Latest Activity

R. D. Starwalt commented on OG's blog post Hybrid Penta Copter
"Wow. It takes two electric motors/props to compensate for the torque of the IC motor. I guess a use would be to mix in mosquito spray into the exhaust to fog an infested area. Just wow. A+ for getting it flying. Efficiency? -=Doug"
5 minutes ago

Developer
Randy replied to Craig Elder's discussion APM Copter 2.9.1.b has been released
"walthero,     Any chance you can provide a zip file instead?"
7 minutes ago
walthero replied to Craig Elder's discussion APM Copter 2.9.1.b has been released
"Problems with v3.0 rc2.APM 2.5 w/ublox on S800 standard configuration 2 x 6S 8000mAh Drifting to right all the time and ended with a minor crash, suddenly impossible to control before crashing. Logs attached from 2 flights.Can't…"
28 minutes ago
Jared Reabow commented on Jared Reabow's blog post 3 axis Camera Gimble connections.
"you enabled the gimble in the missionplanner?"
43 minutes ago
OG posted a blog post

Hybrid Penta Copter

This is a very interesting Hindered multi copter. I was thinking of this same concept using a weed waker motor on a large quad & kk board. But the guys in south Asia have beaten me to it. well it a nice job in any event.See More
46 minutes ago
Stephane Rocca commented on Roberto Navoni's blog post VR GIMBAL ( Board Control and IMU ): We are ready for developer.
"ERRATUM: your gimbal is PITCH last, so inverse roll and pitch in my comments"
51 minutes ago
Stephane Rocca commented on Roberto Navoni's blog post VR GIMBAL ( Board Control and IMU ): We are ready for developer.
"Yes, I think so... It will be possible with 2 potentiometers on 2 first axis Yaw and Pitch (but it's additionnal friction, and not easy to adapt). Other existing solutions are expensive (this is what Zenmuse does at a very competitive…"
54 minutes ago
Matt Gunn commented on Matt Gunn's blog post Mapping Mission Ride Along
"Martin, I have not used the geotagging feature yet, but I will explore it once I get the photo stitching dialed in."
55 minutes ago
Matt Gunn commented on Matt Gunn's blog post Mapping Mission Ride Along
"Heres a picture of the gimbal. I robbed it from an old Gaui 330x gimbal kit that I had lying around... couldn't have been a better fit. The large cable in front is the usb trigger that's not even being used since Im shooting using the…"
57 minutes ago
Michele commented on Marco Robustini's group ArduCopter Italian Group
"salve a tutti, fortuna un gruppo in italiano! Ho un quad 3dr 4x con APM 2.5 e firmware 2.9.1b funziona tutto perfettamente, in stabilize mode vola perfettamente anche in tutte le condizioni tipo ALT HOLD , loiter , e auto mode. Ho notato una cosa in…"
1 hour ago

Moderator
Roberto Navoni commented on Roberto Navoni's blog post VR GIMBAL ( Board Control and IMU ): We are ready for developer.
"Hi Stephane , you can use a special motor with potentiometer with inverse kinematic approach and use only 2 imu ?  If need 3 imu i can use 2 spi module and 1 i2c , it's not a problem the hardware support this configuration. It's only…"
1 hour ago
Gerd Lobmeyer replied to Gerd Lobmeyer's discussion Now let's start the party: Skya 450 V2 with ArduFlyer 2.5 + u-Blox CN-06
"Ok, but the arming doesn't work. After I plug in the power to the ESC the arming of the ESC is correct. The swash plate moves to the middle position, but after finishing the boot process of the APM the swash plate move to the bottom position.…"
1 hour ago
Ryan Godolphin replied to Grant Pietersen's discussion Security in Africa
"Hey Grant, I don't think this is the Solution you are looking for friend. What I think you are looking for is simply CCTV cameras. You wont be able to make/buy a drone that will provide you with the kind of security you are looking for. I mean…"
1 hour ago
Stephane Rocca commented on Roberto Navoni's blog post VR GIMBAL ( Board Control and IMU ): We are ready for developer.
"I'm sorry Roberto, but with 1 IMU on camera, and 1 IMU (or AHRS) on main board, it's impossible. Actual 2 axis gimbal uses PID to control attitude, because you know that a "pitch action" will act on the "pitch axis…"
1 hour ago
Craig Burden commented on Roberto Navoni's blog post Mechanical Hands From A MakerBot: The Magic Of Robohand (From Makerbot blog news)
"Awesome! Go SA :)"
1 hour ago
leopoldo ojea replied to Andrew Tridgell's discussion ArduPlane 2.73 released
"I was doing the last check in my house before test the 2.73 release and  I have noticed in MP that there was problem with the level.   I connect the APM with MP and the level moves until it keep in the following position although the…"
1 hour ago

