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.
And here's the impressive work of the AeroQuad team:
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 ListSoftware Roadmap
- 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
- 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)
Comments
give the software some coordinates to aim the camera at - would be very cool for aerial photo
Example:
selling a house - aerial photos needed
enter height (array) (20m, 30m, 40m)
enter a few waypoints around the target (house)
range to target in meters (array) 40m, 50m 100m)
then start your camera and start the 'copter
It will automagically fly up to given altitude and then distance to target
camera (video or photo) will always be pointed at target)
then it moves from waypoint to waypoint
then it goes to next altitude in array
then it moves from waypoint to waypoint again
then it goes to next altitude in array
then it moves from waypoint to waypoint again
then return to home(start position)
pseudocode (A loop within a loop until done)
Just a few ideas... //UndCon
i'm using the ArduIMU V2 Flat and the mini Arduino just like in the pictures and schemes.
i saw the changes when moving the sticks. as far as i see, the radio input is ok. everything is moving like it should.
when flying (without the IR or sonar assistance) the quad stabilazes itself (as far as PID tuning allows), so the output for the motors is ok, but the command for the roll axis feels like 10% of what it should be. like the Dual Rates / EP option in the Tx set to 10% (which is not the case, as i checked twice...).
i can't even correct the drifting to the sides.
So you saw changes on radio channels when moving sticks? All channels? How about when you move quad it self, do you see any difference on motor commands?
i've used the Indoor code (IR sensors): Quad_mini_1_29_rangefinder.zip from:
http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/arduimu-quadcopter-part-iii
i've compiled the code and made the proper changes regarding the receiver (not spektrum) and disabled the magnetometer.
no errors regarding the compilation, i saw the RC channels on the screen and made sure that the ranges for each channel are the same. also reseted the program on the 7CAP Tx.
Have you debugged it any ways? Do you see radio channels properly and so on..
i've assembled the quad as mentioned in the Julio's blog, it flies although i can't steer left and right. the quad is not responsive in the roll axis. the pitch works fine. i thought that the problem might be connected to the the fact that i didn't connect the mini Arduino with the IR sensors, but once i connected it, i found that the pitch and the roll are not responsive.
Robero Navoni mentioned in the post that the output for roll is different than the one for pitch somwhere in the code, but i couldn't find it.
could someone help me ?
1.3Ghz is still far enough from 1.5Ghz gps freqs so it works ok. Quite many people are using this similar setup without any problems.
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