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Paparazzi autopilot in the Arctic again

Posted by Martin Mueller on March 24, 2009 at 5:31am
We are back in the Arctic flying Paparazzi aircrafts on Svalbard (N78° E15°) doing research with the Geophysical Institute of the University of Bergen/Norway. There are two teams operating near Longyearbyen, one on the apron of Longyearbyen airport (LYR) and the other at the old northern lights research station in Adventdalen. Currently we can get permission to fly up to 1500m outside the airport opening times. The Paparazzi aircrafts work perfectly...for humans it is just a little cold. Last night we flew having -32°C (-25°F) on the ground.

The aircrafts are flying vertical and horizontal surveys to measure temperature, humidity and pressure. Wind is estimated by flying and gliding in circles. The aircrafts operate over open land, in the valley, over ice and water. The air layers show very strange effects, especially in the valley. Last night we "surfed" on a wave of air that was falling down and bouncing up from the surrounding mountains. Without the motor turned on the Funjet soared up 1m/s for several minutes at 1330m. The aircrafts nose was pushed down to sink and the Funjet is not a glider at all...
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My Ardupilot v2.0 code mod's

Posted by Max on March 23, 2009 at 11:07pm

After the 1st test flight and seeing the plane wobble too much ive edited the code to make the following changes...Original code#define roll_P .8 //roll PID proportionalRudder to sensitive1st test#define roll_P .5 //roll PID proportionalNo wobble at all but wont turn...2nd test#define roll_P .65 //roll PID proportionalStill too sensitive but much better then .8 & seems to turn with alot of authority, would roll violently in the cross wind (was about 10-20knots)Ill have to go down 1st thing in the morning when there is no wind, might also drop it down to .6 and see how it flys.Max
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MY UGV

Posted by Ho-Chung Chang on March 21, 2009 at 8:20am
It is my UGV that has done only by myself.Front Camera for Road recognizing, LMS291 is for detect obstacle, IMU300 and DGPS are for navigation and attitude estimating. Solar cell is for RF system backup power.

After Paint....XD

I have not completed yet. Just provide way point navigation, obstacle avoidance (only front). I have stored money to buy Laser Range finder and manufacture a real gun turret with vision target tracking.
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New GPS

Posted by Boomslang on March 20, 2009 at 12:52am

GPS RecieverThe main features of this GPS is that it constantly tracks position, so there is no startup wait. Only 1ma power consumption! Hope that sparkfun will get some of these on breakout boards when they arrive.I wonder what the update rate on these will be?
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Ardupilot 1.0: Successful testing with Easy Star

Posted by Jason on March 19, 2009 at 10:26pm
After working out a few kinks (bad CPD4 sensor) I successfully tested Ardupilot 1.0 with my modified Easy Star with ailerons. I have been testing with the NE code loaded and the PID heading gain set initially at -40,40, and most recently at -25,25. I also have the rudder servo set to 'Normal'. At first I left it set to reverse but realized the mistake after the first flight test. One thing I am still trying to work out is the plane's tendency to oscillate when flying towards the NE, that is, the plane tends to turn past the heading by 10 - 15 degrees or so only to turn back the other way to correct, and then repeats this over and over. When I had the PID gain set to 40 the problem was much more pronounced, so I am thinking of scaling back from the current setting of 25 to 20. All in all I am very excited to have come this far!
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3D Robotics

AttoPilot now on sale!

Posted by Chris Anderson on March 19, 2009 at 8:45pm

Great new. Dean Goedde is now accepting orders for AttoPilot. $800: Main features: 50Hz Attitude control (pitch and roll) with elevon and V-tail mixing Automatic gain scheduling based on airspeed Pitot airspeed sensing and control 100 3D waypoints with airspeed targets and 6 scripting parameters Line hold navigaton to mere meters accuracy Included GCS with ability to playback LOG.txt recorded to removable SD media onboard the UAV Integrated power sensing to 90A and 50V User-defined mAh abort limit failsafe for forced RTL Unlimited onboard logging of 65+ parameters to micro SD media at 5Hz Options to trigger photos at ground distance intervals or time intervals Optional motor spin-down to idle before photos are triggered Special NEW and universal RC failsafe system 100% compatibility with all R/C systems that "speak" to servos with 1-2ms logic pulses either 3V or 5V logic (no level shifters) Wide voltage input range 4.2 to 13.2V, only 100mA including GPS 5Hz GPS with WAAS support Here's the price list for it and all the related items:

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Use This non-line-of-sight Product Outside of USA Homeland Security Zone

Posted by Gary Thomas on March 19, 2009 at 4:00pm
Current UAV Search and Rescue Camera Drone technology is limited because of the maximum range, or distance the UAV drone can travel on one fueling.

