Flight Controller Paper

I wrote a paper on Flight Controllers for a class at Syracuse University. An extremely condensed version in PowerPoint format is also available. See links below.

Abstract:

Multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles are transitioning from the niche hobbyist domain to “the ­­next big thing.” Until recently, price, component technology, software, and domain-specific expertise kept most people from experiencing multirotors directly. This is about to change.  Price, hardware, software, and the technical expertise involved have combined to create a confluence of opportunity. While the potential multirotor field is vast, the technology is varied, compatibility issues abound, jargon runs wild, the literature is informal, and governmental regulation is uncertain. We leave government regulation discussions to others, instead focusing on the “brains” of a multirotor system—the flight controller. We discuss the pedigree, capability, and compatibility of contemporary flight controllers and explore the architecture of a modern, low-cost, open-source flight controller. We give a very brief “getting started with multirotors” checklist and demystify the lingo. Finally, we consider the future of the multirotor field. Multirotors are now within reach of the masses. Prospects for multirotors are very bright, and are poised to grow substantially.

Take a look! 

The paper, via Scribd.com

The PowerPoint slideshow, consisting mainly of pictures

3, 2, 1, Impact!

While I'm trying to keep the information flowing chronologically, here is a quick out-of-time-order update about our first flight test on Christmas Eve:

Just before our Christmas Eve party, my friend and I flew PUG-1, flight test 1. It worked and actually flew! Unfortunately, we weren't smart enough to keep it near the ground until we we very comfortable with flying. It fell out of the sky from 52 meters up. We don't yet know why, but will be analyzing the telemetry data more later.

 Interestingly enough, it mostly seemed to survive! More on this later, including video.

GPS Module and Battery hanging down. The rest seems okay.

Let's Talk About Parts

I bought some parts for my quadcopter. I'm naming him PUG--Prototype UAV Grunt. Grunt because he's going to be doing all the dangerous prototype testing.

You'll see the parts list below. The major items are: #1 the flight controller, #3 the transmitter and receiver, #6 the battery, and #13 the quadcopter frame.

In the coming days (or weeks) we are going to go through each of these parts one by one and discuss them. I'll even include pictures, though I'm not a great photographer. We will cover the parts I have, problems I ran into while integrating them, and the "gotchas" that arose. Some things require more background to fully understand, and we will get there, but you have to start somewhere. I will mention these things, but not completely cover them until later on. I will note it when I do. There is a lot to know, so let's jump right in.

	Part Number	Part Description
1	#387000007/31138	Multiwii and Megapirate AIO Flight Controller w/FTDI (ATmega 2560) V2.0
2	#9387000033-0/42819	Hard Case for MultiWii and MegaPirate AIO Flight Controller
3	#HK-T6A-M1/9041	Hobby King 2.4Ghz 6Ch Tx & Rx V2 (Mode 1)
4	#9387000030-0/42847	FPV 433Mhz Radio Telemetry Kit 100mW V1.1
5	#387000004/31135	NEO-6M GPS Module
6	#T2200.3S.20/8932	Turnigy 2200mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack
7	#9202000001/22410	HobbyKing B3AC Compact Charger
8	#387000005/31136	Ultrasonic Module HC-SR04 Arduino
9	#9387000025-0/42264	MWC & Megapirate AIO Controller UART Distribution Board
10	#XT60/9572	Nylon XT60 Connectors Male/Female (5 pairs) GENUINE
11	#FS-L001/9043	Hobby King 2.4Ghz 6Ch Tx USB Cable
12	#Turnigy-HKLP/11736	Turnigy Battery Strap 330mm
13	#60H-DY8896-Quad-550-ARF	Dynam RC 6 Channel Quadcopter 550 ARF

The non-frame parts were all from Hobby King. Note that their shipping was super slow and expensive for me. I ended up ordering twice because I didn't have everything I needed the first time around. Note to self: plan better next time.

My airframe is an ARF (Almost Ready to Fly), meaning it comes with engines and rotors and it wired up to the center where I will attach the flight controller. I got it from Nitro Planes. This came pretty quickly.

I really recommend getting the hard case for the flight controller. It fits nicely and weatherizes the bare board some.

Also note that I am not endorsing a particular supplier nor store, just telling what I purchased. There are probably better parts you can buy for cheaper if you know the right place. I'm just getting started, so this is the first cut. Also, if you are going to buy any of the Hobby King parts, using the above links will get both you and I slightly better prices, as they are "Affiliate Links."

Let's make a Quadcopter!

I'm your host, Karl Mortensen, coming to you from Central New York.

I'll be using this blog to document my building, tweaking, and flying a quadcopter. I'm starting from essentially no knowledge of flying nor quadcopters, so it shouldn't be too hard to keep up. If I make mistakes or could be more clear about something, feel free to comment. I may include your suggestions in the blog.

While I am not promoting a particular company nor supplier, I will tell you what brands of items I chose, and I have started including affiliate links to the products I purchased. This does not mean this is the only way to go, nor even the best. It's just what I chose. Note that as this is my first excursion into quadcopters, I chose parts to try to keep the cost down as much as possible.

Also note that as with any electronics/software/firmware, there is more than one way to do things. If you have a superior method, feel free to share. 

There are a lot of sources of information out there, many much better than mine, but as I document my proceedings, I will remember things more clearly, be able to repeat my steps, and hopefully help someone else get started just a little sooner. I am in no way a professional, so don't take my advice and authoritative--it's just a record of what I did.

Later,

  Karl