Ferias goes UAV - my new project

[icebear]

I have started my first UAV project (see previous post in the AP forum) and here's a short update;

Model: Kyosho Ferias
Motor: MEGA 16/15/7 with APC-e 9x6
8x1100 GP NiMH's and approx 120W input power

A Picopilot + GPS will be added as soon as the airframe has been flight tested (too windy right now...).
I have another Ferias with the same equipment so I don't expect any problems.

I have planned a short route with 5 legs, approx 200 meters each since I want to stay in visible range all the time to able to recover if there are any glitches.

My biggest problem is to figure out the co-ordinates. I found the web-site Maporama.com where you enter and address and get the map + GPS coordinates. After comparing with the Picopilot readings they are fairly accurate! Unfortunately only with three decimals but I have worked out the route by calculating from reference points.

If everything goes well the plan is to add a camera for AP pics but first some experience...

See pics of the plane, equipment and the route-map below!

More updates to follow in a few days...

/Icebear

[icebear]

And here's the planned route map. I found a huge deserted field nearby - perfect for the test flight...

[kd7ost]

Icebear,

Sounds pretty exciting. The day is soon upon you. Keep us posted.

As far as getting coordinates very tight I wouldn't think that's a huge issue for flying via GPS. Handheld GPS units can be flown with a "route" programmed in and a device on the plane reading serial data. In the “Route following” function there is a certain amount of position error allowed in getting to the exact spot. I don’t know what the software folks at Garmin do specifically, but it has a factor of velocity and distance mixed with it. You can see it working in your GPS if you use it driving down the road following a route. If you fly past an intersection at 60 mph and the waypoint you had to make was a couple hundred feet off to the left or right, the arrow would point to that spot for a short time but then simply sequence to the next spot. It won't make you go back until you hit the exact Lat and Lon.

The UAV does the same thing. If you fly past your waypoint but don’t hit it on the gnats hiney, you don’t want the platform searching and hunting that spot until it hits it with no error.

I know you said you’re using the Pico Nav system. It’s a great unit BTW. Dave Perry over there did a similar thing but I don’t know what. It’s a proprietary thing. Your GPS unit doesn’t have the route in it but the Pico unit processor has a waypoint sequencer. There is something in there that basically says, “Close enough” once you get inside a certain range. Winds or other track error conditions, trims whatever can cause you to not hit the spot exactly and you don’t want the UAV turning u-turns up there trying to make the spot if it got missed by a little ways.

And if you already know all this, I’m just yammering to hear myself talk. ;-)

Dan

[icebear]

Dan,

Thanks for the input! I'm pretty new to all this so any info is useful to me!
I looked in the Pico manual and just as you say, it skips to the next waypoint when it is within 0.1 mile range. Pretty rough it may seem but as you say - at least I don't get the plane circling around waypoints.

I am a little unsure on the exact waypoints since I calculated them from the verified GPS starting point and just converted the other waypoints using a map reference, e.g. 200 meters north means 11,1 meter per 1/10.000 degrees Latitude and at my Longitude each 1/10.000 degree is 6 meters east - I just want to avoid the plane going to far away from me since I need to be within radio/visual range.

I calculated that the legs should be at least 200 meter (0.1 mile = 160 meters) and that the turns should be moderate. If everything works this would make the plane turning in a circle with a radius smaller than the planned waypoints.

I tested the airframe yesterday and everything worked perfect! I just need to reduce rudder throw (the pico needs < 45 degrees/second).


All the electronics will be installed during the weekend so soon it's time for the BIG test! It's a rather simple affair - just connect the PP inbetween rudder servo/ESC, the GPS and a few power cables. I installed a 6v regulator on the battery leads (9,6 volt power pack) to give the PP correct voltage and I just need some heatsing to cool it since it gets pretty warm (approx 100-110 Farenheit).


Please comment if anything of the above doesn't make sense - I will post updates and photos soon!

/Icebear

[kd7ost]

Dan,

Thanks for the input! I'm pretty new to all this so any info is useful to me!
I looked in the Pico manual and just as you say, it skips to the next waypoint when it is within 0.1 mile range. Pretty rough it may seem but as you say - at least I don't get the plane circling around waypoints.

I am a little unsure on the exact waypoints since I calculated them from the verified GPS starting point and just converted the other waypoints using a map reference, e.g. 200 meters north means 11,1 meter per 1/10.000 degrees Latitude and at my Longitude each 1/10.000 degree is 6 meters east - I just want to avoid the plane going to far away from me since I need to be within radio/visual range.

I calculated that the legs should be at least 200 meter (0.1 mile = 160 meters) and that the turns should be moderate. If everything works this would make the plane turning in a circle with a radius smaller than the planned waypoints.

I tested the airframe yesterday and everything worked perfect! I just need to reduce rudder throw (the pico needs < 45 degrees/second).


All the electronics will be installed during the weekend so soon it's time for the BIG test! It's a rather simple affair - just connect the PP inbetween rudder servo/ESC, the GPS and a few power cables. I installed a 6v regulator on the battery leads (9,6 volt power pack) to give the PP correct voltage and I just need some heatsing to cool it since it gets pretty warm (approx 100-110 Farenheit).


Please comment if anything of the above doesn't make sense - I will post updates and photos soon!

/Icebear

Sounds like you got it dialed in. If you have a handheld GPS you could confirm the distance by putting in the start point and then all the way points. You then go through and select them in order as a route. When you do that the GPS will tell you how far between each waypoint and tally your total too. If you don't have access to a handheld unit, if you posted your coordinates here I would do that for you in my GPS and post back the results. That will give you a firm handle on distance total etc. (Just tell me how you want it posted as. We use miles here but I suspect you use meters/kilometers)

I could even go from the point your at to each turning coordinate then tell you how far each point is from your position. It looks like you're only looking at 7 coordinates and the last one in the pico pilot will be where it gets GPS lock at.

Dan

[icebear]

Dan, unfortunately I haven't got a handheld GPS to verify my calculations from the measured starting point (I took the Picopilot out and read the waypoint from my PC when I returned home since it stores the latest reading).

It would be great if you could help me out - I have posted my seven waypoints (incl. Start/End which is the same spot) below.
The "Meter N" and "Meter E" in the table indicates how far it should be inbetween the waypoints north/east. I used these numbers to calculate the Lat/Long from the known starting point.

I understand if it's a lot of work, so if you could help my verify just one point, that would be a good help.

Waypoint Lat - N Long - E Meter N Meter E
Start 56,1633 12,5724 0 0
1st 56,1640 12,5694 80 -180
2nd 56,1658 12,5694 200 0
3rd 56,1666 12,5724 90 180
4th 56,1658 12,5754 -90 180
5th 56,1640 12,5754 -200 0
End 56,1633 12,5724 -80 -180

Finally, I put all the gear in the Ferias tonight - just waiting for the winds to calm down... There is one problem I need to solve first, though. I can't get the motor running at all, even in "Disable" (manual) mode. On startup the rudder moves one time and the motor spins one time just as it should, BUT I can't control the motor from my radio - strange!

