This article will have an overview of our school project (term 3/6). We were only two persons completing the project and I did all the coding. Our goal with this project was to make a simple, cheap and easy implantable tracking system.
After setting our goal on making a track counter (later called TC) we did our research on google searching for similar projects. We did not find much information about this and had to do some research before pursuing our goal. We faced a difficult question about IrDA. since we were planning to use infrared technology. Would the sensor be able to detect IR moving very fast? thinking back on FY1 (physics) we knew IR is running on a very high frequency and the experience with TV-remotes made us certain our choice of technology.
This year we had to expand knowledge we had been or would be learning into our project. This means Java and Verilog. We also focused on making a accurate budget since it was one of our goals.
The idea
Each object in a shortened circuit has an uncovered module which runs on a unique frequency. This frequency is sent to an IR diode on the module making the diode to blink at a given rate.
At finishing line we have an IR sensor connected to an PLD-card sending the info to a computer. The computer runs a TC-application written in Java with a SWING GUI.
Track counter rapport it`s in Norwegian, use a translator to get it to English or contact me and I will translate it for you.
After my friend Jonny bought himself a flying wing by robbe when all my aicrafts were grounded. I speculated on how quick I could build my own. I already had a small brushed motor with speed controlled form an old MS hornet (heli) by MS Composit. Two $2 servoes, $16 DSM2 receiver and 2S 800mAh LiPo batteries I had laying.
Later that day I sat down with some 6mm depron and started cutting. I cutted one side of the wing first to make sure it was proper. Then i copied it onto another piece and glued them togheter with UHU and CA. A carbon list was installed for stiffness. To get buoyancy and more stiffness I chose to install some addional 50mm wide 6mm depron on leading edge of the wing. Known as KF-airfoil KFM-2.
Rudders were cut 30mm wide and some fin stabilators were added to the sides. The heavy yet small motor had to be installed closer to the front than first expected to make CG right.
Since my external HDD`s adapter died and I found out that these Western Digital`s adapters are bad all over through Google. I threw the contoller away and bought a new instead of another faulty adapter. There were little information about this controller, but it has tons of features at a low cost. My main concern was support in Ubuntu, but I found some defuse info about Linux support after some heavy Googling. I gave it a shoot and this post is my blessing for it`s plug`n`play comparability with Linux. I can now use the WD SATA disk and an old IDE disk laying around!
The manual for this ESC is pretty bad, but do we really care when the product is cheap and has nice features?
This ESC has simliar features as the aquastar ESC Turnigy produces. I used aquastar`s manual and managed to produce a programming sequence chart for super brain ESC.
I`we flown RC helicopters for around three years now and only electric. We all know batteries tend to get worn out, which is what who has happened to many of my batteries. They don`t have the same punch as they had, which is essential for good 3D flying. Even tho they are bad for 3D they can still be used for low-amps applications, such as scale flying.
Therefore I`we decided to get myself an scale body for one of my Align T-rex 450 helis, the oldest in fact. At first I bought a Airwolf body, but I didn`t really want an Airwolf and it did miss the tail with retracts. Comanche on the other hand has always impressed me, being «the best» helicopter around with a very long development period.
The build process started by figuring out what scale the heli would become for a T-rex 450. If I recall correctly the 450 has a blade with of 70cm and RAH-66 has 11,9meters. This results in a scale of 1:17. From here I calculate 1:17 length of 13.20m (without gun barrel).
There are very few good pictures of this helicopter from all angles on the internet, but I were able to calculate the tail to be tilted 15 degrees. I also had to do allot of testing of bottom plate and the lower sides to make it scale looking. After the bottom was finish I used a paper-piece and draw the upper body. After I cutting the paper piece out it was easy to make a similar in 6mm depron.
Update #1
Retracts and penta head installed, but the retracts were only made for the heli and battery weight. When adding five blades to the head the retracts failed under take off. When I saw the heli was about to come to one side I accelerated it to prevent blades for hitting the ground. My attempt failed and the comanche body were damaged.
After this failure I had three things to straiten up before the fuselage was perfect.
Heli bends wrong way, should bend downwards
Tail capsule was to big for scale, this is because the heli only has a two bladed tail.
To weak gear.
I have now thrown away (in the trash) the heli and will not build another one. Not this season at least.
As little I made RC boats from scratch and since my knowledge about air vehicles is bigger I just had to build another “boat” when I came accross L‘Hydro-Foam. This “boat” has the same abilities as the ship in the Norwegian folk tale Askeladden, “Et skip som går like godt i lufta som til lands og til vanns”.
As usually I printed the PDF available on the French site and cut depron in given shapes.
After crashing my first F-22, I decided to build another one, but better and more scale looking. By downloading one of Steve Shumate`s creations I managed to build quite a nice plane.
It has same setup as last my first build, but is slightly smaller. I even gave it a better paint job, take a look in my gallery.
So I decided to make something with RC-servos using the Arduino board and the sensor shield which I recently purchased.
I went ahead figuring out how to send arrow signals from my computer to Arduino using USB interface.
Using void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); } on Arduino and screen /dev/ttyUSB0 9600 on my computer, I managed to send commands back and forth. I hooked up the standard servo library and write some code before I mounted the Arduino board on my mini rock crawler. I now had a computer controlled car. Because of Arduino`s simple interface I had it all up and running around an hour. Check the small video and code below.
You can view and or use the code as you like below. (Sorry about the indention, WordPress messes it up).
//
// LIBRARY
//
#include <Servo.h>
//
// OBJ
//
Servo servo1;
Servo servo2;
// VARS
int readByte;
int servo1Angle = 90; //default servo angle
int servo2Angle = 90;
int minPulse = 700; // minimum servo position
int maxPulse = 2300; // maximum servo position
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