{"id":184,"date":"2016-11-18T15:52:49","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T15:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/?page_id=184"},"modified":"2017-04-08T02:36:16","modified_gmt":"2017-04-08T02:36:16","slug":"flight-control","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/flight-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Flight Platform"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Flight Control\u00a0Components<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>PixRacer flight controller<\/li>\n<li>Telemetry antenna<\/li>\n<li>RC Receiver<\/li>\n<li>ESCs (6)<\/li>\n<li>DC Motors (6)<\/li>\n<li>USB-Telemetry Cable<\/li>\n<li>Onboard Computer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Platform Power Distribution Components<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>14.8 V <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6600mAh 70C\u00a0<\/span>LiPo Battery (2)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/electrical-schematics-layouts\/\">Power Distribution Board<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The flight platform is powered off of two 14.8 V LiPo batteries in parallel that connect to a\u00a0board that distributes power to the PixRacer, Gigabyte Brix, and the LiDAR. For flight, the RC receiver obtains commands from the RC controller at ground level and sends them to the PixRacer. A switch on the RC controller allows to switch control from tele-operation to onboard control for autonomy. The PixRacer sends PWM signals to the Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs) which control the speed and direction of the six motors, enabling flight. Meanwhile, the telemetry antenna broadcasts\u00a0messages back to the ground control station sent by the PixRacer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>October 13, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We have achieved maiden RC flight. To do so, we did the following:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Mount the PixHawk with correct orientation.<\/li>\n<li>Interface a safety switch, a buzzer, Telemetry radio module, RC control receiver, 3DR GPS+Compass and 3DR power module for battery monitoring.<\/li>\n<li>Load a microSD card to store firmware.<\/li>\n<li>Connect motor outputs of PixHawk to the ESC inputs.<\/li>\n<li>Connect the PixHawk and install appropriate firmware using QGroundControl<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-251 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/installfirmware.png\" alt=\"installfirmware\" width=\"893\" height=\"613\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/installfirmware.png 893w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/installfirmware-300x206.png 300w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/installfirmware-768x527.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 893px) 100vw, 893px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Calibrate sensors and RC control using QGroundControl.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-252 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/sensorsetupPixhawk.png\" alt=\"sensorsetuppixhawk\" width=\"1040\" height=\"698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/sensorsetupPixhawk.png 1040w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/sensorsetupPixhawk-300x201.png 300w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/sensorsetupPixhawk-768x515.png 768w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/sensorsetupPixhawk-1024x687.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1040px) 100vw, 1040px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Mount batteries and verify RC control.<\/li>\n<li>Maiden flight.<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/kITs1Y4I7oQ\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/kITs1Y4I7oQ<\/a>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>November 18, 2016<br \/>\n<\/strong><br \/>\nSince receiving the PCB and electrical components for the power distribution board, we have cleaned, soldered components to, and done basic continuity, resistance, and intermediate and final power checks. Overall, we found only a couple minor problems: the LED for the Velodyne does not light up, likely due to an improperly soldered resistor, and we wrongly sized the holes for the DC power jack, so we will need to design a workaround for that. Finally, we are reading in slightly lower input voltages than expected for the Brix and Velodyne at 11.95 V and 18.85 V but this has proven to not be an issue. Overall, the PDB works as expected, and we were able to power on the Gigabyte Brix successfully.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_259\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-259\" style=\"width: 1033px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-259 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_184739.jpg\" alt=\"20161118_184739\" width=\"1033\" height=\"1836\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_184739.jpg 1033w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_184739-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_184739-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_184739-576x1024.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1033px) 100vw, 1033px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-259\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Components are all soldered on the PCB<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_260\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-260\" style=\"width: 474px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-260 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_185153-e1479519036479-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"20161118_185153\" width=\"474\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_185153-e1479519036479-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_185153-e1479519036479-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_185153-e1479519036479-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_185153-e1479519036479.jpg 1836w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Testing the PDB<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_258\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-258\" style=\"width: 1033px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-258 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_201532.jpg\" alt=\"20161118_201532\" width=\"1033\" height=\"1836\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_201532.jpg 1033w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_201532-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_201532-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/20161118_201532-576x1024.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1033px) 100vw, 1033px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-258\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The PDB successfully powered the Gigabyte Brix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 1, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The electrical system was revised to mitigate an issue where the onboard computer would power off when the motors collided with an obstacle. In such a circumstance, the 3DR Power unit shuts off power to the motors, and consequently the PDB in the old electrical design.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_410\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-410\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-410 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Fig-3-300x101.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Fig-3-300x101.png 300w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Fig-3.png 686w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-410\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Original electrical system with PDB in series with 3DR Power Unit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_411\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-411\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-411 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Revised-300x185.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Revised-300x185.png 300w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Revised.png 536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-411\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Revised Electrical system with PDB in parallel to 3DR power unit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Furthermore, the PixRacer was integrated with the on-board computer using MAVROS and a custom TELEM2-USB UART adapter cable. Details of the adapter can be found in <a href=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2017\/02\/TeamB_mjnaik_ILR07.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">mjnaik_ILR07<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>February 15, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MAVLink and MAVROS integration finished with a mode-switch assigned to the RC controller for switching between tele-operation and autonomous modes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V_MwvGUzj2I\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V_MwvGUzj2I<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>March 1, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The ESC were switched out. Earlier, we were using T-Motor AIR40 ESCs which have open-loop PWM control like most ESCs. Hence, in case the battery voltage drops, there would be no compensation in PWM to maintain motor RPS. Instead, the ESC32 v3 have closed-loop feedforward voltage-RPM control. These are the new ESCs currently mounted on the drone.<\/p>\n<p>We also switched the firmware to the custom Robust Adaptive Systems Lab firmware which takes into account motor-torque and response characteristics for better control.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_413\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-413\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-413 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/ESC32-v3-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/ESC32-v3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/ESC32-v3-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/ESC32-v3-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/ESC32-v3.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-413\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">New ESC32 v3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>March 22, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The new flight control firmware was tuned for stable flight<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_414\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-414\" style=\"width: 474px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-414 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Flight-Control-643x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"755\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Flight-Control-643x1024.png 643w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Flight-Control-188x300.png 188w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Flight-Control.png 721w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-414\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flight Plots with the blue curve in both denoting the thrust, and appropriate flight state demarcated as \u201cGrounded\u201d or \u201cIn Flight\u201d. Top \u2013 Plot of pitch rate with set point in Red and measured values in green. Bottom \u2013 Plot of Yaw rate with set point in Gray and measured values in Yellow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A trajectory following and motion management framework started being tested in simulation. The following is the high level architecture of the same<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_415\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-415\" style=\"width: 920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-415 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Motion-Planning.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"920\" height=\"439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Motion-Planning.png 920w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Motion-Planning-300x143.png 300w, https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2016\/11\/Motion-Planning-768x366.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 920px) 100vw, 920px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-415\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Current motion planning high-level architecture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Updated 7 April 2017<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Flight Control\u00a0Components PixRacer flight controller Telemetry antenna RC Receiver ESCs (6) DC Motors (6) USB-Telemetry Cable Onboard Computer Platform Power Distribution Components 14.8 V 6600mAh 70C\u00a0LiPo Battery (2) Power Distribution Board The flight platform is powered off of two 14.8 V LiPo batteries in parallel that connect to a\u00a0board that distributes power to the PixRacer, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/flight-control\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Flight Platform<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-184","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":436,"href":"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/184\/revisions\/436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrsdprojects.ri.cmu.edu\/2016teamb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}