I guess you may not be familiar with the Picopilot, but any ideas?

Thanks again!

Icebear

And here's a view of my flying field (incidently photographed from a Ferias!);

[kd7ost]

It should be no trouble to do it. Your numbers look greek to me in some manner because we are so far away. I'm at work and will plug those numbers in tonight and get you the results. It looks like degrees and decimal minutes?

I know the Pico pilot a bit. I have one but haven't flown all of it. I assume you have the Alt3T version for altitude control because of the throttle issue? Mine is an Alt3E but I can dig a little and see what I can come up with. I assume you are also using a Nav2R for rudder steering?

Dan

[kd7ost]

What kind of receiver are you using? Futaba PCM units put out a 3.3 vdc pulse. There may be other manufacturers that do that too. I don't know though. 3.3 volts would be ambiguous to a pico pilot PIC chip. An enable or even the throttle pulse all need to be level shifted to full voltage in order to work. Can that be it?

Dan

[icebear]

Thanks Dan that would be great!
And yes, I am using degrees and decimal degrees I would think (e.g. N55.9999 is followed by N56.0000).

The version I have is ALT-T and NAV-A (but I am using it for a rudder plane which should be fine). I think the ALT3t and Nav2r are newer versions but rather similar. Anyhow - ANY ideas are most welcome!

Icebear

[icebear]

I am using a Hitech supreme 8 ch receiver. I can't say if it puts out 3.3v pulses, but it's a PPM standard receiver so I would think that it should work with the PP. The NAV-A unit works OK in DISABLED mode (I can control the rudder) so that makes me even more confused...

Icebear

[kd7ost]

Icebear,

I'll keep digging. If it works with the Rudder it will work with the Throttle so pulse level isn't it.

Help me out on the setup of an electric. I'm taking a shot in the dark but,

1. You have throttle pulse output from receiver going to throttle input to Pico unit?

2. You have a spare channel used to enable Alt T going into Alt T enable?

3. You have output from Alt T going to speed controller?

4. When you enable, or disable, Alt T, you don't get throttle control?

Any possible mixup or miss labeled inputs? What if you give full throttle then switch the enable line off and on?

Dan

[kd7ost]

I can't find the manual on line anymore. I have one saved on my home PC and can access the information better there. If you don't find it by tomorrow maybe you should email Dave Perry at Unav Support.

While testing, if you put a servo in the Alt T output instead of your speed controller, you can trouble shoot without having to arm your motor. Once you get servo control via throttle stick through the unit, you should have speed control function too.

Dan

[kd7ost]

icebear’s flight

These are your Lat’s and Lon’s. Distance is the meters between your start (and finish) point to each coordinate. Total is the accumulated distance from your starting point, over the course (as the crow fly’s), to the finish.

/////// Lat N//// Long E/// Distance/// Total
Start 56.1633// 12.5724//// 0.0/////// 0.0

1st// 56.1640// 12.5694//// 202m//// 202m

2nd// 56.1658// 12.5694//// 335m//// 402m

3rd// 56.1666// 12.5724//// 367m//// 608m

4th// 56.1658// 12.5754//// 334m//// 814m

5th// 56.1640// 12.5754//// 202m//// 1km

End// 56.1633// 12.5724//// 0.0////// 1.2km

For the record, your starting point is 7972km from my house so I probably can’t make it out to watch. Rats. But, I can confirm your numbers look good for your flight. (I also see that my nicely done rows and columns don't make it into this post well.)

I edited this to put the forward slashes in as space savers. That keeps the columns lined up at least.

Dan

[icebear]

Dan - many thanks for all the input!
Your table worked out great - and more readable than mine. I'll analyze your readings but at a glance it seems my 'route' looks OK!

I didn't know Idaho was as far as 8000 km's from south Sweden, but now I understand why my coordinates look greek to you (although 'swedish' would be a better description! :)).

Re. the Alt-T problem I found out yesterday that the Alt-T LED doesn't go into DISABLE=unlit (off) mode so it seems the Alt-T board is still active. This could explain why I can't get the throttle to work. I'll check the wiring with Y-cable that goes from the PP to ch 5!

Here are some answers to your questions;
1. Yes, throttle output PP to receiver
2. Yes, Channel 5 connected to ENABLE for both NAV and ALT via Y-cable
3. Yes, ALT output to ESC
4. NO, no reaction when trying to enable/disable ALT unit. I can get the motor spinning once if I turn on the PP in the ENABLE mode just as for the rudder connected to NAV-unit (self-test according to the manual)

I'll check as you suggest to connect a servo instead to see if there is an arming problem with the ESC.

One final thought - I connected the PP to a 6 v regulator AND the 5 volt for the GPS is taken from the receiver (ch 8/batt). BUT since the 6v to the PP could go via the rudder/throttle cables into the receiver and thus giving a full 6 v to the GPS which gets power from the receiver could this cause a problem? The GPS is only rated for 5 volts so maybe I could harm that unit. When looking at the wiring diagram in the manual it seems they have 'cut' the middle wire in the three-lead cables going from the PP to the receiver... Am I misinterpreting the diagram?

Once again, I really appreciate your help!

Regards,

Icebear

[kd7ost]

I'm not sure if I'm following everything.

Is the GPS unit getting lock? LED illuminates? The GPS should have two connectors. One of them has power only connections and these should go to your receiver, (Or suitable 5 volt source) The other is the RS232 from the GPS and needs to be connected to the switch harness that attaches to the Navigation unit. I don't recall if the center conductor is used. It can be confusing because all the wires are RC wires and color codes aren't followed through that harness. As far as I can remember though, the black wire ties the GPS common to the power source which needs to be done. The white wire is the GPS information sent to the PP.

After you program the PP with the software, are you putting the toggle switch in the other position?

Dan

[icebear]

Dan,

Sorry if I was a bit unclear.

The PP has as you might now two status LEDs. The NAV and ALT status.
When I flip the gear switch on my receiver (ch 5) I ENABLE or DISABLE the PP(NAV/ALT).
The NAV led goes blinking RED when I disable, which indicates it is off or not receiving GPS data. The ALT status LED continues to indicate GREEN light which means it is still in ENABLE mode.

The GPS has as you say two leads, one for 5v power and one for serial data. I connected the GPS power lead to my receivers channel 8 to get 5v regulated power from the receiver (indicated in the manual). The receiver gets 5v from the ESC.
I also use the switch harness to switch between PC/Picopilot.

However, the 6v regulated power from my power pack is connected directly to the PP and since the rudder/throttle connectors between the PP and the receiver also carry the third lead (GND/+6v/data) I was suspecting that I am feeding the receiver with the 6v from the PP and thus also feeding the GPS with 6v through the receiver ch 8.

