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nMine UAV Controller, more hardware options than anybody could need!!!

Posted by jlcortex on September 23, 2008 at 6:30am

Hi, I would like to present my project, i know there are a lot of uav projects but i think it is a amazing balance of price, performance and simplicity! It is based on OLIMEX E2468 board and Sparkfun sensors.Features4 Layer board with ground plane for high noise immunity I/O Connectors:- 8 x Servos - Standard pitch 2.54mm- 4 x speed input (for sensors, motor RPM, or PPM capture)- 2 x CAN BUS with transceivers - Header 2.54mm- 10 x Analog Inputs (8 x 16bit - 5 used for gyros and pressures) general propose 0-5v (for sonar altimeter for example)- 4 x UARTs (one used for USB port) (3.3v level) for GPS and MaxStream XBEE-Pro 60mW radiolinkOnboard sensors options:Accelerometers (two options):- MMA7260Q 6g- analog- LIS3LV02DQ digital 1mg resolutionGyros:- Analog Devices ADXRS300 (any other possible!)- Compass (two options):- HM55B 2 axis 6 bit- PNI Corp's MicroMag 3-Axis MagnetometerOnboard Pressures:- MPXV5010DP 1.45psi (Airspeed)- MPXA4100A6U 15.2PSI (Altitude)Features from Olimex LPC-E2468 development board:- MCU: LPC2468, 16MB SDRAM (more is possible if necessary), 128 MB- Flash, standard JTAG connector for debugging with ARM-JTAG- Ethernet 100MBit- 2x USB hosts- USB-to-RS232 converter device connected to LPC2468 UART- SD/MMC card connector- Dimensions: 90x60mm (3.54 x 2.36")we have make all hardware access rutines in C, included SD card writing and reading with DMA!!!it is a simple micro boards, it is ARM7 so it is easier to program than any 8 bit micros (pic, avr...). Power and memory are enought for the AHRS's Extended Kalman Filter and for another EKF for INS system.this board can run under ulinux!! (we are not using it)It has been designed and build for "UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE VALENCIA", special thanks to DISCA departament.Jose LuisnMine.com

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2.4ghz Device Range Expansion/Improvement

Posted by Brian on September 20, 2008 at 11:35am
I found a link for building your own 2.4ghz Patch Antenna to extend the range of your remote projects.The details can be found on this page: http://www.rc-cam.com/gp_patch.htmWhich is a sub-project page from (http://www.rc-cam.com) which is included within this post in accordance with the wishes of the the operator of the RC-CAM website.I have also found this antenna listed on the 'Geeks' web (www.geeks.com)Product link: htp://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=Z101-54000059-A&cat=CLR&cpc=CLRAs improving the quality of our 2.4ghz signals is or should always be on the agenda I was wondering what you all think in regards to the pros/cons of one antenna type over the other.Thanks - BCD
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3D Robotics

Ten days till AttoPilot.com goes live

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 20, 2008 at 11:30am

Dean Goedde's highly-anticipated Attopilot, in Pro, Basic and RTL form (estimated costs: $800, $400, $100), will have a proper home in ten days, when his site goes live. [UPDATE: Dean doesn't have an exact date for availability, but as he notes in the comment below, he expects to start taking order in 4-6 weeks, with units shipping around that time.] Lots of background info in this incredibly long thread.
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3D Robotics

Arduino 12 released!

