Posted August 8, 2011 by Chris

Another quad-copter article with a twist: this one is purely open source with extraordinary documentation, both hardware and software. The next gen multicopter is a remote control quad copter designed for the DIY crowd to duplicate on their own. Hardware and software are documented for you to modify, recreate or learn from.

Posted June 4, 2011 by Chris

Flying UAVs seem to be the ultimate challenge for robotics. Stabilizing the flyer is very difficult since you need to combine multiple sensors’ data into control loops. This article shows a successful build of a quadrotor and lists all parts used. A PID control loop is used for movement stability.

Posted May 4, 2011 by Chris

Quadcopters have been increasing in popularity in the robotics world because of their stability and ease of design. This project shows you how to make a remote control flying PCB. The motors are attached directly to the PCB! Since this project was made in 2000, it should be that much easier to make your own in 2011!

Posted March 16, 2011 by Chris

The Tricopter is an awesome little multi-blade helicopter. It uses an ATmega for the control loop from the sensor feedback and has a camera mounted on its front so you can see where it’s going. Take a look at the action videos, a pretty impressive little project.

Posted February 18, 2011 by Chris

In a true ‘build it as fast as possible’ style, we have the GPS Altimeter project. Built for the USC Rocket Propulsion Lab, this project tracks the peak altitude reached along with the descent back to earth. Schematic (hand-drawn) and source code are available for download.

Posted October 1, 2010 by Chris

Model rocketry is an awesome hobby to have. Anyone familiar with it will know a very common method for ignition is through a high power switch to spark the engines. This control gives you a true pyro feeling when launching your rockets!

Posted September 23, 2010 by Chris

If you are into robotics, then the idea of flying robotics is probably twice as interesting. The ArduPilot offers the sensors you need to build your own flying drone. This write-up gives you the resources to make it happen.

Posted January 1, 2009 by Chris

Happy New Year To Everyone! In that same spirit here is a nice project write-up for creating your own wirelessly controlled fireworks display. The core information for duplicating the device can be found, but no hardware schematic.

Posted August 10, 2008 by Chris

This is probably one of the more interesting projects I’ve seen in a while, at least conceptually. A solar powered UAV seems at some level a no-brainer especially if it could fly high enough over the clouds & fast enough to always be in sun-light. The engineering behind it however is very complex. The project website has all the details you’d ever want!

Posted May 9, 2008 by Chris

We’ve seen high-altitude balloon projects before, here’s another one! The project write-up has all the details of the computer system inside. Be sure to checkout the high-altitude aerial photos, awesome stuff.