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Permalink Reply by Doug Weibel on January 26, 2010 at 8:13am

The first thing missing on your list is an ArduPilot board. Also you will most likely want an ArduPilot Shield kit. The ArduIMU board is not set up to be a stand-alone autopilot. ArduPilot is. The Shield kit adds an airspeed sensor and support for thermopiles. There is currently no "released" firmware support to use ArduPilot and ArduIMU together, but that is coming.

I would recommend you find another airframe platform to work out the autopilot system first before putting it in your turbine.

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Permalink Reply by Florian Schulz on January 26, 2010 at 8:21am

Hi Doug,

thank you for your answer. What would be the best choice for an AutoPilot? Wait for the ArduPilot Mega?

I have a some more airframe platforms for try out.

Regards,
Florian

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Permalink Reply by bGatti on January 26, 2010 at 9:15am

It's only fair to point out that the Ardupilot is developed on far slower airframes than what you describe, and that whether intended or not, all of the algorithms and particularly the PID gains will be clustered around slower machines. There may be no known limit to the airspeed, but if it is safe to say, no one here has yet described testing this platform at > 100 mph, so you would be in clearly uncharted waters.

I'm not sure where you intend to fly that thing, but it brings up at interesting fact - that by the US failing to create a reasonably safe envelope for private UAV's it has by default created a wild frontier where kerosene tanks are whizzing around at 183 mph on cruise control. What could go wrong?

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Permalink Reply by Florian Schulz on January 26, 2010 at 9:51am

Hi,

that's my thing to explore uncharted waters ;-)
I fly that Jet with my FX40 2,4Ghz with no problems for over 3 years!
I like to use the AutoPilot more for flight stabilisation, not as a UAV.

Here is my new airframe:

Greetings,
Florian

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Permalink Reply by borneobear on August 23, 2010 at 4:15am

Why don't you try the FY21AP? Its a 3 axis accelerometer + gyro, with stand alone autopilot with RTH and auto circling. Someone has tested it to 100 km. But not on a kerosene turbine though (not yet anyways).

http://shop.fyetech.com/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=22

BB

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Permalink Reply by Florian Schulz on August 23, 2010 at 8:49am

Hi borneo bear,

Thank you for your recommendation. I use the GluonPilot, it's an all-in-one IMU-based module, works perfect for me. Top speed was over 140 mph !

(I have sold the little kerosene turbine, now I use the Hoffman Magnetics Storm Wild Beast EDF)

Florian

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