Evaluating the efficiency of a sensorless propeller drive using UAVCAN GUI Tool

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This video shows how the UAVCAN GUI Tool can be applied to evaluate the efficiency of a sensorless propeller drive (or any other kind of drive that can be controlled via UAVCAN).

The video features the following products and instruments:

  • UAVCAN GUI Tool version 0.9
  • Zubax Babel (USB-CAN adapter)
  • Zubax Orel 20 (the ESC)
  • Tarot MT4008 motor with Tarot 1555 high strength plastic propeller
  • MASTECH HY5030 DC power supply
  • RCbenchmark 1520 testing rig (optional)

The following snippet is executed in the interactive console of the UAVCAN GUI Tool:

def run():
    rpm_setpoint = 0
    going_down = False
    step = 2
    def update():
        nonlocal rpm_setpoint
        nonlocal going_down
        rpm_setpoint += (-step if going_down else step)
        broadcast(uavcan.equipment.esc.RPMCommand(rpm=[rpm_setpoint]))
        if going_down:
            if rpm_setpoint > step:
                defer(0.01, update)
        else:
            if rpm_setpoint >= 5000:
                going_down = True
            defer(0.01, update)
    update()

It can be seen that the snippet commands the motor to slowly accelerate to 5000 RPM and then to slowly decelerate back to the standstill. The X-Y plotting feature of the UAVCAN GUI Tool allows us to directly plot the relationship between the electrical power and the mechanical RPM of the propeller. The UAVCAN GUI tool is a powerful one-size-fits-all instrument that can be used to easily analyze and demonstrate the behavior of various UAVCAN-enabled systems.

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