TRI-PHAN - THRUST VECTORING TRI-COPTER BY MONOPHAN
- Thread starter VAALLEON
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VAALLEON
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Thanks! This runs on openpilot cc3d.
VAALLEON
Active member
Thanks Stefan! I was slowed down with my old laptop slowly dying last couple of days... Working on getting the new one up to speed for my never ending projects. Hoping to test it again this weekend and get a better understanding of what it can do.
VAALLEON
Active member
I had a “no-drama” second flight. The new calculated flight time is around 6 minutes. I tested hover stability, some maneuvers and see how it handles, avoiding flying too high, keeping in mind the last flight’s failed FC. It looks pretty good but a little funky on the controls. I would want it a little more responsive when I am harder on the sticks. So I did a little bit more PID tuning.
Below is the 3rd flight after PID. Better handling after the PID tune. A little bit of breeze today, good for the test. Lots of people and kids around, so I cut it short. I little more tuning and I think I am ready for some higher speeds at the larger section of the park
Some nice closeups where you can see the fans change angle to control the unit. Thanks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JAHETxVfks
Below is the 3rd flight after PID. Better handling after the PID tune. A little bit of breeze today, good for the test. Lots of people and kids around, so I cut it short. I little more tuning and I think I am ready for some higher speeds at the larger section of the park
Some nice closeups where you can see the fans change angle to control the unit. Thanks.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JAHETxVfks
You are gonna need more space and soon I think.
Wow, what an amazing build.
Wow, what an amazing build.
VAALLEON
Active member
Thanks!
VAALLEON
Active member
You are gonna need more space and soon I think.
Wow, what an amazing build.
Thanks! The most amazing part on that video is the little boy clapping at the end. I wish I edited the video to show more of that. Amazing kid. Came over asked questions. We chatted for a little.
The last and a better flight with higher speeds. I reached the limit of the pitch stick once. Which means that I still have some more room to tilt the fans for higher speeds. I can keep on increasing the tilt angle and speed until I feel a significant altitude loss... I will probably go that route in the next couple of weeks and keep you guys posted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjCfSIWSqo8
VAALLEON
Active member
During my projects over the span of 4 years I had a love & hate relationship with the GPSs. I used them a lot but had to deal with all kinds of weird reactions from drifting to almost crashing the craft with wild swings, etc… Also, they are not very accurate and not very suitable for the purpose of my current projects, which requires precision. So, I am working on implementing alternative position hold systems.
One of these is optical flow sensor. I had this adns3080 sensor for more than a year and al last I had a chance to test it. One of the reasons that I found courage to test is that TriPhan doesn’t tilt. So, “hopefully” I don’t need to deal with the calculations required to adjust for the tilt angle, etc…
I am NOT conducting this with the APM board which the sensor is built for, but an Arduino board that talks to the flight controller. So, I setup my arduino nano and the code to do what I need it to do. It took me a significant amount of time to make everything work together. Below is the video of the very first test and it turned out to be way better than I expected from a first test. This is a VERY good sign. We had a little bit of drift at some parts but overall, the unit was hammered where it was on all X, Y, Z axis (BARO for Z). I even tried to push it with my hand, it wouldn’t move
Now it’s time for further tuning and higher altitude tests.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu4p_m_m-N8&feature=youtu.be
One of these is optical flow sensor. I had this adns3080 sensor for more than a year and al last I had a chance to test it. One of the reasons that I found courage to test is that TriPhan doesn’t tilt. So, “hopefully” I don’t need to deal with the calculations required to adjust for the tilt angle, etc…
I am NOT conducting this with the APM board which the sensor is built for, but an Arduino board that talks to the flight controller. So, I setup my arduino nano and the code to do what I need it to do. It took me a significant amount of time to make everything work together. Below is the video of the very first test and it turned out to be way better than I expected from a first test. This is a VERY good sign. We had a little bit of drift at some parts but overall, the unit was hammered where it was on all X, Y, Z axis (BARO for Z). I even tried to push it with my hand, it wouldn’t move
Now it’s time for further tuning and higher altitude tests.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu4p_m_m-N8&feature=youtu.be
Last edited:
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
Could the little bit of drift you get be the radio you are using having analog sensors in the gimbals? I know I used to get minor drift on everything with the Devo 7 and the first bit of time before I put the hall effect gimbals in my Taranis. Even using the deadband feature I still would get minor drifting on analog gimbals.