When looking at the power wiring diagram in the manual it seems as one should cut one of the wires (+6v) inbetween the PP and the receiver.

I hope that explanation is better than my previous one! Sorry for the confusion.

/Icebear

[kd7ost]

No problems icebear. I'm easily confused. :D

Makes sense what You're saying. I don't have a diagram with me at work. If you have a soldering iron you might try pulling that wire that could be feeding 6 volts into the receiver. Or, can you pull the center connector in that RC plug and just tape it back for security so it doesn't touch anything?

Do you have the manual in PDF form by any chance? Can I get you to email it to me? I can send you a PM with my address.

Dan

[icebear]

Sure, I'll send you the PDF if you PM me your email. It's much easier to explain if you have the diagram in front of you. I'll wait altering the plugs until you've had a look at the PDF

Thanks,

Icebear

[kd7ost]

Icebear,

I've been going through my schematic and looking at my Pico pilot. I have an older version with my Alt E unit separated and into a plane by itself. The Nav unit is connected to the harness though and I hooked up a GPS. My Nav LED is a two color LED. If I put the toggle switch to program mode, I see both green and red on solid. I presume the red solid means it has no RS232 data from the GPS, but it does have power. When I switch to GPS on line with PP, and while it's acquiring the GPS constellation the RED LED blinks while the green LED stays on solid if enabled. Once I acquire solid GPS lock the Red LED stops blinking all together, but the green one stays on as long as I have the unit enabled. Once I disable that, the green LED goes out and I have Rudder control from my transmitter.

The LED on my Alt unit is not employed but it works very well. Disable, I have elevator control, Enable, I have elevator locked. I fly this routinely.

I'm going to look over the schematics but it does sound like there could be a power problem in your description. I did send you a PM so if you could get me the manual that would help.

The scematic shows putting 5 vdc into the pico gps. I'm sure thats fairly critical but isn't likely the problem. It also shows putting a 5 cell pack into the receiver. This means the Pico unit likely has a low dropout regulator to keep a fairly clean 5 volts going to the processor. (I am only speculating) I do see a regulator on the board right past an input filter capacitor. (Can't read the numbers on it) Anyhow, that regulator has to have a certain amount of excess voltage going into it in order to maintain a 5 volts out. If you get really close to 5 volts on the input to it it will drop out and stop supplying the needed voltage for the circuitry. If you have 6 volts tied to 5 volts they will combine to make some combination of voltage between the two.

Dan

[icebear]

Dan,

Thanks again! I didn't receive the PM so here's my home e-mail; icebear2@telia.com
If you send me an email to that address, I'll send you the PDF manual.

I checked my LEDs according to your description and it is the same two-colour LED as yours on the NAV board which seems to be working OK.

In ENABLE it has a steady GREEN and blinking RED while receiving GPS data. When I disable it is only flashing RED and I have AILERON control from the transmitter.
If the GPS finds sattelites in ENABLE mode it goes steady GREEN as you describe.

The ALT unit has the same type of LED and it has a steady GREEN all the time, even if I DISABLE from the transmitter. I have tried swithcing the Y-harness (ALT/NAV ENABLE to channel 5 gear) but with the same result.

Also, I tested with a voltmeter and the GPS gets a steady 5,2 volts even if the Picopilot is fed with 6 volts from the voltage reg. The Picopilot has a steady 6 volts.

What puzzles me is that ;
a) I cant disable the ALT unit and
b) the diagram in the manual suggests that I should connect the ESC to the receiver directly (ALT-E example) while I (with the ALT-T version) have to connect THROTTLE ctrl from the Picopilot to the recievers channel 3 and the ESC to the Picopilots THROTTLE SERVO output. This seems logical but is my assumption wrong?

I'm not going to let this beat me so I'll keep on experimenting!

I can understand if you get tired of this, but I really appreciate your help!

/Icebear

[icebear]

PS: And yes, both the NAV and ALT boards have 5v regulators

[icebear]

UPDATE:

Dan,

I re-wired everything as per the diagram for ALT-E and NAV-A (I have ALT-T) and
now it works!
I had to cut all red +6v cables from the PP to the receiver (ENABLE/AIL ctrl/Throttle ctrl) and connect these directly to the +6v from the regulator.
The ESC was connected directly to the receivers ch 3, thus giving a regulated 5 v to this and the GPS.
The only remaining problem is how to hook up the ESC to the PP instead of the elevator servo (as for ALT-E). Right now I have the motor controlled directly by the ch 3 from the receiver. If I would go the route of connecting the ESC to the THRTL ctrl of the PP I wouldn't get the 5 v regulated power to the receiver - the THRTL ctrl wire has been cut since the PP has 6 volts in here...

I guess I could take the power wire (+5v) from the ESC and hook up to the receiver and test it but that might be risky...

As always - thanks for your input! At least I have a working system now... I wonder if it would fly using the ALT-T unit controlling the elevator servo instead of the ESC to the motor...!

/Icebear

[kd7ost]

Hey, good work Icebear. It sounds like you're zeroing in. I couldn't tell you if the T version will work with as a E version. I think it's the software thats different. How it responds.

Getting close to flight time eh? Is the wind cooperating?

Oh, and you'll be the expert next time someone here needs help. ;-)

Dan

[icebear]

Thanks for all the help Dan!

I succesfully connected the ESC's 5v to the receiver now and that seemed to work fine as well. Just need to sort out all these cables now and get them organized in the plane... Soon it's time for a test flight.

The ALT-T in manual mode doesnt start the throttle until the stick is beyond half open but maybe thats supposed to be the case. I'll see how it works in reality,,,

Updates to follow!

/Icebear

[icebear]

OK, now the time has come for a test flight of my Ferias UAV...

All the equipment has been installed and the airframe has been test flown manually.
(Thanks for the help with the Picopilot setup Dan!).

Here is a view of my "field" which is basicly a farmroad and some huge fields- You can see a beacon in the distance and that is because we have a sport flying filed nearby.

The planed route is the 6 waypoints described earlier in this thread and each "leg" is approx 200 meters to enable me to stay in visual and radio range all the time...

Keep your fingers crossed and let's hope for a nice saturday!

/Icebear

[kd7ost]

Hey Icebear,

Good luck wih it. Did you try any "one way point overhead" flying to check and set up gains? If you let that Pico nav get lock and don't load any waypoints in, it will fly back to you. You can turn off the transmitter, (or simply enable the device) and watch how it responds before sending it off.

Looks like a stable plane. Nice color too.

Dan

[icebear]

Dan,

Thanks - I'm going to need all the luck I can get!
Too windy again today I'm afraid, but it's only 1/4 mile from my home to the "field" so I'll be able to get there quick as soon as the weather is right.

