I wish I was here back in the beginning (what a great project). As I jump in with my purchase of an APM 2.0, I am spending a lot of time reading to educate myself while waiting for the backorder to arrive. In the release notes for the APM 2.0, it said, "Three processors -- a triple-core autopilot!"
I am looking at the Eagle Files schematic. I find an ATMEGA1280-16AU and an ATMEGA8U2-MU. I assume that is two of the three cores. What/where is the third?
The release notes, under Main Features, also states that the MPU-6000 frees up more than half of the processing capacity of the ATMEGA2560. I don't see the 2560 on the schematic.
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So the ATmega8U2 appears to handle the USB connection, the MPU-6000 isn't used yet, therefore everything is on the 2560 which makes it a single core (waiting for the 6000 as the 2nd core). It the 8U2 doing something else that we can really give it any credit for?
I am not trying to knock it, I am just trying to understand. This is an awesome product.
It's the DMP processor in the MPU-6000. The current code doesn't use it yet but it will (pending permission from Invensense to release our code as open source).
The board uses a ATMEGA2560, not a 1280. But they use the same footprint, which is why it shows up that way on the Eagle file.