For the quadracopter code I use the NXP I2C driver which works well with the MEMs sensors however it proved unreliable with the AVR slave. This is a huge issue since this is the radio and motor control path and…
Author: commons
Capacitive touch switch
Capacitive switches have shown up in many products most notably the iPod where it really hit the mainstream. Despite its commercial success I rarely see capacitive touch switches in hobby projects. A friend of mine asked me what I thought…
LPC1769 Bootloader
This project provides a flash-based USB bootloader for the LPC1769 and has been tested on the quadracopter core processor. These notes are based on a modified copy of the Code Red README.TXT file. I have modified the notes to only…
3D Printed Quad Test Jig
While assembling my new dual motor test jig I realized that my drill press manufacturing tolerances were too loose to ensure reliable operation. Then it struck me that a 3D printed part would give me the required tolerances; as well…
Re-flow Soldering; what Mom never taught me about cooking!
Having worked in the electronics industry for 30+ years I have had my fair share of problems making the change to surface mount technology (SMT). As a hobbyist I thought of SMT soldering as a new source of hair loss.…
iMX23 Linux
I have been looking to design an open source Linux design that could be built at home. The problem so far has been that the processors supporting Linux tend to be manufactured in BGA packages which makes them difficult to…
Packaging the ATMega128RFA1 Radio
I am exploring the capabilities of 3D printing and am always looking for an excuse to make some new object. After designing the AVRRF radio board I thought wouldn’t it be cool if I could build a small package to…
Wireless Zigbee Radio
As part of the quadracopter telemetry system I want to be able to wirelessly send flight data back to the ground station. The obvious choice would be some sort of wireless module however this solution cannot be integrated as tightly…
IMU Sensor Board
The sensor board provides a 3.3V 6DOF sensor system which includes an accelerometer and gyroscope. The physical sensors are the L3G4200D gyroscope and MMA7455L accelerometer which are described in detail in the associated datasheets. This board also terminates the radio…
New quadracopter hardware
I have re-designed the hardware for the quadracopter, moving from the LPCExpresso board to a smaller purpose built board. The LPC1769 is designed to run on one PCB and controls all of the sensors located on a single daughter board.…