I haven't flown with the device enabled yet, but I loaded the 7 waypoints and since it's a pretty short route I figured I'd give it a try. Thanks for the tip about the return home function if you don't load waypoints (nice feature for Aerial photography! Just enable the device if you get too far away!).

I can't turn off my transmitter since I use a simple PPM receiver - if I do that the servos starts to jitter. I guess you need a PCM receiver with failsafe to do that?

Updates to follow!

Icebear

[kd7ost]

What a bummer,

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Dan

[icebear]

Dan,
I made the first attemt yesterday since the winds calmed down! The first attempt was using ONLY the NAV unit to test navigation.

I let the Ferias fly manually first and gained height and trimmed for level flight.
Then I switched to ENABLE and the plane started a gentle turn and then almost directly turned the other way again but too sharply so I had to return to MANUAL again to take control.

I made several attempts until the pack ran out and I could notice the following;

- the plane is navigating, but I couldn't see if it was between 'my' waypoints. It seemed as it turned towards one or two and then returned to circle overhead the starting point
- the turns where often a bit too tight, so the plane lost to much altitude and too fast so I had to go to manual after 1-2 turns

Everything regarding setup and groundcheck seemed OK, but I have a few questions (as ususal)...

1) If starting in MANUAL mode and then switching to ENABLE, this I assume would make the NAV unit to search for waypoint 1, correct?

2) If going to MANUAL again and then to ENABLE a second time, would this have reset the waypoint counter so that the plane would search for waypoint 1 again? or would it continue to serach for waypoint 2?

3) The wing leveling function of the NAV unit didn't seem to work very well since the turns were too steep. I setup with a really slow turn rate but even this is maybe too much. OR could it be that my turn rate was too low?

I will test again when the weather permits and go for your suggestion and just try out the "return to home" function. Maybe setup one waypoint further away since my waypoints probably were too close (200 meters apart).

Anyway, thanks for any comments!

/Icebear

[kd7ost]

- the plane is navigating, but I couldn't see if it was between 'my' waypoints. It seemed as it turned towards one or two and then returned to circle overhead the starting point
- the turns where often a bit too tight, so the plane lost to much altitude and too fast so I had to go to manual after 1-2 turns


Some of this I won't know because you are using the Nav A in a Nav R application I recall. I think we talked about that earlier in this thread but don't recall what was said. Don't be shy about using that email address to Mark at U-nav support I sent you at your home email. These guys work with these issues every day and know exactly what to do or not to do. They are the real experts.


1) If starting in MANUAL mode and then switching to ENABLE, this I assume would make the NAV unit to search for waypoint 1, correct?


Yes, The waypoint sequencer will automatically go to the first valid waypoint. It will sequence through the waypoints in the order you stored them in as long as they are valid waypoints. Dave wrote some parameters into the code that decides if they are bad waypoints and it will skip them. If distance is too great (not your case) etc it will sequence on to the next one. Waypoint 32 is one you don't have access to. It loads the home waypoint where it got last GPS lock at last power up. If it goes through the other waypoints and has any that are entered bad, or has blank memory slots, it will simply jump to the last point and come home. (It sounds like this is happening)


2) If going to MANUAL again and then to ENABLE a second time, would this have reset the waypoint counter so that the plane would search for waypoint 1 again? or would it continue to serach for waypoint 2?


It will follow the waypoint sequencer in the software. If you haven't made the first waypoint "good" yet it will continue to try to get within .1 mile of that first. Once it makes that it will sequence to number 2 and so on irrespective of being enabled off and on. Silly us. We didn’t connect the dots between converting English to metric measurements. The Pico pilot “makes good” the way point at .1 mile. That’s 161 meters. Once you set your plane off, it fly’s off only 40 meters and probably makes 2 waypoints and then with just a small spiraling around makes the rest of them and comes home. It sounds like things are working but you just need to open up the flight distance after some other set up.


3) The wing leveling function of the NAV unit didn't seem to work very well since the turns were too steep. I setup with a really slow turn rate but even this is maybe too much. OR could it be that my turn rate was too low?


This is a harder problem to fix I think. The Nav unit doesn't have a wing leveler built into it. If you're flying a 3 channel plane with no ailerons, your plane needs to have a sufficient amount of dynamic stability. Dihedral, polyhedral etc. Then you have to limit the amount of rudder input to prevent a yaw induced roll from going too far. A typical UAV like what we're experimenting with needs to have the controls set up rather soft or light. The plane should not respond in a manner that it looks radical or jerky in motion. The pitch, yaw and roll rates need to be set up to be slow. You have roll dynamically coupled with yaw so (I think so anyway, You do not have ailerons right) it's importand to adjust your linkage if need be to slow the response way down. The Pico unit's will typically only provide 50 percent of servo travel compared to what you have set into your plane based on linkage throw amount. In some cases this might still be too much travel. I don't know what that dials down to using the limit potentiometer on the pico units. (Early versions didn't have an adjustment pot. Do you have an early version or can you dial out some throw?) Small planes and light winds will still effect your flight path as well. If you go to loiter overhead it will drift into bigger turns on the downwind side. It won't be a circle overhead but more oblong. This is normal and is just wind. Don't try to set the plane linkage and throws to stay real tight overhead. Let it fly in more space.

I would recommend you don't try to fly a course yet. Bring things on line one by one (like you're doing) but just have it loiter overhead so you can quickly observe what it's doing or not doing. Minimize the throw going to the rudder with the gain pot and dump all waypoints in the sequencer. It will load waypoint 32 and that’s where you are when it gets GPS lock. Enable the device at altitude and see what happens. If it turns too slowly and can't make the waypoint, put small amounts back in till it does have the ability to loiter. Remember to let it use space for that. Don't worry if it doesn't stay tight overhead. At some point in the adjustment process it will get too fast and try to roll and react fast. Back away from that amount of gain. Once you have that set up you'll have your rudder gain adjusted to the Ferias' dynamic flight envelope. You need to get that part working well before moving on.

I will test again when the weather permits and go for your suggestion and just try out the "return to home" function. Maybe setup one waypoint further away since my waypoints probably were too close (200 meters apart).

Anyway, thanks for any comments!

/Icebear[/QUOTE]

[icebear]

Dan,

Thanks a lot for a really informative reply!

You are right about me using the NAV-A in a rudder-only application (Ferias).

To summarize I agree that my waypoints probably were too close and that I should revert to testing out the return to waypoint 32 and maybe a waypoint further out. I already programmed one separate waypoint into the NAV unit to test this.

It's also seems plausible that the odd turns I saw was the NAV unit trying to go between my waypoints as you suggest.

The NAV-A unit, which I have, should however have a wing leveling function (the NAV-R doesn't), so I thought that I should have some more stability in the roll axis.
I have already reduced throws as much as possible, but I will try to do some mechanical adjustments and go for the more simple test.