Please note that Germany now has a 42-kW [ 56 horsepower ] piloted self-launching airplane/glider combo. It's fueled with underwing pods of Refrigerated Liquid Hydrogen and uses a PEM fuel cell. View it here:
www.lange-aviation.com
At about 100 mph airspeed, it's capable of over 24 hours of uninterrupted flight time before it must land for refueling ..... That's over 2,400 miles folks!

One other extended-range UAV drone is the " KAIST " college Research and Development program in South Korea. They've got a new flying-wing UAV drone. Originally, they claimed it was powered with 500g of liquid hydrogen, a fuel cell and electric motor. More recently, however, they claim that it is fueled with sodium borohydride. Oddly enough, the wording of the report I read altered slightly [ between last year and this year ] .... maybe for proprietary or security related reasons .... Nonetheless, this very special purpose UAV drone is capable of over 10 hours of uninterrupted flight time, before it must land for refueling.
My bet's on Refrigerated Liquid Hydrogen for maximum flight time and distance.....Unsure about the potential for sodium borohydride..... Far and away more BTU's in the Refrigerated Liquid Hydrogen.....KnowhatimeanVerne?

Imagine, if you will, a working scale-model of The Seattle Space Needle, for UAV Search and Rescue Camera Drone, Property Photography and Personal Security use.
Envision the www.microdrones.com " Powerplant " being installed INSIDE a scale model of the 1962 World's Fair Seattle Space Needle.

Propulsion configuration is a judicious blend of:* 4 EV Electric Motors* PEM Fuel Cell* Refrigerated Liquid Hydrogen* Lithium Batteries and* military-specification Ultra-Capacitors

This vital new category of UAV drone could be easily be equipped with GPS Auto-Pilot or GPS-Waypoint-Navigation. This way, unwanted radio frequency interference is far less probable.

Notable are these facts:* Liquid Hydrogen contains about 3X the BTU value of Jet-A or Aviation Gasoline.
* PEM fuel cells are 1.5X to 2.5X more efficient than almost every kind of internal combustion engine
* EV electric motors with PWM / MOSFET electronic controllers eliminate alot of the drivetrain efficiency losses you'd otherwise encounter

For some strange reason, I attract negative comments like a very small / ultra-powerful liquid nitrogen cooled electromagnet. God only knows why .....

Over 24 hours of liquid hydrogen / fuel cell / electric motor powered flight time is a far cry from the mistaken 13 minute flight duration lithium battery / electric motor powered airplane which is also sold on this web-site.
Finally, the aforementioned model " DLR-H2 " 42-kW / 56 horsepower piloted airplane at www.lange-aviation.com was flight tested late last year. Production this year, with new world " zero-pollution " aviation distance records may indeed follow.
If you can help, lemmi know and join in.If not, then please keep distractional comments to yourself.

After being ridiculed and ignored for 9 years or more on my Fuel Cell / Liquid Hydrogen / Electric Motor / Lithium Battery / Ultra - Capacitor Aviation Propulsion Design ideas, I'm not in the mood for any more of it, especially since my very basic & vital idea is now a flight-tested commercial reality in Germany.
Save the chiding for your children.

Cheers!Mr. G. Thomas1.480.528.1156Avondale, Arizona USA

Other web sites of interest -disclaimer: It is not my intent to promote nor endorse any of the following companies. I'm just providing technical information on potential UAV drone parts suppliers.www.acpropulsion.com , www.maxwell.com , www.ballard.com , www.sourceguides.com , www.popularmechanics.com August 2001 edition - you are looking for a full page drawing of a very interesting Urban High Rise Building Search & Rescue Hovercraft that PM magazine claims is made at " DM Aero Safe Group " in Ashdod, Israel.

