DIY Drones

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Xander replied to Xander's discussion 'Ardupilot hardware: appropriate for a UAV not using the Ardupilot software?'22 minutes ago

Cost, flexibility, and performance. At least one of these is lacking from every available quad board I've come across. Perhaps I'm being cocky, but I think I can do better, and I enjoy the challenge. The price tags in particular irk me. Some of t...

Joseph Glanville replied to Xander's discussion 'Ardupilot hardware: appropriate for a UAV not using the Ardupilot software?'57 minutes ago

Quads are fun. There is no such thing as a complicated question imo. Only a convoluted one, the complexity goes away when the question is worded correctly I think. However moving on: The ardupilot board can do what you want it to do.. the atmel ...

Scott James commented on Ios's photo 'Team Cooee UAV'59 minutes ago

Hey Nick, Will you accept $50 to paint Melbourne UAV on it? :))))) Cheers.

fefenin commented on Chris Anderson's blog post 'ArduPilot home page'1 hour ago

hi, Angus i'm not one of the masters here but i gess what you espect is very possible and you should use the V1 soft it should work as it ... when you swtitch to autopilot with ardupilot V1 the rudder (steering wheel) will always try tor return...

Angus Cheetham commented on Chris Anderson's blog post 'ArduPilot home page'2 hours ago

would it be possible for me to built an autonomous ground vehicle with this ardupilot product

Ios commented on Ios's photo 'Team Cooee UAV and Gimbal'2 hours ago

Yes, its the BTC-88 distributed by Procerus. Very nice kit ;)

Joseph Glanville commented on Ios's photo 'Team Cooee UAV'2 hours ago

Unfortunately we won't be flying but I will be there all the same! Best of luck Nick, competition day is tough. :)

Joseph Glanville commented on Ios's photo 'Team Cooee UAV and Gimbal'2 hours ago

That is a nice gimbal. :) I believe it is the one Procerus distributes yes?

Ios commented on Ios's photo 'Team Cooee UAV'3 hours ago

Thanks Joseph, I'm really looking forward to meeting all the teams at the OBC, including yourself. Best of luck with your preperations - would love to see your bird too !! ;)

Joseph Glanville commented on Ios's photo 'Team Cooee UAV'4 hours ago

Nice looking bird Nick

Joseph Glanville replied to Patrick Mccabe's discussion 'RC receiver'4 hours ago

That receiver can be powered by up to 8.6V so yes. Normally one would use what is known as a regulator or a switchmode power supply to bring the voltage down. See BEC or similar system.

jaron left a comment for Duggan Matson4 hours ago

Tumba replied to Ryan McNeil's discussion 'Competitions in Europe?????'5 hours ago

Every year there is the EMAV (European Micro Air Vehicle) conference and competition. This year this is in September in the Netherlands, see www.emav09.org - > competition. Next year the event is in Braunschweig. A summary from last year is shown...

Ios added 3 photos5 hours ago

Duggan Matson left a comment for jaron6 hours ago

Damon Pipenberg replied to Paul Har's discussion 'Inputting way points'6 hours ago

Jerry, Sorry for the confusion, most of my reply was aimed at Bryan, who has been trouble with the GPS LED. In your case, I see no reason why RTL would not work, but it sounds like you need to do some more ground testing to make sure that the con...

Jerry LeDrew replied to Paul Har's discussion 'Inputting way points'7 hours ago

Tnx for the reply .... But all my lights work according to manual.... Get a fast flashing blue light before lock and steady after with the jumper off... I am pretty sure everything is working in that respect... But I can't get the Ardupilot config...

Damon Pipenberg replied to Paul Har's discussion 'Inputting way points'8 hours ago

Well, first off, are you starting up the ArduPilot with the "Remove to fly" jumper on? It will not get a GPS lock unless you do. If you have that jumper on, and you power it on, the blue LED should blink very quickly until it gets a lock, at whic...

Patrick Mccabe replied to Patrick Mccabe's discussion 'RC receiver'8 hours ago

would this work receiver- http://r2hobbies.com/proddetail.php?prod=rcps61411 transmitter- http://r2hobbies.com/proddetail.php?prod=rcps61206_61411

Patrick Mccabe replied to Patrick Mccabe's discussion 'RC receiver'8 hours ago

yes i do have a ESC, so it will work?

