This is a tiny MultiWii FC integrated with 7-Channels DMS2 RX module. Weight is just 70g and it can fit into mini Quad or Hex copters
You can have more details at following link:
http://www.droneasy.com/index.php/electronics/flight-controllers-2/wmc-mini-fligh-controller.html
On a lunch break last month, a small custom-built octacopter made a 10-minute flight through the city of Guildford, outside of London. Its special cargo: two large pepperoni pizzas.
The delivery was masterminded by a T + Biscuits, an English creative agency that was hired by Domino's to test prototypes. Read more here
Watch the Video
My first post here, and I'm going to hype my company and its products. I hope you will go easy on me - I'm assured that what we make is of interest to the DIY Drones community!
My company, DRS Technologies, manufactures a small Infrared Thermal camera called the Tamarisk 320.
The camera has a resolution of 320x240, is smaller than a golfball, weighs less than 35g and consumes <1W of power.
For the past couple of years we have run the DRS Student Infrared Imaging Competition. The SIIC is an open-format, incentive prize competition for students who use thermal infrared imaging in a creative way. The top project wins $10,000. For this, the competition’s second year, there is an additional prize category for “Most Viral Video.” This year DRS received 25 entries, of which 17 include a video for the viral competition.
Videos range from art projects to drone projects, and all kinds of odd and novel topics in between...
The viral video playlist is available at:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc9AEfe3kcGNiY5cPHvHijawse791...
...and competition details are available at:
http://www.drsinfrared.com/studentcomp.aspx
Let me know what you think.
Regards,
Daniel
Dear Friends,
this is the first test of VR Gimbal that control 3 axis ... it's only pre alpha revision of code.
At the end of this week 31 / 05 / 2013
We finish to implement the VR Gimbal LT library .
Now start to implement
PID control and FORCE control lib ... in this video is possible to see the first revision of firmware with the pre alpha code . Not yet available PID only P control and we are using same code used in the past for contol servo with external potentiometer.
In the next week start to work on complete PID control and absolute control approach.
with this version of firmware we are testing :
All is ok so the board is ready for prodution :) That's good step for us :)
So in this early test on 3° axis we found that we need more force on 3° motor on yaw respect of other 2 axis when we are in limit situation . So wee need to use bigger motors with more couple.
About the developer sorry for delay but before to confirm the start of pre order we prefer finish to test electronic board of first batch .
For more info check here :
Best
Roberto Navoni
All your PIDs are belong to us!
____________________________________
In the past 2 days it rained about 100 liters per m² so valley that was dry over hundred of years was floodet.
I Took my APM2 Wood H-Frame Quad and a GoPro3 Black Edition and take some Videos from Above.
So i hope you enjoy watching my Video.
Hi all,
I've made two videos showing the ArduCopter Auto (and RTL in second video) capabilities of ArduCopter.
The first video is a flight with 5 waypoints at varying altitudes and includes AutoLand.
I only did not include Auto Takeoff in these videos but can confirm that also works well. There was limited takeoff space so I took off in Stabilize mode and then switched over to Auto.
Still have to work on the jello effect, as it turns out I have one motor which causes a lot of vibration.
I hope this shows nicely how well this functionality works!
While flying I have had a continuous videofeed (as a failsafe) via FatShark Goggles and using MinimOSD for HUD projection overlaid on the video. Nb. the new 5.8 Ghz 600mW Tx from ImmersionRC works a treat even at longer distances!
The second video shows a flyover (at high altitude) of a local fair and a return flight via RTL.
Yesterday i got my Team Black Sheep (TBM) Discovery top and bottom plate. Today i started working on te "rebuild".
As for the TBM there are no cleare APM 2.0 mounting hole's so i had to make some. But first the result!
I wanted a clean look, and good reception for the GPS so my APM 2.0 is mounted on top. Here are some picture's of houw i did this.
Training Cambodian researcher and wildlife workers near Pu Trom
We have been busy developing and building ArduPilot Mega based UAV's for conservation and economical research the last couple of months together with our friends from ConservationDrones.org.
The goal is to provide an easy to use, durable, field fixable and affordable solution that can be operated in nearly any environment. Currently our UAV has been deployed to many locations around the globe. This have been interesting times traveling around the globe helping out with research projects and training researchers to use a UAV for their mapping and surveying missions.
