Tag: APM

Navio+ Raspberry Pi-powered flight controller now runs APM too

Navio+ Raspberry Pi-powered flight controller now runs APM too

January 12, 2015 15:41 | By | Add a Comment

The folks at emlid.com notified us that their promised port of the Arducopter APM code is now complete, turning the Navio+ board into a ready-to-use flight controller for your UAV needs.

SONY DSC

The Navio+ is an add-on board for your Raspberry Pi with all the sensors and equipment you need for your unmanned missions: MPU9250 IMU, MS5611 barometer, uBlox M8N GPS, serial UART, I2C, PPM inputs, a ton of PWM outputs, and even triple-redundant power source, switching from servo rail to Raspi USB power to a separate power module on the fly in case of problems.

The real interesting part is that the Raspberry Pi gives you a very open and accessible linux environment aboard your vehicle, with all the usual capabilities in addition to what the Navio gives you. Want to run  a special python script or some linux program you wrote during your mission? Now you can, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to pull of than trying to write custom code for the Pixhawk. Want to add wifi to your quadcopter? Just plug in a wifi dongle.

The Navio+ is available for preorder for USD $168.- at their website, with the first units expected to ship early February.

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Qualcomm Snapdragon Cargo drone unveiled at CES

Qualcomm Snapdragon Cargo drone unveiled at CES

January 6, 2015 11:24 | By | 1 Comment

Qualcomm is yet another member of the Dronecode alliance showing off their new Cargo drone at CES. Apparently their engineers have ported APM to Snapdragon-based hardware and are augmenting its capabilities with 3d vision based obstacle avoidance.

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Walkera H6 debut at CES, runs APM/Dronecode

Walkera H6 debut at CES, runs APM/Dronecode

January 5, 2015 12:43 | By | Add a Comment

Need more proof that APM and the Linux Foundation-backed Dronecode alliance is really taking off? Walkera is about to debut the H6, a fancy-looking high-end quadcopter with retractable landing gear. The design is reminiscent of the new DJI Inspire, though the construction uses a simpler landing gear mechanism instead.

No info on price or availability yet, though we expect this to be announced within the next day.

Stick around for more pictures after the break.

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Dronecode: a drone software project by the Linux Foundation

Dronecode: a drone software project by the Linux Foundation

October 13, 2014 11:46 | By | Add a Comment

The Linux Foundation has launched a new collaborative project called Dronecode, which aims to bring together open source projects and commercial vendors for the development of new open source flight control software for all kinds of civilian UAVs.

So far, so uninteresting. But reading the list of participants shows just how much potential this new initiative has: Among APM-developer 3DRobotics, Yuneec, Baidu and Intel there’s also DroneDeploy, JDrones, Qualcomm and Walkera on board.

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HKPilot Mega Mini

HKPilot Mega Mini

March 10, 2014 14:08 | By | 2 Comments

Hobbyking is selling a miniature version of the Ardupilot APM 2.5 flight controller. This board features a HMC5883L compass, MPU-6000 gyro/acc, MS5611-01BA03 barometer sensor as well as a ATMEGA2560 8-bit microcontroller.

apmminiThe only problem is, things have moved on with the introduction of the PixHawk flight controller. And at a price of USD $83.- without GPS or telemetry the MegaMini is not exactly a bargain offer either. The fact is that the 8-bit APM platform will not see much new development over the next few years, so you better be content with the current state of affairs for there won’t be much in terms of revolutionary new updates for this platform.

Regardless, if you yearn for a more portable (even if slightly outdated) APM, the MegaMini is up for order on the HK website now. And who knows, maybe the price will drop down a bit, making this a good alternative to the T1000FC to throw in to your everyday model as an automated return-home and recovery system.

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Pocket Drone Kickstarter

Pocket Drone Kickstarter

January 9, 2014 15:21 | By | Add a Comment

Do you wish you had a pocketable multirotor that can fly autonomous missions controlled by your tablet? The Pocket Drone is now looking for backers on Kickstarters, and their concept looks rather interesting.

pocket1It’s essentially an APM powered tricopter with a nifty foldable frame that also acts as a case for the flight controller and GPS. Several packages are available, including a bind and fly package for DSM transmitters, as well as a RTF package with transmitter and a video package that includes everything along with an onboard HD 1080p camera.

pocket2

Price for the bind and fly Kickstarter backing level is $445, the RTF costs $495, and with the HD camera price reaches $595. Since this is a kickstarter and you’re essentially funding the development and set-up cost of the company, this is not a bad deal. Especially considering you’re getting the world’s first civilian autonomous drone that you can just pull out of your backpack and have fly waypoint missions that you plan on your android tablet or phone.

Of course you CAN just 3D-print your own frame and get all this for a fraction of that price. But that’s the price you pay for convenience, which is exactly what companies like DJI earn their money with.

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APM Mission Planner 2.0 RC1 released

APM Mission Planner 2.0 RC1 released

December 28, 2013 14:28 | By | Add a Comment

Big changes are coming to the ground control software for the APM platform: the APM Planner team just released v2.0 RC1 of their new software. Based on QGroundControl, it blends in the classic APM Mission Planner user interface which means it’s immediately familiar to MissionPlanner 1.x users.

APMPlanner2

Of course this release is timed along with the recent start of sales of the Pixhawk flight controller and the IRIS drone system by 3DR. While this software uses Mavlink like the old versions, do note that compatibility with MegaPirateNG is not guaranteed. In our tests, flight operation worked fine but trying to change PID parameters causes unknown parameter errors. This may well be an issue with the current SVN versions of MegaPirate. Of course original APM 2.x and Pixhawk flight controllers are fully supported.

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Swiftbot wants your money for kickstarting a waterproof drone

Swiftbot wants your money for kickstarting a waterproof drone

December 6, 2013 15:27 | By | Add a Comment

The Swiftbot is a waterproof multirotor drone. Or rather, it will be, if they manage to secure enough funds. Your funds, to be more exact, and via their Kickstarter campaign. The idea is for the quadcopter to be able to land on water and submerge cameras, hydrophones etc. under the water surface to take pictures, record audio, and so forth.

swiftbotThey use the excellent ArduCopter which means this will be completely MavLink-compatible, so you can use your existing apps on iOS, Android, Linux, Mac and Windows to control it. Pledging 99 dollars gets you… a 3d-printed flyable micro model of the Swiftbot. The only bigger pledge is $199 for early access to the 3D-printed parts library. There’s no way to pledge for a complete system, or even printed parts, which may explain why this kickstarter is at just over $300.- with only 16 days to go…

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3DR IRIS available for preorder

3DR IRIS available for preorder

November 26, 2013 10:31 | By | Add a Comment

The 3D Robotics IRIS drone is now available for preorder. It’s meant to be used as a serious drone for civilian users, offering complete waypoint flightplans via PC or smartphone/tablet. Unlike DJI, their products are often open-hardware and open-source, which explains why 3D Robotics chose not to gimp their flight controllers or restrict them to a small number of waypoints.

Indeed, the IRIS uses the new Pixhawk autopilot system while retaining compatibility with the ArduPilot Mission Planner (APM).

The IRIS is one of the cheapest available professional drones with full waypoint support at a preorder price of just over USD $729.- , depending on selected options. This includes integrated 433MHz or 915MHz telemetry.

The Pixhawk flight controller is sure to be a hot topic in 2014 as it’s poised to replace the aging Ardupilot 2.x controller. The Pixhawk itself can be preordered for USD $200.-

More pictures and technical data after the break.

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