Ok, so Big Footing is not exactly "Main Stream", but IMO, this is a great example of how we can enjoy our hobby while helping others explore theirs. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of details on the drone or UAS Operations but it's a positive example none the less. I live in Northern California, and want to take my drones on a BFRO expedition...
The items shown above are part of a 5.8GHz video transmitter (#5) setup offered by Range Video. All items are sold as individual items and like a big dummy I forgot to get Santa Clause order their powersupply (#4) when she placed her order for the transmitter.
So the luck of the Irish kicks in and Mr. Murphy ordered their last Filtered Linear Power Supply and there's no telling when they will be back in stock. So I'm on the hunt for another suitable power supply that will output the required 3.3v to run the transmitter and camera. I've poked around and found that a lot of the setups used by fellow DIYDrones members have built in voltage regulators and are just attached to a lipo (typically 7.2v).
I have a few other projects in mind beyond the video transmitter for my Raven so getting a good lead on a good ps would be very nice to have.
I did manage to find several power supplies that may work but I'd like to know what more experienced tinkerers think.
#1
This one is intended to use a walwart in the recommended 7-9v range. It outputs a selectable 5v or 3.3v but forgive the newb-ness, I'm not sure if I HAVE to use a walwart. Wouldn't a 2 or 3 cell lipo do the DC trick just fine?
#2
This E-Bay special is pretty cheap and has free shipping. It seems like it would do the job just fine and would not need to be converted to not being a plug in for a breadboard. But would a LED power module work for the above mentioned video transmitter? Voltage is spot on to what I need but I'm unsure of the LED part of the description... #3
You tell Me... If all these finds are junk and you use something else, please let me know. Also if you have a design I could build that would work too.
My friends Raven was nearly taken out by Santa!
So I finally got to do some testing without crazy winds, then THIS happens!
Oh well, it could have been very bad, but I was lucky and did not have any major issues.
I have some repairs to do, but in reality I was thinking of doing the mod I NEED to do now anyway, so... NBD!
That dark spot on the red wire is where it melted.
Views of the melted plastic/foam board with blind nuts for the motor mount.
The motor mount actually melted into the plastic/foam board.
The plastic/foam board is scrap material left over from faux window blinds.
It works well, but can have issues...
Actually I use it often and this is the first time I've had any kind of failure.
Other than "you get what you paid for" Anyone have a reason Not to buy this pair?
My personal goal would be to use it as a learning tool, prepairing for adding telemetry to my projects. But it should be usefull too. Secondary use in some project around the house, ie halloween automation, laser guided water splasher (anti-cat crap in the yard device currently in planning stage) ect.
Here's the Junk:
This package consists of two mini half-duplex wireless data transceiver modules and each such module is highly integrated with an ultra speed MCU and a powerful RF chip. With the introduction of the innovative yet higly-efficient encoding method, its anti-interference ability and sensitivity are significantly improved. Features like various channel options, ultra long transmission distance (1000 meters) or abundant interfaces (UART/TTL, RS-485 & RS-232) helps make the transmission of data of any size possible and eliminate the needs of writing transmission program and running complicated settings. A software application ("RF-Magic") is offered for free so that users can modify the settings of the module. Besides, its slim size and wide power supply range makes itself the most popular selection of many applications in different fields.
Features:
My ArduPilot Trials Day 2
I started off the day very excited to see how a new day of testing would go. I'd re-read portions of the manual, searched for ArduPilot tuning posts and contemplated the replies I got from my previous post.
The conditions were great and I was ready to toss that sucker up and get some satisfaction.
Instead, I learned a lesson. You see the picture above? That's what you get when you fly your plane using the wrong configuration on your radio. Notice how the tall grass beacons my plane to follow it's shadow... Well it did! Fortunately for me the grass was tall and I was quickly able to see the problem and cut power so no damage to speak of.
After I double-checked the electronics and hardware I reset the model in the radio to the appropriate configuration I got a GPS lock and tossed it up. I waited to engage the ArduPilot, which was in Stabilize mode until I trimmed out the model. Wow, what a great flight. The Stabilize mode checked out wonderfully. My fellow flyers were impressed with how well it did, especially when I used the stabilizer to bring it in for a landing. It was truly great. I lined it up on the approach I wanted, into a slight breeze and cut the gas and it glided in perfectly.
