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Posted by Chris Anderson on May 1, 2010 at 3:30pm

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Convert any RC airplane into a fully-autonomous UAV!
Just add the APM 2 autopilot to any RC aircraft and it becomes a fully-programmable flying robot with a powerful ground station and Mission Planner.  

 

Features include:

  • Return to Launch with a flick of your RC toggle switch or a mouse click in the graphical Ground Station
  • Unlimited 3D GPS waypoints
  • Built-in camera control
  • Fully-scriptable missions
  • One-click software load, and easy point-and-click configuration in the powerful Mission Planner. NO programming required!
  • Replay recorded missions and analyze all the data with a graphing interface
  • Supports two-way telemetry with Xbee wireless modules. 
  • Point-and-click waypoint entry or real-time mission commands while the UAV is in the air
  • Fly with a joystick or gamepad via your PC--no need for RC control!
  • Built-in failsafe will bring your aircraft home in the case of radio loss

 

All instructions and software are here.

 

 

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APM 2 is an open source, Arduino-compatible, pro-quality autopilot. It is the most advanced IMU-based open source autopilot available today, and provides an entire UAV control system with scriptable missions with 3D waypoints, in-flight uploading of commands and powerful ground station software. 

 

APM 2 supports any kind of of vehicle with a one-click change of code. Available code include ArduPlane (fixed wing), ArduCopter (rotary wing), ArduRover (ground vehicles) and more.

 

Everything you need to create an ArduPlane UAV:

 

*  APM 2.5 autopilot with GPS ($179)

*  [Optional] Telemetry kit ($75).

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You'll also need a at least a five-channel RC radio setup, a soldering iron, a mini USB cable and of course something that flies!3689354440?profile=original (We're partial to the SkyFun delta wing (right) and
Bixlee 2   powered glider (left) or its equivalents ourselves).

 

 

 

 

Resources:

Manual
Source code/firmware

Note: ArduPilot Mega requires no programming, but it's open source and you're welcome to modify it if you'd like. If you are going to play with the code, you can use the free Arduino IDE to edit and upload the code to the ArduPilot board.

 

 

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Comments

  • flying toh October 10, 2010 at 8:10pm
    Can Xbee to be use to upload the code when the plane is on the air?
  • Daniel R Ramirez Rebollo October 9, 2010 at 11:36pm
    Thanks Chris solved problem . Now I have another issue , my RC is a futaba conquest , with 6 channels , how can i make the different convinations of PWMs Jus for having 4 Flight modes I'll delete a pair. Right now I'm using my 5th channel but it only changes to one or other mode non of the middle ones.
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson October 9, 2010 at 10:22pm
    Could be that you blew a MUX channel. (That will happen if you plug in an ESC channel wrong). But you should upgrade to the latest code anyway...
  • Daniel R Ramirez Rebollo October 9, 2010 at 10:14pm
    guys Im still using the alpha code but one of my chanesl is not responding , the fourth output just doesnt work , what can possiblely be wrong? the mixing config?
  • Developer
    Michael Smith October 9, 2010 at 10:07am
    @loti - Why are you worried about the 5V coming from USB?

    Connect your 5V supply to one of the servo connections on APM. Make sure you don't reverse the connection. Enjoy!
  • Loti October 9, 2010 at 5:03am
    That's what I want to do, add additional power but using an external 5V power supply, but where do I connect those 5v as I don't want to have problems with the 5V coming from the USB ?
    Loti
  • Developer
    Michael Smith October 9, 2010 at 1:24am
    @loti - You can't power APM with 3.3V, it needs 5V. There is no fundamental difference between a battery + BEC and an external 5V supply from APM's perspective.

    As for short circuits, what about them specifically?

    @james - check your soldering carefully. If you have access to a multimeter, you can try watching the 5V rail at e.g. the telemetry connector on the oilcan to see whether you have obvious power supply issues.

    Do you have servos connected when you are experimenting with the board? Many of us have had problems with the USB power not being sufficient to support any servos connected to the board - you will need additional power via a BEC or similar in this case.
  • Loti October 9, 2010 at 12:03am
    Hi all,
    I can't find in the manual the way to power the APM+IMU with an external power source.
    I want to use a 5V or a 3.3V instead of an external battery + BEC, which is the correct way to do so and
    have the APM connected to the computer with the USB port ? I suppose that connecting the external power source
    to a servo channel will work, but what about short circuits ?

    Thanks
  • James Adams October 8, 2010 at 11:55pm
    Right, I can see where that seems very plausible.

    I just have my esc plugged into channel 3.

    I'll dig into it some more tomorrow and see if I can find anything wrong.
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson October 8, 2010 at 11:33pm
    Weird. Never seen that problem. How are you powering the board? It's very unlikely that the board has multiple defects, which is why I suspect some common problem, like power or poor solder joints.
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