers when they were putting it together, even.

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Permalink Reply by Mark on July 27, 2011 at 9:48pm

I also purchased a phonedrone board and am finally getting around to playing with it. I am unable to connect via the micro usb connector. When windows tries to install the driver I point it to the arduino mega driver that it's asking for and it fails. I'd had this issue before with a real mega 2560 and had to reflash the usb chip so I tried that and then found that the phonedrone is using a ATMEGA32u2 for the usb communication and the stock Mega 2560 is for a 8u2 chip. Now I can't communicate with a pc at all because I've programmed for the wrong chip.

 

I can recompile the arduino usb firmware for the 32u2 but would rather use the DIYDrones code/hex file. Is there anywhere I can download this?

 

Thanks in advance,

Mark

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Permalink Reply by deadfalkon on February 22, 2012 at 2:24pm

You wanna join us in our Google Group https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=de&fromgroups#!forum/phone-drone-adk

Also, do you have any direct contact you can forward to someone from diydrones that can give us details to the board?

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Permalink Reply by John on February 29, 2012 at 6:13pm

Peter, 

Have you made any progress since your last post? I am trying to do something similar but am envisioning the PhoneDrone to be on the ground connected to my Android phone and have the Phonedrone connect to the Xbee ground unit. Is this possible?

Thanks,

John

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