Author Topic: hang glider (Read 7564 times)

MangoBot · « **on:** July 25, 2009, 11:53:31 AM »

so i wa thinking if it was possible to attAch a weight to a solenoid and attach it to a small hang glider, there would be sharp ir scanning for objects and two solenoids would push or pull weights to change direction(one for left and right, and one for higher and lower) i was thinking of dropping it off of a rc plane, and maybe have it trying to get to a place using a transmitter receiver.

wil.hamilton · « **Reply #1 on:** July 25, 2009, 12:07:01 PM »

using solenoids for weight shifting would be a good idea. you could also use an 3-axis accelerometer to keep it stable in flight (it might be best to use 2 or 3 of these to compare readings, especially with things like pitch and raw)
as for using the sharp IR, i dont think that would work, the sharp IR has a limited ranged (usually a meter) and that wouldn't give you hang glider enough time to respond, a hang glider would be traveling at about a meter per second.
For obstacle detection you would need something with a greater range

MangoBot · « **Reply #2 on:** July 25, 2009, 12:17:14 PM »

ok, would something like sonar work, and for the material i was thinking of using small plastics rods attached to garbage bags(cut up into sheets) the rods would be the frame,

wil.hamilton · « **Reply #3 on:** July 25, 2009, 01:02:04 PM »

I don't know if sonar has that kind of range either, but, i've never used sonar so, it could.

As for building a hang glider, I would make it like one would make a kite (i.e. use carbon fiber spars and ripstop nylon for the sail). You can search for kite building, i know there are various large communities related to kite building, and i've looked into it before, so i know you can find information on it.

MangoBot · « **Reply #4 on:** July 25, 2009, 02:47:24 PM »

yeah, i have 2.5 acres to experiment with

Joker94 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 25, 2009, 06:30:14 PM »

and you are very lucky to have 2.5 acres to test and experement on.I sure wish i had that much and , do you have farm or something.

MangoBot · « **Reply #6 on:** July 25, 2009, 06:54:49 PM »

no, but we do have a garden, I might even make a remote control glider to launch it, i might use two mercury tilt things

Joker94 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 25, 2009, 07:01:22 PM »

having it remote controlled would be awsome, And you are so lucky to have that much garden

MangoBot · « **Reply #8 on:** July 25, 2009, 07:10:47 PM »

yeah having switches to adjust the position of the solenoids would be cool, a airplane type glider would be cool, actuall i may make a r/c plane instead of the glider and maybe slowly make it more autonomous

Joker94 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 25, 2009, 07:31:54 PM »

that sounds awsome

MangoBot · « **Reply #10 on:** July 25, 2009, 07:34:03 PM »

yeah, i wonder what the first system should be?

SmAsH · « **Reply #11 on:** July 25, 2009, 07:50:08 PM »

well, before you even think about starting this... take into consideration weight of solenoids, batteries, control systems and sensors. this may not seem to weigh a lot, but when its on a glider... it will.
have you considered using flaps instead of weights?

MangoBot · « **Reply #12 on:** July 25, 2009, 08:04:39 PM »

yeah, that is what i will use for the plane

wil.hamilton · « **Reply #13 on:** July 25, 2009, 09:29:35 PM »

Definitely do lots of research before starting this project. Not only should you look into basic aeronautics (for flight control theory), I highly recommend looking at current R/C planes. I'm 98% certain I saw a remote controlled hang glider before, you could look at how they did it (or even buy it and modify it). If you already have an RC glider, replacing the RC bit w/ a microcontroller wouldn't make much of a weight difference.

Joker94 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 25, 2009, 09:48:19 PM »

smash has a good point, weight is going to be amassive issue if you build a glider.

And remember do the math to work out the glide ratio. to see if it is a viable glider

Razor Concepts · « **Reply #15 on:** July 25, 2009, 10:35:06 PM »

Instead of moving the weight why not twist the wing?

Also you will have to learn how to fly hobby-grade RC planes.. they are quite difficult so its best to start out with one that you won't get frustrated with. Check out the hobbyzone super cub.

wil.hamilton · « **Reply #16 on:** July 26, 2009, 08:32:29 AM »

Thinking about it some more, I would consider building more of a traditional glider with traditional control surfaces (rudder, elevator, etc). Something like that would be easier to control I'm thinking.

oh, and for testing considerations, your 2.5 acres probably wont be big enough, in order to have a plane (or glider) that could support the extra weight of a controller and sensors you're going to need a bigger plane, bigger planes require more space. I'd recommend finding a large open field to test in.

Also, you might want to consider a robot controller RC plane first, You could probably buy an RC plane that you could learn to fly on and then set it up to fly on its own maybe?

