New Version of DJI F450 Leg Extensions with Bolt-on Design Dennis Baldwin 2026-09-22 | New Version of DJI F450 Leg Extensions with Bolt-on Design
Crazyflie Custom Firmware Push Demo Dennis Baldwin 2024-04-02 | If you want to follow along with the tutorial in this video please follow the Crazyflie firmware instructions here:github.com/bitcraze/crazyflie-firmware/blob/master/docs/building-and-flashing/build.mdHopefully you'll be impressed with Crazyflie's responsiveness and how well it's able to hold position with the flow deck. If you want to test all of the capabilities of Crazyflie be sure to checkout the DroneBlocks simulator, which allows you to simulate Crazyflie and then perform the same mission on your hardware over Bluetooth:crazyflie-app.droneblocks.ioThanks for following along and feel free to reach out with any questions.
Crazyflie Drone Programming and Simulation with DroneBlocks Dennis Baldwin 2024-03-11 | I wanted to share an app we've been working on to make programming your Crazyflie dead simple. It's called DroneBlocks and allows you to test your Blockly program with a simulated Crazyflie and then run the same program on the real drone. All connectivity and communication happens directly in a any web browser that supports the Web Bluetooth API. You can give it a try by going here:crazyflie-app.droneblocks.ioI'm really enjoying my Crazyflie drone and while programming in Python is fun there are times when I'd like to quickly test behavior of the drone with DroneBlocks. This is a great tool for getting students interested in STEM and you can learn more about Crazyflie drone programming for the classroom by going to the link below:droneblocks.io/program/programming-a-droneThanks for following along!
PX4 with Matek H743 Slim Bootloader, Firmware, and UAVCAN with ARK FLow Dennis Baldwin 2024-01-16 | I thought getting the Matek H743 running with PX4 and UAVCAN would be easier, but it wasn't. I stumbled across many pain points and part of it could be my lack of knowledge. So I figured I would share what I learned during this process and I'm hoping to get a Pi 4/5 companion computer working with it soon. I'm optimistic that UART telemetry should work out of the box. Feel free to leave a comment or suggestion below and thanks for following along.
Flashing PX4 Bootloader on Non-Standard Pixhawk Autopilots (Holybro Kakute H7) Dennis Baldwin 2023-12-26 | This was quite a struggle to figure out and I wanted to share the steps to get PX4 running on a Holybro Kakute H7 flight controller. Links can be found here:docs.px4.io/main/en/flight_controller/kakuteh7.htmldocs.px4.io/main/en/advanced_config/bootloader_update_from_betaflight.htmlSince Betaflight Configurator and dfu-util did not work I ended up going the STM32CubeProgammer route:st.com/en/development-tools/stm32cubeprog.htmlA shout out to the ArduPilot community for getting me going:ardupilot.org/planner/docs/common-loading-firmware-onto-chibios-only-boards.htmlAfter running some tests with the Kakute H7 I will be transitioning to run some tests with the Matek H743 Slim board.
PX4 GPS Denied Position Hold Options Dennis Baldwin 2023-12-15 | Sharing a bit of my research and testing over the past several months as it relates to GPS denied position hold with PX4. Feel free to join the Discord here:discord.gg/u5Eu529kpPZED Mini VIO:store.stereolabs.com/products/zed-minigithub.com/bellflight/AVR-2022/blob/main/VMC/vio/vio.pyBitcraze Flow Deck Optical Flow:store.bitcraze.io/collections/decks/products/flow-deck-v2github.com/mavlink/MAVSDK-Python/blob/main/examples/offboard_position_ned.pyARK Flow:arkelectron.com/product/ark-flowgithub.com/alireza787b/mavsdk_drone_show/blob/main/csvCreator.py
PX4 with BeagleBone Indoor Position Flight with MAVSDK Drone Show Dennis Baldwin 2023-09-05 | This video showcases an indoor position hold flight in a GPS denied environment using PX4, BeagleBone Blue, and MAVSDK Drone Show:github.com/alireza787b/mavsdk_drone_showAll of my testing to date has been with the PX4 sim and I wanted to try MAVSDK drone show on my real hardware.We are working to make this drone and software widely available with through the DroneBlocks site. I hope to share more details soon.Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or suggestions.Thanks for following along
ChatGPT Flies a Tello Drone with Python in the DroneBlocks Simulator Dennis Baldwin 2023-03-11 | I hate to admit that ChatGPT and its code generation capabilities are unbelievably impressive. It's going to change the way I think about problem solving with software. This video covers a basic example of sharing a Tello API with ChatGPT and hooking it up to the DroneBlocks simulator. The example code from this video can be found here:github.com/dbaldwin/DroneBlocks-Tello-Simulator-ChatGPTand a huge shout out to the Microsoft team for sharing their work for using ChatGPT in robotics applications:microsoft.com/en-us/research/group/autonomous-systems-group-robotics/articles/chatgpt-for-roboticsI'm excited about the future, but also quite a bit scared!