It feels as if I'm getting closer to the goal so I appreciate your comments and I'll keep posting the results!

/Icebear

[kd7ost]

The NAV-A unit, which I have, should however have a wing leveling function (the NAV-R doesn't), so I thought that I should have some more stability in the roll axis. /Icebear

Icebear,

I’m not familiar enough with the Nav A unit to know how or why this would work. I can’t wrap my brain around this part. Mine is a Nav R and I use a thermopile leveling device called the co-pilot to level my wings through ailerons when the rudder induces roll.

It seems to me that if you’re using any unit for wing leveling from yaw induced roll that you have to have ailerons. Your device steers the plane by putting in yaw. The wing shape and its location in your plane causes there to be roll when this occurs. I don’t see how that same steering device connected to rudder can also level the wings if it’s supposed to steer. The wing leveling would typically happen by inducing yaw with rudder in the opposite direction of roll. I don’t see how that unit can do both things. “Steer” and “level wings”, since the rudder would have to move in opposite directions to do either. (Am I making sense)

1. Turn a rudder only plane with yaw, and wings will allow roll.
2. Prevent roll (level wings) by putting in rudder to counter steer opposite the roll.

They are opposite functions. I don’t think you can have them both happening in a rudder only airplane where the rudder has to turn to the waypoint to steer, then turn away from the waypoint to level the wings.

Dan

[JettPilot]

Using just rudder to turn and level the wings would work just fine. I havent tried this because I wouldnt even consider building a plane without ailerons, but that being said...

If by some grave misfortune you are stuck with a plane that only has rudder... You put your autopilot in line after the receiver, then you put your CoPilot in series last. The copilot will command the rudder to level the wings, but as the plane needed to turn the autopilot would feed turn into the copilot. With continuous turn being input being fed into the copilot, it would fly in a bank until no more turn is commanded at which point the copilot would level the plane again.

Ever tried turning your plane with your copilot on ? You hold the stick and it will hold a bank until you let go, at which point the copilot levels the wings... The copilot does not care if its you holding the stick to command the turn or if its the autopilot. Its actaully pretty siempre and it should work just fine.

[icebear]

Dan,

UNAV actually says that you could use the NAV-A to steer and level a rudder only plane. The Ferias responds to rudder input with a slight bank and I assumed that the NAV-A unit would respond with an opposite rudder command which would level the plane. If the bearing still isn't right, the unit would steer again, and then level etc. It wouldn't be perfect but I thought it might work. "Assumption is the mother of all ..etc etc..." I'll follow your advice and ask UNAV about it too!

I'll do some more tests and if this could be the problem, I'll install the unit in one of my smaller aileron equipped planes. I choose the Ferias since it is very light and stable, but I have another plane ready that could be used (Wattage Super Impress II).
I just have to make some more holes in that beautiful airframe :)

JettPilot - thanks for your comments - I have the Co-pilot as well, but I thought I wouldn't have to use it since I got the NAV-A unit...

Anyway, let's hope for nice weather in the weekend so I can try it out!

/Icebear

[kd7ost]

Dan,

UNAV actually says that you could use the NAV-A to steer and level a rudder only plane. The Ferias responds to rudder input with a slight bank and I assumed that the NAV-A unit would respond with an opposite rudder command which would level the plane. If the bearing still isn't right, the unit would steer again, and then level etc. It wouldn't be perfect but I thought it might work. "Assumption is the mother of all ..etc etc..." I'll follow your advice and ask UNAV about it too!/Icebear

That does make sense. I didn't know that capability was built in. I presume they look at the heading data from the GPS, and if a roll starts and is detected by accelerometer, with little to no track error, it will work to level the roll. Sweet. Those U-nav guys put more into the product than meets the eye.

Best of Luck, Still standing by. I think this whole thread has helped a lot of guys. It got a lot of hits with guys keeping up with this. I'm sure they're all pulling for you.

Dan

[icebear]

Hello again Dan (and anyone listening in!),

The weather was nice again this evening and I took the Ferias out for some more testing. This time with only one waypoint 400 m's northwest of my flying field.

I enabled the ALT-T unit as well and went for it! The Ferias responded well to the ALT-unit and kept height nicely (increasing prop rev as it dropped in height and shutting the motor if it got to high - fantastic, just as my SAAB's cruise control! :) ).

The plane seemed to navigate to the waypoint I set but kept turning into a spiral so I had to take over the control (manual override worked well instead of DISABLE:ing all the time). I didn't manage to get it to "return home" so it probably never got close enough to the single waypoint.

The only remaining problem seems to be the wing levelling. Maybe my airframe is a little bit too unstable. It has a rather short fuselage so it tends to turn quite quickly. Also, it is easy to get into minor stalls that turns the plane either way which I guess could upset the navigation.

I played around with the mechanical throws (rudder) since I have a PICOPILOT unit without the 'gain' potentiometer. I settled with a bit more throw since I had made the plane almost unsteerable with the minimal throw I had setup for the first trial.

However, I still find that the wing levelling does not seem to work OK, so I am thinking of testing another airframe since everything else seems quite alright. My 42" span Wattage Impress could be a candidate but it's quite agile, so I am not sure it this would be better. Maybe by reducing throws and trimming it well...

Anyway, a little progress more progress since last time and thanks for cheering and supporting!

Here's a nice picture from my surroundings shot with my Pentax Optio from the Ferias this summer (just to show that we DO have beaches up here)...

/Icebear

[Medve]

Icebear,
you may want to try a nice powered glider with dihedral. That way it is sure to level it'self. it would be a very stable platform, and allow you concentrate on the issues you have with the electronics, rather than the plane. After you have the electronics all figured out, you can move them to a more squirly plane, and know that any new variables are from the plane.

[icebear]

Medve,

You're quite right! It's tempting to try out one of my preferred platforms, but I agree I should start over with a nice and stable one. I thought the Ferias would be stable enough since it's a quite light and tame beginners airplane, but maybe the short fuselage plays a role here.

/Icebear

[icebear]

After failing to get the Kyosho Ferias stable enough, I have now installed the Picopilot in a slightly bigger "trainer", the Wattage Super Impress II.

Actually, this is the plane that I intended for my first UAV project, but I tested the Ferias because it's a little bit simpler.

Anyway, all the electronics are installed and pre-flight checks are made and everything is looking good. Here's some specs;

42" wingspan, approx 300 sq in
29 oz AUW including power pack
MEGA 16/15/6 brushless w. 9x5 prop (15A static = 120W)
Brushless 18 A controller
Hitech electron 6 ch receiver
2xHS-55 and 1xHS81 (ail) servos
8x1100 GP NiMH power pack
Picopilot with GPS

And a few pictures...

Whenever weather permits I'll test the above setup and see if this bird will perform the "return home" function upon enabling the autopilot...

