[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
Try moving your .h file to ...\Desktop\arduino-0016-win\arduino-0016\hardware\tools\avr\avr\include\easystar.h, or the equivalent location in your Arduino install instead of the \libraries folder.
Doug
I trouble uploading the code. Last week I tried to upload the 2.3 code. After the usual struggles I was able to complete the upload and get the "upload done". The code was uploaded several times without problems. I did no further testing other than assigning the 3 position switch to ch5 Tx. Then my programmed Ublox gps arrived from Jordi so I thought lets see if I could get a GPS lock. The easystar.h file was modified and succedfully uploaded. But the blue LED was still blinking after 30min outside.
Yesterday I had some time to start working on it. So I tried to upload the new code enabling ublox etc. Actually using jody's easystar.h file.
I'm getting the following error which I have never seen before:
>>>
java.io.IOException: Target platform: "arduino" not found.
Make sure that "build.target" in the
preferences file points to a subdirectory of
C:\Program Files\arduino-0017\hardware\cores
at processing.app.debug.Target.(Target.java:49)
at processing.app.Editor$45.run(Editor.java:2165)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
<<<
I have tried everything I could think off: I use the ARdu cable. I have pasted the Ardupilot_headers folder as per manual: C:\Program Files\arduino-0017\hardware\libraries\ArduPilot_Headers
I'm opening the .pde file from the folder on my desktop. Can anybody help me out? last week everything was working OK
Any body knows whats wrong?
it should first reach "home" to start heading to the WP1 ... so Doug's plane turned around and around it is because it couldn't reach the WP0 (home)
the throw or bank angle should be increase to make the plane turn right to home
Doug if you wants to try it first without touching to the .h files you could try to put an over killed radius so the plane will for sur reach the waypoints...
if it starts the waypoints senquence then you could put it back to radius 35 and set the throw bigger
35 feet seems a little to low for me , i had around 30 meters with a 3D plane
i guess you'll just have to try few things...
Ric
i guess your not reaching the waypoint at all cause the plane is circling around.
you should try to setup either a bigger radius or a bigger bank turn
hope that helps
I am oh so slowly making progress, but I had a good milestone day today.
First actual test flight of the autopilot, and a partial success. Stabilization is great. Ability of the autopilot to navigate was demonstrated using Fake_Bearing. Actual navigation, however, was not happening.
My first flight using Fake_Bearing looked perfect. From any initial heading the SuperStar would make a nice 30+/- degree bank and head northeast. Once established that direction is tracked very nicely.
On my second flight when I switched to waypoint mode, the plane would just meander around mostly in circles. Also, the current waypoint on the groundstation would remain at 0 Is this normal??? Is the first waypoint labelled waypoint 0?
My 12 year old daughter was manning the ground station and dutifully answered questions I thought to ask. In hindsight I wish I had asked her more questions. I do know the current waypoint was not changing from zero. She says that the distance from waypoint field was working, but doesn't remember typical values. With the configuration program I think I set the waypoint radius to 35, and I think I had feet for units so probably that is too small. However, I'm curious about the waypoint numbering as that may indicate another problem.
Thanks for everyone's patience and help. Some day I'll catch up enough to enter the T3's....
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