just wanted to share first pictures of a new project - integrating Ardupilot into the new Arcus Sport glider (a product of robbe here in Germany). The Arcus is an electric glider with a wing span of 2.6 meters, completely made out of "Arcel" - a similar foam like Multiplex's "Elapor". It comes as an RTF kit, complete with six servos (rudder, elevator, 2 x ailerons, 2 x flaps, ESC, and a brushless outrunner for about 260 Euros (350 $).
I have integrated the Ardupilot into the canopy, here are some pics:
Everything is now installed, and Ardupilot 25.4 is installed. All works well under test conditions, will now start integrating into the airframe and test it out in the air...
Best regards from Germany
Matias
Comments
the thermopile enclosure is made fro a piece of cardboard tube. On top of it sits half of an empty scotchtape reel (both covered under black tape). The "golden" cap is a part cut from a small spraycan cap (If I remember well, it was a small can of color protection spray for inkjet prints). In other words - just stuff laying around in the workshop....
The data could also be logged on the ground with an Xbee (unfortunately I don't have one) - however, with telemetry - according to my experience (I do have the eagletree telemetry stuff) - you will always have some glitches. The on-board datalogger will deliver a more complete data set. Also, the EagleTree can record more parameters than the Ardupilot is tracing. In my set-up, the logger is configured to log all servo pulses (so I can check what Ardupilot is doing), barometric altitude, airspeed (form the pitot tube), all GPS data and the Rx voltage. By simply plugging in sensors, I could add motor current & voltage, temperatures, acceleration in two axes etc. Telemetry, on the other hand, lets you look at live data...
Where did you get that round enclosure for the thermopiles?
Could you replace all the Eagletree gear (including the redundant GPS) with Xbee telemetry from ArduPilot and just datalog from ground?
Reminds me early trials with Flexipilot: