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APM boards now available in the DIY Drones store!

Posted by Chris Anderson on December 24, 2010 at 11:00am

3689383080?profile=originalWe now have the ability to make the APM boards ourselves, so we can offer the full set of ArduPilotMega gear from the DIY Drones store. APM boards are now in stock (we'll be replenishing supply daily, so check back in a day if the current supply runs out). Starting next week, we'll be offering all-in-one packs of APM electronics.

 

Note that this is the new 1.4 version of the board, which makes several improvements/changes:

  • RC ports are now numbered according to RC convention: 1-8 (rather than the previous board's 0-7)
  • Now comes with right-angle connectors for your RC and servos at no extra charge!
  • New protection circuitry should make it impossible to blow out a MUX, not matter how wrong you plug in your cables.
  • Because of this new protection circuitry, the USB cable will not power the RC/servo rails. You MUST supply the board with its own power (an ESC or other power source) on the benchtop if you want to connect a RC receiver or servos. This is not an issue in an aircraft, where the whole board is powered by the RC connections.
  • The onboard regulator was replaced with a better one (more power handling, lower dropout voltage, better heatsinking). If you are supplying power directly from a battery (and removed the SJ1 solder jumper), you should supply between 6 and 9v. A two-cell (7.4v) LiPo will work fine.
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Comments

  • Matt January 21, 2011 at 4:45am
    Hi, I've just received my APMega board from spark fun and after soldering on some pins on I discovered I have the older 1.0 board. Does it matter? Or should I have received the 1.4 board?
    Cheers
    Matt
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson January 7, 2011 at 11:56am
    Thomas: they are there now.
    https://store.diydrones.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BR-ArduP...
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson January 6, 2011 at 5:36pm
    Tony: are you using a FTDI cable or the USB cable via the IMU?

    There are no issues with the board (we've been using them for weeks), but there may be issues with your setup.
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson December 29, 2010 at 11:40am
    F11, check out MultiWiiCopter or KK board. They're just RC (no autonomy) but are cheaper and simpler.
  • steve December 29, 2010 at 11:11am
    Well in this small version I'm wanting to build, I don't need autonomy. I have the kit I got from Jani for that but I would like to do some more acrobatic type of training that I'm reluctant to do with the bigger one :) Also something to fly in smaller areas. Was hoping that without the autonomy I could use a cheaper lighter brain.
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson December 29, 2010 at 10:37am
    Yes. You also need a GPS or mag. If all you want is a RC quad, there are cheaper options out there. ArduCopter is a full UAV autopilot, designed for autonomy. There is no cheaper option for that that I know of.
  • steve December 29, 2010 at 10:22am
    So the cheapest brain for a small quad using the ArduCopter software is this combination?

    ArduPilot Mega - Arduino Compatible UAV Controller w/ ATMega1280
    ArduPilot Mega IMU Shield/OilPan Rev-H V1.0 (No pin headers)
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson December 29, 2010 at 7:16am

    F11: Sparkfun does not have lots of versions. There was the earlier ArduPilot (not Mega) board, but that's a totally different project and won't fly a quad. 

     

    We will release smaller and cheaper boards over the next year that are compatible with the APM/ArduCopter software, but for now the current APM board is the only one.

  • steve December 29, 2010 at 6:48am
    I'm already using this board if it's the one that comes with the kit that Jani is shipping but I would like to make another smaller quad. Are there smaller cheaper versions of this board? I noticed sparkfun had a lot of versions of it but is it possible to build a quad on the smaller boards or is this APM the only/best way to go? I don't need GPS, magnetometer or wireless but I would like to stay with the same software tools that work with this APM.
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson December 28, 2010 at 2:17pm
    Yes, as mentioned in the post, we plan to offer all-in-one kits (but still kits, not pre-soldered) early in the new year. Pricing will probably be the same--it costs the same for us to manufacture.But as with all technologies, as components get cheaper and volumes go up, we'll pass the savings on.
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