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
Are you saying the MTek is better because of the higher update rate? It's certainly cheaper.
Any idea how good are the MTek unit is at resisting interference from 1280 MHz video transmitters? Just this past weekend, I found that I can use the uBlox with it's circular polarized antenna in places where my older EB-85A won't work. The MTek is of course a much newer design, but it looks like a common patch antenna(?) so I fear it will suffer from interference more than the uBlox. Has anyone tried one in close proximity to a 1280 VTX?
BTW, congrats on all the nice work. I'm just waiting for the APM to come back in stock, and then I'll probably grab a set of hardware to try your project, and the FlightOS software, since they both share the same hardware.
Cheers,
Rusty (I don't need frames :-)
Smoking... I've been on a nic. vaporizer for over a month now with zero smokes! Good luck!
Let’s hope it’s a good addiction for me, not like that smoking s..t :)
My list went:
APM
APM IMU
DIYD Magnetometer
UBlox GPS and DIYD adapter (apparently the 10Hz MT3329 is now the one to buy though...)
GPS cable from DIYD
Sonar module of my choice (check out the sonar profiles from their datasheets)
2x 3x8 right-angle header pins from DIYD
Extra strip of straight and 90 deg header pins for additions to the IMU shield
4 motors in the 1000kv range and matching ESCs with appropriate connectors
Low voltage and power wire
Frame parts
First thing, gongrets for the GREATE PROJECT you all started here, i well be sitting on this page 24/7 waiting for the upcoming updates and development to the ArduCopter project.
Second , next week I’m ordering the Mega and Oilpan , i was hoping to see a list , with the full hardware parts and future add-ons so that i can buy them at ones and don’t have to order them 2-3 times and give away money on shipping charges . But I’m sure that the list and much more well be available soon.
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