4 ms·

Enough of these drones, who else here remember "model planes"?

by melony 4y ago

nine_k 4y ago
It's only a drone if it can demonstrate stable flight by itself. Sadly, the remote control chapter is not (yet) there, and the self-flying drone capabilities are only briefly mentioned in the intro. I suppose that for a real self-flying capability, a model plane would need at least a 3-axis accelerometer, a speed sensor, a height sensor (or at least a ground proximity sensor), and a controller to make sense of all of the data. That part is going to be a bit less cheap and trivial.
- bri3d 4y ago
  They're quite cheap and "trivial," honestly - iNav, ArduPilot, and PX4 are all strong in this space, and controllers start in the $50-$60 range (look at Matek hardware). Of course, for some definition of "trivial," but we do live in an age where a fairly accurate MEMS gyro/accelerometer, a barometer, and a fast STM32 microcontroller can all be had at a low price, and the control algorithms are mostly tried-and-true PID / feedforward PID attached to some form of input filtering. One can definitely build a fully autonomous flying wing for under $200, especially if the foam is self-cut. There are also a wealth of cheap foam pre-molded models available these days. We're really in a golden age for DIY flying models right now, pending regulatory crackdowns in most countries.
  - ncmncm 4y ago
    I wonder if pitot tube input is a thing, yet, for inertial-platform controllers. Most you can buy were designed for quadcopters. It is astonishing to me how you can run fantastically good Free Software control software on them all, interchangeably.
    - bri3d 4y ago
      Yes, pitot tubes have been supported for a long time by all of the "mainstream" flight control software (PX4, Ardupilot, iNav although in iNav it doesn't do much besides provide an on screen display readout). Both analog and digital (I2C) pressure transducers are generally supported by direct interface to either an ADC pin or the I2C bus, which is exposed on most boards, even those designed for quadcopters. Many Ardupilot and PX4 boards are starting to come with CAN ports as well for UAVCAN peripherals.

Enough of these drones, who else here remember "model planes"?

by melony 4y ago

Enough of these drones, who else here remember "model planes"?

It's only a drone if it can demonstrate stable flight by itself. Sadly, the remote control chapter is not (yet) there, and the self-flying drone capabilities are only briefly mentioned in the intro. I suppose that for a real self-flying capability, a model plane would need at least a 3-axis accelerometer, a speed sensor, a height sensor (or at least a ground proximity sensor), and a controller to make sense of all of the data. That part is going to be a bit less cheap and trivial.

bri3d 4y ago
They're quite cheap and "trivial," honestly - iNav, ArduPilot, and PX4 are all strong in this space, and controllers start in the $50-$60 range (look at Matek hardware). Of course, for some definition of "trivial," but we do live in an age where a fairly accurate MEMS gyro/accelerometer, a barometer, and a fast STM32 microcontroller can all be had at a low price, and the control algorithms are mostly tried-and-true PID / feedforward PID attached to some form of input filtering. One can definitely build a fully autonomous flying wing for under $200, especially if the foam is self-cut. There are also a wealth of cheap foam pre-molded models available these days. We're really in a golden age for DIY flying models right now, pending regulatory crackdowns in most countries.
- ncmncm 4y ago
  I wonder if pitot tube input is a thing, yet, for inertial-platform controllers. Most you can buy were designed for quadcopters. It is astonishing to me how you can run fantastically good Free Software control software on them all, interchangeably.
  - bri3d 4y ago
    Yes, pitot tubes have been supported for a long time by all of the "mainstream" flight control software (PX4, Ardupilot, iNav although in iNav it doesn't do much besides provide an on screen display readout). Both analog and digital (I2C) pressure transducers are generally supported by direct interface to either an ADC pin or the I2C bus, which is exposed on most boards, even those designed for quadcopters. Many Ardupilot and PX4 boards are starting to come with CAN ports as well for UAVCAN peripherals.