[This original ArduPilot board, now called the "Legacy ArduPilot" is no longer produced or officially supported by the DIY Drones dev team, and this page is maintained just for historic reasons. However, there are still many users of it out there and it still works fine. The user group for Legacy ArduPilot users, for both thermopile and IMU use, is here.]
ArduPilot is a full-featured autopilot based on the Arduino open-source hardware platform. It uses infrared (thermopile) sensors or an IMU for stabilization and GPS for navigation. It is the autopilot used to win the 2009 Sparkfun Autonomous Vehicle Competition.
The hardware is available from Sparkfun for $24.95. An expansion board ("Shield") kits that includes an airspeed sensor, a 3.3v power regulator for 3.3v GPS modules and other sensors and cables and connectors for easy attachment of the XY and Z sensors, is available from our own store for $57.20.
User f
ArduPilot features include:
- Can be used for an autonomous aircraft, car or boat.
- Built-in hardware failsafe that uses a separate circuit (multiplexer chip and ATTiny processor) to transfer control from the RC system to the autopilot and back again. Includes ability to reboot the main processor in mid-flight.
- Multiple 3D waypoints (limited only by memory)
- Altitude controlled with the elevator and throttle
- Comes with a 6-pin GPS connector for the 4Hz uBlox5 or 1hz EM406 GPS modules.
- Has six spare analog inputs (with ADC on each) and six spare digital input/outputs to add additional sensors
- Supports addition of wireless modules for real-time telemetry
- Based on a 16MhZ Atmega328 processor. Total onboard processing power aprox 24 MIPS.
- Very small: 30mm x 47mm
- Can be powered by either the RC receiver or a separate battery
- Four RC-in channels (plus the autopilot on/off channel) can be processed by the autopilot. Autopilot can also control four channels out.
- LEDs for power, failsafe (on/off), status and GPS (satellite lock).
Resources:
ArduPilot requires the free Arduino IDE to edit and upload the code to the ArduPilot board.
The code is currently optimized for the Mutiplex EasyStar three-channel powered glider and FMA sensors, but can be modified for other aircraft and sensors. It uses the rudder/ailerons and elevator to maintain level flight and navigate to GPS waypoints. It supports a desktop setup utility and ground station software. It also includes a "fly-by-wire" mode that simply stabilizes RC flight. The main code is ArduPilot2.x.zip in the download section of our Google Code repository, where x is the latest version.
What you need to make a fully-functional autopilot:
- ArduPilot board
- Shield expansion kit with airspeed sensor
- GPS module (uBlox5 recommended)
- XY and Z sensors or ArduIMU+
- FTDI cable for programming
- [Optional] Two Xbee modules for wireless telemetry. This one in the air and this one with this antenna on the ground/laptop side. You'll also need two Xbee adapter boards. You can connect the airborne Xbee adapter to Ardupilot Mega with jumper wires.
Open source extras:
- If you want to build your own board from scratch, the necessary files and component lists are here.
- [Note: you shouldn't need this, since this code is loaded on the ArduPilot board at the factory] Latest multiplexer code (for the board's second processor, an Attiny, which runs the failsafe system) is here.
Instructions for loading this code are here.
Recommended UAV setup:
Airframe option one: Hobbico SuperStar (49" wingspan, $95, shown above). This is an inexpensive, good flying high-wing trainer with ailerons. It can be hand launched in a park or take off from a runway, and replacement parts are readily available in case of a crash. If you want much better performance with this aircraft, you can upgrade it to a brushless motor, speed controller and a LiPo battery. [If you don't already have one, you'll also need a balancing charger and power supply.] Note: any stable aircraft with both ailerons (for stabilization) and rudder (for navigation) can work, so feel free to experiment with what you've got.
Airframe option two (recommended for ArduPilot 2.x): EasyStar (shown above). Performance can be improved with the modifications described in this post.
You'll also need:
- A six or seven channel RC transmitter and receiver, with at least one toggle switch (ideally three-position but two-position will work, too, although you will have to mix channels to have access to both autopilot modes in the air), such as the Futaba 7C.
- Some servos (at least three for ArduPilot 1.0; at least two for ArduPilot 2.x) and at least three female-to-female servo cables to connect the RC receiver to ArduPilot.
Cool optional extras for your UAV:
- A GPS logger to record your mission and play it back in Google Earth
- A tiny video camera to record the flight
- A wireless video setup to see realtime video from the air
Comments
Took off, got to 200 ft. Turned on AP, I have adjusted the heading and roll gains and also increase the servo range and integrator. Now this thing is on rails. A massive front came through at 4pm tonight, winds hit 45mph and maintain through out the flight. Plane tracked perfectly, I set throttle to manual so I could control the throttle considering the wind. Man, it was awesome. She navigated like a champ even in this wind, took sometime to get to the upwind waypoint but she tracked straight as a bean. It was awesome, using the new remzibi config tool it was awesome. I have the code completely locked, tomorrow I will apply this code to a fresh Easystar out of the box. If all goes well it should be plug and play.
Thats all for now...
Cheers,
-Peter
here is the only link i know:
http://www.eagletreesystems.com/Standalone/standalone.htm
(hyper link doesn't work or i don't know how to use it so it is the text version)
i was just wondering if you can fly the last version code with ch3 plugged, cause you said your reading wasn't accurate...
since i don't have the ardustation and/or any telemetry it is hard for me to juge it.
any ways i'll make further trys in flight soon..
questions for everyone!!
does a pusher twin boom should have the same CG as a normal plane???
what are the advantages of this kind of plane?
(don't say: "this kind of plane sucks" cause i nearly finish one big 1.64m span and 40 cm chord)
thank's in advance
Here is what I use. You can buy these from EagleTree for about $10.00 each.
did you have any more sucess with you're airspeed ,being not accurate?
i guess it is because you're not using a proper static air port.
my guess is you should rather use a pitot tube with staic port and dynamic in one
or use to different airport outside the plane :
or:
and for the dimensions:
regards
fefenin
in "our" ground vehicle we are not using any stabilisation at all ...
to do that you can use the latest 2.3 beta code and disble the sensor by seting "on" the walk mode into the .h header file
i'm thinking that your device is over reacting ( i had one paraglider has well)
this kind of flying object need to have fairly slow input commands
i guess you 'll have to tweak the code to get a smoother and slower sensor response.
i'm not one of the "expert tweaker" , but every thing is in the .h files and you should start with the stabilisation mode (GPS unplugged ) to see if you're setup is working properly...
hope that helps
fefenin
I’m not having much luck with the full capacity of this new code with my paraglider!! I mounted everything (the brain, GPS, and sensors) up on the swing arm thinking that more resembles the rolling of the aircraft in flight. But then my wires are so long that I think I’m getting horrible noise issues, or having problems with the sensors reacting so quickly that they buck with the rest of the software, I don’t know??? But everything I’ve tried has not been fruitful!! I’ve even moved the autopilot assembly downstairs on top of the fuel tank and not moving with the swing arm, but still I have what I believe, is noise issues from the cable lengths.I’m wanting now to backup. Mount everything just behind the fuel tanks, minus the sensors. Let the auto pilot fly me to my waypoints and let me have control of altitude with the throttle. Like you guys are doing with the ground vehicles. If I do that, I can cut way back the length of the wires and hopefully eliminate that as a noise problem.
What code should I revert back to? I want to go to “autopilot” but still have control of the throttle. I’m tired of experimenting, I just want to go fly and work out the bugs later.
Thanks guys,
Brent
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