All,
I am new to UAV building and am looking at putting one together using the Bixler airframe from HK. I am wondering what options I should get on my APM. I want to be able to execute fully automatic landings (and takeoffs/climbs after hand-launch). Precision (especially landing precision) is important to me. I can see myself flying this out of some small fields once I get more experience, and would like to be able to execute full auto landings in tight quarters. I am a "full scale" pilot and this kind of automation is really interesting to me.
1. Magnetometer - I assume this is really only needed for VTOL craft that can hover. I am thinking that fixed-wing would not really have a use for it, since GPS track is really what counts. Is there any advantage to a magnetometer in a fixed wing APM setup? Does the APM logic even use a magetometer at all in a fixed wing?
2. Ground Prox Sonar - again, I am thining this applies only to helos. Does APM use this input in a fixed wing config (i.e. for precision landings?)
3. Airspeed sensor - This I am thinking is a good idea. What APM logic uses the airspeed sensor?
4. GPS - I assume the MediaTek is best (vs. the Ublox)?
5. Telemetry - I am thinking Xbee since it seems to be the basic telemetry set that is easy for beginners to get working with APM. Does the Xbee system basically just extend the serial port on your APM to a COM port on your laptop, or is it something more?
Thanks for all the help... I am really a beginner here...
--Dan
Replies
Oh, and for tight landings you might want to add flaps ;), i'm working on them for my plane, but if you look on youtube for easy star, sky surfer, skywalker, and 'flaps' and watch some of the landings with this style plane with and without flaps, flaps help for tight spot landings. The bixler/sky surfer tends to glide a lot when pitching down ;)
1. Magnetometer corrects yaw errors, GPS is used to determine heading however obviously in wind the nose won't be pointing in the direction of the true heading, magnetometer corrects for that
2. No need for fixed wing (but i want to look into it perhaps, might be pointless)
3. Of course airspeed sensor is good. it determines the difference between Indicated airspeed and True Airspeed (given by GPS again)
4. I like the mediatek, just takes a bit to lock
5. yeah its just a wireless serial cable basically, can do some more fancy things but for APM purposes, just think of it as a wireless serial cable