ArduPlane home page

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.

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).

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! (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.

I have had great success with the Stabilize and Fly By Wire modes. In an effort to move forward, I tried RTL mode today. Every time I switched into RTL mode the plane simply banked into a left hand descending spiral, regardless of where it was located relative to the launch position. I examined my logged flight data, and the GPS data is all zeros. This is odd, because I used the CLI to run a GPS test immediately before the flight and it was reporting my position just fine (with the exception that the number of satellites is always reported as 0). Per Chris' instructions I updated my Mediatek software last weekend (before the update, I did not obtain valid position fixes when running the CLI test). Any thoughts? Thanks!

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Comments

Brett Elmore November 9, 2010 at 9:26am

It looks like something in the newest Beta broke the CLI. The CLI loads fine, but produces no output when a command is issued to it. Reverting to the previous version fixes the problem. I also noticed some extra output in the new version when using the serial monitor with the switch set to flight mode (switch flipped toward the board).
Dean November 6, 2010 at 6:34pm

For some reason I just don't have GPS data. The logged GPS data shows all zeros. The TM data stream does not include the location message. However, the CLI GPS test displays the GPS data correctly (with the exception that the number of satellites is always reported as 0). I updated my MediaTek software last week, and it fixed the problem that I was having with incorrect lattitude. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Dean November 6, 2010 at 8:55am

I have had great success with the Stabilize and Fly By Wire modes. In an effort to move forward, I tried RTL mode today. Every time I switched into RTL mode the plane simply banked into a left hand descending spiral, regardless of where it was located relative to the launch position. I examined my logged flight data, and the GPS data is all zeros. This is odd, because I used the CLI to run a GPS test immediately before the flight and it was reporting my position just fine (with the exception that the number of satellites is always reported as 0). Per Chris' instructions I updated my Mediatek software last weekend (before the update, I did not obtain valid position fixes when running the CLI test). Any thoughts? Thanks!
Uwe Gartmann November 4, 2010 at 1:03pm

Hi,

When i use the APM Software, is there a timer interrupt free for my own purposes?
bob ma November 4, 2010 at 10:52am

thx, man. I'll read through the thread.
Brett Glossop November 4, 2010 at 4:28am

bob ma and daniel
some of the answers are in a recent arcticle on the wiki http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/wiki/Onboard
waypoints, channel to use etc.
Brett
3D Robotics

Chris Anderson November 3, 2010 at 10:24pm

Privanka, waypoints and GPS hold will be coming to the ArduCopter code over the next month. As for your second question, I'm not sure what you mean by "flight sensors". The ArduCopter kit comes with everything you need.
Priyanka Garigipati November 3, 2010 at 4:17pm

hi everyone,
i have the built the arducopter board and i have a quick question about flight

i was wondering if there is anyway to make the quadcopter with the Arducopter completely autonomous?
if so, is there a way to switch back to manual mode during flight if needed?

Are there any flight sensors needed for a quadcopter in order for the autopilot to work?

Thank You
hoopty November 3, 2010 at 2:33pm

Hey Guys, I am flip-flopping back and forth between heli's and planes. This week it is time to take out the plane. The Mega Planner is a really nice tool and I get a kick out of the resolution but something changed recently. I do not seem to be able to zoom in as well as I used to with previous versions. Can someone clue me in on why it changed?
Daniel R Ramirez Rebollo November 3, 2010 at 12:36pm

I dont think so , but as I understood the library reads all 8 inputs , so just have to make and if statemen or so , but not sure about this , you better check the library were it reads channels

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