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3D Robotics

New ArduPilot Mega boards off the production line!

Posted by Chris Anderson on March 19, 2010 at 11:00pm

That's Nathan Siedle, CEO of Sparkfun, handing me the very first ArduPilot Mega board to come off the Sparkfun production line. We were at an Arduino planning meeting in NYC; that's Massimo Banzi of the Arduino project in the back.


Here's a closeup photo of the board. It looks great! The only thing that's not quite right is the GPS connector is supposed to be sideways, so it doesn't rip off in a crash, but we'll fix that in the next batch. It doesn't really matter, because nobody will use that connector; they'll be using the GPS connector on the IMU shield instead.


Front:


Back:

I don't have an ETA on when they'll go on sale, but it's not long now!

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Comments

  • Daniel Nugent March 23, 2010 at 7:05pm
    What are the main features that make this different then the normal ardupilot. I understand that it is faster and cheaper but is there any other special features. I'm really interested in it but I don't know a whole lot. I have been reading the forum but I'm having a hard following. Could someone give me a quick briefing or a link?
    Thanks,
    Daniel
    I can't wait to see the final product!
  • Developer
    Doug Weibel March 23, 2010 at 12:50pm
    ArduIMU is separate. You can use it with ArduPilot, with or without the shield. If you do not have the shield you will not have airspeed, so will have different control laws for pitch and throttle. If stalling is of any concern with your airframe I recommend using the shield.

    I have not added the code in to ArduIMU to support gps other than ublox. It is on my to-do list. I do have a 406 so I will do that one first (when I get to it) and test it out.
  • David Ankers March 23, 2010 at 9:27am
    Wow you guys are good! There is so much work involved in producing the Mega and I am real impressed at the time scales you have achieved all this in. Fantastic work!
  • Developer
    Mark Colwell March 23, 2010 at 8:20am
    Scott, You can either use IMU or thermopiles, but not both at same time.. I been flying 251 for 5-6 flights..
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson March 23, 2010 at 7:12am
    Scott, ArduIMU is compatible with the current ArduPilot. You'll just need the 2.51 code. Works great--check out Doug Weibel's posts. The only reason to upgrade to Mega is if you want a backchannel for in-flight mission changes, and a slightly neater installation.
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson March 22, 2010 at 11:15pm
    @Scott. Yes, but we recommend people upgrade to the uBlox for performance.
  • Developer
    Jordi Muñoz March 21, 2010 at 2:44pm
    The hardware should be ready in less than a month! Actually i'm working full throttle on the final details of the board...
  • Jay Smith March 21, 2010 at 1:22pm
    Any time frame on availability?
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson March 21, 2010 at 12:51pm
    Early, Morli is right. We're targeting $58. It's twice as complex at the ArduPilot board, and all the processors are one category more powerful. But overall, the total package will be cheaper than ArduPilot. As Jordi said before::

    "It will be cheaper than the original ArduPilot Setup because is $89 gps + Shield Kit $50 + ardupilot $24.90 + Ir sensors $115 + FTDI $20= $298.90 dlls

    This APM setup will cost Ardupilotmega $59 + IMU shield $139 + GPS $89 = $287 plus you will have IMU, servo switch, datalogger, 12bit ADC (better resolution), Ftdi build in, full support for 8 channels, switches and the possibility to expand. I guess is the smartest autopilot in terms of simplicity and price. "
  • Earl March 21, 2010 at 11:40am
    $58 with no GPS ? I was hopeful for $39 or at most $49. Not many parts on the board.
    Earl
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