[OpenRelief Developer] Our prototype robot plane (drone/UAV) list of parts (was: Re: [OpenRelief Outreach] Second drone mechanically complete)

[Shane Coughlan]

Hi Alan, all

This was answered in another thread, but I thought an explicit post might be useful.

On May 16, 2012, at 9:39 AM, Shane Coughlan wrote:
> I will prepare and send a parts list for you with links. If you are building and testing, naturally everyone will try to lend a hand with information :)
> It will be very useful for the project to get data on flight performance and potential issues in Australia. I guess the heat and other conditions there will be quite different to the UK or Japan, so this drone #3 can be a useful test bed. We can all collaborate on promotion as well.


==

We want to use open source and open hardware where possible. Most of our prototyping - especially the airframe - is off-the-shelf. Down the road we want an open hardware airframe, and the design process is underway on our dev list.

The core of the system is the Ardupilot. We are using an APM 1.4 built by Udrones:
http://www.udrones.com/product_p/expck3.htm
We expect most systems to use the smaller, cheaper APM 2.0 when it is generally available. Both of these technologies are full open source and open hardware.

This is being hooked up to a computer. We are aiming to have the Raspberry Pi as the minimum computer: 
http://www.raspberrypi.org/
You don't need this to just send the drone into the air and come back with footage if you connect the camera direct to a storage device instead of a computer. But if you have a computer it is possible to record footage onto SD card plus use things like visual recognition, which is something we are working on getting ready for seeing roads, people and smoke. We are in early days but moving fast...

The camera is a 170 degree unit using a Sony Super HAD sensor. This is closed technology, but you can find the prototype camera here:
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/106927544.html

This uses a BNC connector, and the current adopter being used is here:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/bnc-to-usb-video-converter-cable-40cm-length-51935
Quite frankly, it's too heavy and cumbersome. We need to work something else out.

This is the prototyping airframe:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=15236

This is the engine:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=15169

This is the engine accessory kit:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=14501

This is the ESC:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=18010

This is the prop:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=7944

This is the battery:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=17248

These are the servos:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=14458
We probably need better servos, as it turns out one cog in these things is plastic, and that already lead to one overload and overheat.

Then you have various wires and so on to tie everything together. Off-the-shelf stuff.