"You should use vectoring thrusters (like Blimpduino), not an up/down motor. You get much more control/power that way."
Leo McMartin's Discussions
Semiautonomous Blimp Mk. 4
Started this discussion. Last reply by Chris Anderson Nov 13, 2010. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Hello,I have done some redesign work on the payload for a semi-autonomous blimp. An Android smartphone is going to connect to the motor and shaft encoder (so I know if a drive belt slips off the…Continue
UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard
Started this discussion. Last reply by Leo McMartin Sep 26, 2010. 12 Replies 0 Likes
Hi, I want to build a remote-controlled blimp UAV. In terms of control, it will have a Via Epia V10000 motherboard running Ubuntu Linux. The motherboard will have a webcam plugged in to send…Continue
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Leo McMartin posted a discussionSemiautonomous Blimp Mk. 4
Hello,I have done some redesign work on the payload for a semi-autonomous blimp. An Android smartphone is going to connect to the motor and shaft encoder (so I know if a drive belt slips off the motor and the propelled stops going when the motor is still going) via Bluetooth. I have chosen this approach because the smartphone I am looking at has GPS inbuilt, as well as an accelerometer. My question is what is the best approach in terms of where the motor(s) are mounted (I was originally…See More
Leo McMartin replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard"Would a PC/104-based system be as good an option as ARM? Everything that I have found about them is the same as the ARM9-based system (power consumption, board size etc.) but would be a lot easier for me to use, as I don't want to have to…"
Leo McMartin replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard"Yeah, but it has one unfortunate quality. It goes BADDA-BOOM (just ask anyone who saw the Hindenburg go badda-boom!"
Gerry Lichter replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard"Hydrogen is cheaper. It's a robot, not a school bus."
Leo McMartin replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard"I see what you mean. A cubic metre is pretty freakin' big! I'll do some reading up on embedded systems. Thanks for the advice :-)"
ModeratorChris Anderson replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard
""Consider, if you will, that nobody else is doing what you describe. Is every other blimp builder stupid, or are they onto something? 8)"
+1!
People who don't have a lot of experience with blimps often make this mistake. One…"
DeveloperMichael Smith replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard
"I would suggest that you measure out a cubic metre first.
Once you've moved enough furniture to get a feel for what you're looking at, decide on a mass budget for your blimp that's compatible with the envelope size that you are going…"
Leo McMartin replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard"What about if I used a mini-ITX motherboard that allows you to power it from +12VDC from a battery such as the Intel D945GSEJT? That way I can omit the inverter and power supply (the Intel D945GSEJT has a DC-DC converter onboard, and it uses around…"
DeveloperMichael Smith replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard
"Just to expand a little (hah, expand, get it?)
Helium has a lifting capacity, at sea level, of ~1kg/m^3 (very convenient, that). Your 12v 6AH SLA battery will require about 2m^3 of envelope volume just to reach neutral buoyancy. The inverter and…"
Marco Glattfelder replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard"It may be flexible, but heavy and with overengineered parts that aren't meant to be used for that. I mean you don't need to use a higher operating system like linux(not even the embedded version) for that. I uderstand that there are…"
DeveloperMichael Smith replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard
"Step 1: an enormous blimp."
Leo McMartin replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard"Yes, the motherboard is going to control the microcontroller system, too. I thought that designing it around a mini-itx motherboard would provide more flexibility (for example I can let it be controlled from anywhere using the Internet if it has a…"
Marco Glattfelder replied to Leo McMartin's discussion UAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard"There are mini ITX power systems that can run from 6 to 32V. This will allow you to pull more from the battery. A standard mini-ITX 12V power controller will cut at 11.5V. No need for an inverter. But let me understand: You need the mini ITX only…"
Leo McMartin posted a discussionUAV Blimp controlled via on-board Mini-ITX motherboard
Hi, I want to build a remote-controlled blimp UAV. In terms of control, it will have a Via Epia V10000 motherboard running Ubuntu Linux. The motherboard will have a webcam plugged in to send pictures back to base (I'm thinking of powering it via a 12V 6AH SLA battery via a 12-240V inverter and a small computer power supply.) The rest of the system will be microcontroller-based (probably PICAXE 20X1), controlling the motors and GPS, powered by a bank of NiMH rechargeable batteries. The…See More
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