Blogs

The return to home on the YS-X6 is very impressive and particularly how stable it touches down and then turns the motors off.  Even in full manual mode the copter hardly wanders at all.

The main down side of this ZeroUav system is user manual is absolutely appalling and virtually useless. Also the  GCS for PC is not very intuitive at all. The wording translation from Chines in many areas  is very bad. For the price tag this should be better than it is. The waypoint upgrades are not cheap and you need at least the basic upgrade from 4 way points to 16 waypoints to get auto power off on the motors.

This weekend Ill go try out some auto navigation flight tests.I have to say that apart from the poor documentation, the flight behavior and stability is very impressive.

Sander van Andel (Max Planck Institute) flies Conservation Drone Maja in Loango National Park, Gabon, capturing turtle nests on the beach (first ever coastal mission!), forest buffaloes and chimpanzee nests.

http://conservationdrones.org/2012/12/13/conservation-drone-in-loango-gabon/

Wow it is time to thank all the guys at diydrones for developing such a stable quadcopter that we are having fun over our swimming pool with my son and family. We wish all of our community to be with us!!!

I'm starting to build my Arducopter and immediately after having gone through the tests I could do with Mission Planner and a USB only I started looking for a solution on how to avoid recharging LiPo batteries every 10 minutes of testing, a especially how to avoid spending money on replacing AA stilo batteries just for testing the radio.

So I came with the idea of using my bench power supply for powering both the Arducopter and the radio. I basically created 2 power cables, one that goes into the battery socket and one that goes into the radio power plug: on one side the respective plugs and sockets (a JST connector for the radio and a XT60 connector for the battery) and on the other side two banana plugs that go into the power supply.

I doubt I'm the first using this approach for testing, but I don't recall seeing it anywhere, so I thought it was worth posting it.

Here more pictures of the setup.

A closeup of the TX power cable

A close up of longer cable plugged into the TX

 A close up of the other cable, plugged into the battery socket

I'm documenting my build process on my Drone and ROV related blog, so if you are interested you can also have a look at it to see how I am progressing.

Introdution

Geo-tagged aerial pictures are very useful for mosaic mapping as well as the creation of accurate 3D models from a terrain.

Michael Oborne added a great tool for injecting GPS data on the EXIF tags by using APM's telemetry log from a flight.
This tutorial was created to show you how does it work.
This is a work from Sandro Benigno and Guto Santaella who kindly provided the sample files and screenshots used for making this tutorial.

Step by Step

1: Open the Mission Planner and press "Ctrl+F". It will open a hidden screen, like shown here:



2: Click the button "Geo ref images".
It will give you access to the Geo Tagging resource as shown below:



3: Click the button "Browse Log" and select the telemetry log (.tlog) of the flight related to the shooting session.
Note: You can use both sources: the "Logs" folder from Mission Planner install or you can download it from the APM's dataflash through the USB port.
4: Click the button "Browse Directory" and select the folder where your aerial pictures was downloaded from your camera.



5: Just to illustrate, the screen below shows the mission used for creating this tutorial:



6: The next step is clicking on "Estimate Offset". It will try to extract the offset from the "Log Start Time" and the "Shooting Time" from the first picture taken.
The result shows "offset should be about...". You need to take the guessing and insert it manually on the field "Seconds offset".



7: Click the button "Do it" and wait until the processing is finished. The number shown in "Done... matches" must be the number of pictures taken. Otherwise it means that the sync isn't good enough.
8: After the previous step you can verify the positioning of each picture on Google Earth by clicking "Location Kml".



9: Looking at the example above you'll see the estimated position of a picture. You can click any images at the list on left to check it. If the position is not accurate you can step back and retry it from the step "6" by increasing or decrasing the "Seconds offset" a little bit, just like a fine tuning.
10: After finishing the tuning, all you need to do is click "Geo Tag Images". This process will add geographic data to your picture, i.e. Latitude, Longitude and Altitude.
The processing creates new files with a suffix "_geotag". The original set of pictures remains untouched.



11: You can check your pictures by visualizing the file properties details. You should see the inserted GPS tags on the EXIF data.


