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I developed a quadcopter with a custom flight controller, programmed in Python (@micropython), that can efficiently run on a $4 @Raspberry_Pi Pico microcontroller!
Check it out: github.com/TimHanewich/Centa…
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So 10th grade geometry ended up coming in handy. At least as long as I don't know how to automate this in Blender.
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Chapter 7: the software that turns "pilot moves joystick" into "drone changes pitch." Reads @Xbox controller inputs, packs control packets 20x/sec, displays telemetry back. Any lag shows up instantly in the air.
medium.com/@timhanewich/full…
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Skipped custom transmitter hardware. Instead: an @Xbox controller + laptop + a cheap radio module = a fully capable, bidirectional transmitter. Chapter 6: how that platform works.
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The effort continues!
Another (minor) addition to the Centauri ecosystem: Link Monitor
Just a small handheld device to check reception at range of the control commands being sent out by the transmitter.
Wiring diagram done. Now to design the device.
github.com/TimHanewich/centa…
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Programming the flight controller was, hands down, the hardest part of this build. Picked @micropython over C/C++ for readability. Chapter 5: the boot sequence, the PID loop, and the sensor reads.
medium.com/@timhanewich/full…
#FullStackFlight
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Chapter 4: every onboard component of Centauri, avionics, propulsion, power, passive parts, and how it's wired together. Fully assembled: 824 grams.
medium.com/@timhanewich/full…
#FullStackFlight
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Designing a quadcopter airframe is harder than it looks: prop clearance, IMU placement, antenna line-of-sight, all in one printable body. Chapter 3: Centauri's design, plus 4 antenna setups I tested.
medium.com/@timhanewich/full…
#FullStackFlight
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Tonight's effort: rebuild after the heavy crash from last weekend. Lower and upper level plates replaced completely.
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Build your own drone AND transmitter, and you own how they talk. Centauri uses 4 packet types over a slow radio link. Chapter 2 breaks down the exact binary layout.
medium.com/@timhanewich/full…
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Centauri is 3 pieces, one loop: the quadcopter (self-correcting, PID 100s/sec), the transmitter (@Xbox controller + laptop + radio), and telemetry software. Chapter 1, the map before the weeds:
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Another (minor) addition to the Centauri ecosystem: Link Monitor
Just a small handheld device to check reception at range of the control commands being sent out by the transmitter.
Wiring diagram done. Now to design the device.
github.com/TimHanewich/centa…
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