Those of you following along with the ArduPilot development probably suspected that we weren't going to stick with leaving the stabilization function to the off-the-shelf FMA Co-Pilot for long. And sure enough, integrating those thermopile sensors into our autopilot has always been part of the plan--it's cheaper, better and more flexible. But how can we handle both stabilization and navigation with the modest Arduino chip? Well, you're just going to have to wait and see--trust me, it's cool ;-)
In the meantime, here's the hardware Jordi designed to build your own two-axis thermopile sensor, in surface mount (SMD) form, which is small and light (shown above), or through-hole, which is easier to solder, shown below. It's related to the Paparazzi sensors, but optimized for Arduino. They will not work with the current ArduPilot, which is designed to work with the FMA Co-Pilot, but instead are designed for a future ArduPilot board. So why are we showing them to you now? Just because they're cool, and if you build them now we'll give you a reason to use them soon enough.
Warning: the individual thermopile sensors (this board needs 4) aren't cheap at low volume: almost $18 each. At the volume we're buying (100s) they fall in price to just $6 each, so unless you're keen to get going quickly on this you might as well save some money and wait for us to build the boards and sell them assembled. But for those fully infected with the DIY spirit, the component list is below.
Code and other integration instructions coming later.
Through-hole version:
Components:
C1,C2,C3,C4,C6 5 x .027uF P4518-ND
C5 0.01uF 1 x 495-1065-1-ND
IC1 1 x AD8552RU AD8552ARUZ-ND
MOLEX PRT-08231 SparkFun
R1,R4 2 x 200 200EBK-ND
R2,R5 2 x 0.8M 820KEBK-ND
R3,R6 2 x 510 510EBK-ND
R7,R8 2 x 604 620EBK-ND
(TP1,2,3,4) 4 x MLX90247-ESF-DSA
SMD version (shown at top):
Components:
C1,C2,C3,C4,C6 5 x .027uF PCC1833CT-ND
C5 0.01uF 1 x 478-1383-1-ND
IC1 1 x AD8552RU AD8552ARUZ-ND
MOLEX PRT-08231 SparkFun
R1,R4 2 x 200 P200ACT-ND
R2,R5 2 x 0.8M P806KCCT-ND
R3,R6 2 x 510 P510ZCT-ND
R7,R8 2 x 604 RHM604CCT-ND
(TP1,2,3,4) 4 x MLX90247-ESF-DSA
Comments
Ted
Anyway, can we use this thermopile board with parallax propeller microcontroller?
Just thought maybe a cheaper way of getting them would be extracting them from temp control units in vehicles.
you are right about the smd boards, they are very troubling to solder for amateurs like us.
i have already ordered boardino kit from adafruit and gathered other components. however i am having trouble finding the attiny chip you have listed, in my country. maybe i can find an equivalent... :(
great news... i will try it with your ardupilot but i donot have your board. i hope i can make it here in my country with the provided eagle files.. by the time being can i test the system with a standard arduino? if i can i will make some tests with my plane with 2 of the controls given to co-pilot ( this co-pilot has also a ch5 connection for remote on-off switching) and post my experience. you can also make use of it because this co-pilot is cheaper
I don't know, but I can imagine that it could be an issue.
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