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Flying guide dog ... Just for fun

Posted by Ho-Chung Chang on May 2, 2009 at 3:45am
It is just a concept from Labrador Retriever guide dog. I used a ducted fan to approach my ideal.There were some structure problem at first type (1st picture). It can fly, but not stable....Orz.So I had modified the designed and moved fulcrum to the center-up of ducted fan.(2nd picture). It can fly well by the controller.(3nd Picture)

I put 2 IR sensors for obstacle avoidence. but I bought wrong type that can't provide enough sensing range....#$%^&*...Orz
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My aircraft under testing.....

Posted by Ho-Chung Chang on May 2, 2009 at 3:00am
It is my RC aircraft, it have been under testing to approach lower power consuming and longer fight range.We have used 10000mA@14.1V battary. and hoped to fly over 90min in 10km range(With Datalink). XD

My partner have used the "FMA Direct Co-Pilot" to stabilize the attitude of aircraft first and guidance via GPS. but the Co-Pilot easy beinterfere with environment and weather. so I have tried to replace Co-Pilot+GPS system by GPS/INS data fusing algorithm via PIC32 or dsPIC30F uC and IMU components.
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3D Robotics

Air Force insists on pilots flying Predators. Result: more crashes

Posted by Chris Anderson on May 1, 2009 at 10:39pm
From Defense Tech: "I can understand having a close-tethered "man-in-the-loop" for weapons releases or snap recon taskers, but my reporting on automatic landing systems leads me to believe that there's no reason whatsoever to have pilots landing drones from Nevada (or wherever else they're remotely piloting those drones) every time. Colin reports in his interview with outgoing AT&L chief John Young that the Pentagon purchasing czar was miffed that the Air Force declined to retrofit their Predators with autonomous landing systems. He cites dozens of crashes that might have been avoided had the service embraced the system. Young's spokesman, Chris Isleib, later sent an email to reporters slightly changing the numbers. "Since 1994 the Air Force has procured 195 Predators. 65 have been lost due to Class A mishaps," he said. Isleib added that of the 65 mishaps, 36 percent are laid at the door of human error and "many of those attributable to ground station problems." About 15 percent of the total was destroyed during the landing phase, Isleib clarified in his email. The Army, on the other hand, typically uses ALS for their Warrior drones and has a lower casualty rate, Colin reports. Is this a direct causal relationship? I'm sure there are mitigating circumstances and opinions on the matter with some of the mishaps. But it seems to me a needless attempt to cling to the Red Scarf mentality of a service that's evolving more and more into a digital force of systems operators than the swashbuckling zoomies of yore -- and that's really not a bad thing at all.
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3D Robotics

Another autonomous blimp

Posted by Chris Anderson on May 1, 2009 at 10:15pm
Another autonomous blimp, this one clearly modeled closely on Blimpduino (right down to the same Lego parts for the vectoring servo--hey guys, how about a callout?) but using a PIC chip rather than Arduino's ATmega. Also a simple IR-based remote, rather than RC. Major DIY plus points--the Colorado State team who designed it built their own IR beacons. But because they built it on a breadboard rather than a custom PCB, they're way overweight for the envelope, hence all the extra party balloons!
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3-D on the cheap!

Posted by rad man on May 1, 2009 at 7:30pm
While searching on my second favorite blog site, I stumbled upon a commercial 3-D printer for under.......$70,000? nope $30,000? wrong again! $3,000? WRONG! for under $1,000 the average Joe can now have his or her own 3-D printer! Unlike traditional 3-D printers which melt layer after layer of expensive nylon the CupCake CNC machine extrudes layers of HDPE or ABS plastic! The only negative I see out of this machine is the extrusions are about 1/2 of a millimeter instead of .1 millimeters. Then again I would be willing to sacrifice a little bit of detail for a lot of savings! Now if any part of your UAV breaks then all you have to do is "print" a new one! here is the website to the wiki (www.wiki.makerbot.com) and to the store(www.store.makerbot.com). Also there is another website called "Thingiverse" (www.thingverse.com) which is basically a youtube for all the "things" people create in CAD programs! This project was inspired by a project for affordable printing called all machines a RepRap machines, but this machine is a RepStrap which means it can actually print out a RepRap machine. (www.RepRap.Org)IF THIS IS A RE-POST LET ME KNOW! ill remove this if it is.

