[Quadcopter] Status Update / Progress!

[Christopher Tuckwood]

Abhishek and I are working together on our quadcopter and are still just in
the research phase. He's looking more at the programming / control system
side of things since we eventually want to incorporate some degree of
autonomy and I'm looking at hardware. Arduino is the ultimate plan but I
think we'll start off with an out-of-the-box control board just to get the
thing airborne. Overall, the goal is to build something in the 500mm range
which can carry a camera as well as other possible equipment in the future,
including maybe FPV piloting.

With regard to the airframe, the carbon fiber model on HobbyKing initially
caught my eye but I've been weighing the options and am now leaning towards
using square aluminum tubing since it balances low weight with relatively
high strength and is easy to work with and cheap to replace if there is an
accident. From an aesthetic and aerodynamic perspective, a hollow airframe
also has the added bonus of being able to have wire run inside it rather
than strapped to the outside, as I've seen in a lot of the designs online.

Anyhow, I'm hoping to spend this evening sitting down, sketching up a plan,
pricing things out, and calculating the expected thrust-to-weight ratio.
One thing I'm still wondering about is the best power supply to use. Does
anyone have a formula for calculating expected battery life based on the
motor specs? I'm a bit rusty on these things and will look it up but if
anyone already has it I'd appreciate the help.

    - Chris

P.S. I'm not sure if I can make it for the meeting tomorrow night.


On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 11:47 AM, Dan Fraser <dfraser at capybara.org> wrote:

> **
>
> So, as I put on the google doc, my goal for this project was to build a
> larger quad that could lift a camera.  I've started this in the past with
> @elmood and this quadcopter group has inspired me to keep the project alive!
>
> So far I've chosen components and placed a HobbyKing order.  I'm getting
> everything but the controller right now, and I want to complete the basic
> build and make sure the motors spin etc before I make that investment. I
> also want to take some time to decide between something like an Arducopter
> board and an off-the-shelf unit like GAUI GU-344 or FYETECH 91Q. I have a
> spare Spektrum AR6200 receiver in my spare parts bin, so that will help the
> project cost.
>
> Here's the spreadsheet with my calculations so far:
>
>
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtUpGrggZL4MdHhPUU9xcC12MWlRUjd4VFRkNlBYOHc
>
> Given the calculated thrust and all-up-weight of the design, it should be
> able to lift a nice camera or other fun payload. I'm not sure if the
> prop/motor combination I've chosen will be particularly efficient, but it
> should at least get the thing in the air for starts.
>
> I'm working with @elmood to design a 500-600mm frame that can be made out
> of inexpensive materials and can be cut out on the hacklab laser, giving us
> an infinite supply of spare frame parts for when this thing takes a dirt
> nap :)
>
> So, that's what's up with me!
>
> How's everyone else doing?  I'd love to meet this weekend but I'm visiting
> my parents in London... anyone else planning on attending this Saturday?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Dan
>
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>
>


-- 
CHRISTOPHER TUCKWOOD | Executive Director
chris at thesentinelproject.org | +1 (647) 222-8821

The Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention
www.thesentinelproject.org
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