I was on a survey job for the Sacramento Kings new arena and I discovered a few good tips.
• Set your RTL at %30 of battery drain.
• Carry good electrical tape
• Buy a backup Iris+
• Get a lens guard for your GoPro.
I decided to allow my unit drain to 20% and RTL. I was 60m up and only around 100m away. The Droid lady said "Low battery, returning to launch" Sounds good to me. As it's decending I notice I'm well off the mark and headed into oncoming traffic. It's a tight quarters job and you gotta be ready. I begin to nudge it over the K rail and I hear the motors begin to decelerate. I hit hard left and, well watch the quick video.
The gimbal plate cracked in half but I was able to use electrical tape to finish the job. I had a Mobius on there for shits and giggles and the GoPro was the survey unit. You'll see it fly. Gotta hand it to GoPro. That's one tough unit. I did have a CPL filter on there, but if you can use a cheap 3D printed hood, do it. That filter saved my lens.
So if you're ever unsure out there. Trust your gut and RTL.
Replies
I still have my S100 but it's stuck on the "Lens Error" thing and I didn't want to crack it open. Should I keep it and try to fix? Can the SX260 plug into the Iris?
what does that plug into on the Iris? I'm not too hip on tapping into the telemetry unit.
It plugs into the Pixhawk flight controller - http://plane.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-optional-hardware/common-cam... .The Pixhawk doesn't have the voltage to trigger CHDK, so you have to use something like this http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLA600 . I like this Eflite controller, because you can use one LED lead for the camera and the other for a LED light. On my plane I put the LED light on the bottom of my plane so I can tell if Pixhawk/ APM is triggering the camera. There are a ton of videos and tutorials on the web, if you cant find anything let me know and I'll put something together.
Here is some examples of the imagery captured with the s100 (09/26/2014) and sd780 (12/14/2014). Use the top right pull out to switch between flight dates - http://dv-proj.com/uavimagery/)
*I dont have an IRIS, but from what I've read it uses a Pixhawk and the camera integration should work.
Chad/Jimmy,
In relation to using the EFLA600 to trigger a Canon S110 (running CHDK) via the Pixhawk, I think I’ve combed thru most of what is floating around on the main forums. Still no dice. My complex;
I’m flying an IRIS+ (Originally an IRIS with the 3DR upgrade kit.) with Mission Planner 1.3.25. The Pixhawk’s back rail is powered at ‘AUX OUT 6’ via a Hobbywing 3A 5V UBEC & Mission Planner parameters are set at;
BRD_PWM_COUNT = 4
CAM_DURATION = 10
CAM_SERVO_OFF = 1100
CAM_SERVO_ON = 1900
CAM_TRIGG_DIST = 0
CAM_TRIGG_TYPE = 1
RC13_FUNCTION = 10
CH7_OPT = 0
RELAY_PIN = 54
RC13 is AUX OUT 5 is RELAY_PIN = 54
When checking voltages at the Pixhawk, the back rail (+ pin) shows a constant 5.26V. The ‘S’ pin at ‘AUX OUT 5’ show’s 3.28V when ‘Trigger Camera NOW’ is clicked in the Flight Data window, or when CAM_TRIGG_DIST is set to something other than 0 & shifts in GPS allow a trigger. All appears to be working!?
When plugging in the EFLA600, I check voltage on an LED lead, & see a constant 5.26V. Shouldn’t this show +/-0V until the EFLA600 see’s the 3.3V from the ‘S’ pin & let’s the 5.26V from the ‘+’ pin thru?
Am I missing something in my parameters? If you or anyone else has run across this, any notes of wisdom would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Chris
I got this... Then just solder a mini USB. But where to power the unit?
Ahhh shucks, now I'm sorry I said "stupid stupid". Hug? :) Look, putting your story up is good - it creates debate and people learn from it. Task accomplished.
I forget the number of things I have done that with hind-sight you think "You're lucky you got away with that".
As for "what to put for mAh" - I really do not know. I have a fundamental distrust for Adrucopter to accurately report mAh used / remaining.
Some basics:
You have a brand new 5100mAh battery. Do you know it is 5100? Have you drained it and charged it and checked? You've told MP you have 5100 and you would like to "protect your ass" at, let's say, 1000 remaining.
What happens if your battery was not actually 5100 when you bought it?
What happens if you have hurt your battery by over-discharging?
What happens if there is a small error in current measurement? The cumulates over the 15 minute flight time.
I go by voltage (which is shown on my Tx). 3.8V is roughly 40% remaining. So when it beeps at 3.8V I know it's time to think about coming home. If I am near I will fly some more. If I am far out, I'll head back. I normally fly with 10000mAh (2x5000mAh)
Getting every last drop out of the battery is bad for a number of reasons.
You ruin the battery. 3.3V under load is getting near empty. What if you can't make it home?
I have returned home to find I cannot land. There was an Alsatian hell bent on eating my heli for lunch. He refused to move and was barking at the heli with a ferociousness which would scare a rabid dog. Damn thing stood there for two minutes while the owner wondered over and put it on a lead.
I have had to stop coming home because a group of walkers stopped in my flight path to stare at my heli. Being on a job I am not supposed to fly over them. I had to hover for a minute or two before the moved.
All of the above are good reasons why you should have ample reserve if you're working.
I don't know much about the Iris but would the sx260, weighing in at 287g, and a 5100 lipo not be putting the Iris over what it can carry? My 5000mAh 20C (Lower C = lighter battery) weighs 877g. That's over a kilogram you're asking the Iris to carry. Not convinced it'll work well. I may be wrong though.
Off topic alert:
I have a sx260 which I converted for IR. How are you joining all the images and retaining the gps data? I will be attempting that soon. Currently not interested in the GPS details but will be soon.
Sorry, did not realise the Iris is a 3S - the battery I was weighing is a 6S. Your's would be half the weight then :)
Ken,
I'm just south of you in New Orleans. I have several ongoing projects, one is capturing imagery for a new Gulf Course being constructed. Several old trees are being removed and I am recording the progress. I am also starting to experiment with the DYI NIR method and calculating the NDVI ranges for a citrus trees. I have access to a citrus farm down here and the owners have given me access to fly there farm.
I've owned a Penguin, but now use a FX-61. I find wings do a better job of "slicing" through the wind. I also find they also have fewer possible points of failure (less servos, less control services, etc). I currently using a S100, SX260, and a SD780 (NIR).
I recently presented at the New Orleans Maker Faire and put together this overview of mapping with sUAS. You can see some of my set up in the video. http://www.dv-proj.com/data/?p=409
Other then doing consulting for a few surveying companies down here, I don't get to talk shop. Feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions.
Chad
The dealer is going to take the "lens error" camera back and send me a S110. Thoughts?
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