Submitted via IRC for BoyceMagooglyMonkey
Surely our readers are well aware of all the downsides of owning an airplane. Certainly the cost of fuel is a big one. Birds are a problem, probably. That bill from the traveling propeller sharpener is a killer too...right? Alright fine, we admit it, nobody here at Hackaday owns an airplane. But probably neither do most of you; so don't look so smug, pal.
But if you did own a plane, or at least work at a small airport, you’d know that moving the things around on the ground is kind of a hassle. Smaller planes can be pulled by hand, but once they get up to a certain size you’ll want some kind of vehicle to help out. [Anthony DiPilato] wanted a way to move around a roughly 5,200 pound Cessna 310, and decided that all the commercial options were too expensive. So he built his own Arduino powered tank to muscle the airplane around the tarmac (if site is down try Google cache), and his journey from idea to finished product is absolutely fascinating to see.
So the idea here is pretty simple. A little metal cart equipped with two beefy motors, an Arduino Mega, a pair of motor controllers, and a HC-08 Bluetooth module so you can control it from your phone. How hard could it be, right? Well, it turns out combining all those raw components into a little machine that's strong enough to tow a full-scale aircraft takes some trial and error.
Source: https://hackaday.com/2018/06/19/an-arduino-powered-tank-built-to-pull-planes/
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday June 22 2018, @02:03AM
I used a Raspberry Pi to control the mood lighting on my private jet.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by anubi on Friday June 22 2018, @04:40AM
I consider the Arduino simple enough to do what *I* tell it to do. To it, I am GOD.
If its not powerful enough, use more of them. Distributed processing. Really time critical stuff? Throw in a few Propeller chips. Eye candy? Throw in some HMI's.
Now, should I use a "business grade" system, I am subordinated to what someone else tells it to do, and it may or may not do what I want it to do, maybe have to phone home all the time to get someone else's permission, and even if it does, it may do so only until the next "update", when it gets its mandates from its real owner, which is not me.
I know when I am using business grade systems, its like living in a rented house, and the instant I do not agree to whatever terms and conditions someone else imposes on me, I am out on the street. I am held hostage to someone else.
We both have different need-sets. I may want a device to watch a window, and observe RF reflection patterns in an area, and wake me should any be detected, whereas a business-grade system may need confirmation that an ad has been seen, accounts are up to date, and all terms have been agreed to. Business-grade systems usually come delivered by a man wearing a business suit, you get a smile and a handshake thrown into the deal, and opportunity to sign papers, whereas an Arduino comes in a box, and you have to learn how to speak its language and build whatever interfaces you may need.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Friday June 22 2018, @06:09AM (2 children)
Saw one of these for full size passenger planes a couple decades ago, I think it was on "Beyond 2000" or some TV show like it. The proto-type was being tested at some airport in Europe. It was supposed to save thousands of gallons of fuel since the plans would not need to use their engines to move around the airport. Sounded like a really good idea.
No idea what happened at the end of the testing. Maybe the company didn't get enough funding or there just wasn't enough interest from the airports. Given the cost of fuel now it might be worth re-thinking and updating this idea
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 1) by pTamok on Friday June 22 2018, @10:46AM
That was probably Lufthansa (LEOS) at Frankfurt: http://www.taxibot-international.com/ [taxibot-international.com]
As for smaller robotic/remote control tugs, there are lots of offerings:
https://www.mototok.com/ [mototok.com]
https://www.towflexx.com/ [towflexx.com]
http://smartug.com/ [smartug.com]
and that was a simple web search.
(Score: 2) by JeanCroix on Friday June 22 2018, @01:14PM