Autonomous helicopter using digital pot

Projects General Guidance
1

Hello everybody!

i started new project- to make a really simply helicopter to autonomous.

to do so i'm using few things:

  1. co-axial helicopter with 2 main rotors and one back rotor.
  2. 3 digital pot (5k each) which replace the rudders (mechanical pot).
  3. infrared cameras in 360 degree which give me the heli location(x,y,z) and his yaw angle.
  4. arduino UNO \Mega.

i know how to control the pots and i wrote simple code to control the 3 DOF-(yaw,forward\backward, lift).

but, how to say it, its doent work at all.

i know PID control in theory by using the dynamic model but i dont know how to do it in Arduino, specially if my dynamic model is not quite accurate.
i tried to understand how to do it with the PID library without any success.

if anyone can help me with the code it will be wonderful, its quite urgent.

thank!

2

if anyone can help me with the code

What code?
I don't see any code.

3

its doesnt work at all and its really stupid one, for example my altitude control is:

void z_control(int z, int error)
{
//z is the cureent height location, error is z_ref-z
digitalWrite(slaveSelectLift, LOW);
if (error > 2)
{ //beneath the ref
if (z <= last_z)
{ //not going up the ref. if not-we going towards the ref and no change need to be done
if (velocity < 250)
{ // over 255 the scale go to zero again
velocity = velocity + 5;
SPI.transfer(0);
SPI.transfer(velocity);
}
}
}
else if (error < 2)
{ //over the ref
if (z >= last_z)
{ //not going down to the ref. if going to the ref- no change need to be done.
if (velocity > 35)
{ //beneath 30 the engine stops
velocity = velocity - 5;
SPI.transfer(0);
SPI.transfer(velocity);
}
}
}
digitalWrite(slaveSelectLift, HIGH);
last_z = z;
}

//velocity is the number sent to the main rotors and its global variable.

4

its doesnt work at all

Because it doesn't compile.

Post all your code.
Use code tags.

5

i will upload it tomorrow because its not on me right now.
meanwhile i would love to know if someone did project like this.

PS- how im using the code tags? (sorry i'm new here :o )

6

PS- how im using the code tags? (sorry i'm new here :o )

Simple, 7 below:

http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php/topic,148850.0.html

7

Hi,

Can you please post a copy of your circuit, in CAD or a picture of a hand drawn circuit in jpg, png or pdf?

Also a picture of your project and the "pots" you are using.

Tom..... :slight_smile: