/
2025-03-17 Competition Architecture Sync

2025-03-17 Competition Architecture Sync

Owned by Evan Janakievski
Last updated: 2025-03-18 by Georgia Westerlund
5 min read

Attendance

  • @Evan Janakievski

  • @Daniel Puratich

  • @Georgia Westerlund

  • @Alison Thompson

  • @Nathan Green

  • @Evan Zhao

  • @Balaji Leninrajan

  • @Smile Khatri

  • @Meghan Dang

  • @Maxwell Lou

  • @Andrew Chai

  • @Manasva Katyal

  • @Victoria Gee

  • @Tochi Okoro

  • @Ryan Scomazzon

  • @Emma Chan

  • @Derek Tang

  • @Roni Kant

  • @Nick Armstrong

  • @Camilo Artigas Alos

 

Flight Test Updates

  • 2025-03-14 Flight Test (https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AQC_tg)

    • Peggy 2 Tuning

      • Reset PID values using ardupilot

      • Adjusted them by dropping them 10%

      • Then ran autotune

      • A lot more smooth

      • Still have some fine adjustments that need to be made

    • Task 1 KML MAVLink messages test

      • Ran into errors and issues with the script

      • Not complete

      • Needs more ground testing and debugging

    • Task 2 Payload test

      • First flight with payload

      • No weights on tubing at first, lots of swaying

      • Added a piece of aluminum as a place holder to have weight

      • Used home depot buckets and was within diameter of barrel for comp

      • Need to shorten tubes

    • Foam Plane

      • Out of scope for meeting, but part of flight test

      • Flew with 6S can servo board

 

Task 1

  • PLANNING: Drone Swarm

    • Let’s set in stone what drones are flying what tasks:

      • Off the shelf drones not allowed where all components are part of a kit

      • Modified off the shelf and components that were sources, like houston, are allowed

      • What will be considered as a completely off the shelf drone? Does a development drone like the Holybro X650 count in that category? Do modifications of this development drone make it acceptable or must it be mechanically designed from the ground up?

      The Holybro X650 development kit you have listed would not be permitted for the competition. It looks like it includes all major on-board components (airframe including wiring, flight controller, transmitter), so the only design element left is the payload for Task 1 and 2. It isn't in the spirit of the competition to just add a payload system on top of an existing drone, however, we would permit an off-the-shelf airframe that doesn't come with all the other components: the selection and integration should be part of the work that your team does. So you don't necessarily need to do ground-up mechanical design of the frame either.

      • Task 1: Houston and california drone flying (potentially Peggy if better images)

        • Check during Town Hall if x500 is ok if we swap components

      • Task 2: Peggy 1 and Peggy 2

  • STATUS: Autonomy Updates:

    • STATUS: MAVLink KML messages

      • @Tochi Okoro @Maxwell Lou

      • RCA’ed the issue from the flight logs, deduced it may be a GPS issue

      • Implemented print statements in the script to help find the issue

    • STATUS: Solutions to False Detections

      • Working on tuning samples

      • Upping strictness on color

      • Upping min area too

    • STATUS: Geolocation of Beacons

      • Push to see what error is at different altitudes

    • STATUS: Pathing

      • @Evan Zhao

      • If you want this tested at a flight test, ground test (not just simulator), needs to be completed by Thursday evening.

  • STATUS: Peggy 2 Tuning

    • Add any notes that aren’t covered in flight test debrief at beginning of meeting @Manasva Katyal

    • Just data collection needed for harmonic notch filters etc

  • Pi interface boards?

    • Will aim to make another Rev B board so there are 3 in waterloo

 

Task 2

  • strategy wise

    • have each drone go to every source of fire or have separate areas they worry about?

      • will have night before to plan out with locations sent from organizers

    • alternate and have the cycles offset

      • have one start immediately and fill then leave while the other waits and begins its cycle afterward

      • have altitude differences but also ensure they go to different sources of fire

    • autonomous points:

      • can just write scripts in mission planner for this

      • loading → aim to do at end of flight window

      • unloading → do right away

  • STATUS: Flight Test results

    • Took about 3.5 minutes to fill. Suspect tubing is too long and gravity can’t pull up 3 m.

    • Will ground test what ideal length is fighting gravity. probably 2 m as that is what pump is rated for (correct me if I’m wrong @Alison Thompson )

    • Need to fix mounting method and print new tanks

      • One of the prints is stripped and needs to be broken in order for us to take tank off rn. Can stay for the moment until new tank design is ready.

    • Leakage only comes from bottom of tank, oring and tacky tape working well to restrict water leaving from top of tank. Will seal new tanks more thoroughly inside and do a layer of flex seal (or some type of filler material) on the outside

  • STATUS: Flight Testing

    • To be tested again in true comp like scenario, proper timing and proper cycles.

      • Can bring large drum if we want to practice more accurate dimensions of filling rather than trial and error w/ home depot bucket

  • Another pump?

    • EE to check if we have bandwidth on water controller

    • what do we prioritize?

    • check abt 4 pumps

    • weight of drone

    • water controller can support up to 2 pumps on each channel

      • 2 in and 2 out

 

Other

  • System Int / Drone Crash Course vid and powerpoint:

  • Auto Ground Testing Vid:

  • NOTICE: Auto Ground Testing

    • Can project managers and other members take more responsibility, so Tochi is not the only one leading things?

    • Having more contacts that @Manasva Katyal and @Evan Janakievski can reach out to when organizing flight tests can help tasks be pushed along at a faster rate

  • STATUS: EFS CAN Lighting Board

    • @Nick Armstrong to update

    • No updates

  • STATUS: Batteries Order

    • Will their office be open to receive batteries if we order now?

      • Perhaps worth drafting up an email

    • Also want to set in stone what we want to order

      • 4 6S batteries → will use up battery account

      • 2-4 new 3S batteries since we are flying 3S drones for Task 1

  • STATUS: Backup Airframe

    • Needs a name

  • STATUS: x500 Holybro airframe

    • Not ok for comp

    • Can use to practice task 1 with two drones alongside houston or Peggy

    • Needs a name

  • PLANNING: Mission planner/Lua scripts for Task 1 and Task 2

    • @Manasva Katyal, @Evan Janakievski, and others are going to begin working on creating missions on Mission Planner and writing Lua scripts to complete these tasks in Auto based off slow progress over past month

    • Hopefully have a rough script or mission for flight test this Friday based on our availability → to be done with Houston or x500

  • PLANNING: Tuning for Houston

    • @Manasva Katyal and @Evan Janakievski to tune Houston based on decision of what drones are flying for which tests

  • PLANNING: Transporting the drone

  • PLANNING: Proof of flight video

    • Will piece together from flight tests

    • Should have:

      • Take off

      • Approach and landing

      • Fly by

      • Hovering

    • To do:

      • VLOS traveling

      • Circles

  • Burger King crown on drone?

  • we are getting close to running out of money going into comp here and need to start rationing a bit with purchase requests

  • drones we fly need registrations → TC licenses @Manasva Katyal

    • peggy 2 registration

    • houston registration or x500

    • cali drone

  • flights r settles. Insurance Nathan. Registrations Manasva or Evan. Car rental Georgia. Comp fees Georgia. Hotel unassigned.

 

Flight Test Planning

 

Asana

  • Look over asana dates and adjust/make updates

Related content