Pixhawk is a great autopilot, we love its robustness and rich sets of features. Nowadays it is a de-facto to low cost autonomous vehicle application.
There’re always some changes you want to make in an open source design, this rule also applies to Pixhawk. First, I want to make it smaller, to fit it into a f5B glider fuselage, with built-in dampers and a plastic shell could survive a hard crash. Then I want to make the sensors to be replaceable, so I can test new MEMs gyros. And lastly, I want to make the IO completely customizable to my specific application, eliminating 3-pin RC connectors, better fixture to a larger avionic payload motherboard, or an array of Pixhawks without messy wiring.
So in the last winter, we had it done, named it P9X
Some quick facts about P9X: (might subject to change due to its beta phase)
- 80mm x 50mm x 17.2mm box made of 1.5mm thickness mold injected PC/ABS
- 43mm x 50mm core PCBA size
- Tested with Ardupilot
- Tested with QGC 2.7 version PX4 firmware
- PX4 master built not yet running (maybe a firmware issue)
- Total weight: 45g
- Connectors fully compatible with Pixhawk
- Integrated silicon rubber damper (need help in axle alignment test)
- 4 copper nuts embedded for M3 screw mounting (dimension: 38mm x 25mm)
- IMU sensors swappable (need soldering)
We need your Help!
The first 50pcs batch is out, we have invested in inject mold, silicon rubber mold, silk screen printing. We want more testers and a crowd funding campaign, before that, we want to make sure this hardware revision has no serious design issues. If you are experienced user, developer, embedded engineer, please consider purchase one of these beta samples and send us feedback.
How to get one.
Back in the last year, Raspilot project generated no income, Emlid and Erle Robotic has inspired by its design then they have made their similar design products. I don’t want to bankrupt in my hobby, and make it serious to be a self-employed job. So no more free samples.
I want to sell these 50 pcs unit for 150USD each, with Aramex shipping from Shanghai, China. Please give me feedback about the price.
Thanks.
Comments
make your own judgement. thanks for constructive inputs, Patrick and Marc.
@JB you posting comes across as so condescending. But I will still read the musings you link to.
I don't understand the problem. You have a bunch of people that gave their time and IP to a project so that others can stand on their shoulders and extend what they had done. All they ask in return is that those extensions are shared back for the benefit of all. That's the deal. If you use their work then you're obliged to share and in so doing, become part of that community. I can see where people might not want to and think that others could steal their ideas and use them for themselves, but I would suggest that they think for a moment about what they are doing.
No envy here. I applaud his efforts. Just a sense of fair-play.
Reading is fundamental...... nobody has said, he cannot create the product, he's simply been asked, to share his changes, which is the entire business plan, behind open source community.
He comes to a DIY site, to ask for help, and the very people he's asking for help from, are those involved, with the creation, and continued support of the code to make his product work. What is so hard to understand?
For the folks that are so outraged by the apparent 'violation' of the open-source agreement here, you should file a lawsuit if you are so offended. Otherwise, don't buy his product if you wish. Leave him alone. He has already contributed by creating the product. Seems to me the attackers here are just full of envy.
Marc
Your confusion about open source is the result of being raised believing in the fallacy of fiat currency and private ownership.
I've written some more about the open source problem here if you are interested.
Most life essentials are offered by nature for "free" in the sense that it does not charge money for them. Think about that the next time you take a breath of air, or when sunlight strikes your face in the morning, or you get wet from running through the rain. ;-)
Jerry is a victim of that same fallacy.
I too will only buy from Arsov. But lets face it, we are a small minority. Everyone wants free beer today but it seems hard to discuss actual models to pay for said beer.3DRs beer fund is drying up, or has dried up. I hope the optimists are correct.
I've stayed out of this up to now, since I don't have a dog in this fight, but I will throw in my two cents anyway as a potential customer. I have not purchased any of the clone products because I felt I should spend my money supporting the folks that were really giving to the project. I did buy a pre-order PixRacer to support that effort and will buy a PH2 when I can finally get my hands on one. I don't know how many folks there are that quietly vote with their wallets, but I image I'm not the only one. This project has grown because of shared innovation and I don't mind funding that by choosing who gets my money.
The mention of IBM is interesting but even more so because of what they did recently. Two years ago, they took their proprietary POWER chip design and gave it to the open hardware community by creating the OpenPower Foundation. Since doing that, innovation around that chip has moved pretty rapidly. So yes, OSHW does work.
BTW, IBM opened the PC hardware and the back-plane back in the 1980's and look what that did to the PC industry. I think they made a lot of money. The clone market exploded, and demand for their products also exploded. Add-on cards for the IBM PC became ubiquitous and is responsible for the PC industry that is still dominant today. Apple, on the other hand stayed closed, and during that time took a beating and had only a small share of the PC market.
So the notion that you can't make money with an 'open' hardware design is ludicrous. Apple did eventually recover, even with a closed design, but they had to innovate by themselves, which took them decades to perfect. No 'community' to help.
@Jerry
Red Herrings galore... look it up :)
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