Creating (Drone) Apps Isnt Easy - A Public Response to User Reviews Dennis Baldwin 2023-01-29 | I wanted to share a bit of history prior to responding to a negative review of the DroneBlocks App. As a software developer and entrepreneur, I feel like it's important to address user feedback and give additional perspective.The process of developing an app is fairly straightforward (in most cases). The challenge becomes user training/education and setting expectations.I'm not discouraging the process of developing apps as I feel like it's a very valuable experience. Just go into the process with your eyes wide open and thick skin. You will never make 100% of your users happy, but you can learn a lot from them.If you are interested in programming Tello then please consider downloading the DroneBlocks app from the following page:droneblocks.io/appFeel free to share any feedback or perspectives below and thanks for following me on this journey.
DJI Mobile SDK 4.16.2 for Android Running the Sample App Dennis Baldwin 2022-08-29 | I decided to put this video together given all the questions I've received regarding DJI's Mobile SDK for Android. You can download the sample code from here:github.com/dji-sdk/Mobile-SDK-AndroidYou can sign up for a free DJI developer account at the link below:developer.dji.comIf you have any questions or feedback regarding the DJI SDK please feel free to leave a comment below.Please feel free to download DroneBlocks for your DJI Tello drone from one of the links below:iOS: apps.apple.com/us/app/droneblocks/id1045826508Android: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.unmannedairlines.droneblocks&gl=US
PX4 VIO Setup with Jetson Nano and Intel T265 - Auterion VIO Fork Dennis Baldwin 2022-02-26 | This is an in-depth tutorial of how to get VIO up and running on a Pixhawk-based drone from NXP. It's the HoverGames drone with some modifications to incorporate a Jetson Nano and Intel T265 Realsense camera for indoor vision positioning. I encourage you to review the gist I created linked below, as well as the chapters feature of YouTube to jump to various sections of this video. Please leave any comments or questions below if you're working through this setup. I'll be happy to help!00:00 Intro00:59 Quick VIO Position Hold Demo01:50 Building the MAVLink Cable01:50 Building the MAVLink Cable03:54 Top Down View of VIO Drone04:25 Powering Jetson Nano from Drone05:34 3D Printed Jetson Nano Mounts06:40 3D Printed T265 Mount07:35 Burning Jetson Nano Image08:47 Auterion VIO Code09:10 VIO Gist Shortcut09:34 ROS Melodic and Dependency Installation11:35 Install librealsense12:58 Install Python Catkin Tools15:59 QGroundControl Wireless Configuration17:34 Verify MAVLink Data Comms18:13 Review MAVROS Launch Files21:50 PX4 EKF2 Params for VIO25:00 Launching VIO25:26 Begin VIO Flight Test25:43 VIO Altitude Flight Mode26:03 VIO Position Flight Mode26:39 VIO Yawing28:20 ConclusionVIO Gist I created to simplify the software installgist.github.com/dbaldwin/041735a774bf46a82ee98bbbe28a7939Auterion VIO Forkgithub.com/dbaldwin/vioJetson Nano Mounting Blocks from Bell VRCgithub.com/bellflight/VRC-2021-Phase-I/blob/main/3D%20Prints/STLs/jetson_blocks.STLJetson Nano Mount from Bell VRCgithub.com/bellflight/VRC-2021-Phase-I/blob/main/3D%20Prints/STLs/jetson_nano_mount_cooling.STLIntel T265 Rail Mount from Bell VRCgithub.com/bellflight/VRC-2021-Phase-II/blob/main/3D%20Prints/t265_rail_mount.STLJetson Nano Wifi Antenna Mount from Bell VRCgithub.com/bellflight/VRC-2021-Phase-II/blob/main/3D%20Prints/wifi_antenna_mount.STL
PX4 Tiltrotor PID Tuning and Elevon Mixing with SweepWings Juggernaut Delta Wing Dennis Baldwin 2021-11-26 | I'm slowly progressing along to get this PX4 Tiltrotor in the air! It's been sitting on the bench for too long and I'm ready to do a transition flight. This video covers the final steps before the maiden. The first thing I needed to do was dial in the PIDs since they are based off the E-Flite Convergence airframe. You can learn more about PID tuning here:docs.px4.io/master/en/config_mc/pid_tuning_guide_multicopter_basic.htmlThe other issue were the elevon mixers, which did not correspond to my elevon configuration for the SweepWings Juggernaut. After updating the mixer file everything appears to work well on the bench. You can learn more about mixers here:docs.px4.io/master/en/concept/mixing.htmlStay tuned for the maiden and thanks for following along the way.
