Awesome simulation setup for ArduPilot!

Jordi's really outdone himself this time! He created a amazing full-featured simulator for ArduPilot that does the following:

Uses the servo output from the autopilot or RC controller (depending on which one is selected by the MUX) to "fly" a plane in the X-Plane flight simulator, via a custom interface he's designed around this ARM board.
Also flies the plane in manual RC mode with RC controller output going through the MUX and then into the ARM board.
Displays the plane's attitude and other flight telemetry with a custom Ground Station built in LabView.
Uses LabView to simulate the FMA Co-Pilot, stabilizing the plane in flight using PID loops.
Display the plane's position in a moving map using Google Maps, which also shows waypoints.

As you'll observe in the videos here, you can see the plane's: 1) Flight in X-Plane 2) Glass cockpit with full telemetry and debug data in the Ground Station 3) Overhead position and path in Google Maps Here's a diagram that shows how everything is connected:

You'd note that he's using using the ArduPilot Pro board with just one atmega installed for this. (the other atmega does stabilization, which we're doing in the LabView Ground Station for this demo.) It's the board we use for development, since it's easy to replace atmega chips. It's best to have at least two computers and three screens for this, as you'll see in the video. Video 1 (above) just shows the setup Video 2 (below) shows the plane taking off in manual mode, switching to autonomous and flying to first two waypoints Video 3 (below) shows the plane flying to the last two waypoints, and switching back to manual mode and landing.

Video 2

Video 3 Full code and instructions on how to create this simulation setup coming soon.

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Comments

Pat December 2, 2008 at 7:50pm

Another approach that avoids a full, 2-way radio link is to use an on-screen display if the plane already has a video downlink. This OSD looks pretty nice, not overly expensive ($100) and should be able to interface to the existing Ardupilot serial connector for real-time telemetry. A full 2-way command and telemetry system for the UAVs should be a long term goal for DIY Drones (which I am extremely excited about working on), but this OSD may be a good first step.

Intuitive Circuits, LLC.
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Chris Anderson December 2, 2008 at 4:45pm

We've haven't implemented radio telemetry yet, but the hardware can support it (via the FTDI serial connector)
Pat December 2, 2008 at 4:27pm

How will the ground station communicate with the UAV?

XBee wireless seems like a natural fit, but I have not seen mention of this being included in the Ardupilot designs.
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Chris Anderson December 1, 2008 at 8:58pm

Jordi's from Mexico
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Chris Anderson December 1, 2008 at 8:58pm

Updated schematics and PCB files are here.
Jhon December 1, 2008 at 7:02pm

Jordi where are you from?
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Chris Anderson December 1, 2008 at 5:35pm

I'll post the latest schematics and PCB files tonight.
Aristotle December 1, 2008 at 5:09pm

I am absolutely blown away by the simulator and demo. A simulator is definitely the best way to test.

This should be very useful for testing the ardu-pilot pro as well, nice work Jordi.

Are the final board schematics complete? Are they available? I'm ready to make one myself, that demo has left me very confident on what it is already capable of.
automatik December 1, 2008 at 1:27am

very nice jordi ! can you post LABView code?
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Chris Anderson November 30, 2008 at 10:13pm

Maybe another month. It just depends on our production partner...

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