Dear reader,
We are now live at www.skycat.pro. The development project continues, and updates are added to this blog in random intervals.
We have parachutes launchers available in many weight ranges; optimal 1 - 6 kg and these could be extended with higher impact level up to 11 kg. For larger up to 23 kg multicopters we have XL - series with pilot chute principle.
For those who wants to digest all information available of products, we have left this blog as it is. This blog follows closely main steps we have gone through while developing parachute launcher. Blog might feel like Do It Yourself kind and to be honest, in the beginning it was.
After hundreds of hours thinking, designing, prototyping and testing our patent pending launcher turned to be the most reliable parachute launcher for professional use. We have searched all possible boundaries of technology and from this blog you'll find results of these successful tests but also not so successful tests.
You never know where The final limit of technology is without experiencing it. That's the reason why we have done tests for scenarios which might not be even realistic on flight.
For production versions of Skycat we could proudly to say that we have experienced zero mishaps, never failed a single eject and parachute has deployed every time. This includes rescue scenarios with every imaginable scenario copter could face in air. Check this out as one sample of our test sessions!
Skycat parachute launcher has been tested beyond all imaginable abuses copter possibly could experience in flight. We have sink it to water, it has been heated hours to 90°C and exposed to extensive moisture, we have frosted, defrosted and frosted it again, it has been in mud and snow and still it has worked. Same overshooting tests we have done also for electronics. This is not promise you can use our products outside of submarine but we have tested it so :)
This blog will still be updated as well our Facebook pages www.facebook.com/skycat.pro and Twitter at https://twitter.com/skycatpro
Fly safe - Let's keep our copters flying!
Henri
Skycat.pro
DJI Inspire 1 / Skycat X55-CF parachute integration by www.remotevision.ch:
Other documentary videos:
OPENTX for parachute eject and 6POS switch
DUAL spring loaded switches - single RC channel for parachute eject, OPENTX
Ground eject demonstration in slow motion
Aerial test No 2 for Opale Paramodels 2.5m^2 parachute
Aerial test No 1 Opale Paramodels 1.8m^2 parachute
Manufacturers contributed to this project:
- http://www.opale-paramodels.com/
Replies
I would like to try your trigger board if you are able to do one! There are on previous pages some specs of situations when a parachute should be ejected. Perhaps you find some idea from there. Arducopter has its parachute function already and external is more universal so I recommend to choose external way, with input from autopilot.
One thing which should be taken care of is that APM board outputs are HIGH during boot. That needs to be filtered somehow.
I've seen Zero UAV autopilots having trigger as well. They use only angle based trigger.
Simplicity is key for reliability.
The trigger board is a great idea. The safety issue with drones is becoming more main stream. This new FC has a lot of safety features built in.... ZERO GEMINI Multi-Rotor Flight Controller
Here are two cut and pastes from their promo material...
Automatic/Manual Parachute Opening
In GPS mode, with GCS and RC Transmitter captured the corresponding on/off position of safty parachute, if the controller attitude angle achieves 70-90 degree, the system shall automatically open the safety parachute, meanwhile stop the motors to protect your aircraft. In manual mode, you can also manually control to open the safety parachute through RC Transmitter.
Multi-Rotor One-Motor Fail Protection
This function means that when the aircraft is in attitude or GPS attitude mode, and one of the motors stops, the aircraft will retain good attitude and rotate around the frame arm with the stopped motor. In this condition, the aircraft is still under control and returns home safely and highly reducing the risk of a crash. - See more at.
This last one interests me greatly. Here's a link I've posted earlier http://www.gizmag.com/quadcopter-failure-algorithm/30031/
Heres another link to the quadcopter failsafe routine. I sure wish we could stir up some interest in this by the arducopter developers.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/aerial-robots/every-qua...
Sounds good.
It's interesting to see how it goes with open source controller as algorithm is going to be patented.
I think it might be hard to patent because it sounds like it's already implemented in the Zero flight controller... or maybe they have licensed it.
It's weird if Zero Gemini don't allow manual eject in GPS mode, That's how they say it. Anyway, this is good progress for safety. In future if these machines are not safe, we don't fly.
Raffaello D'Andrea from ETH Zyrich has been one who I have followed since presentation on TED a year ago. They have proofed what can be done with these flying machines if want to do and has talent. Here is their web site.
Flight controller has best influence what happens in case of failure of any kind. It is able to do somewhat stable landing like Raffaello & Co demonstrated even one motor is lost. Controlled landing should be priority 1 in all cases.
But if landing isn't possible, it is time to eject a parachute automatically. Success rate of eject is highly dependent of flight controller. When flight controller isn't be programmed to detect failures and use appropriate algorithms for stabilizing flight, it will try to stabilize as in normal state. Result is then rapidly spinning copter around some axis depending on a failure.
Arducopter developers for sure has talent. Only we need is will to start compete on that area also.
How we have have thought to solve this is simply that the further parachute is shot from a copter, the better changes it has not to be rolled around the copter.
In this image shock cord (rope from a parachute to a copter) was a meter. Parachute was like a "bullet" until rope straightened and parachute unfolded. Full image series of this shot is uploaded to front page later today.
BTW, It wouldn't be bad idea to have safety competition next year at AVC 2015. How your copter survives when someone made radio controlled sabotage for it.
Yes, that's board outputs being high during boot is no good. I'll see if we can fix that. Issue raised (so you can track it).
Hi Randy, I read about parachute support only with Pixhawk and from 3.2x.
I see on mission planner, on page / extended tuning / ch7 or ch8, three options for opening the parachute.
Can you explain these options and their differences ?
Ciao - Giuseppe
New very interesting copter on table. This is the Vector Vision 7 from www.vectorheli.com. I'm planning to integrate parachute for it.
The most interesting thing is that weight as foldable Y6 configuration and with all gears aboard, including parachute and Sony NEX 5, is going to be below 4.5kg. On image it has motors (T-motor) and ESC:s installed and frame is ready but weight is still only 1440 grams.
Overall system is designed so that it can be taken to airliner cabin as hand luggage including 10min+ battery. This is tested.
My problem is that, since I am a modeler and not a professional, I do not have enough money to fix my multicopter every time he falls downwards in the tests. ;-)
For my test I decided to buy the parachute Opale for multicopter up to 5 kg (4 mq). You have already tested this parachute, what are the right size for cylinder to contain and eject without problem ?
Sounds weird but I have not yet figured out if your ejection system is a simple spring or co2 or otherwise. however, it is a pleasure to see him at work in your videos.
what do you think of adding a small inflatable life jacket (Type to rescue children in airliners) to put under the multicopter in making landing with a parachute?
Could further soften the fall.
Best Regards - Ciao - Giuseppe
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