After contributing to Kate Allen's discussion entitled, "The Toronto Star Story,"
I thought it was time to start my own discussion on the Parrot AR Drone 2.0.
"Why", you ask? "It's just a toy with all kinds of problems," you say.
"You're absolutely right," is my response. But, I don't feel I have a choice.
The Parrot AR Drone 2.0 is an almost-Ready-To-Fly "toy" drone, with a built-in
720 p camera. It is an open-source platform, at least on the Android-side,
which makes it a semi-Do-It-Yourself platform, which is why I don't feel guilty,
and justified, in starting a discussion about this product on the DIY Drone website.
I feel this thread should be dedicated to discussing all of the open-source hacks that
are coming on-line that should make some future version of the Parrot AR Drone 2.0
a more useful, entry-level, hobby-grade FPV platform. Currently, it is not. But the
foundation is in-place. I wish I could find a better product to feature.
Right now, the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 is my only, practical choice.
Anybody who becomes serious about drones will quickly graduate to a another platform.
But, until that happens, the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 is as good a place as any, to start.
I consider February 1, 2013 the official start date for this discussion, in honor of STS-107.
Peter Hasek
HAMILTON, ONTARIO
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You should request a sub-forum for AR.Drone related discussion so it shows up on the list with the rest of the topics/categories.
I have an AR Drone 2, so there are some tips :
- AR Drone 2 doesn't like cold weather (especially altitude hold)
- NEVER use autoland function at more than 5 feet because it is not reliable (It just stop sometime and restart after the crash). I recommand you to always land by yourself.
- It become unstable when battery are at +- 30% (some time it could roll over, so maybe cold weather doesn't help)
- "Joypad mode" / "lefty" allow you to control it like you do with Mode 2 remote controller, I recommend you to use this mode if you are familiar with Mode 2 or if you are planing to switch to something more "powerfull".
- USB Key recording work almost randomly, I recommand record directly on your table/phone instead.
- Get T6 secure torks screw or AR Drone repair kit (but it is a little bit expensive)
So, have fun ! :)
When you get tired of the original Parrot, the PX4 AR.Drone kit is a great way to turn it into a fully featured UAV that also is proper open source.
http://store.diydrones.com/PX4_FMU_Flight_Management_Unit_IOAR_Kit_...
Together with the new PX4Flow optical flow sensor just released, this is perfect for indoor experiments.