The Arduino is a very user friendly micro controller, it gives you alot of functionality in a very small and simple package. I decided that it was time for me to roll up my sleeves and try my hand at programming again I haven’t done any programming (PLC’s excluded) in about 10 years.
The project that I decided to work on was a flight data display that would be suitable for ultralight aircraft. It had to be small simple and functional. Recent changes in air law allow ultralights to operate in class E airspace if they have a certain level of instrumentation airspeed altitude and a compass. I figure using R/C hobbyist gear you can get that functionality plus a bit more for a few hundred bucks and not have a mishmash of steam gauges.
The Arduino provides many inputs and outputs both digital and analog. The analog inputs read voltage and the digital I/O can be used to drive R/C servos. Much of the instrumentation uses digital communication such as I2C which allows for multiple devices to share a few pins. The barometer I am using for VSI and altimeter speaks I2C and the compass I am going to buy uses the same, the code for reading both is simple and gives a nice simple output that can be displayed directly on the LCD screen.
The airspeed indicator is a simple DP cell that has a very very low range of pressure and should be capable of resolving down below 20 Mph albeit with alot of noise in that speed range. The Arduino can drive R/C servos and this allows for physical gauges to be made at very low cost. The airpseed indicator and vertical speed indicator are great candidates for this type of display as a quick glace at the needle tells you what you need while other data like altitude is best displayed numerically on the LCD screen.
So far I have just got the code working to read the barometer give me the temperature and pressure convert the pressure into altitude and correct the altimeter for ambient pressure. It will take alot more coding to get this to a complete instrument display. If anyone would like my source code send me an email but be warned I am not a programmer and it looks a bit messy.
This is a rather large R/C glider that I bought from a gentleman in Toronto in the fall. It is an older design and was used for competition but now is outclassed by newer designs.
Since no-one around here does aerotowing or winch launching I am going to install a motor to get it up in the air.
It is pretty large and will be the biggest model I own once it is ready to go.
Here it is sitting on my pool table to get an idea of just how large it is.
Here it is from one wingtip.
The motor is pretty powerful. The model normally need a lot of ballast weight and I have never have been fond of adding weight that doesn’t do anything for me so it will have this motor and a large battery.
It has a full flying tail rather than a conventional horizontal stabilizer and elevator. The span of the tail is only 2 inches shorter than the wingspan of my Stevens Aero adrenaline rush.
I installed the aileron servos today and fitted the hinges for the rudder. I need to finish the design of the motor mount and the battery/servo tray so I can get it laser cut.
A few years ago I bought my dad a book on canoe building because he always talked about building one but never seemed to get around to it. The book was called the canoe shop and described a new method of building lapstrake canoes. The method was called lapstitch and uses boards that were cut based on a lofted design and uses copper wires to temporarily hold the shape while glue is applied.
This brings us to today. I have wanted to build one of these after seeing how seemingly simple they are to assembly and how nice they look compared to a fiberglass canoe (they are also very inexpensive). The kit retails for $999 and comes with CNC precut wood parts and all the fiberglass and epoxy needed to finish the canoe. I was in Ottawa this week and on my way home stopped at a store called Noahs boatbuilding supplies in Toronto. Noahs had a single one of these kits left and it had been reserved about six months prior by someone else looking for it. They said I could have it if I got there first.
It survived the trip home in the back of the truck and was covered in stickers saying warning glass. The guys at the store joked I was buying a glass bottom boat after seeing all the stickers.
Everything you need to get into canoeing short of a paddle.
Comes with two instruction books. One on this specific Canoe and one on lapstitch construction in general.
Also comes with a big box of epoxy and related materials.
Here is 1.5 gallons of MAS system epoxy. A bunch of mixing cups and tongue depressors to mix the glue. A gallon of wood flour and a quart of Cabosil for fillers. A set of metering pumps and two syringes for injecting thickened epoxy into the seams.
Here is one of the R/C planes I have. I bought it from a fellow club member who has gotten into the manufacturing side of modeling.
Can be flown indoors or out and is pretty simple to put together. I intended to take lots of pictures during the assembly but got on a roll and was done before I knew it.
Comes is a nice sturdy cardboard box with very good instructions and everything you need other than a bit of tape and foam safe CA glue.
I got the receiver ready kit so it came with some HXT500 servos a turnigy 2204 motor and 10 amp speed controller with a servo lead soldered on as a motor connector.
The kit goes together really easily as the big parts have a sort of wavy joint that is self aligning. Assembly is really fast using foam safe CA for just about everything just be sure to use foam safe kicker.
I have been flying it in the Gym in Kincardine this winter and have had a really good time with it. It handles very well at low speeds and can take the punishment when I make mistakes (happens alot when you have to keep it in such a tight space).
About the only downside I can think of is that it has no landing gear out of the box so you have to keep it in the air once it is launched.
