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Remzibi's OSD now shows ArduPilot data

Posted by Paul Mather on August 27, 2009 at 9:30pm
Remzibi has released a new version of his firmware today. V1.60 includes an early version of his new messaging system that can be used for lots of other applications as well as ArduPilot.Device ConnectionOSD_your_device1.JPGFor details on the interface and more info as it develops please take a look at this thread:http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=921467&page=68#post12973661Sample Output through OSDArduRemzibi2.gif
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3D Robotics

ArduPilot sensor calibration FAQ

Posted by Chris Anderson on August 27, 2009 at 9:30am
A number of you had sensor calibration questions, so I asked Jordi, to get the answers straight from the source: 1) Are the sensors calibrated only when the bind plug is on or also with every reset? Only when you insert the bind plug, then it will be recorded in the eeprom. If you restart you don't have to calibrate again (in short periods of 15 mins, battery change for example). 2) Does the sensor calibration happen after GPS lock or before? The answer is after. The calibration happens exactly when you remove the bind plug, takes like 1 second. 3) What happens after you take off the bind plug? Any additional calibration? Well, it will read the Z sensor for calibration and store all the values in the eeprom, which takes no time at all. Just be sure the airspeed sensor is not against the wind (in strong winds). 4) Should the airplane be held in the air while the sensor calibration is going on? The airplane can be in the ground. Just stay away from the z sensor when removing the bind plug. Any other calibration tips? Always switch to autopilot when you are in ground, to see if the elevator and rudder responds. Remember that the Z sensor calibrates over time. If you leave the aircraft (even in manual) the sensor will calibrate better. Also try to apply pressure on the pitot tube to test the throttle vs airspeed.
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LCROSS IMU failure -> fuel exhausted

Posted by Jack Crossfire on August 26, 2009 at 11:00am
LCROSS IMU malfunctionIt just shows how even for the pros, something as basic as the IMU & AHRS can still ruin your day. You think it's just a matter of pimping a couple trillion dollars from the slaves, buying a super expensive AHRS to do something that's been done for 60 years & moving on to more important things like trajectory design. This is the stuff hobbyists struggle over, not multi trillion dollar space programs.But no, getting a reliable IMU & AHRS is still as fickle as ever in space travel. Unusual vibration modes, bad connections, small voltage fluctuations, RF interference, line noise all get you. We fought long & hard to minimize VicaCopter's AHRS component count down to just 3 reliable gyros & GPS because of all the failure points & the critical role the AHRS plays in our vehicles.It's tried & true technology, but it's the basis for everything. If the AHRS goes, your fuel/batteries R history. Funny how searching for LCROSS IMU on The Goog brings up the Jack Crossfire blog.
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3D Robotics

Details of Sept 2 NASA Ames field trip

Posted by Chris Anderson on August 25, 2009 at 10:00am

For those of you who signed up for the Sept 2 UAV field trip to NASA Ames and submitted your name before my comment marking the 12th person, here are the details. 1) You must PM me with your full name. You will be required to show Government-issued ID (drivers license or equiv, just like the airport) 2) Meet at 10:15 am outside the badging office in the visitors parking lot to the right of the main gate on Moffet Blvd (shown above). Please get badged as you arrive to minimize delays. At 10:30 Chad Frost will join us to escort us into the facility. 3) If you don't PM me by Friday (Aug 28th), I will assume that you can't make it and will replace you with someone on the waiting list! 4) Cameras are allowed. Chad will tell us if there's something we shouldn't be photographing. 5) We'll be having lunch in the cafeteria. You might want to bring a little extra cash for cool NASA swag!
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Multi-channel RC servo signal to RS232 converter

Posted by Roberto Hawkowski on August 25, 2009 at 2:24am
Hello All,There are many small, off-the-shelf boards which can accept TTL or RS232 serial data and control/drive multiple RC servo motor. What I am looking for is the reverse of this operations. That is, I want to measure multiple servo pulses with one small unit, and send the measured values via a TTL or RS232 port.

