I am completely new, but I have some experience with programming(java).
Anyways I am building a drone, custom made, hence I need a custom RC system.
Lets get to the point:
It's radio controlled, there are 5-7 motors. There are 4-6 servos. Then there's a camera. And that's it for now, I need a way to program what each motor does with each signal f.ex. forward may mean motors 1&2 move to x amount and servo 4 moves 45 degrees. I have asked on engineering forums and they recommended me the PICAXE microcontrollers to begin with. Well, I just wanted to see your take on it, is it the right choice? I need 2 microcontrollers right? as in one for transmitter(remote control of the drone) and the other one in the drone that controls it?
Oh and I also have further plans, more long term to link the remote control to my PC computer, and reciever too, in other words I want to be able to control it from my desktop computer, via radio.
Other recommendations were arduino controlers or even rhasberry pi, but I like the simplicity of the PICAXE assembly language(it seems like it has simple commands). I am not gonna go study c++.
Lastly, the ArduCopter is something I'd like to get to know, I'm just not sure if it's applicable to my very custom drone design.
Replies
If you want to code asm then PIC is the right choice. But if you want to reuse the source that already exists in the APM system for RC inputs and outputs, mixes etc that would do most of the work for you, then you want to go AVR-8 and C/C++.