Blogs

All Posts (14047)

Sort by

New Refrigerated Liquid Hydrogen Powered Search & Rescue UAV

Posted by Gary Thomas on November 18, 2008 at 4:49pm
I live in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. I'm a former Air Force C141 jet cargo plane mechanic. My trade is Auto Mechanics with a very special focus on Electric and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.

Could I interest anyone in your DIY Drones group in a new liquid hydrogen, electric motor & fuel cell powered " flying - wing blimp ", sailplane, cargo plane, helicopter or 4 rotor hovercraft?

The " KAIST " college research program over in Korea has got a " flying wing " UAV drone that's capable of over 10 hours flight time using just 500g of refrigerated liquid hydrogen fuel, a fuel cell and rather ordinary R/C electric motor.
In a report dated 11 OCT 2007, they claimed that they are ( as of OCT 2008 ) less than one year away from commercialization of ( very very simple, easily understood ) refrigerated liquid hydrogen / fuel cell / electric motor powered UAV technology.

PLEASE help me beat these college techies to the " Factory Production " punch!On February 17th, Fire / Search & Rescue organizations get alot of extra telemetry related " frequency bandwidth " when TV signals go digital in 2009 in the USA.

Telemetry operated Search & Rescue UAV models can be outfitted with digital or infrared cameras. This'll enable organizations like the US Coast Guard and US Forest Service, or Aussie equivalents to locate missing persons, even at night.

Current - technology electric motor & lithium ion battery powered UAV Search & Rescue drones are only capable of about 20 - 90 minutes of flight time. Because of this, the search radius is very small and the chances of finding ( f.e. ) lost hikers or persons thrown overboard in the ocean is greatly reduced.

Fortunately, existing, " off the shelf " technology I have discovered improves R/C or UAV flight distances by a factor of 7 - 12 times more than with lithium ion batteries alone. How? With refrigerated liquid hydrogen fuel.....

Here's a partial specifications list:

* Refrigerated liquid hydrogen fuel* Radiator* Fuel Cell* Electric Vehicle Motor Kit* Lithium Ion Batteries

If simple retrofits with the parts listed above are done, your R/C or UAV models( even helicopters ) will suddenly have a range of at least 2 - 10 hours without landing for recharge or refuel. This vital technology improvement allows Search & Rescue organizations to look for missing persons over a much wider area.

If I can help, call me at 1-480-528-1156 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Gary Thomas
Read more…
3D Robotics

DIY Drones updates

Posted by Chris Anderson on November 17, 2008 at 9:51pm
A few updates on where we stand on various projects: --ArduPilot: Our second production candidate is now being fabbed. Fingers crossed this one works (it should!). The software is close to ready and I can see us opening up for orders within a month. Ground station software is in alpha. --BlimpDuino: The final production candidate is in the hands of beta testers. The software is done. Now just preparing to turn our hand-assembled one-off kits into something we can mass produce. If you're a university professor or student in an engineering program and are interested in participating in an aerial robotics contest, PM me here and I'll try to get you a beta unit. --ArduPilot Pro: This autopilot, which has stabilization and navigation combined, needs to be more heavily flight-tested before releasing. I think we're looking at Q1 of next year.
Read more…
3D Robotics

Laser navigation allows heli UAV to navigate ground terrain

Posted by Chris Anderson on November 12, 2008 at 6:00pm
Carnegie Mellon research have fitted the standard Yamaha 3.5m heli platform (originally designed to fertilize rice paddies) with a custom 3D laser scanner. The result, says New Scientist, is a UAV that can hug the ground, avoiding obstacles as small as a telephone line: "The helicopter uses two navigation strategies. First, a long-range planning algorithm uses an existing 3D map to work out a general course that avoids large obstacles like buildings and trees. That map can be preloaded, or built up by the helicopter as it explores a new area. When the aircraft flies a route, its scanner looks out for other obstacles. As these appear, a local planning system takes over and plots a detour. The UAV can fly between two obstacles with only around 3 metres clearance on each side."
Read more…
3D Robotics

New Lego Mindstorms NXT servo driver module

Posted by Chris Anderson on November 12, 2008 at 1:00pm
HiTechnic is releasing their servo driver module for Lego Mindstorms NXT as a stand alone product. It is the same one that's in the high-priced FTC competition kit, and is similar to the prototype that I used in the Lego UAV. Can control up to six servos and/or DC motors, and you can daisychain them for more. $79. Unfortunately it doesn't have the RC-in multiplexer feature that the prototype had, so you can't just connect your RC receiver to it and use it to switch between RC and autopilot control. For that you'll need a separate failsafe/multiplexer, like this one or Jordi's DIY one (code here).
Read more…
3D Robotics

