AIRLink stands for Artificial Intelligence & Remote Link. The unit includes cutting-edge drone autopilot, AI mission computer and LTE connectivity unit. Start your enterprise drone operations with AIRLink and reduce the time to market from years and months down to a few weeks.

More info: https://sky-drones.com/airlink

Sky-Drones Technologies hit their 10-year anniversary this year, so to celebrate the occasion the company decided to prolong the launch of their latest addition to the product range. This has been an entire year in the making, excitement has built up, and expectations have been implied, but the team have absolutely not disappointed!

As drones become more and more hardware-defined and software-orientated, Sky-Drones Technologies must be at the forefront of innovation. With that in mind, the company presents UAV industry specialists and enthusiasts alike: AIRLink. The artificial intelligence and remote link unit that is installed to your enterprise UAV to provide:

1. Cutting edge autopilot: manual and fully autonomous flight capabilities for multirotors, fixed wings and VTOLs
2. AI Mission Computer: onboard data processing and computer vision
3. LTE Connectivity: BVLOS flights, Cloud connectivity and remote workflows

What these exceptional elements mean for the UAS industry is the start of a whole new era in UAV flight control, data analytics, and safety. Never has anyone created a product that can withstand such extreme ambient temperatures and high computational power without an overheating issue, a product that has entirely integrated hardware and software for flight and payload data analytics, a product that can be so many products in one or one product with so many cutting-edge capabilities... Until now.

To give an overview, AIRLink comes with a FPV HDR 1080p camera to provide users with a video stream that has exceptional image quality. The unit is constantly connected to the internet, has been designed with critical peripherals as an essential element for user convenience, and has built-in LTE and Wi-Fi. 

The goal with AIRLink is to integrate this all-in-one unit into the UAV designs during the manufacturing stages so as to focus the efforts and resources of the drone itself rather than avionics and connectivity. With that in mind, Sky-Drones offers a variety of options when choosing how to use AIRLink to the best of its ability:

1. AIRLink OEM – purchase AIRLink as Sky-Drones designed it. Includes all the features and aviation-grade aluminium casing with the heatsink. The process includes simply installing the unit to your UAV.
2. AIRLink Enterprise – Sky-Drones will provide the internal electronics of the AIRLink units, excluding the casing to reduce the size of the units and integrate them directly into your UAV during the manufacturing process.
3. Reference Design – build AIRLink yourself in-house! Sky-Drones will provide all the relevant instructions, manufacturing material, and will be on hand for engineering support whilst you set up your operation for manufacturing your own AIRLink units.

AIRLink stands for Artificial Intelligence & Remote Link. The unit includes cutting-edge drone autopilot, AI mission computer and LTE connectivity unit. Start your enterprise drone operations with AIRLink and reduce the time to market from years and months down to a few weeks.

More info: https://sky-drones.com/airlink

Sky-Drones Technologies hit their 10-year anniversary this year, so to celebrate the occasion the company decided to prolong the launch of their latest addition to the product range. This has been an entire year in the making, excitement has built up, and expectations have been implied, but the team have absolutely not disappointed!

As drones become more and more hardware-defined and software-orientated, Sky-Drones Technologies must be at the forefront of innovation. With that in mind, the company presents UAV industry specialists and enthusiasts alike: AIRLink. The artificial intelligence and remote link unit that is installed to your enterprise UAV to provide:

1. Cutting edge autopilot: manual and fully autonomous flight capabilities for multirotors, fixed wings and VTOLs
2. AI Mission Computer: onboard data processing and computer vision
3. LTE Connectivity: BVLOS flights, Cloud connectivity and remote workflows

What these exceptional elements mean for the UAS industry is the start of a whole new era in UAV flight control, data analytics, and safety. Never has anyone created a product that can withstand such extreme ambient temperatures and high computational power without an overheating issue, a product that has entirely integrated hardware and software for flight and payload data analytics, a product that can be so many products in one or one product with so many cutting-edge capabilities... Until now.

