Monday, November 10, 2014

Early November active stabilization system [Codename ARGuS] update!

Finally got back on the stabilization system development track! I finished the major school project and the replacement MPU-6050s arrived. The code recently got a MAJOR upgrade thanks to Bogdan Markovik who sent me the modified MPU6050 test code that has PWM drivers in addition to full roll, pitch and yaw control as well as fully configurable degrees of freedom for each axis. Bogdan has been assisting me with everything from code to new sensor possibilities and I hope to continue working with him as the project continues. I will be eventually moving away from the MPU-6050 as it can be kind of iffy with angles sometimes and calibration is rather annoying as I'd rather not risk the very costly high power rocket airframe to loss of structural integrity due to the sensor getting confused and shaking the rocket to bits. Thanksgiving break is coming up soon and that means my probable return to TechShop and further rapid development of the system! In addition to Bogdan helping out with the system, Sagar, the original coder of the very basic code that drove the first prototypes, is a frequenter of the same TechShop and will be working on refining his own system. Video of the new code in action is right after the break.
The additional UNO is providing power for the servos as 4 of them draws too much current for one Arduino 5V pin and causes a system shutdown. This problem will be remedied by having an 18650 battery feeding into a 5V 1A boost converter that will in turn be linked to the VIN pin of the Arduino and the servo power bus. Eventually I will be moving this whole circuit onto a custom designed PCB for ease of integration into an airframe for flight testing. (This video contains sneak peeks at some of the new purchases from eBay that will be reviewed in an upcoming blog post)

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