During this week, our project is finalized with the control design perspective instead of the aerodynamic design. Beside that, our helicopter DBF team has:
1. Received the pixhawk and started on learning the interface of the pixhawk. We have never had any experience in pixhawk or even setting up a control system. Hence, we seeked advice from a PhD student and online to start.
2. Figured out the power requirement of the pixhawk and the servos.
3. Learned about how to set up the circuit and electronics of the pixhawk and how to connect the servos.
4. Started to design a circuit that can power the pixhawk and the servo with a battery since the pixhawk can not provide enough power for the servos, but the servos need to be connected to the pixhawk for data.
5. Started to program the radio and set up the gyro for the servos in our prototype helicopter in preparation of a RC test flight. Our team has no experience in how to adjust and calibrate the servos and the gyro. But with the assistance from others and instructions , we successfully set up the collective control surfaces to perform as ailerons, elevators, throttle, and rudder.
6. Also attended the safety review for the MAE 189 project. We reviewed our potential risks with our supervisors and peers. Discussed on how to prevent risks from causing harm and how to deal with the possible failures. Gained insights of how to operate the project with an even higher safety level.