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Forum

Security in Africa

Started by Grant Pietersen in Aircraft platforms. Last reply by Ryan Godolphin 1 hour ago. 1 Reply

ArduPlane 2.73 released

Started by Andrew Tridgell in ArduPlane 2.x software. Last reply by leopoldo ojea 1 hour ago. 55 Replies

Accelerometer question for IMU Experts

Started by Roy Brewer in Sensors & IMUs. Last reply by Ajit Krisshna 1 hour ago. 17 Replies

Arm/Disarm setting not being saved

Started by steve F11music.com in APM Mission Planner 3 hours ago. 0 Replies

power gimbal

Started by Jarrod in ArduCopter 2.x (multicopter). Last reply by Jarrod 4 hours ago. 2 Replies

Adding extra functions to MinimOSD

Started by Gábor Zoltán in OSD. Last reply by penpen 5 hours ago. 2015 Replies

Making the Jump

Started by Jarrod Smith in Unassigned category. Last reply by Jarrod Smith 7 hours ago. 2 Replies

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Welcome to DIY Drones!


This is the home for everything about amateur Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Use the tabs and drop-down menus above to navigate the site. (About us/Site rules)

This community created the Arduino-based ArduPilot, the world's first universal autopilot (planes, multicopters of all sorts and ground rovers). The APM 2.5 autopilot hardware runs a variety of powerful free UAV software systems, including:

  • ArduPlane, a pro-level UAV system for planes of all types.
  • ArduCopter, a fully-autonomous multicopter and heli UAV system.

I'm new to all this--where do I start?                    Are amateur UAVs legal? (yes)

Examples of civilian uses of drones                   Glossary of confusing terms

Blog Posts

Hybrid Penta Copter

Posted by OG on May 19, 2013 at 6:15am 1 Comment

This is a very interesting Hindered multi copter. I was thinking of this same concept using a weed waker motor on a large quad & kk board. But the guys in south Asia have beaten me to it. well it a nice job in any…

Continue

3 axis Camera Gimble connections.

Posted by Jared Reabow on May 19, 2013 at 12:30am 5 Comments

NEW APM 2.5 Pin out and Wire Diagram And Camera Gimble explanation

Hey guys i recently got the APM 2.5, when looking at the pins, I saw A0 - A11 Pins werent being used and i did not know what they were for so i was googling and found a PDF that stated



A0- Sonar/ Ultrasonic A1- Voltage Sensor – Attopilot

A2-Current Sensor – Attopilot

A3- Optical Flow…

Continue

Mapping Mission Ride Along

Posted by Matt Gunn on May 18, 2013 at 10:00pm 9 Comments

Here's my 1st mapping test flight with a Skyhunter twin-boom pusher. Im running Arduplane 2.73. Mapping camera is a Canon s95 running an intervalometer script via chdk. Its suspended from a single axis gimbal that keeps the camera pointing down regardless of aircraft bank angle. Video shot from a GoPro 3 Black Edition.

It took 120 photos during the 10 minute…

Continue

Mechanical Hands From A MakerBot: The Magic Of Robohand (From Makerbot blog news)

Posted by Roberto Navoni on May 18, 2013 at 2:37pm 5 Comments

 

When Richard Van As, a master carpenter in Johannesburg, South Africa, decided to make a set of mechanical fingers, it wasn’t just for fun. He’d lost four of the fingers on his right hand in an unfortunate work accident. For a tradesman like Rich, having a disabled hand is a big professional…

Continue

US House Crime/Homeland Security subcommittee hearing on domestic use of drones

Posted by Kyle Derkacz on May 18, 2013 at 2:30am 1 Comment

Domestic Use of Drones

...left with a cliffhanger: are you allowed to shoot down a drone if it's over your "airspace" (very end of the…

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Thirty Days (#13): Y6 in-flight motor failure tests

Posted by Joshua Ott on May 17, 2013 at 6:00pm 13 Comments

Testing out how the new Y6 responds to an in-flight motor failure. Not bad!

Costa Concordia

Posted by trappy on May 17, 2013 at 10:38am 5 Comments

We went and filmed the repair works of the stranded Costa Concordia.

 
 
 

Social Networking

Contests

Season Two of the Trust Time Trial (T3) Contest has now begun. The fourth round is an accuracy round for multicopters, which requires contestants to fly a cube. The deadline is April 14th.

