AVC Sparkfun Contest in June 2013

[kinderkram]

Hi AutoQuadders,
looks like Larry aka LPR is planning to join the contest and grab the first prize for the aerial challenge.

https://avc.sparkfun.com/2013

The course is pretty simple but with some tricky parts.



Here are the rules: https://avc.sparkfun.com/2013/rules

The aircraft must be started and flown autonomously, race around the course in the shortest possible time and land at a spot - either manually or autonomously.

Bonus points will be given for certain actions:
25 - autonomous landing
25 - autonomous landing within bonus box
50 - successful payload drop
50 - passing under wicket

So all in all there are 150 bonus points that a successful operator can gather. The wicket and the auto landing will be no big deal since every crew has 3 trials. The challenging part will be the payload drop (a tennis ball) on the small peninsula.
And flying over water most of the time bares the risk of losing the AQ if it hits the water. I hope there are some divers around.

The time factor will be a benefit for fixed wing aircrafts i.m.o. which can be compensated by precise maneuvering and gathering of bonus points.

Now that we have a month for preparations we could try to help Larry and his team getting on the track.
I was thinking of other AQristas who could help to develop the tennis ball release mechanism and function and maybe plan a "dry run" over ground with the given shape of the course.

I wish Larry and his team all the best and a great success!

What ya guys think?

Norbert

[bn999]

If you had precise GPS coordinates, you could translate them to another part of the world, then fly trial missions near home. You could have it perfected before you got there.

[kinderkram]

The GPS coordinates are here for download: https://dlnmh9ip6v2uc.cloudfront.net/as ... 000002.zip

There's a KML file with the single waypoints. How can they be translated to other parts of the globe?

[bn999]

I dunno, but I can figure it out. I just need the coordinates of the center of a practice field and I will do the math.

[skew]

I have the ball release covered if Larry wants to use it. I will send it to him if he wants it. Here are some pics of the first version. I have a couple of small tweaks but it should work great. He needs some coding done to work the servo at the WP. What do you guys think?

[LPR]

Bill and Skrew

You can shift a mission to a new place if you save it to an Andriod cell phone. When you load a saved mission you can move it to a new location. I hope it will be able to properly adjust the WP when it moves it 800 miles. If not it would be close enough to test.

Skrew

Your ball release looks good if the GPS WP can be set to release it. I see the new QGC has the option but I haven't heard of anyone trying it yet. My low tech way is to carry the ball on an arm extension in a wiffle ball with a hole large enough for the tennis ball to come out. Then when the quad is at the right wp I can have the quad rotate and the rotation will throw the tennis ball of the holder.

The quad I plan to use is giving me a big headache. The 28 volt Dewalt Power Tool battery is making the RCT 50a opto ESC shutdown for a second about once ever third battery. The SimonK firmware has not been tested at this high of voltage. I've already shorten the props from 15" to 12". The props are on 5010 motors so I can't go back to the 4s lipo. The new props may be here in time. SimonK may be able to tweak the firmware.

I can use the octo, I checked, so I will be able to compete but I know the octo doesn't like water!!! I'll tie a life preserver on it and it should be ok.

As usual everything is up in the air, sometimes.

Should put four or five nails in the tennis balls so they won't roll and then see how close all three balls can be.

Larry

[kinderkram]

Skew's solution is looking fit.
Afaik the ball doesn't need to be released automatically, so it could also be dropped through a switch on the Rx which triggers the servo.

Larry, I wouldn't try to release the ball through rotation as this contains the risk of losing it in flight on a turn.

The time factor of the contest forces you to race over the pond as fast as possible - and I have the feeling you need to gather many extra points to compensate the advantage of a fixed wing over the multirotors: the speed...

[LPR]

Norbert

I thinking I don't have to turn just go up and straight to the ball drop. Then do a 360 and return and do it all as fast as I can.

Larry

[GoFaster]

Hi Larry -

Perhaps I misread it, but are you not planning to fly the full course? Only do the ball drop?
I am glad that you are planning to represent the AQ!

- Felix

[LPR]

Felix

There are no WPs for the course just some for the wicket. In the video he says to go out and fly around so I'll ask but to give quads a chance I would guess that just dropping the ball and doing the wicket would be all that's required. I don't see how a plane will be able to do the wicket with the way the course is laid out.

Larry