Hi,
I just wonder if there is any solution to connect two boards running Ardupilot so they can share sensors. The idea is to connect newer CPU and memory with older but having good sensors board.
yes you can. Look for AP_Periph.
Will it work with truly old boards like those running on Atmega? It means older Ardupilot on old board.
no, we don’t support Atmega since at least 10y.
Considering their price and the price of a standard flight controller, that isn’t worth it to buy them or lost time on try to hack/update them for this.
There are plenty of old used boards lying around modelers’ shelves all around the world. Thousands boards with sensors.
It’s just an idea. I can write a code, not problem. I do not expect ready solution now.
All I need to know is what’s the best way to communicate/feed AP in real-time, and the way it can grab data for navigation.
What is the best interface?
Most boards had MAVLink implemented. Is it a way to go?
Your board has no compass? Grab old one, flash it and connect to newest AP. That’s the idea.
Is there any backup or master/slave mode with two boards?
@lida2003 yes : see
Boost Your Drone’s IQ with Dual Autopilot Systems Using ArduPilot for an example how to do it.
@Paul_Paku on ArduPilot recent version got support for external AHRS that could fit. I maintain : ATmega board are generally bad and shouldn’t be trusted. If it is STM based, then AP_Periph is compatible and should fit and handle MAVLINK or DroneCAN and the sensor grabing
I used to fly an ATmega board 10 years ago, and they fit perfectly. A sensor is a sensor. I’m not talking about using an ATmega as a CPU nowadays, but just to collect data. If they can function in flight, they will definitely be sufficient for data collection.