Latest Activity

Armağan YILMAZ commented on brett binnekade's blog post Skwalker X8 catapult
"Thanks  Brett binnekade. I did my catapult. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTDR8N585s0&feature=youtu.be"
1 minute ago
Tono replied to Tono's discussion APM2.5 and simonK ESC's in the group ArduCopter User Group
"the 2200 and 3300 batts are 45C but those are new The 5000's are relatively old, no less than 6 months but those are 65C. Where I feel the difference is in the motors... T-Motors quality is way better than the RCTimer ones, much more quiet and…"
3 minutes ago
Mark Kellogg commented on Joshua Ott's blog post 3DR is one of CNBC's Disrupter 50
"Great comments by all... I believe it takes all type of organizations...open source is a relatively recent disruptor phenomena and a great one!  Although think of where we would be, or not be, if it weren't for Apple defining the smart…"
6 minutes ago
Charles lakins replied to Tono's discussion APM2.5 and simonK ESC's in the group ArduCopter User Group
"Thats about right my ht-fpv hovers about 18 minutes on the 4000mah or 5000mah packs I have the 5000mah has a lower discharge rate than my 4000mah though using N3536 910kv motors CF 10v4.5 props"
7 minutes ago
Tono replied to Tono's discussion APM2.5 and simonK ESC's in the group ArduCopter User Group
"Honestly... I feel both are the same. Here's the thing... I just finished building this quad, the other quad I have  is bigger than this one and it has this…"
31 minutes ago
Jonti Olds replied to Taylor Davis's discussion Arduplane 2.73 HIL and Sim Issues
"I have noticed the same problem v2.68 works but anything later just doesn't. For me sim to ardupilot data looks ok but the ardupilot to the sim usually puts out crazy things like  -1 -1 -1 for yaw pitch roll most of the time; reversing…"
38 minutes ago
Tony Foate posted a discussion

Log Column Headings

HiWhile browsing log files, I am having difficulty knowing what data is in each column.Why? Because the column headers seem to change when connected vs not connected.For example, the ATT data, I thought, has these columns - Roll In, Roll, Pitch In, Pitch, Yaw In, Yaw, Nav Yaw, Roll I, Pitch I.  However, today, there are 3 column headers - Roll, Pitch and Yaw.Columns 1, 3 and 5 are zero filled. Before take off, Column 2 has -54, column 4 has -102 but columns 6 and 7 have +4400 (number are…See More
44 minutes ago
LanMark commented on Joshua Ott's blog post Thirty Days (#18): NIR camera conversion
"I thought that is what I was doing :)  but yes of course.The hope for such a tool like AgPixel is that people play with the data and learn new insights into the remote sensing.. instead of worrying about some sort of consumption based licensing…"
47 minutes ago

3D Robotics
Joshua Ott commented on Joshua Ott's blog post Thirty Days (#18): NIR camera conversion
"Mark, please keep us informed of your work!"
54 minutes ago
Tony Foate replied to Randy's discussion ArduCopter 2.9 / 2.9.1 released
"Thanks, Kevin. I have the THR_MIN sorted and will try to change the ESC start up setting next. The ESC's are standard (I suppose) Turnigy PLUSH 25A."
1 hour ago
Tony Foate replied to Randy's discussion ArduCopter 2.9 / 2.9.1 released
"Hi Harley Thanks for your thoughts. Indeed, I used your PID's, increased the THR_MIN back to the default of 130 and, low and behold, a civilised take off, flight and ALT_HOLD event. I haven't really got room for a larger battery…"
1 hour ago
LanMark commented on Joshua Ott's blog post Thirty Days (#18): NIR camera conversion
"Jumping back to Gary's comment.. CCD these days have a pretty good sensitivity range for NIR but I would stay closer to red edge .. the farther you go away from the visible light the more distortions you add especially since the optics and…"
1 hour ago
Dean replied to Dean's discussion Cant flash firmware to board
"Thanks mate, got it working and got the octo up in the air for a test flight :) Thanks"
1 hour ago
James Butler replied to Tono's discussion APM2.5 and simonK ESC's in the group ArduCopter User Group
"Glad to hear that you worked it out. Now that you have used both the HK Plush and the SimonK ESC's, do you see a difference? Are the SimonK better? thanks, Jim"
2 hours ago
Jim Townsend replied to Jim Townsend's discussion Can't hover my 3DR Hex in Stabilize mode
"Thanks for the quick reply Richard.. My transmitter is the standard non ratchet type..  The relative throttle position is displayed on an LCD screen. I haven't gotten into any of the auto modes yet.  I want to get used to just flying…"
2 hours ago
Jay replied to Jay's discussion HEXACOPTER SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL
"Can esc's be tested?  Feel free to use my email address: anatureloverj@aol.com   Thanks, Jay"
3 hours ago