To give an overview, AIRLink comes with a FPV HDR 1080p camera to provide users with a video stream that has exceptional image quality. The unit is constantly connected to the internet, has been designed with critical peripherals as an essential element for user convenience, and has built-in LTE and Wi-Fi. 

The goal with AIRLink is to integrate this all-in-one unit into the UAV designs during the manufacturing stages so as to focus the efforts and resources of the drone itself rather than avionics and connectivity. With that in mind, Sky-Drones offers a variety of options when choosing how to use AIRLink to the best of its ability:

1. AIRLink OEM – purchase AIRLink as Sky-Drones designed it. Includes all the features and aviation-grade aluminium casing with the heatsink. The process includes simply installing the unit to your UAV.
2. AIRLink Enterprise – Sky-Drones will provide the internal electronics of the AIRLink units, excluding the casing to reduce the size of the units and integrate them directly into your UAV during the manufacturing process.
3. Reference Design – build AIRLink yourself in-house! Sky-Drones will provide all the relevant instructions, manufacturing material, and will be on hand for engineering support whilst you set up your operation for manufacturing your own AIRLink units.

Sky-Drones Technologies power drones for enterprise business solutions. As creators of full-stack UAV avionic technology, the company aims to accelerate the development and adoption of UAVs for enterprise. This year started off strong for Sky-Drones with an upgrade to their product range: the new and improved SmartLink.

Each SmartLink set contains an air and ground module. The air module is attached to the UAV whilst the ground module is connected to the ground control station. Improvements made to the air unit mean the system is capable of handling two real time HD video streams from CSI and HDMI cameras, the CSI camera itself being an additional element added to the SmartLink set. Alongside this, a huge array of payload interfaces are now embedded into the unit including USB, UART, I2C, and SPI for allowing the tight integration into Sky-Drones’ hardware and software.

Improvements made to the ground control device include manufacturing this compact and lightweight module with a micro-USB connector, thus allowing the interaction with multiple devices including laptops, smart phones, tablets, and desktop computers. The addition of an adaptive fan implements a cooling system which allows the module to withstand high ambient temperatures. This makes the entire system that much more reliable in harsh environments and increased longevity on lengthier missions.

The drone datalink and integrated onboard computer has a standard range of up to 20km. However, an unlimited flight range can be achieved thanks to Sky-Drones’ advancement in LTE connectivity. Connecting your UAV via LTE will enable an endless range, all being your UAVs remain within the LTE coverage area. Planning to cover a much larger area than your coverage zone? Our specialised antennas can ensure your range reaches several dozens of kilometres further afield. For single or cluster drones in the surveillance, search and rescue, and delivery sectors, there has never been a more obvious solution to multi-drone control with unlimited possibilities.  

In order to bring these additions into view, Sky-Drones founder and CEO Kirill Shilov undertook a live webinar on Wednesday 24^th February. This webinar included a full product unpackaging, demonstration of compatibility with Sky-Drones software, and a live Q&A from members of the audience. As a result, all the asked and answered questions have become a permanent feature on the SmartLink product page on the Sky-Drones website. 

The new and improved SmartLink hardware works in tight unison with Sky-Drones SmartAP GCS software, allowing completely autonomous flight control and communications from anywhere in the world. Now, pilots and drones no longer need to be in the same vicinity, allowing BVLOS flights to be planned and initiated quicker than ever before. Access to flight data and logs in Sky-Drones Cloud can also be accessed worldwide by all who are granted access with your personalised company login.

This product renovation has been a major advancement for the Sky-Drones team. Meeting the needs of enterprise business solutions and breaking the ceiling of UAV excellence is something our company is driven to exceed and making sure our products excel in every possible way is what we will continue working towards. Please visit the new SmartLink product page for more information and detailed technical specificaitons.

