MatrixPilot 3.1 released

[ben levitt]

Hello,

I just wanted you all to be the first to know that the official
MatrixPilot 3.1 download is available for download. It's almost the
same as the 3.1-RC1 file that's been up for a couple weeks, but with
one additional bug fix. (It avoids a divide by 0 error if you try to
run PARAM_DIV(0) in a logo program.)

So, grab it here:

http://gentlenav.googlecode.com/files/MatrixPilot-3_1.zip

and tell your friends!

Happy flying,
Ben

[iga...@gmail.com]

Whats new from 3.0 ?

2011/6/29 ben levitt <ben...@gmail.com>

[Peter Hollands]

What's New in MatrixPilot 3.1

• Major IMU improvements, including "dizzy-proofing", automatic inflight gyro calibration, and compensation for magnetometer latency.
• Live camera tracking of one UDB from another.
• User-configurable OSD layouts.
• Full support for the DIYDrones MediaTek? GPS.
• Maintain minimum ground speed. The speed control loop is now based on the smaller of ground speed and air speed.
• Improvements to inverted stabilization.
• Improvements to the Flight Analyzer tool.
• More bug fixes.

A very big thanks to Ben and Bill for some major improvements in the maths and the code.

Best wishes, Pete

[William Premerlani]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for posting the summary.

Hi Igal,

If you are interested, here is more information about the IMU improvements:

http://www.diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/sustained-rotations-pushing

Best regards,

Bill

[iga...@gmail.com]

i am  more interested in "Live camera tracking of one UDB from another".

2011/6/29 William Premerlani <wprem...@gmail.com>

[iga...@gmail.com]

camera tracking is very very interesting!

Is it possible to use it as an antenna tracker ?

2011/6/29 ig...@actcom.co.il <iga...@gmail.com>

[Peter Hollands]

Igalr

Yes .... and No.

Yes:
You could add a magnetometer to a ground based UDB and a camera or antenna will track the plane. The plane will be setup to send telemetry for camera tracking ( currently a special format)

No:
You really want the antenna to receive the full telemetry for a ground control station (serial_UDB_EXTRA).

The tracking software in the UDB really needs to parse and understand Serial UDB EXTRA then we would have the right solution for you.

Best wishes Pete

On Jul 1, 2011 3:03 PM, "ig...@actcom.co.il" <iga...@gmail.com> wrote:
> camera tracking is very very interesting!
>
> Is it possible to use it as an antenna tracker ?
>
>
>
> 2011/6/29 ig...@actcom.co.il <iga...@gmail.com>
>
>> i am more interested in "Live camera tracking of one UDB from another".
>>
>>
>> 2011/6/29 William Premerlani <wprem...@gmail.com>
>>
>>> Hi Peter,
>>>
>>> Thanks for posting the summary.
>>>
>>> Hi Igal,
>>>
>>> If you are interested, here is more information about the IMU
>>> improvements:
>>>
>>> http://www.diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/sustained-rotations-pushing
>>>
>>> Best regards,
>>> Bill
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 8:19 AM, Peter Hollands <peter.h...@gmail.com
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>>

>>>> What's New in MatrixPilot<http://code.google.com/p/gentlenav/wiki/MatrixPilot>3.1
>>>>
>>>> - Major IMU improvements, including "dizzy-proofing", automatic

>>>> inflight gyro calibration, and compensation for magnetometer latency.

>>>> - Live camera tracking of one UDB from another.
>>>> - User-configurable OSD layouts.
>>>> - Full support for the DIYDrones MediaTek?<http://code.google.com/p/gentlenav/w/edit/MediaTek>GPS.
>>>> - Maintain minimum ground speed. The speed control loop is now based

>>>> on the smaller of ground speed and air speed.

>>>> - Improvements to inverted stabilization.
>>>> - Improvements to the Flight Analyzer tool.
>>>> - More bug fixes.

