Not much to report, since taking the quadcopter apart in preparation for component testing took all of my daily hour of work.
As I said in the last post, I'll be missing some days for the holidays.
Meanwhile, let's look at a behind the scenes from one of Seattle's premier photographers. Chase Jarvis directed a commercial for REI, here is his article about it and the video showing the behind the scenes. Note: this is a full helicopter, not a multicopter, but neat nonetheless.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
So...all put together.
So...all put together.
But nothing works.
It seems to be a lack of power to the ESCs. There should be a chime or lights or something when they are first plugged in, but I'm getting nothing. The battery charger indicates both that it charged the LiPo and that it is full. So I'm guessing that there is some fault with the power distribution spider.
I'm going to have to tear the rig apart and make an individual test of a single motor plus ESC plus battery and see what I get. Which means a new set of leads to solder, but that's becoming routine by now.
Let's look at the work I did this weekend.
Motors start with the axle sticking out the mounting end. This does not work for a multicopter, so the axles have to be knocked through and re-pinned. In this picture, you can see a finished motor on the left, with the original state (plus soldered on connectors) on the right.
The entire body of the quadcopter is done. All of the components are on and attached. Here is the final look (before I tear it apart to figure out why it is not working).
I have holiday plans interfering this week. (*cough* Still need to buy gifts for family...) So little work will be done on the project until I get home on Christmas afternoon.
Meanwhile, I tested out the light camera intended for this first flying platform. I strapped a Contour GPS to my Santa hat and went on a pub crawl. There were technical issues and I did not have a lot of time for editing, so I just hacked together this crappy video so that I had some idea of what my wearable action cam was going to produce.
But nothing works.
It seems to be a lack of power to the ESCs. There should be a chime or lights or something when they are first plugged in, but I'm getting nothing. The battery charger indicates both that it charged the LiPo and that it is full. So I'm guessing that there is some fault with the power distribution spider.
I'm going to have to tear the rig apart and make an individual test of a single motor plus ESC plus battery and see what I get. Which means a new set of leads to solder, but that's becoming routine by now.
Let's look at the work I did this weekend.
Motors start with the axle sticking out the mounting end. This does not work for a multicopter, so the axles have to be knocked through and re-pinned. In this picture, you can see a finished motor on the left, with the original state (plus soldered on connectors) on the right.
Let's look at these pins more closely. (Cut to macro photos)
 |
| A pin is mounted in a groove, holding the inner and outer bodies of the motor together. |
 |
| Pin was removed, screw lock on other end loosened, then axle knocked down to end-of-axle groove and re-pinned. Then mounting bracket was screwed on and motor is ready for attaching to quadcopter arms. |
The entire body of the quadcopter is done. All of the components are on and attached. Here is the final look (before I tear it apart to figure out why it is not working).
 |
| Quadcopter, without props |
 |
| View through protective cage at the simple flight controller from HobbyKings. |
 |
| An ESC stuffed into an arm of the quad, with triple connectors going to the motor. |
Meanwhile, I tested out the light camera intended for this first flying platform. I strapped a Contour GPS to my Santa hat and went on a pub crawl. There were technical issues and I did not have a lot of time for editing, so I just hacked together this crappy video so that I had some idea of what my wearable action cam was going to produce.
[Video in the process of uploading to YouTube.]
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday links and video 12-16-11
Hexacopter seen in Moscow protests.
A hexacopter was "unidentified" as a UFO over the Moscow protests this week. Here is a blurb and video from the Telegraph in the UK.
Non-profit looks at UAV use.
Non-profit Matternet is investigating the use of UAVs for point-to-point delivery in roadless areas. This group is centered on the idea that distribution networks are the missing link is lifting rural areas out of poverty (no pun intended). Initially, they are looking at medical and emergency supply delivery.
Video cranes
I saw an ad for this, probably because it is tied to aerial photography/videography: Kessler Jibs and Cranes.
