6 ms·

so is this like the only programmable drone out there? or is this the only one that is open source ? how much something like would cost? anyone have an idea ?

by gdsdfe 7y ago

khancyr 7y ago
I don't remember what was the price range but it was cheat. I think we speak about it in the end of their talk in the ArduPillot unconference. Check on ArduPilot YouTube channel for their talk. What is impressive it the integration on this drone : that give a good flight time with low weight. That is a big advantage against current weight based regulation in numerous country. And of course ArduPilot integration give hight capabilities !
- gdsdfe 7y ago
  Excuse my noob question but : what do you mean by integration? And why is it important?
  - RealityVoid 7y ago
    It probably means you can build firmware form ArduPilot and burn it into the drone. It's a big deal because ArduPilot is a whole platform and they have a lot of bells and whistles, communication with a companion computer, base station communication, a whole lot of possible configurations.
  - luminousbees 7y ago
    integration of all the different parts on board in a single base: WIFI with ESP8266 WiFi, brushless motors, 4x ESC last generation BLHeli32 with telemetry and DSHOOT up to 2400 -- FlighControl -- IMU -- baro -- compass -- power system with 1 easily swappable Li-Ion 18650 for maximum flight time -- rangeFinder for accurate low height navigation 0-3m -- sdcard slot for Log -- connector for common RC radio and telemetry + connector for all the external add-ons like GPS, indoor positioning system, optical flow, 8 horizontal rangefinder for collision advoiance,... All these hw connected with the Ardupilot features. Furthermore, for small copter its very hard to have good flight time, ArduBee try to have very good flight time, safe and ready for makers to develop, supported by one of the best Open Source project for drone, Ardupilot. It has been developed to be used safely for urban swarm robotics application development, education, creativity! https://ardupilot.org/copter/ https://ardupilot.org/copter/ ESP8266 with Ardupilot (telemetry and control) https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-esp8266-telemetry.html?highlight=esp8266 https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-esp8266-telemetry.h... BLHeli_32 ESC Telemetryhttps://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-dshot-blheli32-telemetry.html?highlight=blheli32 https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-dshot-blheli32-tele...
- StavrosK 7y ago
  A 5" ArduPilot quad will probably run you about $150, maybe $200 tops, depending.
  - luminousbees 7y ago
    It's not so easy to stay under $200 if you mean all parts apart the RC radio. I mean 4 motors + 4 ESC BLHEli32 with telemetry + FC + WIFI, compass, 1 down-facing rangefinder, .. in particular for the FC if you select these components with quality chips and sensors it starts to be quite challenging. Furthermore, if you would like to develop swarm applications the time spent to create the fleet is not to be underestimated. Last plus its a platform with 1 single common 18650 LI-Ion battery for higher flight time in comparison to the usual LiPo.
    - StavrosK 7y ago
      Yes, it depends on what kind of sensors you get. I meant just with GPS, 4 BLHeli ESCs will run you around $40, 4 motors another $40, Kakute F7 controller another $50, $30 for the frame, $8 for the GPS, $10 for the receiver, $5 if you want an extra PDB, it's not that bad. If you add sensors it does add up though, you're right.
chrisdalke 7y ago
The ArduPilot software platform is used very commonly across the drone industry and this is definitely not the only programmable drone available! The ArduPilot site has a list of some ready-to-use drones that have ArduPilot installed: https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-rtf.html https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-rtf.html. A lot of the time ArduPilot is installed with a flight computer (separate from the flight controller) which sends control signals inline with the RC receiver and can be retrofit onto an existing drone. You can also pick up pretty inexpensive kits to retrofit any DIY quadcopter or RC aircraft with autopilot capability. Two examples are the older APM2.8 hardware (no longer supported, dirt cheap) and the Pixhawk PX4 (actively supported, more expensive but still <$200.)
- gdsdfe 7y ago
  Ah so if I understand this correctly : on the software side I'm most probably gonna land on ArduPilot, and for the hardware that's were the bulk of decisions will be?
  - chrisdalke 7y ago
