XUAV-Talon
for
Precision Aerial Surveying & Mapping
INTRODUCTION:
The purpose of this blog is to document a comprehensive, custom build of the XUAV-Talon for precision surveying and mapping. Content will include build process, tips and tricks, hardware choices, 3D print modifications, CAD drawings (Sketchup), photos, software for aerial data processing and short video segments. As I have recently attended several conferences concerning the latest FAA rules and regulations for small(under 55lbs) commercial drone operation in the United States; I will be posting my interpretation of the laws and options available to fly drones legally in the US National Airspace(NAS).
BUILD STEPS 1, 2 (COMPLETE):
Please refer to my profile for details: http://diydrones.com/profile/RyanFuselier
Comments
On a side note: check out the new Thermal Camera from Flir. I saw one in person at AUVSI this year in Atlanta. Very Cool!
Reinforce Nex 7 Mount with Carbon Fiber
Because of the size of the Nex 7 camera mount it had to be printed in two pieces before installation. Those familiar with 3D printing know that parts are week when stressed between print layers. For that reason I had to add carbon fiber to the insides of the mount to add strength to the support arms. Carbon Fiber was secured to the mount with White Gorilla glue. End product was an extremely strong mount to replace the carbon fiber spar I had to cut to get the camera to fit landscape.
STEP 3 Complete! (Nex 7 Landscape Mount)
As requested by those earlier in the blog, I decided to go ahead and design a 3D printed mount for the Nex 7 that would allow me to position the camera in Landscape orientation. Although design does not look terrible complication, it actually was my toughest design yet. Mainly because Sketchup is really tough to use when working with custom meshes and requires allot of rework searching for holes, duplicate lines, faces, etc.
Go to my profile for more photos and information about the install. http://diydrones.com/profile/RyanFuselier
Updated image links as some were broken when linked to Dropbox. Changed location to Facebook. Let me know if any of you are still having trouble.
News Update on Drone Regulations:
Section 333 Exemption are moving QUICKER!
The Federal Aviation Administration issued 30 Section 333 commercial UAS exemptions two weeks ago and 29 last week, using a “summary grant” process to speed approvals by grouping applications that match previously granted exemptions so analysis does not have to be repeated each time.
Less Hassle to Fly!
"As of March 23, 2015, the FAA will automatically grant a "blanket" COA for flights at or below 200 feet to any UAS operator with a Section 333 exemption, provided the aircraft weighs less than 55 pounds, operations are conducted during daytime Visual Flight Rules (VFR) conditions and within visual line of sight (VLOS) of the pilots, and stay certain distances away from airports or heliports."
Yes I plan to put a 2-axis gimbal for my mobius, while I will be using a T-Motor AT2826 900KV. I have not yet decided on battery and prop configuration.
Downloaded the STL and I could open them in 123D. I now need to find a free program that can crop/modify this STL/polygon model.
The STL files I have associated with the link are high resolution very accurate STL meshes and as such really need to be opened by software suited to handle these dense files. Programs such as Polyworks, Solidworks, Inventor, etc... Standard AutoCAD, from my experience (not sure about 123D) cannot import a STL file without some sort of plugin (google). I work in Sketchup... so I open the STL in Polyworks, crop off what I don't want, and send the very minimum back to Sketchup for design reference. Sketchup cannot handle the complete model.
You might try Meshmixer(Free) by Autodesk. It will open the STL and has some tools for manipulation that could be of benefit.
Good luck and if you find a better solution please post.
Hi Ryan, thx for sharing the STL. But is it possible to work on STL in a 3D CAD software? I use Autocad 123D and I can open STL files but it does not interpret it as a 3D object you can modify or work on. Any advice?
Below is a link to the STL files of the sub-millimeter scan of the XUAV-Talon. The STL files include the exterior and interior scans. I have found them very useful for customization of the Talon as shown in the previous post.
XUAV-Talon Sub-Millimeter Scans
Enjoy and be sure to share your work!!!
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