As mentioned before, for the second version of our Minimum Blimp Jordi and I decided to mod a RC toy blimp on the grounds that it will be cheaper and more robust than trying to build the whole mechanical assembly ourselves (the aim is to have a fully programmable and hackable blimp UAV kit for less than $100). Jordi started with $15 toy (gondola shown above), ripped out the RC electronics and built his own Arduinio board, IR sensor package and added a Ping))) sensor for altitude hold. Here are a few shots of the first version (please forgive the protoboard disasters--we'll neaten it up for the next rev!)
Underside of the blimp gondola, showing custom IR sensors for navigation and Ping))) ultrasonic sensor for altitude hold. (enlarge to check out the DIYDrones branding on the IR board!)
Inside of the blimp gondola, showing the custom Arduino board. This Toy blimp just got a major brain transplant!
We'll be showing a more polished version of this blimp at the FIRST Robotics National Championship in Atlanta, April 17-19.
Electrolysis of water gives oxyhydrogen, quite dangerous but useful for storing energy. U have to separate the hydrogen & remove water vapor to get something useful for a blimp.
Make your own with a large solar panel, some water, some plumbing, and good ventilation. There are videos on YouTube that give examples. I haven't seen any videos yet of what happens if you screw up, but it's just a matter of time ...
Hydrogen by itself is not flammable, but it combines with oxygen in the atmosphere to make a very explosive combination. So hydrogen can be quite dangerous, especially indoors, where it can't vent.
And for small envelopes like Minimum Blimp, the cost of helium is not so much.
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And for small envelopes like Minimum Blimp, the cost of helium is not so much.
Does that gondola assembly fit within your weight budget ? I measured 44gm with the electronics removed from the "Tri TurboFan" assembly.