Do you know if there is any small, off-the-shelf solution for this?Roberto
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3D Robotics

Current standings in the T3 contest (just one week to go!)

Posted by Chris Anderson on August 24, 2009 at 9:05am

Here are the latest standings (just top 10) for the T3 contest. Our judge, Gary Mortimer, has added flags to inspire national rivalries and inter-Nordic competition. Paparazzi and AttoPilot are showing the power of mature navigation algorythms and well-turned planes, but we've got a week before the Aug 31st deadline, so perhaps some ace ArduPilot tuners will get their planes dialed in before then (I'm at the beach all week playing with config settings and flying dozens of times a day, so I may be able to improve my own time)
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3D Robotics

NASA Ames UAV field trip! (Sept 2)

Posted by Chris Anderson on August 19, 2009 at 8:00pm
Chad Frost, the manager of the NASA Autonomous Systems and Robotics department, has kindly offered to give a dozen lucky DIY Drones members a tour of the UAV facilities at NASA Ames in Mountain View, CA. This is a totally unique experience (I've done it before for a Wired Science PBS TV episode) and totally worth taking a few hours off work for! The date is Wed, Sept 2nd, and we're shooting for an 10:30 am arrival, staying through lunch. Chad will give us a tour of ~3 UAV projects. You'll make your own way to NASA Ames and park in the visitors' center, and Chad will escort us through security. Due to NASA regulations, this is limited to US citizens and no more than 12 people. Sign up in the comments below. Futher instructions will come closer to the date.
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India seeks micro UAVs

Posted by Wladyslaw Motyka on August 19, 2009 at 2:17am
India seeks micro UAVsBy Vivek RaghuvanshiOctober 26, 2007The Indian Army is on a global hunt to buy unspecified numbers of micro UAVs to fly surveillance missions in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir and for anti-insurgency operations in the country’s northeast.Bids have been sent to companies that make the Bird Eye (Israel Aerospace Industries), FanTail (Singapore Technologies Aerospace), Raven (U.S. firm AeroVironment), Skylark (Israel’s Elbit) and Tracker (Europe’s EADS).A senior Army official said the service will need more than 200 UAVs in the next three to five years, with the requirement increasing as more urban areas are put under surveillance.The micro UAVs are a priority procurement for the Army and could be inducted into service by mid-2008. The Army has specified no numbers in the bid, but service sources said the order could increase depending on the UAV’s performance as funds are available.The global bids, sent early this month, stipulate that the micro UAV selected should be able to:å Perform reconnaissance and surveillance over mountains, day and night, and immediately transmit data to operators by voice and video.å Identify and detect targets.å Do surveillance of rural and urban areas where insurgents operate.å Assess post-strike damages.The micro UAV also must weigh no more than 40 kilograms; be easy to assemble; have a low-noise engine, fixed or rotary wings and a low heat signature; and be able to avoid enemy detection and engagement.The system’s ground control station should be a portable laptop that can display video and flight data on a digital map background and control the UAV in flight. Also, the UAV should be capable of performing a preprogrammed flight when navigation way points are fed into the computer.A crew of two should be able to set up and operate the UAV and perform the launch mission in 15 minutes. It should resist electronic countermeasures.The Army also wants a UAV that can operate in temperatures between minus-10 degrees and 50 degrees Celsius, fly at speeds up to 50 kilometers per hour at a range of at least 10 kilometers, and endure 90 minutes of flight.
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3D Robotics

Poll: When should we have scheduled chat?

Posted by Chris Anderson on August 18, 2009 at 8:00pm
Some of you have noticed that we've added a chat app to this site. The problem is that we're all busy and scattered around the world's time zones, so it's hard to get a critical mass of people in the chat room at any one time. So I suggest a scheduled chat hour, once a week. When? The poll is below, but I'll make my own preference clear first. I'm in California, and the only predictable free time I've got is on Sunday evenings. I'm fine if people want other times, but I may not be able to participate.
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3D Robotics

Surplus missile gyros!