Quote from: Razor Concepts on July 25, 2009, 10:35:06 PM

Also you will have to learn how to fly hobby-grade RC planes.. they are quite difficult so its best to start out with one that you won't get frustrated with. Check out the hobbyzone super cub.

I agree that you will definitely need to know how to fly an RC plane before you start this project, I'd recommend you towards the Firebird Commander, its not terribly expensive and has everything you need.

MangoBot · « **Reply #17 on:** July 26, 2009, 01:10:08 PM »

for the moving flaps idea i could have hinges and servos attached to rods pushing and pulling different hinges to change elevation(flap on the back) and left and right(one on each side or on straight up on back like the rudder of a plane), and i do have some experience in flying rc planes, and have succesfully used several flight simulators

wil.hamilton · « **Reply #18 on:** July 26, 2009, 07:46:10 PM »

Yea, basic control surfaces sounds right. Thinking back at the hang gliding thing, you could probably get away with just swinging weight left and right (to steer). You could always just kind of place the weight a bit forward so it's in a constant dive. If you have it in a constant shallow dive you basically eliminate the risk of stalling due to wind, etc.

not to mention it would greatly simplify the robot.

MangoBot · « **Reply #19 on:** July 26, 2009, 08:30:39 PM »

yeah, eventually i would like to be able to make something advanced

Joker94 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 27, 2009, 05:38:54 AM »

a good idea when you are first starting to experement with this sort of thing is start simple and over time without even realizing it your skills will build nd there for the complexity of what you are able to achieve.

jamort · « **Reply #21 on:** July 27, 2009, 03:29:26 PM »

I think something like a trike wouldnt be that hard to build... I'd like to see something that can get its self off the ground.... also you could have two motor with propelers on them one on each wing to control tilt(just an idea) solenoids will be too havy and have a pretty hefty price... my best advice is to look into how smaller planes are controlled...(trikes, bushplanes etc.) you may also actually consider a flight simulator

Razor Concepts · « **Reply #22 on:** July 27, 2009, 04:06:54 PM »

Flight simulators will teach nothing at a small scale like this, you will need a RC flight simulator. Mango your idea with servos and linkages is perfect, that is how it is done with rc planes. You are basically building a UAV so maybe check out www.diydrones.com, they are developing the ArduPilot which is very nice and cheap.

Joker94 · « **Reply #23 on:** July 28, 2009, 04:19:58 AM »

if you can, go to a model shop and ask to see if you can have a look at a rc airplane ad get them to explain to you the finer details on how the plains work and see if they can recommend any materials and or techniques.

wil.hamilton · « **Reply #24 on:** July 28, 2009, 06:21:41 AM »

even just looking online at RC airplanes (especially electric trainers) and watching videos, sometimes they have demonstrations on how they work (what controls and control surfaces they have)

MangoBot · « **Reply #25 on:** July 28, 2009, 08:39:08 AM »

yeah about@com has a ok tutorial on howeach control surface changes the way the plane moves

wil.hamilton · « **Reply #26 on:** July 28, 2009, 11:36:20 AM »

I'm sticking firm by my statement that you should learn to fly RC planes before you start this project. That way you will have a better idea, or even an intuition on what you will need in order for this to even be feasible.

MangoBot · « **Reply #27 on:** July 28, 2009, 12:31:36 PM »

i do have experience, i can run a flight simulator(where you are the giant box with hydraulics that move you around, the way people get certified to fly jumbo jets)

Razor Concepts · « **Reply #28 on:** July 28, 2009, 12:43:24 PM »

Flight simulators are absolutely nothing like planes on a small scale like these. The bigger you get, the more stable things are. You really need some in-depth flying with twitchy rc aircraft, because they can go from flying perfectly to on-the-ground in literally the blink of an eye. I will guarantee you will crash/lose your plane without lots of experience! This is particularly why you don't see little UAVs flying around all the time, they require a lot of time and effort to fly correctly. People spend months simply trying to get an autonomous system working on a proven RC airframe, yet alone a new design.

Not to be a downer, but I have seen quite a few people jump right in to UAVs with little RC experience, end up with a hunk of foam a week later and ask why the $400 UAV just crashed.

Joker94 · « **Reply #29 on:** July 29, 2009, 05:32:46 AM »

the hydralics is how people learn to fly jumbos but only 10% the rest of the time is with books and in light aircraft. Remeber that you need you pilots licence before you can become a jumbo pilot so they already know how to fly. They just use the simulator to get used to all of the systems as there are thousands and only use it a little bit to work out the handling of airplanes, after that they need to fly the real thing.

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Author Topic: hang glider (Read 7564 times)