A 16-bit/32-bit microprocessor specifically for UAV purpose

Hi everyone,
I am a newbie here. So some of the queries might seem inexperienced. Also,
I am a little inexperienced about embedded systems. So please bear with my
stupidities sometimes. What I exactly want to know is something like this.

I am building a UAV and I am having some problems in controlling the speed
of the fans (its a quad rotor flyer). The digital signals that I send
through my remote through FSK was initially being fed into a speed
controller directly. Later I realized that to control the four motors I
need a microprocessor in between, to do the calculations and send the
corresponding output. 

I searched the net for some good microprocessors for such purposes. I came
across two microprocessors PIC18f8720 & MSP430. The MSP430 has an in-built
speed controller. I am not sure about the other processors. 

My question is this, is this possible to have such a processor that the
speed controller is integrated on the board? If so, can anyone suggest me
some more processors like this?

Hope to have a reply soon.

Thanks

SHANKS

    

	   
					
---------------------------------------		
Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com

On 4/15/2010 4:31 PM, shashankp1312 wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I am a newbie here. So some of the queries might seem inexperienced. Also,
> I am a little inexperienced about embedded systems. So please bear with my
> stupidities sometimes. What I exactly want to know is something like this.
>
> I am building a UAV and I am having some problems in controlling the speed
> of the fans (its a quad rotor flyer). The digital signals that I send
> through my remote through FSK was initially being fed into a speed
> controller directly. Later I realized that to control the four motors I
> need a microprocessor in between, to do the calculations and send the
> corresponding output.
>
> I searched the net for some good microprocessors for such purposes. I came
> across two microprocessors PIC18f8720&  MSP430. The MSP430 has an in-built
> speed controller. I am not sure about the other processors.
>
> My question is this, is this possible to have such a processor that the
> speed controller is integrated on the board? If so, can anyone suggest me
> some more processors like this?

Which MSP430 did you find ?
Why do you think any PIC18 is any good for this purpose ?

Have you ever programmed either of these processors ?
Have you ever programmed any processor before ?

You need to analyze the system requirements.

Not just guess and hope.

You could just us a Pentuim 4 and be sure there will be more then enough 
cpu power.
( but I bet your 'copter will not be able to lift the power supply )

Please list all the things you what this controller to do.

Give a value to these items, at this point you can just make a sWAG.

If the number of items is above (say) 10, you may need two or more 
processors. ( so each now has 5 )

Try getting a prototyping board with a processor on it.
There are lots out there with every processor imaginable.
Get a development evnironment and learn it.

Pick one and start, its the only way to get a feel which will work for you.

Also, If you think you are only going to do this once and have it 100% 
......


hamilton

"shashankp1312" <shashankp1312@n_o_s_p_a_m.yahoo.com> wrote in message 
news:KuSdnYiW3a0vDlrWnZ2dnUVZ_j6dnZ2d@giganews.com...
> Hi everyone,
> I am a newbie here. So some of the queries might seem inexperienced. Also,
> I am a little inexperienced about embedded systems. So please bear with my
> stupidities sometimes. What I exactly want to know is something like this.
>
> I am building a UAV and I am having some problems in controlling the speed
> of the fans (its a quad rotor flyer). The digital signals that I send
> through my remote through FSK was initially being fed into a speed
> controller directly. Later I realized that to control the four motors I
> need a microprocessor in between, to do the calculations and send the
> corresponding output.
>
> I searched the net for some good microprocessors for such purposes. I came
> across two microprocessors PIC18f8720 & MSP430. The MSP430 has an in-built
> speed controller. I am not sure about the other processors.
>

Much UAV research has been done by one of the divisions of ETH in Zurich. 
They used ARM-based microprocessors and the Oberon programming language. I 
am aware that at least one of our current customers is involved in similar 
work. There are a number of research papers here that may be of use:

http://www.uav.ethz.ch/research/publications

--
Chris Burrows
CFB Software
Armaide: ARM Oberon-07 Development System
http://www.armaide.com

shashankp1312 wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I am a newbie here. So some of the queries might seem inexperienced. Also,
> I am a little inexperienced about embedded systems. So please bear with my
> stupidities sometimes. What I exactly want to know is something like this.
> 
> I am building a UAV and I am having some problems in controlling the speed
> of the fans (its a quad rotor flyer). The digital signals that I send
> through my remote through FSK was initially being fed into a speed
> controller directly. Later I realized that to control the four motors I
> need a microprocessor in between, to do the calculations and send the
> corresponding output. 
> 
> I searched the net for some good microprocessors for such purposes. I came
> across two microprocessors PIC18f8720 & MSP430. The MSP430 has an in-built
> speed controller. I am not sure about the other processors. 
> 
> My question is this, is this possible to have such a processor that the
> speed controller is integrated on the board? If so, can anyone suggest me
> some more processors like this?
> 
> Hope to have a reply soon.

Are you _sure_ this MSP430 has a speed controller in it?  Or is it a 
general-purpose processor with some motor control peripherals?  You're 
talking apples and orange cats, here, so you want to be sure.

As stated -- what are you trying to do?  Either one of those processor 
families will be sufficient for a basic hobby quad rotor, although if 
you want to do gyro stabilization you'll have to be thrifty with the 
clock cycles.

If you want to do much more than that then they'll probably be 
insufficient, and you should go into more detail about what you want to do.

