FPV + Wireless telemetry

We finally put all the pieces together FPV (RF 5.8GHz link ) and wireless telemetry (Bluetooth) are working really good.

Components used are:

• 5" LCD Monitor (used for rear view cam on cars) - USD 23
• Boscam TS351+RC805 5.8G FPV 200mW AV Transmitter + Receiver - USD 56.99
• Multiwii MWC FC Bluetooth Module Programmer - USD 7.49
• GoPro HERO 3 video cable - USD 1.99 

UPDATED: 

There are some Android apps out there (such as Multiwii EZ-GUI) that will let you check and setup your Multiwii parameters through you Bluetooth connection, and access information on the field.

This is specially important when you try to tune your PID values for stable flight modes, Altitud hold and GPS hold, because these settings can only be determined by trial and error.

New components arrived

To keep improving our quad design and functionality, we have ordered several components that have just arrived!

-A new LiPo A-Spec battery with more storage and peak discharge capacity. This newly launched model form Turnygy promises better performance and capacity in a lightweight and small pack.

-A Bluetooth module to let us upgrade and configure the software without having to connect any cable.

-Props replacements (we learned the hard way that propellers brake really often)

-Vibration dampening balls. This will be used at some point to mount the camera.

-USB to composite video cable for GoPro Hero 3. This cable will let us connect the camera to the FPV video transmitter.

-FPV (first person view) 5.8 GHz transmitter and receiver + a small portable LCD screen.

We will post more pictures and videos of the assembly process.

DIY 2-axis camera gimbal

After doing some drawings and research, we built this 2-axis (roll and tilt) camera gimbal for a GoPro Hero3. This gimbal uses 2 micro servos to rotate the camera, controlled by the same Arduino board used for flight control. The advantage of doing this is that you already know  the quadcopter attitude and only need to invert the angle to compensate pitch and roll.

The internal gears of one of the servos  ended up broken after a hard landing. We are trying to find a metal geared servo to replace it and see how it goes.

Gimbal stabilization test (in front of the bathroom mirror.... sorry about that):

Even dough it's not very smooth, it does the trick.
Next version hopefully will use brushless gimbal motors like this one.

Improved landing gear

After a hard landing, we ended up with a couple of broken legs (not ours but the quadcopter's).

So, here's the comparison of the previous and current legs so you can see the difference:

Old landing gear

New landing gear

See the difference? New legs work really well, are much more resistant and even allows a better camera mounting.

Plastic frame test flight

As you can see on the video, a hard landing gear is a MUST. It was "fixed" with duct tape and even then, didn't last for a long time.