Ok, this one looks like a crash at the end of the second RTL (in pink). It looks like you started the flight in STABILIZE mode, then Loitered out (in green) and did an initial successful RTL (in blue), then Loitered out again (in purple), and the second RTL back (in pink) just stopped. The only thing I found abnormal was an increase in vibrations during the return. This also happened several times during the flight but not as severe as in the final RTL. What is your Pixhawk sitting on?
Hi Greg: The Pix sits on 1/4 in double sided foam pads=4, i also have 3/4 in pads or them things they send you with the Apm’s that has 4 little blue rubber dampening balls if you thing that will help, at the present i have 580kv pancake style motor’s using 15.5 folding props, so i guess i’ll change the pix mounting fly it then if Vib’s are still bad i’ll go to CF props,i got 11,12,13,14. in. Normally after i fly i check out the on board Video and if theirs alot of jello i change props to see if that helps. Thanks Greg for the info when the wind dies down i’ll give it a test.B.K
Large copters and VTOLs need something like the Fiberglass Shock Absorber shown below. The Pixhawk is very sensitive to vibrations.
Good Morning Greg: these are the ones i was referring too I put this on this morning and re-calibrated everything just waiting for the wind to subside looks as though i’ll take 3-4 days and it’s cold 50 deg but not in the teens like you Burr! Stay Warm and thanks B.k
Hello everbody,
I am very impressed by the extensive source of information and support on this forum, and I am taking the chance of asking the experienced crowd for their advice?
We are currently starting a research project which partly involves UAVs for collection of remote sensing data. As we will work on the development of an adapted airframe in later stages of the project, we are currently looking for a “sensor testbed” for the initial tests. We will work on different cameras, put them into 2 axis gimbals and therefore need a VTOL “workhorse” that can carry a 0.5-0.7kg payload at speeds of up to 25m/s for 30-45 minutes.
The Nimbus seems to us as an interesting base (though others work on X8-based frames), but we are unsure about the different VTOL versions available. So far, we could identify FoxTech, UnmannedRC, UAVS and MyFlyDream as potential products beside several DIY versions.
As we are primarily looking for a timely ready “running system”, RTF version obviously would seem preferable, although shipping time (4-8 weeks, and costs of -400 USD) to Europe might delay project progress. We also recognize that certain design flaws exist in the various versions.
So, my question is, what approach would you take if you started from scratch? One of the ARF, RTF versions (and if yes, which of them) despite the long shipping time, partly DIY by using pre-assembled components (e.g. tilt mechanisms, brackets, wings) or completely DIY following any particular guideline?
Please keep in mind, that I am quite experienced in UAV assembly, electronics, software, RC flying, etc., but as we are talking about a new project, we would need to buy everything new (including RC controller, etc.).
Thanks in advance for your opinion.
Best, Pascal
Hi Pascal,
I don’t fly commercially anymore so perhaps one of our other members will make some suggestions.
I do have a couple of other options for you to check out below.
- Arace UAV (in Europe)
- MakeFlyEasy Freeman VTOL
Cheers!
Hi Pascal,
Sounds like you have both time and cost constraints, I would personally recommend UnmannedRC. Those guys are super friendly, and their pricing is competitive too. Perhaps, you could speak to Kris and arrange a faster delivery. Do you endeavour to deliver any non-commercial benefits to the society from this project? If yes, what are they? I’m only asking these questions to see if I should personally try to hook you up.
Regards.
Hi GregCovey,
thank you for your prompt reply. I do appreciate your inputs despite the fact that you’re not into commercial application and do this just “out of interest”. Your experience is very valuable to the community and thank you for your suggestions.
I definitely think that the UAV of Alex (ARACE) have a high level of performance and are definitely on a professional level, however we are currently just seeking for a robust but simple (not yet long endurance/range). As such, the UAVs of Arace are somehow a bit above the performance/cost we are looking currently.
As mentioned above, we are running a research project of primarily scientific purpose, and aren’t interested in any commercializing ideas.
