Happy new year folks!
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? ;-)
Comments
To various peoples' points, the idea here is that it should be possible to build a simple, scalable GCS as a web application, and to display that GCS on a variety of devices - laptop browsers, tablets, phones; literally almost anything with wifi and a browser.
This makes sense as a "lowest common denominator" setup. It's not going to compete (immediately, anyway) with a native-code browser that has a broadband connection, maps integration, a multi-megapixel screen and so forth, at least on features.
But I carry my phone a lot of places I won't (or can't) carry a laptop, the battery lasts longer, the screen works better in direct sunlight, and when I get up I can just slip it in my pocket. If I want a bigger screen, something like an iPad is still much easier to carry around and it'll run all day without a recharge. So there are use cases for something like this if the trade-off in features and increased cost can be balanced by convenience.
Hence the search for low cost portable hardware that can do the required bridging work. It's the first in a long series of small steps that may ultimately result in something useful.
@Happy, The WiFi Connection is $26 to $40 depending on volume and feature. Jordi asked for <$100, if one adds an SD and Atmel chip - with Board, BOM and manufacturing, one gets in under the wire.
Who knows...maybe there is a market. I'm looking at it this way (this coming from a guy who spends waaaaay more time in front of his computer than he does actually flying)... With my Netbook, I've got 1024X600 resolution. That's not a lot of real estate to show everything I want to show. But that's waaaaay more than ANY smart phone has. So when push comes to shove, are you really going to be using your smart phone as your GCS? Maybe you are...but to me, it's a question of taking a full size laptop with a lesser battery life or my netbook with a "tiny" screen.....
@bGatti, you might be right....at $40, it's a no brainer. But from the talk here, I think the price tag of this top secret project is more like $100-$140. At that price, I can build what I need far cheaper.
@Coby, yes, you can do it with the ArduStation, but again, the price tag for the functionality has kept it from being a big seller. If I've got a laptop, I don't need the LCD. All I'd be using would be the Ardu and the servo outputs....
Again, maybe there is a real market for this...I'm just thinking I'm not it....
Happy.
So you could connect the Xbee to the computer, but you'd need some software and hardware to operate servos to move the tracking antenna for your Xbee and FPV links; so you build a custom box with software and servo controls to manage that end; now what kind of plug should you use? USB is nice, but you'd need drivers for Windows, Android, Mac, Linux, Chrome, IPhone, IPad & Mobile 7 just to meet first day demand - so forget wires - everyone of those system can pipe data from a WiFi link, so there's you're magic bullet, go WiFi young man, go WiFi. It's a $40 solution to a Million dollar driver problem; plus, look ma, no wires.
So you might say - why not use the WiFi in the Phone and go straight to the Air - but there's a tracking antenna problem.
I think the antenna tracker is the Top Secret Part, it kinds leaked in. I thought this was a WebServer in the air project (which is pretty cool); but alas, its not.
Wow! This post has gotten a TON of responses! I need to read everything from the beginning, but what I'm missing so far is "what's the point?" You'll still need an X-Bee to connect to this device which will then convert from X-Bee to Wifi so you can then connect to another device? I can understand cell phones...assuming someone writes a GCS for every platform or the web server can serve up something that looks good on the phone. But realistically, this device won't provide any benefit to a laptop user who can run Qgroundcontrol, my GCS (HK's GCS) or Labview without it by simply connecting the X-Bee to the laptop itself.
So what's the point? I'm sure someone will want to write an app for the iPhone and for Android... and in the future more people will have smart phones. But it really seems like a pretty simple move from X-Bee will eliminate the need for this device all together. If someone had a Wifi device that could be placed in the plane, then this device isn't needed at all....I know, I know...something has to serve up the webpages... but how good are those going to look on all sorts of different devices?
I think this will suite a very niche market for iPhone owners who really want to be on the "bleeding edge" and be able to pull up their telemetry data on their 3 1/2 inch screen....so they can turn to their friends and say "look at what my phone can do." I think I'd change my marketing stragey to make it only work on iPhones and sell it for $400... you'll sell a whole bunch the first day... and that will be about it.
What I think is missing is the antenna tracking...but I've got a cheap idea ($25 for the controller + servos and mounting) to solve that problem and it will be nearly plug-n-play.
Otherwise, I'd say add a color monitor (say 7 inches) and design the webpages to run well on that...then you've got a solution. Maybe something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/7-TFT-LCD-Color-Car-Rearview-Headrest-Monitor-D...
This is all my opinion...I don't really know what people out there want :)
Use an Arduino with Wifi-Shield and SD-Reader?
Does it need to have a DHCP-Server? A hacked Fonera (1st gen) might be also fine, I'm using this as an in-car Accesspoint for OBD2-Stuff...
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