After I FINALLY received the eDIPTFT dev-kit today and a few missing cables arrived too, it was all wiring it up and getting them to talk. With the help of the drones-discuss list, I quickly fixed up a simple MAVLink parser which just pulls the coords and sends them to the display in terminal mode.

Now, the fun part starts - develop a nice UI and implement some meaningful features.

The eDIPTFT43 display, by the way, is incredible! If it hadn't anti-mirror coating and the touch screen, the viewing angle would be +/-90° horizontal as well as vertical. It's nicely bright and the colors are pretty vibrant. I'm gonna write a review on that display somewhen later.

Here's the project home: http://stefan.gofferje.net/projects/uav-projects/uxv-control-station
And the current features draft: http://stefan.gofferje.net/projects/uav-projects/uxv-control-station/uxv-control-station-blog/136-features-draft

We definitely trust the APM a LOT!  So we decided to create another version of our successful Aeromapper UAV....this time with a Sony Nex 7 camera, with a custom bracket so you can switch between different size lenses (Sony 16mm f/2.8 pancake lens or Voigtlander 15mm heliar len). This UAV version also comes Ready to Fly with Ardupilot Mega 2.5, with parachute recovery installed, is full composites, has the servo activated lens protective cover and it's customizable.

This UAV version triggers the camera via an infrared shutter release, controlled by a programmable intervalometer.

We plan to offer more cool products and several more versions of the Aeromapper, since we find it can fit a wide range of payloads sizes. We have many requests from customers wanting to mount different sensors.

We are also offering in our website the Pelican cases for the Aeromappers UAV, as well as some other additions to it, like a Long Range Control (Dragon Link) installed in the Spektrum DX8 or DX7, depending on the option selected by the customer.

Weather has been a bit crazy here in Canada, so we haven't gone out to fly much lately, but as soon as the weather improves we'll do a lot of flight testing of improvements and additions. One of the things we definitely want to implement this year is a launcher (car or catapult) so the UAV can carry a bit more weight (longer flight times!)

Let this be the opportunity to express a huge thanks to DIYDrones community and 3DRobotics team for their amazing work and support. Thanks to them this project is now an expanding reality!

Comments and feedback are welcome!

The PX4 autopilot is an amazing open source platform for research. It is one of the first open source autopilots capable of running an on-board extended kalman filter and other advanced control and navigation algorithms. It is also mass produced by 3D Robotics and very affordable.

BlinkM driver with system supervision

Recently I have implemented a optical system supervision with a BlinkM or as an alternate the CYZ_RGB Firmware if you want to build your BlinkM alternate by yourself.

With this driver you are able to get an optical Feedback about the number of used Satellites (if a GPS-Receiver is mounted), selected Flight-Mode, battery warnings and alerts.

For more Information on how to use this, visit the PX4 BlinkM driver page

Hey again all DIY'rs, hope you are all well and having as much fun flying as we are!

Just a very quick one here, we've just uploaded a short clip of the new SteadiDrone QU4D. After taking it out for a few hours where we really through it around hard, we must say it's a pretty sweet solid quad. We've spent many hours trying to make this the easiest and most practical quadcopter to use and travel with, as high performance and feature rich as we could possible make it for what we think is a pretty good price point for a fully RTF kit with it's unique features.

As with all our systems, it's flying the trusted ArduCopter code and altough we did have a few crashes (as you'l see in the video) they were due to us having a little too much fun, no technial issues at all. Anywoo, for more info, specs etc have a look at the website www.steadidrone.com

Here's the clip, please let us know your thoughts and comments, we hope you like it as much as we do. Thanks again to all the devs for the great code!

over and out.

Hi guys, i'm trying to develop a platform that auto follows mountain sports, such as skiing. i first started with ardupilot but found it to unreliable and spent to long tuning, i since switched to zero uav's YS-X6 as the main flight controller. With this FC the main aim of auto follow is achieved, but there is limitations, the main one being the camera controls are not taken into account, the head of the craft follows me, but at times you want the camera to automatically look straight down, for example when your stopped and it's hovering right over head, for this reason am now reintegrating apm into the system for it's camera gimbal operations. But what i need is the apm planner running on android on my s3  so i can auto update apm with my location, then using apm planners "point camera here" function, i should get apm to point the camera at me whilst the YS-X6 fc fly's the drone on auto follow.....

    If any one else out there is doing anything on tracking, or getting the planner on android i'd love some help!!!

Here is a link to my first attempt at following myself snowboarding  https://vimeo.com/58317994

Thanks tristan

January 28th, 2013

We are very pleased to announce that the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) has contracted with DroneMapper to provide imagery processing services for the next 5 years.  UDAF collects high resolution imagery for use in conservation planning and management of natural resources. As an example, DroneMapper recently processed an imagery set as part of Utah’s effort to mitigate salinity migration into the Colorado River.

