Looking for input on Agricultural build.

[Cheshirecat]

I looked at the firefly when it first came out but lack of compatible fc's as well as poor flight times kept me away. To much post work to do with a gopro image to make it usable imo. Better off with a nex5

Uses Pixhawk and Naza, What range of flight times are you after ?
Why does a Go Pro require more post. OK the stock lens is a nightmare but your are not stuck with the stock lens, there are a multitude of options once converted.

 

[ChrisErl]

Uses Pixhawk and Naza, What range of flight times are you after ?
Why does a Go Pro require more post. OK the stock lens is a nightmare but your are not stuck with the stock lens, there are a multitude of options once converted.

Range and flight times vary as do suitable take off and landing areas which is why I have both fixed wing and multi. As for the gopro it doesn't gps tag the photos so you need a way of doing this after the fact and i could not find a way to get consistent color in all the photos. The colours varied depending on the direction of travel. I could not find a filter or sunscreen that would help. Have had much more consistent results with a canon s100 and hopefully will have a sony rx100iii setup for spring.

Ii would like the equipment to try out the new pix4d app and a vision + but I don't see the time or money for that any time soon.

 

[ChrisErl]

Should of also mention that while the firefly has a cool factor it doesn't really do anything well. It's heavy and really the transition that it does should be able to be handled by 1 flight controller. If built correctly a quad copter can achieve the same flight times with a smaller package that's easier to transport and setup.

Now if you want the firefly for showing off to clients then it has a place

 

[Cheshirecat]

Is there any other VTOL aircraft that runs on a single FC? i am sure it is heavier than comparable fixed wing but they don't have the advantage of vertical flight (if that proves to be a real advantage in practice, i have no experience of agricultural flights but would like to) and 45 Mins is a tough target for any pure Hexa copter. I am curious because i am interested in the FireFly, have you seen/handled one and are saying it does not perform well?? or you do not see it matching your requirements? one last question, how do you currently geo tag shots on the S100?

Thanks

 

[ChrisErl]

Is there any other VTOL aircraft that runs on a single FC? i am sure it is heavier than comparable fixed wing but they don't have the advantage of vertical flight (if that proves to be a real advantage in practice, i have no experience of agricultural flights but would like to) and 45 Mins is a tough target for any pure Hexa copter. I am curious because i am interested in the FireFly, have you seen/handled one and are saying it does not perform well?? or you do not see it matching your requirements? one last question, how do you currently geo tag shots on the S100?

Thanks

I've seen some multi wii stuff transition on a single controller but nothing that's available commercially. I have not held a Firefly and so my opinions are based on specs and what I've seen written in threads. Original flight times were only InThe 25 minute range have they increased this to 45 I don't recall reading that ?

The canon s100 has a built in GPS. It also runs Chdk so it can be setup through the FC to take pics at intervals, waypoints etc. http://flightriot.com/3-chdk-scripts-options/?utm_source=Flight Riot User List&utm_campaign=776f9b98d6-Looking_for_a_few_good_UAV_Pilots12_18_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2badfbc385-776f9b98d6-211134413

 

[Cheshirecat]

I've seen some multi wii stuff transition on a single controller but nothing that's available commercially. I have not held a Firefly and so my opinions are based on specs and what I've seen written in threads. Original flight times were only InThe 25 minute range have they increased this to 45 I don't recall reading that ?

The canon s100 has a built in GPS. It also runs Chdk so it can be setup through the FC to take pics at intervals, waypoints etc. http://flightriot.com/3-chdk-scripts-options/?utm_source=Flight Riot User List&utm_campaign=776f9b98d6-Looking_for_a_few_good_UAV_Pilots12_18_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2badfbc385-776f9b98d6-211134413

The Manufacturer have demonstrated 45Mins with just over 20,000 MAh on board (3S) and landing at 80%. AUTOW 3.7Kg
Interesting about the S100 and i have read into chdk before, useful utility.
It appears some folks achieve good results with GoPro and flying a time synchronized GPS Logger or alternatively if your budget allows (and who's does?) you could opt for a purpose built multispecteral solution from Field Of View http://fieldofviewllc.com/ with the optional GPS Tagger "GeoSnap" depending which camera it can be a light as 140g all up.

 

[Rgolfer]

I'm looking for ideas or solutions for my goals. In the longrun, I would like something that can hold a larger camera and also a multispectral camera, was thinking the Lite version of this ( http://www.tetracam.com/Products1.htm ) Basically I want imagery that can be sent or processed, then turned into maps that show plant health and even plant population. The camera needs to be good enough to do this and the gps needs to be fairly accurate to develop these maps I believe. I'm not sure if multiple ground control points would be feasible or not. The fields that it would be used on are mostly flat, but may be 100-400 acres in size. That's probably enough information on what I would like to see for results, open to more questions if needed.

I am looking into possibly a hexa for the payload it may be carrying. I would like to keep it budget friendly as I am slowly ramping up. I've used QgroundControl for the AR drone and would like to use something similar at times.

Like I said, I am new to RC so I am open to any suggestions or threads on where to start researching further. I will be starting from the ground up on RC, but I do have a IMAX B6 genuine charger for the drones batteries I converted to XT60.

http://javad.com/jgnss/javad/news/pr20140818.html Came across this in a surveying magazine. Probably not what you are looking for but interesting from a gps standpoint.

 

[Bartman]

@fosho99;

How has this project been going? Any progress to report? It seems your original thread about agricultural uses has seen some new life!
Bart

 

[jcs]

FWIW, the firelfy is now a single controller vehicle...they use the px4hawk? ive been wanting a firefly for a while but cant spend th e$$ unless i sell my dji flamewheel...

 

[ChrisErl]

Firefly now uses AVA which is based on apm not on pixhawk. They should have to release the firmware so it could be loaded on any apm board. I'm sure they'll resist releasing firmware to aid sales as long as possible. There is also similar firmware being developed for the pixhawk which is t supported on the apm boards.

Missed a new firefly airframe in the rcgroups classified section the other day. To bad still want 1. Surprised we haven't seen a hobbyking version yet but I'm sure it's coming