Technology used to do our steering |
Nov 2/04 |
We used a Pilot Assist to control our steering servo. |
In RC aircraft, there's a unit a hobbiest can buy that provides an 'autopilot' for
their plane. It is called a PilotAssist (PA). In essence, is
a couple of photocells which a control box takes readings from and, based on
the readings, sends signal to a servo to affect the control surfaces of an airplane.
So, if there is a photcell pointing to the left and to the right, if
the right photocell reads more light than the left, the plane is banking to the
left. PA sends signal to the roll ailerons servo to bank right and the
plane straightens out. If both light readings (L-R) are the same, the servo
returns to a centred position. You will see how we use this funtionality on the following pages. A PilotAssist can be seen at Tower Hobbies. |