PX4 Tilt Rotor with SweepWings Juggernaut Delta Wing Dennis Baldwin 2021-07-19 | This is my latest project based off the SweepWings Juggernaut airframe with some VTOL tiltrotor modifications. This project was inspired by my love of VTOL and more recently having a blast with the E-Flite Convergence. You can read the documentation for PX4 VTOL firmware for the convergence here:docs.px4.io/master/en/frames_vtol/vtol_tiltrotor_eflite_convergence_pixfalcon.htmlOnce I get further down the road I would like to document this process and hopefully contribute a new VTOL airframe selection in QGroundControl. While there are several options I do feel like we need more documentation.Thanks in advance for watching and any feedback you may have.
DroneBlocks with AirSim for Panorama Simulation Dennis Baldwin 2021-05-11 | I wanted to give this panorama process a go with DroneBlocks and AirSim. I've been working on DroneBlocks integration with AirSim for quite a while and this idea came to mind over the weekend.The video covers using DroneBlocks to create a panorama mission that is simulated in AirSim, which takes photos from different angles in the environment. I use PTGui and krpano to do the stitching and post processing. You can see the demo here:http://droneblocks.s3.amazonaws.com/airsim-panorama/tour.htmlThe GitBook to download DroneBlocks for AirSim can be found here:dennisbaldwin.gitbook.io/airsim-notes/downloadHere is the AirSim releases page and I encourage you to try this out with a different environment:github.com/Microsoft/AirSimHere are the chapters in the video:00:00 AirSim Panorama Intro01:35 AirSim GitHub Page02:36 GitBook with DroneBlocks Download03:06 Configuring AirSim to Launch in Windowed Environment04:05 AirSim Settings File05:06 DroneBlocks for AirSim Overview07:09 Launching Panorama Mission with DroneBlocks08:48 Stitching Pano Images with PTGui12:48 krpano Processing14:10 Viewing the Panorama14:30 ConclusionThanks for watching!
Recruit Wing with PX4, Pi Zero, GSM Hat, and DroneKit Dennis Baldwin 2021-05-05 | I'm documenting my attempt at streaming MAVLink over a cellular network to a ground station using Pi Zero [amzn.to/3st0fpt] and the Waveshare GSM Hat [amzn.to/2QVJbe7].At this point I'm not entirely certain if it can be done, but wanted to document the process as I go. The GitBook referenced throughout this video can be found here:dennisbaldwin.gitbook.io/px4-wing-with-pi-zero-and-gsmand here are the key chapters in the video. Thanks for following along.00:00 - Introduction01:47 - Imaging Pi Zero02:30 - Headless networking setup04:05 - SSH into Pi Zero04:45 - Updating Pi Zero packages05:00 - Configure Pi Zero for serial communication06:00 - Waveshare GSM hat overview [amzn.to/2QVJbe7]06:50 - Communication with Waveshare GSM hat using Picocom08:23 - AT commands for SMS with Waveshare GSM hat11:38 - Python verification11:52 - Installing pip and Python dev tools12:24 - Installing DroneKit13:11 - Send SMS with Python and Waveshare GSM hat14:33 - Pi Zero wiring with Pixfalcon15:55 - Running DroneKit on Pi Zero18:23 - Conclusion
Recruit Wing with PX4 Telemetry Using Raspberry Pi Zero, GSM Module, and Hologram IoT Network Dennis Baldwin 2021-03-26 | I wanted to share this project as a work in progress. No telling if we'll be able to get fully MAVLink communication using a GSM/GPRS hat for Pi Zero, but we're gonna try! As of right now the main hardware components are:RMRC Recruitreadymaderc.com/products/details/rmrc-recruit-stealth-black-epp-wing-pnpPixfalcon (or similar mini PX4 autopilot)docs.px4.io/master/en/flight_controller/pixfalcon.htmlPi Zeroamzn.to/31mYiPoWaveshare GSM/GPRS Hatamzn.to/3st0fptHologram IoT Networkbit.ly/39jfYQiThanks for following along.
PX4 Hardware in the Loop (HITL) Simulation with AirSim Custom Environment in Unreal Engine Dennis Baldwin 2021-01-22 | I wanted to put this video together to share what I've been working on as it relates to PX4 simulation. I've been really impressed with the capabilities of AirSim and I hope this video makes it a little easier to understand. You can learn more about AirSim here:github.com/microsoft/AirSimand my GitBook notes can be found here:http://dennisbaldwin.gitbook.io/airsim-notes/px4-hitl-testingTo learn more about DroneBlocks please visit:droneblocks.ioPlease feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions and I hope to share more information in the near future. Thanks for watching.
