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Help wanted!

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 28, 2009 at 9:03pm
Many of you have asked how you can help with the ArduPilot project. Now we have an answer! We're looking for people with various skills: software, hardware, documentation or project management. Here are some things on our to-do list that we could use some help on (Jordi's focusing on core ArduPilot Mega development himself). Please look through and see if something sounds like fun. The reward is that you get to work closely with us and you're helping create a little bit of the future! (Plus if you design a project that we can sell, we'll figure out a way to get you paid)
  1. Design a "thermopile replacement" version of ArduIMU: this is a version of the current ArduIMU board with a two-channel DAC and a FMA connector, so it can output voltage to emulate the FMA thermopiles.
  2. Design the turn-rate limiter shield hardware and software modification to the ArduPilot code: this is shield that has a one-axis gyro, a differential pressure sensor and a connector for the uBlox GPS. It will duplicate the functions of the UNAV PicoPilot but be better and a lot cheaper.
  3. Create and maintain a library of airframe.h configuration files
  4. Design the hardware for the ArduPilot Mega ground station (with dynamic PID adjustments). Similar to this.
  5. ArduIMU documentation
  6. Create an autopilot PID tuning guide
  7. Create a Lego Mindstorms compatible version of our MUX/Failsafe. This is just our current board with the addition of a Mindstorms connector and any necessary components for an I2C link. .
  8. Create a "Using ArduPilot with the Remzibi OSD" guide
  9. Create a ArduStation assembly and usage manual
  10. Create a system that can inject telemetry data on the invisible closed caption lines of a video stream and be able to decode it in the other side for the OSD system.
Please volunteer for one or more projects in the comments, and we'll follow up by PM
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Comments

  • agmatthews November 21, 2009 at 4:59am
    Chris,
    I'm happy to help with number 5 - the ArduIMU manual
    -Andrew
  • Mogly (Umesh Tharanath) September 30, 2009 at 3:37pm
    I am ready to help on all the points on ArduPilot, even If i do't know I will learn and do it. Let me know how we proceed!
    I am more in to Software I have done quite a Image processing stuff. May be it will help in our GCS.

    I am very excited to work you guys. !! :D
  • James McGlinn September 30, 2009 at 11:48am
    Happy to help with #9 if needed.
  • Michael Zaffuto September 30, 2009 at 4:53am
    I'd be happy to contribute to 0,1,2,4 or 7. I'm a hardware design engineer (25yrs exper)
    with a good feel for the 'sparkfun style' design philosophy. I can program, create protos
    etc. in my home "lab". Let me know how I can help!
  • David Sprague September 29, 2009 at 4:48pm
    I'd like to help with one or more of the projects. I'm planning to do some work on #1 (Thermopile replacement) and was planning to try first to get the PWM+Res/Cap filter version that Dean has suggested working.

    Projects 2 (single gyro), 4 (Mega ground station), and 5 (arduIMU documentation and probably code review/feedback as part of that work), and 0 (VBI insertion of telemetry data) are also of interest to me and I'd be more than happy to work on any of those or anything else that needs doing. I've got a good understanding of how the current arduPilot software works so I could assist with mods to that as required for projects 1 and 2 if needed.

    I have an arduPilot with XYZ sensor and ground station that I'm just in the process of getting up and running and flying (in an EasyStar). I also have an arduIMU that I'll be assembling in the next week or so.
  • Moderator
    Brian September 29, 2009 at 12:23pm
    #9 I can assist with UAT (User Acceptance Testing) for basic assembly and utilization.
  • Andy Geppert September 29, 2009 at 11:48am
    #4 (ArduPilot Mega Ground Station): compiling/maintaining a spec, managing the project, designing, building, testing, or executing a sub-project (implementing auto-tuning while in the air is on my personal list of requirements but this probably would be implemented in the ArduPilot Mega)
    #5 (ArduIMU documentation): either leading or following...

    I am committed to using both of the above pieces of hardware, along with ArduPilot Mega so I'll be working with them regardless. Additionally, I have some experience managing and working on projects over the web, so that could be helpful since we're relatively spread out. In addition to working with Windows, I could contribute from the Mac side of things as well if needed.
  • Christopher Barnes September 29, 2009 at 11:10am
    7. I've done some projects using an I2C interface to Mindstorms before. I'm not entierly sure what you are trying to achieve for this item? Is the idea to give the Mindstorms system control of which input is mapped to the output on the MUX, or do you actaully want the ability for the Mindstorms to control the servos directly?

    In case it is of interest to anyone I've just got a MLX90615 digital (I2C) thermopile based sensor working (4 devices on the same bus connected to a PIC) which gives a very low component count solution (as long as you already have a microcontoller with I2C capability).
  • Developer
    Mark Colwell September 29, 2009 at 10:33am
    I can help with #1, waiting for my ArduIMU & Renzibi OSD, also adding uplink thru IMU processor
  • Curt Filipowski September 29, 2009 at 10:16am
    I am extremely interested in the #2 option and will be tinkering with the concept for my personal use. I will defiantly contribute anything I can once I get my hands on the U-Blox.
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