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

Moderator

Alex May 3, 2011 at 1:24am

Just as a suggestion, it is better to ask technical questions in the forums http://diydrones.com/forum/categories/ardupilot-mega-hardware-tech/...

But as for your problem, try to move the slider switch to both positions and that should make a differance. when the slider is towards the servo connectors Ardupilot Mega is in setup mode, the other position is in fly mode. more information can be found on the wiki
http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/wiki/CLI
Alex May 3, 2011 at 1:09am

Hy guys,

I have another problem, my ardu "package" stops working.

I tried to connect with usb cable and first time it worked but suddenly it disconnected from arducopter configurator. When i've tried to reconnect nothing happened(the 3 LEDs stop working/flashing).

If i let it to "rest" for an hour and connect via usb cable it's working , but after couple of minutes it dies.

Sunday it flies my hexa for the first time so it worked.

No software uploaded neither hardware intervention.

Where could be the problem ?

(i've changed the usb cable, tried on my laptop,desktop same result).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-StIbsxaH0c&feature=mfu_in_order...

Thanks for help.
Blueeyes April 21, 2011 at 6:48pm

That looks great. Does anyone know of one that can be used for dual ailerons? I can use a Y harness, but I'd like to be able to control flaps, too.
3D Robotics

Chris Anderson April 21, 2011 at 10:56am

Kelvin. Thanks for that--it seems like a very good (and cheap--$3!) solution. I've added it to the manual here:
http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/wiki/RC
Kelvin V April 21, 2011 at 10:34am

Chris:

Here's the link: V-Tail Mixer
3D Robotics

Chris Anderson April 21, 2011 at 10:09am

Kelvin, I think it would be a pretty straightforward thing to add to the code, but I'm afraid none of the dev teams that I know of flies V-tails or flaperons, so it hasn't been a priority for them (also, as best as I recall we've only been asked for this by three people out of 5,000 Ardu* owners).

But that's the virtue of open source--this is a great project for the community (especially those who have such configurations) to take on. My suggestion is that it be a CLI setting, since we don't have any more spare DIP switches.

In the meantime, can you link to the hardware solution you found? I can add that to the manual.
Kelvin V April 21, 2011 at 10:02am

Blueeyes: Thanks. I've tried posting this on RCG also, but no one answered. My aircraft setup has ailerons, throttle, and a V-tail. I programmed the radio for V-Tail and it works great. The only problem is when the Ardu takes over it and moves only one of the surfaces. I ordered a V-Tail 1:1 mixer from HK and hope this fixes the problem. A software solution would be better, but my coding skills aren't that great.
Blueeyes April 21, 2011 at 9:47am

Kelvin: If no one can answer your question, let me know. I have a flapperon setup on my plane and need a different servo setup. It looks like Ill have to modify the code to do it. I can look into supporting vtail, too.
Kelvin V April 12, 2011 at 7:46am

I'm working on a new aircraft design. Does anyone here know if the APM can handle a "V" tail?
3D Robotics

Chris Anderson April 10, 2011 at 11:24am

Kelvin: that's been pushed back by a few months. Too many products, too little time.

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