RAD MAVLink Bridge Installation Script for Raspberry Pi Dennis Baldwin 2020-11-03 | I worked on this installation script for a while so please give it a try and let me know what you think:github.com/dbaldwin/RAD-MAVLink-BridgeThis will allow you to have a wireless bridge between your Pixhawk/APM aircraft and your ground station. I'll be working on improving the script for UART communications as well as testing other hardware. Please post a GitHub issue if you run into any problems.00:00 - RAD MAVLink Bridge Overview01:55 - Bridge Demonstration w/ QGroundControl on iPad04:05 - Bridge Demonstration w/ QGroundControl on iPhone05:18 - Introduction to Installation w/ Raspberry Pi 405:56 - Flashing Raspberry Pi OS onto Micro SD06:36 - Powering up and Configuring Pi 4 for Script Install07:37 - RAD MAVLink Bridge Github Repo08:12 - Installation Script Walkthrough10:31 - Downloading and Installing RAD MAVLink Bridge Script12:15 - Post Installation Check13:00 - Raspberry Pi 4 Bench Test15:17 - Conclusion
Beta95x v2 FrSky XM+ Firmware Upgrade & First Impressions Dennis Baldwin 2020-09-27 | This is the Beta95X v2 that I cover in the video: bit.ly/33a5QH3 There is also a digital FPV version, which looks amazing but at this point in time I don't have a digital FPV setup. Ever since I updated my Taranis to ACCST 2.0 I've run into so many problems with binding receivers with old firmware. Since the new radio module firmware is not backwards compatible with older RX firmware I've had to update all my receiver firmware. While this isn't a huge problem in most cases it was kind of a hassle with the BetaFPV 95x due to the small size. I purchased it with the FrSky XM+ and upgraded the firmware to 2.1.0 from here:frsky-rc.com/xm-plus-mini-sbus-non-telemetry-full-rangeI'm amazed by the performance of this little FPV drone so far. It's really fun to fly and handles well outdoors. Highly recommended!
FPV Drone Simulator Fix for Windows 10 Update and Frsky Taranis USB Connection Dennis Baldwin 2020-09-03 | After a Windows 10 update my FrSky Taranis would no longer work with Velocidrone or AirSim. In the video I cover AirSim, but this fix applies to any FPV drone simulator that supports USB connection with a FrSky TX. This was a royal pain to figure out, but a shout out to Painless 360 for giving me a kick start in the right direction:youtube.com/watch?v=IN0Jbih797YThe key is if you can't rollback your Windows 10 USB driver then you should "update" it to a previous version. Then you should see your Taranis show up in the list of USB gaming controllers.I hope this saves someone out there a bit of time.
Controlling Mavic Mini with Xbox Wireless Game Controller using DJI SDK 4.13 and iOS 13 Dennis Baldwin 2020-08-27 | I wanted to run this test since we recently purchased an Xbox One. I had read about iOS 13 game controller support and wanted to try integrating with DJI SDK 4.13 and Mavic Mini. This examples uses Virtual Sticks to receive data from the Xbox wireless remote and send them to Mavic Mini's flight controller. The code from this video can be found here:github.com/dbaldwin/Mobile-SDK-iOS/blob/master/Sample%20Code/SwiftSampleCode/DJISDKSwiftDemo/GameController/GameControllerViewController.swiftPlease give it a test and let me know how it goes!Thanks.
Accessing Video Frames in DJI SDK for QR Code Scanner & Feature Detection with DJI Drones Dennis Baldwin 2020-08-19 | Here is a link to the modified Mobile SDK iOS project for DJI drones using Swift:github.com/dbaldwin/Mobile-SDK-iOSHere is a link to the specific view controller covered in the video:github.com/dbaldwin/Mobile-SDK-iOS/blob/master/Sample%20Code/SwiftSampleCode/DJISDKSwiftDemo/FPVImageDetector/FPVImageDetectorViewController.swift
Mavic Mini with DJI SDK 4.13 & Virtual Sticks Coordinate System Overview Dennis Baldwin 2020-08-02 | I'm really excited about DJI's announcement of SDK support for Mavic Mini. As of SDK 4.13 we now have limited Mavic Mini support. By that I mean that there are certain things that work, but the main thing that's missing is waypoint programming. That being said, in this video I walk through my experience and understanding of ground and body coordinate systems with the SDK.My fork of DJI's Mobile iOS code can be found here:github.com/dbaldwin/mobile-sdk-iosand specifically the VirtualSticksViewController Swift code is located here:github.com/dbaldwin/Mobile-SDK-iOS/blob/master/Sample%20Code/SwiftSampleCode/DJISDKSwiftDemo/VirtualSticks/VirtualSticksViewController.swiftPlease feel free to try it out, make it better, and submit a pull request. I'll be sharing more details as it relates to SDK 4.13 and the virtual sticks API soon. Subscribe to my DJI SDK Playlist here:youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8U6Ww3qk3X0Cg2hAg_RLELxVXD_NbY3SThanks for watching!
