zozie
Dec 28, 2007, 02:25 PM
So finally my raptor has a life on its own. It will now hover and hover taxi and fly to GPS points.
Here's the list
Raptor with OS90 SZH
2X Gumstix waysmall 400xm 400MHZ running Linux
1X Hitec 24 Servo MR-C3024 Microcontroller Board
2X ultrasonic range finder
1 X Hokuyo PBS-03JN Infrared Range Finder
2X G190 Piezo Mini Gyro
1X Futaba 611 on tail
2X XTend™ RF Modems (900MHZ) , 1 one on raptor, one on computer for manual control if need be.
1X SFE ±3g Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout Board (ADXL330)
1X BU-303 USB GPS Receiver
2X 4000 MAH 2S Lipo to power all this
1X camera with downlink
1X optical RPM sensor on fan
So after 2800 Lines of C++ and assembler code, draining my finances and managing to mount all of this and still be able to lift off and fly safely with 1.3L of fuel (which was only enough for 22 mins) it finally hovered and flew a 1 square km circle without a glitch and landed on its own.
Now the challenge:
I need a better RF modem solution and the range is fairly limited(3000 feet urban 40Miles clear sight) for manual control in case the linux computer goes (unlikely). There is now one optical sensor strictly for the engine speed, assuming that the clutch is not slipping. I need two of them, one for the rotor speed also in case of an engine failure which would now just kill it. If I mount a second sensor on, I could get it to auto manintaining rotor RPM and when the proximity sensor kicks in, it would flare and land with minimal or no damage.
I need to put all of this into a better ariframe with a gas engine for more power and endurance, which then represents another issue. I wrote all the code for mechanical mixing, reworking the whole thing for CCPM will be time consuming and more complicated due to the inability to put gyros on each channel on top of the accelerometer.
The big old question.
Gas or Electric????
I tend to be more of an electric guy due to the lack of vibration, noise and smoke but with the prices of batteries that may have to wait.
The raptor proved to be a very good airframe but with this weight (16lbs) its fairly weak and balloons at high(er) speeds.
I still need an airspeed indicator and a barometric altimeter as I hear the GPS isn't too accurate at judging speed and altitude.
Top speed recorded so far was 45 KTS (@1900 RPM on the head)which isn't too fast but going bigger and stronger should speed things up a bit.
Your input is appreciated.
I'll post pictures when I get home and put a video on youtube showing onboard as well.
Here's the list
Raptor with OS90 SZH
2X Gumstix waysmall 400xm 400MHZ running Linux
1X Hitec 24 Servo MR-C3024 Microcontroller Board
2X ultrasonic range finder
1 X Hokuyo PBS-03JN Infrared Range Finder
2X G190 Piezo Mini Gyro
1X Futaba 611 on tail
2X XTend™ RF Modems (900MHZ) , 1 one on raptor, one on computer for manual control if need be.
1X SFE ±3g Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout Board (ADXL330)
1X BU-303 USB GPS Receiver
2X 4000 MAH 2S Lipo to power all this
1X camera with downlink
1X optical RPM sensor on fan
So after 2800 Lines of C++ and assembler code, draining my finances and managing to mount all of this and still be able to lift off and fly safely with 1.3L of fuel (which was only enough for 22 mins) it finally hovered and flew a 1 square km circle without a glitch and landed on its own.
Now the challenge:
I need a better RF modem solution and the range is fairly limited(3000 feet urban 40Miles clear sight) for manual control in case the linux computer goes (unlikely). There is now one optical sensor strictly for the engine speed, assuming that the clutch is not slipping. I need two of them, one for the rotor speed also in case of an engine failure which would now just kill it. If I mount a second sensor on, I could get it to auto manintaining rotor RPM and when the proximity sensor kicks in, it would flare and land with minimal or no damage.
I need to put all of this into a better ariframe with a gas engine for more power and endurance, which then represents another issue. I wrote all the code for mechanical mixing, reworking the whole thing for CCPM will be time consuming and more complicated due to the inability to put gyros on each channel on top of the accelerometer.
The big old question.
Gas or Electric????
I tend to be more of an electric guy due to the lack of vibration, noise and smoke but with the prices of batteries that may have to wait.
The raptor proved to be a very good airframe but with this weight (16lbs) its fairly weak and balloons at high(er) speeds.
I still need an airspeed indicator and a barometric altimeter as I hear the GPS isn't too accurate at judging speed and altitude.
Top speed recorded so far was 45 KTS (@1900 RPM on the head)which isn't too fast but going bigger and stronger should speed things up a bit.
Your input is appreciated.
I'll post pictures when I get home and put a video on youtube showing onboard as well.