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ConfigTool v1.4.12

Posted by Paul Mather on September 15, 2009 at 6:30pm
I dropped the "Beta 4" and changed it to just v1.4 revision 12 = 1.4.12.This version has a bug fix to try and address users with locales using "," (comma) as their decimal points. Please let me know how it works. It also includes Jordi's 48 waypoints fix.Download Here: ConfigTool.zipArduTool143.gif
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Depron Fuselage for Easystar Wings.

Posted by Peter Meister on September 15, 2009 at 3:30pm
Guys.I love to fly the easystar with different configurations, different autopilots, different FPV setups. Etc..etc..etc..But with the worldwide shortage of multiplex easystars as seen on towerhobbies - having been on backorder for well over 3 months, I figured it was time to do something about it. Thus, my project was born. Build a fuselage out of 6mm Depron, exactly the same dimensions as the easystar with the ability to take the plug in wings from the easystar and put them right on the airframe.Project Goals:1. Fit the easystar wings perfectly2. Exact same dimensions so the aerodynamics are no different3. Modular, able to add different payloads easily through hatch.4. Easy to template for mass reproduction.Here is what I came up with, and man let me tell you it works like a charm. Each Aircraft frame cost me less then $ 5 USD in depron. I buy my depron from rcfoam.com for those who wish to do this themselves.Plane is built with Hot glue gun. So construction of entire frame takes less then 1 hr from cutting to assembly.Here is the finished product:

I will post more pictures if you wish to see more angles.Elevator is 6mm EPP as is the rudder, that way its very rugged and I use packing tape on the bottom of the fuselage to keep a smooth landing surface and protect the depron from dinks on landing.Its super easy to make these, and all I did was mimic the same fuselage concepts as the easystar employs. This one is a front engine one, I have a rear engine one as well and the frame is built to use a pusher in the mid-section just like the easystar or a front mounted engine with folding prop.I am also finishing one with 2 engines, a front mount and rear mount all in one. Just for the heck of it, its only $5 USD in foam to try it :)The one above has been flown with ardupilot 25 times so far, and also serves as an FPV plane utilizing my velcro on all in one video system.$ 1 USD in depron for that one. Here is a photo of it...

If you need extra fuselages for different flight scenarios, then try scratch building them with depron. All you need is a long ruler, and a cutting board and glue gun. Gear added by your own tastes. 6mm depron sheet, 1 sheet will do 1 fuselage with enough left for parts.Cheers,-Peter
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Developer

New Confiq. Tool: Now supports up to 48 waypoints!

Posted by Jordi Muñoz on September 15, 2009 at 11:00am
Finally i figure out the problem that was limiting the number of waypoints on ArduPilot. The issue was in several parts (Confiq. tool, Ardupilot code and Atmega328 fuse bits). Anyway is ready (i guess) and you can download the Confiq. Tool from here:Release.zip (Note that this Confiq. Tool is not HappyKillMore approved yet ;-) )The latest code for ArduPilot can be found here:http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot/About the fuse bits i guess SparkFun is using the same configuration used for the Atmegas168, and the Atmega328 is different. When i was trying to debug the EEPROM and tried to dump it with the ISP and it was clear (only 0xFF's). Then i checked the fuses and I discovered that the EEPROM protection was enabled and the Bootloader protection was disabled. So i guess some ArduPilot's will fail overtime and you will need to reprogram the Bootloader. Why? Because when you don't protect the bootloader section (the one used to upload the firmware via the serial port) may get corrupted in some scenarios. I will notify about the problem.Before posting this i took a brand new ArduPilot, i ripped off the pink plastic bag and i read the fuses, and yeap the same issue:

[UPDATE]: The official realease of the Cofiq Tool is here
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Developer

Navigation algorithm for wind drift

Posted by Jason Short on September 14, 2009 at 11:30pm
I've been putting together my own UAV and live in SF so I'm always flying in high winds. Not over SF of course...I built a simulator in flash to hone my algorithm, but I wanted to put it out there to see if anyone had any suggestions. My idea is to basically calculate the optimal position, drift from the position and create a new virtual waypoint to target using a scaled version of the drift vector. It works well, but it does tend to hunt when turning into the wind. I could limit the offset of the virtual waypoint which should help a tad.Here's a link to the Flash Sim. (Requires Flash 10)Here's the Source with updated code to address wind better than the original.Click the image to run the Flash simulator:DriftComp.png
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Educational and advertising vessel (drone)