    Like bri3d said in his comment, there are a few options -- ArduPilot is heavily focused on mission planning (Waypoints, GPS guidance, etc). There is other flight controller firmware like Betaflight which is more focused on the stabilization and PID control of a quad. There's definitely a lot of different decisions you can make on the hardware side: Choosing what sensors you include, flight computer & flight controller, ESCs and motors, frame, and so on. On the other hand, you could also choose to build a drone from a kit or ready-to-fly model, and experiment more with higher-level software. ArduPilot can be connected to ROS, which is the standard software platform for robotics. Much of the swarming behavior, visual tracking, and other experiments are done on a platform like ROS, which then sends waypoints or other instructions to the flight computer. Some areas to research if you're into this: ArduPilot (Firmware handling waypoint missions, guidance, etc. on an onboard flight controller): https://ardupilot.org/copter/index.html https://ardupilot.org/copter/index.html MavLink (Standard serial protocol used to communicate with drones, used to communicate between an ArduPilot controller and a ground station): https://mavlink.io/en/ https://mavlink.io/en/ ROS (Software platform designed for robotics, commonly ArduPilot drones feed into a ROS system for swarm experiments etc.): https://www.ros.org/ https://www.ros.org/
bri3d 7y ago
No and not even close. Look up Betaflight (racing oriented) and iNav (navigation oriented). Ardupilot is more integration/mission oriented, but it's far from the only game in town. A small <250g drone is in the $70-$100 price range, although you will also need a $70+ radio transmitter or some heavy hacking to control it. Most of the (hundreds) of supported control boards are not open hardware in the schematics sense, but some are. The all-in-one PCB integration strategy is cute, but I really don't think it's a great approach from a crash-recovery point of view.
- TooSmugToFail 7y ago
  > The all-in-one PCB integration strategy is cute, but I really don't think it's a great approach from a crash-recovery point of view. Spot on. However, it's a nice way to lure you into building a quad: just put some motors on, and you're good to go. Fly once, crash, and then go actually build a proper quad.
  - bigiain 7y ago
    Small quads generally do remarkably little damage to themselves in most typical crashes. Remember this thing only weighs 102g, and half of that is a battery held on by springs. In typical indoor use (can't get more than a few meters high, unlikely to go faster than a few m/s), this'll crash way more than one time before it show any signs of damage to anything except the (replaceable) props. (Sure, you won't be handing it down to your grandkids in your will, but it's not as disposable as "fly once, crash, throw it away"...)
    - luminousbees 7y ago
      I totally agree with you, it's the most compressed form, in a slim electronics layer, for the most lightweight design. Every grams are used for the best selected components, assembled with passion and fully supported by Ardupilot firmware.
- chrisdalke 7y ago
  I agree -- and beyond a catastrophic crash, I wonder how practical the PCB frame is for longevity of the quad, vibration dampening, etc.
didsomeonesay 7y ago
Crazyflie is a tiny flying PCB, original version from ~2013 (no camera) https://www.bitcraze.io/ https://www.bitcraze.io/ And yes, it is not very robust, I broke one PCB arm but could fix it without affecting the balance too much. The bigger problem was encountered when it flew out of reach. I had an xbox 360 controller connected to a xbox wireless dongle on my laptop, running crazyflie SW, connected to crazyfly via another dongle. Tested it in a city park (somebody attended to the laptop). I moved a bit away from the laptop setup while trying to learn to fly it (manual leveling is hard). I don't know which wireless connection failed first. But the result was, it just kept running the last instruction, and flying up, up and away. Luckily the battery failed when it was up about 50-100 meters, and had drifted away about 100m horizontally due to wind. I was sweating like hell, picturing scenarios of it coming down on a car windshield and causing a surprised driver to crash, etc. Luckily it came down within the same park. Without new damage to drone, or third parties! Lessons learned: Don't fly an indoor drone outdoors, it's not built to resist wind and doesn't have SW safe for it. And never, ever fly any drone outdoors without model plane liability insurance.
- wolfgke 7y ago
  > And never, ever fly any drone outdoors without model plane liability insurance. Or be able to run fast ... ;-)

so is this like the only programmable drone out there? or is this the only one that is open source ? how much something like would cost? anyone have an idea ?