More reports to follow!

/Icebear

[kd7ost]

Nice Icebear,

Hope the weather stays clear and calm for you.

Dan

[icebear]

Finally my first UAV project is a success!

I switched airframe to a Wattage Super Impress as described earlier, but the stabilization didn't quite work, which made the plane go into a spiral dive in most of the turns.

I decided to try out kd7ost's idea of a FMS Co-pilot controlling ailerons while the Picoilot controls the rudder.

The weather was perfect at lunchtime today so a couple of colleagues and I went into a field nearby the office and - SUCCESS! The plane is nice and stable and while the Pico is forcing an almost flat turn, the co-pilot wiggles the plane a little, but not much. As soon as the units were enabled the plane made a nice turn and went back to its starting point and started slowly circling. Now time for some real co-ordinates!

Thanks Dan and others for all your help!

Finally a few questions;

- To save weight I thought of the FS-8 complete receiver/co-pilot. This I believe would give me failsafe in case I get out of radio range, BUT would the rudder inputs from the Pico override the signal from the FS-8?
I guess when enabled, the Pico would ignore the failsafe setting (rudder) coming out of the receiver?

- Range problems concerning the FS-8 - is it a fact that I would get much less range with an FS-8 than my Hitech Electron 6?
Maybe because all the cables with the Pico, servos, Co-pilot, I have quite short range with the Tx antenna collapsed on the ground (10-15 meters), but in the air I have been 1/4 mile away with no problems... Any idea if the FS8 would be worse or if the servo leads bundled together with CO-pilot cables etc could affect range?

More updates soon - here are a few pics;

/Icebear

[LukeZ]

Icebear, I'm really glad to hear you finally had some success! Not having much helpful advice for you I haven't been posting, but I've been keeping track of your progress. It's always encouraging to me when I get to read about some other guy reach a milestone. Keep it up!


Luke

[kd7ost]

Yes,

Good going icebear. Congratulations.

Dan

[icebear]

LukeZ & Dan!

Thanks guys - it feels great to finally get the whole setup working, and what a great source of inspiration this forum is...

Updates to follow!

/Icebear

[icebear]

As soon as I had made my first successful flight, the winds have picked up :( , but tonight just before sunset I managed to sneak out to my field when the winds temporarily calmed down to about 10-15 mph (5-8 meters/second in our "language")...

I have now setup the FMS Co-pilot so the sensor is in the middle of the wing turned 45%, because the extra drag on one wing affected my small airplane too much.

After a rather long ground run the plane lifted and soon got into the blustery winds above the treeline. Now I'm happy I added 5 oz of gear which actually helps a bit (30 oz AUW).

After circling a while to check trims and range I enabled the Pico and Copilot and VOILA! the plane turned towards waypoint Start (see map below).
There is some wiggeling in the roll axis but not very much - and when the plane turned to waypoint No 1, I noticed that it navigated a bit back and forth in the crosswind. Either it was the drift OR maybe a little to much throw on rudder which is controlled by the Pico.

The plane became a small speck against the grey skies and just as I was about to 'chicken out', it turned again and went for waypoint 2!

When finished I had climed to approx 1000 feet (Zlog!) so I decided to take over and do some circling before landing and I'm so happy the navigation really works...

I guess I have to do some trimming to;

a) minimize the wiggling - maybe reducing sensitivity on the Copilot helps OR reduce aileron throw...
b) see if reducing rudder throw helps the zig-zaging pattern between waypoints
c) adjust elevator trim so that I don't end up at 2000 ft next time.
And maybe employ the Pico's ALT unit. Now I'm letting the Copilot control elevator. I wonder if I could have the Pico controlling throttle AND the Copilot still level with elevator - or could this create a conflict (i.e. too high and the Pico reduce throttle - the Copilot adds elevator and a stall occurs?)

More testing to follow...

That's it for tonight!

/Icebear

[icebear]

I got some more good flights in this weekend since the weather cleared up.
Today my Super Impress II UAV made it's 3rd, 4th and 5th flight and navigated between 10 waypoints.

PICTURE 1
I managed to get my camera out and took a picture as a full-size sportplane crossed the sky during my flight. My small UAV and the full-size look as if they are on the same altitude, but the full size was much higher of course...

PICTURE 2
The waypoints for flight no 5

PICTURE 3
An aerial photo over my area - the flying field and approximate waypoints

The next step is to add video and/or my small Pentax but I've decided to go for a slightly larger airframe du to the weight already being 30 oz on a 42" electric. At 34 oz I wouldnt trust the airframe...

/Icebear

[Doug Sipprell]

Icebear:

Just discovered this thread. Congrats on your UAV project, most impressive. Sorry to hear you are not able to use the Ferias, but I understand the need for a more suitable platform.

My Ferias still up and running, recently upgraded to brushless.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4440939&postcount=186

I would like to try some aerial photography using the Ferias. Sometime perhaps you can review your procedures and modification made to accommodate a camera on the Ferias.

Still haven't made it to Sweden for a return visit, but this is still on the list of things to do!

Continued success with the UAV poject.

RD

[icebear]

Hello Doug!

Good to hear from you again. Nice to see that your Ferias is still "alive and kicking" - even more so with the brushless upgrade...

I'll post some pics of my Ferias AP setup when I get home - works like a charm and I have taken 5000+ pics with it this season. I like the handy format and the good handling capabilities. Still runs on a MEGA 16/15/7 and 9x5 prop and now with the wonderful 8x1100 GP cells for up to 15 mins of flying and shooting.

No, the Ferias didn't work out for UAV because the stabilization didn't work out. If I had ailerons it would be quite OK, but I decided the Super Impress was ready to go without mods.

I just tried the CVS One-time-use camera in a Ferias today (got the red one as well last year :) ). Just strapped the whole camcorder (3 oz) under the fuselage and took a 10 min video over our plant where I work at lunch...

Anyway, I'll return with the AP setup soon! Let me know when you're in Sweden next time and I'll do the same when I go to NC next (too cold for flying in January last time!).

/Icebear

[icebear]

Hello Doug!

Good to hear from you again. Nice to see that your Ferias is still "alive and kicking" - even more so with the brushless upgrade...

I'll post some pics of my Ferias AP setup when I get home - works like a charm and I have taken 5000+ pics with it this season. I like the handy format and the good handling capabilities. Still runs on a MEGA 16/15/7 and 9x5 prop and now with the wonderful 8x1100 GP cells for up to 15 mins of flying and shooting.

No, the Ferias didn't work out for UAV because the stabilization didn't work out. If I had ailerons it would be quite OK, but I decided the Super Impress was ready to go without mods.

I just tried the CVS One-time-use camera in a Ferias today (got the red one as well last year :) ). Just strapped the whole camcorder (3 oz) under the fuselage and took a 10 min video over our plant where I work at lunch...

