hi all, i need to build a 6x6 rover, i have logitec x56 controls that i want to use to control it and SIK radios. my question is, whats the cheapest flight controller or auto pilot that i can use with andru pilot? i dont need much range, just about 100 yards for now. i need it to pull audio cable through a basement crawl space. thanks in advance.
For the simple task of pulling cable, you may best be served without an autopilot and simply using remote control.
The Matek-H743 Wing series are among the cheaper options for automation.
However, without GPS and in a confined space, I’m not certain that any level of automation is warranted and configuration may simply take up time that you could otherwise spend getting work done with a simpler, manual solution.
the crawl space is too small for us to fit in. ill probaly convert this to a atonomus rover later on.
I’m certainly not trying to stifle interest…I just hate to see you getting bogged down in tuning and details when you’re not likely to use it in the near term.
You can certainly route all control through an autopilot and use manual mode for the indoor tasks, saving the assisted mode config for a later date. Again, Matek makes some great, affordable hardware that is easily expandable as your interest and budget allows.
The Logitech joystick isn’t necessarily well suited to your application, but it can likely be added as a joystick controller within Mission Planner, and you can use the SIK radios for signaling.
At least for the crawlspace task, a simple IP camera might prove useful. It may not integrate into the ArduPilot ecosystem perfectly, but it would surely get the job done.
That’s some good info thanks! So I got the joystick for a long range fpv plane that I’ll be building very soon. So I do plan on reusing some of my rover parts.
I’ll look into matek
I suppose I should offer a word of caution that Matek boards require a lot more soldering than many of the others. If you aren’t comfortable with through-hole component soldering, then perhaps a Pixhawk 4 might suit your needs. A fairly complete list of compatible autopilots can be found here:
Autopilot Hardware Options — Rover documentation (ardupilot.org)
Thank you. The pixhawk is what I’m leaning towards