Ardupilot Autonomous EDF Camo TriCopter

[VAALLEON]

#MonoPhan #MonoBot #TriPhan #ValLeon #Ardupilot #APM #Autonomous

Decided to use my experience on EDFs to create a safe & simple autonomous unit which can actually run missions. This is the product, Ardupilot fully autonomous EDF TriPhan. I don’t know how Ardupilot does it but it is a solid and very accurate position/altitude hold.



It flies really well, with tight maneuvers and high speeds, while it has all autonomous capabilities of Ardupilot & 2km range DSM receiver.



In this flight video I am testing maneuverability, GPS/altitude hold and RTL. The theoretical flight time came to be 8-9 minutes. My best EDF flight time so far.

 

[cranialrectosis]

Not even a hint of tail wobble.

Beautiful machine.

 

[VAALLEON]

Thank you sir!

 

[Merv]

Great project

 

[VAALLEON]

Thank you sir!

 

[Vimana89]

Keeps getting better and better

 

[VAALLEON]

Keeps getting better and better

Thanks bud!

 

[LongPower7]

Sensor fusion is the combining of sensory data or data derived from sensory data from disparate sources such that the resulting information is in some sense better than would be possible when these sources were used individually. https://www.intellias.com/sensor-fusion-autonomous-cars-helps-avoid-deaths-road/

 

[tammynath17]

Wow, that looks great!

 

[VAALLEON]

The latest version with INAV

 

[LitterBug]

I have not tried iNav on my tricopters. Probably ought to give it a go.

 

[VAALLEON]

I have not tried iNav on my tricopters. Probably ought to give it a go.

After I started the project I found out the the INAV firmware for my Noxe flight controller didn't support tricopter setup. No servo output. In fact, the only FC supported tricopter was a kakute that I didn't have. So, I had to go through an external arduino mixer with a pretty complicated code (for me at least) to get it to work. The mixer was already needed for the tilting fans and get the autopilot features working but it was a bad surprise to see that you don't have a servo output from the FC.

 

[LitterBug]

I have helped a couple developers test the integration of "TriFlight" into several different firmware forks. CleanFlight, BetaFlight,.dRonin,.etc. At one point there was a fork of iNav that one of them was working on. I still keep in touch with him. I am flying typical 3 motor 1 servo tricopters. Been away from them for a while playing with FPV wings and working on LOS wing flying. tried to fly a couple tris recently and quickly realized I had been testing firmware on them and had not sorted any of them out. D'OH!

 

[VAALLEON]

The annoying part to me is that there is no easy way of assigning outputs to pins unless you go through the ubuntu stuff and install 50 different things, change setups. This has always been the problem with Multiwii and descendants. They don't let you customize stuff outside of certain areas. But now I am independent of all that stuff. Over the years I developed my arduino mixing code. I can do anything I want with 4 motor outputs, regardless of the setup I need, assign to servos, motors, etc... So, I am no longer relying on any FC or firmware. I can use any flight controller or autopilot with autonomous capabilities.