Drone 1-2-3
| Projects | |
|---|---|
| Participants | Cyberdutch |
| Skills | RC planes, Arduino |
| Status | Active |
| Niche | Electronics |
| Purpose | Fun |
Drone 1-2-3: An autonomously flying wing glider
Drone 1-2-3 is a glider drone based on the Alula urban flying wing (parts already there), a Walkera WK-2801 PRO R/C (in my attic) and an Arduino based auto-pilot for stabilization and navigation.
So far the only parts that needed to be ordered were: A Mini APM v3.1 (ArduPilot 2.6) and an external compass/GPS (Ublox NEO 6M GPS HMC5883L). Total costs: Less than 47 euro, including (free) shipping and (delivery free of) taxes.
Steps in this project:
1. Build the plane (trim and fly)
2. Make it remotely controlled (R/C)
3. Teach it to fly autonomously
The secondary goal of this project is: Extended flight time (longer than a day?).
The coexisting primary goals are planet domination, colonizing of space and sheer fun.
Feb 16, 2015 - R/C equipment tested - Check!
After not using it for 5 years, the Li-Po battery pack of the transmitter was showing no signs of life anymore. Luckily I found an AA battery holder for 8 cells to replace it. For the time being that will do.
The (less critical) Ni-MH receiver battery was still in good condition. I charged/discharged it a few times and it holds approximately 286mAh x 4.8V (which is okay for an advertised nominal capacity of 300mAh).
Everything was connected, switched-on, binded, and worked fine :-)
Specs Walkera WK-2801 PRO transmitter:
8-channel, 2.4G, output pulse 1100-1900Ms (1500 neutral)
100mW (10mW default) output power
230mA current drain
12V (8x 1.5V AA)
Specs Walkera RX-2801 PRO receiver (9.23g):
8-channel, 95dbm sensitivity, frequency interval >=4M
receiver battery (29.65g)
4.8V 300mAh (4x1.2V) Ni-MH
Specs micro Blue Bird BMS-306BB servos (2x 6.91gr):
torque 1.1kg/cm, speed 0.10sec/60deg
Feb 24, 2015 - Test flights (R/C) & Flying sites
The drone is now ready for some flying tests.
The idea is to start teaching the drone to fly autonomously only after thoroughly being tested and trimmed in R/C controlled mode.
Drone 1-2-3 is controlled by ailerons and elevator combined in a delta wing setup. The mix is electronic: One servo for the left wing control service and one servo for the right wing surface. This as opposite to mechanical mix, that would imply one servo for ailerons control and one servo for elevator control.
Suitable flying sites are scarce in Holland. But the following sites look promising:
For park flying, close to the Sloterplas, Amsterdam
For slope soaring near Amsterdam, Zaandam (De Belt)
Or Haarlemmerliede (Mooie Nel)
For excellent Dutch slope soaring, with south-west facing dunes of 30-50m high the destination is going to be Zeeland (Zoutelande) 173km from Amsterdam, with a season-discount-ticket from the NS the distance (in money) is only 16 euros (for a return ticket).