Posted by Tomtom Express on September 14, 2009 at 4:39pm
I am talking to a Science Museum about constructing an unmanned boat to navigate a waterway. It would be a fun way to introduce this sort of automation to the public. As this waterway is surrounded by trendy shops, bars, restaurants and condos, we are also thinking of doing advertising using LED and/or LCD displays to promote the science center. At night, there is very little traffic. The little traffic there is is from one or two ferries. For navigation, I am thinking of a GPS, of course, and ultrasonic range finders to avoid collisions. Any comments are welcomed. Thank you!
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Developer

Experimental Futaba Fasst based stabilizer and failsafe

Posted by Jason Short on September 13, 2009 at 2:30pm
I've been needing a simple RTL for my Easy Star based FPV system, so I bought the ArduPilot. Unfortunately, as Chris pointed out, the ArduPilot code doesn't handle the Fasst's way of setting an out of range PWM signal to be detected by the Ardupilot.So, last weekend I decided to start writing one from scratch specifically for my radio ( 7C 2.4GHz) and I flew it successfully today at Candlestick point in some decent 10mph winds. Things went so well I even had the plane deadstick landing on it's own in decent wind without toughing the controls. Here are some details...version .1 Features:- Auto-calibrate IR sensors, no Z used- Auto-calibrate Stick limits- Stabilization with proportional mixing - no thresholds- Futaba Fasst 2.4 failsafe detect through throttle- Plane will circle when in failsafe and maintain a 40% throttlenext up:- GPS code integrated from Ardupilot- proportional mixing for navigation mode when in autopilotApproach:To start I wanted to have full control at all times with the sticks, full resolution, and no dropped PWMs(@ 50Hz) from the receiver. I hooked up the 3 channels in from the radio to the ardupilot (I had to add a wire for throttle in.) Then I set up an interrupt to watch for ch1 to go high. After that I start timing the cascade of channels with a custom timer function. I also output the throttle while simultaneously watching for a failsafe. This all happens in approximately 3000-6000 µs.Next I read in the IR sensors, scale the input and apply a proportion of about .65 to them. Then I look at the ch1 and ch2 stick position to see how much pitch and roll to apply. Each channel calculates a mix independently and uses that mix to influence the final position. This way I can fly fully stabilized though I'm fully in control.For example:45° to 27° = 100% to 0%< 27° = no stabilizationFor failsafe, I currently just tilt the rudder slightly to the right to do a gentle turn. Next I'll add in the navigation code for RTL capability.Next week I'll hopefully have the RTL functionality in the air for testing. If you try this code out let me know how it works for you.Use:The code is self explanatory, and some wires need to be added to the AruPilot HW.You need to aim each IR sensor window at the ground and sky before each flight (or reset!!! be careful!!!)You need to move the rudder and elevator sticks with each reset to set the servo limits.Download XFPilotJason/
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3D Robotics

DIY Drones chat tonight (Sunday) at 9:00pm PST

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 13, 2009 at 11:00am
Free video streaming by Ustream Tonight we'll do our second podcast, which everyone here is welcome to participate in by listening to the chat live above and commenting and asking questions via the DIY Drones chat function. We'll be starting at 9:00 PM PST and will probably go about 40 minutes. This week we'll discuss: --The new Ardu IMU --Various trials and tribulations --Airframes! (new, planned and experience with existing ones --And whatever other cool stuff comes up!
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What would you pay for the ultimate GPS solution?

