Thanks to the good ideas of Gary Mortimer and others, we're now launching a Trust Time Trial contest. The idea is simple: you set up four waywaypoints, spaced 200m apart, on your own field and time your UAV completing the course. Upload the data in the comments here. Best time on Sept 1 wins (I've got a prize this month--a new FunJet kit).
In the future, we'll add complexity and stricter standards to the trial, but this first one is easy:
1) Must complete the pattern as shown above, totally autonomously (go into auto mode before waypoint 1 and exit after you hit waypoint 1 again). The four points are arranged in a square, with 200m on a side (obviously the two diagonal paths are longer). Any aircraft/autopilot allowed. It doesn't matter how close to the waypoints you get, as long as you pass on the outside of them.
2) For this first one, altitude is not graded.
3) Fastest time to hit all points and return to 1 wins (one lap). Must provide GPS track with timestamps and on-board video. (If you don't have/can't afford a small onboard videocamera like the FlyCamOne 2, we'll let it go this time. But in the future: video or it didn't happen!)
4) Must also demonstrate that fun was had. Kids, picnics, silly hats, marching bands, something.
GPS tracks are best achieved with an onboard GPS datalogger, like the i-Blue 747 or smaller Sanav ML-7. But if you don't have one or don't want to add the weight, you can just capture the GPS track from your telemetry stream, although you'll have to figure out how to convert it to KML format to export to Google Earth (see below). If your Ground Control System has a built-in map+track function, a screen shot of that is fine, but it should be possible for people to check to confirm that your leg lengths are at least 200m.
Evidence data should include these four things:1) Total time, along with aircraft and autopilot used. A photo of the aircraft would be nice.
2) Screen capture of path exported to Google Earth or an equivalent, annotated with waypoints and where autonomy began and ended. Here's a sample from Dean Goedde (waypoints and autonomy not marked):3) GPS datalog file, any format
4) Onboard video, embedded from YouTube or Vimeo. [Not absolutely required but requested]
And here is our second entry! For this one we used a Guided Systems autopilot (based on Piccolo) on a Maxi Joker helicopter. Like the Twinstar, we pushed this helicopter to its limits. We set the max pitch/bank angle to 43 degrees and increased the head speed to 1400rpm. Griffin joined us for this flight test. We achieved ~54 seconds on the first run, ~53 seconds on the second run, and 51.79 seconds on the last run. We reached a maximum of 58.59 knots (30.14 m/s) in the course – a new speed record for the helicopter! It was pretty exciting watching this bird flying around so fast. To celebrate our victory, we commanded the helicopter to perform an auto land.
Here is the the Google Earth image of our run:
Again, we did not have an onboard video camera. However, this time I was on the camera the whole time, the reason for the great video! Ok, maybe its not a great video, I shake a little too much.
We are going to make a last minute entry or two! :) For our first, we used a Procerus Kestrel 2.2 autopilot integrated on a Multiplex Twinstar II. I think we might have been pushing the aircraft to its limits with the batteries we had. After 3 days and 30+ runs we had a few puffy batteries when we were done. Unfortunately we couldn't get the aircraft tuned right for fast speeds and 90 degree banking turns and thus were unable to beat Vassillis's time. The fastest time we recorded was 59 seconds.
The KML file has the path when the aircraft was flying in full autonomous mode.
Unfortunately, we do not have an onboard camera so we put a camera on a tripod and tried to have it pointing at the aircraft. We had a fun time. Definitely cool watching the plane doing 90 degree banked turns. :)
Well done Mark, looking forward to being able to add a time. Bit worried to see that those model grabbing trees have cottoned on to UAS, No doubt we are making their job easier by repeating paths accurately and giving them a chance to line up the catch.
Lets make the entry/exit gate midway and 50m South??
Perhaps we should start a separate thread for course discussions, maybe the course should always be based on that box?? That way each entrant knows how it fits into his/her flying area.
