I. Intro
This project lasted from September 2019 to April 2020. Eventually, we didn’t make it fly.
Fall 2023 Update: Finally we fly it! Check this post!
From January 2023 to March 2023, as the last person who know about the RV Jet, I joined Prof. Rose and Dr. Lercel’s “RV Jet Reviving Project.”
The following document, RV Jet Operating Procedure Manual, was constructed in April 2020 and updated by me on February 3rd, 2023. The only thing I added was how to do the pairing of the transmitter (page 13). In this manual, you can find 90% of the materials about the RV Jet. I put all the wiring diagrams (there might be overlap) and the reference links at the end of this post.
II. RV Jet Operating Procedure Manual
III. Additional Material and Reference
1. Wiring Diagrams
2. Additional Manuals
(1). RV Jet Manual
(2). Skydroid T12 Controller Manual
*Attention: if you are trying to pairing the receiver, please also refer to the pairing section on page 13 of the RV Jet OPM
(3). SF11 Laser Altimeter Manual
3. Additional Reference and Notes
(1). Airframe
Airframe build: https://docs.px4.io/v1.9.0/en/airframes/airframe_reference.html throttle is in Main CH4
ESC: ESC works with 4S Li-Po batteries. It has reverse function to help slow down the aircraft.
(2). Airspeed sensor
VTOL Without an Airspeed Sensor: https://docs.px4.io/main/en/config_vtol/vtol_without_airspeed_sensor.html
- To bypass the flight checks you need to set the circuit breaker for the airspeed sensor (CBRK_AIRSPD_CHK) to 162128.
- To tell the flight controller that it is fling without an airspeed sensor you need to set the airspeed mode to ‘Airspeed disabled’ (FW_ARSP_MODE=1).
(3). GPS
Config: https://docs.px4.io/main/en/gps_compass/
HEX/ProfiCNC Here2 GPS detail: https://docs.px4.io/main/en/gps_compass/gps_hex_here2.html
Here 2 GPS firmware update: https://docs.cubepilot.org/user-guides/here-2/updating-here-2-firmware
(4). SF11/C Lidar
Distance sensors (range finder) (general): https://docs.px4.io/main/en/sensor/rangefinders.html
LightWare SF1X/SF02/LW20 Lidar: https://docs.px4.io/v1.9.0/en/sensor/sfxx_lidar.html
Basic set up, make sure PixHawk 2 Cube and Lidar have the same baud rate (I2C, or serial (TELEM2)): https://docs.px4.io/main/en/sensor/sfxx_lidar.html
Lightware studio: https://lightwarelidar.com/pages/lightware-studio
Driver: https://docs.px4.io/main/en/modules/modules_driver_distance_sensor.html#sf1xx
Serial config: https://docs.px4.io/v1.9.0/en/peripherals/serial_configuration.html
You can include the missing driver in firmware by uncommenting (or adding) the driver in the default.cmake config file that corresponds to the board you want to build for. For example, to enable the sf0x driver, you would remove the # at the beginning of the line below.
#distance_sensor/sf0x(5). PixHawk 2 Cube
If you want to build the firmware for your platform: https://docs.px4.io/main/en/dev_setup/building_px4.html
I2C pin layout: https://www.mathworks.com/help/supportpkg/px4/ref/bus-mapping.html
All pin layout: https://discuss.ardupilot.org/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d1159ae11c769742a9824ebf57131bf0e30db724.png
PX4 Parameter reference: https://docs.px4.io/main/en/advanced_config/parameter_reference.html
Video overlay (OSD): https://docs.qgroundcontrol.com/master/en/FlyView/VideoOverlay.html
IV. Conclusion
Even we made everything work (Pixhawk 2 Cube, GPS, pitot tube, Lidar, ESC, transmitter), we didn’t fly them. One of the reasons I heard was that Dr. Lercel wanted to add some thing like Remote ID that can report the live location.