This is the third update about my attempts to build an autonomous sailboat with the goal to have it sail by itself next spring.

My first plan for simulation and hardware in the loop simulation was to use the Sail simulator game.You can read more about that in my last blog post. This solution works but the setup with two computers and a number of small programs working…

Things are slowly moving forward.

The status right now is:

• Boat has done some sea trials. It sails, and it sails better than expected.
• Windvane is integrated with APM using a separate Arduino nano and I2C to the APM
• APM installed in boat with GPS, compass and telemetry. Next step is to start logging data for use in for example…

I have started to build an APM controlled sail boat. 

The hull

The hull is based on a IOM boat called Goth (Free plans here). It is built with balsa strips and then glassed on both the inside and outside. Keel blade and rudder are made with balsa cores and a carbon…

For the last week i have successfully flown my Twinstar with the APM. Everything was tuned and i had developed a good routine for setting things up in the field before flying. Yesterday the plan was to test a long endurance flight (25 min) that also used the relay to reset the XBee to keep the telemetry link for the entire flight. 

But this is what happened...

The Twinstar comes with a small PCB that houses connectors for the motors and ESCs. The motor…

Ardupilot Mega test flight report.

Today i did my first test flights with the APM installed in my Multiplex Twinstar II.



I tested the Stabilization mode and the Auto mode with six waypoints in a 1,4 km

long track.



Equipment

* Multiplex…