Thanks to Michael Oborne by one more awesome tool! ;)

Just a short video of some winter flying in Edmonton, Canada. The first day the temperature was around -8C (17F) the second day it was -15C (5F). I keep the batteries warm until use and didn't notice any decrease in capacitance.  I have a 20ft cord on the FPV ground station so I place the station outside and fly from inside the garage. I have had no problem with reception within 200m.

See my last blog for details on the quad.

http://www.diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/quading-vacation-no-wheels-included

I have since flashed the ESCs with simon. I do notice a difference but I think I still need some tuning.

Happy Holidays

I am curious about and learning Vortex Maths of Marko Rodin and Double Torus Universe pattern and how they can apply to radio communications and I found someone already did.  Vortex radio waves could boost wireless capacity “infinitely”. Using this method to boost bandwidth of ground station and drone radio communication.

From the article:

After four years of incredulity and not-so-gentle mocking, Bo Thide of the Swedish Institute of Space Physics and a team in Italy have finally proven that it’s possible to simultaneously transmit multiple radio channels over exactly the same wireless frequency. In theory, according to Thide, we could potentially transmit an “infinite number” of TV, radio, WiFi, and cellular channels at the same time over the same frequency, blasting apart our highly congested wireless spectrum.

Thide’s approach is rather simple. Basically, electromagnetic waves can have both spin angular and orbital angular momentum (OAM). If you picture the Earth-Sun system, spin momentum is the Earth rotating on its axis (producing the day-night cycle), and orbital momentum is the Earth rotating around the sun (producing the seasons). In standard wireless communications — radio, TV, WiFi — we only modulate the spin angular momentum of waves. For years, Thide had theorized that orbital angular momentum could also be added to wireless signals, effectively creating a spiral signal that looks like fusilli pasta; or, in the words of Thide, a “radio vortex.”

Now, in an experiment in Venice, Thide and his Italian colleagues have transmitted two signals at the same time, on the same frequency, over a distance of 442 meters (1450ft). Pictured on the right is the antenna that the team used. No, your eyes don’t deceive you: To create these radio vortices, all you have to do is make a cut in a standard parabolic reflector and twist it slightly. If you imagine a corkscrew of radio signals being continuously transmitted from the outside edge of the antenna, that’s effectively what’s occurring. On the receiving end, there are two “normal” TV antennae (Yagi-Uda) set apart by the same angle as the break in the transmitter. These antennae “decode” the vortex, and voila: Two radio signals transmitted over the same frequency.

Behind the scenes:

From Buzzfeed:

Thanks to our friends at Vice Magazine/Motherboard TV, who did the excellent Drone On documentary on us and the domestic drone movement, I'm going to be doing an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit today at 12:30-3:00pm PST. These things can get pretty wild, so I'm warming up my typing fingers already!

From Vice:

Chris Anderson has always wanted to take to the massive social-news site to field questions from hobby droners, makers, and curious long-tailers alike. But his job as editor-in-chief at Wired, a Condé Nast publication, always seemed to get in the way. Not like he couldn't ever have done an AMA on his own volition, or anything. Only seeing as Reddit not only flew under Conde's wing from 2006-2011, but even shared the same office with Wired magazine, Anderson tells me the thought of being asked anything on Reddit, of all places, always felt just a little too incestuous. Until now.

Anderson, of course, recently left his post at Wired after 11 years, a tenure that saw the pop-tech monthly winning eight National Magazine Awards. Why depart? In a word, drones--or, more specifically, 3D Robotics, the manufacturing spinoff of Anderson's fast-growing, nonprofit online hobbyist drone hub DIYDrones. Anderson has decided to throw all his energy behind the company, which to date has sold more than 10,000 custom auto-pilot kits. (That's 10,000 otherwise traditional RC planes now capable of flying autonomously, a fleet far larger than that currently deployed by the US military.) It's early yet, but consider the initial figure: 3 DR, already a multimillion dollar company, just raised a VC round worth $5 million.

"We're going through significant expansion," Anderson told me. "We've ramped up the Tijuana facility [satellite to 3D's base in San Diego], and we're opening a 3D Robotics North, in Berkeley."

That said, the time has finally come. In light of Anderson's 180, and both the recent release of our latest documentary, Drone On, which features 3D Robotics, and Anderson's new book, Makers: The New Industrial Revolution, the man behind "free," the "long tail" and the democratization of unmanned aerial vehicles will open the floor to questions tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 12, beginning 3:30pm EST, at Reddit's AMA page.

