Using PC as a radio transmitter

[siberia37]

No idea if this is possible, but has anyone considered using a laptop or other PC with a transmitting circuit connected to the serial port or parallel port as a radio transmitter? Then the software program could do all the work of storing transmitting frequencies and servo settings, and you could possibly even use the joystick and the keyboard as a controller. Does such a circuit and software package already exist?

[Mr.RC-CAM]

A more refined version of what you describe is commercially available. It is called the Futaba MZ-14. Operates on WinCE.

RC-CAM

[oilman]

I'm interrrested in this subject too. Got a link Mr Rc cam

[Mr.RC-CAM]

The MZ14 web site is http://www.14mz.com/news.html

It is not a traditional PC with an transmitter hanging on it. It is a R/C transmitter that uses an embedded PC running WinCE for the user interface. BTW, I am not a fan of using Windows to control consumer appliances. So don't consider this a product endorsement.

Lastly, this Tx is very expensive. Be prepared for serious sticker shock.

RC-CAM

[slipstick]

No idea if this is possible, but has anyone considered using a laptop or other PC with a transmitting circuit connected to the serial port or parallel port as a radio transmitter? Then the software program could do all the work of storing transmitting frequencies and servo settings, and you could possibly even use the joystick and the keyboard as a controller. Does such a circuit and software package already exist?
There have been any number of circuits/software to control an existing R/C transmitter from a PC via the trainer socket, usually for robotics work. For flying it's a bit pointless since having to carry a laptop about as well as all the other gear is.....somewhat inconvenient ;).

It sounds like you were thinking of going a bit further than that which would immediately run into licensing and other legal problems in most countries. Did you have any particular application in mind ?

Steve

[siberia37]

There have been any number of circuits/software to control an existing R/C transmitter from a PC via the trainer socket, usually for robotics work. For flying it's a bit pointless since having to carry a laptop about as well as all the other gear is.....somewhat inconvenient ;).

It sounds like you were thinking of going a bit further than that which would immediately run into licensing and other legal problems in most countries. Did you have any particular application in mind ?

Steve

I don't mind carrying a laptop. I was just hoping there was a way around buying radio transmitters that contain a ton of electronics that a computer could easily duplicate in software. E.g. - A computer could use the keyboard and joystick as controllers and has a virtually unlimited memory. I can see where licensing restrictions make it hard to do this, though. It may be hard to obtain the parts for a circuit to transmit on RC frequencies I'm guessing?

[Mr.RC-CAM]

It may be hard to obtain the parts for a circuit to transmit on RC frequencies I'm guessing?
You can use a basic R/C Tx with a buddy jack on it. The PC connection is via the trainer cord. The net result is that the Tx is unmodified. There have been a number of projects on the internet that describe PC-to-Tx projects like this. It's Google time.

RC-CAM

[OmegaDot]

"I don't mind carrying a laptop....A computer could use the keyboard and joystick as controllers and has a virtually unlimited memory"

It's hard enough to find the switches on a high channel count Tx when your eyes are busy following the aircraft. A keyboard seems out of the question for actual flight controls. Also, I haven't seen many "gaming" joysticks that center worth a hoot. One thing that a conventional TX layout does is make the ergonomics workable.

To keep the Tx man/machine interface, you could loop out of the Tx to the laptop and then back to the Tx (assuming you are using the laptop for some high order mixing or whatever).

[lectraplayer]

Me, I'd want to have a laptop with me if I can get a camera and joystick flying or running out of it. I know it'd be pricey, but I think having a cockpit view on your monitor and controlling with a joystick would be neat, and often may be useful. Could even be an advantage in a race. :p

[oilman]

Me I think the traditional TX is a bit awkward. For example the rudder and throttle on one stick thing. Weird. I gather at one time there were TX with a twist function for rudder. Anyone who has been into gaming and flown flight sims with twist for rudder would want to fly that way. Where my interest in the computer part comes in is perhaps building a virtual cockpit for the field. Complete with one or more real time video sceens. But I gather in plane transmiting/ cameras still have a way to go before we can fly with them. As for the virtual cockpit I would like to some day build one just like die hard gamers do with seperate control stick, rudder pedals, throttle and flap levers. Some day.

@ omegadot. Indeed joysticks don't center well. But on the other hand the cramped totaly non user friendly traditional TX is a real pain to use outside the basic two sticks. Clicking a little trim or finding the flap switch while flying is really not fun. I think perhaps there must be a better way. Maybe not keyboard but..?

