Today, my nine-year-old daughter and I upgraded our little mini quad (7" across), which we hadn't flown in a while.
Here's what we did:
1. Soldered the headers onto a new ArduPilot Mega 2560 board and installed it into the quad. (Replacing the 1280 that was there).
2. In the past we couldn't find the small 4x2.5 propellers in both a pusher and puller style, so we compensated for this by tilting the motors 8 degrees. We recently received a shipment of the proper pushers and pullers, so we installed those and re-positioned the motors so they were straight up.
3. In the past we used the CLI and the "Indoor" code. This time, we used the Mission Planner to load the current standard code (AC 2.0.39b), and then we re-configured as per the wiki.
After completing our upgrades, we ran through the normal tests and everything checked out so we took it out for a flight. It immediately flew absolutely beautifully. Very stable and responsive. This was by far the most stable we had ever seen this mini quad fly (or any of our quads). Awesome! Well done, DIY Drones team! :)
Here are some pictures of my daughter soldering the header pins on the new ArduPilot Mega board and then installing it into the quad. I've also included a picture of the finished upgraded quad, which we call "The Black Hornet."
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https://picasaweb.google.com/108324292739955298042/MicroOctoX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHhTs9SUulk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7VmJt7DX14
:)
Thanks for the encouragement, guys.
The props are at HobbyKing: #HCB-04/11327 4x2.5 Propellers (Standard and Counter Rotating) (6pc)
Our mini quad was inspired by Jose Julio's post here: http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/indoor-fun-with-a-tiny
His build log is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fIZL-Ca2fx2RPhBQLzoOdqdCuikXRKe...
Please note that if you use the two different types of props, you should ignore the instruction to tilt the motors.
Also, in my case I switched over to the new 2.0.39b code (from the "Indoor" code mentioned in the build log.
Also, the exact kite parts he's talking about are not available in the U.S. (at least myself and several other people couldn't find them), so you need to purchase parts that are similar and cobble them together like he did (drilling out holes, etc.). It's very easy to shape and change these parts. I've ordered parts from these two websites: www.funwithwind.com and www.awindofchange.com
Do you have a basic parts list for all the kite frame parts and the pusher and tractor props? That would be excellent to find out for a small build.
Outstanding! Your young ladies will be at the head of their classes. There's absolutely nothing like hands on. Keep up the great work!
very impressive, the web site is great too!
You have great projects, and it's absolutelly great to watch your little girl so enthusiastic with them :)
Great! I like so much your website and projects.
Both my 9-year old and 11-year old daughters enjoy working on the quads and our other robots, but I have definitely learned what they like and don't like. They really enjoy it when they are doing the hands-on work. They immediately get bored if I'm doing the work and they're watching me. They enjoy soldering, building, wiring, metal fabrication, electronics, and basic programming. But they don't like delays, problems, waiting, or complex coding where Dad has to concentrate too hard. I've learned that when I encounter a difficult problem that needs be solved (which happens a lot of course), I say, "OK, that's it for now, I'm going to work on this for a bit and I'll call you back when we're ready for the next step." So, I have them do the action oriented stuff and I keep them involved in the tests and successes. Luckily, we can fly in our large backyard, so we don't have the "going out to the field" problem. Recently we setup a website (www.beatty-robotics.com) so that we could show off our robots to our friends and family. The girls really like doing that. Check out videos of our Mechatronic Tank, Mars Rover, and of course our quad rotor.
Awesome! I envy you your success with getting your daughter involved. I haven't had as much success with my own nine-year-old daughter. I can get her to do a bit of soldering, but she loses interest in the rest pretty quickly. I think I've burned the kids out on too many days at the field, watching dad curse over a laptop while aircraft crash around him :-)
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