This has created quite some media attention, for example in the New York Time, BBC News and local news papers. It is nice to read about the positive, non-military used of UAV's now and then.
Finally I got around to put a web site together. There might be a couple of interesting videos of our trips. If you are interested, hop over to www.researchdrones.com.
Chad Amonn, one of our mechanical engineers, has been busy designing some new products. He created this package to hold electronics designed by: Craig Elder, Sam Kelley, Kevin Bretney, and Jeff Wurzbach.
Any ideas on what this thing does?
(Edit)
Hi,
We were trying to find ways to secure (or at least patrol) a crime infested green belt in our area when one of the guys mentioned that it would be great to have a thermal camera on a helicopter to be able to spot these guys and perform some sort of aerial support for the guys on the ground.
Now, being involved in helis for the last 10 years, and also tinkering with APM (planes) for the last 2 years I thought it would be very easy to get something like this off the ground, right? Wrong, it has been a long road of trials and tribulation that started with my first Quad - barely able to lift a GoPro, it had about 5 mins flight time and not long enough to offer any meaningful level of aerial support. Finally I arrived (after 3 costly iterations) at the current Hexa that manages about 15 mins in the air (10000 MAH 3S Setup).
It was also challenging to find a thermal camera. I hit a bit of luck here, as someone in the community had a auto scrap shop - and just happened to have a totaled BMW 750 IL, and this BMW just happened to have a FLIR PathfindIR in it's front bumper. It was only the 8hz version, but I still taped it to my hexa with some duct tape, connected it to my FPV stuff lying around and the video below is the result! The last bit is the best, some guys jump out of a bush and start walking away just as the ground support vehicle moves in (just before the switch to RTL).
Next steps will include a bigger Hexa, I'm aiming for 30 min flight time on 15" props and a 370kv 6S setup. Oh, and did I mention a brushless gimbal, the video can do with some stabilization.
I would like to thank you all on this forum for helping me through this journey - the APM rocks, and I'll stick with this platform forever!!!
From CBS news.
Oklahoma State University researchers are designing and building sleek, Kevlar-reinforced unmanned aircraft — or drones — to fly directly into the nation's worst storms and send back real-time data to first responders and forecasters.
"We have all the elements in place that make this the right place for this study to occur," said Stephen McKeever, Oklahoma's secretary of science and technology. "We have the world's best natural laboratory."
Hi ppl !
You may want to know if the DJI Phantom is suitable for FPV.
A french guy wrote a tutorial here :
This is a short summary of the modifications :
- Replaced stock radio transmitter with a 8 Ch receiver Graupner GR-16
- Drilled a hole and placed the video tx inside the phantom's body
- The FPV Camera is the famous PZ0420 SONY 600TVL
- Added CL-OSD which is a flashed E-OSD from Hobbyking
- Separate power for the video
If you want to know more, here is the google translation :
We will be releasing in a few weeks the first version of MAVPilot. This is a "Ground Control Station for your Pocket". Its target audience is iPhone users (iPad version will come later). Pilots often fly unaccompanied and this can make it difficult to use a laptop at the same time. This is more so when a pilot is using a semi-auto modes like Alt-Hold etc... Using your iPhone instead of a laptop is a great way to keep focused on the MAV and still have all the useful information in reach. With inbuilt text-to-speech support your iPhone will let you know instantly the status of your MAV as you are flying.
MAVPilot will incorporate the FIND MY DRONE feature.
Features Targeted for V1.0 of MAVPilot
The app is also compatible with Bluetooth Low Energy to link to a long range radio like 3DR 915/433MHz Telemetry Radio. Details to follow soon.
Compatibility: ArduPilot (other MAVLink compatible products will be added at a later date)
!!! Wow, thanks for the great response. I now have my initial quota of tester positions filled. You can still register, as I may add more people nearer the release date !!!
To sign-up as a Alpha/Beta tester follow this link
This is the video of first fly test
Dear Friends,
with great pleasure we present the latest developments of the prototype # 1 of our first drone RTF.
The idea for this drone , began when Carlo a student of the faculty of Industrial Design in Milan came to us to do his thesis ... we tried to think of something completely new and that it was not the classic drone MK or DJI 450.
In addition to the aesthetic aspect ,appreciated by the community, we have especially tried to make the drone in a very functional, easy to maintain, expandable with options which will be released in the future.
