This is the system diagram for my ideal UAV system, and I've decided to post it here to help narrow down the hardware I'll need. The numbers in the top corner of each box is the order in which I plan to add them to the system; those without numbers are either too far off to pin down yet or bits that I haven't worked out enough details for.

So far, I think the autopilot will probably be ArduPilot Mega, and the ground unit will use a BeagleBoard. The GPS on the airframe will be the uBlox that DIYDrones recommends, and the IMU will probably be the ArduIMU, because of how ArduPilot Mega is being made to work with it. The thumbstick and buttons will probably be the InputShield, although I might get a Futaba replacement stick and a couple of pushbuttons.

The Tx/Rx will probably be a custom; the initial plan was to use an XBee but I don't think they have the bandwidth and I'm not 100% sure they have the range either so I plan to put together something roughly similar to the Freespace RF modem.

I'm planning to use the BeagleBoard LCD2 designed by HY Research; it's a 480x272 4.3" LCD touchscreen that seems to have fairly decent visibility, but I'll give it a shround of sorts to shield it from glare, and/or get a small sheet of that polarised anti-glare plastic stuff (I've seen photographers stick it over the screens on their digital cameras, so it should do the job). The screen is in the third phase, and the aircraft will be flyable after phase 1 and autopilot-capable after phase 2, so by the time the screen goes in there will already be warning lights for anything major in the form of those LEDs, so in a worst-case scenario, inability to see the screen won't leave me totally in the dark (no pun intended). There will still be visible warnings (and probably a bleeper and/or vibrate motor as well) to warn me about anything I need to be aware of.

So, is there anything you would recommend for any part of this system?