UDAF conducted an evaluation of other service providers like DroneMapper and standalone imagery processing software packages, and found that DroneMapper meets their needs in terms of quality and affordability.

We look forward to providing services to the State of Utah and its researchers to keep its lands sustainable and productive. For more information on UDAF, please visit: http://ag.utah.gov/

HobbyKing is now selling much cheaper versions of some 3DR products:

• MinimOSD v0.1
• uBlox NEO-6M GPS Module
• FPV Radio Telemetry Kit - 915Mhz *

(*This is an update of my old post which only referred to the two products available at that time.)

The latest addition to the list is especially well-timed because the 3DR Radio Telemetry Kit is currently out-of-stock, making HK the only place to get this item at any price right now. This could bring a welcome change to the tone of the DiyDrones Twitter feed as buyers stop venting their frustration with shortages and simply buy elsewhere.

HobbyKing changing strategies?

Even as HobbyKing is adding more ArduPilot accessories, the MultiWii and MegaPirate autopilots which they were selling are now being liquidated or have already been removed from the site entirely. It is easy to imagine that this pullback is the result of the rather infamous support nightmare they suffered when the entire run of MegaPirate boards shipped with an unworkable voltage regulator installed.

This shift in autopilot lineup could mean that HobbyKing has decided to get out of the autopilot business, sticking with accessories and staying away from complicated autopilots which have so many parts that can fail. A more likely explanation is that HobbyKing just wants an autopilot solution that works, and they're clearing the shelves to make room for something else, maybe ArduPilot, but probably DJI.

Personally, I like to imagine that somebody at HobbyKing is a rabid ArduPilot fan who clones a different 3DR part every time 3DR goes out of stock, just to make sure he can always get his fix.

Your ideas?

Last time I posted on this topic, I was expecting a rather dry discussion of the effect of clone manufacturing on the 3DR business model. That suggestion was rightly ignored, so this time I'll just ask: Do you plan to buy any clone hardware yourself?

For myself, I think my next purchase will be a 3DR PX4 with HobbyKing's telemetry and GPS. Frankly, buying the autopilot feels like enough of a donation to the developers without paying double for the accessories, as well.

Got the eyes installed!

The camera bracket is attached with the bolt that secures the arm. This is a camera that 3DR sells that operates in low light and normal light and auto adjusts. I am anxious to do some night FPV flying.

I finally felt with 2.9 that I was ready to equip my Ardu-copter for FPV. I flew some test flights just line of sight in a confined area, and checked the stable mode and the loiter mode and the loiter mode was much improved over 2.81.

The stable mode was fine already in 2.81 and was just as fine in 2.9.  

I tested FPV this afternoon and was very disappointed.  

I have to say though, I am a long time DJI NAZA user, I am still haven't gotten to the point of understanding the usefulness of the  the APM stable mode.  My fascination with drones are flying in FPV and creating videos.

For FPV, what I want is the GPS enabled stable mode like the NAZA gives which allows an auto-pilot mode that doesn't require the pilot to constantly fly. Being able to hold a position lets you focus on running video or taking pictures or inspecting whatever you want to take a look at.  

The Loiter mode seems to be very stubborn. when you set it, it wants to stay at that position, to change position, you have to switch back to stable mode, fly to the new location then set the loiter mode again. For FPV, this is difficult, in FPV, you only see what the on board camera sees and you don't want to be fumbling to operate switch's considering you are basically blind.

When I am in loiter mode and I use the stick to move to a new location, when I release the sticks, it goes back to where It was when I engaged loiter mode. this reduces its usefulness to an FPV flyer, to say the least...

This means you have to switch back and forth between loiter and stabile, and when in stable mode, you can drift all over the place and when seeing through the lens eye, it is easy to get too close to a tree, of other obstacle, which if you were able to move around in constant position hold that can be move around without changing modes, you can fly much safer and confidently.

This afternoon I finished setting my arducopter to use FPV and was able to test it. There was a little breeze and I found myself trying to stay in a confined area with several trees around the perimeter. I am used to flying in this area and have never had a problem with my copter with the NAZA even when it is very windy. In todays testing, I crashed twice, and once had to put it down a little abruptly once due to the behavior of the APM. 

The first time in trying to move to a new loiter position, while in stable mode, I backed into a tree.  (landed upright, no damage), the next time, when switching from loiter to stabile the throttle dropped resulting in a bounce off the ground from about 10 feet and tipped up on its side. (no damage.) the third time, I clipped tree branch's again while drifting due to the breeze in stabile mode. The main problem I was having is being able to move around, yet staying in a confined area, something I haven't had trouble doing before..