The frame initially was made with 3D printing, combined with inserts from epoxy glass and carbon fiber .
Our designer Carlo ... ,now officially came into VRI , with Flavio studied the FEM of the drone to achieve a good level of resistance to twisting of the drone. Particular attention was held for the theme of the vibrations.
This is the BOD Logo.
The BOD have inside :
The feature available are the same available in arducopter32 rev 2.9.3
After making the first hovering Emile will take care to test it in order to put a little 'under pressure the drone.
Thanks to all the time for this great results :)
original blog post : http://www.virtualrobotix.com/profiles/blogs/first-flight-of-bod-the-first-rtf-drone-developed-by-virtualrobot?xg_source=activity
Best Regards
Roberto
So I've been toying with a number of devices that will act as a great low cost GPS Tracker that I could place on any UAV. The key points for me were that it was lightweight, battery independent of the UAV, robust enough to survive a hard landing [read crash] and give you the location when you wanted it.
I started off modifying a smart phone that worked fine, but the repeatability and cost was an issue. I was speaking to some friends of mine in China and they put me onto this - It's a GPS Tracker that is also a mobile phone.
As you can see, it's very small. Dimensions are 80mm long by 30mm wide and a mere 5mm high. Total weight with battery is around 45g. It did come as just the board, chip etc.
As someone so lovingly pointed out when I accidentally posted this earlier, it is the internals of a Chinese built mobile phone for kids, which was known, but who cares. It's a perfect addition for any UAV. At the moment I'm just using a electronics project box, but I just need to get a suitable 3d printed case made up and voila.
With regards to functionality, you can call or SMS the device and it will respond with it's location and even provide you with a link for Google maps. Also when calling, you can listen to its' surrounds in case anyone is around so you can get in contact with them. There are buttons on the front that can be pressed and the device will call a set 4 numbers, so if someone else finds it, they can get in contact with you.
I did some more testing with it today, using our largest national mobile carrier - screenshots of the testing are below:
So it does work a treat. A quick test on my quad showed that there were no problems and everything functioned as it should. It utilising the GSM network so as long as there is the slightest of signals, you should be able to send/receive SMSs.
Cost? Very cheap considering what I was trying to protect. At the local electronic stores here, a basic GPS tracker was going for around $149. This (ex freight) and at sample pricing was under half of that.
Whilst I was thinking this would be primarily for non park flights, so FPV, Agri-auto flights and building up for the commercial arena, it's become something that I think I will be adding to any country flight where there is height and / or distance.
Would be interested in your thoughts and opinions.
Cheers,
David.
After some repetition of some really terrible reporting by somebody who should know better ;-), here's my analysis of the Texas Drone Bill.
tl;dr for hobbyists: If you're flying over public property, private property with permission of the owner, or not intending to surveil a particular person, you're good to fly and take pictures by this law.
http://eastbay-rc.blogspot.com/2013/05/eastbay-rc-analysis-of-texas-drone-bill.html
Our friends at Instructables have announced a contest looking for the best step-by-step Instructable for building a project involving airborne autonomous and radio controlled vehicles!
You can find all the details here: http://www.instructables.com/contest/drones2013/?show=ENTER
I can't imagine a more perfect group of participants than the DIY Drone community. There are a lot of sweet prizes to be won. You have until July 8, 2013.
Let's represent!
I-CARE-US
Evoking an alternative version of the ancient Greek myth, I-CARE-US is a new interactive digital performance that anticipates a not-so-distant future, where Unmanned Aerial Vehicles will be part of our domestic air space.
Delivering medicine, pizzas or newspapers, as contemporary versions of the carrier pigeon or even as falconry of the digital age, flying robots are invading the skies questioning their applications and the way they may share space with us. The narrative development of this performance also guides a parallel research project in human robot interaction, searching to apply insights from theatre robotics to the field of social robotics.
UAVs started recently to be part of artistic objects, as in the case of pieces like “Meet your creator” or “Spaxels”, where these flying robots are the sole performers in astonishing collective visual choreographies. In I-CARE-US they star along terrestrial and suspended human dancers, engaging in a mutual discovery, which evokes an interspecies dialogue exploring the limits of direct contact.
I-CARES-US has been developed along the last two years and will be premiered at the end of 2013.
To follow the project´s development visit: http://projectoicareus.wordpress.com/
Fernando Nabais
Stephan Jürgens
