Announcing ArduCopter, the merger of the ArduPilot and AeroQuad projects!

I'm pleased to announce that we've joined forces with the other Arduino-based powerhouse in the aerial robotics world, the AeroQuad quadcopter team, to extend the ArduPilot platform to whirlybirds of all kinds. The project, called ArduCopter, will use the ArduPilotMega and IMU shield hardware along with a low-cost custom platform that will be available commercially to provide a full quad UAV with both stabilization and GPS waypoint navigation. It builds on the awesome work of Jose Julio in ArduPilot quad development, with the excellent full-systems integration of the AeroQuad team. We expect that first code and hardware will be available this summer.

Another team is also extending this to traditional helis, starting with the Trex 450 heli (and its equivalents), which should be ready for release this fall. Along with Blimpduino, this should make for 100% coverage of all aerial robotics platforms on the Arduino platform, with shared libraries and ground stations across projects. Go Arduino!

We'll be setting up a proper microsite here, along with dedicated tab, for the project in the next few days.

If you haven't already seen this preview of what the ArduPilot/ArduIMU combo can do with quads, check this out:

And here's the impressive work of the AeroQuad team:

Here's the announcement from the AeroQuad team:

ArduCopter - The Full Featured UAV Multicopter!

Hey guys, as many of you know the AeroQuad has teamed up with DIY Drones on developing a very full featured multicopter! Chris from DIY Drones has proposed the name of this new effort to be called the ArduCopter! It will be based on the ArduPilot Pro Mega (APM) and the APM sensor board currently nicknamed the Oil Pan. Here's an initial feature list and software road map. Please chime in! Your input is valuable! I'll keep updating this front page until we agree on the first version of the ArduCopter's capabilities.

ArduCopter Feature List
6 Degree of Freedom IMU stabilized control

Gyro stabilized flight mode enabling acrobatics (loops and barrel rolls)

GPS for position hold

Magnetometer for heading determination

Barometer for altitude hold

IR sensor integration for obstacle avoidance

Sonar sensor for automated takeoff and landing capability

Automated waypoint navigation

Motor control using low cost standard PWM Electronics Speed Controllers (ESC's)

On board flight telemetery data storage

Mounted camera stabilization capability

Wireless command & telemetry for long distance communication

Capability to fly in "+", "x", hexa and octo configurations

Battery level detection

User configurable LED flight pattern

Capability to use any R/C receiver

ArduCopter Configuration and Ground Control Software
Realtime graphs of flight data

GUI for configuration of PID and other flight parameters

On Screen Display integration

Waypoint programming using Google Maps

Mixertable view to auto configure "+", "x", hexa and octo configurations

Software Roadmap
Initial baseline using Jose Julio's v3 software
Provides absolute angle PID flight control

Obstacle avoidance

Waypoint navigation

Generalize basic ArduCopter functions (ie. Separate PPM receiver input and motor control functions into separate libraries. Allows future coding of PWM vs. I2C ESC's)

Emphasis on developing new capability into easy to use C++ libraries

Integrate user defined EEPROM storage capability

Develop/optimize AeroQuad serial real-time command/telemetry for ArduCopter

Integrate AeroQuad Configurator for external software configuration of ArduCopter

Rename Configurator to Ground Control Station and integrate graphical programming of waypoint navigation

Integrate AeroQuad rate PID control

Integrate mixertable configuration for multicopter configurations

Integrate AeroQuad camera stabilization

Integrate I2C motor control

Develop capability to wirelessly control ArduCopter directly from Ground Control Station (USB joystick controller from laptop or through waypoint programming)

Not sure why we call it "calibrating the ESCs". What we are actually doing is configuring or setting them up properly for use with the multikopter and that includes defining minimum and maximum throttle value, but can also include such things as correctly setting the digital switches for low battery cut-off value and type, battery type, braking, etc. Wonder wheterh it would be a good idea to develop a small Arduino Mini Pro (or similar) application for setting up and testing the most popular ESCs (and testing motor/prop combinations). That might be more flexible than trying to do it all through the Configurator and APM. Since I have a couple of arduino pros lying around I-ve certainly been using that approach for testing I2C converted ESCs on a simple thrust testbench instead of mounting everything on a multikopter and then testing with the potential risk of something unexpected happening and causing damage.