In each of these cases, if I had been flying LOS, I would have avoided any problem, but in FPV mode, copter stability is more essential due to not being able to see around you.

I could just fly in loiter mode and it would hold its new position rather than go back to the original position, I would happily continue perusing FPV, but being blind with the googles on and experiencing the unpredictable responses and having to be switching modes frequently is not what I want in an autopilot. I'm hope that a mode like loiter mode, but that can be moved and updated without switching out and back into loiter  mode will be considered, for an FPV pilot, I think it is essential

One more thing..

I also installed a minimOSD. I didn't take time to really mess with it yet, but for now, it only says "download charset". I guess I will need to search the WIKI and start figuring this out. Am I going to need anything special to configure that?

I have 3DR radios and mission planner.... 

Thanks for help from anybody!

Richard

sorry for the late info... happened allready in september 2012...

but better now then never :-)

UPDATE:

Hi all,

there is more back groundinfo http://www.aec.at/futurelab/en/referenzen/kategorie/kunst-am-bau/sp... (thanks Joshua!)

quick answer to some questions right away:

1) it's hummingbirds (Asctech http://www.asctec.de/uav-applications/research/products/asctec-humm...)

2) pure GPS and a very stable Autopilot (standard-Hummingbird with some minor tweaks)

3) communication: liard-modules 2,4GHz (telemetry and light)

communication protocols will change in the future, since the bandwidth at the time of the recording is fully used by this "alpha protocol" we've used there...

4) collision detection has been done on ground control (laptop) - no extra sensors/intelligence on board

5) we had to add some functionality to the hummingbirds - but auto-pilot and stability is "of the shelf" from Ascending (who's support was invaluable... big HUG to Daniel and his team @ Ascending!!)

I'll give a more detailed talk next week in Oslo (at the OLSO LUX-Festival)...

and we're (hopefully) flying a "version2" show in Australia this Summer - I'll keep you informed!

best regards!

bye

-h-

...and a bit more of a making of

from 3d-max to Spaxels (space picture elements)

I was testing my Maja in full manual mode this afternoon, an eagle come and join the fun of it. We flew a few round together before I realise that it actually come to defends it's airspace. A few attempt to close in with the plane and lower it's craw ready for a catch. Lucky it didn't success and I have power reserved to escape from situation. 

MY Maja 2.2 M was build as per instruction with some reinforcement. AUW is 2.8kg. A 3S 2200 battery was put in front as ballast. CG set at 75 cm from leading edge. Currently just basic RC gear without FPV equipment and telemetry. For aerial mapping purpose, I'll expect the AUW to be 3 to 3.1 KG. 

Using the Motor and ESC supplied with the kit spinning a 12 x 6 propeller, it had lot of power for easy hand lunch. I did not experience any pitch down problem during hand lunch as reported by some pilot. Just a gentle toss and it is up on its way. By the way, my battery is 4S 5000 mah.

The current configuration make the plane feel stable in roll axis but sensitive in pitch. Initially I had some difficulty to handle it because it'll pitch up quite severely and slow the plane down during level out from a turn or facing some head wind. A lot of us just can't feel comfortable to push down elevator for normal flight.

The plane glide well but keep an eye on the airspeed because of the pitch up problem. down elevator is needed to maintain safe landing speed.

I think APM will smooth out the pitch up issue. Will try it when the casing I order from 3DR shop come.  

Some GPS artistic drawings...

 Hehe, just a teaser for my yesterday's tests on VRBRAIN with latest 2.9 firmware! VRBRAIN uses the powerful ARM STM32F4 CPU and runs with the actual 2.9 firmware codebase.

This is the location of the code and DFUs: http://code.google.com/p/vrbrain/downloads/list

I have also set up a small and rather incomplete "how to" to upload the firmware into the STM32F4 ARM Microcontroller 

Man!, never had so much fun with the Auto mode! I am using a UBlox GPS on a Hexa frame with 10x4.5 APC props.

The main difference between our code and the original Arducopter one is that we drive our main stabilization loop at 400Hz (instead of 100Hz) and get samples from the Gyro and Accel at 1000Hz (instead of 100Hz) with only 10% CPU time used.

The filter of the MPU6000 is set to 98Hz, although the Alt_Hold with the accelerometers worked very well.

Here is the picture of the Waipoint path, as you can see I am not good in drawing, but the path was followed very well.

One thing that impressed me was the alitude, in all the auto mission only 1 meter between max and min.