That sucker costs about twice what I have put into my project so far and probably exceeds my final costs. Sure, it lifts 20lbs, but it is limited to 19 ft of lift and only pivots around that tripod. I'll be able to lift a 3lb DSLR for video 200+ ft in the air and have total movement. I can "dolly" around a subject, which this thing can't do. And my rig will fit into the trunk of my car. Best advantage of the dolly: it's silent. Multicopters have prop noise to deal with.
Timelapse skylines
Kessler did lead to this video about a project using their gear. Not quite aerial, but in my field of interest.
"Orbital" Citibank / JFK Installation from Rama Allen on Vimeo.
"Constructicons"
Here is an awesome project in which a team turns quadcopters into an autonomous construction team to produce aerially constructed sculptures. Read the whole article, of just sample the project with this video (one of two on that webpage).
A hexacopter was "unidentified" as a UFO over the Moscow protests this week. Here is a blurb and video from the Telegraph in the UK.
Non-profit looks at UAV use.
Non-profit Matternet is investigating the use of UAVs for point-to-point delivery in roadless areas. This group is centered on the idea that distribution networks are the missing link is lifting rural areas out of poverty (no pun intended). Initially, they are looking at medical and emergency supply delivery.
Video cranes
I saw an ad for this, probably because it is tied to aerial photography/videography: Kessler Jibs and Cranes.
That sucker costs about twice what I have put into my project so far and probably exceeds my final costs. Sure, it lifts 20lbs, but it is limited to 19 ft of lift and only pivots around that tripod. I'll be able to lift a 3lb DSLR for video 200+ ft in the air and have total movement. I can "dolly" around a subject, which this thing can't do. And my rig will fit into the trunk of my car. Best advantage of the dolly: it's silent. Multicopters have prop noise to deal with.
Timelapse skylines
Kessler did lead to this video about a project using their gear. Not quite aerial, but in my field of interest.
"Orbital" Citibank / JFK Installation from Rama Allen on Vimeo.
"Constructicons"
Here is an awesome project in which a team turns quadcopters into an autonomous construction team to produce aerially constructed sculptures. Read the whole article, of just sample the project with this video (one of two on that webpage).
Monday, December 12, 2011
A little more work over the weekend.
Not much done this weekend or Monday, due to other commitments. But I did get the power "spider" finished and sandwiched in between the top deck and the bottom deck.
Tip to the beginner: melting solder produces heat in your wires high enough to melt your hot glue. Expect to require three hands (like usual). But the drilled holes did a great job of holding all of the wires together at the junction point. And the hot glue should insulate the top and bottom sets.
Monday evening is being spent reversing the axles on my brushless motors so the propeller turns above the quadcopter, not below it.
Tuesday I have another project (and some Skyrim), so expect little or no post on Wednesday.
 |
| Someone should tin his wires better before soldering a joint... |
Monday evening is being spent reversing the axles on my brushless motors so the propeller turns above the quadcopter, not below it.
Tuesday I have another project (and some Skyrim), so expect little or no post on Wednesday.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
I know I have one of those around here somewhere...
Wednesday evening's efforts were apparently focused on hunting for a misplaced glue gun.
Photo by CraftyGoat on Flickr.
Can't seem to find the glue gun, so I'm saving the power spider creation until another day. Meanwhile, I am assembling most of the frame according to the instructions on Frank's Instructable's page. Not much to report on.
Meanwhile I did figure out what was going on with the motor. I have to reverse the shaft so that the motor can mount properly. I found a good step-by-step procedure on the MachineGrid website. It even shows the exact same model engine I am working with, which is probably no coincidence.
Photo by CraftyGoat on Flickr.Can't seem to find the glue gun, so I'm saving the power spider creation until another day. Meanwhile, I am assembling most of the frame according to the instructions on Frank's Instructable's page. Not much to report on.
Meanwhile I did figure out what was going on with the motor. I have to reverse the shaft so that the motor can mount properly. I found a good step-by-step procedure on the MachineGrid website. It even shows the exact same model engine I am working with, which is probably no coincidence.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Burned fingers
I've got bullet connectors down. They are actually fairly easy. It's splicing a bunch of wires together with solder that is darn hard.
