I just noticed this at the Chinese on-line retailer, ThanksBuyer.com
They are pricing the bundled versions attractively. Obviously made to compete against the APM micro 3.1
If anyone makes the leap, perhaps you could keep us informed on your experiences.
Happy flying all!!
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I can think of no disadvantages of the Mini APM Pro as compared with the APM 2.6. The relevant comparison is with the APM 2.8, a much improved flight controller as compared with the APM 2.6. The Mini APM Pro is much like the APM 2.8, but in a better form factor with improved cable connectors. Look for the best price on AliExpress that includes a good GPS (M7N or M8N) and V2 radios. Only difference I have seen from the various vendors is the quality of cables. Most now provide high quality silicone cables. If you later want to upgrade to a higher performance flight controller, the Min Pixhawk (Pixmini) has the same form factor.
Thanks for the detailed reply Ronald. Do you have any links to units you recommend ? There are a lot of them but difficult to work out quality e.g. silicon cables etc.
This link is a good example: http://www.thanksbuyer.com/new-mini-apm-pro-flight-control-with-ubl...
You can find more information at www.KashmirWorldFoundation.org. You can also purchase tested components from KwF if you participate in one of the challenges or work for KwF. No real benefit for the Mini APM Pro kits, but perhaps significant benefits for motors, ESCs, batteries, etc. where test data is needed for design and systems integration.
Hi Ronald, awesome info and website. Fascinating project. Looking forward to reading a bit more about this worthy initiative.
Has anyone gotten a telemetry radio connected? I have an RFD900, connected pin's: GND, VCC, RX, TX to the top 4 pin's under the telemetry label but won't connect. can't find where to connect the CTS or RTS pins..
Depending on where you purchased your Mini APM Pro, the pins on the dupont connector might not be correct. Check the pins coming from the radio to the dupont connector. If you made the cable yourself, check that you did not reverse the RX and TX. Check that you have TX on the outside, then RX, VCC, GND. Your radio should light up with sold green when you plug into to the Mini APM Pro and provide power to the Mini APM Pro. We use these in the DaVinci Challenge. Once in a while we find a bad cable or connector. Get a few extra cables.
Took to case apart and seen on the PCB that I do have the correct pin/s connected..
Reading from left to right on the top row of the APM Pro:
TX, RX, 5V, GND
On my RFD900 (jumper on 4 & 6)
Pin 1: GRD
Pin 3: <BLANK>
Pin 5: 5V
Pin 7: RX
Pin 9: TX
I took a known working RFD900 out of my Plane and connected it up, same thing.. I get a link light and also flash red when communicating.. Just won't communicate with the APM.. ugh
If you have solid light on your RFD900, your Ground and 5V connections are correct. You may have your RX and TX reversed. Take a close look at the red light when you attempt to connect to your Mini APM Pro. If the flashing becomes rapid, then you have the RX and TX correct. If the flashing stays the same (slow), then you may have RX and TX reversed.
If you have much experience with telemetry radios, you know the most common problems are (1) bad or incorrect cable; (2) fault with Flight Controller: and (3) fault with Mission Planner. Is Mission Planner saying "No Heartbeat Received?" If so, the problem is likely with the cable or Flight Controller. If you are confident the cable is correct, try loading new firmware on the Mini APM Pro.
Well.. odd.. but I guess it makes sense.. I had to switch the RX & TX on the modem.. to TX is going to RX on the APM and RX going to TX on the APM.. it works!
Great! The Mini APM Pro is a big upgrade from the APM 2.8. It also provides a simple path for upgrading to the PixMini. One thing to watch for is the PPM encoder. The Mini APM Pro ships with an old encoder. You should update the firmware on the encoder.
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