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
Madhu, I am working on new site and reference schematics will be there with board layouts and other information.
Hello Colin,
Are there any plans to release the schematic and board files of the jD-ArduStation Mega V1.5 to the public?
Thanks,
Madhu.
Colin,
Thanks a ton!
regards,
Madhu.
Here are the schematics for the version shown in this blog
https://github.com/cgwood/ASM_Schematics
Jani / Colin,
Are the schematics and board files not available to the general public anymore?
Thanks,
Madhu.
Greg, on v1.5 we fixed I2C/GPS connector issues, several silkscreen things and changed order of the GPS port pinout to match better our MediaTEK, uBox GPSes. Other than that all hardware etc is same.
Biggest issue with v1.4 was those two small connectors on side of the board. If you push them hard you might pop them out, now it's fixed and they are stronger. But still you need to careful when connecting your keyboard cables etc.
Greg, You should check out this post if you haven't seen it already.
Cheers Paul
I have the 1.4 version and want to know if there is info on the issues found and the fixes needed for prior versions as the new versions come out? Are there other sources of detailed info on the Ardustation Mega besides this thread?
Great, new batch is electronics is also arriving today. We fixed GPS connector and make those small keyboard/GPS connectors stronger.
For display, We are using similar display and it's pinout is same on what Colin pasted link earlier. It is normal GLCD 128x64 Display with KS0108 interface white on blue background. Physical measures can be found from http://www.jDrones.com/media/parts/display/GLCD-128x64.pdf
We will add this display to our store too as extra part for people who want to make their own systems.
Awesome. Thanks Sebastian. I'll have a play with that at some point this week :)
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