Bixler Quadplane VTOL with ArduPilot Maiden #2 Dennis Baldwin 2020-07-21 | It wasn't perfect, but it worked! A big thanks to the ArduPilot dev community for making this possible. I was able to repair the Bixler after my first VTOL crash and get it back in the air. This video covers the process as well as the transition to forward flight and transition back to hover and then land.You'll notice some serious oscillations when making the final turn before landing. I believe this has to do with the STALL_PREVENTION parameters and code. I will be reviewing the log files and then trying to tune my frame in the coming weeks.Thanks for following along!
FrSky Telemetry Voltage Sensor and Audible Low Voltage Alarm with Taranis QX7 Dennis Baldwin 2020-07-05 | Here is the FrSky voltage sensor from the video:amzn.to/38uZymrand here is a link to the ZOHD Drift FPV Glider my buddy Ryan was flying with:bit.ly/2ZFmBGXHe got the version with built-in stabilization and I highly recommend gyro stabilization if you're just getting started. The plane flies incredibly well!
Bixler Quadplane Maiden - Perfect Forward Transition Ends in Nose Dive Dennis Baldwin 2020-06-16 | I'm bummed to report that although the Qhover to FBWA transition went off with out a hitch that I ended up stalling the Bixler Quadplane. It was a ton of fun to fly for the two minutes it was in the air! This video covers a bit about the log file analysis and some things I will do in the future to prevent this from happening again. Be sure to pay attention on you maiden and keep that throttle up! Thanks to Ryan for filming this and be sure to subscribe to his channel here:youtube.com/channel/UCbzLsCc3r3Mae27Yyw7UF0gand if you want to look at the discussion of the log analysis you can do so here:discuss.ardupilot.org/t/bixler-quadplane-crash-after-perfect-transition-to-fbwa-modeI hope to get another VTOL in the air soon. Thanks for following along
HoverGames Drone w/ ROS WebSockets: Arm, Takeoff, and Land via Web Browser Dennis Baldwin 2020-05-12 | I wanted to share the progression of the NXP HoverGames drone project. Aside from MAVROS I recently added ROS Bridge Server and roslibjs. Here is the html page/script from the demonstration in the video:gist.github.com/dbaldwin/2edc78b079a8b48c9e88472a36ae6786I'm looking forward to further experimentation. Thanks for following along!
Python Setup for Intel RealSense T265 with Jetson Nano and Ubuntu 18.04 Dennis Baldwin 2020-05-02 | I wanted to document the process I went through to get my Python development environment up and running with Jetson Nano and Intel's T265 tracking camera. While there is documentation out there I kept running into dead ends. You'll want to install the librealsense2-utils as documented here:github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/blob/master/doc/installation_jetson.mdThat will get you to the point where you can run realsense-viewer and see the data stream from the camera and sensors. Don't worry about installing librealsense2-dev as you'll want to build from source.Make sure you clone the repo to your local machine and then following these steps to get your Python dev environment working:github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/tree/master/wrappers/pythonThe instruction about using "pip install pyrealsense2" did not work for me so I built from source. Make sure you clone the repo and when you configure the project with cmake be sure to specify the path to python 2 and not 3. For some reason I could not get python 3 to work. So your cmake will look like this:cmake ../ -DBUILD_PYTHON_BINDINGS:bool=true -DPYTHON_EXECUTABLE=/usr/bin/pythonOnce you make and install be sure to update your PYTHONPATH:export PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:/usr/local/libI'm excited about the possibilities with this camera and hope this video was helpful.
Powering Raspberry Pi 4 and Connecting to NXP FMU for HoverGames Drone Dennis Baldwin 2020-04-15 | It turns out there is only one telemetry port on the NXP FMU so that led me to take a different approach for connecting to Raspberry Pi 4. I also cover powering the Pi4 4 companion computer with a Castle Creations BEC. If you'd like to see some of the commands referenced in this video you can go here:gist.github.com/dbaldwin/351cd33710e212cbe274757b411f9f76I'm looking forward to getting some flight commands in place. Stay tuned!