Here is a quick video tour for those who couldn't make it to the Commercial UAV Show in London this year. Was great to see the latest drone technology and meet people from the industry. 

Sky-Drones has launched a new product. It's called SMARTLINK, this is broadband digital datalink with integrated onboard computer. Two HD video channels, telemetry and control with ultra low latency and range up to 20 km. Fully supported by SmartAP GCS app on all platforms and compatible with PX4, Ardupilot, QGroundControl and Mission Planner. More information here.

AIR Module

This week the 5th Commercial UAV Show took place at ExCel in London, United Kingdom. While exhibiting there I also took a camera and walked around - if you missed the event you still have a chance to watch how it went. Enjoy!

SmartAP GCS by Sky-Drones now supports drone fleet management. Unlimited number of drones supported simultaneously with super easy and intuitive control. Just as an example, put a couple of drones for an autonomous survey mission while the third one is monitoring what they do. AirMap airspace awareness services integrated.

Sky-Drones prioritizes and always strives to enhance the safety of UAV operations - for this reason we integrated AirMap  - world's leading airspace management platform for drones. Now in SmartAP GCS and available for all platforms including iOS, Android, Mac OS, Windows. Visit http://sky-drones.com/smartap-gcs for more info or download SmartAP GCS now.

Downloads:

iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smartap-gcs/id1349876201

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sky_drones.SmartAP_GCS

Mac OS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smartap-gcs/id1351690745?mt=12

Windows: http://sky-drones.com/download.php?file=SmartAP-GCS-Win.zip

Or visit https://sky-drones.com/smartap-gcs for more info

Can you imagine the ground control station software running literally on any platform / operating system? Welcome SmartAP GCS - powerful and intuitive software for managing your drones operations. Available for MacOS, Windows, Android, iOS and Linux. Runs on smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops. More information here or download here.

More information and download: https://sky-drones.com/smartap-gcs

Or get it from Google Play: SmartAP GCS

Sky-Drones is proud to announce the release of SmartAP MAX - perfect solution for the variety of drones applications with outstanding reliability and flight performance. SmartAP MAX provides maximum capabilities in minimum dimensions. 

• Miniature: Compact size and light weight makes integration of the flight controller into any type of the drone quick and easy
• Advanced: Rich set of functionality, multiple redundancy of all sensors, temperature stabilization of IMU and fault-tolerant control algorithms
• Xtandable: Impressive number of the I/O interfaces allows easy integration of the third party electronics almost with no efforts.

CONNECTIVITY

INTEGRATION

VIBRATION-DAMPENED TEMPERATURE-STABILIZED IMU

Provides up to 10 times better flight performance compared to the other systems

SMARTAP GROUND CONTROL STATION

SmartAP MAX is fully compatible with SmartAP GCS - powerful mission planning and configuration tool.

RTK READY

Integrated support of SmartAP RTK for enhancing positioning precision to centimeters level.

SUPPORTED CONFIGURATIONS

More information and ordering here or feel free to contact us for more information. 

Sky-Drones announces release of the next generation flight controller - SmartAP 3.2 Pro, the system became even more integrated, powerful and provides extensive set of features. It has 3x-redundant temperature-stabilized IMU, integrated OSD telemetry with power supply for camera / video TX, integrated long-range 500 mW telemetry module, FrSky S.Port telemetry support, RTK GNSS support (with additional SmartAP RTK extension), 10-60V (3-14S) power input and much more. SmartAP supports any type of multirotor UAV and provides the highest navigation and control precision. The main capabilities of the flight controller are: 

• Outstanding flight stability in all modes - manual (user control), position hold (semi-autonomous control) and auto (fully autonomous navigation and control)
• 3x-redundant temperature-stabilized IMU
• Fully compatible with SmartAP GCS Ground Control Station for Configuration and Mission Planning
• Integrated OSD (On-Screen Display for FPV) with camera / video TX power supply
• Accurate GPS Position hold (up to 40cm with good GNSS reception quality)
• Accurate Altitude hold (up to 10 cm)
• Return to Home flight mode
• Fully autonomous waypoints flight mode
• Guided flight mode
• Various failsafe events configuration and triggering

Temperature-stabilized IMU allows using the system in the wide range of temperatures (-40...+60) with no need of recalibrating.

