Discussions

Hi there.

I'm working on an independent engineering project for school. The basic premise is I am building a drone (quadcopter) that will follow and film someone wearing a GPS unit. Not a new concept, but I'm doing it from scratch for fun and learning's sake, and I have a few novel features I aim to implement. I have already built the frame and started wiring things up.

Here's where I need help: I'm not sure exactly which components I need to make this happen. I originally bought a MultiWii Pro 2.0 months back, but I'm coming to realize it might not be the right choice for an autonomous quad.

Basically, I want the drone to be able to follow someone wearing a GPS unit in real time and follow their position as well as respond to altitude changes (like if the subject were walking down stairs). 

So what do I need?

After some research it seems like I could use a Pixhawk, the 3DR GPS unit (is there a cheaper substitute), telemetry equipment (what exactly does that entail?). I am lost as to what Rx and Tx equipment I will need for telemetry capabilities and just all around what the best setup would be for my application. I want to use a Raspberry Pi to run all the code, so I need a little insight on how to best interface that with the drone--read a little about MavLink which seems promising. I am also machining a custom 3D camera gimbal, but a complete FPV rig is outside of the scope of the project for the time being. I just need camera stabilization, not any remote control for now.

Right now I have a setup with a MultiWii Pro 2.0 w/ GPS, AfroESCs, but I need a new Rx and Tx as mine won't work for autonomous flight i think.

Cheaper is better as I'm on a budget unless I can get some funding. I appreciate any insight and equipment suggestions!