Keeping life simple

Tag: APM

  • Automatic Software In The Loop (SITL) setup for ArduPilot

    For those who use and develop using the ArduPilot autopilot software (as featured on DiyDrones and ArduPilot Discourse), a powerful simulation tool is available that can replicate all of the features of the autopilot without flying an actual aircraft. This is extremely useful for testing complex missions or parameter configurations without risking real hardware.

    Flying a simulated ArduPlane UAV around Canberra from the comfort of my desk in Perth.
    Flying a simulated ArduPlane UAV around Canberra from the comfort of my desk in Perth.

    Unfortunately setting it up is a bit tricky, official instructions are available however to make life easier I have created an automatic script that you can run that will install and run the SITL software on a Ubuntu 14.04 Linux PC or virtual machine.

    This software is licensed under GNU General Public License version 3 and the source code is available at https://bitbucket.org/dellarb/ardupilot-sitl

    (more…)

  • Simple set up for Turnigy 9XR (or similar) 6 position mode switching with APM Autopilots – No Hardware/Flashing Required

    Simple set up for Turnigy 9XR (or similar) 6 position mode switching with APM Autopilots – No Hardware/Flashing Required

    This is a cross post for one of my original blog posts on DIY Drones. It is included here for permanent reference.

    T9X_1

    Until recently my main TX was a Turnigy 9X and I (like many others) was using a hacked in 6 position POT switch to select modes on my various aircraft. Unfortunately the 9X has died so has been replaced by a shiny new 9XR. Rather then hack apart the 9XR (too pretty) I wanted to experiment with using the existing controls to select modes on my aircraft. I have seen several tutorials on this but none met all of my requirements below.

    1. Not relying on guessing the position of the continuous POT switches
    2. Gives a easy to read visual indicator of current mode
    3. Uses only a single radio channel
    4. All performed with the default software and hardware – no flashing/hacking required

    The method I used was to combine the 3 position switch (ID0/1/2) with the Aileron Dir switch. Between these two switches there are six possible combinations which neatly matches the 6 modes of the APM ecosystem.

    (more…)