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.

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Comments

3D Robotics

Chris Anderson March 12, 2011 at 5:56pm

Larry: Use the Mission Planner to read from the board and see if it has recorded the waypoints. Which version of the code are you using? There are absolutely no issues with 1.02 but 2.0 is still in beta and may be causing issues on some setups.
3D Robotics

Chris Anderson March 12, 2011 at 5:45pm

Whooper. That's correct. After the mission is completed, it switches to Loiter/RTL. Switching to manual and then to auto again will not restart the mission. If you want to change the mission in air like this, use APM 2.0 and control the mission commands from the GCS.
Jim Haliburton February 22, 2011 at 2:32pm

I am not clear if the reference quoted below re firmware 2.51 is to the version of code on the IMU or the version of the code on the ArduPilot. Could someone clarify? Thanks

Note 1: This IMU can serve as a replacement for ArduPilot's thermopile sensors with the 2.51 code and above
Dercio Guia February 19, 2011 at 1:19am

Hello, i'm from Portugal, and i woul like to know if ardu pilot con make a r/c helicopter fly from the floor and land it... and i would also like to know the price for the full solution...where can i see it? Thanks.
Brett Glossop February 17, 2011 at 10:56pm

thanks for th vid Darren! its certainly been something that I thought was missing from all the marvelous efforts so far.

brett
iw28 February 15, 2011 at 6:29am

Thats great !

Chris, hehe I dont have any APM yet but ist on the way :) I was just a bit nervous how difficult it may be to use the planner.

Thank you everyone ! :)
Darren February 14, 2011 at 2:47pm

I also have the logs for those flights posted on here somewhere... :)
Darren February 14, 2011 at 1:59pm

really? theres tons that ive seen posted here, and below are a couple i've made

I have one that ended in a crash, but havent posted it :)

First stabilazation tests

Full test 5 waypoints and RTH
3D Robotics

Chris Anderson February 14, 2011 at 1:54pm

iw28: that's a good idea. We take it for granted now, but it would be useful for newcomers to see how it works. Is that something you can make? I'm happy to feature a good video that walks through the steps.
iw28 February 14, 2011 at 1:36pm

Is it just me, because I havent seen any video, where the ardupilot mega is used in a airplane with waypoints? wish there were any video, that showed how fast and easy it is to upload waypoints and fly!

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