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Help wanted for top secret project

Posted by Jordi Muñoz on January 2, 2011 at 5:00pm

Happy new year folks!

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DIYdrones hardware development team needs some help, if you think you can contribute in something please PM, our requirements are:

-Any microcontroller capable to handle a little web server can be used.

-The hardware must have WiFi access (behave as an access point).

-The hardware must have SD card slot (where you can store html files).

-Must be cheap (< $100).

 

The system must be capable to read a HTML file stored on the SD card (including pictures) and create a web server accessible via WiFi (acting as an access point). When the user is connected to the Wifi device-must type any direction like "http://192.168.1.100" and be able to load the HTML files stored on the SD. Something similar to a home router.

 

The HTML files must be able to read/write to the IO, analog and UART pins of the same microcontroller....

 

What we need from you are suggestions of the right hardware, software contributions and connections to anybody capable to help us.

 

Anyone? ;-)

 

Tags: diydrones, help, store
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Comments

  • Petr Hubacek January 3, 2011 at 3:07pm
    Why to build a new board? I would sudgest you a mobile phone board with HSPA connection possibility. Ask for any new mobile phone board as spare part. It shouldn't be more than 50$ and you have even the microSD slot or other.
  • Petr Hubacek January 3, 2011 at 2:59pm

    Jordi,

    reduce your request into only wireless solution mabye because:

    1) if you wish to make a server on a Drone, isn´t it better to transfer all the data on another server where all others can read it? Exception can be for high definition photo or video.

    2) If you will have high amount of requests to the server on drone, the connection capacity will be full and very slow very soon

    3) If you find a cheap possibility to send high definition photo or video wirelesly, you need only wireless board and you store all the data on a PC station only. Than the drone will be SDcardless=> cheaper,lighter,less energy consumer

    I am sorry I don't speek about a ready to use solution. 

  • Matjaz Cimpersek January 3, 2011 at 2:51pm
    @Jordi, you're welcome.
    Here some more info related to aforementioned web server:
    Looks like there's no documentation for PIC's web server, but I found this manual, schematics and demos for what appears to be obsolete product or previous version with the same microcontroller and SD card but with Ethernet instead of wifi.
    It has similar features to wifi version (controling LED's, UART comm; see the manual to get a feel).
    Judging from that, I would say it is possible they will publish documentation for wifi version too.
    They also sell wifi transciever module alone, and docs are avaiable on microchip's website (bGatti already posted link to similar product with integrated antenna):
  • Developer
    Michael Smith January 3, 2011 at 2:27pm

    @Robero this is not a flight platform.  It doesn't need much processing power, but it does need quite a bit of storage (SD is ideal for this), some GPIOs and at least one (preferably two) UARTs.  It should be low-power as it'll need to be battery-powered.  It's also quite cost-sensitive.

     

    @Mediadroid there is AJAX involved and a data broker of some sort between the browser-side application and the serial port.

  • Moderator
    Roberto Navoni January 3, 2011 at 1:25pm

    Hi Chris,

    I'm yet working on different platform using Linux Inside , depend what is the target of this device , if is similar to a parrot platform or is similar to Astec . If you want to use ROS on it or using Urbi.

    I yet hack Ardrone and put a lot of code on my parrot and it work fine.

    I think that there're a lot of code for x86 platform .. ROS is an example of what is available . Port that code on Arm is not so simple.

    The target price depend of MOQ  I'm working on ARM9 with h.264 encoder the price of module start from 80 euro for 1 pcs . Without wifi module and customized carrier board.

  • Tim Michals January 3, 2011 at 1:20pm
    Also, have done a simple AJAX type of approach for a web page, this way, the data on the page changes but the entire page does not refresh.  Did this for a simple CLI (command line interface)
  • Tim Michals January 3, 2011 at 1:14pm

    using a simple button and posting the form and decoding is not that difficult, lwip has examples, did this for an ARM7 project. 

     

  • robert bouwens January 3, 2011 at 1:06pm

    http://www.eluaproject.net/en_overview.html

    before 'printing' to a html page you may need to think a little bit ahead.

     

  • Developer
    Jordi Muñoz January 3, 2011 at 1:02pm
    For example you must be able to "print' the UART data into the web browser, and be able to enable/disable IO pin with any button in the same web page... etc. In other words control any resource of the micro trough the web browser.
  • Jonathan Lussier January 3, 2011 at 12:22pm

    http://www.redpinesignals.com/Products/Modules/Connect-io-n/index.html

    might help some... wifi-n but its not a 'complete' solution - ie you'd need to add your own controller and SD interface.

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