Blogs

The main focus of this research is to develop a real-time forest fire monitoring system using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The UAV is equipped with sensors, a mini processor (Raspberry Pi) and Ardu Pilot Mega (APM) for the flight controller. This system used five sensors. The first is a temperature sensor that served to measure the temperature in the monitored forest area. The others sensors are embedded in the APM. There are a barometer, Global Positioning Sensor (GPS), inertial measurement unit (IMU) and compass sensor. GPS and compass are used in the navigation system. The barometer measured the air pressure that is used as a reference to maintain the height of the UAV. The IMU consists of accelerometer and gyroscope sensors that are used to estimate the vehicle position. The temperature data from the sensor and the data from GPS are processed by the Raspberry Pi 3, which serves as a mini processor. The results of the data processing are sent to the server to be accessible online and real-time on the website. The data transmission used the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) system. The experimental setup was carried out in an area of 40 meters × 40 meters with 10 hotspots. The diameter of the hotspots is 0.4 meters with a height of 0.5 meters. The UAV is flown at a constant speed of 5 m/s at an altitude of 20 meters above the ground. The flight path is set by using a mission planner so the UAV can fly autonomously. The experimental results show that the system could detect seven hotspots in the first trial and nine hotspots in the second trial. This happened because there is some data loss in the transmission process. Other results indicate that the coordinates of hotspots detected by the UAV have a deviation error of approximately 1 meter from the actual fire point coordinates. This is still within the standard GPS accuracy as this system uses GPS with a range accuracy of 2.5 meters. 

You can Download this article on Research Gate or Journal of Engineering Science and Technology

These instructions explain how to set up a Spektrum DX7 transmitter for 6 different flight modes, using just the 3 position Flaps switch (in combination with the Rudder switch). This way you'll use just one channel for the flight modes and leave the Gear and Aux2 channel open ...

(note that you have to use the DX7 in "airplane mode", not in "heli mode" to fly a quadcopter)

• switch on your remote while pressing SCROLL DOWN and SELECT
• go to "D/R Switch Sel" menu (with the SCROLL UP/DOWN button)
• select "Com Rudd" by pressing the INCREASE button
• go to the "Input Select" menu (with the SCROLL UP/DOWN button)
• press select until you reach "Flap:", make sure it is set to "System" (you can change the setting with the INCREASE button)
• press SELECT
• set "Flap Trim" to "Inh" by pressing the INCREASE button
• switch off the remote
• switch on the remot
• Press SCROLL DOWN + SELECT to access the programming mode
• Go to "Mix1" (with the SCROLL UP/DOWN button)
• go into the menu of "Mix1" by pressing the INCREASE button
• Select "Flap" > by pressing the INCREASE button
• press SELECT to jump to the second position and select  > "Flap" by pressing the INCREASE button
• press SELECT
• Set rate to "+100%" and "-50%" (with the INCREASE/DECREASE button, you'll have to put the FLAP switch in the "N" position for the first value and into the "2" position to set the second value)
• press SELECT
• Set SW to "Mix" by pressing the INCREASE button
• press SELECT
• set offset to "10" by pressing the INCREASE button
• Go to "Flap Sys" menu (with the SCROLL UP/DOWN button)
• set Flap Norm = UP to "46%" (with the SCROLL UP/DOWN button)
• press twice SELECT
• set Flap Mid = DN to "8%" (with the SCROLL UP/DOWN button)
• press twice SELECT
• set Flap Land = DN to "100%" (with the SCROLL UP/DOWN button)
• press twice SELECT
• set Auto Land to Inhibit (with the SCROLL UP/DOWN button)

connect now your APM to the Ardupilot Mega Planner, go to the setup page and assign different flight modes to the switch combinations of your remote.

I like to have easy access to the simple mode (just to get very quick out of a difficult situation) which is the reason why I have two switch combinations programmed for simple mode. I have set it the way that simple mode is always selected if the "Flaps" switch is on "N" (away from me), no matter if the "Rudder" switch is on or off. This way I have just 5 modes accessible, but I can very easy and quick switch back to simple mode.

(this is based on the blog post by Limebear)

This is how it worked for my DX7,

I use various switch combinations of the FLAPS and the GEAR switch which will give you 6 modes;

(note that you have to use the DX7 in "airplane mode", not in "heli mode" to fly a quadcopter)

• Press SCROLL DOWN + SELECT to access the programming mode
• Go to the "Travel Adjust" menu with the SCROLL UP/DOWN button
• click the SELECT button till you reach "Flap", then set "Flap" to "U 65%" and "D 65%" (INCREASE/DECREASE button, you'll have to move the "Flap" switch to select between "U" and "D", this means put the switch in "N" position (away from you) to program the "U" value and move the switch to the "2" position for the "D" value)
• Leave "Gear" on 100% - 100%
• Go to "Mix1" (with the SCROLL UP/DOWN button)
• go into the menu of "Mix1" by pressing the INCREASE button
• Select "Ger" > by pressing the INCREASE button
• press SELECT to jump to the second position and elect  > "Flap" on by pressing the INCREASE button
• press SELECT
• Set rate to "19%" and "31%" (with the INCREASE/DECREASE button, you'll have to put the GEAR switch in the "0" position for the first value and into the "1" position to set the second value)
• press SELECT
• Set SW to "on" by pressing the INCREASE button
• Leave Offset at "0"

connect now your APM to the Ardupilot Mega Planner, go to the setup page and assign different flight modes to the switch combinations of your remote.

I like to have easy access to the simple mode (just to get very quick out of a difficult situation) which is the reason why I have two switch combinations programmed for simple mode. I have set it the way that simple mode is selected if the "Flaps" switch is on "N" (away from me), no matter if the "Gear" switch is on or off. This way I have just 5 modes accessible, but I can very easy and quick switch back to simple mode.

(this is based on the blog post by Nick Wadman, I just adopted the programming description for a DX7)