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Old 04-19-2011 | 06:23 PM
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mboland
 
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From: BouldercombeQueensland, AUSTRALIA
Default RE: Help starting 50cc Cessna UAV project

For the price, the Attopilot is the most complete system I have found.

Auto take off is one of the AP's functions. It holds the aircraft in a straight and level attitude until the set height is reached.
Auto land is a function of the waypoints and airspeed and I am currently working on the combination to get this happening.

The GCS is included with the product but there is a couple of alternative GSC applications that do a great job and are compatible with the Atto.
http://www.millswoodeng.com.au/fd_gcs.html
http://code.google.com/p/happykillmore-gcs/

Both are very good and do the same job differently. I have mainly used the Millswood Engineering GCS as it gives you control over comms very easily and you can modify the app to suite particular applications of the UAV.
I have just started to evaluate the HappyKillmore GCS, but it looks to be a complete all in one package, probably more suited to your application.<br type="_moz" />
Atto is able to use Thermopiles or an IMU. At present I am only using thermopiles to keep the cost down, but eventually I will lash out and get an IMU which will just plug straight in with no alteration required.

The GPS, Thermopiles (XY and Z), SD Card reader, cables and connectors are included with the kit.
The modems are something you can source yourself as everyone seems to have their requirements they are not part of the supplied system.
We use the XTend modems which give us up to 40 miles, but if you require less then the ZBee are a very economical alternative.
Connectors for both are available from Atto.
The new Atto is designed to be talked to over the modem (although you can still program it manually through the SD card if you wish).
The modem is also required for the GCS software to receive the data from the plane and display it for you.

Mike
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