Multirotor iPhone App - Help me design it!

[Kilby]

As some of you know, I design & develop iPhone/Android apps for a living. For the last few months I've been kicking around the idea of building an app to use while out flying. Today I had a few more ideas about it, but I wanted to see if you guys had some to add.

As it stands right now, I'm thinking of something real simple. It will use the built in GPS to get your lat/long and then deliver local weather conditions including wind speed & direction. I might be able to put a compass on the screen as well so you can see which direction you are facing. I really want to have some timers in there to alert me when the battery is getting low (2 stages of notice). I might also build a pre-flight checklist into it that you could edit as needed. Beyond that though, I'm open to suggestions.

Anyone have any grand ideas that I might want to include? I was just planning on building this for my own personal use, but if I can come up with something that others would enjoy as well I'll release it into the wild. (free app)




-Terry

 

[J.T.]

Hearing a lot about GPS being degraded from solar activity, perhaps you could incorporate the sun spot interference prediction for the day.

S90 up and running Terry?

 

[Droider]

As some of you know, I design & develop iPhone/Android apps for a living. For the last few months I've been kicking around the idea of building an app to use while out flying. Today I had a few more ideas about it, but I wanted to see if you guys had some to add.

As it stands right now, I'm thinking of something real simple. It will use the built in GPS to get your lat/long and then deliver local weather conditions including wind speed & direction. I might be able to put a compass on the screen as well so you can see which direction you are facing. I really want to have some timers in there to alert me when the battery is getting low (2 stages of notice). I might also build a pre-flight checklist into it that you could edit as needed. Beyond that though, I'm open to suggestions.

Anyone have any grand ideas that I might want to include? I was just planning on building this for my own personal use, but if I can come up with something that others would enjoy as well I'll release it into the wild. (free app)




-Terry

Oh eye..bring it on buddy.. yep local weather info related to GPS position would be brill.. I use this - aeroweather pro - iPhone app. maybe you cold incorporate this.. Spektum have got a telemetry app and iPhone plug in may be have a look how that works..

Pre fight check lists are an essential part of the UK CAA operations manual so that and in built in log book that coulds record your gps location and create a 'GO NO FURTHER UNTIL U COMPLETE THIS FLIGHT LOG" would be good. It would force us to record the data there and then rather than try and remember the flight we needed to log a month down the line..

Dave

 

[Droider]

Hearing a lot about GPS being degraded from solar activity, perhaps you could incorporate the sun spot interference prediction for the day.

S90 up and running Terry?

Its not just sunspot activity we need to be concerned about.. its also the earths core magnetic movements that are also very important to us.. and everyone who uses GPS location services..

Dave

 

[ZAxis]

A spirit level would be really useful.
Vibration monitor ?

andy

 

[Kilby]

@ZAxis Ahh.. vibration monitor. I like that idea. I saw this video a little while back and realized how easy it is to make such an app.

@JT Yup, s90 is all up and working fine thanks to your help. I had to wait on a new mount before I could get it on the craft, but I just got the first in air photos from it today. Thanks again!

@Dave I was thinking of a log book, but I didn't realize at the time that it was a requirement from the CAA. I might want to pick your brain at some point in the future about this.

 

[Droider]

Battery pack numbers / logs// number of cycles etc

Prop / motor/ esc/ fc/ hours clocked in flight.. were do you want to stop?

fight log exports to common spread sheet formats or printable reports...

They should all be a process of completing the log so u cant go further than that flight until have completed the log.. may be a light and pro version..

Pro version would need to be paid for with out a doubt



Dave

 

[gadgetkeith]

Andy look for carpenter tools app got some good spirit levels and circular levels ie plum bobs etc

also i agree with Dave on a decent log book for batteries etc

i would pay for that on its own as a seperate app

just to do away with my paper note books i keep my note books and a pen in the same box with my charger but pen always seems to go missing for some weird reason prob because it gets put behind my ear while working etc and often gets mislaid later

+1 for a good batt app

keith