General Hardware Specifications

• Powerful microcontroller 32 bit 168 MHz STM32
• Compact board size of 8x8 cm (3.15"x3.15"), weight 60g, 6 layers PCB design
• Power supply from the main LiPO battery (3S - 14S) support, up to 60 Volts
• Power supply from BEC 5V support
• 12V, 5V, 3.3V generated onboard, dedicated voltage regulators for MCU, sensors, peripherals
• Integrated GNSS receiver UBlox NEO M8N, GPS/GLONASS, up to 24 sats, 10 Hz), active antenna
• Exnternal GNSS module support (primary configuration)
• Integrated 500 mW telemetry module (primary configuration)
• External telemetry module support
• Integrated OSD module with power supply for video TX and camera 
• Up to 24 PWM I/O support (5V out, high-power)
• SBUS input support
• FrSky S.Port output support
• USB interface for configuration / firmware update
• Various communication lines (UART/USART, RS232, I2C, SPI)
• 6-pin JTAG port for programming / debugging
• MicroSD card driven by 4-bit SDIO interface for data-logging / parameters
• Backup battery for real-time clock and GNSS receiver
• Integrated main LiPo battery voltage monitoring
• 4 ADC inputs, battery voltage / current monitoring
• Electromagnetic sounder
• 3-channels bright LED support (up to 300mA/ch)
• RGB LED support
• 2-channel solid state relay

The system is also available as a kit which includes:

1. SmartAP 3.2 Pro Flight Controller Main board
2. External GNSS / Magnetometer module
3. Ground telemetry module
4. Onboard telemetry antenna
5. High-gain ground telemetry antenna
6. Power input cable
7. MicroSD card with SD card adapter

SmartAP has its custom Configuration and Mission Planning software called SmartAP GCS, which supports Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. 

SmartAP GCS supports complex flight planning (including waypoints, survey grid generation, payload control, etc), real-time monitoring of flight parameters, video streaming and high-level commands control.

Sky-Drones also creates accessories such as SmartAP RTK for precise positioning and SmartAP PDB for power distribution and voltage / current measurements. 

More information about SmartAP Autopilot and other Sky-Drones products can be found on the website: http://sky-drones.com/

Sky-Drones has recently released SmartAP PDB - Power Distribution Board for professional aerial systems. It supports up to 14S Batteries (60V input), has integrated current sensor, transfers high power from the battery to ESCs / Motors and generates power supply for the flight controller and other peripherals with 5V and 12V voltage levels. Also, PDB provides the functionality for battery voltage / current measurements. SmartAP PDB makes high-power lines connections easier and much more reliable.

Features and detailed specifications:

• Size: 65x65 mm, 4x 3mm mounting holes
• Input voltage up to 60 Volts (14S)
• Capability to handle extremenly high currents (peak current up to 400A)
• Power input from the main battery, possibility to connect up to 4 independent batteries
• 12 pairs of pads (6 on top, 6 on bottom) for powering up to 12 motors (all possible airframe configurations supported)
• Integrated voltage and current sensors
• Integrated DC-DC converter from 10-60 V input (up to 14S battery) to 5V output to power peripherals
• Integrated DC-DC converter from 10-60 V input (up to 14S battery) to 12V output to power peripherals
• 5V and 12V power output terminals (standard 2.54mm/0.1" connectors)
• Integrated loud electromagnetic sounder (buzzer)
• Power output for the flight controller (both 5V and battery VIN)
• Fully compatible with all SmartAP Autopilots

For further information, please, refer to the Installation section, online Store for ordering or Sky-Drones website for other available products. 

