Hey guys, just wanted to know if its possible or if someone can create a way so that we can Save the code of a certain mission on the mission planner on a SD card and later execute it upon inserting this SD into the Pixhawk. Like having different missions on different cards and executing the one of our choice on inserting the respective card into PixHawk???
Thanks for you support.
For Copter 3.2?? Support and modification for 3.2 ended many years ago. So nothing is going to be added or changed there. The SD card is used for dataflash logging and terrain data. It’s not really intended to be constantly removed and replaced and used for other things. I suppose it could be done but what is the use case for it?
There’s a HUGE lot of uses if this is possible! The copter (NOT 3.2, i mean whichever is the latest one) could by a whole lot of industries and government agencies for different purposes and the SD card would perform the task of being the switch to different tasks. For example a copter with the police authorities could be plugged in with a SD to hover around and perform surveillance if the neighborhood and the same copter could be plugged in with a different SD to change it ASAP to a rescue copter in case of a flood, i.e, specifically for situations that dont have a computer around for this.
Please, this is my project, and I would deeply appreciate any help to make it possible. I am even ready to pay if anyone can make this true. Thank you a lot for your help.
In most multirotor builds the SD is inaccessable. You can do the same thing in Mission Planner and not have to touch the aircraft. Same work and saves the step of putting on an SD.
I do the same thing. But i get into this situation a lot of times when I don’t have any access to a computer. This SD card method is the solution to the same problem. Please tell me if there is a way to do it. Please.
No the SD card is just for logging. The CPU does not boot off it.
You could probably do something like that using a Linux based fc where Ardupilot is just one of the applications running on it.
A tablet and a telemetry radio or Wifi. That’s what I use in the field.
Well, then is there any way to create ““PHYSICAL”” waypoints (not the digital ones, like roads with some electronic setup) which the drone could follow on the field on auto just like it would follow the electronics ones??
Physical waypoints ?
Fact is you can plan and save as many missions as you want on a tablet/phone.It’s as simple as connecting to the copter via wifi and uploading the required mission before engaging auto mode,when the copter will fly the loaded mission.Far easier than swapping out sdcards.Just tap the screen a few times.
You should check out the capabilities of the Open Solo using the Solex app.It gives you far more than you are asking for here.
I guess I need to clear out some things. This project of mine is solely for developing countries. Where farmers dont have access to smart phones and definitely not computers. Thus, physical waypoints to help the farmer cover the farm to get yhe sprayer started. Other than that everybody else has computers wo i guess this physical/SD thing is only for the developing farmers. So… any help?
Have you thought this through ?
Farmers in developing countries using a large, automated, crop spraying drone.
That is one big lump of technology costing several thousand dollars which comes with a remote control and, generally, telemetry and tablet operated controls as well as the ability to be programmed for automated flight.So I can’t see a use case where there won’t be a tablet, or phone,or remote in operation.It will be part of the drone set up.
Or are we talking low tech locally built drones ? Running what sort of hardware and using what sort of control mechanism ? As pointed out already the sdcard is not used for control purposes and so wouldn’t work as a mission execution mode.Unless one of the devs feel the code could be tweaked I guess.
It’s an interesting subject but maybe needs the hardware aims fleshing out a bit.
Yeah. I have thought it all through. And also, developing countries as in which farmers arent able enough to buy anything that costs thousand of dollars. This idea of mine is for 550$ as the materials are suoer cheap here.i just need a set up that doesnt include anything electrical like a phone or a computer. Physical waypoints could do thougg. I have seen some yellow coloured poles with automatic crop sprayers and i guess those are the ones I’m talking about.
Optical navigation will cost far more than the drone…
So if computers, phones, and tablets are out of the question, how is this SD card going to get setup to begin with?
Or they could be pos_xyz beacons.Another layer of technology.Both involving co-computing.
Is a $50 phone running Tower out of the scope of this really ?
I take it you see the drones as maybe community owned and operated ? And they still do need to be operated whether pre-programmed or not.A crop sprayer is a big copter by definition and they can get messy without proper supervision.
It’s a noble quest surely but a more thorough explanation of your intended roll out may help get you useful answers rather than the tightly defined sdcard based original enquiry.What are the hardware specs you intend to go with ? Who will be the operator ? What form of remote control will it use ? How will it be deployed,maintained etc.
I’m guessing you’re looking at a copter that is passed around between a co-operative of farmers who each have their own sdcard to insert for their property ? But that is just a guess.
Ok my plan was to use sd cards to switch the modes originally as the farmers dont have phones but now that I see I can provide them with an already programmed “Only Sprayer” drone, all i can ask for now is those xyz_pos Beacons. Actual physical beacons. So whenever the farmer starts the drone after planting the beacons, the copter starts executing the the mission which is to spray inside the whole area of the beacons. That means now only the beacons are in the question. As for other users, i guess everyone else except the farmer uses a phone.
That is not what those beacons are for, nor is that something simple or inexpensive.
Then what are the beacons used for?? I thought they were for marking waypoints in the actual world? And also how much would they cost?
It’s an alternative to GPS. Usually for indoor use. What you’re asking for does not exist that I’m aware of.
This is exactly what i wanted and i aint so good with programming so i definitely have no idea how im going to get away with this without the beacons.
Nice.
That’s what I meant by a cropduster drone being expensive.RTK GPS stuff isn’t cheap either.
The technology to do what you propose is already in existence (see the video) but it costs.To make a cheaper alternative that performs as well is a big challenge.Possibly do-able but it would need skill,commitment,coders,engineers,and money to achieve.Never forget the money for development.
What that drone did is achieveable by a Pixhawk controlled copter with RTK GPS.It’s not as easy as plug in an sdcard.You’d need to get the survey of the area done once and then you’d have centimetric accuracy of the mission.You’d need the proximity sensors for altitude control and to stop it from chopping hands and heads off people.Something swinging 20 inch plus props needs to be supervised so an operator is again in the picture.Always, for me.
Did you notice the builders backing away from the copter as it took off ? They are that scary close up.
Like I say.A noble quest.