Do tune in, drone out, and ask away. The wait is over.

I just think how to build a highly sensiive antenna for my drone using Golden Ratio. Eric Dollard give me the answer.

The Camp David Antenna

While looking around for a 433 tracking antenna we found out that:

1) There isnt much choice for 433Mhz patch antenna 

2) There isnt much choice for a solid housing

So we decided to custom make one ourselves. It has a 433 patch antenna that fits onto RP-SMA of the 3DR radio. The radio sits inside the housing and the USB cable comes out from underneath it. The metal housing has 3 servos and a old ardupilot. It takes 5V and be powered by a 2S or 3S battery. The base of the tracker fits into a standard tripod mount. We tested it out and the range is much longer than standard 3DR radio with antenna and it works with the mission planner. We also notice the plane position on mission planner updates more frequently. 

From Gizmag:

For some time now, engineers have been researching the possibility of equipping UAVs (unmanned air vehicles) with robotic arms. This week, DARPA announced that a successful test of just such an “armed” UAV has been performed.

DARPA utilized an existing V-Bat UAV, made by California-based MLB Company. The stock V-Bat can fly horizontally to quickly reach its destination, then hover in a tail-down orientation once it gets there.

The DARPA team added a folding robotic arm to the UAV, along with an inexpensive stereoscopic computer vision system – this incorporated one camera on the end of the arm, and another on the aircraft itself.

For the test, a 1-pound (454-gram) payload was attached to a hook on the end of the arm. Using its vision and GPS systems, the V-Bat then autonomously identified a step ladder, which was the object on which it had to place its payload. It proceeded to maneuver itself up alongside the ladder, extended its arm by six feet (1.8 meters), and placed the payload on the ladder.

“Our goal with the UAV payload emplacement demonstration was to show we could quickly develop and integrate the right technology to make this work,” said DARPA program manager Dan Pratt. “The success of the demonstration further enables the capabilities of future autonomous aerial vehicles.”

A video of the test (which apparently took place last September) can be seen below.

From the ROS blog:

The Robotics Institute at CMU has been developing systems to learn from humans. Using a Machine Learning class of techniques called Imitation Learning the group has developed AI software for a small commercially available off-the-shelf ARdrone to autonomously fly through the dense trees for over 3.4 km in experimental runs. They are also developing methods to do longer range planning with such purely vision-guided UAVs. Such technology has a lot of potential impact for surveillance, search and rescue and allowing UAVs to safely share airspace with manned airspace. 
Watch the flight in unstructured environments below.

What would you like to see in a thermal pan tilt platform to make it effective for UAV usage?

I am with a company called SPI Corp and we manufacture a low cost multi sensor pan tilt platform called the M1-D. The M1-D initially was developed for use on ground vehicles but due to its light weight, small size and low cost it has become very popular with folks in the aerial imaging world including both manned and unmanned craft. We are anxious to make this an even better product for UAV usage especially in the low cost market. We are reaching out to the UAV community for help in this endeavor (especially you guys at DIY Drones).  What we would like to know is what technical features would make our system even better for use in UAV's? If you could have anything you want in a low cost UAV Gimbal imaging system what would you ask for? What would be the bare minimum you would need to make the M1-D pan tilt thermal camera a workable UAV solution?  Current imaging systems are extremely expensive. It is our hope that by starting with our current low cost solution, and with a little help from the community, we can come up with a low cost UAV solution that will enable everyone to incorporate advanced imaging into their UAV project.

Our current system specs:

Fully enclosed pan tilt gimbal

Sensor Payload - Thermal Imaging, CCTV and Laser Pointer

Diameter of ball - 4.5"

Diameter of base - 5"

Height - 6.5"

Weight ~ 2lbs.

Pan - 360 degree continuous

Tilt - 90 degree

Pan Tilt Speed - Pan: 0.05~220°/sec; Tilt: 0.03~140°/sec

Video Output - Analog Composite single line NTSC or PAL

Communication Camera Control - RS/485 PELCO-D protocol

Inverted Mounting - Yes capable

Hardware specs such as size and weight are obviously difficult to change. What are the key features that you would need to integrate into your UAV project? Are there specific interfaces that are commonly used? Please post comments and let us know what you would like to see in the M1-D to make it even better for UAV imaging.