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Moderator

UAV Seagull 2200

Posted by Robert Krogh (hooks) on May 1, 2009 at 12:30pm
Now my Seagull 2200 are ready for first testflight. I have uploaded the ArduPilot_EasyStar_WP code on the board so I "hope" it can make a testflight so I can optimize here and there...The seagull 2200 is a very stabel mashine modified with a stronger motor and a bigger prob.

Offcause I will post opdate on the comming up testflight and changes on boardcode for this model. Hope to make some videodokumentation also.I have one problem with the pre test- I installed the FMA sensor just like instruction. But when I point the nose down the pitch also going down.. so I need to reverse the settings. I'm using code 2.0 and not the new 2.1How to do?
Find more videos like this on DIY Drones
Here is the solution:In the 2.0 code, try this:Reverse IR sensor-old code-return constrain((int)(((infrared0-511)*90)/max_ir),-60,60);new code-return -constrain((int)(((infrared0-511)*90)/max_ir),-60,60);Reverse IR sensor pitch-old code-return -constrain((int)(((infrared1-511)*90)/max_ir),-60,60);new code-return constrain((int)(((infrared1-511)*90)/max_ir),-60,60);Just reverse the sign in front of "constrain".
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UAV Playground 1.2 - An approach to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Posted by jaron on May 1, 2009 at 11:30am

The UAV Playground is a collection of software components I've written in Java. They extend the Processing Development Environment (PDE) with some functionality that can help you to simulate and test different aspects of UAVs. You can as well use the UAV Playground library outside of the PDE in any Java application.UAV Playground and all the Software it is based on are freely available. The distribution and the source code can be found on the Open Source project page at code.google.com/p/uavplayground.The whole project is a work in progress and will be extended as I work on the exploration of UAVs. I'd appreciate if you leave me a comment or even better contribute to the project.Features- object oriented- modular- extendable- freeHow to use it- install the Processing Development Environemt (PDE)- download the UAV Playground distribution and follow the installation instructions- [install the FlightGear Flight Simulator (optional)]- have a look at the sketches (examples) and browse the api documentation that is included in the jar fileA very basic example- connects to the flight simulator- displays the current altitude and airspeed

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The UAVsim example- controls the flight simulator via virtual joysticks or...- controls the flight simulator via a PID processor (basic autopilot)- displays various data

Additional examplesUAV Playground - NMEA to KMLUAV Playground 1.1- New GPS NMEA data import via a network connection to FlightGear- New GPS tracking in Google Earth via a HTTP connection to the UAV Playground

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UAV Playground 1.2 [Update] (download)- Completely rewritten autopilot now supports waypoint navigation
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Solar Falcon first attempt with ArduPilot and Nunchuck Acc

Posted by dincer hepguler on May 1, 2009 at 5:30am

my first ground test with APv1 was full of problems. till last summer i am working on my hand made airframe. finished the plane and solar wing is connected and tested. system works well, i tested it for 55mins until my radio battery drained.system: 35 mhz 6 ch radio (because im planning to use 900mhz x-bees for telemetry and 2.4ghz video downlink), solar wing with ailerons, planned to use APv1 on throttle and rudder. stabilization on ailerons and elevator with a hand made system consisting of a Nunchuck accelerometer connected to another Arduino clone and a working software adapted from the work of Andrea Salvatore. first attempt with a Diecimila which worked well but clumsy and heavy. next try was with a Funnel IO which is very small but connections too weak, especially battery connector disconnects often. last try was with an old Ardupilot BetaV3 board used as an Arduino clone which proved as the best alternative.Apv1 connected, throttle on input1 rudder on input2 ctrl on ch5. APv1 software uploaded flawlessly by Arduino IDE.when ESC connected everything looks fine. power led is on, Mux led is ok when engaged via ch5, rudder moves when toggled, GPS lock led is solid within seconds.problem issues:1- when AP is engaged via ch5 rudder moves and throttle is on for a few turns and then spinner stops. when disengaged, problem persists, spinner stops after few turns although stick at full throttle position... possible cause: not enough power for brushless motor?.. although the solar panels are connected to support battery with 1.2Amps... not a problem when AP board was not in the system...2- loss of signal simulated by shutting off the radio. Mux led and status led is blinking. AP moves rudder and tries to apply some throttle, spinner is on for a few turns and stops. the elevator moves down immediately (that is weird because it is not connected to AP)... possible cause: rf intervention to receiver which has lost signal... thank god the plane is not in the air...any suggestions and help will be appreciated... i can provide some pics and video...
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Developer