[lectraplayer]

It'd be awfully hard to carry around a complete virtual cockpit though, but I see your point. As far as the joysticks, you can just increase their "dead zone" so that when they're close to center, they're called center. ...then you can adjust your endpoints accordingly. I just want to, say, use a nYKo Airflo controller and have my plane's POV on the laptop's screen. That'd also be really useful for my car when I lose direct sight of it over a hill, or in a race so I can better tell where it's at and where it's going on the track or yard.

[rpage]

this is all interesting. I think it would be equally interesting to have the pc "autopilot" the plane in a pattern of some sort. Would be great for AP guys.

[mhmitchell]

Me I think the traditional TX is a bit awkward. For example the rudder and throttle on one stick thing. Weird. I gather at one time there were TX with a twist function for rudder. Anyone who has been into gaming and flown flight sims with twist for rudder would want to fly that way. Where my interest in the computer part comes in is perhaps building a virtual cockpit for the field. Complete with one or more real time video sceens. But I gather in plane transmiting/ cameras still have a way to go before we can fly with them. As for the virtual cockpit I would like to some day build one just like die hard gamers do with seperate control stick, rudder pedals, throttle and flap levers. Some day.

@ omegadot. Indeed joysticks don't center well. But on the other hand the cramped totaly non user friendly traditional TX is a real pain to use outside the basic two sticks. Clicking a little trim or finding the flap switch while flying is really not fun. I think perhaps there must be a better way. Maybe not keyboard but..?


From the game controllers I have seen it shouldnt be hard to use those (even the twist rudder) on a normal xmitter. A little reserch would be in order but the ones I have torn apart a little more than the same pots we use normally. You would not need the electronics part in the game box. Just maybe a cable to the buddy box, Strap the xmitter on your back and you got it.

As far as a chair with foot pedals etc. That to would be easy enough but since you always want to be looking at the plane it would have to be on some sort of swivel so you can rotate in the horizontal plane.

How about some glasses that is a monitor screen and a tv camera in the plane.

[adamdb]

An airplane radio running Winblows?!?!?! I hope I am nowhere within 100 miles when anyone uses one of them to fly a plane! What happens when the blue screen of death appears when you are hovering that $20,000 3D plane? I can't believe anyone would think that is a good idea. I work with WinCE on a very regular basis and it crashes more often than my desktop. Do we need to run anti-virus software on it? Hopefully it doesn't use IE for anything. And how much does it drive up the price of the radio due to the hardware requirements for running WinCE?

I suppose it had to happen sometime. Now Darth Gates is trying to take over the RC world too! Where's Luke Skywalker when you need him?

Adam

[mhmitchell]

I saw an artical the other day where you can controll certain functions (those usually assigned to switches) via voice input. Say gear down, flaps etc

[arcsecond]

Naturally, this is all heading towards a personal UAV. Once you can pass control through the computer, it is a short step towards just writing a program that controls the model by itself. I've seen any number of websites out there dealing with computer vision programs. And there's even no need to have a traditional camera if the computer's controlling things. It just needs sensors like GPS and local distance-to-object measurments. No camera, no heavy lens. And there are increasingly more powerful and lighter PDAs (yes, even some running Linux) so you wouldn't even have to take the laptop with you. Mount the computer on the model. Personally I'd still want the option to override with a traditional transmitter. I wonder what the government would think of private citizens doing something like this. They've already started to crack down on model rocketry.

Just thinking out loud. It would be a fascinating project to work on.

-James
www.arcsecond.net

[lectraplayer]

An airplane radio running Winblows?!?!?!

Don't worry, I'll be running Linux! :p This probably would actually be easier to set up under Linux anyway, given Tux's open source nature. :D

[adamdb]

Tux? Is that a small footprint Linux for portable devices? Or a regular distro for PCs?

The idea of any flavor of Windoze being used on an RC radio just scares the bejeebers out of me.

Adam

[lectraplayer]

Tux? Is that a small footprint Linux for portable devices? Or a regular distro for PCs?

The idea of any flavor of Windoze being used on an RC radio just scares the bejeebers out of me.

Adam
Tux is the Linux mascot, he's a penguin (Linus Torvalds, who created Linux, always liked penguins for some reason).

I'm with you on the transmitters running Winblows, dispite that one from Futaba that runs Windows CE (still Windows!). Like I said, I'm gonna run Linux with the one I set up, if I do set one up anytime soon. It's way more stable.

[risto]

See http://www.mh.ttu.ee/risto/rc/electronics/
Two versions of PC-to-R/C interface, one for parallel, one for serial port of PC.

Cheers,
Risto