Slashdot Mirror
World's Smallest Homebrew RC Unit
MC68040 writes "I assume you've seen the mini-helicopters and airplanes that are becoming increasingly popular as office toys out there. Well this guy decided the market wasn't filled enough, luckily =)
He's built the by far simplest and most functional mini Remote Controlled unit. It weighs under 7 grams, is made of carbon fiber and it's smaller than your thumb (or a hamster, as the author seems to prefer to compare).
Go check it, it's truly a amazing feat."
The small cheapo ones don't have gyros. The more expensive, larger RC ones usually do.
Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
Since the technology has been patented . . .
Stop right there with that incorrect premise. A patent was applied for in 2001, no mention of any patent being granted.
http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:Q2NWz3JwXhIJ: pixelito.reference.be/+pixelito&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
A patent was filed early 2001. The 'problem' is that soon after that, a company took a license on this technology, and required to keep confidentiality. This implies I can not show pictures, or give details or comments about the way this works.
European patent search
DEVICE FOR STEERING A HELICOPTER, filed 24-03-2003, inventor Van de Rostyne, Alexander, number WO03080433; on this link, simply click on the number again to get access to 31 pages (each in one PDF document)..
The original link is slashdotted, but at least we can admire this guy's "secret" patent.
SCO employee? Check out the bounty
Still, for larger (larger than 7 g anyways) R/C planes, these things are *very* nice. I put one in just about all my planes, and already they've saved me lots of trekking around in the woods looking for a plane of mine that I've lost ...
Patent applications are searchable if they are published (many are, but not all), even if the patent has not been granted yet. I'm not sure about abandoned applications, though. In addition, the full text of every patent since the mid-1970's is available online at www.uspto.gov. Anyone, AFAIK, can use this website.
Ed
Look at the site's URL. Alaxender isn't in the United States. Why assume he filed the patent with the uspto? Still, the "secret" may be a matter of public record, but not likely at the link you gave.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
there's a nice article here
I have managed to get a picture off the slashdotted webpage. Appears small might be an overstatement of its size.
Candle burns its brightest in the dark
I just read about this nifty contraption in Backyard Flyer magazine, a publication for miniature RC planes and such. there's a little column on it, with a URL that they haven't posted yet.
It says that the first one he built was in 1997, and it weighed 125 grams. "20 prototypes later, the Pixelito still has 4-channel control and weighs just 6.9 grams--almost 20 times lighter!" Apparently, it is controlled by IR from a modified futaba radio, so he wouldn't have to worry about it going out of sight, lol.
btw: the body is made out of a single 1mm-diameter carbon-fiber rod. sweet.
68.3% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
Actually, you can nearly buy a 100 grams one from Petter Muren, Oslo, who can get a mini video cam, and can be driven entirely with the image (it's much more stable). In fact, proxflyer also made a sub 7 grams helico, and the two men have done that in friendly competition. Here is their press release:
with a picture
They beat Epson who did a 9 grams one just one month before: Press release
If you want more on micro R/C, see RC groups
If you want to buy a 10 grams living room plane,
Didel, Switzerland sells a kit. The weight record seems to be 4.4 grams, with muscle wire
--
Croco
That's not true... that's just what you learn on slashdot because everyone just reads the patent synopsis or summary or whatever (Which has no legal standing) and doesn't read the patent and all it's claims.
Could anybody who knows the physics behind this please explain how this thing will perform/behave compared to a normal RC heli, and then compared to a full size heli?
No idea but the Hoverfly flies like its much larger brothers by using small upward facing motors on its rotors and then co-ordinating them electronically. It does have a small gyro but there are no servos since cyclic and collective are controlled electronically and the anti-torque rotor is much smaller than normal since it's not the main rotor providing the thrust.
--- Hot Shot City is particularly good.
How do powerlines affect an infrared signal?
I temporarily Mirrored the site here:
http://gw.nsa.co.il/pixelito
It was simply too slow and I figured why not...
Skaag
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain... time... to... die...
Needless to say, Richard doesn't have anything to do with hamsters.
I particularly like the following part: "Cedars-Sinai is apparently the best-staffed hospital in the world, since several hundred different doctors and nurses were reportedly on duty at the time Mr. Gere was allegedly brought in for treatment."
And the recording of a radio announcer breaking up (300 Kb, Real Audio) as he attempted to read one of the versions of the "gerbil in the anus" article as a straight news story.
Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one.
Even though the guy does not sell the ones he builds he got together with a German company a while ago called Ikarus. You can now buy micro-helicopters all over the Internet at places like http://www.slyshobbyden.net/fun_piccolo .
Radio Shacks ZipZap Special Edition 1/64th scale RC cars use a digital proportional control system for throttle and steering. When it works correctly you get about 7 discreet steering steps to the left and right, 5 foward speeds and 3 reverse.
Unfortunately Radio Shack can't seem to get the manufacturing right and the steering usually sucks in a big way. There are three models of the PCB (so far), one can be fixed and works beautifully, the other two pretty much just suck.
You can find lots of information about the various cars on the micro RC forums, one of which can be found here . Just be aware that most of the contributors are in the 10-15 year old age range.
You can get them in the US from Bob Selman (http://users.joplin.com/~bselman/JMPCombo.htm).