This just isn't a good solution. Since these need to be insulated, I'll just drill a bunch of holes in a plastic bottle cap, insert wires, and then do the soldering. Pictures tomorrow.
Also, how do you get this prop mount attached to the motor? No instructions and so far, I have not found any tutorials online.
The prop mount definitely goes on that side, but I can see no way to attach it. Frustrating.
I thought I was half way done Monday night, but no. I only had most of the bullet connectors done. The power spider and figuring out some of these issues without instructions continue to be challenges.
This just isn't a good solution. Since these need to be insulated, I'll just drill a bunch of holes in a plastic bottle cap, insert wires, and then do the soldering. Pictures tomorrow.
Also, how do you get this prop mount attached to the motor? No instructions and so far, I have not found any tutorials online.
The prop mount definitely goes on that side, but I can see no way to attach it. Frustrating.
I thought I was half way done Monday night, but no. I only had most of the bullet connectors done. The power spider and figuring out some of these issues without instructions continue to be challenges.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Friday links 12-9-11
Links
NPR had a segment on All Tech Considered in which they elaborate on the LA Times story from last week. Give it a listen!
Or there is this older article about micro-drones being worked on by the US Airforce.
Videos
There is an entire channel on Vimeo for quadcopter movies. Lots of it is boring pictures from the ground of people piloting their aircraft through not-quite-stunts. But here are a few winners:
Short but sweet:
Monster Truck - Descent Over Cyclone from AirKraft Productions on Vimeo.
Another pro demo reel:
A flight day with the new quad and T2i from Heli Video Pros on Vimeo.
And from YouTube a cool compilation video:
NPR had a segment on All Tech Considered in which they elaborate on the LA Times story from last week. Give it a listen!
Or there is this older article about micro-drones being worked on by the US Airforce.
Videos
There is an entire channel on Vimeo for quadcopter movies. Lots of it is boring pictures from the ground of people piloting their aircraft through not-quite-stunts. But here are a few winners:
Short but sweet:
Monster Truck - Descent Over Cyclone from AirKraft Productions on Vimeo.
Another pro demo reel:
A flight day with the new quad and T2i from Heli Video Pros on Vimeo.
And from YouTube a cool compilation video:
Hot metal
Soldering is a little smelly and you risk burns, especially when inexperienced. I managed to get away uninjured (this time), but I've got some more soldering to go.
Today's post would be impossible without the guides provided on Frank's great Instructables step-by-step and a viewing of the YouTube videos found at the bottom of his tutorial.
Click on any image to see it larger.
It took about 70 minutes to get the work space set up (a cooking term called mise en place applies here) and to finish the soldering. I have another session tonight when I create the "power spider" for the entire rig.
Hopefully the triple connectors will make it clear which wire goes where on the ESCs. For two motors, I flipped two leads, so that should make these two motors spin in the opposite direction from the other two. Since the quadcopter needs two clockwise and two counter-clockwise motors, as long as I didn't screw that up I should be set.
Given that screwing it up means unsoldering and resoldering two bullet connectors, Murphy's Law suggests that I probably screwed up.
Today's post would be impossible without the guides provided on Frank's great Instructables step-by-step and a viewing of the YouTube videos found at the bottom of his tutorial.
Click on any image to see it larger.
 |
| Using three-in-one bullet connectors. |
 |
| Connections consist of: motor, bullet connectors, ESC, more bullets, battery |
 |
| Motor and ESC aligned on my soldering rig |
 |
| Close-up of male-end bullet connectors in soldering rig (a block or firewood with holes drilled into it. |
 |
| Three down, 21 to go... |
 |
| Motor and ESC bullet connectors aligned and ready for connection. |
 |
| All motors are now connected to the ESCs, which have their power connectors ready to go. |
It took about 70 minutes to get the work space set up (a cooking term called mise en place applies here) and to finish the soldering. I have another session tonight when I create the "power spider" for the entire rig.