You still amaze me with all this ingenuity with all aspects of these projects. I can build great things, tune semi professionally but have zero skill in coding anything. Impressive as always. :applause:
You still amaze me with all this ingenuity with all aspects of these projects. I can build great things, tune semi professionally but have zero skill in coding anything. Impressive as always. :applause:
VAALLEON
Active member
Thank you sir! I see your awesome videos from time to time. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing! BTW if you would want to have any of the arduino codes that I build (most likely find on internet and tweak to fit my projects) let me know.
The drift in this case happened after I activated the optical flow sensor. So, the TX (even though mine is very primitive) should not have had an impact, as the sensor input should make the corrections if there is any kind of movements in any direction. But you never know. I will keep that in mind as there may be a small flaw in the overall setup which is letting some of the TX impact pass through.
Also, one thing that I completely forgot about was that I built the code in a way that my 5th channel first activates the sensor, and as I keep on turning the knob it increases the sensitivity of the system. So, most likely the knob was in different positions between my tries and the system didn't perform well on some.
So, now I re-adjusted that range and will test different sensitivity levels to find the right tune.
VAALLEON
Active member
Here is the latest test. Getting to understand cause effect a little better.
The changes: 1- I rewired the arduino board and the sensor with better and lighter stuff. 2- I adjusted the focal length of the sensor lens. Before it was at the shortest level which I think caused problem as the unit climbed higher. 3- I increased the sensor sensitivity range that I adjust with the 5th channel towards the more sensitive side. I wanted to find the sensitivity limit where the unit over compensates and starts oscillating.
First couple of tries the sensor did nothing and the unit drifted. So, I reduced the focal length, to be around 1/3rd of the full range. Then the unit responded really well. You can see the unit oscillating, caused by overcompensating at the beginning. Then it stabilized as I reduced sensitivity. After this I took it higher and it kept the position without drifting. Having a little wind really helped to feel the response of the unit. Now it’s time to go higher and see what it does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL51ffaG8RE
The changes: 1- I rewired the arduino board and the sensor with better and lighter stuff. 2- I adjusted the focal length of the sensor lens. Before it was at the shortest level which I think caused problem as the unit climbed higher. 3- I increased the sensor sensitivity range that I adjust with the 5th channel towards the more sensitive side. I wanted to find the sensitivity limit where the unit over compensates and starts oscillating.
First couple of tries the sensor did nothing and the unit drifted. So, I reduced the focal length, to be around 1/3rd of the full range. Then the unit responded really well. You can see the unit oscillating, caused by overcompensating at the beginning. Then it stabilized as I reduced sensitivity. After this I took it higher and it kept the position without drifting. Having a little wind really helped to feel the response of the unit. Now it’s time to go higher and see what it does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL51ffaG8RE
VAALLEON
Active member
The best test so far. I operated the sensor right below the sensitivity level where it oscillated yesterday and the same focal length. In fact, I set the maximum sensitivity to that level. So, I can adjust it up and down with ch5. I took it as high as I felt comfortable, probably around 125-150 feet. It started to drift a little as it went higher but didn’t lose the position hold. I guess that is normal as there will be relatively stronger winds up there. Didn’t touch the sticks while in pos hold mode. Still WAY better than my experience with GPSs.
So Far I am very happy with the results. Next step is to install an OSD and FPV cam so I know how high I am going, etc… I want it to be able to hold position as high as 300 feet. Further tests will show if the current setup is capable of handling that. There is a chance that I will need to automatically increase sensitivity as it goes higher. As you know the objects which are further away seem to move slower. I am pretty sure this will be the case with the optical flow sensor and the sensitivity level close to ground may not be able to provide a tight pos hold at higher altitudes..
Future videos will most likely be aerial videos with some on screen information. I also want to test it in higher winds and do necessary tuning to be able to beat some strong winds.
