I started building an ATG-600 "supposedly carbon fiber" Hexa a couple years ago when that airframe was brand new, and ordered an APM 2.0 for control; it was also brand new at the time. But the project never got off the ground, since OTR trucking isn't well suited to modeling when you're on the road for months at a time. So all the new hardware wound up on the shelf, still in the box. Fast-forward to today and I'm off the road, and would like to continue the project of getting an FPV/AV Hexa in the air.
My, my, how the technology has improved. That ATG looks pretty lame next to the Tarot AF680! And these brushless gimbals?! Holy crap! But I digress...
I've been combing this forum for info on how to install and set up the ol' APM 2.0 and I'm getting discouraged. There seems to be quite a bit of confusion on how to simply, safely, and *reliably* power the thing along with other systems onboard, let alone how to integrate these other systems with confidence. And then there's the on-board magnetometer interference issue and various tuning issues, etc...
My question is this: Have these basic issues been put to rest on later versions of the APM board? Is the latest (2.6?) capable of reliable, straightforward installation and operation by an non-electrical engineer, with non-ambiguous, *non-contradictory* step-by-step instructions available?
Or is there so little actual difference in usability that I should just go ahead with the APM 2.0 board and try to muddle through the now-obsolete instructions and hope that I don't fry my board? In other words, is the new stuff *so much* better that I *should* set the old stuff aside and invest in the new? Your opinions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks, fellas.
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I'm building a hex. Are there low emf 6 in 1 ESC's available?
And now we're getting to the real issue here, when you say, "if you going to change all that you may want to pick up a new one." I'm a noob. How am I supposed to know if I *should* change all that? When I look around at all the modern flight controllers, I see that most of them *have* "changed all that", and I imagine they did so for good reason. The only question is, can I bring the 2.0 board up to current performance specs - and that includes freedom from interference in a normal hexa build - without months of tinkering and experimenting?
It worked when it was new it will work now. so this is a case of monkey see monkey do . changes are because of EMF if you have no EMF issues then new setup is redundant because you do not need changes. if you have EMF issues then changes are warranted.
I appreciate your help in walking me through this, OG. I don't want to seem like I'm arguing with you. I'm just trying to gauge how much of an actual improvement the new hardware is over the 2.0 release. How much trial and error has been eliminated, and how much more reliable and trustworthy is 2.6 with an external GPS/Compass? I understand the 2.0 board was/is capable, but I'm soliciting opinions on whether the 2.6 hardware represents significantly less risk of a Criticality 1 failure. (As defined by NASA, Criticality 1 is a rating designed to identify non-redundant parts or systems whose failure would result in loss of Mission, Vehicle and Crew.) I'll be hanging quite a bit of money off this thing in the form of FPV and Aerial Videography equipment. Sometimes over water, which is already very high-risk.
So really, and objectively, does the new hardware improve overall reliability to any significant degree?
Thanks again for your help.
old board is fine you will need to,do a PPM encoder upgrade for 3.0 3.1, apart form that you do not need to upgrade . the old Wiki is still around
Okay, so upgrade the firmware to 3.1. Or is it 3.0 *then* 3.1? I don't imagine old wiki contains clear instructions for specific upgrade to 3.1 or even where to get the code that is compatible with 2.0 board. See my problem?
But okay, say I go with that and somehow manage to figure it out. Is there a case available for the 2.0 board? Will the 2.5 case fit? I've seen warnings that it won't. Can the 2.5 case be modified or is there an alternative?
I keep coming up against questions like that and wonder...
Thanks! I'll keep after it.
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