Roboard - a good UAV solution?

[CATPart]

This product has a great potential.
It is a single board computer that runs Windows, Linux, etc.
On the board it has 24 PWM ports! 8 A/D ports! USB, Micro SD, Mini PCI, and more. There is even a C++ library to run the special I/O ports.
Just add sensors, GPS, and a nice program and there you have it.
http://www.roboard.com/RB-100.htm
Of course how would we interface the radio control? maybe hook up a wifi module and fly it via wifi? I would love to see an open source autopilot and navigation program designed to run on this board.

CATPart

http://www.roboard.com/images/RB-100/connector_b.jpg

[jbeanelliott]

This computer looks very impressive.

(Edited out my question):
I just found the USA vendor website which has more specs at
http://www.robotshop.us/Single-Board-Computers.html

It looks like the price in the USA is $250 for quantity one.

Thanks.
John Elliott

[CATPart]

I believe they are currently available in the USA now for 250 USD.

[Jack Crossfire]

Thought it was $200 last month. At least our mortgages are paid off now. Personally think for the cost of these single board computers to just handle sensors & GPS, you can get some $10 radios & do all the processing on a laptop. When the first SBC's started coming out 20 years ago, that wasn't the case, but it is now.

[cupsster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdnRUkWIsxw&feature=player_embedded
it seems from video that open CV could be implemented to automaticly track down objects. With combination of small low cost BW camera ant this piece of engenering it should be nice to build more advanced UAV with more sensor data and automatic positioning of internal WIFI antena.. I'm currently trying to dewelop such a plane. I'm designing aircraft simultaneusly with research about it's brain and SBC (single board computers) looks promising especialy this one which has built in I/O for servos and sensors.. I'm willing to participate. :) and have a FUN

BIG thanx for the tip about this one..

[jbeanelliott]

I have purchased a Roboard computer board and I hope to play with it soon. I do not have any firm plans yet as to what I am going to do with it. I would be very interested in hearing what other people are doing with it.

-John Elliott (Seattle)


it seems from video that open CV could be implemented to automaticly track down objects. With combination of small low cost BW camera ant this piece of engenering it should be nice to build more advanced UAV with more sensor data and automatic positioning of internal WIFI antena.. I'm currently trying to dewelop such a plane. I'm designing aircraft simultaneusly with research about it's brain and SBC (single board computers) looks promising especialy this one which has built in I/O for servos and sensors.. I'm willing to participate. :) and have a FUN

BIG thanx for the tip about this one..

[stikmunkeyrc]

Oh yeah...that looks like it has potential!

[BeefStake]

Hmm.
The only real advantage of this particular SBC is that is that is has an ADC and PWM wave form generators.
You can accomplish the same thing with an MCU and any old SBC.
If you want to be fancy you can use an FPGA.
Using an FPGA you could have litterally a hundred output/input pins.. and use them for anything really.

Though it does look like it would make a not too bad integrated solution.
The issue with SBC based UAVs so far is the lack of unification.
Everyone has a different approach and different hardware.
If you could get a community working around one set of hardware I think SBC based UAVs could have real potential in the DIY scene.

[cupsster]

Hmm.
...
Though it does look like it would make a not too bad integrated solution.
The issue with SBC based UAVs so far is the lack of unification.
Everyone has a different approach and different hardware.

Absolute agree with this statement... It's rainforest in electronic world :D