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

  • https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-uavcan-peripherals.html#common-uavcan-peripherals

• 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