Is this the miracle chipset that's going to make DIY drones easy?

Analog Devices is about to start selling a very cool-looking device: a small box that combines three-axis gyros with three-axis accelerometers, along with an embedded processor to massage all that data and deal with calibration and drift issues. Called the ADIS16355, it will retail for about $300, which isn't cheap, but when you consider what it would cost you in time and money to duplicate that functionality, it seems more than worth it.

Not sure what accelerometers and gyros are good for? They're what's needed to build an Intertial Measurement Unit (IMU), which is the core of a proper autopilot. Tom Pycke has a great series of blog posts that explain all this in lay terms (at least at the beginning--then it gets into math):

If you're contemplating building your own autopilot or taking on one of the open-source ones, these posts are the right place to begin.

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100KM

crystal garris December 10, 2008 at 9:17am

i have fallowed this chip for a while . it started out with a kalman filter built in . but it looks like "someone"
killed that and now its just a fancy sensor array.
dp December 10, 2008 at 1:43am

Sorry,I've forgotten to say that I don't have the BOARD EVAL for that sensor.
My sensor was fixed onto a PCB board that I designed with LPC2114.
dp December 10, 2008 at 1:40am

I've got this sensor too,but I'm wondering how could I know if it can work or not?
Jack Crossfire March 29, 2008 at 9:27pm

The guy on unreasonablerocket said he owned one & was going to use it on his T-Rex 600. Still think he's using the Microstrain 3DM-GX1.
Brad Powers March 29, 2008 at 9:17pm

So funny story, I'm going to be doing research next semester on developing an autonomous helicopter (I'm thinking a T-Rex 600, with a Surveyor camera and WiFi board) and was planning on using this sensor. I actually was super excited yesterday when this chip came out. Quite simply, I'm thinking yes, this sensor WILL revolutionize independent UAV/ Drone efforts. The fact that it can auto calibrate at multiple Hz, combined with it's nearly linear (calibrated) sensor output over a digital line, makes it basically trivial to implement in a drone.
T-Rex March 29, 2008 at 6:52pm

Has anyone used the Analog Devices ADIS16355 or ADIS16354 (integrated 6DOF sensor package)? It is now available for purchase, finally (the 16354 has been available for some time now). I'm very interested but due to the cost would love to hear some feedback from anyone who has tried this out before I plunk down the money.

The auto cross calibration to cancel out drift problems and increase accuracy seems very compelling. Only having to talk to one device rather than integrating signals from multiple devices seems like it would greatly simplify the process as well. The only thing I do not like about it is the 5v power when all my other gear is ~3v.

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