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Gyro-Stabilized PTZ Gimbal for UAVs

Posted by fibrewire on July 18, 2011 at 7:30am

 

I am an ex-USAF Avionics Sensors guy, and I have always wanted a gyro stabilized laser targeting system. Now that I am all grown up, I'll settle for a gyro stabilized camera.

 

A little looking, and I found some nice UAV equipment.It's a little out of my price range at $10,000 for the day system and $20,000 for the FLIR system. http://store.micropilot.com/category-s/21.htm

 

Now I know this is mechanically and electrically easy, but for me this could become time-consuming. Can we make a cost-effective system for our UAVs?

 

Some examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewK7NkcCFCk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5fluZ7mUoY

 

What do you guys think?

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Comments

  • fibrewire July 21, 2011 at 12:16pm

    True, but the minds behind military weaponry aren't hell-bent on killing everything. I would impose coded-modulation for a game of quad copter lasertag!

  • Axure July 21, 2011 at 11:51am

    Indeed, I'm not interested in building a bomb targeting device. I would be content if I had a drone with a laser rangefinder.

  • Lew Payne July 20, 2011 at 5:13pm

    @Axure - if your definition of "us" is you (i.e., Axure), then I guess that's true.

  • Axure July 20, 2011 at 1:36pm

    But that's of no interest to us.

  • fibrewire July 20, 2011 at 4:43am

    Yes - lasing a target was only half the problem. Using coded modulation made sure the right bomb got to the right target. IIRC, each bomb had their own unique address assigned right before launch.

  • Lew Payne July 19, 2011 at 10:14pm

    @fiberwire - Very interesting factoids on the beryllium!  I suppose the coded modulator was also an important part of the laser targeting system.  By the way,here's a beryllium glass selling for $8.95 (USD)... quite affordable.

  • fibrewire July 19, 2011 at 9:57pm

    Also, the visible light filters for infrared and lasing were matched. They were made from Beryllium.

     

    One interesting aspect of the Beryllium filters is if dropped, the liquid gold colored filter would explode into pixie dust. Blast doors would be closed in the hanger, and hazmat would be called in to clean up the filter particles. If you are cut by a piece of Beryllium "glass" the cut would never heal, and breathing the stuff is surely fatal, as one's lungs would drown in a death of a thousand cuts.

  • fibrewire July 19, 2011 at 9:51pm

    When i worked on Lantirn pods for the USAF, the lasers weren't that powerful. The wavelength and filters were the most important aspect of the laser target designator / rangefinder.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LANTIRN

  • Lew Payne July 19, 2011 at 5:30pm
    @Axure - according to the stated requirements, so would a laser pointer.
  • Axure July 19, 2011 at 4:27am

    As for lasers (I assume Robert White means a rangefinder?), wouldn't one of these cheap LIDAR solutions mentioned a few posts before do the job?

    http://www.diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/found-cheapestever-lidar-seems

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