Installing ROS and MAVROS on Raspberry Pi4 with Ubuntu Server 18.04.4 LTS Dennis Baldwin 2020-04-09 | I wanted to share the process I went through to install ROS and MAVROS on Raspberry Pi 4 with Ubuntu server. Here is the installation gist I created for the project:gist.github.com/dbaldwin/4695149740e59a9d998f4e95fbe1d298and a little background info on setting up wireless for Raspberry Pi 4:gist.github.com/dbaldwin/fa1baac11b0ae2f000092b695c3d0b33and finally, some ROS commands you can run to test your installation after connecting to your PX4-based flight controller:gist.github.com/dbaldwin/351cd33710e212cbe274757b411f9f76Please feel free to share any thoughts or questions. Thanks.
HoverGames Drone Vibration Analysis w/ PX4 Flight Review - Dont Let Vibrations Kill Your MultiRotor Dennis Baldwin 2020-04-03 | I wanted to share the process I went through to deal with crazy oscillations with the HoverGames drone kit. The kit is solid but the foam tape that comes with it should not be used to mount the flight controller. I did some analysis using the PX4 Flight Review site and the awesome documentation provided here:dev.px4.io/v1.9.0/en/log/flight_log_analysis.htmlUsing the vibration foam that came with one of my old 3DR Pixhawk kits did the trick. This video shows the before and after results.
Tello Video Stream with Less Than 100 Lines of Code - Node JS and FFmpeg Dennis Baldwin 2020-03-26 | Here is the source code from the video:github.com/dbaldwin/tello-video-nodejs-websocketsand the JSmpeg project that was instrumental in helping me pull this off:github.com/phoboslab/jsmpegand finally, here is the Node-RED flow:github.com/dbaldwin/DroneBlocks-Tello-EDU-Node-RED/blob/master/15_node_red_tello_video.jsonGood luck and I hope you're able to stream video with Tello and Tello EDU!
DJI SDK Virtual Sticks and Custom Flight Logic for Indoor Flight with Spark Dennis Baldwin 2020-03-21 | I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. I'm practicing social distancing and have been heads down in code. Wanted to share this video of working with the DJI SDK and the Virtual Sticks API. The code repository from this video can be found here:github.com/dbaldwin/Mobile-SDK-iOSPlease feel free to download and give it a run. If you have any ideas for custom flight modes please let me know. I'd ultimately like to couple this with ArUco markers and do some indoor vision positioning. Hopefully I can get access the camera feed and be able to process this on iOS. Just not sure what the performance will be like. Oh yeah, here is the Math Is Fun link that helped me tremendously while putting together this demonstration:mathsisfun.com/algebra/trig-interactive-unit-circle.htmlThanks for watching!
NXP Hovergames Drone Kit - My Favorite Build Yet Dennis Baldwin 2020-03-16 | This NXP drone kit was a real joy to assemble and well thought out. I'm excited what possibilities lie ahead with this platform. I'll be sharing more details soon and am anxious to get it in the air. Hopefully I haven't spoken too soon! Here is a link to the kit:nxp.com/applications/solutions/industrial/aerospace-and-mobile-robotics/uavs-drones-and-rovers/nxp-hovergames-drone-kit-including-rddrone-fmuk66-and-peripherals:KIT-HGDRONEK66and you can check out the documentation here:nxp.gitbook.io/hovergamesMore info coming soon. Thanks for following along.
DJI SDK Virtual Sticks Bug Fix for Simulator Dennis Baldwin 2020-03-11 | I hope everyone is doing well. I've been MIA for a while with various projects and wanted to continue the process of documenting what I'm up to. So I'm going to be more diligent about uploading.This is a project that I've been working on recently and trying to get more familiar with DJI's Virtual Sticks API. Their demo app can lead to problems if you're not careful. So I've forked the code on GitHub and made what I believe to be the right modifications to the code. You can find a fork of the code here:github.com/dbaldwin/iOS-SimulatorDemoand this is the specific commit I discuss in the video:github.com/dbaldwin/iOS-SimulatorDemo/commit/8d728967478a5d472871b1fcc966f501eac0923cI hope you find this helpful if you're diving into the DJI SDK. Comments and feedback welcome. Thanks for following along.