Yes lets keep the courses open Andrus, but for a time to count for the league it can only be completed in the month of the task. After the month we can have a course best time, that can change as its beaten. (Did that make any sense)
Don't forget this is the first UAS competition of its type anywhere ladies and gents and we can make it up as we like!!!
Fair and Fun need to be in there at all times.
I will start another thread so as not to clog this one up.
Hi, if thinking about new mission, then I support the idea to go for precision. This would mean addition of start and exit gates AND preferably also waypoints as gates. I'm not sure, how many people here have altitude control, but one possible way to add complexity would be to request course to be performed on certain altitude above ground level (well above trees;-). We can even chances of fast and slow planes by giving desired time to complete course and measure, how close to this time each one got.
It may also make sense to keep alive competitions on several courses of different difficulty levels, so that entry level for new participants would not be too steep and advanced diydroners would have some challenge as well.
A top challenge for very advanced players would be to perform some popular F3A figure set automatically....
I finally completed 1 full course late this evening after a tree caught my UAV earlier today at wp 4. After a little tree climbing and super glue I fixed the wing, set pitch trim up a little (too much ) and tried again, I trimmed ailerons for level flight with manual control and climbed to 120' flying north and turned on AP.It turned right 180 degrees with 35 degrees of bank, a tight turn, wp1, then overshot wp2, wp3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 all ok, heading across field to wp8 125 meters, hit wp 9, 10, 11, 12 13, and last wp 14 and heads for home , I had manual control of throttle and reduced power but she kept climbing, It made 2 figure 8 at home wp, and I switched off AP and brought her down, and landed. I will reduce pitch trim and roll P, this should help with wp2 over shoot and climbing. Videos to follow.
@Gary
Sounds like a good challenge, let me repeat my point about having an entry and exit gate, it will be very difficult to time this course otherwise.
@Bosak
I do not think this course requires a fast platform to win, it simply requires an appropriate flight plan. In fact I do not think the proposed course will favor high speeds due to the tight turns.
I am not looking for a bonus. I am looking for something typical for autpilots. How about precision? Alithold? Overshot size? Minimal size of given pattern (more agile plane wil also often fly faster)? Slowest time could be manipulated with overshoot size and again this is mostly flying platform property. Let's chose something where funjet will have equal chances to estar and cularis.
Comments
Here is the the Google Earth image of our run:
Here is the KML file zipped up
Here is the CSV file of the flight log zipped up
Here is the video we created
Again, we did not have an onboard video camera. However, this time I was on the camera the whole time, the reason for the great video! Ok, maybe its not a great video, I shake a little too much.
The KML file has the path when the aircraft was flying in full autonomous mode.
Here is the KML file zipped up
Here is the XLS file of the flight log zipped up
Here is the video we created
Unfortunately, we do not have an onboard camera so we put a camera on a tripod and tried to have it pointing at the aircraft. We had a fun time. Definitely cool watching the plane doing 90 degree banked turns. :)
Lets make the entry/exit gate midway and 50m South??
Perhaps we should start a separate thread for course discussions, maybe the course should always be based on that box?? That way each entrant knows how it fits into his/her flying area.
Yes lets keep the courses open Andrus, but for a time to count for the league it can only be completed in the month of the task. After the month we can have a course best time, that can change as its beaten. (Did that make any sense)
Don't forget this is the first UAS competition of its type anywhere ladies and gents and we can make it up as we like!!!
Fair and Fun need to be in there at all times.
I will start another thread so as not to clog this one up.
G
It may also make sense to keep alive competitions on several courses of different difficulty levels, so that entry level for new participants would not be too steep and advanced diydroners would have some challenge as well.
A top challenge for very advanced players would be to perform some popular F3A figure set automatically....
Sounds like a good challenge, let me repeat my point about having an entry and exit gate, it will be very difficult to time this course otherwise.
@Bosak
I do not think this course requires a fast platform to win, it simply requires an appropriate flight plan. In fact I do not think the proposed course will favor high speeds due to the tight turns.
What about slowest time around it.
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