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 19, 2008 at 5:19pm

Version 12 of the Arduino software IDE was released today along with a pretty lengthy list of updated features - * Added Arduino Nano to the boards menu. * Arduino Pro or Pro Mini (8 MHz) to the boards menu. * Added Firmata library by Hans Steiner and others. This provides a standard protocol for communicating with software on the computer. * Added an Ethernet library for use with the Arduino Ethernet Shield. * Added a Servo library based on the work of Jim Studt. * Added a LiquidCrystal library based on the work in the playground. It supports both 4- and 8-bit modes. * Improved millis(): it now overflows after 49 days instead of 9 hours, but now uses slightly more processing power. * Fixed reversing direction bug in Stepper library. (Thanks to Wayne Holder.) * Moved insertion of #include Release notes and download. [via Make]
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3D Robotics

Free Stanford Robotics and Computer Science courses

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 18, 2008 at 8:00am

Video lectures (sample above), syllabus and more. Cool stuff, all described here. Here are the first ten: # Introduction to Computer Science: * Programming Methodology — CS106A * Programming Abstractions — CS106B * Programming Paradigms — CS107 # Artificial Intelligence: * Introduction to Robotics — CS223A * Natural Language Processing — CS224N * Machine Learning — CS229 # Linear Systems and Optimization: * The Fourier Transform and its Applications — EE261 * Introduction to Linear Dynamical Systems — EE263 * Convex Optimization I — EE364A * Convex Optimization II — EE364B
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3D Robotics

BlimpDuino code now in alpha

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 15, 2008 at 9:30pm
Jordi has finished the first pass on the code for the new BlimpDuino boards. It's best to consider this pre-alpha and not fully functional, but if you want to see how we read IR and ultrasonic sensors, read RC channels, drive a servo and twin motors and use PID loops to hold altitude and navigate, you'll find it instructive. It's practically a primer in Arduino robotics. Of particular note are the PID control loops, which are a big step up from the basic P (proportional only) loops we were using before. There's also some new code to check the battery voltage and shut down if gets too low, protecting the LiPo. Overall, this code is designed to be efficient and to conserve power. We run the Atmega using its internal 8Mhz clock rather than the 20mhz external crystal we use with ArduPilot, and we keep ultrasonic pings to a minimum. The main thing we need to add now is my RC-mode code. The code is here. Stay tuned for proper beta code in a week after Jordi's been able to test it in the air.
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3D Robotics

Great UAV/Robotics podcast

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 15, 2008 at 9:23pm

I didn't really warm to podcasts until I got an iPhone, which I naturally sync every day (something I never did with the iPod). Now there's always fresh spoken-word content on my phone, and it's exactly the stuff I want rather than than whatever happens to be on the radio. What I want to listen to is smart shows about UAVs and robots, and fortunately, I've found one. It's called Robots, and you can get it free on iTunes or directly from its website. For UAVs, check out two recent shows: DelFly and Europe's Micro Air Vehicle Competition and A Robot Fly at Harvard. You can also check out this show on Flying Insects and Robots from their preview podcast series. They're all interviews with the researchers themselves, so they're substantive, and they're well produced so they're entertaining. The only think I like to see them do is also cover larger UAVs. They're not as amazing as the tiny flapping ones, but they're more practical.
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battery selection?

Posted by Aaron Weinstein on September 14, 2008 at 11:02pm
Hey everybody...what batteries do you use to power your blimps? From searching around here, I see that Li Pol or AAA are two common choices. Chris mentioned something about having capacity for only about 300mAh with such a system. Is this generally agreed upon? What stops anyone from using 4 or more AAA in series. They seem to be pretty light, 7.6 g per energizer lithium, and provide decent mAh (1250 mAh ... yeah right). Other options, specifically rechargeable NiMH, like the rayovac ic3's, are quite alluring as well, although I assume these are heavier, potentially too heavy for the payload.So what am I missing?my setup is an arduino with two micro servos (one servo is constantly sweeping but this could be changed), a pyroelectric sensor (eltec 442-3), ultrasound, and two n20 motors. I would love to get at least ~1 hour of runtime off of a discharge of AAA's. I think Li Pol would better fit my desires however I would rather get the blimp up and running before I make that investment.I really appreciate it,Ari
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3D Robotics