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Forum

Arduplane 2.73 HIL and Sim Issues

Started by Taylor Davis in ArduPlane 2.x software. Last reply by Jonti Olds 38 minutes ago. 1 Reply

Log Column Headings

Started by Tony Foate in ArduCopter 2.x (multicopter) 44 minutes ago. 0 Replies

Mission Planner not starting

Started by Jeremy Costello in APM Mission Planner 3 hours ago. 0 Replies

Constructing my first quadcopter

Started by Thomas Hyght in Quadcopters 5 hours ago. 0 Replies

For anyone using GRID or GRID V2...please read

Started by Matt Gunn in Aerial photography. Last reply by Tomas Soedergren 7 hours ago. 19 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

QGroundControl Update

Posted by Lorenz Meier on May 25, 2013 at 4:55pm 0 Comments

After investing most time into PX4 for quite a long time now, the PX4 native stack has made it into a shape where we can fly fixed wing in autonomous mode with it, and there is also progress on multicopters. This put QGroundControl back into the development focus, since the field tests…

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3DR is one of CNBC's Disrupter 50

Posted by Joshua Ott on May 25, 2013 at 12:00pm 7 Comments

3D Robotics is one of the five manufacturing companies in CNBC's Disrupter50 list; along with Makerbot, Quirky, Shapeways, and Rethink Robotics.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100727789…

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(Acro Mode Anyone?) Today in 1927, Lt. James H. Doolittle performed the first known successful outside loop.

Posted by Drone Savant on May 25, 2013 at 6:28am 9 Comments

In 1927, Doolittle was the first person to successfully execute an outside loop — previously thought to be a fatal maneuver. Carried out in a Curtiss fighter at Wright Field in Ohio, Doolittle executed the dive from 10,000 feet, reached 280 miles per hour,…

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How to connect 3DR GPS uBlox to Raspberry Pi

Posted by Rogelio Nunez on May 25, 2013 at 5:45am 2 Comments

Here is my connection (You can check GPIO pinout here):

I used theFTDI GPS adapter cable, solder pads can be used also, just have…

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3 axis brushless gimbal

Posted by Jack Crossfire on May 25, 2013 at 3:56am 9 Comments



The key…

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First test of targeting system.

Posted by vis.asta on May 24, 2013 at 3:30pm 10 Comments

First test of targeting system. All calculations are done in the air.

Camera provides two streams. Highly compressed (rigth window) and detailed (left).

3 axis BL gimbal. In low light conditions and excessive vibration.

 

test at…

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Thirty Days (#18): NIR camera conversion

Posted by Joshua Ott on May 24, 2013 at 3:30pm 19 Comments

John modified a point-and-shoot camera to capture near infrared images. This is half the puzzle in building NDVI images for analyzing crop health.

Information on the conversion can be found here: …

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Understanding Fly-By-Wire B Mode Altitude Behaviour

Posted by Bill Bonney on May 24, 2013 at 2:44pm 2 Comments

A couple months ago I was testing ArduPlane and some of the different modes. I was not getting on very well in FBW-B* mode. If you look at the image below. You will see the purple track. I was loosing altitude and I couldn't understand why. You can see just before the path goes red, I'd lost a lot of…

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My two birds...ready for flight now

Posted by Euan Ramsay on May 24, 2013 at 1:30pm 5 Comments

Nicknamed "Laurel and Hardy", for reasons that should be obvious.

Everything calibrated...time to get the PID's done! Well..once it stops raining and snowing here in Switzerland. :-(

Some build annoyances, which I'll go into in an additional post.

 

 

 

Laurels bits…

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B go Beyond Quadcopter/Car convertable

Posted by Joshua Ott on May 24, 2013 at 1:00pm 15 Comments

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2017062404/b-go-beyond

Another cool Kickstarter project. It looks like it works well on the ground, the video doesn't show very much of the flight performance. It does appear to be quite robust at least. Thanks to…

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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

CU-Boulder organizing effort to establish unmanned aircraft test site in Colorado

CU-Boulder organizing effort to establish unmanned aircraft test site in Colorado

Jim Scott, CU-Boulder media relations A state application organized by the University of Colorado Boulder has been submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration for the development of one of six unmanned aircraft systems test sites slated to be established across the United States. Submitted this month, the seventh and final volume of the Colorado application is one of 50 proposals from 37 states for designated Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or UAS, test sites. UAS come in various sizes ranging from hobby airplanes to aircraft with wingspans as wide as commercial jets. While they can be used for tasks ranging from forest fire support and search and rescue missions to oil and gas exploration and military operations, a growing number of science efforts are being undertaken using UAS, said CU-Boulder aerospace engineering sciences Associate Professor Eric Frew. CU-Boulder has one of the most comprehensive UAS science programs in the nation, said Frew, who directs CU’s Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles, or RECUV. CU-Boulder’s UAS projects have included monitoring seal populations in the Arctic and charting sea ice changes near Greenland to intercepting storm cells associated with tornadoes in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska and measuring gaping holes in Antarctic sea ice known as [...]