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Ardupilot hardware: appropriate for a UAV not using the Ardupilot software? 4 Replies

Started by Xander in ArduPilot. Last reply by Xander 22 minutes ago.

RC receiver 4 Replies

Started by Patrick Mccabe in RC equipment. Last reply by Joseph Glanville 4 hours ago.

Competitions in Europe????? 4 Replies

Started by Ryan McNeil in Events/contests. Last reply by Tumba 5 hours ago.

Inputting way points 35 Replies

Started by Paul Har in ArduPilot software version 2.2. Last reply by Damon Pipenberg 6 hours ago.

How to make UAV step by step 3 Replies

Started by Emil Avramov in Uncategorized. Last reply by Jason Larocque 10 hours ago.

robust estimator of the direction cosine matrix 96 Replies

Started by William Premerlani in UAV Dev Board. Last reply by William Premerlani 13 hours ago.

Brushless Motor RPM Sensor 17 Replies

Started by Tom in Sensors & IMUs. Last reply by Tom 17 hours ago.

Ardupilot uploading problem 29 Replies

Started by Fred Forbes in ArduPilot. Last reply by David Liles 18 hours ago.

Brushless and ESC help 19 Replies

Started by David in RC equipment. Last reply by bGatti 19 hours ago.

Ardupilot Config Tool Beta 3 27 Replies

Started by Peter Seddon in ArduPilot. Last reply by Bryan Cuervo 23 hours ago.

how to use 3 channel remote? 2 Replies

Started by Patrick Mccabe in ArduPilot. Last reply by Nick Sargeant 1 day ago.

"on the fly" updates 5 Replies

Started by Jake in ArduPilot software version 2.2. Last reply by James B. West 1 day ago.

trying to implement DCM... 5 Replies

Started by Mike Palmer in UAV Dev Board. Last reply by William Premerlani 1 day ago.

What are the difference of these 2 GPS resevers

Started by Hooks in GPS 1 day ago.

Question about sensors 1 Reply

Started by Walt S. in Sensors & IMUs. Last reply by Joseph Glanville 1 day ago.

Truck Adaptation 3 Replies

Started by Ken Biba in Uncategorized. Last reply by Ken Biba 1 day ago.

Amateur Rocket

Started by Donny in ArduPilot 1 day ago.

ArduPilot 2.x flight profile question. 2 Replies

Started by infinite aerospace in ArduPilot. Last reply by infinite aerospace Jul 2.

Ground Station UI Designs

Started by John Gantner in Ground stations Jul 2.

Ardupilot 2.2 questions about setup and testing 11 Replies

Started by Jerald Brady in ArduPilot software version 2.2. Last reply by Damon Pipenberg Jul 1.

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Welcome!

This is a site for all things about amateur Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): How-to's, videos, discussion and more. You can read more about us here.

These are our Arduino-based open source autopilot projects:
* ArduPilot, a very low-cost ($24.95!) autopilot with great expansion capabilities
* BlimpDuino, an autonomous blimp with both infrared and ultrasonic guidance

Other UAV/autopilot projects and code, by processor and OS type, are here.
Earlier DIY Drones projects, including Lego and cellphone autopilots, are here
Interviews with interesting UAV and autopilot experts are here.

FAQs:
* I'm new to all this--where do I start?
* Are amateur UAVs legal?
* What's the difference between a gyro and an accelerometer? Do I need both?
* I'm confused by all these terms! Is there a glossary? (yes!)

You can find a list of external UAV resources, including commercial UAVs and other open source UAV projects and code here.

Create a blog post

Click here to add your own blog post below.

Blog Posts

UK RCAP meet

Managed to maiden a new version of Airframe3 today ahead of the weekends aerial photography meet at Leamington Spa, twenty plus aerial photography types flying camping and perhaps some tall stories. Heres the… Continue

Posted by Gary Mortimer on July 2, 2009 at 2:00pm

What level of ESD protection is on your workbench?

Hi all,

I have been a System Engineer for over 30 yrs and have gone from tubes to ICs during my time in the Aero Space industry.

Tubes were virtually immune to ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) and could be handled just about any way we wanted to. But when it comes to ICs, ESD can damage or destroy an IC in an instant.

Many of the boards offered for sale in kits by DIY Drones contain static sensitive parts/components that can be damaged even when attached to their respective circuit boards.

