Hi friends of the ArduCopter,
I'm happy to announce that the 
ArduPirates will be further developing the official ArduCopterNG code from now on, which we call the ArduPiratesNG code..
One advantage of joining forces with the "original" Arducopter team will be speeding up the implementation of sensors and features like the Sonar and support for Hexas now and Octos later.
The original Arducopter team now can concentrate on their efforts porting the NG code to the upcoming ACM (Arducopter Mega) code base, which is already branched from the ArduPilotMega repository.
Later on, when porting and implementation is done, we will also have a brand new Installer & Configurator from another collaboration of our team members, which will cover easy installation und updating, pre-configuration of the setup (flight modes, attached sensors and orientation...) and Waypoint Navigation through Michael's Mission Planner which already works for the ArduPilot wing section.
Hopefully we can present you a new version of the NG code this year.
Thanks to all contributors of the Arducopter Project! 2011 is promising to become a fine and successful year for all Multirotor enthusiast.
Please visit our very friendly & helpfull community here. I made a build log with step-by-step instructions for ArduCopter beginners.
Happy flying to y'all!
Norbert aka kinderkram @ RCGroups
Replies
First release of the Code Configurator is Online
It works with the recent ArduPirates NG code and covers most of the settings you'll usually have to configure manually before you upload code to the ArduBrain. Just save or rename the generated file to "config.h" and add it to your sketches folder. Upload it and tell us what you think.
Norbert
@Norbert, I am just starting to build a quad (coax octo actually) and am looking to give back to this fantastic community - Thanks to Chris and everyone who have been working hard to get to where it is today!
Specifically, I am OK with grabbing the latest ArduPiratesNG which looks like is in Hein's svn repo. Is that a smart move or some otheer branch I should be looking at for NG?
Thanks!
Coby
More Acrobatic Flight Videos!
Norf has built his ArduCopter Quad testing the acro mode and driving it to the limits:
http://vimeo.com/18495721
There's also a new video of his Hexa:
http://vimeo.com/18463091
Enjoy!
Norf's Hexa Build Log
Norbert
ArduPirates Hexacopter First Flights from Norf on Vimeo.
http://vimeo.com/18330661
First Pirates' Hexa with new NG code airborne!
Norbert aka Norf made its maiden flight on New Years Eve and it already looks very promising!Norf set up a build log for his Hexa @ RCG. He offers a small batch of Hexa parts there.
Happy Flying,
Norbert aka kinderkram
They started to call me The Guy,
Who builds but doesn't fly
I think this isn't really fair
Just try'n to get it in the air!
ArduPirates Build Log
Norbert aka kinderkram @ RCG
Thank you, Jose!
Supporting each other will be the way to go.
@ Richard: Please be patient and wait for the new code to come.
And could you please get off my knee, Rich!? ;-)
G'day all you Jack Sparrow lookalikes.
I really enjoyed your extra stable version of the code.
I have since gone backwards in stability in favour of GPS hold - although its been raining here for years now so haven't had a chance to test GPS hold yet, but did get a quicky in and discovered stability was reduced with RC1.01
Any chance the 2 could be combined? ... it is Christmas after all - just don't ask me to sit on your knee.
Regards, Rich
Thank you guys for your input and Merry Christmas to all of you!
Norbert
Just to elaborate on this, the ArduPirates community is a great group of quad hackers who have been making many useful additions and fixes to official ArduCopter code. Now that the ArduCopter team has released NG and is moving on to the next version (code named ArduCopter Mega, or ACM) that's built on the mature ArduPilot Mega codebase, we've asked the ArduPirates to take over further development of NG. They've already made great leaps, and you can expect lot of energy and innovation there.
As ArduPirates NG versions are tested and documented, we'll release them as official ArduCopter releases as zip files on the official site.
So going forward, once ACM is released, there will be two well-maintained codebases to chose from. They'll share the same core libraries, so you can be confident in core functionality. But they have different "flavors" and styles, and hopefully lead to healthy cross-fertilization.