FMA Co-Pilot Flight Stabilization System

Hello guys. I hope to sometime fully automate my .40 Sized Nitro powered trainer RC airplane from takeoff to landing; However, for now, I just need to find a suitable orientation sensor. Take note that a gas powered model has more vibration than a similar electric model.I have been looking around and it appears to me that the FMA Co-Pilot infared system is the all around best. Low-cost, accurate to 2 degrees, does not "drift", and is not effected by vibrations.Here is my first question:Can the Co-Pilot Infared actually return an orientation? I would like for my auto pilot to control and stabalize everything, all I want from the Co-Pilot system is to give me the orientation of my plane down to a couple degrees. Is this possible?Thanks for you time and knowledge,Grant West

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  • 100KM
    if you use the FS-8 reciever you can plug it into a computer and get sensor data . its just a serial connection . if you found a wirless com that could handle the baud rate you could run the flight viewer program on your laptop while the plane is in the air.also i think they have a data logger you can plug into the reciever and log flight data and if you want you can use an ADC IC to convert from analog to digital
  • 3D Robotics
    Grant,

    The FMA Co-Pilot is a proprietary system with a simple IR sensor and a lot of math done in the receiver, and I don't know how to get a digital reading out. But the sensor outputs analog voltage proportional to the tilt (see this thread for more: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=844004).

    You can certainly read that on an analog I/O pin on your processor and do the math yourself.

    Or you can make your own, as the Paparazzi guys have:
    http://paparazzi.enac.fr/wiki/index.php/Infrared_Sensors
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