by gdsdfe 7y ago

so is this like the only programmable drone out there? or is this the only one that is open source ? how much something like would cost? anyone have an idea ?

khancyr 7y ago

I don't remember what was the price range but it was cheat. I think we speak about it in the end of their talk in the ArduPillot unconference. Check on ArduPilot YouTube channel for their talk. What is impressive it the integration on this drone : that give a good flight time with low weight. That is a big advantage against current weight based regulation in numerous country. And of course ArduPilot integration give hight capabilities !

gdsdfe 7y ago
Excuse my noob question but : what do you mean by integration? And why is it important?
- RealityVoid 7y ago
  It probably means you can build firmware form ArduPilot and burn it into the drone. It's a big deal because ArduPilot is a whole platform and they have a lot of bells and whistles, communication with a companion computer, base station communication, a whole lot of possible configurations.
- luminousbees 7y ago
  integration of all the different parts on board in a single base: WIFI with ESP8266 WiFi, brushless motors, 4x ESC last generation BLHeli32 with telemetry and DSHOOT up to 2400 -- FlighControl -- IMU -- baro -- compass -- power system with 1 easily swappable Li-Ion 18650 for maximum flight time -- rangeFinder for accurate low height navigation 0-3m -- sdcard slot for Log -- connector for common RC radio and telemetry + connector for all the external add-ons like GPS, indoor positioning system, optical flow, 8 horizontal rangefinder for collision advoiance,... All these hw connected with the Ardupilot features. Furthermore, for small copter its very hard to have good flight time, ArduBee try to have very good flight time, safe and ready for makers to develop, supported by one of the best Open Source project for drone, Ardupilot. It has been developed to be used safely for urban swarm robotics application development, education, creativity! https://ardupilot.org/copter/ https://ardupilot.org/copter/ ESP8266 with Ardupilot (telemetry and control) https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-esp8266-telemetry.html?highlight=esp8266 https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-esp8266-telemetry.h... BLHeli_32 ESC Telemetryhttps://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-dshot-blheli32-telemetry.html?highlight=blheli32 https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-dshot-blheli32-tele...
StavrosK 7y ago
A 5" ArduPilot quad will probably run you about $150, maybe $200 tops, depending.
- luminousbees 7y ago
  It's not so easy to stay under $200 if you mean all parts apart the RC radio. I mean 4 motors + 4 ESC BLHEli32 with telemetry + FC + WIFI, compass, 1 down-facing rangefinder, .. in particular for the FC if you select these components with quality chips and sensors it starts to be quite challenging. Furthermore, if you would like to develop swarm applications the time spent to create the fleet is not to be underestimated. Last plus its a platform with 1 single common 18650 LI-Ion battery for higher flight time in comparison to the usual LiPo.
  - StavrosK 7y ago
    Yes, it depends on what kind of sensors you get. I meant just with GPS, 4 BLHeli ESCs will run you around $40, 4 motors another $40, Kakute F7 controller another $50, $30 for the frame, $8 for the GPS, $10 for the receiver, $5 if you want an extra PDB, it's not that bad. If you add sensors it does add up though, you're right.

chrisdalke 7y ago

The ArduPilot software platform is used very commonly across the drone industry and this is definitely not the only programmable drone available! The ArduPilot site has a list of some ready-to-use drones that have ArduPilot installed: https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-rtf.html https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-rtf.html. A lot of the time ArduPilot is installed with a flight computer (separate from the flight controller) which sends control signals inline with the RC receiver and can be retrofit onto an existing drone. You can also pick up pretty inexpensive kits to retrofit any DIY quadcopter or RC aircraft with autopilot capability. Two examples are the older APM2.8 hardware (no longer supported, dirt cheap) and the Pixhawk PX4 (actively supported, more expensive but still <$200.)

