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Introduction to Andropilot

Andropilot is an open source android based ground control system (GCS).  

Before posting questions in this group, please check the excellent wiki manual maintained Peter Meister.  If you find missing bits in the manual, please ask here and then update the wiki based on what you learn.  Together we will keep this manual complete and up-to-date.

For most users the required hardware is:

  • An Android phone or tablet (preferably tablet) with USB 'host mode' support.  Most newer devices have this but you should check (and then update) our compatibility list.
  • Operating system 4.0 or later (all supported versions of android should be equivalent now, except for direct connection of APMs.  Direct APM connection will be slow for androids before version 4.2)
  • A USB host mode adapter.  Probably something like this.
  • A supported autopilot (please update this wiki page as you test new devices)
  • A telemetry link (the 3dr 915/400MHz radios are recommended - they seem to work better than the xbee radios for this application)

Feature list:

  • Super clean user interface
  • Rock solid
  • GamePad support - you can use this for basic vehicle control, with no need for a RC transmitter/receiver.
  • Built in touchscreen joystick overlay with haptic feedback.
  • Direct control & monitoring of ArduPlane/Copter with no PC required. Just a $5 USB adapter cable and your Android tablet or phone (Android 3.1 or later). No rooting or hardware mods required.
  • Bluetooth to serial adapter support - useful for phones that don't support USB host mode.
  • Warnings about high levels of solar radiation (GPS outage inducing)
  • Map view
  • Parameter editing (with parameter documentation)
  • Waypoint editing (including setting waypoint type/parameters etc...)
  • Shares your flights via www.droneshare.com (G+, Facebook, Google Earth).
  • Follow-me mode to have the vehicle follow you
  • Lead-it mode to steer/move vehicle by turning your body and tilting the tablet
  • Vehicle mode display & control (AUTO, STABILIZE, etc...)
  • Speech output (for mode, altitude and battery alerts)
  • Capture tlog files to sdcard
  • Direct connect to USB on the APM
  • RC channel 'raw' view
  • 3DR telemetry module support
  • Warnings for low battery, low rssi, or low GPS sat count
  • Fully android 'native' (Scala backend talks directly to the USB device and renders the frontend)
  • UDP link (either as a client or a server)
  • TCP link (as a client)
  • Special support for the Archos GamePad
  • Monitor your vehicle through an optional Pebble smart watch.

Current release You can download from the Google play store.  

(See the discussions below for particular releases - releases are just too frequent to keep updating this header text)

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Comments

  • K C September 8, 2023 at 2:33am
    Hi guys - I am Ken and new to the group. I need assistance with formatting a 3rd party flight controller (Paladin) and installing Ardupilot instead. Look forward to your guidance
  • Harry November 9, 2015 at 11:29am

    This is what I did - I used processing in android mode and took the HUD widget file and pasted it into a processing sketch.  It compiles and loads it onto my android device but it is just a blank screen.  I tried commenting out what I believe is stopping it from drawing..  It found all the imports but I need a clue how to use the HUD class.  Any clues please anyone?

  • Muhammad Abdul Hadi October 10, 2015 at 10:55pm

    Hi Mike, thank you for that info, more reason to get an Android tablet now :-)

    Muhammad

  • dr0n3droid October 10, 2015 at 10:48pm
    @Muhammad
    Andropilot does store telemetry logs on your device.
    Look in Device storage->Andropilot->Newlogs

    Mike
  • Muhammad Abdul Hadi October 8, 2015 at 11:52pm
    Hi guys, I have tried Andropilot and masha Allah it is amazing. I have one question, is there any way to save the telemetry logs like it auto saves when using Mission Planner on the PC? Thank you for any help guys and thank you for to the developers.
  • Harry October 8, 2015 at 10:03am

    Son of a ............ it connected and loaded.  What I ultimately want to do is borrow from the project how to get USB working with my code.  I look at the Andropilot code in android studio and its a mystery.

  • Coastwise July 10, 2015 at 5:57am
    Does anyone have or know of the whereabouts of an interface/adapter mentioned by Chris,above, for the Ublox Lea-5h GPS?

    I have been looking to buy one, new or used, for a long while without any luck, hence this cry into the wild.

    Thanks,

    Joe Homer
  • lulu April 20, 2015 at 4:04am

    hello   in while  i was away 2  things  come out  

    one is  this controller  for any android or  ios  

    which i think is  very usefully for any of us to control the  our drone  

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/in4dealz-PG-9023-Bluetooth-Controller-Makib...

    is in sell everywhere almost right now  

    i would like know if can be very in full implemented in the use of andropilot

    ands i would like know if is in roadmap of andropilot any feed video in to see 

    kind of  FPV  in software 

    thanks 

  • Crispin March 25, 2015 at 2:40am

    mods - please can we block hissa alsowaidi He's double posting all over the place. Stupid, shameless advertising.

  • Jon Farhat March 22, 2015 at 8:53am

    Well we figured out the mystery with WP file format exchange between GCS and AndroPilot.  

    ANDROPILOT (Android)

    AndroPilot Import requirements only single space between params seem and does not allow TAB like the PC versions, Mission Planner and APM Planner 2.0.  

    Also NEEDS EXTRA SPACE at end of line.  Unlike the other that reject the extra space.   There can also be NO SPACES after the header... QGC WPL 110.

    QGC WPL 110

    0 1 0 16 0 0 0 0 34.15118441 -118.3292635 0 1 

    1 0 3 22 0 0 0 0 34.15118441 -118.3292635 32 1 

    2 0 3 16 0 0 0 0 34.15086139 -118.3287972 250 1 

    3 0 3 21 0 0 0 0 34.15119743 -118.3292384 190 1 

    MISSION PLANNER & APM PLANNER 2.0 

    Mission Planner, APM Planner 2.0 however will accept a tab or a space between params. Also, you CAN NOT have the extra space after the line or it is rejected. I this case what you have now is perfect. 

    QGC WPL 110

    0 1 0 16 0 0 0 0 34.15118441 -118.3292635 0 1

    1 0 3 22 0 0 0 0 34.15118441 -118.3292635 32 1

    2 0 3 16 0 0 0 0 34.15086139 -118.3287972 250 1

    3 0 3 21 0 0 0 0 34.15119743 -118.3292384 190 1

    OR, MP and APM2.0 can also accept TABS between params...

    QGC WPL 110

    0 1 0 16 0 0 0 0 34.15118441 -118.3292635 0 1

    1 0 3 22 0 0 0 0 34.15118441 -118.3292635 32 1

This reply was deleted.

Forum

Andropilot says Looking for Vehicle -- same radio works fine in Mission Planner

My last working configuration was APM 2.6 with Xbee 2.4 GHz radios. This worked great in both Andropilot and Mission Planner. I swapped out the Xbee radios for 3DR 915 MHz radios. The new radios work fine in Mission Planner. I can read location, telemetry, everything I'd expect.HOWEVER, the new 915 MHz ground radio using the same OTG cable on my Android get stuck "Looking for Vehicle". It moves from "Looking for radio" to "Looking for vehicle" when I plug the new radio into my Android USB port.…

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GPS time from Andropilot

I have been using andropilot for a while now and like it as it seems to work for us, well done!For the current job that I am doing, I need to synchronise my MAPIR camera clock with the APM GPS clock before each mission, is there a way to see what the GPS time is from Andropilot? I can't seem to find that information anywhere?Secondly, why am I seeing tlog jpg images in the logs folder? Is that something new?

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