My ArduPilot Trials Day 3
Like yesterday I started of today very excited to try the next test. After flying yesterday, I took home the plane so I could change it's mode from Stabilize to Fly-By-Wire-A.
I was all set and ready to figure out what the heck "tell it where you want to go and it'll figure it out" was all about (that's a slight synopsis of the description of the FBW modes). I got my lock, put the wing on and gave it a toss.
Again, I learned a lesson. Not a new lesson, but one that should have been very fresh in my mind. You see the pictures below? That's what you get when you fly your plane using the wrong configuration on your radio. Notice how the tall grass beacons my plane to follow it's shadow... This time the grass was shorter and right next to a service road! Fortunately for me it was the grass, which was tall enough so again damage to speak of, just a bruised ego as I had watchers and needed a rubber band to hold on the GPS which had popped off.
So just what was that lesson? No it's not "dont fly your stryker" or even "double-check your model". It's Use Checklists to avoid these type of problems. I could have been sent back to ground zero with either of these crashes. I'm now building some easy grease pencil checklists that I'm going to attach to the plane and complete right on the model prior to flight. That should save me from myself and from having to remember to bring the list!
Todays second attempt went very well. Again once I trimmed out and got the model into the AP mode the FBW worked very well. It is different than the Co-Pilot for sure, but I use the rudder to produce a flat turn. The flatter the turn the better it's keeping itself stable. I did not get the chance to do the tests that are recommended for FBW, that will be next flight. For now I'm very happy with the ArduPilot. I again used the AP to land the plane, which was a little off from yesterdays great landing but I blame that more on me and how nervous I was after drilling the plane into the ground two days in a row. It did remain very stable during the approach and landing the line up was a little off so I had to walk a few yards to retrieve it instead of a few feet like the previous day. No big deal.
Next Test, FlyByWire-B, although I'm not sure what to expect in this mode with the motor? I guess it just keeps it constant? If anyone can explain that I'd appreciate it.
Wish me luck!Notice how it's not quite square to the frame of the first picture? That creates visual interest!
In the second shot the shadow almost forces your eye to whats outside of the frame.
The third shot conveys movement. Notice how the grass in the background is in focus yet the foreground grass is blurred as the plane smashes into it...
Last but not least a nice shot after the model was corrected.
Hello DIY Droners.
Please allow me to introduce the "DIY Drones Projects" Google docs spreadsheet.
Many DIY Drones members would like a place to lookup the details of successful DIY Drones projects completed by fellow members. Unfortunately, the structure of the DIY Drones site does not allow us to build any kind of online respository. That's where the "DIY Drones Projects"spreadsheet comes into view. It's goal is to provide an additional resource for members to use while planning their next DIY Drones project.
The concept is simple. Members who have successfully assembled and flown their UAV project craft are asked to share details with the community via an on-line form. At Chris's suggestion, the form will utilize the "KISS" approach and will provide as many drop-down selection choices as possible to minimize the time it takes to complete the questions.
When the form is submitted the results will be available to the community as a planning resource. Ideally the results will be available as a raw download or filtered using available reports. We'll be able to see trends, determine common configurations base upon project platform type as well as other useful information.
Here's the kicker... I've build the form and spreadsheet, but we need need project details. If you have had success with your project, please take a few minutes and complete the "DIY Drones Member Projects". The results will be assembled and made available to members on the site.
Thanks,
Brian
DIY Drones Project | |
| Air Frame: Wingspan: Length: Payload: Flight Duration: |
|
| Specs: | |
| Radio Control: | |
| Telemetry: | |
| Video: | |
| Auto-Pilot: | |
| Sensors: | |
| Onboard Batteries: | |
| Bat1: Bat2: Bat3: Bat4: Bat5: | |
Project Details Here | |
<iframe src="https://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?formkey=dHpKU2JJUHlsVWVubmFhdmcxNUx1bXc6MQ" width="760" height="609" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0">Loading...</iframe>
Just putting this out there...
I recently purchased 6 batts from HobbyCity.com and selected the USA Warehouse for shipping. That was Wednesday the 23rd, it's Friday the 25th and they are on my desk. I selected the USPS shipping option 2/3 day for less than $1.50 over the default shipping cost, bringing the cost of shipping to $11. The package was sound and well protected.
I am very satisfied with the purchase.
I know that others have had bad times with some items from them, but if this is any kind of indication of turn around I'll be shopping HC more often and will purchase if the item is available from their US location.