gdsdfe 7y ago
Ah so if I understand this correctly : on the software side I'm most probably gonna land on ArduPilot, and for the hardware that's were the bulk of decisions will be?
- chrisdalke 7y ago
  Like bri3d said in his comment, there are a few options -- ArduPilot is heavily focused on mission planning (Waypoints, GPS guidance, etc). There is other flight controller firmware like Betaflight which is more focused on the stabilization and PID control of a quad. There's definitely a lot of different decisions you can make on the hardware side: Choosing what sensors you include, flight computer & flight controller, ESCs and motors, frame, and so on. On the other hand, you could also choose to build a drone from a kit or ready-to-fly model, and experiment more with higher-level software. ArduPilot can be connected to ROS, which is the standard software platform for robotics. Much of the swarming behavior, visual tracking, and other experiments are done on a platform like ROS, which then sends waypoints or other instructions to the flight computer. Some areas to research if you're into this: ArduPilot (Firmware handling waypoint missions, guidance, etc. on an onboard flight controller): https://ardupilot.org/copter/index.html https://ardupilot.org/copter/index.html MavLink (Standard serial protocol used to communicate with drones, used to communicate between an ArduPilot controller and a ground station): https://mavlink.io/en/ https://mavlink.io/en/ ROS (Software platform designed for robotics, commonly ArduPilot drones feed into a ROS system for swarm experiments etc.): https://www.ros.org/ https://www.ros.org/

bri3d 7y ago

No and not even close. Look up Betaflight (racing oriented) and iNav (navigation oriented). Ardupilot is more integration/mission oriented, but it's far from the only game in town. A small <250g drone is in the $70-$100 price range, although you will also need a $70+ radio transmitter or some heavy hacking to control it. Most of the (hundreds) of supported control boards are not open hardware in the schematics sense, but some are. The all-in-one PCB integration strategy is cute, but I really don't think it's a great approach from a crash-recovery point of view.

TooSmugToFail 7y ago
> The all-in-one PCB integration strategy is cute, but I really don't think it's a great approach from a crash-recovery point of view. Spot on. However, it's a nice way to lure you into building a quad: just put some motors on, and you're good to go. Fly once, crash, and then go actually build a proper quad.
- bigiain 7y ago
  Small quads generally do remarkably little damage to themselves in most typical crashes. Remember this thing only weighs 102g, and half of that is a battery held on by springs. In typical indoor use (can't get more than a few meters high, unlikely to go faster than a few m/s), this'll crash way more than one time before it show any signs of damage to anything except the (replaceable) props. (Sure, you won't be handing it down to your grandkids in your will, but it's not as disposable as "fly once, crash, throw it away"...)
  - luminousbees 7y ago
    I totally agree with you, it's the most compressed form, in a slim electronics layer, for the most lightweight design. Every grams are used for the best selected components, assembled with passion and fully supported by Ardupilot firmware.
chrisdalke 7y ago
I agree -- and beyond a catastrophic crash, I wonder how practical the PCB frame is for longevity of the quad, vibration dampening, etc.

didsomeonesay 7y ago

Crazyflie is a tiny flying PCB, original version from ~2013 (no camera) https://www.bitcraze.io/ https://www.bitcraze.io/ And yes, it is not very robust, I broke one PCB arm but could fix it without affecting the balance too much. The bigger problem was encountered when it flew out of reach. I had an xbox 360 controller connected to a xbox wireless dongle on my laptop, running crazyflie SW, connected to crazyfly via another dongle. Tested it in a city park (somebody attended to the laptop). I moved a bit away from the laptop setup while trying to learn to fly it (manual leveling is hard). I don't know which wireless connection failed first. But the result was, it just kept running the last instruction, and flying up, up and away. Luckily the battery failed when it was up about 50-100 meters, and had drifted away about 100m horizontally due to wind. I was sweating like hell, picturing scenarios of it coming down on a car windshield and causing a surprised driver to crash, etc. Luckily it came down within the same park. Without new damage to drone, or third parties! Lessons learned: Don't fly an indoor drone outdoors, it's not built to resist wind and doesn't have SW safe for it. And never, ever fly any drone outdoors without model plane liability insurance.

wolfgke 7y ago
> And never, ever fly any drone outdoors without model plane liability insurance. Or be able to run fast ... ;-)