Anyway, I'll return with the AP setup soon! Let me know when you're in Sweden next time and I'll do the same when I go to NC next (too cold for flying in January last time!).

/Icebear

[Doug Sipprell]

Hello Doug!....and I'll do the same when I go to NC next (too cold for flying in January last time!). /Icebear

Well, if it is too cold in NC, you might try swinging on down to SC, where I live and get some slightly warmer weather!! ;)

CVS camera? Do you mean a cheapo from a CVS Pharmacy Store? I didn't know Sweden had this particular store in the country.

You could get extended flying time using a 2S1P or a 3S1P 2100 LiPo. I use Thunder Power 3S1P packs, Gen II, 2100 mAh, and my B/L motor handles the voltage quite well, geared 4.10:1. A lot less heavier then an 8 cell GP 1100 pack, I would suspect.

Regards,

RD

[icebear]

Hello again,

Quote:
Well, if it is too cold in NC, you might try swinging on down to SC, where I live and get some slightly warmer weather!!

Well I might just do that next time - I guess you almost get to fly all year around! The season is soon ending here...:(

As promised here are a few pics of my AP setup. First the 'new' Ferias with the 'cheapo' CVS camera (got it on Ebay - we don't have CVS here...).
Modified the camera for PC use (only 4 cables to solder) and strapped it to the fuselage with Velcro and a few saftey rubber bands(!). Quality is quite OK for the price - my Pentax videos aren't any better actually!

And for the AP setup I use the same motor setup but I modified the plane by creating a small pocket for the camera in the fuselage. The Pentax is triggered by the PRISM IR remote which connects to the receiver. Check out www.hexpertsystems.com if you're not familiar with it.

Thanks for the tip about Thunder LiPO's - I realy should get some for next season... I have been a bit hesitant in the past but with all the extra gear (GPS, autopilot, video, camera...) I really need them!

Anyway, good luck with your AP setup and let us know how it works out!

/Icebear

[Doug Sipprell]

Icebear:

I really like the CVS camera setup on the red Ferias. Kudo's to you for obtaining another Ferias while you could. I have a serious yearing for having another "backup" Ferias, but the latest Tower Hobbies does not list the plane. I have an aversion to buying used planes I cannot inspect prior to purchasing.

CVS stores abundant around here, at least 3 or 4 just in Rock Hill. I would be interested in seeing or knowing how you modified the camera, the connections needed. If you wish to share this info, and you have no obilgation to do so, I would be a willing and eager student. Photography had been a major hobby/small business of mine several years back. Did all my own film winding, developing, printing, etc. B&W I did myself, color I sent out to custom labs. So, with digital photography being so popular and available, I would like to combine the two interests: R/C and Photography.

Countryside in your photo's very Swedish, meaning beautiful, and the color of the house behind the yellow Ferias so very typical. I definitely need to make a return visit!

Thanks again, for the photos.

RD

[icebear]

Hi Doug,

Yeah, I was lucky to get the Ferias while they were still listing them. You might be able to get one if they have some left. I wouldn't worry that much about not seeing it before buying - I have to get most of my planes that way :) ...

There is a really good thread on the CVS camcorder in the AP section here at RCGroups. Do a search on CVS camcorder there if it's not still on the first few pages and you'll find a very comrehensive guide on how to modify and the software needed.
Basically, it's just to solder in four leads for a USB cable - I used RC connectors between the camera and USB cable so that I can power the camera from the RC receiver while flying (saves the weight of the 2 AA batteries!).
And there's also an intelligent program called OPS which you install on your PC to retrieve the movies from the camera. Let me know if you can't find it or if you have questions!
It took me less than an hour to have the whole setup working...

Make sure you get the version 3.4 of the camera at CVS - apparently they changed the software in the camera so later versions can't be hacked with the OPS software yet...

Thanks for the comment on Swedish countryside - it's our summer house, and yes, very typical!

Welcome to Sweden anytime!

/Icebear

[mikesurfs]

Hello Icebear,

Congrats on your uav flights and ap. I saw you move up from the Ferias to the Super Impress 2. Do you still like the Super Impress 2, or do you need something larger? I saw this 55inch electric trainer at Hobby People, Modeltech Fledgling EP 4-Ch Trainer ARF. I'm considering trying my hand at uav with an E/R/T Kyosho Cessna. My flying partner has anFM Co-Pilot, so I'll be buying a pico pilot to compliment it.

http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/123505.asp

Mike.

[icebear]

Hello Mike!

Thanks for your comments and the tip! I still fly the Super Impress 2 regulary to gain more experience, but as you suspected I'm after something bigger to accomodate video, camera & telemetry.
The Impress could probably carry the camera or video but at 30 oz it feels a bit 'loaded' already.

I actually already ordered the Hobbico Superstar trainer (49" span) and an extra Pico NAV unit for my new project. I'll still use the Copilot but I got the new FS8 receiver with failsafe which could be handy (the Impress is so small when it's 1/4 mile away!)
This will be my winter project! I didn't see any specs om the Modeltech. Do you know weight/wing area? Could be a good candidate for a small UAV! With a small brushless and LiPO's the weight could be just right...

I had the Kyosho Cessna a few years ago, but broke the wing in the air, so be careful...
You could probably strengthen the wing, mine broke right off and the plane became a pile of rubbish... Another candidate could be the Kyosho 50" electric Cub, but I sold mine, unfortunately. A really nice and light plane with enourmous space inside (available in .25 IC and 550 electric versions).

Good luck and keep us updated!

/Icebear

[mikesurfs]

Hey Icebear,

The modeltech has a 1410mm wing, 31.9 sq.dm. wing area, weighs 1247 grams, and 39 g/sq.dm. wing loading.

I have fiberglassed my entire Kyosho Cessna and it's really strong. I've put larger bush tires on it, a brushless motor in a GWS 4:1 box turning an 11 inch propeller. It handles great and floats really well.

I looked at the Hobbico Superstar as well, and I think it will be an excellent plane. Right now I'm also looking at the Aerobird Extreme. It's available in parts so I can buy the fuse and main wing separately. It's polyhedral and has a span of 55 inches.

How far is Helsingborg from Gutenberg?

Mike.

[icebear]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the info! So the modeltech is slightly larger than the Hobbico - too bad I didn't see that! With a brushless instead of the heavy stock motor and lighter cells one would probably be able to shave off 10 oz or so (and add some for autopilot etc....).

So you fiberglassed the Cessna - then you'll definitely be alright!

One thing I found was that even though the Pico should cope with wing levelling, the CO-pilot really helped. I got into a spiral dive every now and then without it. Maybe I didn't manage to setup the Nav unit correctly, but with the Copilot it works great.

Helsingborg is about 200 km's (120 miles) south of Göteborg (Gothenburg) but on the same coast. About 2 hours by car along the E6 (highway). Going to Gothenburg?