I found the Fuse to a Sky Fly Max at a local hobby store and was instantly forced to buy it. It's a great, but simple starter plane which I think will make a great UAV. All of the parts except for the fiberglass boom are EPO type foam, all thick and well made. Like always, I will not buy an RTF so I'll need to part it together, but that should be less than $65. for just the air frame. I have a few ideas to make it more me, but that's for later. Click here for more Sky Fly Max Details.
Below are a few more pics of the fuse as well as a few shots of "Stuff" I've kept for projects and thought I'd share...
Boxes...
Candy/Gum boxes seem to be great for small projects. I like to use them to protect some of the electronic components on my planes when they would otherwise be exposed. You can drill small holes so they are vented or keep lids off and be mostly covered but well protected.
Floaty Key Chain things...
I've not installed it yet but I'm using these for mounting wireless camera (like a helmet cam) on the boom or underside of my wings. These could easily be made articulated and in damp'ish conditions by using a small clear dome to protect the camera and silicone to plug the other end where connections/batteries reside. I plan to power mine seperate from the camera pod, but using smaller lipo you could easily store the bat inside the pod w/the camera and only have the lead running to the camera's transmitter...
Cups...
Jello, Pudding, Tuna & Applesause... These are very handy and can be used from Cowls to Nacelles, to epoxy and everything in between.
Plastic sheets...
I use the thicker sheets for belly skids on my belly landers. It really helps keep the plane in good shape. I use recovered pop-bottle plastic (16oz/1ltr/2ltr) for lighter duty stuff like wing repair and reinforcement for weak designs. You can also use the pop bottle plastic as glue in hinges.
If you got the stuff around, use it...
Anyway, I'm cheap and this post shows it! But, I like to share so...
PS - The orange rectangle thing is one of those lighted magnifying glasses, cause I'm not blind, I just like stuff in bold!
-bcd
Source: http://www.rctoys.com/pdf/thunder-power-disposal-of-old-damaged-lipo-batteries.pdf
** DISPOSAL OF LIPO BATTERIES **
Unlike NiCd batteries, lithium-polymer batteries are environmentally friendly.
For safety reasons, it’s best that LiPo cells be fully discharged before disposal (however,
if physically damaged it is NOT recommended to discharge LiPo cells before disposal -
see below for details). The batteries must also be cool before proceeding with disposal
instructions. To dispose of LiPo cells and packs:
1. If any LiPo cell in the pack has been physically damaged, resulting
in a swollen cell or a split or tear in a cell’s foil covering, do NOT discharge the battery.
Jump to step 5.
2. Place the LiPo battery in a fireproof container or bucket of sand.
3. Connect the battery to a LiPo discharger. Set the discharge cutoff
voltage to the
lowest possible value. Set the discharge current to a C/10 value, with “C” being the
capacity rating of the pack. For example, the “1C” rating for a 1200mAh battery is 1.2A,
and that battery’s C/10 current value is (1.2A / 10) can be used,
such as a power resistor or set of light bulbs as long as the discharge current doesn’t
exceed the C/10 value and cause an overheating condition.
For LiPo packs rated at 7.4V and 11.1V , connect a 150 ohm resistor with a power rating
of 2 watts (commonly found at Radio Shack)to the pack’s positive and negative terminals
to safely discharge connecting it to an ESC/ motor system and allowing the motor to run
indefinitely until no power remains to further cause the system to function.
4. Discharge the battery until its voltage reaches 1.0V per cell or
lower. For resistive load type discharges, discharge the battery for up to 24 hours.
5. Submerse the battery into bucket or tub of salt water. This container should have a lid,
but it should not need to be air-tight. Prepare a plastic container (do not use metal) of cold
water. And mix in 1/2 cup of salt per gallon of water. Drop the battery into the salt water.
Allow the battery to remain in the tub of salt water for at least 2 weeks.
6. Remove the LiPo battery from the salt water, wrap it in newspaper or paper towels and
place it in the normal trash. They are landfill safe.
I stumbled upon this and thought others may think it's interesting as well...
Who knew the SP guys had competitions where they race around a triangle pattern of GPS coordinates? View results on Google Earth, get addional details from the plane to the ground station... Lots more.
Sounds fun but it's a little pricey.
The equipment seems like it would be very easy to adapt to UAVs...
For additional details check the link below.
Big Breakthrough with HD Pan and Tilt! from Paul Thompson on Vimeo.
