Put ghetto magnetometer on Marcy 1 because it only needs 3 wires. Any I2C chip would need 4 wires. The trick is moving it away from the motor in such a small aircraft. Still amazing how sensitive such a small inductor can be, after trying to build one from scratch.
All roads lead to throttle controlled banking, with Marcy 1. Been testing exclusively on
the test stand, because this airframe is going to disintegrate in flight
#1. Still getting a disappointing amount of oscillation with 2 wings.
She only seems to want to bank in 3 directions. Trim tabs get a slight
improvement. The last segment has it finally banking in all 4 directions.
The future may be a very long balance beam & relatively small wings, but
it would give the slower RPM you need. A future, high endurance craft
may have a 10' balance beam, 2' kite wings, actuators on the balance
beam, 4Ah battery in the middle.
After years of macros like (ROTORS == 4 && SERVOS == 3), finally decided
the easiest way to handle multiple, exotic aircraft is macros like
MARCY2, MARCY1. Still, running 3 aircraft off the same code base is
like starting over every time you change aircraft.
After many projects based on shared code bases, we've concluded any cost
savings is a myth. You're better off with different code bases.
We've never found an exit strategy from PIC. Now that Atmel finally has
high speed USB, cost is the only factor. Assembly language can't be
shared. We've never learned how to drive a chip from an assembly
language listing.
All our batteries are stored at 32F to increase their lifespan &
increase the flight time. Cryogenic propellant, you might say. That
requires thermal stability in the electronics.
Marcy 2 doesn't have a voltage regulator & the 1 thermally stable gyro
is ratiometric. An LDO regulator would do it. Doubt the gyro in the
S107 is stable enough to handle cryogenic propellant.
The quest for a stable yaw gyro began in 2009, when nose-in orbits would
throw off the gyro bias calculation & finish with uncontrolled spirals.
GPS heading was really limited in such small spaces. There was no other
solution besides more stable gyros.
The DJI certainly does nose in orbits. It looks like RTK.
For all the energy put into helicopters in the last 4 years, great
things have been achieved with common water bottles. A 2 stage water
rocket can get over 400ft & release a parachute camera, all computer
controlled, for a lot less money. The only problem is the downrange
clearance required. We'd be stuck to 100ft anywhere in Calif*.
Also, in the super cheap department, where water is not available,
there's the rubber band powered glider. That could get over 400ft. The
best option remains a spin stabilized, vertical propeller booster of
some kind, with parachute recovery.
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