New ArduPilot Pro boards

Posted by Chris Anderson on November 10, 2008 at 9:00pm

While we revise the production boards for ArduPilot and Blimpduino is being tweaked by the beta testers, work continues on ArduPilot Pro, the dual-core autopilot with built-in IR stabilization. ArduPilot Pro is also our development platform for future versions of the code and because it uses DIP version of the Atmega168 CPU it can be upgraded to the Atmega328 if you want more memory. The latest board, shown above, updates the previous board in a few ways,. We took the GPS module off the board to give you more flexibility over which GPS use and where it is. Instead, we use a EM406 connector, which you can either use for a 5v 1Hz EM406 or use our soon-to-come daughterboard (which also uses the EM406 connector) for 3.3v 5Hz modules. As before, you need to buy a FMA IR sensor modules (here) or build ours. You can buy the board here. The Eagle files are here: Schematic, PCB. Here are the components you'll need:

LEDs:

Capacitors:

Crystal:

Resistors:

  • (R1,R4, R13) 2x 10kOhms P10.0KCCT-ND
  • (R2, R3, R5, R6, R8, R9-12) 10x 1Kohms P1.00KCCT-ND
  • (Trim pot, not marked on board but the three holes in a triangle next the "pot" lable): Trimpot 10k

Connectors:

Switch:

Read more…
3D Robotics

iPhone datalogging with a rocket

Posted by Chris Anderson on November 10, 2008 at 8:08pm

From MobileOrchard: "Michael Koppelman - an iPhone developer and model rocket enthusiast - decided to combine his hobbies by launching an iPhone into the skies with his very own “iPhone rocket.” Michael shares lots of interesting technical (and some less than technical) information during the interview, including: * how he polled the GPS and accelerometer * the lag between the GPS and the actual position of the rocket * how network access blocked polling - and how this affected the experiment * how the accelerometer only reported 3G (seriously!) instead of the expected 17G"

Read more…

ATTOPILOT website!

Posted by rad man on November 8, 2008 at 11:30pm
I just did a quick search and found that there was no blog post on the (fairly) recent opening of the "A T T O P I L O T" website! So, just in case your interested here is the website. They haven't began selling them yet ): so your gonna have to book mark it or RSS it (if you can) for future updates!P.S. The website was opened on October 1st 2008
Read more…

iHUD

Posted by JC on November 8, 2008 at 12:30am

iHUD-main-motion-blur.jpg

iHUD-in-Isuzu-Rodeo-wit-arrows.jpg

iHUD-in-Larr%27s-cockpit-cropped-II.jpg

ihudFrom the website:iHUD is an application (app) that turns the iPhone and - with limited features the iPod touch *) - into an aerospace-inspired mobile Glass Cockpit. iHUD derives its name from Head-Up Display, which depicts motion and flight-related pertinent guidance information and data for optimal situational awareness.iHUD depicts an extraordinary graphic interface with a simulated horizon and a vehicle reference symbol, dynamic speed, altitude, and vertical velocity ribbons and digital display window, rotating compass card with user selectable heading bug, slip/skid ball, and an accelerometer (G-meter).WOW that alone is worth getting an iphone
Read more…
3D Robotics

New 5Hz GPS module from Sparkfun

Posted by Chris Anderson on November 7, 2008 at 6:10pm
Sparkfun has just started selling the excellent 5Hz Locosys LS20031 GPS module that Dean Goedde is using with Attopilot. It uses the Mediatek chipset, which doesn't have a binary mode, but is otherwise great at getting a lock fast and keeping it. Cost is $59.95. Details: # 32 Channel GPS # Fast TTFF at low signal level # Up to 5Hz update rate # Capable of SBAS (WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS) # Built-in micro battery to reserve system data for rapid satellite acquisition # LED indicator for fix or no fix
Read more…

