Maiden flight

Today I finaly got my new x-quad setup with arducopter firmware flying. It still needs some pid tuning, but flying well and feels stable and controllable.

So what's this x-quad configuration all about? The current setup is:
- Razor9Dof IMU  (raw data output firmware over serial port)
- Seeduino Mega 1280 (arduino compatible)
- DIYDrons Arducopter firmware V2.5.3 (with some custom made changes and imu driver)
- 4Channel Analog FM RC controller
- Lantronix B/G wifi module

So I'm flying the x-quad with a standard RC (40mhz fm) controller. The wifi module provides real time telemetry from the quad and sends it to my laptop where I have the DIYDrons APM Planner software running. Next step is to do some PID tuning and try it outside.


*** UPDATE 28 MAI 13

I did some PID tuning and tested the quad outside. Flying manual with rc controller in stabelize mode.

Now we are ready to integrate the sparkfun sup500f gps and test the arducopter gps functions (loiter, rtl, ...) in the mission planner.

Arducopter on the bench!

Finaly I got most components working for this project. The arducopter firmware is ported to my seeeduino mega board and is connect to all my other exothic hardware. Now I'm ready to go for some PID tuning on the testbench.

In the movie you can see the these components
- Seeeduino mega 1280 (loaded with arducopter firmware version 2.5.3, with my personal changes)
- Razor 9dof imu (loaded with my own firmware, raw sensor data output)
- Lantronix B/G wifi module
- voltage regulation board to power the wifi module.

The gps is not mounted because I have no signal inside. I currently have only 2 ESC available. These 2 are my spare parts, the other one's are mounted on my Mini-H-Quad. So currently I'm only driving 2 motors. In the video you will see some basics tests, PID tuning will be for next time.

Mainboard

The Seeeduino Mega will be my choice as main controller. This board is 100% arduino platform compatible. So it's very easy to develop, program and test. The advantage above the original arduino mega is that the Seeeduino Mega is a bit smaller.

Weight: 25.3 grams
ATmega 1280 @ 16MHz
Selectable 5V/3.3V operation
70 Digital IO
16 Analog inputs
14 PWM outputs
4 Hardware serial ports (UART)
More info about the Seeeduino Mega

This litle mainboard will be the central control unit of the quadrocopter. All input sensors and all output control units will be attached to this board.