2024-05-14 EFS Quick Project Sync

2024-05-14 EFS Quick Project Sync

  • Atendees

    • @Aidan Bowers (Deactivated)

    • @Daniel Puratich

    • @Nathan Green

    • @Hardy Yu

    • @Derek Tang

  • ZP

    • how do we susnset it?

    • keep zp as a thing for new members

    • use it as a way to train new members

    • make it clear to members not comp related

    • milestone 2 isnt enough work for everyone?

    • all other projects are very big, but 80%

    • a lot of people have done work on AM for milestone 3

    • EFS leads should evaluate if it’s worth doing so many milestones, choose which ones we wanna do

      • not much has been done for four

    • whatever has a lot of work let’s finish bc it’s close

      • so that’s likely M2 and M3

      • ZP HW as well for these

      • big push to finish

  • Tracking Antenna

    • having this platform development makes sense

    • mavlink and ardu compatible for sure

    • offers some tangible benefit, the new platform should be useful

      • we should make the tracking antennas rlly tall in the future mech wise for improved EE RF performance

    • tracking antenna drone side to point at ground station

  • Ground Station Wifi

    • makes sense to run it on wifi system

    • wifi mesh system (in 2.4ghz)

    • wireless video relay last year was easy, 5.8ghz video relay

    • doing this would allow us to add nodes easily

    • second link for fail over (backup to ELRS)

    • tracking antenna communication if we have multiple

    • multiple aircraft, controlling more of then

      • repeater drone?

    • single platform

    • low range only connection

  • CAN drone architecture

    • running pegasus class aircraft again at next comp so not a lot of advantage

    • some stuff is already supported firmware wise some isnt

    • would be fully custom hardware required for all of these

    • at least one year while we work on peggy to work out this architecture before using on fixed wing

    • AP_PERIPH folder of ardupilot has some of this

    • would be a huge integration win if we can pull this off

    • similar CAN arch to rocketry and car design teams

    • having EFS support

    • project rankings roughly outlined in 2024-05-16 Electrical Director Sync

      • we want EFS input

      • lots of system level engineering here, technical director helping

    • we could implement our own endpoints and sensors if we feel it’s worth the effort

  • Convenience scripts

    • lua scripts for radios

    • additions to radio to augment and improve system we have

  • Gimbal systems

    • ties into tracking ant

    • airside tracking antenna

    • enable stuff for autonomy

    • camera gimbal stabilizes camera

      • as aircraft moves around, camera holds still

      • drones tilt a lot lol

    • lock to points of interest

    • team would need to pick this as a direction

      • we haven’t needed this much yet, but a while ago there was an advantage to doing this, depends on CONOPs but a capability worth developing?

    • for searching algorithm could be used to search for landing pads etc.

      • could use tighter FOV camera, higher zoom,

    • architecture decision

  • Telemetry Analysis

    • Realtime or otherwise

    • integrate to IMACs? maybe not?

      • Aidan says no, integrate to missionplanner most likely

      • should try to lower imacs priority

    • complement ardupilot’s data

    • automating debrief stuff, give analysis automatically

    • more software than embedded

  • BMS Custom Pack

    • custom dimensions for the plane we build

    • 18650s

    • live stats to the pixhawk for cell voltages

    • use current from normal current meter

    • pitch to ee as proj eventually

  • Integrating Autonomy Airside compute

    • we need to architect before pursuing but it’s on the table