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)

@Simone first and second lines are current that motor and wattage that motor uses to produce xx amount of thrust with that propeller. So for example AC-Smaller motor uses 3.4Amp that equals 34Watt and with that amount of power it creates 433gr of thrust with 3S battery. So rough calculation would be 3.4 amp * 4 = 13.6Amp and it would then lift about 1.7Kg.

Well all brushless motors have 3 cables due they are 3-phase motors. Full KIT will include smaller motors due most of people will be happy with them. With those motors you can easily have camera like GoPro HD, Sony Bloggie or similar and still have around 10 mins of airtime with 2600mAh battery.

@Taylor, for US people easiest way is just to make 2 orders, one from DIY and then just APM from SFE. Domestic postal payments are anyways rather small in US what I know. For outside US it's different because users still need to make two orders if buying from US and that makes overall prices a lot higher due double international payments, taxes etc.

PhiFUN can also ship to US but I don't see so much point on it due postal payments will be higher than getting it locally. Ok if all local shops are out of stock and PhiFUN still have or there is something in order that cannot be found from locas and no time to wait untill local stock levels are back up, well why not :)

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Comments

AVS September 25, 2010 at 5:04am

Thanks, that accounts for the propeller holes in my kitchen door :)
Developer

Jani Hirvinen September 25, 2010 at 4:49am

Was just testing latest code and playing a bit with PID settings.. Also I tested a lot "throw launch" it worked rather well untill last launch, got rather bad crash from 3 meters. Well it basically slammed to concrete semi-upside down with almost full throttle.

What I did today was just having throttle at 0, threw it up in sky in various different angles, gave throttle so it could level it self. One of motors did not start immediately after I gave throttle, so it turned upside down and it tried to turn back up, ground was just a bit too close to make full turn ;)

Damage:
- Broken motorshaft (cut half inside motor)
- 4 x M3x20 mm nylon screws broken (around arms)
- 3 x M3x6mm nylon screws broken (holding carrier boards)
- 2 x Propellers broken

Anyways, it does level it self really nicely if there is enough space to do maneuvers. We might need to consider more if there is a need for special failsafe start, eg to check what is our orientation when starting motors and also what way we should do correction movements. DCM already does this but we might need one extra step to it.

So if you have more than 5 meters space, it levels always well. It can level even from 3 meters but my success rate was 10 - 1 :)
Taylor Cox September 25, 2010 at 4:38am

Ok. Thank you
Developer

Jani Hirvinen September 25, 2010 at 4:29am

@Simone first and second lines are current that motor and wattage that motor uses to produce xx amount of thrust with that propeller. So for example AC-Smaller motor uses 3.4Amp that equals 34Watt and with that amount of power it creates 433gr of thrust with 3S battery. So rough calculation would be 3.4 amp * 4 = 13.6Amp and it would then lift about 1.7Kg.

Well all brushless motors have 3 cables due they are 3-phase motors. Full KIT will include smaller motors due most of people will be happy with them. With those motors you can easily have camera like GoPro HD, Sony Bloggie or similar and still have around 10 mins of airtime with 2600mAh battery.

@Taylor, for US people easiest way is just to make 2 orders, one from DIY and then just APM from SFE. Domestic postal payments are anyways rather small in US what I know. For outside US it's different because users still need to make two orders if buying from US and that makes overall prices a lot higher due double international payments, taxes etc.

PhiFUN can also ship to US but I don't see so much point on it due postal payments will be higher than getting it locally. Ok if all local shops are out of stock and PhiFUN still have or there is something in order that cannot be found from locas and no time to wait untill local stock levels are back up, well why not :)
Taylor Cox September 25, 2010 at 3:17am

@Jani....So if we live in the U.S. we will be able to order an arducopter kit that comes with everything accept the tx/rx, battery, and apm board.....is this correct? BUT if we want to order one from the US and have it shipped from Phifun, that would mean that we could buy the whole kit which would include the apm board?
Simone Chiaretta September 25, 2010 at 3:11am

This is good not to have to tune the parameters for the first flight: much more approachable for newbies like me :)
Even tho I guess that more advanced people will like to have some guidance on how to figure out the parameters themselves if they build their own frame or use other motors.

One question on the test results: what is the 3rd line for? Is it the weight that the 4 motors will be able to lift?
And which motors will be part of the KIT? The small or the big one?

Thx
Simone
Developer

Jani Hirvinen September 25, 2010 at 2:25am

Mees, we have our own ArduCopter dedicated motors, esc and props coming with frame. That way we can be sure of all PID settings and supporting our users will be a lot easier. Which also unfortunately means that people who has their own motors, esc and props need they need to figure all settings by them selfs.

Here is test results of motors that we choose to use. All there motors are made especially for us in factory and we have full support for them which means also spareparts like shafts etc.
Vincent Mees September 25, 2010 at 1:58am

Any news which motors and ESC's will be included in the kit?
I allready have the APM and oilpan. Put it together and programmed it. All sensors work fine.
TX on the way.
Now waiting for the frame to come out.
Chandan Roy September 24, 2010 at 9:56pm

After I assembled the apm and oilpan I was always having problem with the yaw Gyro indication and correction...
The yaw gyro indicator was always negative or always positive Or not responding at all...

Then I realized that the IXZ500 chip was soldered poorly...
So I picked up the IXZ500 with my IR UBGA station and then re soldered it again...
Now its working fine...
Fred Grantham September 24, 2010 at 9:33pm

So I guess the ARF means (NOT CLOSE TO FLYING JUST GOOGLE FOR THE REST) for us guys State side is out the window now. We have to do what I have been putting off and order stuff from differante venders am I correct here?Is it I should have would have done that a ways back but thought those bases where covered so let me know if my pipe dreams where broken please!

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