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Comments

3D Robotics

Chris Anderson October 3, 2010 at 2:14pm

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED ON THIS POST

132 pages of comments are enough ;-) For further discussion of ArduCopter please start or respond to threads in the discussion forums.
3D Robotics

Chris Anderson October 3, 2010 at 2:12pm

Masterbaker: you may have a bad board (roll and pitch are the same gyro chip and it may have a loose connection). I'd return it to be checked out and reflowed if necessary.
3D Robotics

Chris Anderson October 3, 2010 at 2:11pm

Arthur, the problems is that everyone is just using this blog as a catch-all for ArduCopter discussion, rather than starting threads in the discussion forums as they should. The ArduCopter forums are here. I'm going to close comments in this thread to keep it from metastatisizing further ;-)
Arthur P. Meiners October 3, 2010 at 2:01pm

Just another thought: This blog format isn't too convenient to group information in. As ArduCopter and AeroQuad are closely linked, would it not make sense to set up one or two separate areas with the AaroQuad forum where threads specific for the ArduCopter could be grouped ?
Arthur P. Meiners October 3, 2010 at 1:55pm

Not sure why we call it "calibrating the ESCs". What we are actually doing is configuring or setting them up properly for use with the multikopter and that includes defining minimum and maximum throttle value, but can also include such things as correctly setting the digital switches for low battery cut-off value and type, battery type, braking, etc. Wonder wheterh it would be a good idea to develop a small Arduino Mini Pro (or similar) application for setting up and testing the most popular ESCs (and testing motor/prop combinations). That might be more flexible than trying to do it all through the Configurator and APM. Since I have a couple of arduino pros lying around I-ve certainly been using that approach for testing I2C converted ESCs on a simple thrust testbench instead of mounting everything on a multikopter and then testing with the potential risk of something unexpected happening and causing damage.
Neil Baker October 3, 2010 at 1:50pm

I have been tring to get my roll and pitch gyros to work in the configurator. Followed the setup correctly including initializing the eprom. Everything else works fine. Re-downloaded the alpha software and started fresh but still no success. Fired the quad up in stabilize and acro and they definatelly arent working. Must be something small that I am missing. Anybody have any ideas? I attached the serial stream below with me moving the quad all around. Cant remember where in the line the gyros are though.
Arthur P. Meiners October 3, 2010 at 1:45pm

Re calibrating the ACC, I-ve dumped the bubble level a while ago. Instead I have a harness made of four (or more if more than 4 arms) loops of equal length thin rope, noted together in the center. If you hook the loops behind the props, the arms are all equal length, and the CG is properly centered, and have a minute patience until it hangs still, gravity should get you a perfectly horizontal hanging craft. Easy to take along to the field as well although you do need a low / no wind environment.
Developer

Jani Hirvinen October 3, 2010 at 8:45am

@Leonardo, reason why you cannot get Red LED to mark GPS lock is that Alpha 1.0 does not include GPS functions. It was intentionally removed from our first official release. If you look release notes it clearly says: "Sorry guys, no GPS features yet. We have some issues with it so we temporary took it out." text under features and also features list does not mention anything about GPS functions.

GPS functions will be on next release.
Moderator

Sgt Ric October 3, 2010 at 8:36am

@Sebastian... good comment!
Alot of the window shoppers we see here can't wait for the RTF versions to show up on the shelves of Walmart.
Charles John October 3, 2010 at 7:42am

thank you and that's great news I'm looking foward to the kit when it becomes available

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