Autonomous Helicopter EE 496 James Lyden Harris Okazaki

Project Overview The goal of this project was to create a helicopter capable of flying itself. Our initial objective was to get the helicopter to hover on its own.

Systems Computer with Bluetooth  Interpret sensor data/calculate and maintain course Transceiver: Class 1 Bluetooth Radio  Send formatted sensor readings to the PC  Receive control signals from the PC PIC Microcontroller/ADC/DAC  Collect/Format sensor readings prior to transmission  Convert/split control signals prior to sending to servos Gyroscope Sensor  Read rotation around rotor axis Accelerometer Sensors  Read acceleration in X, Y, and Z directions

Sensor Orientation

Block Diagram - Hardware

Block Diagram – Master Controller

Block Diagram – Slave Controller

Final status Things we got to work  Accelerometer  Gyros  Blue tooth  Slave microcontroller  Dual power supply Problems we had  Voltage step Voltage regulators  Blue tooth Replace solder pad

Latest Prototype

OUTSTANDING PROBLEMS Disabling USB support on the microcontroller Communication between PC and the microcontroller via UART In-circuit debugger Serial communications  Add a SPI-to-RS232 chip Haven't coded for a PID  We have the raw data available on board with no way to get it to the computer

Conclusion We were able to completely design and build a hardware platform that we will be able to expand upon next semester. Our only major roadblock this semester, the UART, will hopefully be resolved early on when we resume the project freeing us up to complete and test all other objectives. GOOD LUCK ON FINALS!!