Multi-Rotor Thread

[Goz]

Will probably build a UFO style one at some stage just for giggles.

I reckon a light foam body with the lights built into the foam so it appears to glow a bit.

[jabroni]

Here's my quad, shot at 2.7k.

Doesn't look like youtube has a 2.7k option...

[Chook]

This came up on the pulse jet forum I haunt. Very neat!!

[Clive]

Looks like skynet is ready to go live. Science fiction becomes reality ....... Nice catch of the stick,

[Goz]

Very cool stunt, I bet there is a lot of programming and number crunching to get that all to happen.

Got to wonder how much money it has cost them to get to that point.

[Chook]

More money than you could shake a stick at Gozzy!!!!

[Goz]

More money than you could shake a stick at Gozzy!!!!

Should have known that answer was coming.

Wonder what the real world application is for some quads being able to throw sticks and catch them is?

Seems like an odd thing to spend time and money on working out how to do it, a lot of the other things they have done in that project I could see the reason for them wanting to be able to do so.

[BGKD]

Watching videos like this is kinda like watching videos of magic tricks to try and figure out how its done, and since this kind of electro-mechanical control systems is my field of expertise Ill take a stab at it.

The first and most striking thing about this vid is the background, and that the quad rotors and baton have motion capture reflectors, this tells me that in this 'experiment' there is a lot of hardware that they are not showing us, things like mocap cameras and processing hardware, which I suspect they use to provide real time positional feedback to the system that controls the quad rotors flight.

The next thing is they talk about using predictive algorithms, but I have to wonder if this is really the case, or did they just do a number of test runs in the first place, watch where the baton went using the MoCap system, then 'predicted' that if they did the same thing again the baton would go in the same place.

Another thing they don't tend to show in these vid's is how frequently it goes wrong, Derren Brown has a video of himself tossing a coin 10 times and getting heads

, but what you didnt see is the 1000 or so other videos he makes of him failing to toss heads 10 times

Probably the most impressive bit of control in this vid is the inverted pendulum balancing, I suspect that this is done by the quad rotors themselves, and unlike the throw and 'position for catch' trick would have to be very reliable, very responsive, and work without causing significant disruption to the flight control software.

[Chook]

It was very interesting for when I buy a new kite.

So I can study the "duck and weave" techniques, while the wife is wielding a big stick.

It is mind boggling what they can get these little “critters” to do now.

Talking to a friend last night in the States, he’s involved with building large drones that can be used for fire fighting.

They will go back to a water source and land to be filled, or can land on a lake and scoop up 1500 litres of water and then fly back and await their next instructions.

He reckons they will be up and running in 12 to 18 months.

[Goz]

@Chook: That would be a damn cool system that will probably save lives, be great to see them get that up and running. There is some cool stuff in development in the field of UAV's for the public sector I have seen a bit of some search and rescue systems in development using small UAV's that will probably come on to the market in the next couple of years.

@BGKD I never doubted for a moment that there was motion capture and computers going on behind the camera for that setup, but it is still a pretty neat trick. Sort of makes the system as it stands now as a bit useless outside the lab.

[Goz]

Looks like CASA are going to update the rules on Unmanned Aircraft and bring them up to date with current developments.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-01/drones-set-for-large-scale-commercial-take-off/4546556

Under a new weight class system, prospective drone entrepreneurs with craft weighing 2 kilograms or less could take off after completing nothing more than an online application form.

CASA officials say they want to encourage use of this emerging technology, but the drone plan will be forced to dodge flak from opponents who have raised serious concerns over safety and privacy.

[SoutherlyBuster]

My son Zachary would like to buy one of these Quadcopters. Doesn't want it to carry video cameras, so a big unit is not needed. Does want to fly it out doors so doesn't want to it have trouble flying against a breeze. There are some ready to go units at Hobby King around $180. Want's a standard transmitter/controller, not one of these controlled from an iPad and all the inherent limits with wifi range.

Any thing we should look out for? Or are we buying rubbish for that price?

Comments welcome.

Regards,

Norman and Zachary.

[Goz]

Check my shopping list out further up the page Norman been very happy with my setup and it can take a hit and bounce back OK.

You will need to add a TX and RX to the list, they have a couple of cheap units available at hobby king, the 9XR and a FrSky module and RX will serve you well. around $300 should get you setup for a 450mm size quad.

[SoutherlyBuster]

Check my shopping list out further up the page Norman been very happy with my setup and it can take a hit and bounce back OK.

You will need to add a TX and RX to the list, they have a couple of cheap units available at hobby king, the 9XR and a FrSky module and RX will serve you well. around $300 should get you setup for a 450mm size quad.