The new altitude hold with use of accels is doing a great job also in autoland and auto-approach.

To all the AC team a big thanks for the huge work!

And thanks to Roberto and VirtualRobotix for his VRBRAIN!

Original Blog Post : http://www.virtualrobotix.com/profiles/blogs/the-future-of-uavs-is

Emile

Here is my APM2.5 at my apartment in Albuquerque NM. See the 3 waypoints and home position?

Thanks a bunch Kevin! http://www.diydrones.com/xn/detail/705844%3ATopic%3A1094076

My android tablet is a Pipo S2 at $122 from Banggood.com What a deal! There are some things you have to do to get it to work on the S2 (new firmware) but it is east.

Earl

This video took a couple of months of planning and getting the appropriate permits.

I'm quite happy with the outcome, Enjoy!

Specs are as follow:

Frame designed by me and CNC'd from G10 (600mm MTM)

Sunnysky V2216-11 (800Kv)

Turnigy Plush 25a ESC's

Paris V4.0 with an ebay IMU (L3G4200D+ADXL345+BMP085+HMC5883L) and multiwiicopter.com GPS

DragonLink V1

GoPro Hero2 mounted on earplugs

PZ0420 from Securitycamera2000

800mw 1.2GHz VTx from sunsky

Skype Account Name:diydroneslive

Newbies Guide to Diydrones.com

DroneCafe - The Daily Cup - Blog

***Their is also a Diydroneslive Chat group I made on Skype so we can mass communicate and assist each other as a community***

I'm providing anyone that need's assistance with anything diydrones.com related issues, concerns, or questions with 24/7 Live or IM Assistance via Skype.  Add me on Skype if you would like Live Assistance or just want to have a great conversation about drones, robotics, uavs, etc.

Good article at The Atlantic's Quartz site comparing DJI with 3DR. Sample quote:

The UAV industry is a fairly new one, and right now its main focus is on consumer products. That’s partially because it is growing from a consumer base: What has made them possible is the smartphone revolution, which drove down the price on the tiny electronic components needed to turn low-power remote control aircraft into flying robots that navigate, communicate, and sense. While defense contractors were making expensive and powerful drones for the US military, hobbyists were basically bolting iPhones onto remote-controlled helicopters.

http://www.botmag.com/

*APM 2.5 is a standout on price versus performance.

*Mission planner gets special praise on it's own

Content does not appear to be available online yet, but this issue is at the newsstand now.

In the same issue is a recent shot of The Robot Report's Global 1,000 Robot Makers map, for those interested in such things.

After a few months of trial and error, I finally figure out the basic of aerial mapping. Blessed with good weather two days ago, I took out my Skywalker 1900, APM 2 equip with Canon S100 to a near by oil palm estate own by a friend. The Skywalker with my current param track extremely well even in strong cross wind condition. 

The total flight time is about 30 minutes from take off to landing covering 320 Ha of land at 300 meter altitude. The cross line distance is 140 M and the camera CHDK set to release shuttle every three seconds. 

One interested things I discover is the GPS location shown in the mission planner is about 160 m away from the google map. 

From the total of 500 plus images taken, I trim down to 89 image and put it through Autopanogiga. ( mine is trial version so water marks appear ) and the result is quite promising. I'm new to this program so the image is all run by the program default settingwithout manual intervention. It may able to provide better result if I gain more knowledge with it.

My Skywalker is build base on much of the information @ http://conservationdrones.org/

For those of you who wish to view the original file, here is my dropbox link https://dl.dropbox.com/u/35844265/%5BGroup%201%5D-Sandajaya300M%20110_Sandajaya300M%20513-89%20images%20%282%29.jpg

From Fast Company: 

New documents reveal that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is pressing the federal government to legalize Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) use in the film industry. In a lobbying disclosure report filed this week, the MPAA disclosed a lobbying campaign aimed at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to approve unarmed drone use in domestic airspace. The MPAA's lobbying efforts are aimed at reducing legal confusion about filmmakers using UAVs for aerial shots.

The Hill's Brendan Sasso reports that the MPAA wants UAVs in filmmakers' hands; according to an organization spokesperson, UAVs are cheaper, safer, and easier to use for aerial shots than cranes or helicopters. Drones are currently being quietly used for aerial shoots in Hollywood, causing fears that crane operators could lose lucrative filming gigs. Florida, meanwhile, is debating legislation that would ban UAV filmmaking. The use of drones in American airspace for filmmaking and surveillance is currently a legal gray area; the FAA plans to formally offer private drone licenses by 2015.

Revealed: who can fly drones in UK airspace

Missile manufacturer, police forces and golf video company among more than 130 groups licensed to use technology