A list of all T3 contests is here

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UAV news from sUAS News

Michael Hutt program manager USGS to speak at sUSBexpo

Michael Hutt program manager USGS to speak at sUSBexpo

Michael Hutt will share insights from the USGS and their unmanned aircraft operations at the Small Unmanned Systems Business Expo July 25th – 26th at the TechShop San Francisco The USGS National UAS Project Office at the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center (GECSC) is located in Denver CO, and is an operational component of the Climate and Land Use Change Land Remote Sensing Program. It was established on May 8, 2008 based on the successful completion of an Emerging Technology Investigation into the potential use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to benefit the DOI and USGS missions. http://susbexpo.com/ Bookmark It Hide Sites

Texas Senate approves bill to curtail drone photography

Texas Senate approves bill to curtail drone photography

Remember the River of Blood story, it went viral. Seems the Texa’s senate would prefer to sweep what Texan businesses get up to under the carpet. If this act makes it all the way through and you let this sort of images out into the wild you will be facing the law. It should not have taken the images to uncover the massive pollution that was occurring.  Texas should know the condition of its rivers. I would be ashamed to live in a place that seems to care so little for its environment. Good news though for other states bidding to host one of the FAA Test sites, Texas Privacy Act (HB 912) could be a royal PIA for people testing. Use of drones to capture photographs and video images on private property without permission of the owner would be prohibited under a bill the Senate passed Friday. Supporters of the ban say it is needed because of the increasing incidence of indiscriminate surveillance by unmanned drones. The Senate amended the bill, already passed by the House, to exempt unmanned vehicles used by police and law enforcement officers and to protect citizens who use a cellphone or other recording device to film [...]

Congress gets mixed advice on drone laws

Congress gets mixed advice on drone laws

  AP WASHINGTON – The growing use of unmanned surveillance “eyes in the sky” aircraft raises a thicket of privacy concerns, but Congress is getting mixed advice on what, if anything, to do about it. A future with domestic drones may be inevitable. While civilian drone use is currently limited to government agencies and some public universities, a law passed by Congress last year requires the Federal Aviation Administration to allow widespread drone flights in the United States by 2015. According to FAA estimates, as many as 7,500 civilian drones could be in use within five years. “Technology is great — as long as it’s used the right and proper way,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing Friday on issues surrounding drones — which can be as small as a bird and as large as a plane. http://www.pressherald.com/news/nationworld/congress-gets-mixed-advice-on-drone-laws_2013-05-18.html Bookmark It Hide Sites

Minnesota National Guard launches its $3.9 million drone facility

Minnesota National Guard launches its $3.9 million drone facility

by: PAT PHEIFER , Star Tribune CAMP RIPLEY, MINN. – The Shadow, an unmanned aerial vehicle commonly known as a drone, roars to life on the video screen like a powerful snowmobile before it’s launched into the skies on a catapult. Unfortunately, weather conditions prevented the real thing from taking flight Friday morning as the Minnesota National Guard officially launched its new $3.9 million Unmanned Aircraft Operations Facility. The Guard has flown UAVs since 2004 and has seven at Camp Ripley: three Shadows, with 14-foot wing spans, and four smaller Ravens, with 5-foot wing spans that can be carried in a backpack, quickly assembled and launched by hand. http://www.startribune.com/local/207963661.html?refer=y Bookmark It Hide Sites

Sinclair invests in UAV courses

Sinclair invests in UAV courses

Jordan Burgess DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs at Sinclair Community College may feel light when you pick them up, but they carry a lot of weight when it comes to the Miami Valley’s future. “We think this is going to be a very important industry for our region as we move forward,” says Sinclair President Steven Johnson. Sinclair invests in UAV courses That’s why starting next year you’ll be able to major in Unmanned Aerial Systems at Sinclair Community College. The college’s board of trustees voted today to invest $1.4 million into its UAS program. The money will allow it to add courses and classrooms. “In these unmanned systems we’re going to apply them in agriculture and mapping and law enforcement and planning,” Johnson says. But some think before students take a class in UAVs they need a course in ethics. http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/news/local/montgomery/sinclair-invests-in-drone-courses#.UZeg8LUweIw Bookmark It Hide Sites

UAV news from Flight Global

Maritime Heron UAV supports European airspace trial

Europe has advanced a project to prove the feasibility of using satellite communications to enable UAS operations in non-segregated airspace ...

Brazilian navy begins UAS evaluation

The Brazilian navy has begun to evaluate two Israeli-made unmanned air systems for maritime surveillance missions ...

Indian air force to launch micro UAS evaluation

The Indian air force is to evaluate several micro unmanned air systems from around 10 companies in early May ...

VIDEO: Eurocopter demonstrates unmanned EC145

Eurocopter has unveiled an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV), based on its EC145 light twin, which has been in development since September 2011.

Israeli F-16 downs another Hezbollah UAV

An Israeli air force Lockheed Martin F-16 has shot down an unmanned air vehicle launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah militants ...

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