Sky-Drones is introducing SmartAP RTK, this is a perfect addition to the flight controller when positioning precision really matters, it provides centimeter level accuracy. The system is based on the latest UBlox Neo-M8P chipset and is fully integrated across all SmartAP flight controllers and software. Standard telemetry is used to send RTCM corrections via SmartAP GCS. 

Real Time Kinematic (RTK) satellite navigation is a technique used to enhance the precision of position data derived from satellite-based positioning systems (global navigation satellite systems, GNSS). It uses measurements of the phase of the signal's carrier wave, rather than the information content of the signal, and relies on a single reference station or interpolated virtual station to provide real-time corrections, providing up to centimetre-level accuracy.

Specifications:

• Centimeter‑level GNSS positioning
• Integrated Real Time Kinematics (RTK)
• Smallest, lightest, and energy‑efficient RTK module
• Complete and versatile solution due to base and rover variants
• World‑leading GNSS positioning technology
• UBlox NEO M8P chipset based
• 25mm ceramic patch antenna
• GPS / GLONASS support
• Up to 24 satellites
• 8 / 5 Hz update rate (GPS / GPS + GLONASS)
• Rechargeable 3V lithium backup battery
• Ultra-Low noise 3.3V regulator
• Power and fix indicator LEDs
• Exposed RX, TX, 5V and GND pads
• Integrated magnetometer on airborne module - HMC5883L
• UART port for GPS interface
• USB for base station module
• Airborne module cable length 30 cm
• Base station module length 3 m
• Fully compatible with SmartAP Autopilots

Reported accuracy in single mode operation: 

Reported accuracy in RTK Fixed mode: 

Position estimation is at the level of 1-2 cm. 

More information and ordering: http://sky-drones.com/

Sky-Drones has recently announced the release of SmartAP 4 - the latest generation autopilot. Now, SmartAP 4 and other products are available for purchase in online store. All SmartAP products are based on custom hardware and software and oriented at the wide range of applications, including hobby, professional and industrial ones. The key features of the systems are easy configuration, excellent flight performance and intuitive ground control station. More information can be found on the official website http://sky-drones.com/ and in the description below. 

SmartAP 4 Flight Controller

Specifications:

• Powerful microcontroller 32 bit 168 MHz STM32F4 ARM Cortex M4
• Compatible with GPS/GLONASS receiver
  - UBlox NEO8, GPS/GLONASS, up to 24 sats, 10 Hz) active antenna
• Up to 12 PWM I/O support (5V out)
• USB interface for configuration / firmware update
• Various communication lines (UART, I2C, SPI)
• MicroSD, 4-bit SDIO interface for data-logging / parameters storage
• Backup battery for RTC
• 2x ADC inputs for battery voltage / current monitoring
• Electromagnetic sound audio indicator
• 3-channels LED support (up to 500mA / ch)
• 2-channels solid state relay

SmartAP 3 Flight Controller

Specifications:

• Powerful microcontroller 32 bit 168 MHz STM32F4 ARM Cortex M4
• Compact board size of 8x8 cm (3.15"x3.15"), weight 60g, 6 layers PCB design
• Power supply from main LiPO battery (3S - 8S) support, up to 36 Volts
• Power supply from BEC 5V support
• 12V, 5V, 3.3V generated onboard
• Integrated telemetry module (100 mW), external module is supported as well (up to 5V@1A powered)
• Up to 24 PWM I/O support (5V out, high-power), SBUS support
• USB interface for configuration / firmware update
• Various communication lines (UART/USART, RS232, I2C, SPI)
• MicroSD card driven by 4-bit SDIO interface for data-logging / parameters
• Backup battery for real-time clock and GPS receiver
• Integrated main LiPo battery voltage monitoring
• - Electromagnetic sound audio indicator
• - 4-channels bright LED support (up to 100mA/ch)

