Self-controlled ARdrone (Part II) - Configuring the on-board computer and some useful tools.

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On previous tutorial we see how to add easily a small computer to our ARdrone. Now we need to configure the odroid to use with ARdrone.

Connecting to network
To start working with the odroid, we need first to connect it to a screen, mouse and key board.

Afterwards we will be unconnected from internet. So firstly, connect to your home network and download every package or repo you will need.

For this tutorial install x11vnc and ssh

      sudo apt-get install x11vnc openssh-server

Now, look for the ARdrone Access Point (AP), and connect the odroid to it. This "network" will allow us not only to control directly the drone by odroid, but to have a network to work through.
Finally, disconnect the screen and the peripherals.

Remote desktop
To work easily with our system, download on your personal computer some vnc client (For example, for windows: VNCviewer) and ssh client . Connect to ARdrone network with your personal computer and create and ssh connection with the odroid. ARdrone's dhcp provides ips with the following pattern "192.168.1.X" with X = 2, 3, 4 or 5.

Type:    ssh odroid@192.168.1.X

It will ask you for the password. Type:    odroid.

Now we are connected to our odroid remotely, but a terminal is not always comfordable. That's why we installed x11vnc.

Type:     x11vnc

This will launch a program that allows us to connect to a remote desktop and use the odroid as using a screen and a mouse/keyboard.

If everything was fine, it will tell you in which IP and port you should connect, Now, on your personal computer, launch your VNC client and connec to that IP and port; for example 192.168.1.X:5900 (on port 5900). We would be able to see the odroid remotelly.


And that's it, we can configure, code or whatever remotelly, without wires and sharing mouse and keyboard. Unfortunatelly, we do not have internet, so in order to download new applications, packages or our own code, we have three option:

1. If possible, copy into an usb.
2. Connect again the odroid to a normal screen and a mouse, etc... And reconnect to your "home" network.
3. This is the most versatile one: Connect another USB wifi module into the odroid and configure it to have 2 connections, one to the drone and the other to your house network, so it's possible to download directly in remote network.

Hope you liked this tutorial! If you have any doubt or suggestion tell me!