Discussions

Hello All,

     Ok so I’m new here and I have been researching through the forums and other sources the past few days for a project I am involved in.  I have already learned quite a bit. I still have some questions and I will do my best to phrase them so they are understandable.

Some background:  I am new to the UAV scene however I have some exposure to RC planes.  I would consider myself “experienced” (for what that’s worth) in microcontrollers and the arduino.

Project:  I am looking to design and construct an autonomous UAV with the purpose to image agriculture lands.

Platform:  I have read through the forums and found this http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXFXV0&P=ML Easy Star RC plane mentioned as well as this http://www.nitroplanes.com/new4chdyhask.html Dynam Hawk Sky RC Plane.  I am leaning towards the Easy Star from what I have read.

1.  Which plane would you prefer, why?  Is the Easy Star really worth the $100 more?

2.  Do both planes have sufficient “cabin room” for the ardupilot board, shield, GPS, xbee and image processing hardware?

 3. What vendor would you recommend from experience?

4.  Would any additional airframe modifications be necessary (i.e. upsize in motor or battery, frame reinforcement) for the “base configuration”?

Imaging:  Well this is down the road after I have the “bare bones” plane up and running on autopilot but still a few questions

5.  Camera selection: I plan on taking images from approx 100ft.  I need something with relatively good resolution and decent frame rate (I would assume due to the speed of the aircraft).  I do not need to transmit any image data to the ground, I plan on storing all data onboard then downloading once the flight has completed.  I do not need any pan/tilt function; I simply plan on pointing the camera directly down.  (Down the road after a working model has been in use, I plan to try and access some grant money through my university and get a hold of some thermal / infrared imaging devices)

6.  I have seen this http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/705844:Topic:36731 post.  I was thinking along the lines of a camera specific to aerial photography instead of a regular digital camera.  Something to this effect http://www.hobby-lobby.com/flycamone_eco_v2_532847_prd1.htm I guess? Minimizing weight is a priority.  Your Thoughts?

7.  I have also used the Cannon CHDK in other projects, I don’t think that is what I am looking for in this application, because I would like to “georeference” each image, i.e. tag each photo with GPS coordinates.  (I assume by controlling the camera with the relay on the shield through the arduino)  Then I would like to “mesh” all the images into one based on the GPS coordinate tagging.  (Possibly through Matlab imaging toolbox)

This is just a start to my questions but I leave it at that for now, any ideas, advice etc would be greatly appreciated.  I will be documenting everything so I will post what I have.  On a side note, does anyone know when the “oil pan” shield will be in stock? That is the only piece of autopilot hardware I do not have my hands on.

Thanks in Advance

-Ben