The good news: I am a senior computer design engineer with loads of had and SW experience and have been a LOS RCer for many years.
The bad news: I am new to FPV and UAVs.
I have been pouring over DIYDrones and 3DR sites for a few days. I am still a little confused.
What is the feature-level differences between the PixHawk and the APM 2.6?
Why should I choose one over the other?
It's fun to be here and I look forward to becoming a viable contributing member of this forum.
Thank You,
Gene . . . .
Replies
Works just as well as the Naze32.
One thing I like is that there is a trainer mode from Acro, so if your just starting you can be a little easier on your self.
I am very happy with it. I am doing a lot of proximity these days and it works very well. had a few guys ask me what it was as they where impressed by its performance.
Hi, Eugene,
I have both the APM 2.6 and the new Pixhawk. I have successfully flown the APM 2.6 and it works great. Having the APM fly waypoints all by itself is really cool. I just recently received the Pixhawk in January (which I had on order since August) and have been waiting for the weather to be above freezing here in Minnesota to take it for it's first flight. I am impressed by the construction and diligence which has gone into delivering the Pixhawk. It has passed all my static indoor tests and I am itching to get it outside and in the air. So far everything with the Pixhawk has been working great as far at the configuration goes. The instructions have been clear and easy to follow. I just cannot vouch for the features once it is in the air since I am grounded by the weather.
The difference between the two is that the APM is old, well tested, and full featured, but at the end of it's development cycle. The Pixhawk is new, is more powerful, but is not as fully tested, and has a lot of promise for the future.
If you want a tried and tested configuration, go with the APM.
If you do not mind some growing pains, the Pixhawk probably has a bright future.
Whichever you decide on, be certain you have plenty of spare parts. A crash kit is necessary, because you are going to crash. If you don't crash, then you are not having enough fun.
Thanks Robert. I'm not "burnt in" to this paradigm yet. I'm not loose with the acronyms nor am I as understanding of the relationships of the products as many of you are. I am entering this anew. But my long general experience is enough to have taught me how to be careful.
Your answer is the kind of thing I am looking for.
Thank you so much for sharing your detailed experience. I am chomping at the bit to hear more from you. I will pray for good weather! :D
Gene . . . .
This page may answer some, but probably not all of your questions. More details about autopilot product evolution are in the early part of the second video by Andrew Tridgell on this blog post. However while someone fixes that video... you can click the link below it to scroll through the related pdf file. And don't miss this blog post. It's worth reading the excellent documentation by Stephen Dade. You may also want to do some exploring with this page. Best wishes.
Thanks John,
I'm anxious to buy one or the other and get my feet wet. But I still don't know how to choose which one I want. I have a lot to learn and this will certainly help!