Bixler QuadPlane Update #4 Control Surface Check Dennis Baldwin 2019-10-22 | I'm anxious to transition the Bixler QuadPlane to forward flight, but felt it was necessary to do an in-depth video on the behavior of control surfaces in both manual and assisted flight modes (FBWA). These are simple checks that once you understand how the surfaces behave you won't have to worry about anything other than flying. Hopefully in the next video I'll get to do my first transition with this QuadPlane. Thanks for following along
DroneBlocks Offline Storage for Chrome, iOS, & Android Dennis Baldwin 2019-10-17 | DroneBlocks offline storage was released 10/8/19 for Chrome, iOS, & Android. If you have any questions or want to report a bug please join our Facebook group
Bixler QuadPlane Update #3 - Garage Hover Dennis Baldwin 2019-10-17 | Got everything connected up and was able to do a garage hover with the Bixler 3 QuadPlane and Pixhawk Cube.Some of the specs with the build so far:4.25 lbs AUW10x4.5 APC MR propsSuppo 2212/15 930kv motors3000mAh 4S Turnigy LipoHere is the thrust chart I referenced in the video:apcprop.com/files/PER3_10x45MR.datI'm hoping to do some tuning and get into forward flight soon.
Bixler QuadPlane Update #2 - Mobile Workbench & Wiring Dennis Baldwin 2019-10-08 | I'm really enjoying the mobile workbench for this Bixler QuadPlane build. I looked around at IKEA for various tables, but you can't beat the price and durability of building it yourself. Yes it will take some time and require some tools, but it's pretty straightforward. Here is the build video that inspired me:youtube.com/watch?v=V43riirEthkKeep in mind that my total cost was about $125, but you may be able to do it cheaper.Now onto the Bixler Quadplane build.... I'm about 75% done and have everything pretty much wired up. Now it's a matter of connecting the cables and get power to the forward flight ESC, something that I overlooked originally. That should be done this week and then I'll move onto loading Pixhawk firmware and configuring for QuadPlane params.Thanks for following along.
VTOL Revisited - Bixler 3 QuadPlane Dennis Baldwin 2019-10-01 | I failed to get the Sweepwings Flinch Tailsitter into forward flight. It hovered really well, but forward flight led to a crash breaking one of my 3d printed motor mounts. So I'm opting for what I hope is a simpler build with this Bixler 3 QuadPlane based on Greg Covey's build log:discuss.ardupilot.org/t/quadplane-conversion-of-hobby-king-bix3-trainer/10368Greg has done a great job with this build and I'm hoping to follow suit. I will share updates throughout the rest of this project. Assuming things go well I will follow up with a more extensive video showing the build from start to finish.
DJI RoboMaster S1 Build Video Dennis Baldwin 2019-07-10 | DJI RoboMaster S1 Kit: amzn.to/2LLetPTWARNING: This is a looooong video. I wanted to share the process I went through to assemble the DJI RoboMaster S1. It's a really straightforward build and I'm looking forward to testing the programming capabilities of the robot. It can be programmed in Scratch and Python. Stay tuned for upcoming videos that talk about programming.
DJI Spark SDK 4.10 & DroneBlocks Testing Dennis Baldwin 2019-07-05 | It's been a while since I've posted and I've been heads down with the DJI SDK 4.10. This new release has seen a lot of improvements so I wanted to test Spark compatibility, which has greatly improved since the previous version.Spark has a limited gimbal pitch compared to other DJI aircraft so that's something I wanted to share in this DroneBlocks demonstration. Also, with the mission control API it's still possible to give manual input to the aircraft, which can be advantageous in certain situations.I plan on posting more information about the DJI SDK in the near future. We plan on exposing a lot of the SDK functionality in the DroneBlocks app, which will allow for some really interesting applications.Feel free to download DroneBlocks and give it a try with DJI Spark, Mavic Pro, Phantom, and Ryze Tello:apps.apple.com/us/app/droneblocks/id1045826508
Streaming Video from Tello and Tello EDU Drones with Python Dennis Baldwin 2019-01-04 | I wanted to share a brief introduction to accessing Tello and Tello EDU drones video stream with Python. The fork of DJI's repository can be found here: github.com/dbaldwin/Tello-PythonI will be sharing more updates soon as it relates to doing image processing with the Tello video stream.If you'd like to learn more about programming Tello with Python then please check out the DroneBlocks curriculum:http://learn.droneblocks.ioThanks for following along!
Tello EDU Drone Swarming Tutorial with Packet Sender and Python Dennis Baldwin 2018-12-11 | This is a detailed overview of how to configure Tello EDU to swarm using Packet Sender and Python. You'll need an access point for to achieve this functionality. Here is the one I used in the video:amzn.to/2TR1r56I've found that the easiest way to test a UDP connection is with Packet Sender, which is free and available for many different operating systems:packetsender.comYou can find the Python network scan script and box mission at the repo below:github.com/dbaldwin/droneblocks-telloedu-pythonI'll be working on improving the code to make it easier to find Tello EDU's IP address when connected to your access point.So far I'm impressed with the consistency/accuracy of drone swarming. Both drones seem to follow commands in a near-identical manner. Very cool.If you network experts have any tips on simplifying the process for grabbing the IP address of the Tello EDU drones please share in the comments below.Thanks for watching.