Flight performance

• Extremely stable flight in stabilize (user control), position hold (semi-autonomous control) and auto (fully autonomous navigation and control) modes
• Native support of SmartAP Ground Control Station and Configuration Tool
• Accurate GPS Position hold (up to 40cm), manual position override
• Accurate Altitude hold (up to 10 cm), manual altitude override
• Fully autonomous waypoints flight
• Return to home mode
• Failsafe detection and event triggering
• And many more…

SmartAP Ground Control Station

SmartAP GCS (Ground Control Station) is the software application which allows you to plan autonomous mission for SmartAP Autopilot as well as control the drone using intuitive high-level commands:

Also, SmartAP GCS supports real-time video display:

More information and ordering at http://sky-drones.com/

Sky-Drones.com unveils SmartAP 4 Autopilot - the latest generation flight control system for multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles of various configurations and sizes aimed at the wide range of applications. The main feature of the system is the capability of fully autonomous flight including take off, waypoints flight, landing and much more. The core is based on powerful 32-bit microcontroller ST Microelectronics® STM32F4 and 9-axis Inertial Measurement Unit. The latest UBlox® GPS module with integrated 3-axis magnetometer and pressure sensor can be connected externally for autonomous flight capabilities as well as wireless telemetry module for system configuration, mission planning & control and in-flight monitoring via specially designed SmartAP Ground Control Station and Configuration Tool. SmartAP 4.x supports any type of multirotor UAV with outstanding flight performance, reliability, navigation and control precision. Compact size and weight makes integration of the system fast and easy, various I/O interfaces allow creating the applications for interaction with 3^rd party electronics and payload. 

General specifications

• Powerful microcontroller 32 bit 168 MHz STM32F4 ARM Cortex M4
• Compatible with GPS/GLONASS receiver (UBlox NEO8, GPS/GLONASS, up to 24 sats, 10 Hz) active antenna
• Up to 12 PWM I/O support (5V out)
• USB interface for configuration / firmware update
• Various communication lines (UART, I2C, SPI)
• MicroSD, 4-bit SDIO interface for data-logging / parameters storage
• Backup battery for RTC
• 2x ADC inputs for battery voltage / current monitoring
• Electromagnetic sound audio indicator
• 3-channels LED support (up to 500mA / ch)
• 2-channels solid state relay

Flight performance:

• Extremely stable flight in stabilize (user control), position hold (semi-autonomous control) and auto (fully autonomous navigation and control) modes
• Native support of SmartAP Ground Control Station and Configuration Tool
• Accurate GPS Position hold (up to 40cm), manual position override
• Accurate Altitude hold (up to 10 cm), manual altitude override
• Fully autonomous waypoints flight
• Return to home mode
• Failsafe detection and event triggering
• And many more…

Available flight modes

• Stabilization
• Altitude Hold
• GPS Position Hold
• Loiter
• Return to Home
• Autonomous Waypoints Flight
• Guided / Follow me
• Take off
• Landing

 Processor

• ST Microelectronics STM32F427VI
• 32 bit 168 MHz ARM Cortex M4
• Hardware FPU

Sensors

• 2x 9-axis IMU InvenSense MPU-9250 (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer)
• 2x Pressure sensor MS5611 (integrated and external)
• 1x 3-axis magnetometer HMC5883 (external)
• 1x UBlox M8N GPS Module (external)

Interfaces

• 12x PWM I/O
• 1x PPM / SBUS Input
• 1x SBUS Output
• 1x Power Input port
• 1x LED Output port
• 3x UART
• 2x I2C
• 1x SPI
• 1x USB Mini-B

Size

• Length: 63mm
• Width: 42mm
• Height: 16mm
• Weight: 21g

More information at http://sky-drones.com/

SmartAP 3.0 Pro Autopilot is the high-level flight control system for multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with the capability of fully autonomous flight including take off, waypoints flight and landing. The hardware core is powered by STM32F4 microcontroller from STMicroelectronics, 9-axis Inertial Measurement Unit and the latest GPS/GLONASS receiver from UBlox providing outstanding flight precision. SmartAP has its own Configuration and Mission Planning software called SmartAP GCS. The system supports any type of multirotor UAV with the highest navigation and control accuracy. SmartAP Autopilot was developed using the latest electronic components available at the moment, which allowed to achieve such amazing results!