Ther… Continue

Posted by Thomas J Coyle III on July 2, 2009 at 1:00pm — 13 Comments

Availability of source code of ArduConfig Beta.

Hi,

I am currently using a Linux based system and was wondering if the source code for the Ardupilotconfig tool (beta3 version) was available as I can't upload the waypoints on the board at the moment. I'm extremely interested in writing a platform neutral clone of ardupilotconfig, and would be quite happy to share the results. Is there any other way/method of uploading the waypoints manually assuming I am using the latest ardupilot code (Version 2.2.3) for the easystar ? Any help with this wil… Continue

Posted by Mikil P on July 2, 2009 at 4:57am

Mucho Cool

Posted by Gary Mortimer on July 2, 2009 at 12:05am — 1 Comment

MAVs: The Future is Coming

How many of these goals can we achieve right now?

… Continue

Posted by Stephen Carlson on July 1, 2009 at 12:00am — 3 Comments

Energy Harvesting for UAVs

The Wired Way:

The Solar Way:
AFRL News Release

-Steve

Posted by Stephen Carlson on June 30, 2009 at 11:49pm — 2 Comments

Ardupilot Success Stories

At this point, the only way to get my plane flying with Ardupilot is to buy a different FTDI cable which may or may not work with my setup(I don’t have the programming skills to bypass the configuration utility and add waypoints directly into the code). I’m running Windows Vista on my laptop and have the latest Ardupilot board with the shield kit as shown below. I’ve also installed the latest code, configuration utility and the newest version of the Arduino IDE.
Before I invest any more money in… Continue

Posted by Bryan Cuervo on June 30, 2009 at 6:30pm — 10 Comments

Dead multiplexer?

Wondering if anyone might have experienced a problem that I'm having. My ArduPilot has been working fine, but yesterday, the servo outputs suddenly quit working. After doing some troubleshooting, I think I've narrowed the problem down the the multiplexer (74ACT157). It gets power, and gets a proper signal from the failsafe, and I found a 50 Hz signal on the inputs. However, the outputs are always low, at 0V.

I've been using a 4-cell, 4.8V receiver battery to power my setup. When fully charged,… Continue

Posted by Damon Pipenberg on June 30, 2009 at 8:17am — 27 Comments

Great UK source for Xbee tracking and Ardupilot.

Here ya go if your in UK, or Europe come to that.

http://www.coolcomponents.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=295

I enquired about their Xbees and mentioned the simple tracking, they decided to bundle it all.

Very very impressed.

G

Posted by Gary Mortimer on June 29, 2009 at 3:00pm — 4 Comments

VicaCopter 4

After spending 3 hours waiting for web pages to load, VicaCopter 4 is finally available for download. If U ever succeeded in building your own VicaCopter, U still probably wouldn't know… Continue

Posted by Jack Crossfire on June 29, 2009 at 1:42pm — 5 Comments

Pros and cons of the Ardupilot Configuration Utility

I first started flying with Ardupilot before the configuration utility (CU) was created. At the field, I’d pull up the Arduino IDE on my lap top, make the changes I wanted in the code (waypoints, altitude, tuning parameters, etc.), upload to my Ardupilot, then fly. After seeing how the flight was affected, I’d go back to the IDE make another change and fly again.
Then the CU was created and it looked cool but, at the field, it just created another step to go through before flying. I now had to a… Continue

Posted by Bryan Cuervo on June 29, 2009 at 4:24am — 27 Comments

Simple way to use Google Earth as ground station.

I am looking for use google earth as ground station.
i have download this program.

http://goopstechnologies.com
it is easy to interface to any application:
GooPs can receive data from other applications via a TCP/IP socket. GooPs listens on port 51234 for messages containing NMEA data.… Continue

Posted by Jose Luis Cortes on June 28, 2009 at 9:26am — 6 Comments

I Heart Robotics UAV Crosspost

While not all of the information on the I Heart Robotics blog is related to UAVs, there is a significant amount that should be of interest here.… Continue

Posted by I Heart Robotics on June 27, 2009 at 12:00am — 9 Comments

Government Grants 100,000 handed out to secret types

How do you win a Government Grant for something that is largely illegal in your country??

