New Project :)

[netphreak]

Let's see how she flies later today...

APM 2.5 flight controller w/ current monitor
Ultrasonic rangefinder
Futaba 8FG-S
Tarot Gimbal
200 mW FPV system
MinimOSD
900MHz data radio

 

[rilot]

Very interested to see how this works.

 

[netphreak]

My table at work has been VERY messy while I've been working on this

 

[eckoner]

Yeah that sounds pretty interesting.
You will certainly have to give that a new name.

 

[netphreak]

We name all of our kits, this one is "the million dollar phantom"

 

[miskatonic]

For a little more money it probably would have been easier to put all of that into an F450.

 

[eckoner]

We name all of our kits, this one is "the million dollar phantom"

Thats what i named mine at first but quickly changed it as i dont want to be reminded of all the $$ put into it..lol

 

[netphreak]

I'm trying to move over to a 3DR Y6 that I've been testing, but my boss wants to try it out in a phantom... go figure :roll:

 

[netphreak]

New updates.

Phantom flies fine with the APM system, and it's quite nice to have all that data on the ground, along with logs saved to my laptop. Bad news is, the GPS and compass are integrated, so they need to be far away from any EMR. I'm trying a few different things to get the system working, so we'll see what happens...

BTW, I got a FLIR working with the tarot gimbal :lol:

 

[PhantomFan]

Wow...that's a lot of mods. Hard to believe you can cram all that in and on a Phantom. Good luck with your new million dollar baby! May it serve you well, and bring you much enjoyment.

PF

 

[hoounddog]

perhaps you should read this: http://www.mavbot.com/2013/04/build-log ... er-in.html

 

[wsalopek]

Bad news is, the GPS and compass are integrated, so they need to be far away from any EMR. I'm trying a few different things to get the system working, so we'll see what happens...

3DR offers an external compass to work with the APM 2.5 (slight mod needed), and the APM 2.6 is designed out of the box to work with an external compass.

Also, firmware v2.9x or lower is more forgiving of interference with the compass, so almost always reverting to a firmware less than 3.x works well for APM 2.5 with the integrated compass.

 

[OI Photography]

My table at work has been VERY messy while I've been working on this

Yes, poor you, having to work in those horrible conditions while getting paid to tinker with Phantoms :lol:

BTW, which FLIR did you try with the Tarot gimbal (Tau-###)?

 

[netphreak]

We did end up using an external compass to offset the magnetic interference inside the phantom shell. We had to dial it in to stop the toilet bowl effect, but it works well overall. As for the FLIR, we're using a TAU 2 with a 19mm lens.

 

[Peter Patricelli]

Sorry but I only understand about half of what you've done here. For those of us not as knowledgeable....what are the mods, what do they do. Acronyms such as FLIR send to be pretty opaque as well.

 

[OI Photography]

Sorry but I only understand about half of what you've done here. For those of us not as knowledgeable....what are the mods, what do they do. Acronyms such as FLIR send to be pretty opaque as well.

FLIR = Forward Looking InfraRed. There's some FLIR cameras produced now that are small enough to mount on a Phantom. Expensive as all get-out, but worth it if you have a legitimate use.

 

[netphreak]

The APM is a different flight controller, similar to the WooKong but with more overall features. The FLIR is a thermal imaging camera, and EMR is electromagnetic radiation

 

[BallisticPhantom]

What is the ultrasonic doing? Is it distance to object or distance to ground? Does it give you a active reading at the ground station of the distance or are you using the APM to control it?

I would agree with OIP You Suck for having a job you get to play with expensive toys. How is your performance review based? number of crashes?

 

[netphreak]

What is the ultrasonic doing? Is it distance to object or distance to ground? Does it give you a active reading at the ground station of the distance or are you using the APM to control it?

I would agree with OIP You Suck for having a job you get to play with expensive toys. How is your performance review based? number of crashes?

The ultrasonic sensor is just distance to ground for a more accurate altitude hold and landing system. I'm also working with a flow sensor to make it hold a gps point within 0.5 meters

 

[dkr77573]

I'm jealous. I try and try to justify the expense of a project like this, but my wife won't go for it. Lately I've been hinting that this could be something we can work on together! (She's an Aerospace Engineer). If I can only convince her that she can use her degree for a personal hobby and not just work. We'll see. She keeps giving excuses about feeding the kids. ;P LOL