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Rob Philpott wrote: ndeed, fly home and height limiting are in the brief
And make sure the latitude and longitude are properly set for your craft.
An uninitialized latitude and longitude of 0', 0' is off the coast of Africa
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I suppose you'd just use the watchdog timer. If it crashes, the timer isn't reset and thus reaches zero. At this point, the board can be reset.
See here: http://www.megunolink.com/how-to-detect-lockups-using-the-arduino-watchdog/[^]
Also, probably worth checking out the source code for the Multi-wii multi-rotor control software that works with the Arduino Mega and others.
http://www.multiwii.com/[^]
https://code.google.com/p/multiwii/[^]
If you're going to write the firmware for radio(transmitter unit, _not_ the module) also, there's a bunch of different projects that can be flashed to commercial sets like the (~$53, 2km range) 9ch Turnigy 9x and other cheap diamonds.
http://www.os-rc.com/en/[^]
Finally you can go really crazy and check out this thread http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1916558[^] for a bloke that's made a 4ch multi-copter controller that's just 190mg and 8x10mm!!
"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." - John Lennon
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Rob Philpott wrote: but what if the board crashes?
That's why the aerospace industry is so extreme about all the testing and analysis. In their case, lives are on the line. In yours, they only could be on the line.
Drones should be legally classified as clay pigeons. I'm all for people getting them and playing/learning with them. I'm not for people putting cameras on them and invading my privacy. Unfortunately, those can't be separated. Clay pigeons.
We can program with only 1's, but if all you've got are zeros, you've got nothing.
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Sounds cool, but my question is what have you got it for... (I know I suffer from the cool I want to play with one of those syndrome, but I always have an idea of a use it can be put to). If you live near an airport or airfield be very careful, if not try to avoid heavily built up areas. As Griff says avoid VB like the plague! go and build something cool.
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Gatwick, Biggin Hill. Shouldn't be a problem.
Why? Because a computer controlled flying thing is awesome. I'd dearly love to ditch the radio control and have it fully autonomous. Also, the more mischievous side of me would like to put weird lighting all over it and make people think the aliens have arrived.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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I must admit the thought of something flying around that I had coded fully autonomously is cool... also put a paint ball gun on and straff the locals... Hmmmm... 
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Rob Philpott wrote: the more mischievous side of me would like to put weird lighting all over it...
Now you're thinking!
Add a Tesla Coil and set the machine loose flying autonomously!
I am not suggesting this (  ), but it seems like a good idea would be to not start the initial flight from your hometown, and set the emergency return point to also be in a different location, except off the coast of Africa.
I'm glad that I don't have a mischievous side.
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Rob Philpott wrote: Also, the more mischievous side of me would like to put weird lighting all over it and make people think the aliens have arrived.
Something like this: http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2013/03/psychedelic-plasma-wings.html[^]
Or, if you're really up for mischief, something like this?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_stealth[^]
"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." - John Lennon
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Sounds entirely too dangerous to the community and puts you at severe financial and criminal risk. Stop! Stop immediately.
Just so you're not tempted to continue, feel free to send all the parts to me for safe keeping:
Mike Mullikin
123 Main St.
Metropolis USA
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. ~ George Washington
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Rob Philpott wrote: for the Arduino Mega board I've got for it
what do you use that for ?
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Ah well, that's the 'flight computer' it takes PCM data from the remote receiver, GPS data from the GPS, distance data from the ultrasonics, inertial data from the 'IMU' (tilt, acceleration and rotation) and continually in real time sends out 6 control signals to the motors.
I haven't figured the logic out yet. 3 motors spin one way, the other 3 the other. Slow one set and the thing rotates, increase the one's at the back and it tilts and moves forward, overall power takes you up and down. These are my *assumptions* - hence the danger of low altitude decapitation until I get my coefficients correct.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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 I guess with all of that you need a flight computer - I remember the days of 1 motor and a few servos (planes), primitive by comparison but fun all the same
have fun Rob
'g'
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6 350W bladed motors hurtling around
That's a mighty big chopper you have there.
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Why thank you very much. It's designed for heavy loads.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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Rob Philpott wrote: It's designed for heavy loads.
Like the batteries it's gonna have to carry? 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Yes, that as well.
Ah, the lithium polymer. People bang on about how Apple 'invented' the smartphone but the enablers were low power CPUs and a new generation of battery, really.
Actually I read somewhere that a LiPo volume for volume can contain about 1/4 of the energy of petrol. That's pretty cool. They also enable the rather wonderful e-cigarette too which could, if they let it, save millions of lives.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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Very, very cynical.
It's terrible news for tobacco companies, and of course they'll want to get their market share. But they will be playing catch up for a long time.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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Rob Philpott wrote: Very, very cynical.
"Follow the money"
The tobacco companies have had a stranglehold on anti-smoking legislation for decades to protect their (obscene) profits, and they have fought tooth an nail to prevent the changes over the last few years. I think that diverted their attention from e-cigarettes, and they were caught on the wrong foot but they won't take long to be the big market players: they can see the writing on the wall with the current situation.
Me, I'm just damn glad I gave up ten years ago...
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Not quite - they bought it and are trying to shut down the competition's products.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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True. Wait till they start going after marijuana.
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Simplest solution is to attach a label of some sort - "If found, please return to <insert name="" of="" someone="" you="" do="" not="" like="">"
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And on the other side "If decapitated, please return to " with a different address.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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The address of someone you really really don't like, of course.
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