Posted by Scott Plunkett on September 11, 2009 at 8:31pm
I have been looking around for some time for a good GPS solution that fit all of my needs, had great compatibility with other components (without a ton of work on my part) AND gave me the features / performance I have been looking for…guess what – I found very few, and when I found them they were usually out of stock! So, I decided to look into putting together my own. I have the board designed, parts sourced, and a design/ fab house on board to help me make it happen. I am waiting on a final BOM (Bill of Materials), Logic Test, and DFM review before I will know what the actual parts / production cost is – but it got me wondering, so…I am looking for feedback – trying to determine whether or not anyone would want the following, and what you’d be willing to pay for it?GPS Module Specs:Ultra High Sensitivity–148dBm (Cold Start Acquisition)–165 dBm (Navigation)Low power consumption: 75mW @ 3.3V10Hz Fix RateNMEA protocol (default speed: 9600bps)WAAS/EGNOS support22 Tracking Channel – 66 Acquisition Channels (Best in Class)Cold Start (out of the box): 34s typ.Warm Start: 33s typ.Hot Start: 1s typ.Protocol: NMEA 0183, @ 9600 baudSensitivity:Acqusition (cold):-148dBm - Re-Acquisition:-160dBm - Navigating/Tracking:-165dBmPower Drain: (3.3V): Navigating: 1 fix/s: 75mW typ. - Backup state: 15uW typ.Active Sarantel GeoHelix Quadrifilar antenna:Right-hand circular polarized, 3.3 V, 50 Ohm, SMT mounted directly to the PCB board, +25 dBic Gain and operating temp between -40 and +85 degrees C, weighing 8.4 gramsOnboard Data Logger Specs:The data logging component incorporates the LPC2148 ARM 7 Processor with USB, battery charging, and microSD support. This allows use of the OpenSource SparkFun LPC2148 USB bootloader for fast and easy modification of the datalogger firmware without using a programmer. The logger employs a USB mass storage stack to appear under any operating system as a flash drive. Logs are created in FAT16 format on the micro-SD media and can be downloaded quickly over a USB connection by dragging and dropping the text files from the device. The microSD card can also be removed and inserted into a card reader to download the logs. Board comes with a JST connector to be powered from a LiPo battery or other power sources. If you choose to use separate LiPo batteries for GPS functions, the unit has a built-in charger to charge batteries off USB. Additional pins available for logging of additional information (temp etc. with add-on boards and firmware modification,,it is OpenSource baby!)Ships with 2GD microSD card and SD Card AdapterAdditional Board-Level Specs:Board has outputs from both of the GPS antenna UARTs, and data can be found on TTL (Raw GPS data for telemetry, I2S, and a connector compatible with the output from the EM406a GPS (ArduPilot Compatible – no adapter board required) An additional output is provided for sending data to a compatible OSD system (RVOSD compatible – plug and play.) A small rechargeable battery keeps the GPS config and datum on board for quick fixes.Please keep in mind, a comparable data logger is $60 dollars (although we could go cheaper if we dumped the microSD card slot and USB connectivity, but I love the elegance of this solution) and a comparable, but lower performing UBlox GPS unit is between $90 and $100 depending on where you buy it, if you can find it.So now with all that said…what is it worth?
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Developer

ArduIMU V2 Demo (Video)

Posted by Jordi Muñoz on September 11, 2009 at 1:00pm

I have to be honest; i tried to kept this project as a little secret to void people waiting for it, so i have plenty of time to prototype. Not to mention that everything was running very slow because the school and we were moving the business to another location.I would like to give special thanks to Chris Anderson, Nathan Seidle (from SparkFun) and specially to William Premerlani, we've spent a great time together trying to adapt the code into Arduino Environment, a great experience for me (absolutely). Thank you Bill!The ArduIMU V2 is intended to be used for learning and general robotics, also will set the starting point for next incoming IMU based ArduPilot's (at the end of this year) and lot more! The code is based on the very well known Arduino Environment and is Open Source (of course!).The hardware consists on 3 axis accelerometers/gyroscopes, dual power regulator (3.3v and 5v), GPS port, an Atmega328@16mhz and a lot of status LED's.The code uses Direction Cosine Matrix code (By Bill Premerlani) and some other stuff extracted from ArduPilot (developed by me). You can read more about DCM here.The mass production is not clear yet, but the sensors can be purchased now from SparkFun or from our store. For now i will assemble just a few boards (ready to use) and sell them the next week (controller board with sensors) for around 100 bucks, sorry... For around $99 dlls. =) But being honest i will have to increase tiny bit the price to keep the DIYdrones store alive! Moving the business was kinda expensive.About the boards color, i will kindly ask Nate to change the color to blue because I'm unable to match his red (mine is more like orange). All the incoming boards from us will be blue anyway. =)The code will be released next week with the hardware. Please be patient. Thank you!Here is a demo video:
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Moderator

OWL: UAV / FPV platform

Posted by Robert Krogh (hooks) on September 11, 2009 at 2:30am
A new platform "OWL" will soon be ready for small RC UAV / FPV flying.

