First units received

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  2013-04-29  |     |    43 Comments

Finally after more than 2 years of work on the kit, the first Crazyflie Nano Quadcopters are arriving at customers! It’s been a long journey with lots of ups and downs, and we are really happy that we managed to reach the goal (and on time).

For anyone who missed the pre-order, more kits will be available at Seeedstudio from the 6th of May. In addition to the products that are already there we will also make the motor-mounts available as spare parts. The 6-DOF and 10-DOF kits will be the same as for the pre-order (include the Crazyradio dongle) but the price for the 10-DOF kit will be updated to $179. Why the new price? Adding the two sensors turned out to be a bit more pricey then we thought.

Now to the technical stuff, here are some of the updates since last week:

  • Updated assembly with the new motor-mounts
  • Binary distribution page containing a brand new Windows installer for the Crazyflie Client (no need to install dependencies anymore) and also the latest firmware build for the Crazyflie.
  • A lot of smaller bug-fixes in the client and improved performance of the Crazyflie. So make sure to update to the latest firmware/client when you get you Crazyflie.
  • The Wiki is being updated (as always) and we are doing our best to catch up. We haven’t had time to set up the registration for the wiki, but if you feel like doing some editing drop us an email and we will set you up with an account.

Since this is the first time the Crazyflie and Crazyflie PC client are distributed there are bound to be bugs that we haven’t caught yet. So if you find any bugs it would be great if you wanted to drop by our Bitbucket page and report issues. And if you feel the urge to write some code, then have a look at how to contribute. There will probably be some bug reports and if not there’s always the wishlist.

We are always eager to get some feedback from our users so drop by our forum and let us know what you think about our projects or to pitch some crazy project ideas.

We finally got to measure the weight more precisely, just under 19g

Crazyflie weight with new motor mounts

Crazyflie weight with new motor mounts

A big thanks to Seeedstudio for making this possible. And to all of you, we really hope you enjoy your new Crazyflies :-)

 

43 comments on “First units received”

    • Word of advice to those about to assemble – take your time when soldering the motor wires. Steer clear of coffee and redbull too – a steady touch is required here ;)

      I found it easier to locate all the wires in their holes before soldering. Secure them temporarily with a piece of tape to prevent them from popping out while soldering from the opposite side. A magnifying lamp or jewelers loupe is also helpful.

      Mine is fully assembled. It successfully powered and POST’ed. CrazyRadio and Client software successfully communicate (receives telemetry). Firmware has been updated.

      This evening will be the first flight test (after I go pick up a controller).

      Reply

      • Thanks for sharing! Now with the new motor mounts we have also found it easier to locate the motor wires in the holes before soldering.
        Keep us updated with you maiden flight.

        Reply

        • After a few days of flying, I think I’m getting the hang of it. Although it seems to require a *very* light touch on the controls (perhaps it’s a quirk of my controller). Bounced it off the ceiling a few times before getting the thrust under control :)

          All said, it’s an amazing platform! I

          Reply

  • Just received mine in Adelaide, Australia, Woo!

    Been following this project for the last year, so pretty exited to see the final product.

    Nice work guys!

    Reply

  • Received mine in Washington, DC…unpacking now!
    Everything looks incredible!
    Thank you for all of the hard work!

    Reply

  • Due too holiday season here in Poland, I’ll receive mine probably next week. But happy to see “Customs clearance” status on DHL page…

    Reply

  • Mine arrived yesterday in London, England. Just finished a flying session in Finsbury Park on a lovely sunny day (!).
    Haven’t quite mastered it as yet, but great fun – thanks guys!

    Reply

  • Hey,

    I’m devving with the Python API. Seems you’ve had a code style change since writing the wiki pages, the wiki says things like openLink(), then the actual lib has open_link().

    I can probably help contribute to the wiki after I’ve spent a few more hours playing with it. I don’t mind writing some simple example scripts for new people too. Gotta say, getting the dev environment set up on Windows was a massive pain in the arse, glad it’s done now though. :)

    Cheers,
    Dan.

    Reply

    • Hi Dan,

      Yeah, the examples on the wiki is from before we decided to try and follow PEP-8 for the API. Most of the names have just been renamed like the example you gave, openLink() -> open_link().

      It would be great if you want to contribute to the wiki. We haven’t had time to set up the registration for it yet so drop us an email with the username that you want and we will set you up with an account.

      /Marcus

      Reply

      • Hi Marcus,

        No problem, I’ve sent you an email. I’m also looking at using Crazyflie on my Mac too, I’ve got the GUI working without too many problems, but do you know if the Crazyradio is working correctly? It doesn’t seem like it’s picking anything up.

        Thanks,
        Dan.