Thanks for following.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyaaD0gma0M&feature=youtu.be
So Far I am very happy with the results. Next step is to install an OSD and FPV cam so I know how high I am going, etc… I want it to be able to hold position as high as 300 feet. Further tests will show if the current setup is capable of handling that. There is a chance that I will need to automatically increase sensitivity as it goes higher. As you know the objects which are further away seem to move slower. I am pretty sure this will be the case with the optical flow sensor and the sensitivity level close to ground may not be able to provide a tight pos hold at higher altitudes..
Future videos will most likely be aerial videos with some on screen information. I also want to test it in higher winds and do necessary tuning to be able to beat some strong winds.
Thanks for following.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyaaD0gma0M&feature=youtu.be
Jetcrafter_2000
Member
It looks pretty nice, good work!
What´s your flitetime?
What´s your flitetime?
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
I like what you have been doing with these experiments and builds but I wanna see you rip the snot outta that one once just to see how fast that thing can move. I'm guessing with them three motors turning you could smoke a battery in like seconds from the current draw. But man I think that thing would move.
VAALLEON
Active member
Thanks! This units flight time is 6-7 minutes.
VAALLEON
Active member
Lol! I agree. I changed all settings and the flight controller testing the optical flow. I am focusing on stability instead of speed. But high speed means capability of beating high winds. So, I will increase the tilt angle and do another speed test soon. I want to see the limit where the front of the unit starts stalling.
VAALLEON
Active member
Re-tuned the first 35mm prototype with what I learned from the second 64mm prototype. Love it. Flies faster and nimbler. Just need to reduce yaw compensation to get rid of the servo flutter that happened during takeoff and a couple of more times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0kLkLSxSKQ&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0kLkLSxSKQ&feature=youtu.be
VAALLEON
Active member
Watch the little dragster zip like a badass, maneuver like a pro and land on my hand like a falcon At last I found what flying this unit feels like. It feels like flying a drag boat… I replaced the canopy and now it looks like one, too.
Especially at the turns a little wobble in roll compensation looks just like a drag boat turning. It flies soo good after the last updates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPNSW4SNCV4
At last I found what flying this unit feels like. It feels like flying a drag boat… I replaced the canopy and now it looks like one, too.Especially at the turns a little wobble in roll compensation looks just like a drag boat turning. It flies soo good after the last updates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPNSW4SNCV4
VAALLEON
Active member
I had a nasty crash in my first test with the on board cam. The unit simply stopped working in midflight. So, I fixed the damage and in the process found out some problems with the setup. It took a while to change the setting, the code, etc… I also completely separated the electric circuit for the whole aerial video system, to avoid any problems that may cause during the flight.
The first flight with aerial recording. After hours of trying I was able to have the OSD work and provide some useful on screen data. I activated the optical flow right after I climb 3m and go as high as 21m with any major problems. The only problem that I am having is a little bit of yaw drift. Didn’t want to push too far in the first serious flight after changing the setup. The new code also have nice feature where I can adjust the yaw and the roll still holds and vice versa…
I have a set of poor man’s FPV goggles with an external eachine DVR attached on the outside
Next step is to integrate a GPS to the system for high altitude position hold and a solid yaw hold. I will be using Arduino with the GPS, shaping my own code, instead of going with the stock GPS capabilities on the board, which are very unstable many times.
Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdDGD56twZ8
The first flight with aerial recording. After hours of trying I was able to have the OSD work and provide some useful on screen data. I activated the optical flow right after I climb 3m and go as high as 21m with any major problems. The only problem that I am having is a little bit of yaw drift. Didn’t want to push too far in the first serious flight after changing the setup. The new code also have nice feature where I can adjust the yaw and the roll still holds and vice versa…
I have a set of poor man’s FPV goggles with an external eachine DVR attached on the outside
Next step is to integrate a GPS to the system for high altitude position hold and a solid yaw hold. I will be using Arduino with the GPS, shaping my own code, instead of going with the stock GPS capabilities on the board, which are very unstable many times.
Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdDGD56twZ8