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The plane will look like this:

The model are made in glassfiber and balsa:More info on the OWL will come in the near future!A new Platform based on the Multiplex Alfa 2100 are on the Drawing board.Modified as a pusher.Wingspan 2.1MVery stabel platformGood for payload.

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Calling all Houston, Texas Members (and surrounding areas)

Posted by Blair Davis on September 7, 2009 at 10:16pm
I would really like to start a "Houston Chapter" If there's one out there, sorry for stepping on anyones toes and if you provide some contact information I would Love to join you organization. But if there are any houston members out there that would interested in meeting and talking about development and/or working together on a few projects then I welcome you to contact me so that we can set something up! I believe that my contact information is listed and available, however if it isn't then please leave a comment and i'll be in touch shortly. And, just in case here is some of my contact information. Bldavis@graphicswerkz.com; or text me at 832-704-6212. Thanks and I look foward to hearing from all the Houston (and surrounding area) members. Thanks again!
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First Podcast episode is up! (Update: added iTunes links and show notes)

Posted by Tim Trueman on September 7, 2009 at 2:30am
AAC: http://feeds.feedburner.com/diydronesMP3: http://feeds.feedburner.com/diydronesmp3AAC has chapters so you can skip around and see what's discussed where as well as having embedded artwork/metadata that MP3 doesn't support.It's a test/pilot episode so it's a little rough around the edges. And it's long—nearly 62 minutes (I started editing out all the glitches and gave up; there's a lot of them).Suggestions, feedback, comments and ideas are welcome.EDIT: iTunes links are up!AAC: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=330632997MP3: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=330633212Show NotesPhotos of the NASA Ames field trip from several people: http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/nasa-ames-excursionArduPilot + OSD: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1102975ArduPilot IMU boards:http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9372http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9373Magnetometer tilt-compensation algorithms: http://www.magneticsensors.com/datasheets/sae.pdf
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6DOF IMU from Nunchuck and Wii Motion Plus

Posted by automatik on September 6, 2009 at 5:48pm
This is somewhat OT, but it could help someone just starting out...Nunchuck controller has three accelerometers and Wii Motion Plus has three gyros which makes a nice combination for 6 DOF IMU platform. People have been able to communicate with these devices before, but in order to talk to both of them you had to make an additional board ( it's slick solution though). I played with it while back, and figured out a way to acquire data from Nunchuck and WM+ via pass-through port and without extra board...i finally found some time to do a quick write up. Code provided in the above link is just for communication example and nothing else (i.e stabilization, Kalman, etc.)
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3D Robotics

DIY Drones chat tonight at 9:00pm PST

Posted by Chris Anderson on September 6, 2009 at 3:00pm
Free video streaming by Ustream [UPDATE: The above was for the live chat; the recorded podcast is here] We're planning a weekly podcast, and will beta test it this evening with a tech experiment which everyone here is welcome to participate in. This week we'll discuss: --The NASA Ames field trip --The first round of the T3 contest and the start of the second round --ArduPilot updates and the roadmap --AttoPilot test experience with EasyStar --Tips and tricks for airframe selection and integration --And whatever other cool stuff comes up! The mode is that two or three hosts will run the weekly discussion (which will last about 30 minutes) and record and edit it for a weekly podcast, which you can download and listen to anytime. We'll plan to have a guest interview each week but won't have one this week since we're mostly just testing the technology. At the same time the DIY Drones chat will be open so you can type questions in real time while we're talking. You can listen to the Skype chat in real time here. (also embedded above) Today your hosts will just be me and Tim Trueman, who has kindly volunteered to set up the technology and do the editing. But we are looking for a third host, so people who are interested should PM me.
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