Zagi flying wings used as autonomous medical carriers

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 14, 2008 at 7:25pm

The South African researchers claim this Zagi flying wing can carry 500 grams of medicine or medical supplies to a location that's otherwise hard to reach. "Clinics in remote areas of South Africa can only be reached on unpaved roads that are impassable in rain," the article says. Given that the range of these electrics is just a few miles, this clearly isn't the right platform, but it's a good concept regardless. [From New Scientist] Video:
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UAV_Eins RIP

Posted by HugePanic on September 14, 2008 at 1:00pm
I have bad news here.UAV_Eins hast left at about 15:30Uhr. It just disapeard in the windy skys over southern Hamburg.Way too strong winds, and no way to land securely at the village. So i had to steer higher to avoid further damage. It got just out of sight, and was nowere to be found.With no phone number or name on, the chance to get it back is minimal.So RIP UAV_Eins...RIP about 150€ materialRIP about 15h work...The King is dead, long live the King.. --> UAV_ZwoHere are some Pictures of UAV_EinsRegards

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3D Robotics

LED WTF?

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 13, 2008 at 9:30am
This is just a gripe. Throughout the electronics world polarized components are marked with the stripe or other distinctive marking on the positive terminal. That's fine. But why is that on SMD LEDs the dot and/or green stripe is on the negative side (the cathode)? For through-hole versions, LEDs follow the usual convention, with the positive terminal having the long lead. But only in the SMD versions is it reversed. I know this, of course, so I adjust accordingly, but every time I need to remind myself of this I wonder how such standard-setting error could have happened. Does anyone know?
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3D Robotics

BlimpDuino production board release candidate

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 12, 2008 at 2:00pm

After some wasted time with expensive PCB design errors, we've finally got a release candidate of the production version of the BlimpDuino board. It's version V431. Changes from previous versions include: --Square, rather than rectangular, so the IR detectors are all on the outside of the board (and thus free of interference) and evenly spaced for optimal sensing. --Improved power supply, with lower profile and LiPo low-voltage cut-off (to protect the batteries) --Vectoring servo now output on a digital pin (10) to use timer-based Arduino servo library --Various layout tweaks to give more room for various connectors and the on/off switch --Bug fixes You can buy the boards here. Here are the Eagle 5 files: schematic, board. Here are the components you'll need (Digikey part numbers unless otherwise stated):
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3D Robotics

See the Stanford Autonomous Helicoper team live on Monday

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 11, 2008 at 11:51pm

The autonomous helicopter team that we wrote about earlier will give an airshow on the Stanford campus this Monday, Sept 15th at 10:30 am. All are invited. Directions: To Google directions, search for "Oak Rd & Stock Farm Rd, Stanford, CA" Driving directions: From I-280: Take the Sand Hill Road exit, drive east for two miles, turn right on Stock Farm Road. Drive one block, turn left on Oak Road. Drive 100 yards, stop at grass field on the left. From Highway 101, take the Embarcadero Road exit in Palo Alto. Drive west on Embarcadero for two miles, turn right on El Camino Real. Drive one mile, then turn left on Sand Hill Road. Drive 1.3 miles, turn left on Stock Farm Road. Drive one block, turn left on Oak Road. Drive 100 yards, stop at grass field on the left.
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Step 2

Posted by HugePanic on September 11, 2008 at 1:02pm
The plan for step 2 is to install the FMA - CoPilot as well as the Arduino board for rudder control.Yesterday the first flight with the CoPilot alone were sucsessfully done.This was the first time i was flying a aircraft with some stabilisation help. The FMA CoPilot is a veryveryvery impressive piece of hardware. It even saved the airframe from a crash during estimation of the COG.Now i have to explan the pitch issues i have had with the single aileron. As described in Step 1, the aileron results in large pitching moments.Before activating the CoPilot i was convinced to need a secon aileron.But with the CoPilot active, i had to rethink. The plane is so extremly easy to handle. Set a thrust level, and control it with the rudder. The plane flies like a slotcar on it's tracks. Veryvery precise and stable. I was able to start and land without further changes to the setup at the first trials.The pitching moment of the aileron is compensatet by the CoPilot. If it is necessary at the further development of the plane to recover the plane completely manual, i know that i can fly and land the plane securely. It doesn't fly pretty well in manual mode, but I don't care.Introduction of the Arduino board will start next week. I have to buy more parts....
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Step 1 (Finished)