USA Digital TV Conversion - [ extra available rf-signals from February 17th, 2009 digital TV conversion will help alot with the future deployment of plenty of telemetry operated UAV drones ].Southeast Asia Memorial Wall in Washington DC - My Uncle Charles [ Chuck ] Earl Schoolcraft is listed on Panel 32W, Line 051 of the SE Asia Memorial Wall. Army records say he was run over & killed by a US Army " half - track " armored truck in the province of Tuyen Duc, Vietnam on February 17th, 1969. This was Chinese New Years Day .... precisely ONE Chinese calendar year, to the very day, after that nasty Tet 1968 episode.
How bizarre!
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Ardupilot + waypoint task

Posted by Magnus Persson on March 18, 2009 at 11:05pm
Helloi am new in UAV world and looking to get a ardupilot to try. but I have a small questionIs ardupilot able to make a waypoint task (eg to take a photo or releasing Payload) when it comes to a selected waypiont?
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Air Force Planning Giant Spy Airship

Posted by Tom in NOVA on March 18, 2009 at 3:30am
From article below:"The final version of the airship will be about 450 feet long. However, the prototype will be only a third of that size. The craft is known to military planners as ISIS, or Integrated Sensor Is the Structure, referring to the radar system built into the structure of the craft.The ISIS has a hull made of a lightweight, thick skin. Zeppelins - like the Hindenburg - have a rigid external structure. Blimps are not rigid, and are given their shape from the pressure of the helium gas. According to military, the ISIS is closer to a blimp than a zeppelin, but officials most frequently call it an airship. "Airship," like "dirigible," is a broader term."http://www.military.com/news/article/March-2009/air-force-planning-giant-spy-airship.html
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So glad to hear that you've recovered your aircraft.

Posted by Dick Kline on March 17, 2009 at 2:34pm
Matthias... little did you expect to get your plane back. Have you flown it since its been repaired? I hope you'll have many more great flights with this aircraft. The KF airfoil concept continues to grow. Did you ever get to see Dave Powers "KF Airfoil Testing" on YouTube. It turns out that the KFm4 is faster than the other versions. Maybe its because 50% of this airfoil is air against air, thus no direct friction or drag. Be well.Dick Kline
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new here

Posted by evilmacaw on March 17, 2009 at 12:19pm
hi all ,i am new to RC and very intrested in building an AUV ,so in what is going to take some time to buy and assemble all the elements project, i have just ordered an EasyStar as my base unit off of which i will build my own drone , in my area finding a thermal is as easy as follow the Buzzard :) cause i have plenty of them around here LOL . i have spent two days going thru some of the forum and posts and can see i have a lot to learn and will need the help from other members to get this project off the ground as i am a low level computer user and know nothing about programming , my only redeeming quality is that i am a master craftsman in 11 diffirent trades and i do know a little bit of electronics (one of my surface supplied diver com`s has been running for 8 hr /5 days a week for over 18 years ).i live with my namesake a 18 year old, 40" long, beak as big as your fist , folds pennys in half for fun, Miligold Macaw , a boy names Lola (i think thats what makes him so mean lol )in a self built small 2 1/2 story log cabin set back in the woods on 5 acres of wood land and a spring fed creek running across it , it is a very rough mile out to the mailbox on what is recognised as the Worst dirt road in the county (got to love it )i have a few neighbors and unfortunately one is a known drug dealer , he lives at the very end of the road and his clients and him self are known thief`s having hit a number of my neighbors, but not me due in part to Da Macaw and my being heavily armed and an ex special service operator (read it how you will ) . due my age and the toll my profession has taken on my body , i need a way to keep an eye on that slimy bastich and as a FO in case i need to drop a few 2.77" BP mortar rounds on him and his lab MUW HA HA HA HA ha ha ha (but i really don`t need that kind of trouble !!!! )i am already very familiar with Thermal and extreme low light cameras 0.0004 Lux, better than 99% of the NV gear currently in usei hope with the assistance of you all i will be able to field a Spy in the sky so i can keep tabs on him and help keep my neighbors safe so we never have to use lethal force to protect our selvessincerlyEvilmacaw
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Predator UAV Model Control Software

Posted by RDorsey on March 16, 2009 at 11:45pm
Hello all, I am new to the community. I currently run an afterschool program for k-12 students and we are going into aerospace. We recently purchased a UAV Predator model to build and fly and we were wondering if there is any type of software that works directly with the drone where the students can actually build a control station and program the model from there as opposed to your standard remote control. Email me at rdorsey@wizkidztech.org
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