Hi ,I am a student studying in Class X in Chennai .I won a Gliding competition held by IIT Mumbai Techfest 2009 with my scratch built Glider Mr Moss.This is a SPAD Glider with 48" wing span and a 30 " stick Fuselage . I have a power set up that can carry upto 500 gms AUW..I already have Futaba PA 2 Pilot assist or do I have to have an FMA Co pilot ?I can upgrade the power system to handle a larger pay load .Can I use the Ardu Pilot for such a Plane ?I am very new to auto pilot's.Here is a photo of my GliderLook forward to guidanceVenkatesh
got time to test between exams , with a bit of tuning have been able to reverse the servos and the hand over take over is quite smooth between auto pilot and manual.
I operate with a Futaba 6 Exa RC and have assigned the manual to auto shift to channel 5 (2 position switch) , I set the altitude hold to 50 mtrs .
The moment the plane is handed over to auto it takes turn towards home and spirals downwards , I have been able to retard the spiral rate but unable to eliminate it . The throttle cuts at this stage
The airframe is the Multiplex Easy Cub similar to the easy star . The FMA sensor is in the center of the dihidral .
On ground the plane behaves the opposite the moment I switch to auto the throttle goes to full.
Could this be a problem of using a two position switch instead of 3 position OR the fma sensor detecting the horizon in air but unable to do so on ground due to tree cover.
I finally got the aurdu pilot fitted up , GPS Locked adjusted trims etc on my MPX Easy Cub .
Two observations :
1) When I switch to auto pilot the plane goes into full throttle and elevator goes full down even in the ground test .
2) Took off manually after gaining altitude switched to Auto in head wind and the plane immediately went into a steep dive switched back to manual recovered went round again switched to auto and same behavior . Which may be due to 1) above ..
The connections and set up are ok ,
Has anyone come across this problem and can you direct me to a solution.
I don't see why not, it is a rather stable airframe and doesn't require any complex mixing.
It is my understanding that the FMA copilot is superior for one reason or another, I am not an expert on IR stabilization however and someone else here on the forum will likely answer that question.
You shouldn't need to carry more than 500grams even if you had a camera onboard so don't worry about upgrading your power system.
Integrating the autopilot itself should be rather easy, I gather your glider is simple aileron, rudder and elevator configuration.
I suggest you read the information on the Ardupilot homepage and then ask back here if you have any questions.
Goodluck with your glider/soon to be UAV.
Keep us updated on your progress. :)
Replies
I operate with a Futaba 6 Exa RC and have assigned the manual to auto shift to channel 5 (2 position switch) , I set the altitude hold to 50 mtrs .
The moment the plane is handed over to auto it takes turn towards home and spirals downwards , I have been able to retard the spiral rate but unable to eliminate it . The throttle cuts at this stage
The airframe is the Multiplex Easy Cub similar to the easy star . The FMA sensor is in the center of the dihidral .
On ground the plane behaves the opposite the moment I switch to auto the throttle goes to full.
Could this be a problem of using a two position switch instead of 3 position OR the fma sensor detecting the horizon in air but unable to do so on ground due to tree cover.
Venkat
The
Two observations :
1) When I switch to auto pilot the plane goes into full throttle and elevator goes full down even in the ground test .
2) Took off manually after gaining altitude switched to Auto in head wind and the plane immediately went into a steep dive switched back to manual recovered went round again switched to auto and same behavior . Which may be due to 1) above ..
The connections and set up are ok ,
Has anyone come across this problem and can you direct me to a solution.
Venkat.
It is my understanding that the FMA copilot is superior for one reason or another, I am not an expert on IR stabilization however and someone else here on the forum will likely answer that question.
You shouldn't need to carry more than 500grams even if you had a camera onboard so don't worry about upgrading your power system.
Integrating the autopilot itself should be rather easy, I gather your glider is simple aileron, rudder and elevator configuration.
I suggest you read the information on the Ardupilot homepage and then ask back here if you have any questions.
Goodluck with your glider/soon to be UAV.
Keep us updated on your progress. :)