[Netfoot]

On Fri, Jul 1, 2011 at 2:12 PM, Peter Hollands <peter.h...@gmail.com> wrote:

You could add a magnetometer to a ground based UDB and a camera or antenna will track the plane. The plane will be setup to send telemetry for camera tracking ( currently a special format)

For a fixed ground installation, a UDB with GPS and magnetometer seems like a sledgehammer to crack a nut.  The airborne UDB can already aim a camera at a fixed location on the ground, right?  Couldn't it transmit reversed aiming data to a much simpler and less expensive ground unit?  Something like a Boarduino should be able to control an antenna aiming system for $20 or less.

[Claudio Carbone]

It is useless to think about improving just one side of there telecom channel: this way only one direction gets improved. Mounting a high gain ant on one station enables it to reach further but if the other station isn't similarly specced you are not going to see much of an improvement.

Since the UDB can already track objects wouldn't it be best to have the drone track the ground station? With a mildly directive antenna (like a patch one) on both stations you are going to see huge improvements in range and snr while still allowing less than perfect alignment.

Claudio
-- Sent from my LG Optimus 2x with K-9 Mail.

[Peter Hollands]

It is a good solution when your ground control station is on a moving platform; a Van, a yacht halfway between two Islands or even a light aircraft. What I like about the UDB is that it works in all situations  including a static position.

But if someone wants to alter ardustation for Serial UDB Extra that should be fairly easy. The same parser and camera logic could be used with an arduino Union for about 20 uk pounds.

Best wishes Pete

[Netfoot]

On Fri, Jul 1, 2011 at 3:23 PM, Claudio Carbone <eru...@libero.it> wrote:

It is useless to think about improving just one side of there telecom channel: this way only one direction gets improved. Mounting a high gain ant on one station enables it to reach further but if the other station isn't similarly specced you are not going to see much of an improvement.

I don't think this is accurate.  A high-gain antenna on the ground will increase the ERP (effective radiated power) of the transmitter, as well as improve weak signals on reception. 

[Claudio Carbone]

A high gain antenna is in essence a device with low metal-to-air (radiation) resistance and/or high directivity. In transmission both these characteristics concur in yielding better results than the average antenna. In reception the final snr of the signal in that point in space depends on the transmission array. So a parabolic on your roof allows you to get satellite but the signal is generated by beam forming arrays at thousands of Watt of power in the first place. The antenna is just a passive interface between the signal cable and air: if your signal already arrives at -90 dB the poor antenna can't do much about it. Granted it could refrain from lowering it further but ultimately it's the receiver sensitivity that's important in this phase: if your receiver has a sensitivity of -87 dB it won't pick up any signal no matter what antenna you use. Concentrating antenna types or coherence arrays are a bit different (parabolas amd others) in that they use lots of space to collect more signal and yield better results. Not that feasible of a solution for an rc airplane.

Claudio
-- Sent from my LG Optimus 2x with K-9 Mail.

[Netfoot]

Never the less, if you are working with a weak signal (as opposed to no signal at all) and you add a high gain antenna at one end of the link, you will improve your reception of the weak signal as well as improve your own effective power when transmitting.

Depending upon your transmission frequencies, it wouldn't be impossible to fit a directional antenna to the aircraft as well as on the ground.  Some months ago I inquired as to the possibility of having two sets of targeting servos on the aircraft -- one for a camera and the other for a directional antenna.  I was made to understand this was quite feasible with the UDB. 

However, if it is not practical to fit a directional antenna to the aircraft for whatever reason (cost, weight, physical size) fitting one to the ground station would not be pointless.  Most people currently operate with some degree of success with omnis on the ground and in the air.  Adding a directional antenna on the ground can only improve range of operation.  (Assuming you are smart enough not to kill your new antenna with 100 ft. of cheap coax.)

[Murali- VU3MUV]

Cladio,

I was wishing/hoping/planning to handle this issue with my solution being following.

Use two of UDB in airframe, one as autopilot and other just for controlling the simple direcitional antenna towards the ground controll station being static point of interest( using camera tracking option to follow the single point( ground station position)). I see no other issues other than physical constraints with this sollution but/also see no issues in handling complex issue of handing both camera tracking and mantaining antenna tracking towards grand station.  Having said that I haven't tested this yet but hope to in near future as time dictactes my life..  good luck

 

Morli