Hey I am new to this tc world and I am thinking to buy an APM 2.8 as it is cheaper then the pixhawk. I want to build a 200 dollar plane. But if I use pixhawk the cost increases to 300 dollars and that is really out of my budget. So I am curious to know that APM 2.8 is supported? Or like will it work (even with less features) ?
Thanks paarth
Not supported anymore.
You can find older versions of ArduPilot, but not recommended.
Do not expect any support: APM 2.8 is ooobsoooleeete. Original APM design is 10 years old and firmware is 7 years old.
It may work if you find the right configuration software (old version of mission planner).
But it is really hard to not be confused by the documentation. The existing documentation is a mix of old and new, so you will probably not be able to configure the board correctly.
You do not need to buy a pixhawk flight controller, ArduPilot supports over 80 different boards, starting at around 40$
Ok lemme see idk if they are available in India
I only found this one for 430 dollars – Holybro Pixhawk 4
I know nothing about etailers in India but a google search turned up this:
Several Matek boards are supported.
mostly out of stock… I saw in a video that a person used APM 2.8 for building a drone in 2020
Then keep looking. You will get little to no support for the APM.
ok so will the plane fly with an APM2.8 autonomously and safely? Final question (its for my son and he is very young)
A plane will fly with no flight controller.
It really sucks to see in this community, when someone so interested and willing to dig into a flight controller they find it easily accessible or even budget friendly and try to build a drone to get into the hobby and face an issue, regardless of any situation, the first thing they have to tell you is that it is obsolete and ask you to get a new flight controller.
Have a look at the Ardupilot history
https://ardupilot.org/ardupilot/docs/common-history-of-ardupilot.html
and understand why we insist on the “recent hardware and software” use.
APM2.8 is typically sold at way above it’s value (which is basically scrap value nowadays). There are multiple options that are both cheaper than available APM2.8, sold by people who try to sell it as good hardware, and have modern hardware that is significantly more capable.
Nobody sane here wants to deal with antics as old as that. Especially since versions of AP since 3.2/3.3 have significant improvements relating to safety and reliability.
I know this post is almost 2 years old but a couple of years ago I built an H quad from PVC with an APM 2.8 Flight controller. I still fly it on a regular basis. Thing flies great! I have no intentions of retiring it.
Your success does not excuse the continued sale of obsolete (and often badly cloned) hardware, nor should it encourage new users to follow in your footsteps.
I’m free to enjoy flying my APM 2.8 just like someone else is free to drive their '88 mustang or listen to their 45s on their record player. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the oldies. Everyone should be able to enjoy the hobby even if it means buying an APM 2.8 because it’s all they can afford.
Let’s normalize not gatekeeping the hobby.
This isn’t gatekeeping, but rather setting up new users for success. Currently supported F405 flight stacks can be had for extremely reasonable prices, sometimes even less than what the (highly suspect) APM boards are sold for today.
Help this guy enjoy the hobby Problems with APM 2.8
“…extremely reasonable” is relative.
No one gets to decide how someone else enters and enjoys the hobby.
Amazon has APM boards for $80 US. The going rate on Ali is $40-$50. And I found one in India for $56.
SpeedyBee and equivalent F405 boards are $35, and a stacked ESC can be added to bring the total to $60.
That’s objective.
I do understand you’re having fun with what you’ve got, and more power to you for that, but I don’t understand why you’d encourage anyone down that path here.