Thanks Goz,

I did sort of glase over your shopping list, but this appears to be a build your own type of list. Zac was looking at the ready fly units. Considering all he wants to do with it is to fly without Video cams attached and wants to fly out doors, thought a non-customised unit that is "ready to fly" would have been ok. He also wants to do acrobatic tricks with it. Or are we barking up the wrong tree?

What does TX mean?

What does RX mean?

Yes Zac and I are newbees regarding this.

Right so $300 for a 450mm unit. Hmm getting towards the pricy end. Do we need such a large unit considering we are not intending on adding payload to it (ie not attaching cameras, not attaching camera stabilisation units). Or is it a case of units smaller than 450mm get beaten up too much by the slightest of breeze? If anything less than $300 is rubish, please be honest and say so. Zac does not want to waste his hard earned savings on rubish.

Zac has been flying one of the smaller RC helicopters, wing span (about the long side of an A4 sheet of paper), has fun with it, but as soon as there is the slightest of wind err um breeze outside, it just gets blown down wind, so he packs up. So he does not want to have this problem with the Mutli-Rotor unit.

Hope this narrows down better what Zac is looking for.

Regards,

Norman and Zac

[BobM]

What does TX mean?

What does RX mean?

Tx = Transmitter

Rx = Receiver

or remote control and servos

[jabroni]

Just remember, smaller = faster = harder to control, and harder to see which way it's pointing.

My 450 is my most used because of stability. It also has the best flight controller on it...

[Goz]

If you don't want to get blown around by a gentle breeze go a 450mm size quad usually weigh in around the 750g to 1kg mark.

It doesn't take much to bolt one together and you don't even have to do any soldering if you buy the right motors and esc's

1.5 hours build time (spent extra time putting loctite on all the threads)

Another couple of hours later (mostly tiding wiring and loctite on more threads)

Bit of tuning the flight controller and it was in the air the next day

More fun to build it yourself I reckon, and when it does have an accident you can repair it yourself.

You can upgrade parts as you improve or want more features, but start simple and then take it from there.

The KK2 board is a good cheap start for a flight controller, don't need a pc to program it (but you will want to flash it with the current firmware)

doesn't have all the bells and whistles of a $300+ board but for $30 you wouldn't expect it to.

[SoutherlyBuster]

Thanks Goz and Bobm,

Your suggestions and help are much appreciated. Ok, so build your own 450mm unit, well I think Zac will find that to be fun then.

I still remember the excitement of building my own RC glider, but here Zac will not have to wait 1 year to build it!

I well get him to look up the lists, suggestions and to come up with his shopping list and see how the price ends up.

Regards,

Norman.

[Chook]

Hey Gozzy after my pitiful quad flight of your machine, just a few snaps of one of mine.

I have 2 Raptor 50's.

Mind you, I'm bloody good at repairing them.

The one pictured has over 50 hours on it now.

2nd one is down for repairs as it digested a rear engine bearing in flight. (The pistons not pretty) But got it autoed in ok.

[jabroni]

Nice Chook. We'll convert you one day...

I've added the Naza GPS unit to my quad:

I tested it out in 10-12 knot winds on the weekend, and it works really good.

Hands off the sticks, and it stays in the one spot. (well, within a metre or so).

It also adds Intelligent Orientation Control - I tested it out in Home-Lock mode. When you switch it to home-lock, all controls act as if the nose is pointing away from you - so you just have to hold elevator back, and it comes back to home. Good for if you loose orientation when the quad is far away...

[Goz]

@Chook: Look like nice machines mate, but I see the problem there isn't enough rotors

@Jabroni: Neat set up that should be handy, can be pretty easy to loose orientation Can it do orbit point of interest as well?

[jabroni]

Can it do orbit point of interest as well?

I don't think so - I think they want you to pay out for the WKM for that...

[.Joel]

New toy

Just bought the Hitec Aurora9 touchscreen TX with telemetry built in. Incredible unit, handy as anything having basic telemetry built in to the receivers as well to feed back info.

[Chook]

Yeh, I was given a new one last Sunday.

The guy has gone over to an 18 channel Futaba. It was his backup transmitter for large scale aerobatics IMAC and is brand new.

Love the onboard data it displays.

A lot,,,,,LOT simpler than my old 388 JR radio to program.

[SoutherlyBuster]

We were thinking about calling you Joel when we were last at Elwood, there was a person with a quad rotor + head set. He sits some where remote, then flies over the whole park and beyond, kind of erie.

So Joel, do you have your coptor setup with video and programmed in a flight path ready for some kite shots?