Posted by HugePanic on September 11, 2008 at 11:00am
Target of Step 1 was to build a RC Plane with "good" handling for the use as a UAV.I chose a Foam/Depron design with KFm1 (Kline-Fogleman) wing and a box type fuselage.Elevator and rudder are flat.Dimensions:Span: 1.25mLengt: about 1mWeight: about 500g (with FMA-Co-Pilot)These wings are a surprisingly well working compromise for a universal "utility" airfoil.The Step is located at 50% chord length. There is one CF spar, and a plywood reinforcement.First flight went well. I had to adjust the motor angles after that, but thats the same at all aircraft i think.One special point is the single aileron.I don't want to fly any aerobatics, so one aileron should be enough, and it is.After the first flight I enlarged the aileron until the wingtip, now there is enough authority for a uav, even at windy days. The only problem is was that the deep chord of the wings in combination with the single aileron design creates very large pitching moments.I have to programm my transmitter to get them away for manual flight.But the plane is easy to fly for me, event with manual compensation of these moments.See "Step 2" for more about this
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3D Robotics

ArduPilot and BlimpDuino status updates

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 10, 2008 at 7:48pm
As they say, the last 10% of the development takes 90% of the time. But we're getting close. Here's the latest: --ArduPilot: we're now on the second beta of the commerical board, which will be manufactured and sold by a commerical partner to be named soon. Fingers crossed, we've finally squashed all the bugs. As soon as the manufactured boards (PCB plus robotic pick-and-place SMD component assembly) come back from our partner in a week or two, we'll optimize the code on the simulator, and then tweak settings in the air on various airframes. I don't think we'll have a formal beta-testing process, since all the changes will be in the open source code, not the hardware, and will be constantly evolving with your help. ArduPilot will be sold as a board with SMD parts already soldered and basic firmware loaded in both the Atmega and Attiny (for the failsafe). The user will have to solder on a few easy through-hole parts, such as connectors, which will come in the kit. Out of the box, the autopilot will be return-to-launch only, which is to say that when enabled it will simply return the GPS coordinates of its starting position. Adding waypoints will simply be a matter of adding GPS coordinates to the code in the Arduino IDE and downloading it. Later, we'll have stand-alone waypoint editing and groundstation software, but that may not be done until we release ArduPilot Pro, early next year. Right now I'm expecting ArduPilot to go on sale around the end of October, target price $29. (required GPS and FMA Co-Pilot sold separately) --BlimpDuino: Tomorrow I'll post the final board and component parts list, and the beta code a few days later. This board has evolved considerably since its orgins, with the addition of vectoring thrusters, an optional RC mode and ports for optional Bluetooth, magnetometer (compass) and other sensors. This one will go through a beta-testing process (positions already filled, sorry!) before commerical release. The commerical kit will consist of the everything you need to make a programmable autonomous blimp (board, gondola, motors and vectoring thruster assembly, envelope and one ground beacon), which I believe is the first time such a product has been offered. The only thing you'll need to add is helium, a LiPo battery and a RC unit if you want to also enable manual control. Target price: well under $100. We hope to have BlimpDuino on the market in November. As always, both ArduPilot and BlimpDuino will remain totally open source, so if you'd rather order the parts from the various suppliers and build it yourself, you're very much encouraged to do so and we'll do our best to help you. The commercial versions are for those who don't feel confident enough with SMD soldering or otherwise want the security of a pre-made board. We don't intend to make money on them (although we'll ensure that our commerical partner can get a margin that makes it worth their while to offer it)
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