ArduPilot: New Attiny FailSafe Firmware V1.6, now with RTL in case of R/C signal loss (Beta)

Posted by Jordi Muñoz on April 29, 2009 at 5:29pm
The latest ArduPilot Fail Safe firmware V1.6 includes a state of the art system to detected if we have glitches or bad signal, triggering the RTL and avoiding undesired "Remote Resets".How it works?Well, the first part is just a low pass filter that works only when switching to autopilot, this prevent undesired toggles to autopilot mode when the signals becomes "noisy" and also avoiding undesired resets (the system mistakenly thinks you are toggling the switch).The second parts is a "Valid Pulse Width Checker", this is a very simple code that will increment a counter every good pulse received, if the system receive 75 valid frames (by default) it will thrust the commands we send through the remote control, otherwise will trigger RTL, and reinforces the prevention of undesired "Remote Resets" caused by noise.Of course the latest code could be found in the same place as always, here.The Attiny has been tested only on ground with my 72mhz Futaba and two different receivers, after confirmation i will remove the beta tag, and i will try convince Nathan to flash it on the SparkFun boards, in the meantime you can try it with your AVR programmer. ;-)Whats next?Well right now I'm working on the new ArduPilot firmware code name "Hybrid", will support NMEA, SIRF , uBlox UBX and VENUS 10HZ GPS protocols, on the same code, and you can switch between them by just changing a single variable, bad news, only works on 328. =P
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3D Robotics

Settings you can change in the ArduPilot 2.1 code

Posted by Chris Anderson on April 26, 2009 at 9:00am
In addition to the setting you can change from the desktop utility program (rudder and elevator trim, max speed, waypoints and home postition), these are the settings you can change from within the code itself. They're all at the top of the first tab of the code (called "ArduPilot_EasyStar_WP_PRO). My annotations and instructions are in [brackets]: Especially note the settings at the bottom that allow you to reverse servo travel and say whether your FMA sensor is pointed forwards or backwards: [maximum servo throw in each direction] #define servo_max 2000 //For servos pitch and roll #define servo_min 900 [PID gains for navigation: In general when tweaking PID gains to reduce quick oscillations you must decrease the P, to reduce long oscillations also reduce I, the derivative is to slow down oscillations but is not implement due to the lack of refresh rate.] #define head_P 1.2 //.7 Heading error proportional (same used to move the rudder)... #define head_I 1.5 //heading error integrator Not used for navgiation #define head_error_max 35 //The maximun output in degrees to control the roll setpoint #define head_error_min -35 //The min output in degrees to control the roll setpoint [PID gains for roll stabilization. Same as above #define roll_abs .3 //Set point absolute proportional... I don't know how to explain it... #define roll_P .8 //roll PID proportional #define roll_I 1.3 //roll PID integrator #define roll_min -45 //55 //PID output limit in servo degrees #define roll_max 45 //PID output limit in servo degrees #define roll_comp 0 #define roll_Integrator_max 35 #define roll_Integrator_min -35 [PID gains for altitude control. Same as above] #define alt_P 2 //proportional to control the altitude hold... #define alt_error_max 0 //The maximun output in degrees to control the pitch setpoint #define alt_error_min -10 //The min output in degrees to control the pitch setpoint #define throttle_max 1800 //In us seconds #define throttle_min 1200 #define throttle_dead_zone 20 //In porcent #define throttle_absolute 3 #define throttle_kp 2 #define throttle_ki 1 #define throttle_max 80 #define throttle_Integrator_max 50 #define AirSpeed_Central 25 [PID gains for pitch control] #define pitch_P .9 #define pitch_I 1.5 #define pitch_min -50 #define pitch_max 50 #define pitch_Integrator_max 25 #define pitch_Integrator_min -25 #define PID_dt 20 //Servo refresh time in milliseconds [Says whether a Z sensor is present or not. [Note: autopilot will not properly calibrate without one] #define SENSOR_Z 1 [Says whether the FMA sensor is pointed forward or backwards] #define REVERSE_X_SENSOR 1 //1 = cable behind, 0 = cable front [If your servos are reversed set these to 1 instead] #define REVERSE_ROLL 0 //To reverse servo roll #define REVERSE_PITCH 0 //To reverse servo pitch
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3D Robotics

