This all very new to me so there's a big learning curve. I am fitting my ArduPilot Mega 2 in a large nitro plane I have. I have also got the airspeed sensor for the APM2 which I will connect.
A few questions that I'm stuck on:
How do I set the airspeed? I want it to cruise at 30MPH which it does really comfortably on a light throttle (checked by flying with a GPS logger on it). I can't find anything in the mission planner for this.
Can I change the airspeed between waypoints?
Do I need a separate power supply for the APM2 or will the battery pack I have for the receiver and servos power it automatically? What is the maximum voltage it can handle? I have a 6 volt 5 pack for my Spektrum receiver which when fully charged puts out almost 7 volts. Would I need to move to a 4.8V 4 pack which puts out about 5.4 volts when charged, or is it strictly limited to 5 volts.
Lastly, I see there are loads of parameters that can be changed (see http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/wiki/APM_Parameters) but how do I change them? The mission planner doesn't seem to give access to them.
Any help appreciated.
Replies
Always, always, always use regulated power for digital electronics. If it does not have it's own regulated power supply or onboard regulator you must always use one of your own.
You need to use a BEC/UBEC to supply this power. Most ESCs have them built in.
People have reported problems when running the APM much above 5v. I believe 5.5v is the absolute max.
The airspeed and altitude can be set when creating waypoints in the Mission Planner.