We look forward to your input.

Thank you

Randall Kolchins

SPI CORP

www.x20.org

Warning: this is a political video from an animal rights group, so it's very anti-hunting. However, the analysis of the damage to the hexacopter when it was shot is interesting. 

Hi!

Now you can filter propellers by type of blades (standard or folding):

Also hundreds of items was added from rctimer.com and dx.com (see icons in list)

DB contains:

~1000 brushless motors,

~300 gas and glow engines,

~800 servos,

~450 esc,

~1350 propellers,

~1450 lipo batteries

Welcome: rcdetails.info

Silly political gestures (banning model airplanes with cameras!) are par for the course in Berkeley, where I live and the 3D Robotics Bay Area offices are located. Thankfully, they usually don't pass or aren't enforced.

From Patch. 

Even as the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department considers buying an unmanned aerial vehicle, Berkeley City Council will discuss declaring the city a No Drone Zone. 

Arguing that drones are unsafe and pose a threat to civil liberties, Berkeley’s Peace and Justice Commission is recommending that the city council adopt a resolution this month proclaiming: 

"1. Berkeley a No Drone Zone and instructing the City Attorney to perform the necessary legal tasks to transform this declaration of a No Drone Zone into an Ordinance for the City of Berkeley wherein drones are hereby banned from airspace. 

2. That drones will not be purchased, leased, borrowed, tested or otherwise used by any agency of the City of Berkeley over the City of Berkeley, including drones in transit.

3. That exemptions will be made for hobbyists to continue to fly remote controlled model aircraft in specified areas, away from dwellings and the urban cityscape of people and buildings as long as those devices are not equipped with any kind of camera or audio surveillance equipment."

It’s not clear what the “legal tasks” establishing Berkeley as a No Drone Zone would be, of if such an ordinance could be enforced. While the Federal Aviation Administration is still drafting the rules that would regulate what the agency calls unmanned aircraft systems, local law enforcement agencies and other institutions across the country are taking steps to acquire and deploy drones. 

Earlier this month, Alameda County supervisors opted to examine the merits of a cop-operated drone in more depth before approving the purchase of the $31,000 laptop-sized flying machine the sheriff said he needs.

 

(image from No Drones Illinois)

From Phys.org:

A team in Japan are hoping pedal-power will beat the world record for a human-propelled plane—in a flying machine made from polystyrene, they said Monday.

Team Aeroscepsy say a professional mountain biker will pilot their "Gokurakutombo", which has a wingspan half that of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet, in a voyage they hope will clock up 120 kilometres (75 miles). "We developed a new plane from scratch to break the world record," said Shinsuke Yano, who heads a collection of 10 engineers and enthusiasts. The Gokurakutombo—a phrase that means "Happy-Go-Lucky" and is also a pun on "happy dragonfly"—has wings that measure 35.6 metres (117 feet) tip to tip, but weighs just 37 kilogrammes (81 pounds) thanks to its polystyrene foam and carbon fibre construction. Yano said the world record for human-powered flight was set by a US university in 1988 with its pedal-driven Daedalus, a contraption named after the father of Icarus in Greek mythology. The Daedalus plopped into the Mediterranean just a few metres short of the Greek island of Santorini after flying 115 kilometres from Crete.

Team Aeroscepsy, who all work at Japanese motorcycle-maker Yamaha, hope to launch their flight from a field at the foot of Mount Fuji, and head for the Pacific Ocean next spring. Their contraption can take advantage of thermal air currents but does not need them to launch and fly. "Because it's a long flight over four hours and you need to keep pedalling with power that is required for climbing uphill constantly, you need a professional cyclist," Yano said. "We are pretty confident about reaching a new record. We know from past tests that our aircraft has that capacity. The most difficult part is reading weather conditions. Light wind can upset the fragile plane." (c) 2012 AFP           

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-12-japan-power-aims-human-flight.html#

First, load the fuselage to an inability to move. And then begin to glue stringer requiring moving the fuselage.

Hey everyone,

 I am happy to announce that aluminum molds for mass producing the techpod are nearly ready to start cranking out airplanes!

Thanks to everyone who helped me out on kickstarter! You can still pre-order your own techpod today at hobbyuav.com They will be ready to ship in January.