General features of the system:
- All-integrated system approach - plug and fly
- Extremely stable flight in
- stabilize (user control)
- position hold (semi-autonomous control)
- auto (fully autonomos navigation and control)
- MAVLink compatible Ground Control Station protocol
- Accurate Position hold
- Horizontal: up to 40cm
- Vertical: up to 10cm
- Manual altitude override
- Fully autonomous waypoints flight
- Autonomous take off
- Autonomous landing
- Return to Home mode
- Low battery detection and Failsafe triggering
- And many many more...

The system installed on 960-sized hexacopter:

Hardware:
- Powerful microcontroller 32 bit 168 MHz STM32F4 ARM Cortex M4
- Compact board size of 8x8 cm (3.15"x3.15"), weight 60g, 6 layers PCB design
- Power supply from main LiPO battery (3S - 8S) support, up to 36 Volts
- Power supply from BEC 5V support
- 12V, 5V, 3.3V generated onboard
- Integrated GPS receiver (UBlox NEO8, GPS/GLONASS, up to 24 sats, 10 Hz) active antenna, exnternal module is supported as well
- Integrated telemetry module (100 mW), external module is supported as well (up to 5V@1A powered)
- Up to 24 PWM I/O support (5V out, high-power), SBUS support
- USB interface for configuration / firmware update
- 6-pin JTAG port for programming / debugging
- Various communication lines (UART/USART, RS232, I2C, SPI)
- MicroSD card driven by 4-bit SDIO interface for data-logging / parameters
- Backup battery for real-time clock and GPS receiver
- Integrated main LiPo battery voltage monitoring
- 4 ADC inputs, battery voltage / current monitoring
- Electromagnetic sound audio indicator
- 4-channels bright LED support (up to 100mA/ch)

The components of the system:

SmartAP Ground Control Station and Configuration Tool
SmartAP GCS (Ground Control Station) is the software application which allows you to plan autonomous mission for your SmartAP Autopilot as well as control the UAV using intuitive high-level commands.
General features are:
- Flexible and user-friendly interface
- One-click commands for high-level control
- ARM, Take off, Loiter, Land etc.
- Status information display
- Real-time video feed and overlay
- with video capture device
- Major flight information display
- Mission planning using waypoints
- Customizable waypoints' settings
- Flight logging support
- Realtime plot of all parameters
- Integrated log analyzer
- Points of interest selection and control
- Terminal window

Ground Control Station Mainwindow

Supported Airframes
- Quadcopter Plus 4
- Quadcopter X 4
- Quadcopter W 4
- Hexacopter Plus 6
- Hexacopter X 6
- Octocopter Plus 8
- Octocopter X 8
- Tricopter I 6
- Tricopter Y 6
- Quadcopter X 8
- Hexacopter X 12

Ground Control Station demo video

User's review video:

More information and ordering at: http://sky-drones.com/

Kirill
Sky-Drones.com

SmartAP Autopilot is getting its own Ground Control Station, it's called SmartAP GCS. This software package includes mission planning interface and built-in configuration tool. 
The general features are:
Flexible and user-friendly interface
One-click commands for high-level control
Status information display
Major flight information display
Mission planning using the waypoints
Customizable waypoints' settings
Flight logging support
Realtime plot of all parameters
Integrated log analyzer
Points of interest selection and control
Terminal window

More info at http://sky-drones.com/

SmartAP Autopilot now has its own Configurator, this is a desktop application which helps to configure SmartAP board easily and prepare the vehicle for the first flight just in 10 minutes! The design is very clean and intuitive, while the capabilities are very flexible. Check out the video tutorial on system configuration above.