Hopefully the triple connectors will make it clear which wire goes where on the ESCs. For two motors, I flipped two leads, so that should make these two motors spin in the opposite direction from the other two. Since the quadcopter needs two clockwise and two counter-clockwise motors, as long as I didn't screw that up I should be set.
Given that screwing it up means unsoldering and resoldering two bullet connectors, Murphy's Law suggests that I probably screwed up.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Friday links and videoes
Another Friday, another sampling of why I find aerial photography exciting.
Here is a blog from a group of aerial quadcopter photographers in Utah. Definitely check out their hike into the real life location where the events of the movie 127 Hours took place. Or go directly to the video on YouTube here.
Some gorgeous aerial panoramas by BlimpMaster.com. You need Quicktime to view the 360ยบ images, but they are breath-taking. Shot with a blimp rig, however.
Another demo reel by the Copter Kids. Always great editing!
A different team, Heli Video Pros from Vancouver BC, show us their demo reel.
A flight day with the new quad and T2i from Heli Video Pros on Vimeo.
Have a great weekend. I'll be doing some photo gigs (Christmas parties, yawn), playing some Skyrim, and getting started on photographing the initial quadcopter build. Expect photos of the initial steps on Tuesday.
Here is a blog from a group of aerial quadcopter photographers in Utah. Definitely check out their hike into the real life location where the events of the movie 127 Hours took place. Or go directly to the video on YouTube here.
Some gorgeous aerial panoramas by BlimpMaster.com. You need Quicktime to view the 360ยบ images, but they are breath-taking. Shot with a blimp rig, however.
 |
| More photos and Quicktime panoramas at BlimpMaster's website. |
Another demo reel by the Copter Kids. Always great editing!
A different team, Heli Video Pros from Vancouver BC, show us their demo reel.
A flight day with the new quad and T2i from Heli Video Pros on Vimeo.
Have a great weekend. I'll be doing some photo gigs (Christmas parties, yawn), playing some Skyrim, and getting started on photographing the initial quadcopter build. Expect photos of the initial steps on Tuesday.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
No more waiting
Okay, the package from HobbyKing has arrived. It was pretty quick once it finally left the shipping warehouse in Hong Kong. (Wonder if they just wait until the air-freight container is full?)
Yes, unboxing photos. How geeky, right?
The two white boxes in the foreground are the quad-frames, with the rest of the parts laid out on a work table. The four motors are light blue (and tiny). The slim little 15-18A ESCs have orange labels. By weight it certainly feels like that blue LiPo battery is the most heavy component.
Remaining is a trip to Radio Shack or Fry's to get wire, solder, soldering iron and a trip to the craft store to get some Gorilla Glue for the frame. (Second frame is "spare parts".)
I'll have to choose this weekend between crafting in Skyrim or crafting in the real world. Good thing I have this blog to act as accountability or else I would totally slack-off this weekend. I still might slack-off some...
[Addition]
Interesting side-note. My invoice apparently lists the wholesale prices for these parts (oops!) And the shipping and handling just lists the shipping costs. The wholesale for my $300+ in parts is $74 and my $77 S&H charge only costs them $27. Nice profit margin there.
Yes, unboxing photos. How geeky, right?
The two white boxes in the foreground are the quad-frames, with the rest of the parts laid out on a work table. The four motors are light blue (and tiny). The slim little 15-18A ESCs have orange labels. By weight it certainly feels like that blue LiPo battery is the most heavy component.
Remaining is a trip to Radio Shack or Fry's to get wire, solder, soldering iron and a trip to the craft store to get some Gorilla Glue for the frame. (Second frame is "spare parts".)
I'll have to choose this weekend between crafting in Skyrim or crafting in the real world. Good thing I have this blog to act as accountability or else I would totally slack-off this weekend. I still might slack-off some...
[Addition]
Interesting side-note. My invoice apparently lists the wholesale prices for these parts (oops!) And the shipping and handling just lists the shipping costs. The wholesale for my $300+ in parts is $74 and my $77 S&H charge only costs them $27. Nice profit margin there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)