        Reply

        • Hey Daniel – just got my device, and I’m trying on a Mac as well (13″ Retina MacBook Pro). I can’t get the Crazyradio working either – I was planning to start out with an Ubuntu VM under VMWare Fusion.

          I’m seeing the output below on OS X – are you seeing something similar? Next I plan to try using an externally powered USB hub, and I will try another machine.

          $ sudo dmesg | tail

          USBF: 294. 40 [0xffffff801f876000] The IOUSBFamily is having trouble enumerating a USB device that has been plugged in. It will keep retrying. (Port 1 of Hub at 0x14000000)
          USBF: 298.517 [0xffffff801f876000] The IOUSBFamily was not able to enumerate a device.
          USBF: 299.836 [0xffffff801f876000] The IOUSBFamily is having trouble enumerating a USB device that has been plugged in. It will keep retrying. (Port 1 of Hub at 0x14000000)
          USBF: 304.718 [0xffffff801f876000] The IOUSBFamily was not able to enumerate a device.
          USBF: 306. 40 [0xffffff801f876000] The IOUSBFamily is having trouble enumerating a USB device that has been plugged in. It will keep retrying. (Port 1 of Hub at 0x14000000)
          USBF: 307.358 [0xffffff801f876000] The IOUSBFamily gave up enumerating a USB device after 10 retries. (Port 1 of Hub at 0x14000000)
          USBF: 307.358 [0xffffff801f876000] The IOUSBFamily was not able to enumerate a device.

          Reply

          • Hmm, I’m using a late 2011 17″ MacBook Pro – I don’t think it has USB3. I can see the Crazyradio in my device listing, it just doesn’t seem to be picking up my actual Crazyflie.

          • Mike, Dan

            I am very interested in knowing if (and how) you resolved your problem. I am having similar issues, although I don’t have a Mac. I am certain of the USB 2.0 vs 3.0 situation on my laptop. I see the USB dongle being recognized, but there is no communication to the crazyflie (LEDs never turn off).

            thx

            Carlos

  • Hello to all, so far I could not buy my already added on the waiting list and nothing, I’m from Brazil and we are willing to help promote this wonderful project, please someone help me to buy one of these KIT10, awaiting response from someone

    Reply

  • Hi Guys,

    received mine as well. Assembled, and trying to fly it :), thanks a lot guys it’s a fun little thing!

    One thing I noticed though, the radio dongle doesn’t seem to work with USB3 ports on Macbook Air. The red LED lights up when inserted, but device is not being recognised. The same dongle works with older Macbook with USB2 ports and works in the USB3 ports when connected through the USB2 Hub.

    That little problem of no importance to me, but I guess someone else might run into it, so I guess I’d report it.

    Regards,
    Anton

    Reply

      • FYI I pulled the most recent changes to Crazyradio down from Bitbucket, built cradio.bin, and re-flashed the radio via USB from another machine. Worked like a charm, and the radio now works on my MacBook! Thanks for the fix!

        Reply

        • Thanks a lot for testing it on Mac! we don’t have any here so we could not be sure it would work.
          Just be aware that if you flash a bugged firmware it might be impossible to re-flash the crazyradio with USB, it then require to be flashed via SPI. So we advice to flash only stable versions (this does not apply to the copter)
          I am preparing an easy-to-use flashing tool and will publish the new firmware soon.

          Thanks again for testing it, it is nice to see that this will be fixed :).

          Reply

  • Got mine on 2013-05-04. Wahoo! Don’t have controller yet but, the Crazyflie is charged and connects via the radio.

    Reply

  • Today is 6th May, where are the new units to preorder? I need that and you don’t want my money XD

    Shut up and take my money!!

    Reply

  • I Love it!
    thanks a lot for making this possible!
    works like a charm, as soon as i upgraded firmware its now really nice controllable! THANKS folks!

    Reply

  • Received mine today! Was sitting on the stoop like a 6 year old waiting for the mail man. Glad I did too because I would be ticked if I had to wait till tomorrow to pick it up at the post office. Now I have till after work to put it together. Have had lots of practice with my Traxxas QR-1 and DJI Phantom.

    Reply

  • Hello,

    I do not understand.
    My order was a normal part of Hong Kong since April 26 !
    The date has changed today !
    Now it is May 2 !

    What is happening ?

    I bought the first day and I’ve always received nothing !
    I am disgusted !

    Seb

    Reply

    • Hi Seb,

      I’m sorry that your kit still hasn’t arrived, did you ask Seeedstudio customer support about this? We don not have access to any information about orders or shipping, this is handled by Seeedstudio.

      We will ask if there’s any information but the quickest and best way is to contact Seeedstudio customer support directly here http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/customer_service.html

      /Marcus

      Reply

  • Hi,

    I received mine yesterday and it was shiped the same time as Seb’s (the order number is close to his). So there is hope :)

    Sincerely,

    Gabor

    Reply

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