I’d like to share my latest hardware ground control station. I call it the ArduStation Mega.
It retains all the features found on the DIYDrones Ardustation, as well as my Ardustation Uno but with some very important upgrades.
It retains all the features found on the DIYDrones Ardustation, as well as my Ardustation Uno but with some very important upgrades.
Notably the main processor has been upgraded to an ATmega2560 giving 8 times the size of both flash and ram, amongst other things :)
Also there is a graphical LCD that should provide a larger, more user friendly display.
The extra serial ports (4 in total) will enable future expansions as and when required. One is dedicated to the USB for loading software as well as potentially being used to allow a computer to share the installed Xbee.
If you don’t want to use an Xbee, or want to use more than one, that’s fine- three of the serial ports are broken out to the left of the board. These could also be used for adding a GPS unit, or perhaps a bluetooth to pc link for example.
Also broken out is the i2c port, so you can link it up to a magnetometer if need be (could make for simpler antenna tracking alignment)
A micro SD card will allow data logging, parameter saving, mission uploading and hopefully more!
Also there is a graphical LCD that should provide a larger, more user friendly display.
The extra serial ports (4 in total) will enable future expansions as and when required. One is dedicated to the USB for loading software as well as potentially being used to allow a computer to share the installed Xbee.
If you don’t want to use an Xbee, or want to use more than one, that’s fine- three of the serial ports are broken out to the left of the board. These could also be used for adding a GPS unit, or perhaps a bluetooth to pc link for example.
Also broken out is the i2c port, so you can link it up to a magnetometer if need be (could make for simpler antenna tracking alignment)
A micro SD card will allow data logging, parameter saving, mission uploading and hopefully more!
The rotary encoder (like a radio’s jog dial) should help with faster navigation / value editing. The buttons are also on a separate PCB such that they can be mounted flush with the display or separately subject to enclosure constraints. (Also this means I can change the layout of the buttons)
The battery supply and Xbee RSSI are connected to give health information on voltage and telemetry link signal strength. Additional analog pins are also broken out for monitoring external sensors.
The battery supply and Xbee RSSI are connected to give health information on voltage and telemetry link signal strength. Additional analog pins are also broken out for monitoring external sensors.
The PCB has been sized to match the dimensions of the LCD, giving a neat install that can be attached with screws and spacers. All of the components are mounted on the inside as well, such that the total unit size is minimised.
As with my Uno version, I use a single cell LiPo for the battery source, with an efficient step up regulator for the 5v supply. There’s also inbuilt USB charging.
The antenna tracking will be achieved by the two servo headers on the right hand side of the board. These also have a solder jumper for selecting off-board power in case heavy duty servos are to be used.
Please let me know what you think!
The antenna tracking will be achieved by the two servo headers on the right hand side of the board. These also have a solder jumper for selecting off-board power in case heavy duty servos are to be used.
Please let me know what you think!
If you want to see more, here's a video of me showing it off:
Comments
TCIII,
GPS input isn't incorporated yet, but is on the agenda. Hopefully won't be too hard to include libraries from APM to do this though.
Colin
@Colin,
Thanks for the response. Much appreciated. Does the present software incorporate GPS input or is that a future capability?
Regards,
TCIII
TCIII,
I'm not sure what Jani's plans for code are- but I intend to have a go at making an updated version of what I've shown in the video above, with the focus on it being modular so that it's easy to add / change pages around. Unfortunately I won't have any free time for this until Feb.
Colin
@Jani,
Who is doing the software?
Regards,
TCIII
Jani - going to order, but just wondering a couple of things:
What input voltage is the ASM accepting? - I'd love to just stick with a standard 3cell as in my ground station that's also powering Video receiver among other things...
Also is there enough drive for up to 7.2v for Servos? I have 6 turn x 360 Sail inch servos that are rated at 30kg each...so they draw quite a bit of power, but of course they are moving a large antenna...so i need to know if the ASM will handle it, or will I have to power them directly from a 2S like in my current setup...?
Regards & Happy New Year
have ordered one :-)
Nice. I'll order one shortly.
Oyvind, yes it can, it can be used with what ever normal RS-232 style radio modems. Final release will have even better support for "Non XBee" radios. Even now v1.2 supports fully 3DR/Bluetooth and RFD900 radios.
Great News, Jani and Happy New Year to you :-)
Can it be used with 3DR radio modules?
Happy New Year to all AND I am happy to tell you all too that... Pre-Orders are now open at jDrones for ASM V1.3.
And some eyecandy for everyone
And with some flashy graphics too...
Now i'm off to celebrate New Year.. still have 30 mins till mid night :)
Happy New Year 2013
Jani / jDrones
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