OpenDroneMap Revisited w/ DroneBlocks Mapping and DJI Phantom 4 Dennis Baldwin 2018-10-15 | Over the weekend I had a chance to run some recent imagery through OpenDroneMap via Docker and I can say that these are the best results I've seen so far. Keep in mind that ODM is open source and free. I know the team is working hard to create a tool that can compete with many of the more expensive commercial options out there.Here is the DroneBlocks mission code that I flew with my Phantom 4:dev.droneblocks.io/index.html?view=1&missionId=-KrgyLV04Di6fXP9DhEsHere is the imagery acquired from the mission above if you want to download and try to run it through ODM:dropbox.com/sh/m5o7xjxqhchfei5/AAAkpKXkQkiPL6GSfVO5Rce_a?dl=0The OpenDroneMap GitHub repo is located here:github.com/OpenDroneMap/OpenDroneMapYou can download Docker from here:store.docker.com/editions/community/docker-ce-desktop-macLastly, here is the Sketchfab model from the ODM texturing output:sketchfab.com/models/90812aeb6a3e4539b243c46a736487afI'll be sharing more info on the latest version of OpenDroneMap in upcoming videos.Please feel free to leave a question or comment below.
DroneBlocks and DJI Spark Dennis Baldwin 2018-09-25 | I get frequently asked about Spark support within DroneBlocks. As of DJI SDK 4.7.1 I've seen some great results with Spark. I'm really excited about the possibilities of such a small GPS-based drone with DroneBlocks. This video talks about the Wifi connection process as well as a quick backyard demo. If you'd like to test with your DJI Spark, Mavic, or Phantom please check out our online curriculum:learn.droneblocks.io
Connecting DJI Drones to 3rd Party Apps with iOS/Android Using SDK 4.7.1 and Mavic Air Dennis Baldwin 2018-09-10 | I get asked this question all the time and while the answer is fairly straightforward for iOS the Android process is a bit more complicated. This video walks through how to use 3rd party apps for DJI drones on both iOS and Android.If you have any tips or suggestions please feel free to post them below. At the time of this video DJI SDK 4.7.1 was just released.The biggest problem I had with Android was I had it always remember the USB connection, which is not what you want if you're toggling between several different drone apps.
Tips for Post Processing Drone Panoramas with Kolor Tools and Facebook 360 Photo Upload Dennis Baldwin 2018-08-25 | I wanted to share my current workflow for post processing panoramas shot with DronePan and my Mavic Pro (amzn.to/2wb0oCA). Keep in mind that this process can apply to DJI GO4 panos as well. I prefer Kolor's Autopano Pro over DJI GO4's auto stitching.I cover how to use Kolor Autopano Pro and Panotour's basic features. I also cover how to add a full sky to your pano and upload to Facebook. Please feel free to join our Facebook group to learn from panorama experts:facebook.com/groups/dronepan
PlutoX Drone Programming First Look Dennis Baldwin 2018-08-17 | In this video I decided to take a look at the programming environment for PlutoX. The IDE is called Cygnus and is based off Eclipse. I cover installation and running some sample code that uses the accelerometer to plot the Z acceleration and toggle the LEDs based on up/down movement. The document from this video can be found here:docs.google.com/document/d/1K9kG2KSfn0LGArDMtmWiN64JXZ3mju9xubtNxHtMZfs/edit
PlutoX: A First Look Dennis Baldwin 2018-08-03 | I'm looking at PlutoX from Drona Aviation for potential integration into DroneBlocks. It looks to be a highly capable micro drone with modular add-ons. You can learn more about it here:dronaaviation.com/plutoxThis video gives a brief overview of the hardware, app, and maiden flight. In upcoming videos I will be covering the software development aspects of the drone.Please leave any questions or comments below. Thanks!
RMRC Recruit V2 FPV Wing Build, Wiring, FrSky Taranis Config and Maiden Dennis Baldwin 2018-07-22 | I'm really enjoying this little FPV wing and it's hard to beat for the money. At the time of this video the wing runs $85 and you can find it here:readymaderc.com/products/details/rmrc-recruit-stealth-black-epp-wing-pnpI'm looking forward to getting my FPV gear installed and doing a FPV maiden. Thanks for tuning in and please leave any questions or comments below.
