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3D Robotics

Traditional helicopters now supported by ArduCopter2, too!

Posted by Chris Anderson on June 20, 2011 at 6:30pm

3689413706?profile=originalCheck out the firmware loading screen from the latest Mission Planner (1.013). Have you ever seen anything more beautiful??

 

Yes, APM is the first autopilot in history to support every kind of flying machine out there! (We already covered lighter-than-air with Blimpduino). Thanks to the great work of team leader Randy Mackay, the Trex 450 (traditional heli) version of ArduCopter is now fully compatible with ArduCopter 2, which means 2-way MAVLink and all the other mission planning goodness.

 

Randy will be updating the Traditional Heli manual soon with the ArduCopter2 details. One thing he discovered is that the Trex 450 flies a lot better with APM if you go flybarless. A Guai 450 flybarless head can be found for as little as $24.

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Comments

  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson June 21, 2011 at 6:53am
    Rob, "x" and "+" quad configuration are set in the Setup process. They use the same quad firmware.
  • 3D Robotics
    Chris Anderson June 21, 2011 at 6:51am
    Chris Appleton: after two years, OpenPilot has still not shipped ANY autopilot. They've just shipped a RC multicopter controller board.
  • Developer
    Jani Hirvinen June 21, 2011 at 2:58am

    Chris A, we are supporting Traditional Helis, Quad copters, Hexas, Tri copters, Fixed wings etc ALL from the same firmware/uploader and that is something that no one else has ever done before. Also ArduPilot Mega platform have to support to Rovers and Submarines too. So we are supporting Under Water, on Ground, Up in sky and up in sky with multiple devices.

     

    Rob, X Quad, X Hexa are both in there, we just run out of image space on APM Mission Planner upload page, you can select between + and x in software it self.

     

  • Rob June 21, 2011 at 2:48am
    Where did the Xquad-config go? I thought it was supported too by AC2?
  • Chris Appleton June 21, 2011 at 1:31am
    *edit - sorry, meant to say that google thinks they were first http://imgur.com/7kvXP
  • Chris Appleton June 21, 2011 at 1:22am
    These guys seems to think they were the first: http://www.openpilot.org/products/openpilot-coptercontrol-platform/
  • Matthias Badaire June 21, 2011 at 12:51am

    answering my own question RTFM :

    "for best performance you should invest in a flybarless head but no need for a separate flybarless controller (the APM does that). I use the RJX."

  • Matthias Badaire June 21, 2011 at 12:49am
    I suppose that "going flybarless" means new flybarless head + fbl gyros , or APM does the job and we need to change only the mechnical head...?
  • Şuayb TOZMAZ June 21, 2011 at 12:38am
    That is what i am waiting. :)
  • simonl June 21, 2011 at 12:14am
    YEAH! Brilliant news. Well done Randy. Wuup Wuup.
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