Another possible project

Posted by Tyler Nighswander on November 7, 2008 at 3:17pm
To start, I want to thank you all for such a great site! I came here about a year ago and never quite got over how fun it would be to build my own UAV, so I'm finally going to try it.Ideally the UAV would be able to receive some simple commands (fly to this location, raise altitude to this much, etc) and eventually carry a camera (something like this after being modified a bit, which will take pictures at the specified coordinates. Ideally the plane would just be stable, slow, and easy to control.My current plan is to use the Easy Star body (most likely I will be suffering from some crashes, so foam is very good) with most of the suggested mods for it (faster motor, slower prop, etc). I'm currently planning on using the Arduino Duemilanove for the main controller on the plane (mainly for it's low cost and ability to output a lot of PWM signals easily and get inputs from lots of digital and analog sources). I'm planning on doing the coding myself, just because that should make it far more interesting. For sensors, I am going to try to use Sparkfun's pressure sensor and maybe their small 5 DoF gyroscopic and accelerometer board, along with a GPS (I haven't decided on the model yet).One thing I'm not too sure about is what I will do for controlling it by radio. I am thinking about using these radio modules for their relatively low price and high power output, and then have some sort of setting on the plane to switch from auto-pilot to controlled directly from the radio. It seems to me that a lot of you have a failsafe backup computer as well as the radio control, to make sure that nothing can go horribly wrong, but I'm not sure how necessary this is, and I don't plan on flying the plane too far from where it takes off. I also don't know if something like those radios would be suitable for controlling the plane in real time. I would have a base station set up with a computer to control it and send it signals, as well as monitor the batteries and all that. I am also thinking about having some sort of failsafe system, where the plane will deploy a parachute if it is losing altitude too fast, the batteries somehow get lower than they should, or to help make it land without too much complicated control.Some questions I have for you guys are: is there any reason I should use the IMU I listed instead of a thermopile? what should I look for in a GPS? do you think that radio would make sense for communicating with a UAV? does anyone know if a parachute system makes sense?Any other thoughts or comments are greatly appreciated!
Read more…

Two things, time in the air and low light

Posted by Polymath on November 6, 2008 at 7:31pm
First off I want to say that I am very impressed with the work that is being done through this group. I was going to use a gumstix computer but the idea of using a cell phone was genius. Anyway, getting to the point. I was curious to know if anyone could suggest a platform that was battery powered and had a 30 minute flight endurance. My second question is a bit more specific. Has any one done work with low light, night vision, thermal or IR cameras?Infra red cameras can be made small and light weight but require reflected infra red light from an a second source like an LED bank and on top of that its relatively short range, less than 50ft. Night vision is same but not as bad, unfortunately its heavy, even the gen 3 stuff. Thermal would be optimal but I haven't used a thermal camera that weighed less than 5lbs.
Read more…

Starting out..

Posted by RaginBajin on November 3, 2008 at 2:06pm
This is my first blog post. I plan on updating my blog as I go through the process of starting from scratch learning to build an autonomous aircraft. My goals are to learn and build a fixed wing aircraft that will be able to take off, land, record, interpret, and steam back its information to a command post.To start my adventure, I purchased the Arduino Starter Kit. You can find it here: MakerShed.com. It was recommended on Chris Anderson's Blog. I also got 10% off by using "MAKER84". It is good till December 31st.So, here goes nothing..
Read more…
T3

NXT goes airborne (again)

Posted by Sami Finnila on November 2, 2008 at 10:00am
I made my first test flight today with my Lego NXT AutoPilot (all the needed parts are already commercially available!!).The test flight was a success when it comes to AutoPilot but in the middle of the flight my EasyGlider suffered an elevator servo failure. NXT, however, managed to make something like a landing and nothing was broken.Here are some specs of my NXT AutoPilot:Hardware:-Mindsensors Accelerometer-Mindsensors Servo Controller-Mindsensors Compass Sensor (on the same input port as accelerometer)-2x HiTechnic rate gyros-(Homebrewed pressure-sensor for altitude control but this is not really neccessary (on the same input port as servo controller))Software:-Full NXT based stabilisation with PID (uses integrated gyro outputs as input and accelerometer data to set gyro bias)-GPS navigation with the help of the compass sensor-All coding made with RobotC-What would you like? :)I'm really amazed how well this assembly works. Gyro integration - and how well it works - is what amazed me most: The gyro drift is generally less than 5deg/min which accelerometer can easily compensate (I didn't even use Kalman Filter and the AutoPilot flies the EasyGlider better than I do!). As for NXT's CPU speed: only about 50-60% of CPU time is being used while all the functions of the AutoPilot are on.Just like Chris said: "It's so cool--". ..and now you can finally make this yourself! I'll publish the source code (?) when I have translated all the commentations to english....More to come soon! (Videos, photos and so on...)Sami F.
Read more…

