SPRING 2016 - EEN 499 SENIOR DESIGN: BIWEEKLY PROGRESS REPORT

Group Members: Nsilo Greene, Kelsea Yarbrough, John Patrick Harris, Tristan Skinner, Jazlyn
Jones, Ashley Deal, Robert Floyd, James Daniels
Project Title: PROJECT T.A.R.A. AND S.P.A.R.T.A.
Advisor: Dr. Demetris Geddis and Dr. Patricia Mead
Date: February 9, 2016
Progress Period: February 9 through February 29, 2016

Progress Report:
Tristian Skinner and Kelsea Yarbrough have completed 20 more hours of simulation practice
using Real Flight 7.5 software. They have completed 30 of the required 100 hours of simulation
training. This program is a training tool for the UAV operation and safety protocol. Tristan and
Kelsea have begun preparing for 10 hours of real time flight with an actual unmanned aerial
vehicle at Debbie's RC world.

Figure 1 and 2: The simulation on the main projector with Tristan Skinner.

The COA was submitted to the campus legal affairs office and has been sent to the FAA for
approval.
A practice airfield has been established at Debbies RC world in Chesapeake, Virginia off of
South Military Hwy
The battery charger has been set up for the required parameters to recharge and balance the Lipo
batteries

Three Lipo batteries have been charged and storage in the RTC cleanroom refrigerator for safe
keeping.
A stand-alone computer has been set up to for software downloads and coding

Figures 3 and 4: The stand alone computer

I: The Firefly 6 building process is almost complete.

Step 1: The negative panel to the power distribution assembly was the component to be
installed. The negative battery cables was soldiered to this negative panel.

Figure 5: The negative panel to the power distribution board is installed.

The test the operation of the motors, one motor was connected to an esc and a bec to test the
operation of the components in series. The motor did not become operational until the bec was
removed from the test circuit. The proper connection of the motors were verified once the
testing was completed.

Figure 6: The motor connected to the esc connected to the bec for testing.

After testing a single motor an esc was installed with every motor. To insure the motors are
connected correctly we use bullet connectors between the esc and the motor. Once we are able to
conduct our bench test and verify the proper rotation of the motor the bullets will be removed
and the connects will be soldiered in place.

Figure 7: Installing the esc to the motor.

Figure 8: The esc with connectors to the motors

Figure 9: All the esc connected to the motors.

Next the positive panel to the power distribution assembly is installed and all connection for the
motors and the pixhawk is soldiered to the panels.

Figure 10: The positive panel to the power distribution board.

The pixhawk and the gps were installed next. Once installed the esc for every motor was
connected to the pixhawk. Then the receiver was installed so the remote control could be used
for calibration. Final the bec was installed and connected to the pixhawk and receiver to protect
both from the high current the motors will be pulling from the battery.

Figure 11: Installation of the pixhawk, receiver, gps and bec

Figure 12: The pixhawk with the receiver, gps and bec installed.

Now we are in the process of programming the pixhawk. Once the pixhawk is programmed we
should be able to calibrate the esc, which will allow us to conduct bench testing of the plane.
After the bench testing, the gimbal and the gopro will be installed along with the circuit for the
second battery.

Figure 13: Power applied to the Pixhawk

Due to problems with programming the pixhawk the timeline has been adjusted. This will allow
more time for programming and verification of the functions of the UAV.

Figure 14: Updated Gantt chart

The initial pixhawk was programmed, but 5 out of 6 electronic speed control (esc) would
communicate with it. The landing gear and the transition servo also did not communicate with
the pixhawk. The afternoon of Friday, February 26, 2016 while replacing the nonworking esc
the firefly 6 caught on fire. The fire was put out but the main body was damaged. The pixhawk,
battery eliminating circuit (bec), global position system (gps) was replaced Saturday after the
rebuild. The power distribution board, 6 motors, 2 esc, all components on both wings and the
transition servo has been savaged.

Figure 15: The UAV right after the fire

Figure 16: After the clean up

After rebuilding the UAV Saturday February 27, 2016, The RC controller will not arm, so no
bench checks were completed. The transition servo and the elevons shifted when the pixhawk
was arm. The new esc need to be soldiered to the motors and the landing gear needs to be tested.
II. Programing the software is making progress
Step 1: Choosing a machine, we chose a dedicated PCThis choice has the highest performance,
is the slowest to setup, and requires dedicated hardware. This is the recommended method.
Step 2: Choosing an Operating System, we chose Ubuntu Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is the operating
system supported by the AUVSI SUAS Competition server.

Figure 24: Ubuntu Operating System Screenshot

Step 3: Installing the Git Repository with AUVSI software updates Teams can either use Git
to download (clone) the repository, or teams can download a ZIP file containing the source code
using Github.

Figure 26: AUVSI Interoperability Github

Step 4: Installing Puppet, which is needed to start the AUVSI server The AUVSI SUAS
competition system uses Puppet to track dependencies and automatically set them up. Teams can
install dependencies manually, but the competition recommends using Puppet.

Figure 27: Puppet installation guide

Step 5: Installing Python, which is not only used for the AUVSI server but also Mission Planner
(the Autopilot) Python is the programming language used to implement the AUVSI SUAS
competition server.
*Python 3 is already installed on all Ubuntu 14.04 Operating Systems*
Step 6: Installing Django Web Server, this is the server used by AUVSI The AUVSI SUAS
competition server is built on top of Django. Django is the main dependency of the competition
system.

Figure 28: Django installation guide

Step 7: Testing if all programs are working /test.sh: Executes all tests for the repository. This
should be used to validate the system is properly setup.

Figure 29: Test passed on all programs

Note: Each of these installations were completed multiple times because of errors within the
installation process and errors with Ubuntu 14.04.

Comments, Concerns, & Suggestions by Advisor:

Students are making progress. However, they need to pick up the pace. They have demonstrated
good teamwork and are dedicated to making this project a success.

Advisors Signature: