Blogs

It was exciting for me to see Jasons Sim working in 3D, so I thought I would share a pic

>> With the minor modification shown below which adjusts the climbrates

// guess the climb rate

// --------------------

if(pitch_sensor >= 0){

climb_rate = (pitch_sensor * (CLIMBRATE_UP/100) * (long)dTnav) / 90000L;

}else{

climb_rate = (pitch_sensor * (CLIMBRATE_DOWN/100) * (long)dTnav) / 90000L;

}

current_loc.alt += climb_rate;

We don't cover military UAVs here, but I'll make an exception on design grounds for this one. Just look at it!

From BoingBoing:

"British empire presents new kite to Lord Vader

Britain's Ministry of Defense announced this unmanned fighter jet today, the Tiranus. Named for the Celtic god of bad-assery, it looks markedly more sinister than America's one, itself revealed in May. There's something about that blue-gray hangar ... it reminds me of something.

Photo: Sienar Fleet Systems.

MoD lifts lid on unmanned combat plane prototype [BBC]"

If you've been looking for a way to control your robotic project over a WiFi, then you might want to take a look at the Remote Control Over IP (RCOIP) project by Mike McCauley. He uses a lot of complicated words, but it's basically a communication protocol to do RC-style control over an Internet connection.

Of course, you can't connect directly to a traditional RC device using your laptop, so you will need to substitute your radio receiver for an Arduino with a WiFi shield, and put the RCKit library on it. For the controller end, you could use another Arduino or a computer. He's also got a (nonfree) iPhone control app, which allows you to control your creation using a simulated touchscreen RC controller.

There are probably a bunch of different protocols that people use for this, such as Open Sound Controller- do you have a favorite?"

Boeing on Monday unveiled a potential new eye in the sky, this one powered by hydrogen fuel.

The Phantom Eye, an unmanned aerial vehicle from the company's Phantom Works division, is expected to make its first flight early next year. Boeing is pitching the demonstrator UAV as a "first of its kind" aircraft that "could open up a whole new market in collecting data and communications."

A decade into the 21st century, surveillance drones are nothing new considering the now long-running successes of aircraft such as the Predator and the Global Hawk. What sets the Phantom Eye apart is the hydrogen propulsion system. Although hydrogen has been bandied about for some time as an alternative energy source, it has yet to progress much beyond the novelty stage.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-20010294-76.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0

Tested the autolaunch function this weekend.

Launch altitude was set to 25 meters so it went almost instantly to WP1 after launch.

Next time I will try a higher launch altitude.

This was the last flight of the day the lipo was empty as can been seen at the end of the video the plane could not hold altitude.

I have finished my Arduino based pulse width modulated (PWM) hot wire cutter controller. It allows precise USB or analog temperature control of a hot wire of length from 10cm to 2m for use with manual cutters or CNC based cutter. The PSU is extermal (battery or PSU) The 12v power is attached to the GND and + 12V terminals. The + to the hotwire is attached on the red terminal on the top. The current return thru the FET is connected to the black return terminal. An FTDI board can be attached to the Arduino thru the "programming window".

What do you think :) ?