Getting Started With Paparazzi

Posted by Cory on October 31, 2008 at 11:30am

I think for the hobbyist, the only real choice is an open source autopilot. Unfortunately with a closed source solution, you are stuck with the feature set that the developer wants you to have. Another major advantage of open source autopilots is that reading the source code is a valuable learning, and troubleshooting tool. Even if you never intend to modify the code, just being able to look at it can be enough to resolve a problem.In my personal opinion, the Paparazzi project is the best hobby autopilot. At the hobby level, no closed source(or open source) project can match the coding resources the Paparazzi project has. The Paparazzi project has a long list of features which are only matched by expensive proprietary autopilots. Want a camera, multiple UAVs, video, full featured ground station(with integrated real time video if you want), telemetry, powerful flight plans, to control a quadcopter? You can do all of this and more with Paparazzi.What are the technical requirements?I added a technical requirements post for UAVs in general here. The only thing you need to add to that list is some decent Ubuntu Linux ability. If you are halfway competent with windows you will be just fine. My father has been using Ubuntu exclusively for months now, and he is doing fine. He can barely even delete folders, and his first successful download in the short time he had Vista was spyware pretending to be antivirus.How long does it typically take to get it working?It took me a few months working off and on. It takes a while to fully get a handle on all the parts. You ARE going to bang your head on the wall a bit. I also spent about two days building the wiring harness. The molex picoblade connectors are a pain. Tip from me: buy the precrimped wires.What are the real costs, all included?Expect to spend around $600 for autopilot with telemetry. excluding RC Plane and laptopYou will need:The autopilot: Tiny V2.11 Comes with integratedGPS(Get the LEA-4P model, since the GPS is easier to deal with)Vertical IR SensorHorizontal IR SensorSee the Get Hardware page on the wiki for parts sources. Do not buy any parts from Halfbase.com, or you will most likely lose your money.I recommend using the Xbee Pro modems, it is pretty easy to get them working.For airborne, part number: XBP24-AWI-001 ← OEM module with whip antennaFor ground, part number: XBP24-PKC-001-UA ← This one has a nice aluminum enclosure for your ground station which will keep your modem alive longer.These are the 2.4ghz modems, if you have 2.4ghz video on your plane you can get xbee in 900mhz.Start with a slow and stable plane, and you will have an easier time and will not need to add a rate gyro on the roll axis.Where's the best place to get started?The best place to get started is on the Paparazzi wiki. The wiki can be hard to understand at times, but bear with it. If you find a problem, make some edits please.Go to the site map link on the wiki, and read EVERY page on the site map. It is a pain to read the whole thing, but it will help you a lot.Next download and install the paparazzi software, and simulate some flights, and play with the flight plans.Once you have done that, then I would purchase the hardware.What's the best place to turn to for help?1.The wiki2.The mailing list (don't forget to search the list archives)3.This big nasty thread on rcgroups (don't forget the thread search tool)The normal rules for getting help online apply: Show what you have tried to solve your problem, and use a descriptive title.Whew! You still with me? Paparazzi is not easy, but it is rewarding. Anyhow if you wanted easy, you would not be wanting to build your own UAV. It is a lot of hard work no matter what autopilot you choose, but it is extremely rewarding when you are standing in a field watching your plane fly around with no input from you.
Read more…

VicaCopter 2.0 4 U

Posted by Jack Crossfire on October 31, 2008 at 12:30am
Decided to put VicaCopter 2.0 on vicacopter.com. This is the last version for single rotor copters. It's mainly a reference, since no-one will probably ever replicate it.This version uses ground based autopilot & has the most detailed schematics of them all. Embedded computers were never cheap & never provided enough computing power. The high cost of sub micro servos, rapid servo wear, difficult payload mounting, & tail rotor effects were counting down the T-Rex clock. A steep drop in brushless motor prices & a servo death & it's quad rotors over T-Rexes.

neural_feedback01.jpg

Read more…

List of suggested skills for someone who wants to DIY a DRONE

Posted by Cory on October 29, 2008 at 7:46pm
I made this non exhaustive list of skills which are nice to have if you want to build your own UAV.I think a basic handle on all of these skills will greatly help anyone who wants to build a UAV. If you want to build a UAV, and lack a lot of these skills, don't take this to mean you cannot do it, just understand the magnitude of the difficulty, and be prepared to press on in the face of adversity and to teach yourself a lot. When I decided to build a UAV, I had never even flown an RC plane or even been to a flying field. I had to learn all of the RC skills first. So, you can do it too, if you don't give up.Programming>Experience with C>Able to compile software>Can program embedded systems>Know how to find the appropriate resources for support (forums, mailing lists, wikis, etc.)Radio Control Aircraft>Be able to take off and land with confidence>Be able to fly simple patterns>Understand model aircraft setup>Be able to make simple repairs to model aircraft>Be familiar with tools and techniques used for model aircraft>Understand the care and usage of lithium polymer batteries>Be a member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (For access to certain flying fields)Electronic>Familiar with embedded systems>Know how to interface electronic components to micro controllers>Be able to locate, read, and understand data sheets>Know how to troubleshoot electronic systems>Understand signal timing>Be able to solder small components and wires>Be able to fabricate wiring harness>Be able to read schematicsControl Theory>Understand PID controlGeneral>Able to learn without guidance>Strong ability to troubleshoot systems
Read more…