Correction on ArduPilot 2.1 field setup procedures

Posted by Chris Anderson on April 25, 2009 at 10:27pm
We got mixed up on versions and said the way to set up ArduPilot 2.1 at the field to record the home GPS position and switch the GPS module to digital mode was to connect ground and pin D6. Actually, the correct method is to put a jumper over pins D6 and D7, just like ArduPilot 2.0. Apologies for the confusion (we're working with too many code versions, and the ones using the shields we now have in prototype will have a more graceful setup procedure).
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Ardunio Mega code to read MicroMag 3-Axis Magnetometer

Posted by MC on April 25, 2009 at 11:23am
We can calculate the UAV heading (flight directions) from multiple consecutive GPS readings if the UAV is moving. However, for a hovering, this method would not work and we may need a magnetic compass or a magnetometer (like MicroMag 3-Axis Magnetometer from SparkFun).Is there any code out there for Ardunio Mega to read 3D magnetic vector using MicroMag 3-Axis Magnetometer ?
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T3

MatrixNav revision 2 is released

Posted by William Premerlani on April 25, 2009 at 10:42am
Revision 2 of MatrixNav firmware has been flight tested and is now released. The documentation and operation stays the same as for the previous version. The link on the main page for the UAV DevBoard points to the new version. The documentation is available there, also.The baud rate for the binary serial interface to the GPS has been raised in this version from 4,800 to 19,200. This eliminates a 12 second delay in the GPS information that was present in the previous version. As a result, performance in windy conditions has been improved.If you are using the previous version of MatrixNav, replace it with this version. If you made any changes to the control gains in the file controlGains.h, be sure to either save your existing file, or record the values that you are using, and edit the controlGains.h file that is part of the new firmware.The YAWKP and YAWKD gains in the new version have been lowered from the previous version by a fair amount, so that the turns are wider and smoother. In the previous version, a switch to RTL mode would result in your plane "turning on dime". In one of the comments below, Sid recommends lowering the gains. Just so there is no confusion, you should understand that they have been lowered.Also, in the previous version of MatrixNav, YAWKP and YAWKD were postive. In this version they inadvertently wound up to be negative. So if your plane is already set up with the previous version, either make YAWKP and YAWKD positive, or toggle the position of switch SR1 on your board.Bill Premerlani
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Developer

Ardupilot Utility Beta 3 Released Now Supports Atmega328!

Posted by Jordi Muñoz on April 24, 2009 at 5:00pm
Finally! took me some time fix this. But for some reason the new bootloader of the Atmega328 is running at 57600bps (Hoo! that means the uploading time is a lot shorter compared with AT168), so i had to add the option to select between atmega168 and atmega328 as is illustrated in the picture above or right.Of course the latest file can be found here.Please report bugs, is normal that the upload/downloading procedure fails sometimes, but not so often...In the near future, the app will include:-Save and Load missions from the hard-drive (do you like .adp as extension?).-A better way to add waypoints.-Choose the desired speed for each mission.-And many more...Enjoy!
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Developer

ArduPilot Shield Demo

Posted by Jordi Muñoz on April 23, 2009 at 12:30pm
I few days ago i received the first prototypes of the Ardupilot Shield. Right now they don't have silkscreen to reduce the prototyping costs, but the commercial version will do..Main goals:-On board 3.3V power regulator.-Disable the GPS before uploading new firmware automatically.-A lot of pins headers to easily attach sensors with power supply included.-Special connector for 3.3V GPS modules (including the TTL conversion).-Pressure sensor, with low pass filtering, for AirSpeed...-External reset button.-Mirrored status LED,s...-Optional power divider (analog 5) to measure battery level.

[Infrared connector at the bottom]The cost without the sensor will be around $20 dlls at beginning, soon if i order bigger batch's i can reduce the price.My ideas is to make 100 units without the pressure sensor, and another 100's with the pressure sensor (around $30 dlls price tag)... Stay tuned for more news..You can give a look to the diagram here:

[UPDATE]: Auto turnoff is not working properly on 3.3Volts GPS, so i will need to make some changes.
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