Helen Greiner's Droid Works Wins First Gov't Grant for Flying Bots

Helen Greiner's stealthy new start-up, The Droid Works, has said almost nothing about what they're up to, except that they're working in the field of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles.) So far, Greiner has been funding the Framingham-based company herself, so there aren't any VCs to blab about what they're working on. And the company is small… Continue

Posted by Gary Mortimer on June 26, 2009 at 12:00pm — 10 Comments

Ummm

http://www.u-nav.com/3550.html

Posted by Gary Mortimer on June 26, 2009 at 8:14am — 7 Comments

DIYDrones Store: New Products Available!

Hello everybody. I have some news here:

1.-The shipping system right now is a nightmare for everybody (… Continue

Posted by Jordi Muñoz on June 25, 2009 at 8:00pm — 37 Comments

ArduStation Assembly Instructions

What you will need:
-… Continue

Posted by Jordi Muñoz on June 25, 2009 at 2:00pm — 33 Comments

Electronic Valve and Ignition Timing For Model Gas Engines

Via Hack-A-Day, here is an electronically controlled RC gas engine. With more development, this could lead to more efficient RC engines by skipping power cycles. This would allow longer flight times while at cruising speed.

… Continue

Posted by Wayne Dancer on June 25, 2009 at 10:22am — 1 Comment

Student UAS

Just got back from this years AUVSI Student UAS Competition. My team (Utah State University) took 1st place this year using a paparazzi based platform. We recorded the highest score in the history of the competition. It was a very fun event and my hats off to all those who put it on each year.

Posted by Danstah on June 24, 2009 at 8:48pm — 9 Comments

UAV Dev Board on Multiplex Twister

I decided that I wanted to graduate from a thermopile based autopilot to a full IMU based system and the UAV DevBoard looked like it was going to scratch my itch. In the end, I wound up with it on my Multiplex Twister, an elapor foam electric ducted fan rc aircraft. Here's what I've done -

One of my motivations starts with the fact that I have flown an FPV Telemaster with an Ardupilot quite succesfully but use it primarily as a failsafe. I did, however, test the waypoint system to confirm it wo… Continue

Posted by smguest on June 24, 2009 at 5:46pm — 9 Comments

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UAV News elswhere

Northrop Grumman Completes First Flight of Land-Based MQ-8B Fire Scout

A Northrop Grumman Corporation MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned Aircraft System (VUAS), designated P7, has successfully completed first flight operations at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz. Unlike current Navy configured Fire Scouts, P7 was built in an operational land-based configuration.

France's ISAE SUPAERO Team Takes Top Honors at IMAV Competition

A team from France's Institut superieur de l'aeronautique et de l'espace (ISAE) SUPAERO beat out competitors from Germany, Australia and the United States to win the top spot at the 4th Annual International Micro Air Vehicle (IMAV) Workshop and Flight Competition, held 1-5 June in Pensacola, Fla.

Detroit Mercy a Repeat Winner at IGVC

For the second year in a row, the University of Detroit Mercy took home the top prize at the 17th annual Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition, held by AUVSI's Great Lakes Chapter.

Webcast of AUVSI Competitions June 21

Two of AUVSI's rapidly growing Student Competitions will be on live webcasts tomorrow, June 21, 2009!

Maritime Systems Development takes Center Stage at UDT Europe 2009

CANNES, France - "Hybrid" unmanned systems, such as autonomous underwater vehicles that can deploy tethered remotely operated vehicles, are a likely wave of the future, according to an industry veteran.

Camcopter to be First UAS to fly at Paris Air Show

**UPDATE 1500 CEST: Schiebel's Camcopter unmanned helicopter braved the rain and became the first unmanned aircraft to fly at the Paris Air Show on 15 June.** The Camcopter S-100 will be the first-ever Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to fly as part of the official flight displays at this year's 100 year anniversary of "Salon du Le Bourget" from June 15 to 19. June.

UAS Training Heats up for Military, other Agencies

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The military isn't the only U.S. government agency that needs unmanned aircraft systems pilots-Customs and Border Protection is racing to put a training program in place for its pilots and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says it will likely need one, too.

House Approves FAA Reauthorization

By a vote of 277-136, the House of Representatives Thursday approved and sent to the Senate H.R. 915, the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2009.

FAA Small Unmanned Aircraft System Aviation Rulemaking Committee Comprehensive Set of Recommendations for sUAS Regulatory Development

More…

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