The major specifications are:   

• Intuitive interface
• Works via USB or Telemetry
• Battery status display
• Supports 10 types of airframes
• Radio type selection (PWM or SBUS)
• Easy IMU calibration
• Fast parameters tuning
• Advanced parameters list access
• Command line interface
• Real time plot
• Firmware update (coming soon)

This is the initial version and more interesting things are yet to come.

SmartAP Ground Control Station for mission planning, flight control and post-flight analysis is in development and will be released soon. 

SmartAP Autopilot is the next generation flight control system for multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles capable of fully autonomous flight. It has a powerful microcontroller STM32F4 from STMicroelectronics, 9-axis Inertial Measurement Unit and the latest GPS receiver from UBlox integrated onboard. SmartAP supports any type of multirotor UAV with outstanding navigation and control precision. Unlike our competitors SmartAP was developed using the latest electronic components available at the moment, which allowed us to achieve such amazing results. 

More information: http://sky-drones.com/

The next generation of SmartAP Autopilot - SmartAP 3.0 Pro has been released for public recently. This is the state of the art flight control system for multirotor UAVs capable of fully autonomous flight. It has a powerful MCU STM32F4, 9-axis IMU, integrated telemetry module and the latest GPS receiver from UBlox (UBlox NEO 8) already integrated onboard. SmartAP 3.0 was developed using the latest electronic components available at the moment, which allowed us to achieve amazing results in navigation and control precision.

The list of SmartAP 3.0 features:
- Powerful microcontroller 32 bit 168 MHz STM32F4 ARM Cortex M4
- Compact board size of 8x8 cm (3.15"x3.15"), weight 60g, 6 layers PCB design
- Power supply from main LiPO battery (3S - 8S) support, up to 36 Volts
- Power supply from BEC 5V support
- 12V, 5V, 3.3V generated onboard
- Integrated GPS receiver (UBlox NEO8, GPS/GLONASS, up to 24 sats, 10 Hz) active antenna, exnternal module is supported as well
- Integrated telemetry module (100 mW), external module is supported as well (up to 5V@1A powered)
- Up to 24 PWM I/O support (5V out, high-power), SBUS support
- USB interface for configuration / firmware update
- 6-pin JTAG port for programming / debugging
- Various communication lines (UART/USART, RS232, I2C, SPI)
- MicroSD card driven by 4-bit SDIO interface for data-logging / parameters
- Backup battery for real-time clock and GPS receiver
- Integrated main LiPo battery voltage monitoring
- 4 ADC inputs, battery voltage / current monitoring
- Electromagnetic sound audio indicator
- 4-channels bright LED support (up to 100mA/ch)
- Sound voice speaker support
- RBG LED Indicator
- 2-channels solid state relay

Sensors:
IMU: InvenSense MPU-9150, STMicroelectronics LIS3DSH
Magnetometer: Honeywell HMC5883L
Pressure sensors: MS5611

Firmware capabilities:
- Extremely stable flight in stabilize (user control), position hold (semi-autonomous control) and auto (fully autonomos navigation and control) modes.
- MAVLink compatible Ground Control Station protocol
- Accurate GPS Position hold (up to 40cm with good GPS reception quality)
- Accurate Altitude hold (up to 10 cm), manual altitude override
- Fully autonomous waypoints flight, return to home mode
- Low battery detection and event triggering

Here is the demo video showing Altitude and Position Hold mode:

More info about the project can be found at http://sky-drones.com/

It took almost two years of research, development and thorough testing in order to bring the next generation flight control system. Welcome SmartAP 2.0 - multirotor UAV autopilot with the capability of fully autonomous flight including takeoff and landing. The official beta release of the system is launched! More info at http://sky-drones.com.