Icebear

[mikesurfs]

Icebear,

No, not going there. My uncle and cousin live there. My mom was born there.

Mike.

[icebear]

Mike, So you're half swedish then! Check out my homepage if you want to see aerial pics of the land of your ancestors...

I mounted a new NAV unit+GPS+FMS-8 receiver in the Ferias yesterday for a another UAV test. Super light setup - only 25 oz AUW!

/Icebear

[icebear]

Today I finally succeded with the Ferias UAV project - making a simple UAV out of my favorite Park Flyer....

This time I installed my new U-Nav NAV2 unit (the 'navigation' half of the Picopilot) and a GPS and since I used the NAV-A version (aileron control and wing levelling), I decided to try without the FMS co-pilot which is engaged in my other UAV......and it worked!

The Ferias doesn't have ailerons but with generous dihedral it still banks on rudder input. The plane wiggled quite a bit when navigating but it made a complete circuit around my test waypoints.

I left the new 'gain' pot on the NAV unit on full, and this was probably a little on the high side since I had some oscillation all the time. The plane did however navigate and was stable all the way. Since I didn't have any altitude hold unit installed I just set the trims for level flight and moderate power.

The NAV-unit is a fascinating little gadget. Holds up to 32 waypoints and weighs less about 20 grams (0.75 oz) with cables. The GPS weighs another 1 oz so the whole setup adds less than 2 oz. Works from the ESC power so no extra battery is required for airframes with low servo loads.

The whole setup weighs around 24,5 oz with a 6,5 oz NiMH pack so it would be easy to carry my Pentax Optio S4 with this setup. I generally get 15 mins flight time when cruising with 8x1100 NiMh's.

By using LiPOs I could probably get away with 25 oz including the camera...
AND more runtime!

Here's a picture of the installation...

/icebear

[Doug Sipprell]

Congrats on the UAV success with the Ferias. Nice to see this plane put to use on a project as techincal as this. Gee, if I can get a similar set up installed in my, I can just launch the plane from my rear deck, and then go back in side for a nice bottle of Pripps!!

Skol!

RD

[kd7ost]

Congratulations icebear,

You've certainly worked at it and have successfully integrated the system with your plane. It's nice to see someone stick with the integration process till it's done and working successfully. It sounds like you only have to play with the gain a little bit.

Cheers

Dan

[icebear]

Thanks guys!

Doug - if you'll have a Pripps I'll salute you with an Anchor stout (the first american beer that came to my mind...)!
The setup in the Ferias is not that complicated so it's definitely doable...

Dan - I think you're right about the gain, I'll try reducing it 20% or so for tomorrow's testing. Feels like I'm ready for a bigger setup next. Telemetry, video and AP in the same ship would be great!


Cheers!

Bjorn

[Doug Sipprell]

Icebear:

Try as I might, I cannot recall the name of Sweden's other national beer. I have had both, very nice. I personally think most American beer's are nothing more than dog p... in a bottle! However, a bottle or two of Heinken or Becks will usually motivate me to consider flying the Ferias. Thus, this post is pertinant to the thread. Notice I said "consider". :rolleyes: I make it a point to never drink and fly! ;)

RD

[icebear]

Doug,

We have several 'national' beers nowadays - could it be Falcon, Spendrups or Åbro?
And I wouldn't be so tough on the american varieties (except for Coors or Bud which in my opinion fits your description :) ), Samuel Adams for example is great!

OK, back to UAV's;

I adjusted the gain pot on the NAV board today and did a few short routes. This stopped the oscillation and it's really great to see the little Ferias wandering away and returning to the launch point! It's getting dark here quite early now (6PM) so there was only time for a few routes.
I think I'll invest in another ALT unit to complete the setup and have the Ferias as my 'lunchtime' UAV for aerial photography...

Let me know if you want some more info on the AP setup - I also used to photograph and develop a lot before so it's really nice to combine the two hobbies...

/icebear

[Doug Sipprell]

Doug,
We have several 'national' beers nowadays - could it be Falcon, Spendrups or Åbro?

Ah yes, my memory is refreshed, as was I after having downed a few Spendrups. Also tried Falcon, but Pripps and Spendrups were the more memorable. Can't recall if I ever hit the Abro, perhaps due to too many of the aforementioned brands.

And I wouldn't be so tough on the american varieties (except for Coors or Bud which in my opinion fits your description :) ), Samuel Adams for example is great!

Sam Adams was one of the very first "micro-breweries" that started the m/b brewery craze. Yes, it is better than the usual American colored waters.

There is a fellow who built a really nice looking Tiger Moth with the John Deere Tractor colors, green & yellow. I was thinking, at one time, of doing a Heineken color motiff on my Ferias but then decided against it. Too commercial. Also, completely untrue!! :o ;) I just wanted to stay within the parameters of this thread.

Long live your Ferias..........(..urp!) :eek:

Regards

RD

[mikesurfs]

Icebear,

I like the photos of Sweden and looks like your doing well with the UAV Project. It also seems like the Ferias is turning out to be quite a good little plane. And yes, my mom is from Sweden, so I'm officially half.

Regards, Mike.

[icebear]

Mike,

Thanks, and yes - the Ferias is doing great with the new setup with GPS and the NAV2 Picopilot unit. It was all really just 'plug and play' and even if I haven't included altitude hold yet it's fun to experiment with it. I'm moving on now to my bigger setup with the SuperStar (and also a glider setup), but I'm still waiting for it to be delivered. TowerHobbies sent it on 30th Sept but still no sign of it :( .... Normally it takes less than a week for stuff to get here.

Doug - I might just decorate my blue Ferias with the Pripps logo, then! :)

/Icebear

[Doug Sipprell]

Doug - I might just decorate my blue Ferias with the Pripps logo, then! :) /Icebear

Actually, I am a bit more partial to the local brew up in Mariestad. Can't recall the name. I love those beer & wine outlets where you can purchase beers from all over the world. Heck of a selection. You don't find something like that here in the States unless you are in a major metropolitan area, and then the selection is not as varied.

If and when I get back to Sweden, I will definitely have to schedule a visit to your area. I would very much like to see this UAV activity as it happens, and especially in the same type of model airplane that I have! Considering my earlier experiences with the Ferias, and now enjoying it so much with the new brushless/Lipo set up............and then seeing what you have been able to do with it.....it is simply amazing. :rolleyes:

Skol!

RD

[icebear]

Doug,

Actually I think it IS called Mariestad - we get it down here at times as well, so it's a known brand. We get a pretty good selection at our local state-owned beer/wine stores, but you have to Denmark (20 minutes from here) if you come to my area - they have great outlets!

Let me know if/when you're in Sweden - it would be great to show the Ferias and other UAV setups to someone who's as into it as you are!

Cheers!

/icebear ('icebeer'!?)