So i took the challenge of setting up the Tarot gimbal not just for inherent stable video footage but also the flexibility of controlling it from the radio control. However, I encountered quite a few challenges which made me aware that I'm not the one only in this battle . It's quite clear that the setup of the Tarot gimbal using its own software is completely different from how it's been described in the Ardupilot/Arducopter webpage and in mission Planner. In Mission Planner and it's associated site makes one believe that it should be done through software, only to realize that in actual fact the setup is more complex than that.  After two evenings of trying various combinations, I realized the getting the pixhawk Aux channels to communicate with the T4 gimbal requires the following steps: - The Pixhawk Pin9 (Aux1) needed to be activated to pass through user-chosen channel from the transmitter. For the Dx6 Gen2 it was the channel 6, which can assigned the ...

We stumbled on the organization that's making head waves around the globe called Drones for Good Award . Although the coveted prize money is not openly advertised, various companies have participated over the past few years such as: PrecisionHawk , LoonCopter , Drones against Tsetse and many more. We were pretty impressed especially with LoonCopter. This is drone which is capable of air, surface and underwater navigation. The aim is mainly for search and rescue and the proof of concept was demonstrated at the award. But what's more fascinating is the culture and ethos this organization promotes. The idea that drones CAN be used for good and SHOULD be used for good. This is something we at Uav4africa believe immensely . The notion that you can use technology, whether in the air or under the sea, to uplift, educate and empower underprivileged communities is beyond a nice gesture, it's calling all of us should respond to. One of our projects is to investigate...

So i've been looking over the last few months how I can get to fly more of my quadcopter drone for both research and leisure. The major drawback of the 1.6kg drone is its form factor at the time. Being a H-frame quad with cross rotor length of over 80cm, I had to purchase 110L storage bin to keep it safe and damage-free. After much research I ended up a natural solution that would involved just a steel saw and good eye for detail. The other (obvious) requirement for this folding mechanism is that it should make the deployment time as fast as possible with a few if not no special equipment. This led the the solution of cutout the area around the second bolt of each arm to allow pivoting action on the first bolt. The cutout should also be such that bolt hole remains to be used as a stopper to maintain symmetry along the quad x and y axis. The high contact friction will be used to ensure the arms remain in the required position throughout a particular flight. After much sawing and...

So the notion that in order for me to proceed scientifically (and practically) towards the design of rotor dynamics identification algorithms that will run in real-time, I first need to model the effects of the rotor failure through experimentation. The two best ways of the doing this are (1) Buy a +R2k Tachometer and record (probably by  recording the display) the speed of the propeller with a pre-determined PWM value. (2) Use the high speed capability of an action cam (such as GoPro) and some clever algorithms to compute the propeller RPM. The latter is the cheaper (and the geekier) option of the two. The setup was such that contrast was created through the use of a black mat cloth on the setup table and painting the opposing blade of the propeller black and white (see below). A RGB (red-green-blue) adaptive algorithm was developed which would mitigate the occurrence of glares on the blade which would in turn give a false reading with the algorithm. Each frame was analyze...

My research drone, given the lack of research funds, was a fourth-hand quadcopter drone which I resuscitated and started getting good flight test results. I even wrote a paper on it with the hope of publishing. However, the previous guys didn't have an appreciation for neatness so the drone looked like a wire fest. See below: So in order to make a clean start (without breaking the bank) was to remodel the airframe into something more commercial (with the hope that it could serve as a aerial photography platform - always wanted a DJI). So what I did was convert the space between the two main plates and layout the power electronics which included the ESCs, the distribution joint and the power module. I cleaned up the residues of double-sided tape that appeared everywhere and made provision for the Pixhawk in a more central position. And this is what it looks like now:   Mission accomplished. Now it's time for testing everything still works and for the first tes...

"The best of innovations happens when certainty is no longer certain" ~ myself My undertaking of my Ph.D (part-time I might add) was on the premise that I would acquire enough research funding for not only tuition but especially hardware. I didn't think for one minute that I would struggle to get money from my sponsor DENEL, but after what has been coming on the news regarding the company being cash-less , its quite clear that I would have to re-think my strategy on how what I'm going to execute this research with maximum exposure. And by exposure I mean the fact that a Ph.D should propel one to a possible career in academia or research institutes, IF done correctly. That's a BIG IF given that aerospace engineering Ph.D in Africa is not well sought after or even recognized by the rest of the aerospace community, let alone in the field of intelligent flight control .  This is where innovation kicks in. In a big way!!! When you realize it's eit...

Hi, I've looked around the web to get an understanding the setup of the Ardupilot flight modes with a Spektrum DX6 2nd generation and there was none. So I decided to write this blog. The few things to consider when doing this: Please follow the instruction given on the ardupilot webpage . Have the Pixhawk hardware connected to Mission Planner (I have 1.3.50 - Copter V3.5.3)  Use the display bar in the Radio Calibration page as a guide while changing the rate pulse widths on your transmitter. I've used switch D to change the pulse width ranges on channel 5.

So part of my PhD deliverable is to develop a hardware-in-the-loop simulation model such that the entire suite of software can be tested with a high-fidelity simulation model that mimics the sensors such as the IMU and GPS units. Eventhough I've finalized the simulation model of a 2m glider, the prize is to have miniature helicopter model implemented. The following makes use of the PC only for visual aid and the rest of the simulation. Potentially, although low priority, the matlab visual could be connected to Flight Gear and visualize a 3D model as one. The use of the transmitter and receiver will only to act as control inputs which are then converted to airframe deflections.

So after the crash from the previous flight, I received a new set of landing gear. Given that I was on daddy duty this weekend, I didn't get to do any flying. So today during lunch I decided to get over my fears and get going with my flying. One thing that got me quite nervy (as if I wasn't apprehensive enough), was that the wind was quite gusty today. Windsurfer  reported about 7 m/s (25 km/h) winds gusts with roughly 6 m/s (21 km/h) wind speeds. But in my mind (call me foolish) I thought this would be a good test of my hovering skills in the midst of all disturbances. After binding the heli, I took to the skies with the thumping heartbeat. The wind gusts in the open field started becoming more evident in the control of the heli. A couple of gusts even elevated the heli a few meters higher eventhough i had reduced throttle. Then a sharp gust almost caused the heli to barrel roll into the ground. But i kept my cool and decided to persevere through. I was tempted to allo...

So I finally found an enclosure for my automated sprinkling system. It uses a photocell for day/night switch. I'm planning to add two potentiometers to control duration and repetition without flashing new code. A master switch that restarts the program will also help. Will post some videos on how it works. EDIT: Managed to add the master switch on the microcontroller. Given than the solenoid in Normally-Closed, the master switch prevents the current to drawn by the solenoid. #coding #atmega328 #uav4africa via Instagram http://ift.tt/2f1G7or

So I've decided with the change of the DCM matrix and PI controller for navigation to change fundamentally the code layout with the use of data structures to make more sense of the information been passed on. I also spend most of list night trying to get my head around whether float division is really such a problem. We'll based on references xxx and xxx it is. Float memory allocation is not a real issue but float division can really boggle down your code to the core of tortoise pace. So this reference xxx explains that one can find an alternative around this issue which should speed things up quite a bit.The fact of the matter is that float division should really be an exception in any type of code (irrespective of the compiler and host). A lesson well learnt.