1. Lucas Cox, Supreme Aryal EE587
Autopilot Survey: APM 2.6
Lucas Cox, Supreme Aryal
EE587
Numbers,
Headers

2. Agenda Intro Hardware Software and Telemetry Mission Planner (GCS)
Examples of Use
Pros/Cons vs. ARM Boards
APM2.6

3. Intro Open-source Lightweight Cheap Arduino microcontroller
Developed by 3D Robotics
Fixed-wing support
Multirotor support
Ground vehicle support
Built-in sonar and GPS support
APM2.6

4. Hardware 16Mhz AVR Microprocessor 3 UARTs MPU6000 1 SPI Port I2C Port
3-axis accelerometer
I2C Port
+/- 2 to +/- 16 gs
8 channel receiver input
3-axis gyroscope
8 analog inputs
+/- 250 to +/ dps
MS5611
barometric pressure sensor
+/- 10cm altitude precision
External 3-axis compass support (req.)
External GPS support (opt.)
APM2.6

5. Software and Telemetry
Written as .pde
915Mhz
.pde = Arduino IDE
57600 baud
Inner Attitude PID
Range – “few” kilometers
100Hz
MavLink Protocol
Outer PID
Compact
Open-Source
Support for user functions
Streams:
Fastloop – 100Hz
Sensory data
50Hzloop – 50Hz
Positional info
Mediumloop – 10Hz
Commands
Slow/Superslow – 3.3/1Hz
Mention how it adds biases for moving
APM2.6

6. Mission Planner Easy Setup Wizard Waypoints Telemetry Display
Turn radius
Loiter
Telemetry Display
Calibration
Hardware Configuration
PID Tuning
Transmitter Configuration
Remote Commands
Terminal Debugging
Range of telemetry.
Radio
Data Rates
MavLink
APM2.6

7. Mission Planner-Flight Data
Range of telemetry.
Radio
Data Rates
MavLink
APM2.6

8. Mission Planner-Flight Plan
Range of telemetry.
Radio
Data Rates
MavLink
APM2.6

9. Mission Planner-Initial Setup
Range of telemetry.
Radio
Data Rates
MavLink
APM2.6

10. Mission Planner-Config/Tuning
Range of telemetry.
Radio
Data Rates
MavLink
APM2.6

11. Mission Planner-Terminal
Range of telemetry.
Radio
Data Rates
MavLink
APM2.6

12. Examples of Use 2012 Outback Challenge Australia 2014 AAVC Dayton, OH
Won
2014 AAVC Dayton, OH
Aerial Solutions
2012 Outback Challenge Australia
Won
2014 AAVC Dayton, OH
Aerial Solutions
2013 NASA UAS Competition
APM2.6

13. Pros/Cons vs. New ARM boards
Easy setup
Simple
Inexpensive
Small learning curve
Proven
Longevity
Support
Low-maintenance
Cons
Outdated Processor
16MHz
Vs. 168MHz
No FPU
8-bit
Vs 32 bit
Few IO ports compared to PIXHAWK
APM2.6