Posted by Chris Anderson on August 18, 2009 at 4:00pm

Probably useless today, but what a cool bit of autopilot nostalgia! A mechanical gyro from a missile for $16.95. From the product listing: "These are precision rate gyros that were made for use in guidance systems of military missiles. The last time we had these we were told that they were from the Maverick Missile Program, however, we don't know for sure. They were made in 1981, they are new and were made by Honeywell. The part# is 3051235-1 and the model number is GG440A18. They are 2 1/4" x 15/16" Dia. The body is gold plated and the gyroscope has 6 color coded flexible wire leads. We supply it with a circuit diagram showing how to use a 741 Op Amp, a 2N3904 transistor, a 2N3906 transistor, and a few resistors and capacitors, to cause the internal gyro motor to spin from a 400Hz signal that the circuit produces (the circuit requires + and - 15VDC). The circuit shows which leads of the gyro to use to spin it, however we don't have any other data. We were told that the phase angle output changes as the gyro is tilted, This gyro was known as the Golden Gnat and we were told it was used in autopilots, missile guidance and robotics. Hurry these will sell quickly!" (via BlueSky on RCGroups) Update: more on the history of this gyro:

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U. of Alaska—1st org. other than NASA/DoD to get a COA to fly in civil airspace beyond line-of-sight

Posted by Tim Trueman on August 18, 2009 at 1:00pm
The University of Alaska is the first entity, other than NASA or the Department of Defense, to receive an emergency certificate of authority from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly in civil airspace with an unmanned aircraft beyond line-of-sight.A sign of progress?University of Alaska assists fire personnel in mapping the Crazy Mountain Complex fires with the ScanEagle.
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3D Robotics

Current standings in the T3 contest

Posted by Chris Anderson on August 18, 2009 at 8:11am

With just two weekend still to go in the T3 Contest, here are the latest standings. Paparazzi is in the lead, but we have practically every other hobby-grade autopilot represented, including ArduPilot, AttoPilot, PicoPilot, FlexiPilot, and even the rarely-seen CropCam's MP 2028. The 60 second mark has been broken, and one clever entrant (Krzysztof Bosak) has even used music from the band T3 in his video to win extra points from the judge/contest co-creator (Gary Mortimer). Just a reminder that everyone (any autopilot/aircraft) is free to enter but please read the rules about the evidence you have to submit (track on a map, KML file and video). Also, anybody can enter as many times as they want, so if you weren't happy with your first run, try, try again! The final day for entries in Aug 31s, and winners will be announce on Sept 1. The next contest will also be announced on that day.
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The "Bravo" Flying Wing has flown

Posted by Stephen Carlson on August 18, 2009 at 12:56am
It flies! Earlier today, I stepped outside, walked 80 feet to the 10+ acre field next to my house, and chucked my brand new flying wing. There are few things in the world like flying a plane that you've scratch built. And unlike many of my plane projects in years past, this one actually flew well.I've been working on UAV platforms all summer. Although I can't show my regular research project (If I told ya I'd have to, ah..... NDA ya!), I can show this aircraft, which is being built for the research project and as a typical flying wing UAV platform.

I modeled the entire thing down to the details on Autodesk Inventor 2010. (Well, not every detail, but most.)

If I can get my Ardupilot working well enough, I might tempt a shot at the T3 Contest with this thing.
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T3

T3 speed contest: abusing smooth-flying EasyStar.

Posted by Krzysztof Bosak on August 17, 2009 at 3:46pm

T3 Trust Time Trial robotic airplane pattern flying using FLEXIPILOT from Krzysztof Bosak on Vimeo.

The overall time is disappointing but was expected.I used unprepared airframe, just trottled up settings,it is a surprise it flew the pattern without too much oscillations(it has gain scheduling related to throttle, what saved the day).Altitude hold is below average at 10m.Time: 1:26.The platform is dull gray development EasyStar workhorse rudder-only, too ugly to show.Onboard 2 GPS and 3 autopilots: one FLEXIPILOT piloting and logging, one FLEXIPILOT just logging,one RVOSD (not used except for display).
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