Comments

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  David Boulanger January 21, 2014 at 11:19am

  Nate,  I think the latest code has come along way.  I am running 3.0.1 and have had no problems with it.  Flying 1 meter off the ground in loiter without enabling the sonar is no problem.  If I did it for 10 minutes then yes the barometer would most likely give a false altitude.  I think version 2.9 was the initial breakthrough in TRAD HELI.  Try the new versions I think you will be impressed.  My APM sits below the heli frame and my only real issue is my vibes on the Y-axis are about +-.2.  I think it's just a little to far below the center of gravity. I have never seen ground effect turbulence disrupt a extremely slow landing in any of the automodes.

  Regards

  David Boulanger
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  Nate Miller January 21, 2014 at 10:55am

  Rob: PM me and I'll fill you in on my experience with my Bergen machine.

  David: The Arducopter code, while supportive of traditional helis, has an awful lot of optimizations for multirotors, and when I branched my code at ArduCotper 2.8.1, was full of bugs. I had to re-do how the CPPM mixing was done for swash plates so we could handle an RC multiplexer fail safe, add libraries for rotor speed feedback and camera interface, add a few control laws to govern the rotor speed for gasoline engines, add safety features to kill the gas engine (ground the magneto) in even of electrical system failure, re-do the gimbal library to stabilize better and support more intuitive user interfacing from the GS, adjust the acro mode control laws to account for a flybar, adjust the heading control laws to account for an external gyro so that, in the even of an autopilot failure, the heli can be easily hand flown, completely redo the embedded side of the mission scripting (there were so many bugs there that only navigation command mission items would function properly), and others that I probably don't recall at the moment. I haven't looked at any code since 2.8.1, so it may be better now. There is also an issue with having the baro beneath the rotor blades. Ground effect causes the baro to get some strange readings on takeoff and landing. I never figured out a good fix to that one.
• 

  Rob_Lefebvre January 21, 2014 at 10:41am

  All: These discussions really don't get much attention here.  Please try to discuss things on the new forum:

  http://ardupilot.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=66&sid=2751bf716c509...

  Kevin Zhou:  Hard to say if it's mature enough, because nobody has done it, but I like to think so.  There really have not been any crash-o-matic bugs for some time.  Most crashes are user error, or hardware failure.

  Nitro would not be a good fuel choice.  You should use gasoline.  But 30kg payload means you have a VERY large helicopter.  I'm not aware of anything affordable.  10kg is much more reasonable.

  flyingdragon: 2 hours is completely possible.  It's been done on electric even.  World record is 2.5 hours.  With gasoline, it's actually pretty easy.

  How do you say there is no firmware available?  You guys are aware Arducopter can fly a heli in full auto, right?

  Nate: I'd be interested to hear more about your experiences with Bergen.

  Same comment on the code.  A year of re-writing?  This is here now.
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  David Boulanger January 21, 2014 at 10:08am

  Nate,  I don't understand a year of rewriting code.  What needs to be changed?? 

  I have had no problems with it whar so ever.  Why nitro?  2 cycle is probably a better choice.  Its going to be all about vibration and dampening.  Multi cylinder might be a bit smoother.

   

  Regards

  David Boulanger
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  Nate Miller January 21, 2014 at 7:50am

  The Rotor Buzz II will meet your requirements, but it's around $100,000. I'd suggest modifying your project requirements. For something that big you'll need special FAA certifications that are right now extremely difficult to get.

  I'd stay away from Bergen machines if I were you. I've had some terrible, terrible experiences with them. They aren't well designed or manufactured.

  As far as the software goes, with about 1 year re-writing code you can get arducopter to fly a traditional helicopter pretty well.
• kevin zhou January 20, 2014 at 8:46am

  I need some suggestion from you experience guys.

  I am thinking to use Pixhawk to make some big UAV helicopter. do you think current version of firmware of helicopter is mature enough to handling a big helicopter? 

  When I am taking big helicopter, I am thinking about a nitro helicopter within 2 hours duration. 30 km flight radius. 30 kg payload expectation.

  Someone can give me some guide about it ?  Also a suitable air frame is not easy to find, which company produce this kind of good helicopter with a good price ? 

  Thank you so much.
• 

  Ray Gamero December 2, 2013 at 9:03am

  OK guys.  I just had my first success flight. Completely autonomous from take off to land.  I just had to spool up and down the motor.
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  Rob_Lefebvre November 12, 2013 at 5:37pm

  Exactly who said that, where?  Need more info.
  
  For sure, vibration is the enemy of the electronics.  It's best to isolate them.
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  emre ayvaz March 10, 2013 at 8:35am

  Hi Randy,

  In fact I decided to buy the APM2.5+. So I have a few questions written below;

  * there are two kind of frequencies 915mhz and 433 mhz. Which one should I buy and why? I am living in Turkey.

  * They have an option for telemetry. Is it just ensure me to see my helis info dring flight? I also have telemetry with my Spektrum DX8. May I use it and twin the telemetry data to my PC somehow?

  * Lastly, What may I need than this product, such as lipo battery any other sensor and etc?

  Thanks, looking forward to see your advise ASAP.
• Developer

  Randy March 10, 2013 at 5:29am

  @emre,

       A 700 is a big copter.   If you're not an experienced helictoper pilot you might want to start with a 450.  Simpler, safer and cheaper.

       One of the biggest problems people trying the trad heli face is brown-outs.  You need to keep the power to the servos separate from the power to the APM's main cpu.  So disconnect jumper JP1 and use a separate BEC to power the APM or use a BEC which has two outputs like the Castle Creations Pro CC.