Infragram: the Infrared Photography Project

Infragram: the Infrared Photography Project

A simple, cheap infrared camera which can measure plant health — for geek gardeners, farmers, and open source DIY scientists. What could farmers, gardeners, students or environmental activists do with an infrared camera that costs as little as $35?What is Infragram? Infragram is a simple, affordable near-infrared camera produced by the Public Laboratory community in a series of collaborative experiments over the last few years. We originally developed this technology to monitor wetlands damages in the wake of the BP oil spill, but its simplicity of use and easy-to-modify open-source hardware & software makes it a useful tool for home gardeners, hikers, makers, farmers, amateur scientists, teachers, artists, and anyone curious about the secret lives of plants. What can you do with Infragram? Take pictures to examine plant health in backyard gardens, farms, parks, andnearby wetlands Check on the health of your crops, especially from a balloon or a kite Monitor your household plants Teach students about plant growth and photosynthesis Create exciting science fair projects Generate verifiable, open environmental data Check progress of environmental restoration projects Document unhealthy areas of your local ecology Pretend you have super-veg-powers Near-infrared photography has been a key tool for planning at the industrial and governmental level: it is used on airplanes and satellites by vineyards, [...]

Google acquires kite-power generator

Google acquires kite-power generator

Well I did’nt see this coming. Using lots of UA tech Google invests in yet more cutting edge stuff (ed) Google has acquired a US company that generates power using turbines mounted on tethered kites or wings. Makani Power will become part of Google X – the secretive research and development arm of the search giant. The deal comes as Makani carries out the first fully autonomous flights of robot kites bearing its power-generating propellers. Google has not said how much it paid to acquire Makani, but it has invested $15m (£9.9m) in the company before now. In a statement posted to its website, Makani said the deal would “provide Makani with the resources to accelerate our work to make wind energy cost competitive with fossil fuels”. Rather than use fixed turbines to generate power, Makani has been experimenting with “flying wings” adorned with several smaller turbines that act as propellers as the craft takes off. Makani claims that mounting the turbines on a wing is more efficient as large numbers can be built with fewer materials than traditional tower-based turbines. In addition, the robot wings can land to avoid damage if wind speeds are too high or during bad [...]

Unmanned aircraft can protect crops from locusts

Unmanned aircraft can protect crops from locusts

by Gabino Martinez Serrano The world population is growing at a rapid pace. Today we are almost seven billion people and it is estimated that the figure will exceed 10 billion in 15 years. The world’s need for food will double, but the world’s arable land remains the same. Experts say that to increase performance, it is important to plant each crop where it can best develop, increase the yield potential of plant varieties and to reduce adversity posed by pests which have become a real problem. Failure to protect crops from pests would reduce harvests to just over half. Locusts are unique because they undergo a phase change. This means that under certain circumstances related to climate and population density, their behaviour changes and they move, eat and behave as a group, forming gigantic clouds and can travel great distances devouring crops in their path. These pests can affect 20 per cent of the surface of the earth, spreading through Africa, the Near East, and Southwest Asia. More than 65 countries may be at risk of swarms, invasion and reproduction. The last powerful plague occurred in 1988-89, threatening as many as 43 countries, one fifth of the world as [...]

ESCC to use donated unmanned aerial vehicles for science

ESCC to use donated unmanned aerial vehicles for science

Ted Shockley MELFA — Launching unmanned aerial vehicles from the Eastern Shore could be a financial plus for the area, and Eastern Shore Community College is positioning itself for an associated educational and training partnership. A link between the two was seen recently when an Aerosonde aerial vehicle donated to the college was unveiled in front of a gathering of staff members and industry experts. “We have something tangible, real, that the students can see,” said College President Linda Thomas-Glover of the unmanned airplane, which from wing to wing was bigger than a typical dining-room table. The particular model was used for years out of Wallops to gather weather data and has flown into hurricanes, said Jon Borcik, a program manager for AAI Corp., which oversees the Aerosonde program. He called it a “coming home mission” for the plane, a fitting place for an aircraft based at Wallops to continue its ­service. The plane will be used to stimulate an interest in science and also be studied by various college classes. The donation was arraigned by Peter Bale, board chairman for the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and a former program manager for Aerosonde North America at Wallops. At a [...]

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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