Hi guys,
By way of introduction - I'm a complete rookie/n00b with a passion to learn (and research and tinker!) all things Arduino.
I'm very technically minded, work in IT - various different fascists of, blabla so I learn fast and understand easily.
Right, so I've got a mate who's building an RC Glider and a UAV Drone. What makes this more entertaining for me is that I have zero experience in RC at all.
His project is awesome because he's doing it to curb/help stop Rhino Poaching in South Africa - where we live. Now, I'm not here to ask for help on his behalf. He's a bright guy and already has an auto-pilot working. So he has a head start ]
The Glider RC is what I'm interested in for now, however. The reason? Well, he's building it for a sort of Robot Wars, but with a twist - Aero Wars!
While his time is (rightfully) being spent on the UAV, I'm wanting to try to play catch up!
The way these Aero Wars work is, they fly the gliders off of Signal Hill, in Cape Town, ZAR. Making use of the up-drafts they soar all the way up Lion's Head sometimes and try to take each other out on the way!
I have a couple of crafty ideas that will hopefully give me an advantage in the air (stay in one piece)! Here they are:
In my youth, I used to fly a lot of flight sims, so I have a good idea of how to keep a plane in the air. One classic 'manoeuvre' I used to use was to stall the plane if I was being chased which would put be behind the plane - guns blazing.
Now these guys don't use guns. Obviously.. They go for the more direct approach and SMASH into you!
These are the points that I've identified as being NB:
- Adjility
- Good TX/RX Range
- Lightweight (but enough so that you don’t bounce off of the other plane
I am toying with the idea of giving a little Nano over-ride control of my plane while I fly it. (Remember I still need to build it/figure out how to)
Seeing that you don't have the luxury of thrust (gliders remember) I thought that you could have the option of causing a loss in aero dynamics! For instance, a wing collapsing or the plane literally folding in half.
The little nano could do this for me with the help if a strong servo and a bit of wire. Hold this state of 'oh hell, my plane's falling out of the sky' for 2 seconds and then wind-in-the-wing. What I mean by this is, to literally have a motor pull in wire attached to the collapsed wing, hinged onto the plane - restoring aerodynamics.
If my brain's not fast enough to realise that someone is flying straight at me, I could also have a sensor trigger the 'laxing' of the wing?
What do you guys think? A project worth trying out?
Have a look at these opensource bad-boys: Radio Control Planes, Drones, Cars, FPV, Quadcopters and more - Hobbyking
I am waiting for pay-day.. while I'm waiting, I'm building up a parts-list!