-- 
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
www.wescottdesign.com

On 16/04/10 08:31, shashankp1312 wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I am a newbie here. So some of the queries might seem inexperienced. Also,
> I am a little inexperienced about embedded systems. So please bear with my
> stupidities sometimes. What I exactly want to know is something like this.
>
> I am building a UAV and I am having some problems in controlling the speed
> of the fans (its a quad rotor flyer). The digital signals that I send
> through my remote through FSK was initially being fed into a speed
> controller directly. Later I realized that to control the four motors I
> need a microprocessor in between, to do the calculations and send the
> corresponding output.
>
> I searched the net for some good microprocessors for such purposes. I came
> across two microprocessors PIC18f8720&  MSP430. The MSP430 has an in-built
> speed controller. I am not sure about the other processors.
>
> My question is this, is this possible to have such a processor that the
> speed controller is integrated on the board? If so, can anyone suggest me
> some more processors like this?
>
> Hope to have a reply soon.
>
> Thanks
>
> SHANKS
There is a bit of activity here on the Parallax Propeller forum and some 
of it is up in the air too :)

http://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=25

Quad-copter WolfSpyder 
http://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=21&m=300454

A couple of sites:
OughtToPilot http://www.parallax.com/tabid/704/Default.aspx
PNAV http://sites.google.com/site/paulhubner/pnav-autopilot

*Peter*

On Apr 15, 5:31=A0pm, "shashankp1312"
<shashankp1312@n_o_s_p_a_m.yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I am a newbie here. So some of the queries might seem inexperienced. Also=
,
> I am a little inexperienced about embedded systems. So please bear with m=
y
> stupidities sometimes. What I exactly want to know is something like this=
.
>
> I am building a UAV and I am having some problems in controlling the spee=
d
> of the fans (its a quad rotor flyer). The digital signals that I send
> through my remote through FSK was initially being fed into a speed
> controller directly. Later I realized that to control the four motors I
> need a microprocessor in between, to do the calculations and send the
> corresponding output.
>
> I searched the net for some good microprocessors for such purposes. I cam=
e
> across two microprocessors PIC18f8720 & MSP430. The MSP430 has an in-buil=
t
> speed controller. I am not sure about the other processors.
>
> My question is this, is this possible to have such a processor that the
> speed controller is integrated on the board? If so, can anyone suggest me
> some more processors like this?
>
> Hope to have a reply soon.
>
> Thanks
>
> SHANKS
>
> --------------------------------------- =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0
> Posted throughhttp://www.EmbeddedRelated.com

The Armadillo Aerospace guys have used ampro and winsystems.com
boards.

"shashankp1312" <shashankp1312@n_o_s_p_a_m.yahoo.com> wrote in message 
news:KuSdnYiW3a0vDlrWnZ2dnUVZ_j6dnZ2d@giganews.com...
> Hi everyone,
> I am a newbie here. So some of the queries might seem inexperienced. Also,
> I am a little inexperienced about embedded systems. So please bear with my
> stupidities sometimes. What I exactly want to know is something like this.
>
> I am building a UAV and I am having some problems in controlling the speed
> of the fans (its a quad rotor flyer). The digital signals that I send
> through my remote through FSK was initially being fed into a speed
> controller directly. Later I realized that to control the four motors I
> need a microprocessor in between, to do the calculations and send the
> corresponding output.
>
> I searched the net for some good microprocessors for such purposes. I came
> across two microprocessors PIC18f8720 & MSP430. The MSP430 has an in-built
> speed controller. I am not sure about the other processors.
>
> My question is this, is this possible to have such a processor that the
> speed controller is integrated on the board? If so, can anyone suggest me
> some more processors like this?
>
> Hope to have a reply soon.
>
> Thanks
>
> SHANKS
>
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------- 
> Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com



If it's a bit like this:

http://www.mikrokopter.de/ucwiki/en/MK-Okto


then you may get some ideas from here:

http://www.mikrokopter.de/ucwiki/en/MK-Okto 

On Fri, 16 Apr 2010, Royston Vasey wrote:
>
> http://www.mikrokopter.de/ucwiki/en/MK-Okto
>
>
> then you may get some ideas from here:
>
> http://www.mikrokopter.de/ucwiki/en/MK-Okto

Interesting project, though it has a certain "simplicity through 
complexity" air about it ... 8-)

Rob Sciuk

On 2010-04-15, shashankp1312 <shashankp1312@n_o_s_p_a_m.yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I am building a UAV and I am having some problems in controlling the speed
> of the fans (its a quad rotor flyer). The digital signals that I send
> through my remote through FSK was initially being fed into a speed
> controller directly. Later I realized that to control the four motors I
> need a microprocessor in between, to do the calculations and send the
> corresponding output. 

A few more details would probably help.  Are the rotors fixed pitch
or variable?  What controls do you need?  Assuming counterrotating
rotors I can see that you could get all the main controls - pitch,
roll, yaw and throttle, encoded over the speeds of the four rotors
but are all those control axes needed here?  What is the rest of
your circuitry.  If you are using an off the shelf commerical RX
I don't see why you can't do it using software PWM and a fairly
humble MCU - e.g. a PIC16 would be enough to decode the four channels
and generate four PWM outputs if the modulation frequency is kept
reasonably low - 100Hz or so.

I did something similar a number of years ago - in that case is
was a two channel elevon or flaperon mixer generating PPM output
for servo control.  That was on a PIC12 IIRC although you'd need
more pins for your mixer.  That was only two channels rather than
four so there was less processing involved but I wasn't pushing
the hardware to anywhere near its limits as I recall.

-- 
Andrew Smallshaw
andrews@sdf.lonestar.org