All,

I am new to using the APM so I'd like to say upfront I believe it's entirely possible I skipped a step somewhere. Here is what I have hooked up:

New, out of the box, APM 2.6 connected to the 3DR uBlox GPS. Not anything else.

APM is connected to Windows 7 laptop via usb (have tried more than one USB and port)

I have the latest copy of MP installed. I have the correct COM port (the one associated with the Arduino Mega in the device list) and baud rate (115k) selected.

I click Connect in the MP, the UI attempts to connect for a minute or two showing actively on the screen it is trying. During this time you can see orange and blue LEDs flashing on the APM (this only happens during a connection attempt). After it tries some number of times the MP stops trying with an error like this: "no valid heartbeat found".

Did I miss a step? Does any of the behavior I've described make some sense? I'm just trying to make sure the APM and the MP can talk before I start to add radios, rc receiver, servos, battery power and ESC, etc.

ANY assistance would be greatly appreciated! I've also put in a ticket with 3DR.

Thanks,

James Ward

jward448@gmail.com