Cheers!
Dear Wasim,
thank you for your reply and I appreciate your suggestions and your personal interest. I do understand that Ardupilot is commercially applied, however our project has purely non-commercial interest.
We think, that UAVs have an barely used potential of providing data for efficient and effective management of protected areas and wildlife. As such, we are aiming at exploring the potential of UAS technology for supporting management of the huge (and often partly inaccessible) conservation areas in developing countries (current focus on eastern and southern Africa). We want to develop a technological solution that is affordable for those communities and can be (partly) maintained/manufactured locally to ensure a sustainable/long-term application of the technology and increase local capacity in drone technology and remote sensing by involving/training/etc. engineering students, conservationists and local NGOs. We think that only in such a way, new technologies will be in reach of less-developed communities.
Please have a look at our last publication about our opinion on the challenges and development needs of UAV technology for nature conservation: Development perspectives for the application of autonomous, unmanned aerial systems (UASs) in wildlife conservation
As you realized, time and costs play crucial roles at the current stage. We see that the prices for VTOL Nimbus versions range between 900 USD (MyFlyDream RTF) up to 9000 USD. Since we will use the frame just for a limited period/number of flights to test sensors, we’d like to keep expenses within limits. The proposed version of UnmannedRC is above our budget for this activity (4700 USD for a simple RTF version), because we don’t see the justification of their price of this product as compared to other versions (MyFlyDream 900USD, UAVS ~1300USD, FoxTech 2300 USD). But maybe you can provide any insights into the differences of the versions which would explain the price range.
We could furthermore identify significant differences in the components, e.g. in terms of the tilt servos included, as their torque ranges between 13kg (MyFlyDream RTF) and 33kg (UAVS).
Thank you again for your support and help.
Cheers!
Hi Pascal,
I am an Academic myself, and the abstract of your publication certainly sounds interesting. I may be able to help - I will message you directly.
You can look into Vertical Technologies from Netherlands.
Sparkle Tech may be another option, though they’re out of Hong Kong.
Good luck.
hi all, it has been a long time not check this chat… i’m currently working on a nimbus vtol project again but this time i try to use PH4 mini for it… the problem is PH4 mini is only have 8 PWM output without AUX output, instead it have 4 PWM input/capture… and i’m run out of PWM output right now… is there anyway to change the PWM Capture/Input become PWM output on PH4mini
Yes, it’s set up in ArduPilot to allow that.
It’s best to use the ArduPilot guides when using ArduPilot.
1 Like
yes, i use ardupilot firmware on it and i think i found the setting… it says, In order to use outputs 9, 10 and 11 you need to change BRD_PWM_COUNT to 11. thank you @james_pattison
Great. My comment about using the ArduPilot guides is because the image you posted is from the px4 guide.
There’s significant differences in the capabilities and setup between the two projects, so you need to follow the right set of instructions :).
Hi Rollys,
thanks for your suggestions.
Vertical Technologies seems to have a quite elaborated RTF product with a decent flight performance, though prices of the Deltaquads start around 10k€, a bit more than what is currently asked for Nimbus-based VTOLs.
VTOLs of Sparkle Tech look very professional and robust, but are huge and heavy, starting at MTOW of more than 10kg. To obtain flight permissions for UAVs above 5kg can be quite a challenge here in Germany. As such, we think that for the planned payload of 0.5-0.7kg we might find a solution within the 5kg limits.
Anyway, I’ll keep you updated…
Hello dear. Today I wanted to send my nimbus along the route and almost crashed. I do not understand why the different readings of GPS and POS. Can someone help me figure it out?
Thanks
The most interesting thing is that two hours earlier the plane flew along the route, including auto take-off and landing, and this time gaining altitude with the left roll went down and I barely managed to take controlhttps://drive.google.com/open?id=1wJ8b0hEkzqa0FFoA_U335p8OAzCSw4J8
Here is my log file, look, please, if not difficult
Thanks.
