Most Amazing Flying Machine

Post by **Nevilleh** » Tue, 22 Nov 2011, 20:01

This just has to be the BEST model helicopter - no, scrub that - FLYING MACHINE that I have ever seen!
I want one!

http://vimeo.com/32408610

Post by **Electrocycle** » Wed, 23 Nov 2011, 12:40

http://vimeo.com/6194911

Post by **Nevilleh** » Wed, 23 Nov 2011, 14:23

Oh yeah, that one's pretty good too, but didn't show the agility of the 4-prop one.

Post by **Electrocycle** » Wed, 23 Nov 2011, 22:12

better at carrying beverages though

Website · Post by **Simon** » Thu, 24 Nov 2011, 05:26

Wow so fast and maneuverable!

Have you see this?

First manned multicopter takes flight

Post by **Richo** » Thu, 24 Nov 2011, 20:45

Bah I have a quadrocopter sitting in my junk room at home.
I played with a while then get bored with it and now collects dust.
I'd buy one if it was micro-szied ie under 10cm dia that I could fly inside like a maniac

There's a local manufacturer that makes quadrocopters for miltary drone use too.

That ride-on one is pretty impressive if not deadly...
You'd have to have balls to ride it!
Looks like all model plane stuff - except the frame.

Post by **Nevilleh** » Fri, 20 Jan 2012, 12:24

Did I mention I was impressed with the quadcopter? Well, I was, so much so that I have built one for myself!
The electronics is absolutely amazing. It has a couple of pcbs with a very powerful AVR micro, 3-axis gyro, 3 axis accelerometers, a magnetic compass and a gps receiver. As well as the radio control receiver and transmitter. The software is very comprehensive with a display on a pc that talks to the machine either via a usb cable while on the ground or via a telemetry system using a thing called "Zigbee" which I don't have.
Mine is all set up and now waiting for a decent wind free day for its first actual flight. Its a bit large to fly inside!

Post by **Electrocycle** » Fri, 20 Jan 2012, 13:50

cool!
Keep us posted

Zigbee modules are pretty interesting. They have a self routing protocol so you can just keep adding modules to extend the range and they'll work themselves out.
I've looked at using them on a few things, but WiFi is more common these days now that it's in phones, etc.

I have a Parrot AR Drone, which is a quadcopter with onboard cameras. It's controlled by an Android / iPhone app and streams video back to the phone, over WiFi

Post by **Nevilleh** » Fri, 20 Jan 2012, 14:59

The thing I made is an ArduCopter using a sort-of Arduino board with some extras. I just bought a kit from 3D Robotics which had the frame, motors, ESCs and props. Then the electronics, which I originally bought from Bask Industries in Australia, but the package never turned up and they finally gave me a refund, so I bought it from the 'States.
Was a bit of a mission understanding all the "R/C jargon" but it is now all together and rarin' to go.
I know nothing of Zigbee modules except that they offer them as a means of sending telemetry and you can also fit a video camera and receive pictures via the same sort of modules.
Their software for the ground end runs on a Windows PC, but a version that would run on an Android thing would be really good.

The Parrot thing looks really nice, I had a quick look at their web site.

I'll try and make a video when I eventually fly this thing and stick it on here, but the weather is not co-operating at present.

Post by **Electrocycle** » Fri, 20 Jan 2012, 20:04

yeah as soon as I got mine home there was about a month of really windy weather!

Post by **Thalass** » Sun, 22 Jan 2012, 07:08

Open source autopilot type stuff has progressed amazingly in the last few years. The auduinopilot especially. A while ago i saw on sparkfun the arduino, and the gps, compass, accelerometers, and RC interface shields for less than $200 in total! With a decent airframe and motor you have yourself a very flexible UAV. If you had a 3g or wifi shield you could have real time tracking and command control. (the wifi board would have to search for open wifi, obviously, so the control would be intermittent.)

Pretty neat, really.

Post by **Nevilleh** » Sun, 05 Feb 2012, 21:04

Well, I built a quadcopter! The ArduCopter using all their electronics and Thalass is right, it is pretty neat.
I tested it out and got it all set up pretty good, balance props and all, so decided to take it out for its first big flight to a park not far from here, but next to a bit of ocean.
Took me a while to master the controls, but I was starting to feel quite competent and trying out a few things when it lost power and started to descend, fairly slowly, but not responding to my radio signals. "B----er" I thought and then, as I followed it down, I realised it was over the wet and salty bit! You guessed it, into the briny it went. I checked my watch and realised I'd been playing for about 3/4 hour and the battery is only supposed to last 30 - 35 minutes. So that was the end of that, too deep to go looking for it.
After the tears subsided, I decided to build another! After all, I know lots about it now and the next one WILL have floats!

Post by **Adverse Effects** » Mon, 06 Feb 2012, 20:53

the best brain i have found for a multicopter is made by "open pilot" (OP for short) and there current one is called "copter control" (CC for short)

the new one they are working on will put to shame $2K + control systems and will be less than $200 from what i can work out not to mention will be able to be controlled from your computer (point and click)

http://forums.openpilot.org/

by the way thes boards are hard to get (i was lucky and got one)

they will control anything from fixed wing to 1 roter chopper, 3 blade, 4 blade, 6 blade, 8 blade and even with a little thinking any configuration you can think of

Post by **PlanB** » Tue, 07 Feb 2012, 15:48

http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/476496 ... craft.html